Samuel Stanley (1656 - 1724)

Born 1656 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Husband of Johanna (Towne) Stanley — married 1677 in Essex, Essex, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 1724 at about age 68 in Rehoboth, Bristol County, Province of Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

This profile is part of the Stanley Name Study.

Samuel Stanley was a Massachusettsan.

Samuel was born in 1656. His Father was Mathew Stanley.

In February 1714/5 Sergeant Samuel Stanley was granted a plot of land in the common area of Topsfield, Massachusetts, as the heir of Mathew Stanley.^[1]

Samuel Stanley married Joanna and both are listed as members of the Topsfield Massachusetts church.^[2] Samuel served as the School master in Topsfield from 1700 to 1718^[3] Samuel made payment for the minister in Topsfield about 1720.^[4]

On 28 Feb 1717/8 Samuel and Joanna, John and Jacob, sold 70 acres with their house to Eliezer Lake for £480. On 8 Jun 1719 Samuel Stanley signed an affidavit in Ipswich confirming a conveyance by John Towne. He signed as “Samuel Stanley of Attleborough, Bristol Co.^[5]

Samuel moved to Attleborough after retirement and passed away in 1724.^[6] He was buried in the Robinson Cemetery.^[7]

Children

Warren states of his family, in The Stanley Families of America: "Samuel Stanley, a son of Matthew, born in 1656, was of Topsfield, Mass. He had eight children, of whom six sons went to Attleborough and settled near the Falls. One son, Benjamin, removed to Haverhill. From these have descended a large number of families residing in Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, and in later generations in New Hampshire and Maine, especially in the latter."^[8]

The source of the following list of his children is not clear. Some of the children are named in vital records, as indicated:

Child: Capt. Samuel Stanley^[9]

Child: Jacob Stanley^[10]

Child: Thomas Stanley

Child: Abigail Stanley

Child: Matthew Stanley^[11]

Child: Joseph Stanley

Child: Sarah Stanley

Child: Nathaniel Stanley

Child: Mary Stanley

Probate

The probate documents for Samuel Stanley name Jacob Stanley as the executor of the estate. There is a long document about a piece of property originally purchased by Jacob Stanley and John Stanley. Only a few of Samuel's other heirs are listed: Thomas Stanley the apparent author of the document. Jacob and John Stanley the purchasers of the land and Joseph, Nathaniel and a different John Stanley representing the heirs of Samuel.^[12]

Research Notes

Some comments on the Probate:

First: Why is Samuel Jr not included in the dispute?

Second: Who is the second John Stanley? Did Matthew Stanley have a son before he died?

Third: None of Samuel's daughters are mentioned.

It is not clear what the correct list of children for Samuel is. FS^[13] shows 11, but no Johanna and only one John but adds a William between Joseph and Sarah. The list in this bio only shows 7 children that are on all three lists. ^[14]

Sources

1. ↑ Dow, page 59
2. ↑ Dow, pages 274-5.
3. ↑ Dow, page 296
4. ↑ Dow, page 62
5. ↑ EssexDeeds33:239-240
6. ↑ Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). https://www.americanancestors.org/DB190/i/7652/721/141253815
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/155429746/samuel-t-stanley : accessed 9 May 2021), memorial page for 1SGT Samuel T Stanley (1656–17 Aug 1724), Find A Grave: Memorial #155429746, citing Robinson Cemetery, North Attleboro, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Anonymous (contributor 47891846) .
8. ↑ Warren, section entitled "Other Stanley Families: Matthew Stanley," page v.
9. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DZ35-3MMM : 19 April 2021), Samuell Stanley in entry for Samuell Stanley, 24 Oct 1678; citing Birth, Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009706.
10. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DZM9-JPW2 : 19 April 2021), Samuel Standly in entry for Jacob Standly, 2 Jan 1684; citing Birth, Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009706.
11. ↑ "Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FH1Y-GX7 : 17 January 2020), Samuel Stanley in entry for Matthew Stanley, 1714.
12. ↑ Bristol County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1686-1880. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2017. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB2724/i/48307/24393-co3/68434695
13. ↑ Presumably this refers to FamilySearch. Which FamilySearch resource does it refer to?
14. ↑ Which three lists does this refer to? The list of children in this profile as of 12 Feb 2022 has nine names, not seven.

• Dow, George Francis. History of Topsfield, Massachusetts (Topsfield Historical Society, Topsfield, Mass., 1940)
• Warren, Israel P.. The Stanley families of America : as descended from John, Timothy, and Thomas Stanley of Hartford, Ct., 1636. publisher and place unknown, 1887.