Humphrey Varney (abt. 1637 - bef. 1714)

Husband of Sarah (Starbuck) Varney — married 2 Mar 1664 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire

Descendants

Died before 2 Jun 1714 before about age 77 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Glenn York [send private message] and Jay Byrne [send private message]

CAUTION -- DISPROVEN AND DISPUTED INFORMATION

In older accounts, still often found on-line, Bridget Knight is often named as Humphrey Varney's mother, based directly or indirectly on the work of Raymon Meyers Tingley,^[1] now disproven. (See Bridget (Unknown) Varney for further discussion.)

Humphrey's place of birth is also sometimes reported as being in Barbados, based on the assumption that his mother was the widow of Parsons. That, too, has been disproven,^[2] and there is no evidence the Varneys were ever in Barbados.

Humprey is often said to have married Esther Starbuck, sister of Sarah, prior to his marriage to Sarah Starbuck. This appears to be based on an error in the record and is not credible. (See discussion below.)

Biography

Origins

Humphrey Varney, son of William and Bridget (___) Varney,^[3] was born about 1637, probably in England.^[4]

Humphrey would have arrived in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts probably in 1648, as his father William was granted liberty to live in Ipswich on 13 November 1649. Sometime later, Humphrey moved to Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts, where he worked in the sawmills until 1658. From there he moved to Dover, Strafford County, New Hampshire, where he was received as an inhabitant on 4 April 1659.^[5]

Marriage

Humphrey married as his first and only wife Sarah Starbuck on 2 March 1664 in Dover, New Hampshire ^{[6] [7]}. The claim that Humphrey was previously married to Sarah's sister, Esther, is based on an error in the records that apparently confused Sarah Starbuck with Sarah Storer,^[8] and has been questioned or dismissed by many.^[9] A detailed dissection of the error is available.

^[10]

There is also the question of how Humphrey could have married Esther Starbuck before 1664, then married her sister Sarah in 1664, when Esther continued to live and reportedly remarried in 1651. Marriage to Sarah while Esther continued to live would have constituted bigamy. Humphrey's marriage to Sarah (but not Esther) was recognized by their father when he confirmed Humphrey's ownership of land previously given to Sarah's first husband Joseph Austin.^[11]

Children

Humphrey's children included^[12]
John Varney, b. 1664, Nantucket and died there in 1666
Peter Varney, b. 1666 in Dover, named in his father's will
Joseph Varney, b. 1667, dover, not named in father's will
Abigail Varney b. 1669, Dover, named in father's will
Ebenezer Varney, b. aft 1672, Dover, named in father's will
John Varney, birth not recorded, may have been about 1671, not named in father's will (may have been previously deceased)

Death

Humphrey died sometime between 17 September 1713 when he signed his will, and 2 June 1714 when his will was entered into probate.^[13]

Probate Records of the Province of NH Vol.1 1635-1717

State papers series Vol. 31 (1907)

HUMPHREY VARNEY-DOVER

In the Name of God amen. the seventeenth day of the Seventh Month one thousand Seven hundred and thirteen I Humphrey Varney of the Town of Dover in the province of New Hampshire in New England yeoman being weak in body *** I give and bequeath unto Sarah my dearly beloved wife the thirds of the purchase of all my Lands to be yearly paid to Her by my Executor after my decease or as they shall agree. I give and bequeath unto my beloved Sonn Ebenezer Varney Six Shill- to be paid by my Exec after my decease. And in Consideration that my Sonn Peter Varney have taken care of me in my Old age, I give and bequeath unto my well beloved Sonn Peter Varney whom I likewise constitute make and ordaine my Onely and Sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament all and Singuler my Lands Messages and Tenements by him freely to be possessed and enjoyed, an alsoe all Houson an Moveable goods both without Door and within, and all the Estate that is mine of All Sorts whatsoever that is found to be mine I give unto my Sonn Peter by him Freely to be possessed and Injoyed and I doe hereby Utterly disallow, revoke, and disannull all and Every other former Testaments, Wills, legacyes, Bequests and Executors by me in any ways before this time Named, Willed and bequeathed Ratifieing and confirming this and noe other to be my last will & testament.

In Wittness whereof I have here unto Sett my hand and Seal the day and year above written.

Signed Sealed and published Humphrey Varney Seal and declared by the Said Humphrey Varney as his last Will and Testament in the presence of us the subscribers.

Joseph Hanson Edward Whitehouse John Bampton

[Proved June 2, 1714] [Probate Records, vol. 7, p. 277]

Notes

Humphrey Varney pleaded non-conviction to charge of absence from Church meetings in 1663.^[14]

Humphrey was taxed at Dover Neck until 1662, and Cocheco in 1665 and afterwards. He and most of his descendants were Quakers.

Sources

1. ↑ Tingley, Some ancestral lines, pp. 417-418
2. ↑ Parsons, Willis S. “Jeffery Parsons of Loddiswell, Devonshire and Gloucester, Massachusetts”, in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society), 142:(July 1988)
3. ↑ Humphrey was named in his mother's will. See:Records and files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, Vol. 5, p. 119
4. ↑ Barber and Delorey. "William Varney of Ipswich and Gloucester, Massachusetts", p. 316
   Collacott (The ancestors and descendants of Zephaniah and Silence Alden Hathaway, p. 222, gives an estimated birth date of 1636, with Barbados as Humphrey's birth place, based on the belief that Humphrey's mother was the widow Bridget Parsons, now disproven.
5. ↑ Collacott, The ancestors and descendants of Zephaniah and Silence Alden Hathaway, p. 223
6. ↑ New England Marriages Prior to 1700 by Clarence Almon Torrey
7. ↑ Barber and Delorey, "William Varney of Ipswich and Gloucester, Massachusetts"
8. ↑ Noyes et al, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire p. 70
9. ↑ See, for example, Collacott, The ancestors and descendants of Zephaniah and Silence Alden Hathaway, p. 222
10. ↑ [1], in Joseph Austin of Dover, New Hampshire, compiled by Carol R. Austin (Austin Families Association of America (AFAOA), on-line database, 2017), accessed 26 January 2017
11. ↑ Noyes et al, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire p. 70
12. ↑ Barber and Delorey. "William Varney of Ipswich and Gloucester, Massachusetts", pp. 316-7
    Noyes et al, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire p. 70
    Collacott, The ancestors and descendants of Zephaniah and Silence Alden Hathaway, p. 223
13. ↑ Barber and Delorey. "William Varney of Ipswich and Gloucester, Massachusetts", pp. 316-7
    Noyes et al, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire p. 70
    Collacott, The ancestors and descendants of Zephaniah and Silence Alden Hathaway, p. 223
14. ↑ Noyes et al, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire p. 70
    Collacott, The ancestors and descendants of Zephaniah and Silence Alden Hathaway, p. 223

• Barber, Kathleen Canney, and Janet Ireland Delorey. "William Varney of Ipswich and Gloucester, Massachusetts". The American Genealogist. (New Haven, Conn. : D.L. Jacobus), Jul 2006

• Collacott, Margaret Oliver. The ancestors and descendants of Zephaniah and Silence Alden Hathaway: with notes on allied families. (Mentor, Ohio: unknown, 1961), pp. 221-222
  much of Collacott's information is based on an unpublished manuscript by Herbert C. Varney (1875-1947), which was compiled through correspondence with his contemporaries.

• Cutter, William Richard. Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Boston and eastern Massachusetts. (New York : Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1908) 4 volumes

• Massachusetts (Colony). Quarterly Courts (Essex County). Records and files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts. (Salem, Massachusetts: The Essex Institute, 1911-1925, 1975)

• Noyes, Sybil; Charles Thornton Libby; and Walter Goodwin Davis. Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire. (Portland, Maine: Southworth Press, 1928-1939), p. 703

• Tingley, Raymon Meyers. Some ancestral lines: being a record of some of the ancestors of Guilford Solon Tingley and his wife Martha Pamelia Meyers. (Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle Publishing Co., 1935)

• Book:The New Hampshire Genealogical Record; Vol. 1;

See Also:

• "Sarah Starbuck", Find A Grave: Memorial #126590549, Memorial 126590549, Created by Robert DeVowe19 Mar 2014, accessed 3 Aug 2019
  NOTE: contains disproven material.

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile for Humphrey Varney was created by Katherine (Alvis) Patterson through import of Shortened files.ged on 30 December 2010
• WikiTree profile Varney-49 created through the import of rgy_complete.ged on Jun 23, 2011 by Robert York.
• WikiTree profile Varney-50 created through the import of heinakuu2011-6.ged on Jul 5, 2011 by Johanna Amnelin.
• WikiTree profile Varney-53 created through the import of BDM7-7-11.ged on Jul 8, 2011 by Brian McCullough
• WikiTree profile Varney-100 created through the import of mike_walton_2011.ged on Aug 20, 2011 by Mike Walton.
• WikiTree profile Varney-146 created through the import of Perry Family Tree.ged on Dec 19, 2011 by Glen Perry
• WikiTree profile Varney-633 created through the import of Katie Reed_s Family Tree (1).ged on Jan 14, 2015 by Katie Reed