Deacon William Stitson

Thomas Harris died before September 1634, when William Stilson married the widow and took over the ferry.

On 15 June 1680 William deposed that “Thomas Harris lived at Winnisimet, about fforty nine years since & was wont to transport persons over the Rivers, to Charlestowne & Boston till he died, and after that I married his Widdow and kept the ffery as my presdeccessor did”.[7]

William was a representative to the General Court and a deacon in the Charlestown church as well as a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. William outlived Elizabeth by 20 years (he was 20 years younger than she) and died in 1691. In his will he states: “I give and bequeath unto John Harris, Thomas Harris, William Harris, Daniel Harris, and Ana Maverick, relict widow of Elias Maverick, deceased, the children of my first wife, to each of them five shillings, to be paid them Six months after my decease.”

Biography

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Stitson-12

William Stitson may well have been the son of John Stitson and Tomasin Wylling/Whylling and thus first cousin of Robert Stitson/Stetson of Scituate.[1]

William was born about 1600, as in a testimony given in the case of Richard Harrington and William Goodin regarding a debt owed Goodin on December 28, 1658, he indicated he was aged about 58 years. [2]

William probably immigrated to New England in 1632 and first settled in New England in Winnissimmet before removing to Charlestown about 1637.[3]

He was the second husband of Elizabeth (____) Harris. He also took over the ferry business of his wife's first husband, Thomas Harris.[4]

After her death, he married second Mary (___) Norton, widow of Captain Francis Norton. [3]

William died in Charlestown on April 11, 1691.[5]

William wrote his will on April 12, 1689/90 : in it he names: [6]

• to John Harris, Thomas Harris, William Harris, Daniel Harris and Anna Maverick, relict widow of Elias Maverick, the children of my first wife - 5 shillings each
• my negro Sambo shall have his freedom six months after my decease
• Sarah Norton, disabled daughter of my late wife Mary, my executor to provide a comfortable living for her during her natural life
• Deborah Griffin, wife of Matthew Griffin, and after her decease, her legacy to descend to Zachariah and Abraham Hill, her children by Zachariah Hill, deceased [6]
• my kinsman Elias Stone and his now wife Abigail, during their natural lives, and then to their children
• Elias Stone to be executor, friends Deacon John Fuller and Thomas White to be overseers [6]

Note

Elizabeth Harris married again in 1634, her second husband being Deacon William Stitson, an elder of the Puritan Church. The Mavericks of Devonshire and Massachusetts Author Cresswell, Beatrix F. [7]

The "Stilson" in the following 1665 record from the Essex Quarterly Court no doubt references William Stitson since William married Elizabeth Harris, mother of Thomas Harris (and other children):

Nathaniel Piper deposed that Thomas Harris said that he would not keep Mr. Vincent for three times what he was worth, and that he heard said Harris tell his father Stilson, etc.[8]

Notes

Married twice.

(1) Elizabeth Harris, widow of Thomas Harris, married between 1631 and 1634. She may be Elizabeth Iles (Hills) and have first been married to ---- Williams; and (2) Mary Norton, widow of Francis Norton of Charlestown, nee Houghton, married August 22, 1670.

Sources

• Anderson, Robert Charles, "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New Engalnd, Volume III, P-W," 1995, p 1767
• Middlesex County, MA: Abstracts of Court Files, 1649–1675, Volume 1: p. 91. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2003), (Unpublished abstracts by Thomas Bellows Wyman, "Abstract of Middlesex court files from 1649," n.d.)
• Anderson, Robert Charles, "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New Engalnd, Volume III, P-W," 1995, p 1763
• Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins, Boston, MA: 1995, p 865
• Anderson, Robert Charles, "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New Engalnd, Volume III, P-W," 1995, p 1765
• Case 21376: p. 1-5 : Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. *AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org)
• https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE9588...
• ”Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, Volume III, 1662-1667," The Essex Institute, 1913, p 244
• Torrey HARRIS, Thomas (-1661?, 1632?) & Elizabeth [WILLIAMS?] (1577-1670), wid, m/2 William STETSON; m Eng, ca 1600/05; Charlestown {Reg. 2:218, 69:154, 89:281; Cushing (ms) 222; Butler (1888) 86, 87; Wethersfield 2:412; Charlestown 467; Williams (#16) 95; Harris (#6) 1; Harris (#7) 3; Crary-Dunham 29; Booth (1910) 170; Coe-Ward 68; Warner-Harrington 294, 441} STETSON, William & Elizabeth (?WILLIAMS/THOMAS?/ CUTLER?) [HARRIS] (-1670), w Thomas; betw 1631 & 1634, no issue; Charlestown {Sv. 4:184; Titcomb 252; Reading Hist. 95; Reg. 2:218, 69:154, 86:349; Brainerd Anc. 156}
• STILSON, William (1601-1691) & 2/wf Mary (HOUGHTON) (PHILLIPS] NORTON (-1691), w Francis; 22 Aug 1670; Charlestown {Charlestown 710, 910; Booth (1910) 170; Cutter 19; Shurtleff 1:675; GDMNH 513; Court Rec. 1:361; Reg. 28:203}