William Earle (abt. 1634 - 1715)

Born about 1634 in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Walker) Earle — married before 2 Apr 1654 in Portsmouth, Newport, Rhode Island [uncertain]

Husband of Prudence (Hall) Earle — married about 1680 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Descendants

Died 15 Jan 1715 at about age 81 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island

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This profile is part of the Erleigh Name Study.

Biography

William Earle was born about 1634. He was baptized on 11 May 1634 at St. Michael's Church in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, .^[1][2]

Biographical Sketch

Quoted From the Book: RALPH EARLE AND HIS DESCENDANTS ^[3]

2nd Generation in the line of Ralph (1)

William Earle son of Ralph and Joan Earle;

m. 1st, Mary, dau. of John and Katharine Walker, of Portsmouth, R. I., issue, three children;

2d, Prudence (d. Jan. 18, 1718); and d. Jan. 15th I7I5

The first known record of William is under date of April 2, 1654, when he and his wife Mary sold to James Sands their interest in fourteen acres that came by right of the late widow Walker; the land having come by marriage of Mary Walker (daughter of the widow) to William Earle.

In 1658, on the 11th of May, he was "Received a freeman " of Portsmouth; on the 18th of the same month "Att the Generall court of Commissioners held for the Collony, at Warwicke," he was admitted as a freeman of the colony; and on the 8th of June, he and two others were " chosen Jurymen to attend the General Court of Tryels, at Newport."

At a town meeting held May 1, 1665, it was ordered that William Earle and William Correy (Cory) should have "one acker of land on the hill cauled Briges hill, or some other conveniant place in this townes Comons, and a quarter of an acker of land lying aganst ye towne pond over against William Earle's new dwelinge house, and these two pearcells of land they are to have and to enjoy to them and theres, so long as they maintain a wind mill in this towne for the towns use, Provided that if they maintain not the said mill then the said pearcells of land is to be returned and laid downe to the townes use and dispose."

In 1668, the windmill had been erected, and the town, at the request of said Earle and Cory, annulled the above order and exchanged two acres of ground near the mill for two acres belonging to the said parties. In 1684, the site of the mill is mentioned as "Windmill hill," and in 1685, the grounds were re-exchanged, the town and the parties taking their former property respectively. "

The Eare marke of William Earl's cattell is a hapeny under the side of ye further Eare and a Slit on the Nere Eare, of 12 yeares standing, and Entred upon Record by me, Richard Bulgar, towne Clarke, December, ye 5th, 1667."

William removed to Dartmouth about the year 1670 and stayed several years, his interests there being large. He owned more than two thousand acres from his claims in the original division of the land. Copies of many conveyances both to and from him are upon record. In one of the latter, dated June 26, 1680, in consideration of "naturall Love and affection," he conveyed to his son Ralph and his wife Mary, "of Dartmouth," a " parcel of Land Scituate Lying and being in the Township of Freetown, in the county of Bristoll aforesaid, on the Eastward side of Tanton River, containing half a share, that is to say, half that whole share Adjoyning to the Fall River, two thirds whereof I do give to my said son Ralph Earll his heirs and Assigns forever; and the other Third thereof I do give to my said Daughter in Law Mary Earll her heirs and Assigns forever." This deed was executed in Portsmouth, and the land conveyed is now the site of the central and earliest settled part of the city of Fall River.

On the 6th of May, 1691, the "General Assembly for their Majesties Collony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England, in Portsmouth on said Rhode Island, for the Election of General Officers for the said Collony," was held "at the house of William Earle, it being removed from Newport by reason of the distemper." It was " adjourned until the 23d day of June, and then to meet again at the house of William Earle, in Portsmouth, except the Governor sees cause to meet sooner, if urgent occasion should present."

In 1692, he was on the " Grand Inquest at Newport"; and on the 6th of October, he conveyed to his " well beloved son Thomas Earll, of the Town of Dartmouth, * * * one full quarter of a share of upland" in Dartmouth.

He was a deputy from Portsmouth to the General Assemblies held at Providence, October 25, 1704, and at Newport, May 1, 1706, and July 3, 1706.

In his will, executed Nov. 13, 1713, he gave to his son William, a brass milk pan, and a like gift to his sons Thomas, Ralph, and John, and his daughters Mary Borden, Mary Hix, and Prudence Durfee, and to the last a negro girl, " Kate," also, to his son John, all the rest of the estate, real and personal, he paying, legacies as follows: to grandson Caleb Earle, forty acres, or £40, at the age of twenty-one. To granddaughter Joan Earle, daughter of Caleb, £10, at twenty years of age. His son John was to allow his mother comfortable and sufficient maintenance.

The children of William Earle were :

• Mary Earle, b. 1655; m. John Borden.

• William Earle; m. Elizabeth.

• Ralph Earle, b. 1660; m. Mary Hicks.

• Thomas Earle; m. Mary Taber.

• Caleb Earle; m. Mary.

• John Earle; m. Mary Wait.

• Prudence Earle; m. Benjamin Durfee.

Marriage

William married twice:

• (1) Mary Walker. William and Mary were married before 2 April 1654, at which time William Earle of Portsmouth, planter sold land that his wife Mary Earle had received as daughter of the widow Walker, deceased.^[4]

• (2) Prudence ______, wife of William Earle died Jan 18^[5] 1718^[6]

Children

• Children:^[7]
• Mary Earle b. 1655; m. John Borden
• William Earle, m. Elizabeth ___
• Ralph Earle b. 1660; m. Mary Hicks
• Thomas Earle m. Mary Taber
• Caleb Earle m Mary ____

U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 William Earle & Prudence Hall (1680) Children

• John Earle m. Mary Wait
• Prudence Earle m. Benjamin Durfee.

21 Feb 1664/5: William Earle and William Correy (Corey-61) wished to set up a wind mill and requested one acre and a quarter out of the common land. They were granted one acre on Briges hill or other convenient place and ¼ against ye town pond next to William Earles house, to use as long as they keep the mill for town use, but the land to revert back to the town if they don’t keep the mill. Their windmill was placed on Brigs hill, and 28 April 1668, Earle and Corry requested two acres from the town for accomodation. They exchanged two acres of common for two acres on the hill to them and their heirs forever. The one and ¼ from before was repealed in favor of the two acres.

William was representative of Portsmouth 1693, 1704 and 1706.^[6]

William died on 15 Jan 1715 in Portsmouth, RI." ^[5]

His will was dated 13 Nov 1713. He made bequests to sons William, Thomas, Ralph and John; to daughters Mary Borden, Mary Hix and Prudence Durfee; to grandchildren Caleb Earle, Joan Earle (d/o) Caleb. Son John was to allow his mother comfortable and sufficient maintenance.^[7]

Death

Although William's date of death is recorded in the town record as being 15 January 1715 his will was proved 8 February 1713/14.^[8] Austin (Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island) perhaps "adjusted" the probate date to accommodate the record.

Research Notes

Evidence for second wife, Mary

William Earle has long been thought to have had two wives, as above:

• Mary Walker, long thought to have been the mother of Mary, William, Ralph, Thomas and Caleb; and
• Prudence (_____), marrying about 1677, mother of John and Prudence.

A 1723 suit brought by Mary (Earle) Borden, widow, against Gideon Freeborn in a case of trespass and withholding twenty acres of land in Portsmouth states that John Walker bequeathed the same to his daughter Mary Walker, mother of plaintiff, who took to husband William Earle and died intestate, leaving plaintiff, her only child, surviving, upon which said land accrued to said Earle, etc., reversion to said Mary the plaintiff after death of said Earle, etc. Depositions from Mary Gatchel and Mary Grinnell state that Mary (Walker) Earle 'had but one daughter' and 'soon after died.'^[9]

It seems clear from the above that Mary Walker was not the mother of William, Ralph, Thomas and Caleb.

Alexander Bannerman reached the same conclusion that Mary Earle was the only (surviving) child of Mary (Walker) Earle but asserted that Prudence was without question the mother of the three youngest children, and probably of all except Mary, though he does also leave open the possibility of a third wife between Mary (Walker) and Prudence.^[8]

We learn from a deed dated 30 April 1661 (William Earle to Thomas Waite of Portsmouth^[10][11]) that William's wife at that time was named Mary, she consenting. [This deed is not acknowledged until 1712, when it is ack. by William and Prudence.]

More research is needed.

Sources

1. ↑ Miller, Spencer. "Earle Family of Bishop's Stortford, Co. Herts, England." New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 67:390-393 (1936) birth and marriage cite the parish register.
2. ↑ England christenings https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JSKY-NFG
3. ↑ Earle, Pliny The Earle Family: Ralph Earle and his Descendants, by Pliny Earle. Published by Press of Charles Hamilton, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1888
4. ↑ Anderson, Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III, 3 vols., New England Historic Genealogical Society. 1995. p. 1907 "John Walker" https://www.americanancestors.org/DB393/i/12107/1907/1415521732
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Portsmouth vital records, James N. Arnold, Vital Record of Rhode Island 1636-1850, Narragansett Historical Publ. Co., Providence, 1893, volume 4.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} 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)
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Earle, Pliny. Ralph Earle and his Descendants. Worcester: Press of Charles Hamilton, 1888. p. 24
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Bannerman, Alexander. "Ralph and Joan (Savage) Earle of Newport and Portsmouth: Their Ancestry and Some of Their Descendants." The Lively Experiment, Vol. 8, No. 1. Charleston, WV: The Order of the First Families of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, 2014. Pages 20, 21, 23.
9. ↑ Fiske, Jane Fletcher. Gleanings from Newport Court Files, 1659-1783. Boxford, MA: 1998. Item #175: https://archive.org/details/gleaningsfromnew00fisk/page/n153.
10. ↑ "Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9ZW-SHY1?cc=2106411&wc=MCBR-YTP%3A361612901%2C362549501 : 22 May 2014), Bristol > Deeds 1687-1734 vol 1-3 > image 252 of 799; county courthouses and offices, Massachusetts.
11. ↑ "Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9ZS-BJ4J?cc=2106411&wc=MCBG-M6V%3A361612901%2C361844701 : 22 May 2014), Bristol > Deeds 1713-1716 vol 8-9 > image 448 of 798; county courthouses and offices, Massachusetts.

• The Earle family : Ralph Earle and his descendants, p 23-25 [1]
• Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995).
• Family of Ralph Earle and Joan Savage on Payne-Joyce Genealogy website
• Crane, Ellery Bicknell. Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, Volume 1. Worcester County, MA: Lewis Publishing Company, 1907. p. 450-451 (available on Google)
• Earle, Pliny. Earle Family, The: Ralph Earle and His Dscendents. Worcester, MA: Press of Charles Hamilton, 1888
• England: Marriages, 1538-1973. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Original index: England Marriages, 1538-1973. FamilySearch, 2014 (https://www.americanancestors.org/DB544/rd/314191464)
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113069964) : accessed 20 May 2020), memorial page for William Earle (1632–15 Jan 1715), Find a Grave Memorial no. 113069964, ; Maintained by L J Steuben (contributor 47606575) Unknown.
• The Early Records of the town of Portsmouth; by Portsmouth (R.I.); Perry, Amos, ed; Brigham, Clarence S. (Clarence Saunders), ed. (Providence, R.I., E. L. Freeman & Sons, state printers, 1901)