Mary (Taylor) Dyer (abt. 1658 - 1738)

Born about 1658 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Plymouth Colony

Ancestors

Wife of William Dyer Sr — married Dec 1686 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Plymouth Colony

Descendants

Died 8 Oct 1738 at about age 80 in Truro, Barnstable, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Note: This Mary Taylor was not the daughter of Dr. Henry Taylor of Boston (see discussion, below)

Biography

Mary Taylor was born about 1658 in Barnstable, Massachusetts (see discussion, below). Mary Taylor married in 1686 (probably in Truro) William Dyer.^[1][2][3]

She died 8 Oct 1738 in Truro, Barnstable, Massachusetts.^[4][5][6][7]

"Mary, wife of Dr. William, died 8 October 1738, aged about 80 years." (Gravestone)^[8]

She was buried at Old North Cemetery, Truro.

Birth and Attribution

We infer Mary's birth place and date from the following: Mary's headstone is next to Dr. William Dyer's headstone at the Old North Cemetery in Truro (image at right). Her headstone reads that she was about 80 years old, implying a birth year of 1658.

From the Massachusetts Town and Vital Records, we find the record of Mary's marriage to Dr. William Dyer, and a record of their eight children (image at right). The first four were named William, Lydia, Henry, and Jonathon, after her husband, mother, father, and brother respectively. Her father is found in Barnstable around this time, and her two older siblings were born there. Her father is also found in Barnstable as late as March 1688/9^[9]. There is no evidence or cause to believe the family lived anywhere else, so we can reasonably infer that Mary was also born in Barnstable.

Secondary Sources Attributing Incorrect Parentage

Neither Savage^[10] nor Torrey^[11] make any connection between this Mary and Dr. Henry Taylor of Boston.

However, four other known sources attribute Mary as being the daughter of Dr. Henry Taylor, in some cases claiming that Dr. Henry was identical with Henry Taylor of Barnstable. This is almost certainly incorrect, since there is nothing in the record connecting these two Henrys, and if true, we would find Henry with two daughters both named Mary, 10 years apart in age - a highly dubious assertion. There is also no evidence that the Henry Taylor of Barnstable was a doctor.

These sources are:

• "Descendants of Edward Small of New England" by Lora Altine Woodbury Underhill, Volume III, Footnote on Page 1198

• Charles Lothrop Pack, "Thomas Hatch of Barnstable & Some of His Descendants," The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey. 1930, pp 53-58.

• Extract from: GENEALOGY AND HISTORY OF THE HATCH FAMILY: DESCENDANTS OF THOMAS AND GRACE HATCH OF DORCHESTER, YARMOUTH AND BARNSTABLE, MASS. By the Hatch Genealogy Society, 1925

• The Find-A-Grave entry for Mary Taylor Dyer

Mary Taylor Dyer BIRTH 1658 DEATH 8 Oct 1738 (aged 79–80) Truro, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA BURIAL Old North Cemetery Truro, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA MEMORIAL ID 32305285 · View Source

MEMORIAL PHOTOS 3 FLOWERS 19 Her birth record has not been located (and is not listed along with the records of Lydia and Jonathan her siblings). However, her father is known to be Henry Taylor of Barnstable, information that comes from the Will of widow Mary Haughton, wherein it says: "To Mary Taylor ye Daughter of Henry Taylor twenty Shillins". The will is found printed in the Mayflower Descendant 18:134-5 (1916), and is dated Jan 19, 1686.

"Cape Cod Series, Vol II, History and Genealogy of the Mayflower Planters and first Comers to Ye Olde Colonie" by Leon Clark Hills; Hills Pub. Co., Washington D.C.; 1941, pg. 83, also lists Mary as the daughter of Henry Taylor of Barnstable. So does [Freeman 2:

better source. The book is online at archive.org "Descendants of Edward Small of New England" by Lora Altine Woodbury Underhill Volume III Footnote on Page 1198

Henry Taylor mar. Dec. 19, 1650, Lydia Hatch ; he mar., second, Mary ISSUE BY FIRST WIFE I. Lydia Taylor, b. June 21, 1655, probably in Barnstable. II. Jonathan Taylor, b. April 20, 1658, probably in Barnstable. III. Mary Taylor, b. about 1660, probably in Barnstable; she was mar. Dec, 1686, to Doctor William Dyer, of Truro. ISSUE BY SECOND WIFE IV. Hannah Taylor, b. July 7, 1665, in Boston. V. John Taylor, b. Aug. 4, 1666, in Boston. VI. Mary Taylor, b. June 6, 1668, in Boston. It was not unusual to have two children of the same name, especially if they had not the same mother. (Vide Samuel Dyer, son to Dr. William Dyer, who had a Mary by his first wife, and another Mary, or Molly, by his second wife ; both reached maturity.) VII. Henry Taylor, b. Oct. 12, 1670, in Boston. Vide New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 2 : 66 ; also Commissioners' Records of Boston, vol. 9 : 97, l01, 109, 116.

Family Members Spouse Photo William Dyer 1653–1738 (m. 1658)

Children Henry Dyer 1693–1767

Photo Ebenezer Dyer 1697–1777

Photo Samuel Dyer 1698–1773

Photo Judah Dyer 1701–1742

Inscription Mary Dyer, aged 80 yrs, d. 8 Oct 1738 Flowers • 19 In their memory Plant Memorial Trees

Rest In Peace from an 8th great granddaughter (Henry’s line).

Left by Sara Dyer-McNair on 12 Jul 2019

Left by bob tarte on 13 Apr

Sources

1. ↑ Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700, (1994)
2. ↑ Source: #S64, Vol 2, p.66
3. ↑ William Richard Cutter, A. M., Genealogy - Boston and Eastern Massachusetts (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, 1908) Vol. 1, page 461
4. ↑ Marcelia Dyer Rennard Berry, The Dyers from England to Cape Elizabeth 1557-1987, Desc. of Henry 3rd son of Dr. William Dyer
5. ↑ Jeanne Gonzales, Gravestone, Old North Cemetery, No. Truro, Barnstable, Ma.," 18 Apr 1998 , st 251
6. ↑ Charles Lathrop Pack, Thomas Hatch of Barnstable and some of his Descendants, The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey. 1930, p57
7. ↑ William Richard Cutter, A. M., Genealogy - Boston and Eastern Massachusetts (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, 1908) Vol. 1, page 461
8. ↑ Records from Old North Cemetery, Truro. The Mayflower Descendant, Vol. XII, p 235
9. ↑ The 11 Mar 1688/9 will of Robert Shelley of Barnstable was witnessed by Henry Taylor
10. ↑ Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692. Vol. I-IV. Boston, MA, USA: 1860-1862.
11. ↑ Torrey, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 200

See also:

• Families of the First Settlers of Barnstable, Ma., 17 Dec 1902 #3535
• William Heller Dyar, The Dyar (Dyer) Families, Boston, MA: NEHGS
• Boston Transcript (newspaper)
• Lora Altine Woodbury Underhill, Descendants of Edward Small of New England, Boston & NY: Houghton Mifflin Co., (1934), Vol. 1
• Vital Records Index, North America, 1631-1888, Family History Resource File
• Barnstable, Mass., Vital Records, in The Mayflower Descendant, Vol. IV
• John Bensiah Dyer, Inscriptions from gravestones in the Old North Cemetery, Truro, Barnstable, Mass. 1713-1840, Provinceton, MA: Advocate Press/HF Hopkins (1897),
• Harold Ward Dana, " John(5) Billings of Deer Isle, Maine," in NEHGR, Vol. 97, October 1943 ( Originally from "Genealogy of William Billings", Frank Billings, M.D., n.d., published about 1931.)
• William Richard Cutter, A. M., Genealogy - Boston and Eastern Massachusetts Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, 1908.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 March 2021), memorial page for Mary Taylor Dyer (1658–8 Oct 1738), Find a Grave Memorial no. 32305285, citing Old North Cemetery, Truro, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Gus Pendleton (contributor 47054338) .