Capt. William Ainsworth

DAR A 000903, Ct. Militia and Ensign.

William Ainsworth was the son of Edward Ainsworth, Jr., and wife Joanna Davis. He was born on July 12, 1733 in Woodstock, Windham, Connecticut and died on November 14, 1815 in South Brimfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts. Modern sources will name the place of death as Wales, Massachusetts. South Brimfield changed its name to Wales in 1828, more than ten years after William's death.

William married Mary Marcy on May 29, 1753. Mary was born in 1733 and died on November 23, 1815. They had seven known children, five of whom reached adulthood. Mary may have been a cousin, as there were Ainsworth-Marcy marriages in previous generations.

William may have been a slave trader. He certainly owned at least one slave, a female named Vilot, for whom a bill of sale was found in his records. He may have been a sailor. He was known as Captain, but no militia records have been found.

Children of William Ainsworth and wife Mary Marcy.

• Marsylvia Ainsworth, born October, 1754 and died September 15, 1775.
• Rev. Laban Ainsworth, documented to have lived over 100 years. Born on July 19, 1757 in Woodstock, Windham, Connecticut, and died March 16, 1858. He married Mary Minot, daughter of Jonas Minot and Mary Hall.
• Marsylvia Ainsworth, named for her dead sister. Born August 1759 and died May 20, 1858, she married Daniel Needham of South Brimfield, Massachusetts.
• Lovisa Ainsworth, born March 1762, married James Paul of Newport, New Hampshire.
• Andrew Ainsworth, born March 17, 1766 and died, unmarried, July 1796, in Livingston Manor, New York.
• Luke Ainsworth, born c.1768 in Woodstock, Windham County, Connecticut and died there October 8, 1778.
• Oliver Ainsworth, born March 3, 1773, married cousin Hannah Marcy in 1794, one child. Oliver disappeared in 1797.