Sarah (Polley) Goff (abt. 1665 - 1718)

Born about 1665 in Woburn, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Wife of Anthony Goff — married 29 Sep 1686 in Billerica, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 17 Jan 1718 at about age 53 in Barrington, Bristol County, Rhode Island Colony

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Ron Gragg [send private message], Rick DeWolf [send private message], Steven Barcomb [send private message], and Donna Jean Snyder [send private message]

Biography

This profile is part of the Goff Name Study.

Sarah Polley was born in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay. Her parents were George Polly and Elizabeth Winn. Sarah Polley of Woburn married Anthony Goff on 29 September 1686, in Billerica, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Sarah Goff passed away in (or about?) 1727, in Barrington, Bristol County, Rhode Island.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]}

Sarah’s husband Anthony Goffe was born in 1656 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts. His parents may have been Lawerence Goff (1626 – 1727) and Sarah Carpenter (1666 – 1686) Anthony first married in England Anna Carpenter. Anthony died Feb 1726 in Barrington, Bristol, Rhode Island.

Anthony may have been a brother of John Goffe who came to America in 1662/63 “with two brothers whose names have not been identified.” John was presumed to be the son of General William Goffe, regicide, who fled to America in 1660 to escape beheading by King Charles II for his participation on Oliver Cromwell’s Army which executed King Charles I. General William Goffe was one of the judges who condemned him. However, this tale could be another example of the familiar three-brothers-came-to-America legend.

In 1667, an Anthony Goffe was accused of stealing pipestaves in Exeter, New Hampshire (Genealogical Dictionary of New Hampshire). In the same reference, a James Goffe’s death is recorded in 1685. James was an agent for Samson Sheafe, lived in “Lovering House” and married Elizabeth ( ). Perhaps he and Anthony were the two brothers of John.

Anthony and Sarah moved from Billerica, Massachusetts to Woburn, Massachusetts by 1687. They were in Barrington/Swansea before 1694: “At a meeting of the commissioned officer of Bristol regiment held at Bristol August 8, 1694, Anthony Goff was convicted of being impressed into their majesties service in the present expedition against the common enemy, and neglected to attend the same he was sent to the common gaol according to law,” (Letter to Clarence B. Pierce from James M. Cushman citing an “old manuscript book”).

“In the year 1706, Anthony Goff of Swansea was a witness in court; Anthony’s sons dropped the use of the final “e” on Goffe, changing the name to Goff.

Children of Sarah and Anthony:

i. Joseph Goff b. 1 Nov 1687 Woburn, Middlesex, MA; d. young

ii. James Goff b. 3 June 1689 Woburn; d. young

iii. Robert Goff (1691 – 1763) m1. 17 March 1718 Swansea, MA to Mary Gladding; m2. Elizabeth A Horton; m3. 8 May 1733 to Anna Horton

iv. Samuel Goff (1694 – 1771) m. Rachel Toogood; In 1715, Samuel Goff was accused of being the father of a bastard child born of Elizabeth Sabin of Rehoboth, and Anthony Goffe was bondsman for the appearance of Samuel in court to answer the charge.” “In 1727 Samuel Goff was appointed guardian of James and Hezekiah Goff, sons over 14 years of Anthony Goff deceased, of Barrington.” (Bristol County, Massachusetts Probate Records 5:356)

v. Richard Goff b. about 1695 Woburn, MA ; d. 28 Apr 1743 Rehoboth, Bristol Co., MA; m. 19 July 1722 Rehoboth, MA to Martha Toogood

vi. Anne Goff (1706 –

vii. Rebecca Goff (1708 –

viii. James Goff b. before 1713; m. 27 Dec 1773 Rehoboth, MA to Mary Ormsbee.

ix. .John Goff m. Sarah Pulle

x. Hezekiah Goff (1712 – 1786) m. Bethiah Morris 31 Oct 1743 Woodstock, Windham, Connecticut

xi. Anthony Goffe Jr. was born at Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts. He married at Swansea Elizabeth Watts. They may have lived at Ashford, Windham County, Connecticut; at some point, an Antony Goffe was among the 45 persons who “gave bonds, drew lots and were admitted proprietors of Ashford,” on or after 5 March 1718. (Larned, Ellen D., History of Windham County, Connecticut, p. 223) In the 1730s they were “warned out” of Bristol. Anthony was a shipwright. Their three sons all served in the American Revolution.^[9]

Birth

Name: Sarah Polly

Father: George Polley

Mother: Elizabeth Winn

Birth Date: 1670

City: Woburn

County: Middlesex

State: MA^[10]

Marriage

Name: Sarah Polly

Parents: George Polley, Elizabeth Winn

Birth Place: Middlesex, Woburn, MA

Birth Date: 1670

Marriage Place: Billerica, MA

Marriage Date: 29 Sep 1686

Death Place: Barrington, Bristol, RI

Death Date: 1727^{[11][12][13][14]}

Death

Name: Sarah Polly

Death Date: 1727

City: Barrington

County: Bristol

State: RI

Country: USA^[15][16][17]

Elizabeth Wynn ~ North America Family Histories; Cleveland Genealogies page 2422.

This profile is part of the Goff Name Study.

Sarah Polley of Woburn married Anthony Goff on 29 September 1686, in Billerica, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.^[18]

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LDHP-261
2. ↑ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~streeter/goff.pdf
3. ↑ https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/637823/person/1851151790/facts
4. ↑ https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/6080221/person/-1349308244/facts
5. ↑ Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). Billerica, Vol. 1, page 301; POLLEY, Sarah of Wooburn, and Anthony Goff, Sept. 29, 1686.* M.R.
6. ↑ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~streeter/goff.pdf?cj=1&sid=725X668088X80c8454d93419b3d9ea904661ea522d9&netid=cj&o_xid=0003662453&o_lid=0003662453&o_sch=Affiliate+External
7. ↑ https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/637823/person/1851151790/facts
8. ↑ https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/6080221/person/-1349308244/facts
9. ↑ https://minerdescent.com/2010/07/22/george-polley/
10. ↑ http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=5769&h=3558620&ssrc=pt&tid=637823&pid=1851151790&usePUB=true
11. ↑ Source number: 24043.003; Source type: Pedigree chart; Number of Pages: 5
12. ↑ See: https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Polly-324
13. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPZV-7LXQ : 31 October 2019), Anthony Goff and Sarah Polley, 29 Sep 1686; citing Marriage, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009675.
14. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8979-SSZ9?i=90&cc=2061550
15. ↑ http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=5771&h=2076267&ssrc=pt&tid=65786870&pid=30141080852&usePUB=true
16. ↑ "Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHXN-GJT : 17 January 2020), Sarah Gofe in entry for Joseph Gofe, 1687.
17. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8979-HYKD?i=172
18. ↑ Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). Billerica, Vol. 1, page 301; POLLEY, Sarah of Wooburn, and Anthony Goff, Sept. 29, 1686.* M.R.

• Source: S0000 Title: Import from Barmast10b.GED Author: Steven Henry Barcomb Data Changed: Date: 1 APR 2008 Time: 20:19:15
• Source: S0125 Title: Woburn Vital Records, 1640-1873 v3 p213. Data Changed: Date: 1 APR 2008 Time: 20:19:15
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LDHP-261?1=1&spouse=MMK2-W15
• Sarah Goffe in entry for James Goffe, "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001"
• Legacy NFS Source: Sarah Polly - Government record: birth: 2 June 1650; Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Minna Kayser Kayser for creating WikiTree profile Polley-93 through the import of c4ul4n_093333wc4r6w3154u0g65f.ged on Apr 20, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Minna Kayser and others.