William Reed, of Woburn

Evidence needed to support as son of Mary Stonehouse. Do not confuse with William "of Weymouth" Reade

Biography

From History of the Reed family in Europe and America (Google eBook) Jacob Whittemore Reed. 1861. Page 61:

WILLIAM READE OF WOBURN, AND HIS DESCENDANTS.

William Reade, supposed to be the son of Thomas and Mary of Brocket Hall (SIC: disproven), was born in 1587, and was the oldest of any of the Puritan emigrants by the name of Reade. He sailed from London in the ship " Defence," in July, 1635; Capt. Edward Fostick, master; and arrived at Boston, Oct. 6, the same year, with his wife, who was Mabel Kendall, born in 1605.

He settled in Dorchester, but did not remain there. He was made freeman, March 4, 1638. In August, 1639, he sold his real estate in Dorchester to Thomas Clark, and moved to Scituate. He was constable of Scituate in 1644. He sent his wife to Dorchester, on horseback, in 1644, with an infant named Israel, to be baptized; he being a member of the church in that place. His brother (???) Esdras, who had a grant of land from the town of Boston, situated at Muddy River (now Brookline), sold the same to William, who took up his residence upon it, where he lived till 1648; when he bought a farm in Woburn, of Nicholas Davis of Charlestown, and removed to that place.

He is the ancestor of the Woburn, Lexington, Bedford, and Burlington Reads; he is also the paternal ancestor of a large portion of the Reeds in Maine; and almost every State in the Union has some of his descendants.

Their children, who sailed with them, were —

• 1. George, born in 1629;
• 2. Ralph, 1630; and
• 3. Justice, afterwards Abigail, born in 1633.

His children, born in America, were —

• 4. Bethia, who married John Johnson, son of Edward, the author of Johnson's " Wonder-working Providence"
• 5. Israel;
• 6. Sarah, who married Samuel Walker, Sept. 10,1662;
• 7. Rebecca, who married Joseph Winn.

He returned to England, and died at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1656. A letter of administration was taken out by his widow, under Oliver Cromwell. She returned to America, and, after finishing the settlement of his estate, married Henry Summers of Woburn, Nov. 21,1660. She outlived her second husband, and resided with her son George till her death, which took place June 5, 1690, when she was eighty-five years of age.

Family

Children:[1]

1. George b 1629; mar 1) Elizabeth Ginnings (Jennison), 2) Hannah Rockwell
2. Ralph Read b c. 1630 (aged 5 on 18 July 1635) [Hotten 106]; mar Mary Pierce
3. Justice Read b c. Jan 1634, sailed to England with family in 1635, no further record
4. Abigail Reed bp 10 Dec 1638, but may have been b c. 1635; mar 2 Oct 1650 Francis Wyman
5. Israel bp 31 July 1642 Dorchester (family was living at Situate); mar Mary Kendall, daughter of Francis Kendall
6. Sarah b say 1644; mar Samuel Walker
7. Rebecca bp 26 Dec 1647 Roxbury; mar Joseph Winn
8. Child b say 1649, included based on the reference in father's will to his "four youngest children" (who were all younger than Abigail)

Will

The 9th daie of April 1656. My will is that my wife have three score pound for herself. Item, thirty pounds apiece to each of my four youngest children. More, that my wife have the household stuff and to dispose of it: that the three score pounds which is owing to me by Mr. William Breuton in New England be disposed of as followeth, if it can be got, viz., to my wife twenty pounds, to my four youngest children twenty pounds (that is five pounds apiece), to my three children that are married in New England, that is George, Ralph and Abigail, twenty pounds to be equally divided amongst them: that when any of the four youngest children die their portion be divided among the other three, that is if they die in their minority: forty pounds due from Mr. Killingworth, twenty pounds Mark Theaton of Black Callerton, thirty pounds from Mrs. Flora Hall, twenty pounds from Anthony Walker, twelve pounds, three pound in my wife's hand and five pound in Mr. Ogle's hand, forty pound more in the house; George Erington of Loughhouse and his son in law forth shillings, Gawan Anderson forty shillings; Mary Chicken als Watson four pound ten shillings and ten shillings in my wife's hand, is nine pound: more in the house twenty shillings in Commodotoes; in all makes nine score pounds.

The mark of William Read

Wit: William Cutter, the mark of Thomas Gibson.

Commission issued 31 October 1656 unto Mabel Read, widow, the relict and principal legatary of the deceased, to administer &c. according to the tenor and effect of the said will &c.

ancestry disproven

Cutter (see below) and other early genealogists apparently were the victim of a fraud: http://soc.genealogy.medieval.narkive.com/ABQC934S/william-reade

"If you have in mind -- William Reed/Read(e) of Scituate, Dorchester and Woburn, MA, arrived 6 or 8 Oct 1635 on the Defence with wife Mabel (?Kendall?) & children George, Ralph & Justus, d betw 9 Apr (will, proved Newcastle-upon-Tyne) & 31 Oct 1656 (probate), and had dau Abigail who married Francis Wyman -- and has often been claimed in print to have been a descendant of Thomas Reade & Mary Brocket, and/ or Thomas Reade and Mary or Anne Hoo -- I'm afraid you're in for trouble. These 'connections' are entirely spurious (and conceivably among our more nasty if less well-publicized genealogical frauds)."

Notes

The Ship Defence of London, 1635

Edward Bostock, Master. She sailed from London about the last of July (1635) and arrived at Boston October 8, 1635, with about one hundred passengers.

• George Reade, aged 6
• Justus Reade, aged 1 1/2
• Mrs. Mabel Reade, aged 30
• Ralph Reade, aged 5
• William Reade, aged 48

From Sewall’s History of Woburn:116

“They took up their abode in Woburn, upon land sold Mr. Reed by Nicholas Davis. Their dwelling-house stood in a pasture, called the Baldwin Pasture, on the road from Kendall’s mill to the Messrs. Duren. The pasture is now [1868] owned by them; and remains of Mr. Reed’s cellar and well are still to be seen there. But, ere many years, William Reed and his wife Mabel returned to England. He died at Newcastle, upon Tyne, æt. 69; and not haveing appointed executors in his will, letters of administration were granted by Oliver Cromwell, the Portector, 31 Oct. 1656, to his widow, Mabel, who speedily returned with her four youngest children to New England; married Henry Summers, sen., of Woburn, 21 Nov. 1660; and, outliving him, died at the house of her son George, 5 [15?] Jun 1690, aged 85 years.”116

From Wyman Genealogy by John H. Wyman at http://www.wyman.org:

His will was probably written in London, England but recorded in Charlestown, Ma 31 Oct 1656. He bequeathed to his wife and to his four youngest children, and to his three children already married in New England, viz: George, Ralph "money due him from William Benton and others." At the time of William's death, his estate was the largest in New England at the time (L=400). His farm in Woburn contained 50 acres of upland, 4 acres of meadow before the door, 4 acres in Rockbrook, 2 acres in Brook Meadow. The farm was located on the old road from Salem to Concord. As of 1861, only the cellar hole was left.

Data

From Pioneers of MA by Pope. page 440 Archive.org

SUMNER, SOMNER, SUMER, SOMERS, Henry, ae. 15, and Elizabeth, ae. 18 came in the Abigail July 4, 1635, cert, from' Northampton, England. Res. at Woburn in 1663; wife then in Barnstable. She d. at the house of her mother Elizabeth Worden before Sept. 28, 1668. He m. 2, Mabel, widow of William Read, a sister of Francis Kendall, and mother of Francis and John Wyman. [See Mdx Files 13.] His will dated 14 Oct., prob. 23 Nov. 1675, beq. to son Henry Somers and wife Mabel and 'her children. Henry opposed the probating of the will, giving reasons which were duly answered. [Suff. Prob., file 750.] Prob. 23 (10) 1684. The widow made will 22 Jan. 1689-90, prob. June 17 following.; beq. to son George Read and his wife and her other children

From Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the ..., Volume 3 edited by William Richard Cutter, William Frederick Adams Pg.1518

• (III) Thomas (3), son of Thomas (2) Reed, was knighted. He married Mary, dau. of Sir John Brocket, of Brocket Hall in Herefordshire. Children: Thomas, John, James. All three were baronets. Also two daughters.
  • (IV) Thomas (4), son of Thomas (3) Reed, married Mary, dau. of Thomas Cornwall, Lord of Strophshire. Children: Compton, Edward, and three sons believed to be Thomas, William and John, who came to America. Edward and Compton had families in England and their descendants have been distinguished.
    • '(V) William, supposed to be son of Thomas (4) and Mary Reed, of Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire, was born in England 1587 and was the oldest of the immigrants of this surname. He sailed from London in the ship "Defense" July 4, 1635, Captain Edward Fostick, and arrived in Boston October 6, same year, with his wife, who was Mabel Kendall, born 1605. They had with them children: George, born 1629, Ralph, 1630, and Justice (afterward called Abigail), 1633. Reed settled first at Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was admitted a freeman March 4, 1638. In August 1639, he sold his real estate in Dorshester to Thomas Clark, and removed to Scituate where he was constable in 1644. His wife made the journey to Dorchester on horseback in 1644 to have her infant son Israel baptized. William Reed removed to Muddy River (Brookline), having bought of Esdras Reed, said to have been his brother, a farm granted by the town of Boston, and he lived there until 1648. He then bought a farm in Woburn of Nicholas David and removed thither. He is the ancestor of the Woburn, Lexington, Bedford and Burlington Reads, and of most of the Reads in Maine. He returned to England finally and died at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1656. A letter of administration was taken out by his widow under Oliver Cromwell. She returned to America and after adminstrating the estate, married, November 21, 1660, Henry Summers of Woburn. She survived her second husband and lived with her son George at the time of her death, June 5, 1690, in her eighty-sixth year. Children: 1. George, born 1629, 2. Ralph, 1630, married Mary Pierce, daughter of Anthony Pierce, of Watertown. 3. Abigail, 1633, married Francis Wyman. 4. Bethia, born in America, married John Johnson. 5. Israel, 1642, married Mary Kendall, daughter of Francis. 6. Sarah, married, September 10, 1662, Samuel Walker. 7. Rebecca, married Joseph Winn.

References

• Great Migration 1634-1635, R-S. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB397/t/0/30/0
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44809233/william-ready
• http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr02/rr02_032.html#P32766
• http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr01/rr01_490.html#P32766
• Meadows, Fannie L. S, and Jennie M. Ames. Descendants of Reade or Reed: William Reade and Mabel (kendall), His Wife, Supply Reed and Susannah (byam), His Wife, John Reed and Rebecca (bearce) His Wife. Cleveland, Ohio: Multigraphed by J.M. Ames, 1937. Print.
• History of the Reed family in Europe and America (Google eBook) Jacob Whittemore Reed. 1861. Page 61: