William Longfellow Jr. (1650 - 1690)

Born 20 Oct 1650 in Horsforth, Yorkshire, England

Husband of Anne (Sewall) Short — married 10 Nov 1678 in Newburyport, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 31 Oct 1690 at age 40 in Aticos Islands, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Rebecca Munn [send private message]

Biography

William was the son of William Longfellow Sr. & Elizabeth Thornton. He was born in Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. William Longfellow is believed to be the first Longfellow who emigrated from England to America..sometime in the early 1680's.

On November 10, 1678 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts he married Anne Sewell. To this union, 6 children were born. William Longfellow was ensign of the Newbury Company that went with Sir William Phips against Quebec, and was drowned with nine others off Anticosta in a violent storm on their return trip.

The following is an extract from the report by William Phips of the expedition against Quebec: "I set sails from New England, March 1690, with seaven hundred men and seaven saile of ships, and we reduced Arcaddy. With 2300 men and with 30 saile of ships, I sailed August 10, 1690, for Quebeck. Contrary winds delayed our arrival till October. I brought the ships within Musquett shot, we fired and dismounted severall of their best cannon, so that the city must have been taken in two or three daies but small pox and the feavour broke out, and the weather grew so extream cold that no further progress could be made therein, so I returned to New England. (signed William Phips.)"

In the Spring of 1689, war broke out in Europe between France and the League of Augsburg, a coalition of countries led by England. France wanted to launch a full-scale attack on the British colonies in America, especially New York. In 1690 the French sent troops to New England where they attacked and destroyed a number of villages, killing their inhabitants or taking them prisoner. New Englanders joined forces against New France.

On August 10, 1690 the British sent an expedition of 32 ships and some 300 men, including about 50 American Indians from the colony of Plymouth, to attack Quebec City. Only about 5 or 6 of the ships were actually warships. Most of the others were merchant or fishing vessels.

William Longfellow was on one of the ships. The contingent of ships reached Quebec City on October 16, 1690. When the French were ordered to surrender, the French sent a messenger with the now famous reply: "I will answer your general through the muzzles of my cannon and muskets." The New Englanders attacked Quebec on October 18, but were driven back. The ships turned around and headed back to Boston harbor.

Several storms were encountered on the return voyage and a number of ships were wrecked. Four of them, including the ship William Longfellow was on, never returned. It went down on October 31, 1690 at Cape Breton near Anticosti. All aboard drowned. William died at sea in Anticosta, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Canada.

Researcher's Notes

Burial: Body lost at sea ^[1]

blog article on William Longfellow. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22571205/william-longfellow
2. ↑ Bowen's Boston News-Letter and City Record (Abel Bowen, Boston, May 13, 1826) Vol. 1, Page 248

• https://archive.org/details/woodmansofbuxton00wood/page/12
• Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania, by John W. Jordan, Lewis Historical Pub. Co., New York, 1915, Vol 1, pages 361-364