William Healy

He was removed from his prison keeper job in 1682 for gross misconduct."sentenced to 20 stripes" and became an inmate in the prison. He died instate.

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From The Beedle Douglas Healy Hildebrand family website:

http://www.bdhhfamily.com/william_healy_(older).htm

From notes of Teresa Haldorson:

"Was born in 1613, evidently a descendant of Hugh Hele, progenitor of the Cornwood line of Hele's in Devon, (Herald's Visitations of 1620) as Banks' Topographical Dictionary of English Emigrants to New England, from 1620 to 1630, lists him as coming from Comwood. Hugh's son, John Hele, married Alide Fortescue of Comwood and had three sons. The eldest. Richard Hele, established his residence in Neary, but Richard's son John Hele is described in Vivian's Visitations of the County of Devon as "of Comwood" the last reported as of that place. This seems to be as close as we can get to the origin of William Hele who came to the Colonies. The Society of Genealogists in London have a transcsript of Comwood parish registers, but unfortunately the period covered is 1685-1834; the earlier registers having been destroyed by fire there. In adition to the loss of the earlier registers, the Society reports that Devonshire wills were destroyed by enemy action in World War II, 1939-1945.

American histories say William Hele came first to Lynn, Mass. about 1640 where he early joined the church; became a freeman in Marshfield in 1643, was of Roxbury in 1649, and finally was dismissed from the church in "Lin" to join that in Cambridge with his family. There he settled "upon the rocks" apparently the rocky ridge upon which Harvard Observatory now stands. A street in this area is still called Healey Street. He had five wives and his twelve children were born in Roxbury and Cambridge.

An esteem citizen, a church member, a landholder, and prison-keeper for ten years from 1672 to 1682, at the age of seventy years he was charged with a misdemeanor. Fabricated accusations prompted by jealousy or vindictiveness were not uncommon in the Colonies between 1656 and 1692. He died within a year, 11/28/1683, and his remains lie in "The Old Burying Grounds" in Cambridge. (Donna La Rue, a church/burying ground researcher and tour guide in the Harvard Square area has done some research into this matter and has not been able to find any evidence that William Healy was buried in the Old Cambridge Burying Ground. If he was, "Heal(e)y was either buried without a gravestone or in a family crypt with no other marker. (See June 26th entry on Donna's emails below.) Donna also indicated that the charges against Healy might well have been true.

Family

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Healey-58

Disputes: RE: Wives William had either 4 or 5 wives, some unidentified.. His wives have been misidentified in early articles which has carried over in many other texts and sources. These myths are perpetuated and unfortunatley appear in texts written within the last decade. Compounding this is the fact that the children baptized at Roxbury as children of William, are listed in Cambridge Births as all being children of William and Grace as well as those born later to Phebe.

• He had children at Roxbury with an Unknown wife who died in 1649.
• He had children baptized in Roxbury in 1651 and 1652. It is unknown if these are later baptisms of his first wifes children, or there was a second wife.
• He married Grace Buttrice/Buttry in October, 1653, daughter of Nicholas and Martha (___) Buttry. Her stepfather was Miles Ives, so she has been mistakenly identified as another wife named Grace Ives. Her stepfather left bequests to her children in his will.
• He married Phebe Green in 1661. She was the daughter of Bartholomew and Elizabeth Green. He mother Elizabeth Green took William to court in 1666 for mistreating Phebe. Phebe's 'brothers'Langhorne (Thomas, brother-in-law) and Green (Samuel) are named as well.
• He married Susanna (Cutting) Brown, daughter of John Cutting and widow of James Brown in 1677. James Brown Jr. was deposed and testified to that fact William Sr. in 1682.

It appears that William had one or two, unknown wives, prior to 1653. He then married Grace Buttry in 1653, and Phebe Greene in 1661. It is unknown which William Healey married Sarah Browne.

References:

• Bowen's Genealogies ofWoodstock Families, Vol. VII, p. 18;
• Ellis' History ofRoxbury; Encyclopedia of Mass. Vol. 5, p 172
• New England Hist. Gen. Reg. Vol. 27, p 139;
• Harris' Epitaphs of the Old Burying Grounds at Cambridge;
• Paige's History of Cambridge;
• Records of Cambridge—Grants by Selectmen, P. 238;
• London Society of Genealogists from Herald's Visitations.