William Farwell (abt. 1579 - bef. 1637)

Born about 1579 in England

Husband of Joan (Cole) Farwell — married about 17 Jul 1617 in Boston, Lincolnshire, England

Descendants

Died before 5 Sep 1637 before about age 58 in Boston, Lincolnshire, England

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Biography

Exactly when and where William Farwell was born is not known with certainty. However, it seems very likely that he was the son of the James Farwell who wrote his will in 1593 while resident of Great Raynham, Norfolk (=South Raynham). This James Farwell left his estate to his wife Katherine and eleven children, who included not only a William but also a Henry.

William Farwell's next appearance in English records is his marriage to Dorothy Parie 14 January 1600/1 at Anmer, Norfolk, ten miles WNW of South Raynham, and adjacent to the Sandringham estate.

William and Dorothy had a son named James chr. there in March, 1601/2. The disappearance of the original parish register and gaps in the archdeacon's transcripts for this parish for later years leave open the possibility that William and Dorothy had children Henry (ca. 1603), Sarah (ca. 1604), and Mary (b. ca. 1610) -- all of whom were named in James's 1637 will -- christened there.

Similarly, the parish register of S. Raynham is lost, and its archdeacon's transcripts are very spotty. However, we do have, in one of those transcripts, the record of the christening of William Farwell Jr. (chr. 1 May 1608 at South Raynham).

In addition, inasmuch as it is known from William Farwell's will that he had a daughter Rebecca, it is likely that this was the Rebecca Farnham chr. 19 April 1606 at Little Paxton, Huntingdonshire (some 60 miles SW of Anmer). The Farwell name is exceedingly rare in Huntingdon records of this period. However, a John "Farell" married Ann Sibthorpe 4 December 1601 at Southoe, just one mile north of Little Paxton. The Sibthorpe connection is intriguing inasmuch as Elizabeth Sybthorpe of Hallingbury, Essex (Sybthorpe-1) married Philip Eliot in London and migrated to Dedham, Mass.

Dorothy (Parie) Farwell must have died between 1610 and 1616, as William married as his second wife the widow Jone Cole in the summer of 1617 in Boston, Lincolnshire. In 1620, he was admitted as a freeman

The "Farewell Family" book cited here states that the marriages and baptisms listed in the Boston parish register begin in 1567 and 1571 respectively. However, but researchers have found no entries relating to the Farwell family in the Boston records prior to William's 1617 second marriage there.

Based on the year of William's first marriage, it is likely that William was born about 1579. He was, as discussed above, the son of James and Katherine (______), Farwell.

William was married twice:

First to Dorothy Parie, who was the mother of his sons James, Henry and William Farwell Jr., as well as daughters Sarah, Rebecca and Mary. Dorothy died sometime before the spring of 1617.

Second, to Jone (_____) Cole, widow on 17 July 1617, in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. Probably this was the Jone ("Jane") Bartye who had married William "Coll" at Clenchwarton, Norfolk (ten miles SW of Anmer), 2 May 1602. While the name "Cole" is too common to permit a definitive identification at this point, a William Cole was buried 25 November 1609 at Great Gransden, Hunts. (six miles from Little Paxton).

Jone Farwell, widow, made a detailed will on 16 January 1641/2 and was buried in Jan 1641/2 at Boston, Lincolns.

Children of William and Dorothy Farwell:

James Farwell, chr 20 Mar 1601/2 at Anmer, Norfolk

• Henry Farwell, b. about 1603, m. Olive Welby
• Sarah Farwell, b. about 1604, m. Simon Clarkson/Claxon
• Rebecca Farwell, chr 19 April 1606 at Abbots Ripton (per FreeReg) or Little Paxton (per FamilySearch), Hunts.; m. John Nixon

William Farwell Jr., chr 1 May 1608 at Anmer; died before 1637

• Mary m. Richard Pickering [Pickerell?] 26 Feb 1633/4, Boston, Lincolns.

William Farwell's will was dated September 1, 1637. He was buried in Boston (England) on September 5, 1637.

Sources

See also:

• Farwell, John Dennis. The Farwell Family : A History of Henry Farwell and his wife Olive (Welby) Farwell of Boston, England, and Concord and Chelmsford, Mass., 1605-1927, with Twelve Generations of their Descendants. (1929): page 10. Ancestry.com Link
• Huntingdonshire, England, Extracted Parish Records
• UK Extracted Probate Records: Calendar of Lincolnshire Wills - Wills proven in Consistory Court of Lincoln,