Henry Silsby

From Wikitree - Henry Silsby (1613 - bef. 1700):

"The origins of Henry Silsby were listed as Unknown in a seminal source. But Henry surely came from England, since he was received as an inhabitant of Salem in 1639 and would have to have been an adult for that, setting his birth before 1620.

Some sources suggest that Henry Silsby was born to Henry Silsbee aka Sillesbye Silsby 1577 – 1645 and Mary Randes 1581 – 1632, reportedly on 22 May 1613 in London, England. There is also a suggestion of Olney, Buckinghamshire, though no source cited for that.

Henry seems to have come to Massachusetts Bay as Samuel Sharp's "man", perhaps his man of business, perhaps his servant. Sharp came to Salem in 1629, but the first record of Henry is in 1639, when on 25 July the town of Salem welcomed him as follows: "Henry (Sillsby) mr Sharpes man is receaued (received as?) an Inhabitant within this Jurisdicion & ther is graunted to him halfe an acre of land neere the Cat hone for a Howse plott."

Henry built up impressive real estate holdings in Lynn after that modest beginning. Henry was a shoemaker by trade.

Henry married Dorothy _____ (Sillsbee), (reportedly born 1622), before 1643 , when their first child apparently was born in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts. They had at least nine children there:

1. Mary Silsby 1643 – 1695, m. Zachary Marsh 1 Jan 1673
2. John Silsbee, b. 1646 - bef 26 June 1676, m. Bethia Pitman
3. Jonathan Silsby 1650 - 1714, m. Bethia Marsh in Lynn 1 Jan 1673-4 , d. in Windham
4. Nathaniel Silsbee 1651 – 1717, m. Deborah Tompkins in Salem 5 Nov 1671.
5. Hannah Silsby 1655 – 1682, m. Thomas Laughton 2 Dec 1680, d. in Lynn after delivering their one child.
6. Ephraim 1657 – 1729, m. Rachel Bassett 23 Jan 1693-4
7. Sarah Silsby 1658 – 1931, m. Joseph Collins 25 Feb 1682-3
8. Samuel Silsbee 1659 1687, m. Mary Biscoe 4 July 1676, d. in Lynn
9. Dorothy died in Lynn, on 27 Sep 1676

Henry then married Grace Eaton (widow of Jonas Eaton of Reading) in Lynn on 18 Nov, 1680. There were no children from that union.

Henry died in Lynn between 1698 and 1700. His will was dated Lynn, March. 17, 1698, proved in court Dec. 16, 1700. He leaves most of his vast real estate to Jonathan and Ephraim. He identifies Jonathan's wife as Bethiah Marsh. "