Person Sheet
NameAbigail, 10G Grandmother
Birthca 1603
Spouses
1George DYER, 10G Grandfather
Birthca 1579, ?, ?, England
Death18 Jun 1672, Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts
OccupationPossibly Weaver, Based On Bequest Of Looms To James White
EducationSigned Agreement Of Proprietors Of Thompson’s Island Who Relinquished The Island To Te Town Of Dorchester In Order To Raise Funds For Maintenance Of A Free Scool, 7 February 1640. Signed Will. Inventory Included “All His Books Of All Sorts,” L2 1s.60
ReligionAmong First Admitted To Second Church At Dorchester161
FatherUnknown DYER
Misc. Notes
Emigrated to Dorchester, 1634
Somerset. Settled Dorchester; constable 1630; Freeman 18 May 1631.43, Vol. 1, pg. 366 Died 1672.162,37
First admitted to the second church at Dorchester, between 23 Aug 1636 and 7 Dec 1636; they may well have been members of the first church as well.
Freeman: requested 19 Oct 1630 and admitted 18 May 1631
George Dyer came on the "Mary & John" in 1630 with his wife, and probably his two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. Little is known about him, probably because he had no sons and left no namesakes. Of his fifteen grandchildren, eleven were girls. He settled first in Dorchester, MA, where he sat on the Jury at Court of Assistants in 28 Sept 1630. He admitted as a Freeman 19 Oct 1630 and was sworn May 18, 1631, was Constable in 1632 and was granted land in 1634. He and his wife Abigail (second wife?) signed the church covenant in Dorchester in 1636. In his wil, dated 31 Dec 1671, probated 2 Aug 167,l he listed, Daughters, Elizabeth, wife of William Trescott and Mary, wife of William Pond and he left his weaving looms to his son-in-law, James White of Dorchester.160 163, 7:233 164 56
In 1634 Reverend John White of Dorchester, Dorset, prepared a list of those adventurers who had been associated with him in the New England fishing trade from 1623 to 1628, and toward the end of the list is “George dier, living in New England”53, Vol. 61, pg. 280 This indicates that George Dyer was perhaps from Dorchester in Dorset, or at least from one of the three counties of Dorset, Devon or Somerset.
The probability that George Dyer was a passenter on the Mary & John is very high, in that he meets the three basic criteria for inclusion on this ship’s synthetic passenger list: West Country origin, first appearance in New England in 1630, and first known residence in New England in Dorchester.
Mr. Banks provides three guesses for the origin of George Dyer, all based on “Banks Mss.”: Dorchester, Dorset; Fitzhead, Somerset; and Wincanton, Somerset.
The only evidence for a wife or wifes for George Dyer, aside from the existence of his daughters, is the record of the admission to church of Abigail Dyer in 1636. Savage claims that Dyer had a wife named Elizabeth, but there is no recorded evidence for this, and there may be some confusion with the daughter, Elizabeth. Related to the question of the wife or wifes of George Dyer is the bequest to his son-in-law, James White. Does this imply a third daughter who married James White, or a marriage to a widow White who was the mother of James? A careful analysis of all available evidence needs to be carried out to answer this question. (An attempt to solve this problem is the claim that George’s daughter married first William Pond and second James White, but this will not do since Pond died in 1690, eighteen years after the writing of George Dyer’s will.)
Both of the daughters of George Dyer used the name Samuel for their eldest son, and both named a daughter Martha. These names may be useful in investigating the parentage of George Dyer, or of the mother of his children.
Somerset. Settled Dorchester; constable 1630; Freeman 18 May 1631.43, Vol. 1, pg. 366 Died 1672.162,37
First admitted to the second church at Dorchester, between 23 Aug 1636 and 7 Dec 1636; they may well have been members of the first church as well.
Freeman: requested 19 Oct 1630 and admitted 18 May 1631
George Dyer came on the "Mary & John" in 1630 with his wife, and probably his two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. Little is known about him, probably because he had no sons and left no namesakes. Of his fifteen grandchildren, eleven were girls. He settled first in Dorchester, MA, where he sat on the Jury at Court of Assistants in 28 Sept 1630. He admitted as a Freeman 19 Oct 1630 and was sworn May 18, 1631, was Constable in 1632 and was granted land in 1634. He and his wife Abigail (second wife?) signed the church covenant in Dorchester in 1636. In his wil, dated 31 Dec 1671, probated 2 Aug 167,l he listed, Daughters, Elizabeth, wife of William Trescott and Mary, wife of William Pond and he left his weaving looms to his son-in-law, James White of Dorchester.160 163, 7:233 164 56
In 1634 Reverend John White of Dorchester, Dorset, prepared a list of those adventurers who had been associated with him in the New England fishing trade from 1623 to 1628, and toward the end of the list is “George dier, living in New England”53, Vol. 61, pg. 280 This indicates that George Dyer was perhaps from Dorchester in Dorset, or at least from one of the three counties of Dorset, Devon or Somerset.
The probability that George Dyer was a passenter on the Mary & John is very high, in that he meets the three basic criteria for inclusion on this ship’s synthetic passenger list: West Country origin, first appearance in New England in 1630, and first known residence in New England in Dorchester.
Mr. Banks provides three guesses for the origin of George Dyer, all based on “Banks Mss.”: Dorchester, Dorset; Fitzhead, Somerset; and Wincanton, Somerset.
The only evidence for a wife or wifes for George Dyer, aside from the existence of his daughters, is the record of the admission to church of Abigail Dyer in 1636. Savage claims that Dyer had a wife named Elizabeth, but there is no recorded evidence for this, and there may be some confusion with the daughter, Elizabeth. Related to the question of the wife or wifes of George Dyer is the bequest to his son-in-law, James White. Does this imply a third daughter who married James White, or a marriage to a widow White who was the mother of James? A careful analysis of all available evidence needs to be carried out to answer this question. (An attempt to solve this problem is the claim that George’s daughter married first William Pond and second James White, but this will not do since Pond died in 1690, eighteen years after the writing of George Dyer’s will.)
Both of the daughters of George Dyer used the name Samuel for their eldest son, and both named a daughter Martha. These names may be useful in investigating the parentage of George Dyer, or of the mother of his children.
Marriagebef 1626