William Ashley

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ashley-2120

William Ashley

Born 12 Dec 1708 in Rochester, Plymouth County, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Son of Joseph Ashley and Elizabeth (Percival) Ashley

Brother of Thomas Ashley, Jethro Ashley, Elizabeth (Ashley) Sprague, Abraham Ashley, Mary Ashley and Joseph Ashley Jr.

Husband of Mercy Ashley — married 12 Feb 1733 in Rochester, Plymouth County, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Husband of Elizabeth (Macomber) Ashley — married after 31 May 1746 in Tiverton,Rhode IslandColony[uncertain]

Father of Jephthah Ashley, Abraham Ashley, Abiah Ashley, Micah Ashley and Noah Ashley

Died before 23 Dec 1783 in Freetown, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA

Profile last modified 15 May 2019 | Created 26 Jul 2015

Biography

William Ashley, son of Joseph Ashley and Elizabeth (Percival) Ashley, was born in Rochester, Plymouth County on December 12, 1708.[1][2][3][4][5]

The marriage intentions of Willam and his first cousin Mercy Ashley were recorded in Rochester town records on January 26, 1732/3.[6] They were married in Rochester on February 12, 1732/3.[7][8][4][5]

William and Mercy had the following children, all born in Freetown, Bristol County:[4]

Abraham, b. August 8, 1743 in Freetown, d. December 20, 1824 in Freetown Jepthah, b. about 1745 probably in Freetown William's first wife, Mercy, died sometime before May 31, 1746. On that date, William filed his intentions to marry, second, Elizabeth (Macomber) Rounceville, widow of William Rounceville.[9][10][4]

William and Elizabeth had the following children, all born in Freetown:

Micah, b. about 1747-50,[4][11][5] m. December 25, 1777 Saray Reynolds in Middleborough,[11] d. before June 25, 1805[4][11] Abiah, b. July 15, 1751,[4] m. December 18, 1777 Philip Hathaway in Middleborough,[5] d. September 1849 in Ottawa, Illinois[4] Noah, b. December 2, 1757,[5] m. 1st December 2, 1780 Abigail Hoar in Middleborough, m. 2d September 30, 1792 Lavinia Howland, m. 3d 1805 Sarah (Reynolds) Ashley, d. August 23, 1839 in either Fall River or East Freetown. (See discussion and sources in Noah's profile.) William served as Constable of Freetown in 1764.[12]

William Ashley died in Freetown sometime before December 23, 1783, when the inventory of his estate was taken.[5][4]

Sources

↑ 1.0 1.1 Rochester Town Records, Book 1, p50 ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Vital Records of Rochester, Massachusetts, to the year 1850, Volume I - Births," New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1914, p 18 ↑ 3.0 3.1 David Hamblen, "First Settlers of Rochester, Mass., and Their Families," The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, Register, Volume V (1851), p 85 ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Ashley, Robert. "Ashleys of the Old Colony." Gateway Press, 1981. Pages 11-13. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Mayflower Families Through Five Generations. Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in December 1620. Volume Nineteen, Second Edition. Family of Thomas Rogers. General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2013. pp 488-492. Link to pages at americanancestors.org. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rochester Town Records, Book 2, p 43 ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rochester Town Records, Book 2, p 49 ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Vital Records of Rochester, Massachusetts, to the year 1850, Volume II - Marriages and Deaths," New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1914, p 18 ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ancestry.com. Rhode Island, Vital Extracts, 1636-1899 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Rhode Island Town Marriages Index, 1639-1916", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8KD-L65 : 10 February 2018), William Ashly and Elizabeth Rouncival, 1746. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Bristol County, MA: Extracts from Court of General Sessions of the Peace, 1697-1801. (Original Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012. Helen S. Ullmann, CG, FASG, ed.) ↑ 12.0 12.1 Bristol County, MA: Extracts from Court of General Sessions of the Peace, 1697-1801. (Original Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012. Helen S. Ullmann, CG, FASG, ed.)

William Ashley

Birth: Dec. 12, 1708 Rochester Plymouth County Massachusetts, USA Death: Dec. 22, 1783 Freetown Bristol County Massachusetts, USA

William is the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Percival) Ashley. His wife Mercy is the daughter of Abraham and Susanna (White) Ashley. Abraham and Joseph are brothers, making William and Mercy cousins.

William first married in Rochester Massachusetts on February 12, 1732/3 , his first cousin Mercy Ashley.

~~~ Their children born in Freetown ~~~ Abraham Ashley 1743 ~ 1824 ​ Jeptha Ashley 1745 ~ 1777

After the death of Mercy, William married Elizabeth Macomber on May 31, 1746. She is the daughter of John Macomber and widow of William Rounseville who died 1744.

~~~ Their children born in Freetown ~~~ Micah Ashley 1748 ~ 1805 Abiah Ashley 1751 ~ 1843 Noah Ashley 1755 ~ 1839

On November 4, 1736 he purchased from Joseph Cook of Portsmouth Rhode Island, lot #4, which was "a five and thirty acre lot" in the Pocasset Purchase for "ye sum of forty pounds curent money of New England". Referring to the "Ancient Plan drawn on Parchment, loaned to the City Engineer of Fall River by Jerome C. Borden on May 29, 1888 and other plans, records and documents of the City Engineer's Department, Attest: Walter E. Noble, Deputy City Engineer, "we find this to be a tract about 1/8 mile wide beginning at Ashley Corner (the present Route 18 at Ann Records Lane) and extending east for about 3/4 of a mile. Bristol N.D. Reg. of Deed's 31-40 days in part "bounded westerly by lands left for a highway". Ann Records Lane was apparently near the middle of the lot. Less than a month later he buys lot #3, which was the next lot north of his first purchase and contained about the same amount of land.

During the next 47 years he makes 8 more purchases eventually acquiring 310 acres for a total price of 550 pounds New England money and 203 "Spanish Milled Dollars". Included in one of these deeds is "two-thirds of a saw mill". (Bristol N.D. Reg. Deeds)

William was one of the signers of the petition to Governor Shirley on October 24, 1744 seeking to incorporate the Third or North Parish of Rochester which was later headed by the Reverend Thomas West. His application and those of John Barden and Stephen Andros were excepted because they were "belonging to ye town of Freetown". (Hurd's History of Plymouth Co. 975-979). As the only church in the area until 1793, it was probably the church of the Ashley's. It stood on the east side of Braley Hill Road, just south of the Old Parish Cemetery.

Freetown records page 15 dated September 1, 1763, "Then made choice of Robert Hillard and William Ashley petit juriours for ye second Tuesday of September 1763".

Book 2 page 95. Town meeting, Monday December 14, 1772. "Voted to choose an agent to appear before ye court of General Sessions of ye Peace next holden at Taunton for ye County aforesaid to answer to a presentation of a grand jury then and there to be heard and tried before said court for said town not keeping ye highway near ye William Ashley's house in repair."

On March 19, 1764 William Ashley was made constable for New Freetown. On September 23rd 1771 he was a juryman for the Superior Court and on the 12th of December 1768 Mr. Philip Hathaway, as deputy sheriff, made two "Executions", one against Benjamin Chase and the other against William Ashley "Detective Constable" 20 pound 18 shillings, two pence.

.. Reference "The Old Colony Ashley's, the descendants of Abraham and Joseph Ashley of Rochester Massachusetts."

Family links:

Spouses:

 Mercy Ashley Ashley (1708 - ____)*

 Elizabeth Rounsevell Macomber Ashley (1715 - 1815)*

Children:

 Abraham Ashley (1743 - 1824)*

Source: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=113468916