William Pritchard (abt. 1617 - 1675)

Born about 1617 in England

Descendants

Died 2 Aug 1675 at about age 58 in Brookfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony [uncertain]

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William Pritchard migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Name

• William Pritchard^[1][2] - selected for use
• Prichard^[3] - If William is from Wales, as some contend, the last name likely should be spelled Prichard as it derives from "ap Richard" or "son of Richard" per the custom there.
• Pritchett^[4]
• Prichet^[5]
• Pritched^[4] - son John is cited with this spelling

Origin Unknown

Nothing has been found on the origin of William Pritchard.^[2][4][6]

William Pritchard has been said to have been born in England around 1617.^[7] Another author goes further to suggest William is descended from a noble Welsh family.^[8]

There is a record for William Prichard who arrived in Virginia in 1635, and was born in Wales in 1601.^[9] This seems unlikely to be our William but there would certainly have been enough time to get to Massachusetts. Perhaps locating the William who arrived in VA would be helpful?

There is a birth record for a William Pritchard, child of William Pritchard and Hannah.^[10] With no other information, hard to credit this record.

The Millennium File has a William Pritchard, b.1622, Ipsich, Essex, Massachusetts, USA, d. August 3, 1675, Brookfield, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, father of Sarah Pritchard. (No spouse or other children).^[11] Much of the data is incorrect but this is surely our man.

Hannah Unknown

No information has been found about the wife of William Pritchard.^[4][6]

There is a marriage record for a Hannah Pritchard and John Lovejoy in Andover on February 12, 1676/7. It is assumed that this was the widow of William Pritchard since her daughter married his son even though the record did not indicate that Hannah was a widow. In the settlement of William's estate, "the woman" was only allowed 10 pounds because she had already remarried. Hannah ___ was thus given by Warner.

It has been suggested that William got married in Ipswich, since his first child was born there.^[8] There is some question about where the first child was born. As seen below, he may have been born in Lynn, in which case we may expect to see a marriage in Lynn or at least assume that it happened there.

There is a marriage record that states "William Pritchard married Hannah of MA."^[12] There is no other information from this source, so it is difficult to place much value of this record.

Perhaps the above record refers to this William and Hannah was indeed Hannah Langton (b Essex Co., MA) as "Suffield" and others assert and perhaps they were married around 1644.^[7] However, a couple of sources have a record for a Hannah Langton (b. 1629) married to a "Nathaniel Prichard".^[11][13] The Family Data Collection also has "George Langton" listed as Hannah's father and lists her birth as 1629 in Hampden, Springfield, MA, her marriage as February 4, 1652, in Springfield, Hampden, MA, and her death as September 17, 1690. The marriage date seems suspect even if we can accept that Nathaniel is really William.

It is possible that Hannah Langton was William's wife, but not his first wife. If so, then she would have been the mother of some of the children but not the older ones. The "Suffield" site indicates that they are all children of Hannah Langton.

There is another record for William Pritchett who married Hannah (no last name given) about 1652 in New England and died in 1675. This record cites Lynn, Brookfield.^[14] This one looks promising except for the date of 1652. Too late to allow Hannah to be the mother of all William's children. The record has notation to suggest that perhaps Hannah was a second wife. It also says that Hannah married soon after William's death (February 12, 1676) to John Lovejoy and that she died 1705 in Andover. Based on this record, we would infer that there was another mother for the early children of William and that this Hannah was not Hannah Langton (who died 1690 in Springfield).

Biography

William Pritchard was captain of a boat,^[2] which probably explains the existence of records for him in two Massachusetts towns concurrently. Ipswich is located on the Ipswich River about three miles from where it empties into Ipswich Bay in the Atlantic Ocean and Lynn is a coastal town around the point to the south of Ipswich.

Ipswich and Lynn, Massachusetts

William possessed a houselot and other land on the south side of the river in Ipswich on April 9, 1639.^[4]

Essex county court records show that William was in Ipswich on July 10, 1644.^[2]

William was living in Lynn on July 9, 1645.^[6]

John Prichard has been said to have been born in Lynn around 1646.^[7]

In about 1647, Capt. William Pritchard made a trip to Barbados Island, which is beyond Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Atlantic Ocean. Record of this trip is shown in records of a court held at Ipswich on September 19, 1660.^[2]

William was one of 155 residents of Ipswich who, on December 29, 1648, agreed to pay Major Denison so long as he agreed to be their military leader.^[4] He was made a freeman in Ipswich on March 27, 1649.^[2]

Samuel Pritchard was born in Ipswich around 1648.^[7] Some say he was born in Lynn.

Hannah was born November 20, 1650.^[7] Hannah and the rest of the children are said to have all been born in Ipswich.

William, Jr., was born around 1652.^[7]

Mary was born around 1654.^[7]

William had a house and lot near the Meeting House, adjoining Thophilus Wilson's in 1654. In 1655, he possessed land in a "flat or field called Pequitt Lotts.^[4]

Esther was born around 1656.^[7]

Elizabeth was born around 1656.^[7]

Joseph was born March 1, 1658.^[7]

Sarah was born January 22, 1662.^[7]

As Richard Jacob's farmer, William had 2 shares on Plum Island in 1664.^[4] He was taxed in Ipswich as late as 1667.^[6]

Brookfield, Massachusetts

William was an original founder of Brookfield, Massachusetts, exploring the area known as Quabog Ponds with several other men after the General Court at Ipswich granted six square miles of land for a new town, on 31 May 1660.^[15] A deed from the Indian owner of the land was written and signed 16 Nov 1665, for a consideration of 300 fathom of wampum (equivalent to 75 pounds British sterling at that time).^[16]

In 1667 the Pritchard family moved to the new town of Brookfield where they had the eleventh house lot in the original layout comprising what became known as Foster's Hill.^[17]

The town was eventually incorporated in 1673, with both William and Samuel signing the petition.^[18]

William was clerk of the writs, an officer allowed by the shire Court to grant summons and attachments in civil actions. At the time, all males between 16 and 60 years of age were required to register for the militia. Brookfield didn't yet meet the minimum requirement of 64 men to qualify for a Captain so they were under the charge of a Sergeant. John Ayres was First Sergeant, William was Second Sergeant and Richard Coy was Corporal in the Brookfield militia.^[19]

All three militia leaders, including William Pritchard, were killed August 2, 1675, in the ambush known as "Wheeler's Surprise" at the outset of King Philip's War. The exact location of the ambush is unknown but it's thought to have been in what is now known as New Braintree. See Brookfield History for more details.

His estate was divided in the Essex County Court 27 March 1677. ^[20]

Research Notes

Did William Prichard come to New England during the Great Migration? William Pritchard/Prichett is not listed in the Great Migration Directory. He has been included in the Wikitree Puritan Great Migration Project based on the statement the Hammatt Papers that he possessed a houselot and other land on the south side of the river in Ipswich on April 9, 1639. The Hammatt Papers is in the source list for the Directory so either this is an oversight, or Anderson found the evidence to be inaccurate or insufficient to prove arrival by May 1641.

Sources

1. ↑ Temple Page 59 near the bottom
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} Warner
3. ↑ Temple Page 59 in list
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7} Hammatt p. 270
5. ↑ Temple Signatures on Pages 62-3
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} Temple
7. ↑ ^{7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10} Suffield Historical Society
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Meet the Planters - Prichard
9. ↑ Gale Research, "Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s", Provo, UT, USA (Ancestry.com)
10. ↑ England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah (Ancestry.com)
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Heritage Consulting. Millennium File. Provo, UT, USA (Ancestry.com)
12. ↑ Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900. Provo, UT, USA (Ancestry.com)
13. ↑ Edmund West, comp.. Family Data Collection - Individual Records. Provo, UT, USA (Ancestry.com)
14. ↑ Torrey, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004 (Ancestry.com)
15. ↑ Temple p. 51
16. ↑ Temple p. 53-55
17. ↑ Temple p. 55, 58-59
18. ↑ Temple p. 63
19. ↑ Temple p. 69
20. ↑ Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.) Case 2281

• Hammatt, Abraham. The early inhabitants of Ipswich, Mass., 1633-1700, Ipswich, Mass.: Press Ipswich antiquarian papers, A. Caldwell, A.W. Dow, 1880. (Ancestry.com)
• Temple, Josiah Howard; Adams, Charles. History of North Brookfield, Massachusetts: Preceded by an Account of Old Quabaug, Indian and English Occupation, 1647-1676; Brookfield Records, 1686-1783, Boston, 1887. On Archive.org
• Warner, Frederick C. Sergeant William Pritchard of Ipswich and Brookfield, Mass., The American Genealogist, Volume 38, Number 3, July 1962, New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, p. 129-139 On AmericanAncestors.org (fee)
• Find A Grave: Memorial #154140508 - SGT William Prichard

Other references:

• Judge William L. Loomis, Suffield Vital Records, Kent Memorial Library, Suffield, CT & Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT
• Hezekiah Spencer Sheldon, Documentary History of Suffield, Kent Memorial Library, Suffield, CT., 1879, 974.42
• Louis E. Roy, Quaboab Plantation, alias Brookefield, Conn. State Library, Hartford, CT, 1965
• Charles E. Prichard, William Henry Prichard, 1604-1675, Immigrant from Northern Wales to the Bay Colony of Massachusetts, 2004, Kent Memorial Library, Suffield, CT