Thomas Perley

Notes:

Biography:
From M. V. B. Perley:
THOMAS PERLEY was born in Ipswich in 1641, and died in Boxford 24 Sept., 1709, aged sixty-eight years. He married 8 July, 1667, Lydia Peabody, who was born in 1644 and died 30 April, 1716. She was a daughter of Lt. Francis and Mary-Foster Peabody, of Topsfield. Mary was a daughter of Reginald Foster, or Forster, whose family is honorably mentioned in "Lay of the Last Minstrel,” and in "Marmion." Her father came over from St. St. (great St.) Albans, in England, in the same vessel and at the same time, 2d Aprilis, 1635, that Allan Perley did. Lydia was a member of the church at Rowley, and by a letter of dismission was admitted to the Boxford church 21 Feb., 1702-3. By her father's will she received five pounds besides what she had already had.
Mr. Perley settled in Rowley. In 1676, Dec. 12, Richard Dole of Newbury, for £75 sold him 170 acres, "one half of that parcel of land which he bought of Mr. Anthony Crosbie, lying in Rowley.” The 8th of January, 1677, he and his wife confirmed to her brother William Peabody, then of Topsfield, later of Boxford, for £82, land lying on the south side of the Andover road in Boxford. Before his removal to Boxford with his brother John, in 1684, he deeded, 31 March of that year,. for £20, eighteen acres of upland lying in Boxford, which they bought of Zaccheus Gould. In 1687, he was assessed on the following property, besides three "heads" or polls: 1 house, 25 a. land, 4 oxen, 2 horses, 10 cows, 7 young cattle, 22 sheep, 8 swine. This year he paid the largest tax of any in the town except his brother-in-law, John Peabody, who paid four pence more.
His residence was on the site of the residence of the late Isaac Hale, marked of late years by the umbrageous elm pictured in family-70, and earlier by its proximity to the apple tree and stone bound which then marked the bound between Ipswich, Topsfield and Boxford, but now, by a change in the line, the salient angle of Topsfield.
He was one of the most prominent and influential citizens of the town, and in an enlarged sense was one of "the fathers of the town." He was made freeman 28 May, 1677. He and John Peabody were chosen, 8 June, 1689, representative to the General Court, "teell government shall be seated, only they bee to sarve but one at a time." They were again chosen 11 March, 1689-90, but Peabody "sarved" both times. They served together at the quarterly session beginning 8 June, 1692. He was chosen a representative 31 Oct., 1698, and 8 May, 1700, he and John Peabody were chosen, only one to serve at a time. He was again chosen for 1702. He was a selectman, 1690, 1694, 1699, 1701, 1704, 1709; a constable 1688; a grand juror 1695; trial juror 1692, 1698, 1707; moderator of town meetings 1698, 1701, 1704, 1706, 1707 and 1709; he was made quarter master of the Boxford militia company about 1688, and lieutenant in 1691. He served in the committees on settling the boundary between Topsfield and Boxford, on erecting the first church, on organizing the first religious Society, on assigning pews and building galleries. In January, 1701, he was one of the committee to receive the deed of the town of Boxford from the Indians, Samuel and Joseph English and John Umpee, grandsons of the old Sagamore Masconnomet. They all assembled at his house to make the transfer and seal it. His name is found on numerous committees, all of peculiar importance. He was extensively interested in promoting iron-smelting, which was begun in the town in 1669. He sold to Mr. John Ruck of Salem, one-sixteenth of the works, 7: 10, 1671, for £60 sterling. He was one of those who composed the jury that condemned Elizabeth Howe of Linebrook Parish, et al., of witchcraft, and who afterwards signed a recantation. He was deacon in the First Church till his death. His will is dated 9 May, 1704, and, without the usual verbiage, says: "I bequeath my soul to God and my body to a decent interment in the earth." He devised to his son Thomas all his land not already disposed of by deed to his son Jacob, and to his beloved wife Lydia all the personal estate during her life-time, and after her death in equal portions to his two sons Jacob and Thomas, requiring his ''son Thomas to furnish his mother a horse to ride upon and a suitable person to ride before her as often as she wishes to go abroad”—which manner of riding is illustrated on the opposite page. He mentions in his will his daughter Mary Hazen and granddaughter Alice Cummings.

Thomas married Lydia Peabody on 8 Jul 1667. Lydia (daughter of Lt. Francis Peabody and Lydia) was born about 1640 in Hampton or Ipswich, Massachusetts; died on 30 Apr 1715. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Sarah Osgood. Sarah was born on 4 Nov 1675; died on 23 Sep 1724. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Thomas married Elizabeth Porter on 15 May 1727 in Boxford, Massachusetts. Elizabeth died in Oct 1746. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Biography:
From M. V. B. Perley:
JACOB PERLEY was born in Rowley about 1670, and died in Bradford in April, 1751, at the age of eighty years. He married, first, 6 Dec, 1696, Lydia Peabody, who was born 9 March, 1673, and died about 1707 or 8. She was daughter of Capt. John, one of the most prominent of the early settlers in the town, and Hannah-Andrew Peabody, both of Boxford. She and her husband were admitted, 25 April, 1703, to the church that had been organized there the year before. He married, second, 9 May, 1709, Lydia Peabody, cousin to his first wife and daughter of Joseph and Bethiah-Bridges Peabody of Boxford, where she was born 4 Feb., 1683, died 30 April, 1732, and was interred in Harmony Cemetery, where upon a slate slab is this inscription :
[CENTER:]HERE LYES BURIED
ye BODY OF
LEDYA PEARLEY
ye WIFE OF mr
IAcOB PEARLEY
WHO DIED APREL
ye 30th 1732
& in ye 59th
YEAR OF HER AGE[:CENTER]
His third wife, (published 24 June, 1733), was Mrs. Mehitable Brown, widow of Ebenezer Brown of Rowley, who was published with her, 24 March, 1721-2, she being then the widow of John Hovey, who married her 25 May, 1702, when she was Mehitable Safford. He died 17 Aug., 1720. She died in Bradford, intestate, and "her son," Samuel Hovey of Rowley, was her administrator, appointed 23 March, 1754. In Rowley she had a wood lot and other land, and her estate was valued at £111 2s. 8d.
Mr. Perley removed to Boxford with his father's family, wherein he remained till 1696, or perchance a while longer. He owned the estate on the north side of Baldpate pond in Boxford, in after years owned and occupied by Mr. Augustus M. Perley. He built a dwelling a few rods north of the present barn, and lived there. The house was taken down about 1817, and the present residence was built. A peculiarity of the old house was the construction of its chimney upon the outside, with an oven opening outward, from which on baking-days, or rather the nights following, it is said, the contents were sometimes purloined, so that occasionally the family must attend the church without the usual inspiration of a baked-bean and suet-pudding breakfast.
He lived there till 1786, when he removed to Bradford, where he built a house. Meanwhile he retained an interest in his old residence in Boxford. He also owned an extensive tract of land west of Baldpate pond, and an interest in the Hazzeltine meadows in the northern part of the town. A road was laid, '25 Nov., 1702, from his house by Thomas Hazen;s house, etc. In 1710 he sold five acres of land to the town for the minister's use. The town 14 March, 1710, passed the following vote: "The Town have voted and given liberty to Ensien Thomas hazen, Jacob perley and david wood to seat up a Saw mill upon the parsioneg fearm, whear they shall see meet and to have a Convenient yard Rouem with a way to the mill and to have all the towens wright and Interest in sd Convenient sies for thorty years after this tiem without enny lawful molestation from the towen the sd hazzen Pearly and david wood alowing for the damieg that may bee don by Reason of sd Saw mill as Rasionel men shal Judg." After a few years the mill came into the possession of Dr. Wood, one of the proprietors. It was located on the "old Dresser road,” in the East Parish, on the site of the mill whose ruins are still observable near the residence of the late John Q. Batchelder’s family.
He had a long and varied experience in town affairs; was selectman in 1705, 1712, 1729 and 1732; a constable in 1705; a surveyor of highways in 1706; a juror in 1703 and 1711; a moderator of town meetings in 1729 and 1731; served on various committees and was town treasurer from 1718 to 1720, and in 1781 and 1782. He commenced his official military career as sergeant in 1705, was promoted to cornet in 1717, and to lieutenant in 1724, wherein he served till his feeble health forbade further duty. With his cousin jeremiah—which see—he served his people faithfully, efficiently and bravely in the famous expeditions of Capt. Lovewell against the Indians.
He joined the church when his first wife died, as above. His will is dated 18 Feb., 1750-1, and says he was in health. The probate of his will was taken 29 April, 1751, which argues a short sickness, if indeed he had any. In it he is called housewright, and he bequeathed to his wife Mehitable "all the household goods shee Brought and whatever else shee brought with her Into my estate at our marriage"; also the use of half his house in Bradford, or "if she chouse Instead of it, she shall have all my Interest in the house I formerly Dwelt in at Boxford." He also devised land in Boxford to his sons. Daniel Black, Paul Pritchard and Solomon Wood witnessed his will and were all present when it was proved. The probate value of his estate was £654 7s. 3d. The inventory valued "Half ye old house & half ye bam in Boxford £6 18s. 4d."; "the house and six acres of land in Bradford £133 6s. 8d.," and "about six acres of pasture land in Bradford £20." His son Francis was his executor.

Jacob married Lydia Peabody on 6 Dec 1696. Lydia (daughter of Capt. John Peabody and Hannah Andrews) was born on 9 Mar 1673; died in 1708. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jacob married Lydia Peabody on 9 May 1709. Lydia (daughter of Joseph Peabody and Bethia Bridges) was born on 4 Feb 1683 in Boxford, Massachusetts; died on 30 Apr 1732 in Boxford, Massachusetts; was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Boxford, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jacob married Mehitable in 1733. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Mary Hazen

Family/Spouse: Hazen Hazen. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Sarah Hale
• Name: Sarah Hazen

Family/Spouse: Edward Hazen. Edward was born on 17 Jul 1688 in Rowley, Massachusetts; died on 19 Apr 1723 in Newbury. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sarah married Samuel Hale on 30 Dec 1723. Samuel was born on 6 Jun 1674 in Newbury, Massachusetts; died on 18 Dec 1745. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Lydia Ayer

Notes:

Biography:
Her last name is often given as Peaslee.

Died:
Her gravestone reads:
Here lies buried the body of
Mrs. Lydia the wife of Deacon Peter Ayer,
Died Sept. 29, 1750,
In the 53 (rd) Year of Her Age

Lydia married Peter Ayer on 17 Jan 1720/21. Peter (son of Samuel Ayer and Elizabeth Tuttle) was born on 1 Oct 1696 in Haverhill, Massachusetts; died in 1774. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jacob married Sarah Morse on 28 May 1729. Sarah was born in Mar 1708. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Nathan married Lydia Hale in Mar 1733. Lydia was born on 23 Mar 1711. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Francis married Huldah Putnam on 8 Nov 1734. Huldah was born on 29 Nov 1716. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Baptism: 12 Jun 1709, Bradford Church, Bradford, Massachusetts
• Probate: 5 Nov 1793

Moses married Hannah Frye on 7 Feb 1740. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Hannah Kimball

Hannah married Stephen Kimball on 6 Dec 1736 in Bradford, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Probate: 8 Jun 1790

Notes:

Biography:
He was a tanner and a Baptist and lived in Haverhill.

Jacob married Sarah before 1750. Sarah died after 1761. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jacob married Mary before 1768. Mary was born in 1738; died on 26 Jul 1798. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Probate: 6 May 1799

Notes:

Biography:
He lived in Haverhill, was a tanner and a Baptist. His will was dated 23 June 1794.

Other Events:

• Probate: 6 Jun 1781

Notes:

Biography:
He was a tanner and lived in the west parish of Haverhill. He fought in the American Revolution. He was Captain of a Company in Col. Johnson's Regiment that marched to the "Alarm" of April 19, 1775. He served seven and a half days. He was also a member of a Committee of Correspondence for the town - appointed July 20, 1774. On January 30, 1775 he was appointed member of the Committee of Inspection for the town.

Richard married Martha Mitchell on 14 Jun 1753 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Martha (daughter of James Mitchell and Martha Bradley) was born on 5 Aug 1729 in Haverhill, Massachusetts; died on 26 Sep 1767 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Richard married Jane before 1774. Jane died in 1781. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Probate: 7 May 1781

Notes:

Biography:
His first name is often given as Peaslee. He was a tanner. He lived in Methuen until 1765 when he moved to Haverhill. His will was dated 27 March 1781.

Family/Spouse: Sarah Mitchell. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Perley married Lois Stevens on 26 Dec 1776. Lois died after 1781. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Lydia Haynes
• Name: Lydia Perley

Lydia married David Haynes before 1757. David died in 1775. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Lydia married Nathaniel Perley on 10 Sep 1776. Nathaniel died on 18 Jul 1810 in Boxford, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]