William was born 8 February 1656 in Boston, MA, son of William Sumner and Elizabeth Clement.[1]
William first married Rachel Avery, daughter of Dr. William and Margaret (Albright) Avery, on 22 May 1677 in Dedham, Suffolk, MA. Rachel Avery is recorded in the Genealogical Record of the Dedham Branch of the Avery Family in America:
"She was born Sept. 20, 1657, in Dedham. Of her character, history is silent. We only know, that the age of twenty, she married (May 22, 1677), Mr. William Sumner, and died before Oct. 15, 1683, as she is not mentioned in her father's will. Mr. Sumner married again and moved tp Middletown, Conn., and was Lieut.. Deacon, and Deputy to General Court, 1701-2-3. Died in Middletown, July 20, 1703. Had four sons and two daughters."[2]
William Sumner's first wife, Rachel Avery, was definitely dead before 15 October 1683 as her name does not appear in the will of her father quoted below, Dr. William Avery.
"I give and bequeath to my two sons-in-law. William Sumner and Benjamin Dyer, twenty pounds apiece, accounting that which each of them hath received already as a part of this legacy to them And further my will is, that in case my share in certain mines shall prove profitable, then yy shall have twenty pounds apiece more paid them by my Executors at and upon ye advice of my overseers yy judging them to be so profitable as y' there is reason for the same."[3]
William Sumner had already had a son (born 22 November 1679, Boston, MA), William, by Hannah (Henchman) Sumner, so in order for William to have appeared in his father-in-law's will, she had to have been dead before spring 1679 and he remarried in that year.
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William is 17 degrees from Zendaya Coleman, 23 degrees from Sting Sumner, 13 degrees from Josh Brolin, 18 degrees from Timothée Chalamet, 16 degrees from José Ferrer, 13 degrees from Frank Herbert, 12 degrees from Richard Jordan, 17 degrees from David Lynch, 15 degrees from Virginia Madsen, 17 degrees from Charlotte Rampling, 25 degrees from Patrick Stewart and 19 degrees from Denis Villeneuve on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
I'm going to beef up this bio- it really does need it, considering the well documented life of William III, albeit a short one sadly.
It's not a problem at all! I just think vitals alone is a cold profile and my mother has been after me for a long time now to write about our ancestors and this is by far the best place to do so. I'm trying to do as much as I can before I too become just a record as we all eventually become. I have nobody to pass on my research to, so until someone comes along and takes the baton, I'm putting it online!
Thank you!!!
Darrell