William Townsend (abt. 1611 - 1669)

Born about 1611 in England

Husband of Hannah (Penn) Townsend — married about 1634 in Boston, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 12 Jul 1669 at about age 58 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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William Townsend migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 7, p. 78) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Disputed Origins

Walter Townsend and Kathleen Browne were once linked as the parents of William Townsend, but that relationship is not supported by sources, so the profiles have been disconnected. Please DO NOT attach parents to this profile without conversing with the Puritan Great Migration Project. You can connect with them through the comment section on the right hand side of the profile. Thank you.

Note: Banks gave Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk as the English origin of William Townsend, citing Pope; however Pope made no mention of his origins. Origin remains unknown.^[1]

Biography

According to The Great Migration article on William Townsend, his origins and parents are unknown;^[2] based on an estimated date of marriage, he was born about 1611.

He held several occupations, among them was servant, thatcher, husbandman, and planter who settled in Boston as a servant of Nicholas Willys. William became a freeman on May 25, 1636 and a member of the church at Boston on August 3, 1634 as "Anne Willys the wife of our brother Nicholis Willys and Willyam Townsend his servant."

In the 1645 Boston Book of Possessions, William Townsend held one parcel: "one house and garden." In his lifetime he bought and sold lands in Muddy River.

He married Hannah Penn about 1634 at Boston. She was the sister of James Penn who was at Boston in 1630.

Children of William and Hannah Townsend

1. Eleazer was baptized at Boston on June 12, 1636.
2. Patience was baptized at Boston on May 28, 1637.
3. Hannah was born in Boston on April 4, 1641 and baptized there on April 11, 1641. She married Thomas Hull at Boston on April 3, 1657. She married (2nd) toward te end of 1671 or early 1672 to Hope Allen. She married (3rd) between August 1, 1677 and January 28, 1678/9 Richard Knight. She married (4th) at Boston on August 13, 1689 to Richard Way.^[3]
4. Peter was born in Boston on October 26, 1642 and baptized there on October 30, 1642 at about 6 days old. He married Lydia _____ by 1666. He married (2nd)Margaret _____ by about 1677. He married Ann _____ by about 1680.
5. Mary was baptized at Boston on November 24, 1644 at about 7 days old. She died at Boston on November 29, 1658.
6. James was born at Boston on January 15, 1646/7 and baptized there on January 17, 1646/7 at about 2 days old. He married by 1671 to Elizabeth Livermore, daughter of John Livermore. He married (2nd) Elizabeth Price, daughter of Richard Price.
7. Isaiah was baptized at Boston on November 5, 1648 at about 3 days old.
8. Deborah was baptized at Boston on August 25, 1650. By about 1671 she married Nathaniel Thayer, son of Richard Thayer of Braintree.
9. Penn was born at Boston on December 20, 1651 and baptized there on December 28, 1651. He married by 1674 to Sarah Addington, daughter of Isaac Addington. He married (2nd) Mary (Leverett) Dudley, daughter of John Leverett and widow of Paul Dudley. He married (3rd) between October 20, 1709 and May 20, 1710 Hannah (Porter) Jaffrey, widow of George Jaffrey.
10. John was born at Boston on September 3, 1653 and baptized there September 4, 1653. He died at Boston on August 17, 1654.

Of these children of William and Hannah Townsend, only 4 lived to marry.

William was one of fifty-eight men of Boston who were disarmed on November 20, 1637 for supporting Wheelwright and Hutchinson. By about November 22, 1637 he had withdrawn his support.

He oversaw William Boreman as his apprentence for six years, craft: thatcher, beginning October 17, 1639.

William Townsend died July 12, 1669 at Boston and the administration of his estate was granted to his widow on October 29, 1669. He bequeathed in his last will and testament that his wife should enjoy his house and ground "with all that which God hath given me so long as she lives." At her death it was to be divided among his children. Hannah died, however, at age 92, on January 17, 1699, before she could complete the trust and administration which was later granted to her son, Col. Penn Townsend on February 6, 1699. According to Elder James Penn's statements on oath 29 Oct 1669, the Townsend property was to be equally divided among the children, which was done. The inventory of the estate, taken September 27, 1669 was not totaled, but was L200 in real estate: house and ground. On March 26, 1700, with Penn Townsend as administrator, the inventory totaled L319 6s. 8d., of which L310 was real estate: "all the housing and land," L310.

Research Notes

From Henry F. Waters, Notes on the Townsend Family, (Salem, MA: no publisher noted, 1883), pg. 1: William Townsend's wife, Hannah Penn, sister of Mr. James Penn, marshal general of the Colony of Mass. Bay, and Ruling Elder of the church in Boston, was called James Everill's maid servant when admitted to the church in 1635.

Sources

1. ↑ comments on Great Migration p.82
2. ↑ "William Townsend. "Great Migration 1634-1635, T-Y. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VII, T-Y, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.
3. ↑ see NEHGR 102:177

Biography from Great Migration unless otherwise cited.

• Great Migration 1634-1635, T-Y. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VII, T-Y, p. 78, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.subscription site
• Find A Grave: Memorial #74940439
• Marriage of William Townsend and Hannah Penn[1]
• Waters, Henry F. "Notes on the Townsend Family" Salem, Mass 1883, printed for the Essex Institute. (43p) 1,3,4.see at archive.org
• Waters, Henry. "The Family of William Townsend of Boston", Essex Institute Historical Collections (Salem, Massachusetts, 1882) Vol. 19, Page 269
• https://archive.org/stream/notesontownsendf00wate/notesontownsendf00wate_djvu.txt