Samuel Gridley (1647 - 1712)

Born 25 Nov 1647 in Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Esther (Thompson) Gridley — married 2 Dec 1680 (to 1696) in Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut Colony

Husband of Mary (Humphrey) Wadsworth — married 1 Dec 1698 (to 1712) in Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut Colony

Descendants

Died 30 May 1712 at age 64 in Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut Colony

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Biography

SAMUEL GRIDLEY of Farmington, Connecticut (1647 - 1712). He is listed on his birth record as Samewell Gridla.

Note - Thomas "The Smithy" Gridley 1650-1742, the brother of Samuel Gridley is an ancestor of King-1042 - United States PRESIDENT Gerald Rudolph Ford!

The first son of Thomas Gridley, Samuel, (b. Nov. 25, 1647) married Esther THOMPSON (or Hawkins). Esther THOMPSON was the daughter of Thomas Thompson who came from London to Hartford. Thomas Thompson's wife Ann and mother of Esther THOMPSON was the daughter of GOVERNOR Thomas Wells of Conn. Samuel Gridley and Esther THOMPSON were married on 2 December 1680.

Following Esther THOMPSON Gridley's death, Samuel Gridley married 2nd, Mary HUMPHREY on 1 December 1698. Following Samuel Gridley's death sometime just prior to May 5, 1712, Mary HUMPHREY Gridley married John Wadsworth on 14 September 1714. John Wadsworth was the son of John Wadsworth, Esquire.

Samuel Gridley's children by Esther THOMPSON Gridley were: From the Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920 Volume 034 Farmington.

• John, bap. 29 January 1681, m. Dorothy Benton 1717, d. 1740
• Joseph, bap. 8 March 1684, m. Hannah Lewis Ca. 1713
• Esther, bap. 15 May 1687
• James, bap. 3 May 1691 m. Susannah Smith 26 November 1719
• Sarah, bap. 8 July 1694

Samuel Gridley's children by Mary HUMPHREY were:

• Nathaniel, b. October 1699, d. 1764, unmarried
• Hezekiah, b. 27 July 1701
• Mary, b. 17 August 1708
• Daniel, b. 1 December 1711

Samuel Gridley and his brother Thomas were together in business in Farmington running a blacksmith shop and general store. Thomas was known as “Smithy” and Samuel as “the Merchant.” Following his death in May of 1712 Samuel's Inventory on June 2, 1712 was valued at 775# Os 7p. (A Probate Record or Inventory has not been located for Samuel's brother Thomas.)

Interesting Item - Ancestor of President Gerald Ford, JR. Found 20 Jun 2016 on Samuel's brothers Profile page Gridley-154 This person (Thomas Gridley 1650-1742) is an ancestor of President Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr.^[1] Gerald R. Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. on July 14, 1913. He lived with his parents and his paternal grandparents in Omaha, Nebraska. Ford's parents were Dorothy Ayer Gardner, and Leslie Lynch King. [1]

Samuel was buried at Memento Mori Cemetery, Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States with a death date of 30 May 1712.^[2]

Probate

Source:^[3]

• 31 Oct 1712. A distribution to some of the children of Samuel Gridley
  • Samuel Gridley eldest son: homestead, land, etc
  • Thomas Gridley, second son: homestead, Smith anvil and bellows
  • John Hart in right of Esther his wife.
• 3 Nov 1712 A list of the heirs of Samuel Gridley
  • The widow relict
  • Samuel Gredly aged about 36 (b. c. 1676)
  • Thomas Gredly aged about 33 (b. c. 1679)
  • John Gredly aged about 30 (b. c. 1682)
  • Joseph Gredly aged about 27 (b. c. 1685)
  • James Gredly aged something more than 21 years
  • Nathan Gredly aged about 13
  • Hezekiah Gredly aged about 10 years
  • Daniel Gredly aged 11 months
  • Ester Gredly alias hart aged about 24 years (b. c. 1688)
  • Sarah Gredly aged about 18 years (b. c. 1694)
  • Mare Gredly aged about 4 years
• Mary Gridley alias Wadsworth and Joseph Gridley were administrators.
• There are several pages of detailed distribution confirming the above order of children
• Several pages of the inventory, debts, payments and receipts.

Sources

1. ↑ Roberts, Gary Boyd; Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.
2. ↑ Memorial: "Find a Grave", database with images, Find A Grave: Memorial #131454432 (accessed 12 January 2024), Memorial page for Samuel Gridley (25 Nov 1647-30 May 1712), citing Memento Mori Cemetery, Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA; Maintained by Dana Ribble (contributor 46816333).
3. ↑ Connecticut State Library (Hartford, Connecticut); Probate Place: Hartford, Connecticut.: Probate Packets, Grant, Alice-Griggs, 1641-1880. Samuel Gridley Farmington 1712 # 2389. Hart. Prob. Dist. Accessed at Ancestry ($)

• Historical Catalogue of the First Church in Hartford. 1633-1885 (First Church, Hartford, Conn., 1885) Page 156.
• >Welles, Lemuel A., The English Ancestry of Gov. Thomas Welles of Connecticut, NEHGR (NEHGS, Boston, 1926) Vol. 80, reprint Page 26
• Seymour, George Dudley. The English Home and Ancestry of Richard Seamer Or Semer of Hartford, Conn. (Stanhope Press, Boston, 1917) Page 7
• Torrey, Clarence Almon. Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, 1985)

• Name: Esther Thompson
• Birth: 1656
• Marriage: 19 Oct 1680 New England
• Death: 1696
• Spouse's Name: Samuel Gridley

• The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records - White, Lorraine Cook, ed. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1994-2002) Vol. 1-55.

• Name: Samuel Gridley [Samuel Gridlee]
• Marriage: 1 Dec 1698 Farmington
• Residence Location: Farmington
• Spouse: Mary Humphries
• Spouse Residence Location: Simsbury

Birth 25 Nov 1647 • Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Connecticut Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection) about Samewell Gridley Name: Samewell Gridley[Samewell Gridla] [User-Submitted-Comment] Gender: Male Birth Date: 25 Nov 1647 Birth Location: Hartford Parent Name: Thomas [2]

Residence 1647 • Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut, USA American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) about Samuel Gridley Name: Samuel Gridley Birth Date: 1647 Birthplace: Connecticut Volume: 67 Page Number: 529 Reference: Gen. Column of the " Boston Transcript". 1906-1941. [3]

Residence 1686-1688 • Surry County, Virginia, USA Virginia Historical Society Quarterly Vol 23 No. 2 May 1985 Surry County Titheables 1686, 1687, 1688. [4]

Marriage #2 - MARY HUMPHREYS 1644-1718 1 Dec 1698 • Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Connecticut Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection) about Mary Humphrey Name: Mary HUMPHREY [Mary Humphries, Humphreys] Residence Location: Simsbury Marriage Date: 1 Dec 1698 Marriage Location: Farmington Spouse: Samuel Gridley Gridlee MARY Humphreys (1644–1718) [5]

Death 30 May 1712 • Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut, USA MILENNIUM FILE: Name: SamuelGridley Children: Thomas Gridley PARENTS:Thomas Gridley, Mary SEYMOUR Birth:25 Nov 1647 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA Death:1712 [6]