William Ford of Marshfield. Born ca 1604 born in England. William died in Sep 1676 in Marshfield, MA. Buried on 23 Sep 1676 in Winslow Cem., Marshfield. (20) Occupation: miller.

Parents: not known (fn1)

Married:

1. in 1632, Plymouth, Massachusetts to Anna (ca 1614-1684) (20)

Their children include:

1. Dea. William Ford (ca 1634-7 Feb 1721/2) m. Sarah Dingley
2. Michael Ford (1643-27 Mar 1729) m. Abigail Snow
3. Millicent Ford born between 1636 AND 1638 in Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts. She died before 4 May 1696 in Plymouth, Plymouth, MA. m. first Nov. 4. 1658. John Carver, and second Thomas Drake.
4. Margaret Ford in 1639 in Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. She died on 28 Sep 1676. m. Zachariah Soule, no issue.

Will

His will, dated 12 September 1676, sworn 4 November 1676, mentioned his wife, sons William and Michael, daughters Margaret and Millicent, Margaret's unnamed husband, and grandsons John Ford, William Carver, and John Carver (Ply. Colony PR 3:2:22).

Duxbury

of Duxbury in 1643. Name appears on the list of those able to bear arms in 1643. Sold land there in 1661 to F. West. (58) .

Marshfield

Removed to Marshfield for the purpose of constructing and operating a mill in company with Josiah Winslow. Settled on the east side of the North River near Gravelly beach about 1639. Propounded freeman at Plymouth June 5, 1651, and admitted as such June 3, 1652.

Arrested a Widow

While serving as constable in Marshfield in 1658, WIlliam, having arrested Widow Naomi Sylvester, was attacked by her daughters, Naomi and Dinah, who rescued their mother. As a penalty, their brother William was ordered to pay Constable Ford two pounds (The Pilgrim Republic).

Mill

Established the grist mill known as Dunham’s Mill in Marshfield with Josiah Winslow Sr.; it was on the stream at the turn of the road on Plain Street, near Brown’s Blacksmith’s shop. The "Ford and Winslow" Mill was rebuilt in 1746 and 1812. From 1812-1876 it was a textile factory and grist mill, and burned down in 1908. A granite monument on site -- the west side of road from Marshfield to Plymouth just over the Duxbury line.

Bridgewater

William Ford served as selectman, 1666, 1670, and 1675 and was an original proprietor at Bridgewater, MA.

Brief Biography

William Ford, born in England in 1604, came with his mother to Plymouth in the fall of 1621 (fn1); was of age at the time of the division of cattle in 1627, and since his name does not appear on the record of that division is believed to have been absent then, having perhaps returned to England. He was of Duxbury, however, in 1643, and listed there that year as able to bear arms; was propounded freeman at Plymouth June 5, 1651, and admitted 'as such June 3, 1652; sold lands there with his wife Ann May 27, 1661 ; removed to Marshfield for the purpose of constructing and operating a mill in company with Josiah Winslow ; purchased his interest in it; had a house there on the east side of the river; testified in respect to the will of Ralph Chapman dated Nov. 28, 1671, that said Chapman's hands were so swollen that he could not sign it; and died at Marshfield Sep. 23, 1676, aged seventy-two years. His wife Ann died there Sep. I, 1684. Their children were: -4-1. William, b. 1633, m. Sarah Dingley; 2. Michael, d. Mar. 29, 1729, m. Abigail Snow: 3. Margaret: 4. Millicent, m. first Nov. 4. 1658. John Carver, and second Thomas Drake.

Biographical Sketch

• from: Plymouth Colony: Its History and People 1620-1691, Part Three: Biographical Sketches, Biographical Sketches: Freeman, Edmond

William Ford first appears in Plymouth records on the 1643 ATBA for Duxbury. Moore Families, pp. 264-75, gives an account of his life and his family. In 1671 he gave his age as sixty-seven, and thus was born ca. 1604. His wife Anna, or Hannah, _____ died in 1684; Mrs. Barclay (NEHGR 119:23) thought Ford's wife might be Hannah Eames (Torrey suggests the daughter of Anthony Eames). Ford was a miller in Duxbury, and he later moved to Marshfield where he owned a mill in partnership with Josias Winslow, Jr. In 1652 he became a freeman, and he served in various public capacities such as highway surveyor and constable. On 3 October 1662 he was fined five shillings for allowing Samuel Howland to breach the Sabbath by carrying grist from the mill. In 1665/66 he became a selectman for Marshfield for the first of several times.

His will, dated 12 September 1676, sworn 4 November 1676, mentioned his wife, sons William and Michael, daughters Margaret and Millicent, Margaret's unnamed husband, and grandsons John Ford, William Carver, and John Carver (Ply. Colony PR 3:2:22). Daughter Margaret is believed to have married Zachariah Soule and to have had no issue (see MF 3 and Torrey). Daughter Millicent married John2 Carver, son of Robert, and their children are given by Mrs. Barclay, "The Ancestry of Experience, Wife of Cornelius4 Washburn of Bridgewater, Mass.," NEHGR 119:24. Son Michael married Abigail Snow, daughter of Anthony and Abigail (Warren) Snow, and son William married Sarah Dingley, daughter of John Dingley.

(bcox2899)

Links

• Pane-Joyce Genealogy
• http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/historical/SouthernNewYork2/sny2_pt81.htm
• http://www.myancestrallegacy.com/crandall/pafg438.htm
• http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:1700591&id=I20015

Sources

• Hughes, Thomas P, and Frank Munsell. American Ancestry: Giving the Name and Descent, in the Male Line, of Americans Whose Ancestors Settled in the United States Previous to the Declaration of Independence, A.d. 1776. Albany, N.Y: J. Munsell's Sons, 1887. Print. p 40-42
• Hotten's Emigrants; Gen. of Ford Family. [419]

Citations

• 6. Samuel Deane, History of Scituate, Massachusetts, from Its First Settlement to 1831.
• 20. “The Vital Records of Marshfield, Mass.,” edited by George Ernest Bowman, Mayflower Descendant, 2: 3-7, 110-112, 179-183, 249-252; 3: 41-43, 187-189; 4: 125-126, 5: 233-237, 6: 18-21, 67-70; 7: 118-122, 131-134; 8: 42-44, 176-179; 9: 183-187.
• 25. William Richard Cutter, New England Families, New York, 1915.
• 58. Justin Winsor, History of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, with genealogical registers, Crosby & Nichols, Boston, 1849.

Footnotes

1. Check out Florence Barclay’s definitive 1966 article on the Ford family in TAG 2:35-42. She concludes that this William Ford of Marshfield was not a son of Widow Ford who came on the Fortune in 1621. (Pane-Joyce Genealogy)
2. Possibly the daughter of Anthony Eames. (Torrey)