1Edwin A. Hill, The Descendants of Robert Lay of Saybrook, Conn., NEHGR Vol. 62, pp. 173-174 (Apr 1908).
"3. ROBERT3 (Robert,2 Robert1), "son of Robert Lay Jr. and Mary Stanton, born Jan. 27th 1680." (See Savage, Stanton Genealogy, and Saybrook Records, I., 143).
"Robert Lay jr. and Mary Grenell were married each to the other the 12th day of December in the year 1703" (Saybrook Records, II, 168), following which entry are the birth records of all the children, as given below, except Jonathan and John.
Two adjoining tombstones in Westbrook cemetery read as follows:
"Here lies the body of Robert Lay died July 1st 1738 aged 57 years."
"Here lies the body of Mrs Mary ye wife of Mr Robert Lay, who died June ye 9th, A. D. 1755, in ye 71st year of her age."
The will of Robert Lay, "secundus," dated June 27, 1738, proved July 26 following, in Guilford Probate Court, mentions wife Mary, and all of the eight children except John; Peabody Grinnell, a brother-in-law, being appraiser of the estate.
Robert3 Lay lived at Westbrook, was the first of the name to settle there, and was the well known "tavern keeper" who kept the tavern near the so-called Dr. Cone house. Mary his wife was the daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Peabody) Grinnell, grandaughter of Daniel Grinnell, of Little Compton, R. I., by wife Mary, daughter of William and Mary Wodell of Boston, Mass., and Portsmouth and Tiveron, R. I., and great-granddaughter of Matthew and Rose Grinnell, of Newport, R. I. (See Austin's Gen. Dict. of R. I. Settlers.) Daniel Grinnell in his will mentions his daughter "Mary Lay," although Austin makes no mention of her. Lydia Peabody, her mother, was the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Alden) Peabody, of Little Compton, R. I., and granddaughter of John Alden of the Mayflower. The Grinnell family were of Huguenot extraction. Mary (Grinnell) Lay was one of the original members of the church at Westbrook.
Children:
6. i. ROBERT,4 b. 20 Dec., 1705.
7. ii. CHRISTOPHER, b. 27 Feb., 1707-8.
iii. LYDIA, b. 26 June, 1710; m. 3 Feb., 1730-1, John Waterhouse (Bailey II, 113).
8. iv. DANIEL, b. 3 Oct., 1712.
9. v. JEREMIAH, b. 13 Jan., 1715.
vi. PHEBE, b. 27 May, 1717; m. 1 June, 1740, Benjamin Merrill (Bailey, II, 114).
10. vii. JONATHAN, b. 1721.
11. viii. JOHN, m. Deborah ------; evidently died without issue, as his will, dated Sept. 17, 1756 (Guilford Probate Rec., VII, 104), names no children, and at death of his wife, Deborah, leaves all his lands to his brothers Christopher, Daniel, Jeremiah and Jonathan, and names his sisters Lydia Watrous and Phebe Merrill, who receive bequests of money.".
1Edwin A. Hill, The Descendants of Robert Lay of Saybrook, Conn., NEHGR Vol. 62, pp. 176-177 (Apr 1908).
"8. JEREMIAH4 LAY (Robert,3 Robert,2 Robert1), born 13 Jan., 1715-6, in Westbrook, married, 20 Mch., 1739-40, Prudence Belden, at Westbrook (Bailey,II, 114). He died probably after 24 Feb., 1792. Saybrook records (II, 415) give: "Jeremiah, son of Jeremiah and Prudence Lay, born oct. 5, 1745"; and in Westbrook Cemetery is the gravestone inscription: "Mrs Deborah wife of Mr Jeremiah Lay, died Feby 24 1792 ae 72," perhaps a second wife. The Lay MSS. credits Jeremiah4 with the six children named below, but gives no dates.
Children:
i. PRUDENCE,5 probably m. Ezra Crane, 27 Nov., 1760 (Bailey, II, 115).
ii. SYBIL, probably m. Job Kelsey, 1 Dec., 1763 (Bailey, II, 115).
iii. JEREMIAH, b. 5 Oct., 1745; probably d. in New York, in 1778, on the prison ship Blazmon Castle; and probably m. Statia Bushnell, 8 Mch., 1773 (Bailey, II, 118).
iv. AARON.
v. LOIS.
vi. HULDAH.".