William Paddy of Boston

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Bank's Dictionary says William Paddy came from Eccles Hall, England.

"William Paddy came to Plymouth Colony on the James in 1635; was made a freeman at Plymouth Colony in 1636; became a Deacon in the Plymouth Church; was a deputy of the first General Court held in Plymouth in 1639; and was some time treasurer of the Colony; a prosperous merchant; a man of large estate, of great usefulness, influence and piety." From "Freeman Genealogy in Three Parts", by Fredrick Freeman, 1875; thanks to Kathleen McCan.

At some point he removed to Boston, where he was a successful merchant and dealer in hides/leather.

Family

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37302750/alice-paddy

Alice Freeman was baptized at Pulborough, Sussex, 4 Apr 1619, daughter of EDMUND FREEMAN {1635, Lynn} and his first wife, Bennett (Hodsoll) Freeman. She came to Massachusetts Bay in 1635 on the "Abigail" at the age of 17, with her father, his 2nd wife Elizabeth, & her younger siblings. They settled in Lynn, but moved to Sandwich in Plymouth Colony by 1637. On 24 Nov 1639, she married skinner William Paddy (c 1600-1658), who had come to Plymouth Colony in 1635 in the "James." They had six children: Elizabeth Wensley, John, Samuel, Mercy Dowden, Thomas, & Joseph. "Mrs. Alice Paddy, wife of Mr. Will[i]am Paddy, died the 24th of April" 1651 at Plymouth.

William remarried in Boston 3 Dec 1651 to Mary (Greenough) Payton, sister of William Greenough & widow of Bezaleel Payton. He had five more children & raised them in Boston.

Children of with Alice Freeman and William Paddy:

1. Elizabeth was born on November 12, 1641 at Plymouth. She married John Wensley by 1664.
2. John was born November 25, 1643 at Plymouth and died January 8, 1664 at Boston.
3. Samuel was born August 1, 1645 at Plymouth. He was apprenticed to John Hull for 8 years on January 10, 1666/7. He recovered from smallpox and was living on October 15, 1680.
4. Mercy was born about 1646. She married Leonard Dowden by 1667.
5. Thomas was born September 6, 1647 at Plymouth. He married Deborah Wait, daughter of Gamaliel Wait, after March 12, 1671. Died May 12, 1691.
6. Joseph was born September 10, 1649 at Plymouth and died there February 18, 1649.

Children of Mary Greenough and William Paddy:

1. William was born September 16, 1652 at Plymouth.[6] by elimination, one of the nine children of William Paddy living on November 20, 1666. He died before September 16, 1680
2. Nathaniel was born November 5, 1653 at Boston and died unmarried between September 16, 1680 and October 15, 1680.
3. Hannah was born on January 8, 1655 at Boston, baptized there on March 16, 1655/6. She married Thomas Douglas by 1677. She and her child died before Nathaniel.
4. Benjamin was born February 23, 1657/8. He was living n November 20, 1666; apparently died before September 16, 1680.
5. Rebecca was born August 3, 1659 at Boston; apparently died before September 16, 1680.

Inscription

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18881312/william-paddy

"Here lyeth y body of Mr William Paddy, ae 58 yrs departed this life Aug 24, 1658"

On the opposite side:

• Here sleeps that
• Blessed one whose lief
• God help us all to live
• That so when the time shall be
• That we this world must leave
• We ever may be happy
• With Blessed William Paddy"

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William Paddy was Treasurer of Plymouth County, from 1640-53. Many deeds were signed by him as witness, on which appear as witnesses often the names of Capt. Thomas Willett and Ensign George Baxter,* both of whom were afterwards Commissioners of the Dutch at New Haven; and inasmuch as the vessel of Capt. Thomas Baxter was seized, and William Paddy and Samuel Mayo became sureties for the prosecution against Thomas Baxter (the vessel belonging in fact to Capt. Thomas Willett, William Paddy, John Barnes, and Samuel Mayo,) I am still in doubt as to whether Thomas and Gregory were not different originators of Massachusetts families, and for the present I must so consider them, looking at Thomas as of the Cape Cod branch, and Gregory of the Quincy branch. It would hardly have been becomingin William Paddy to sue Thomas, a relative, although he owned the " Desire " in part. The inference to my mind is, therefore, from the peculiar relations these parties bear to one another, they were mutually acquainted, and I yet hope to find how they were related.

Ref: Memorial of the Baxter Family By Joseph Nickerson Baxter, Published 1879

Probably Not the brother of Margaret Baxter

"In his will of 20 August 1658 William Paddy of Boston bequeathed 50s. to "my sister Margaret Baxter," and Savage says that this was the wife of Gregory Baxter. But Nicholas Baxter of Boston, mariner, also had a wife Margaret, as may be seen from deeds of 25 December 1661 and 12 December 1668. In the latter deed we learn that she had had an earlier husband, with whom she had had a daughter Mary who married John Bull. Since William Paddy and Nicholas Baxter were both mariners, and were in these years both of Boston, it seems more likely that William's sister or sister-in-law was the wife of Nicholas and not Gregory."

• “Adams Family” Page 297 in The Vinton memorial, comprising a genealogy of the descendants of John Vinton of Lynn, 1648: also, genealogical sketches of several allied families ... With an appendix containing a history of the Braintree iron works, and other historical matter.
• http://homepages.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy2/ps23/ps23_447.htm