St. Mary Le Tower- Ispwich c.1921
m. MARGARET _____ ? ELIZABETH FRYETH
St. Mary Le Tower- Ispwich c.1921
On 23 Oct. 1603 Richard Fryeth, alias Norman, brought suit against Agnes Fryeth, alias Norman, widow of John Fryeth alias Norman, of Ipswich, and her daughter Elizabeth, wife of Edmund Greenleaf, about land in the parish of St. Mary at the Tower, Ipswich.
The evidence shows that the plaitiff, Richard Fryeth, alias Norman, was son and heir of John Fryeth alias Norman, that Elizabeth Greenleaf was the plaintiff's half sister, and that Agnes Fryeth, alias Norman, was his stepmother and evidently very much younger than her husband, whom she described as having been old and decrepit in 1576, when the land in dispute was purchased, so that she was obliged to support the family until he died in Sept. 1590. Richard Fryeth, alias Norman, claimed the land as his father's son and heir, but his stepmother claimed that the land was bought with money that she herself had earned.(1)
Edmund Greenleaf is known to have married about 1612 and to have come from Ipswich where the registers of St. Mary la Tour and St. Margaret show the baptisms of his children between 1613 and 1631. He was born probably about 1590 as he was lieutenant of the Newbury military company as late as 1647 and lived until 1671. However, an Edmund Greenleaf, son of John and Margaret, was baptized at St. Mary la Tour in 1574/5 and he has been claimed as the emigrant. But, this man was born too early to be the emigrant, who may well have been a son of the Edmund Greenleaf mentioned in the record of the suit given above for the parents of the latter's wife Elizabeth were certainly married some time before 1576.(2)
Issue-
Ref:
(1) PRO- Court of Requests, unindexed records, bundle 466
(2) "English Origins of New England Families"- Vol.1, First Series, pp.395-6
"Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury"- Mary Lovering Holman, p.589
Parish Registers- St. Mary la Tour, Ipswich; All Saints, Maldon, Essex; St. Giles, Langford, Essex
2I. EDMUND (JOHN/?EDMUND 1)
bpt.? 2 Jan. 1574 St. Mary la Tour, Ipswich, Suffolk
m.1. 2 July 1611 St. Giles, Langford, Essex, SARAH MOORE (bpt. 13 Dec. 1588 All Saints, Maldon, Essex, d. 18 Jan. 1662/3 Boston, MA)
2. Sarah (Jourdaine) Hill (d. before 1668)
d. 24 Mar. 1671 Boston, MA
St. Giles- Langford, Essex
Edmund probably arrived in Newbury, MA in 1634. In 1638 he with John Pike, Nicholas Holt and John Baker were appointed to inspect the arms of the town and to select the men who were to come armed to the church services. He received a grant of 122 acres of land in Newbury, was made ensign of its military company in 1639, lieutenant in 1642 and in grants of land is referred to as "Captain Edmund Greenleaf". The following is from Cotton Mather's "Magnalia":
"That hellish fellow, Hope Hood, once the servant of a Christian master in Boston, was made master of him and treated him in a very cruel manner." In regard to the Indian attack on Wells, Hope Hood and his party "having first had a skirmish with Captain Sherborn, they appeared the next Lord's Day at Newichawannick, or Berwick, where they burned some houses and slew a man. Three days after they came upon a small hamlet on the South side of the Pascataqua River called Fox Point, and besides the burning of several houses they took half a dozen prisoners and killed more than a dozen of the too securely ungarrisoned people; which was as easy to do as to have spoiled an ordinary hen-roost. But Captain Floyd and Captain Greenleaf coming (from Salisbury) upon these Indians made some slaughter amoung them, recovered some captives, with much plunder, and bestowed a good wound upon Hope Hood, who lost his gun (which was next to his life) in this action."(1)
Edmund served on various committees in Newbury and on 11 Nov. 1647 he requested his dismissal from military service.
Edmund moved to Boston about 1650 where his first wife died and where he married his second. The latter marriage was not apparently successful. He does not mention his second wife in his will and either she had deceased before he made it in 1668 or else they had separated, probably the latter.
"In the Name of God Amen the two & twentieth day of Decemr Sixteene hundred sixty & eight I Edmund Greeneleife... do make... this to be my last will & testament... I give unto my sonne Stephen Greeneleife, and to my Daughter Browne Widdow, and to my Daughter Coffin to each of them twenty shillings apeice, Item I give unto my Grandchild Elizabeth Hilton ten pounds. Item I give to my Grandchild Enoch Greeneleife five pounds: Item I give to my Grandchild Sarah Winslow five pounds if her father pay me the foure ounds he oweth mee. Item I give unto my Eldest sons son James Greeneleife twenty shillings & after my funeral Expences, debts & Legacies are Discharged, I give & bequeath the rest of my Estate unto my son Stephen Greeneleife and to my Daughter Elizabeth Browne and to my Daughter Judah Coffine equally to be divided amongst them and their Children & further I desier & appoynt my son Stephen Greenleife & Tristram Coffine the Executors of this my will to see it Executed & pformed as neere as they can & I further intreat my Cosens Thomas Moore Mariner to see to the pformance of this my will. In Witness whereof I have set to my hand & seale this twenty fifth day of Decemr 1668.
Signed Sealed published & Declared to be my last will in prsence of us
George Ruggel
John Ferniside"
The following was attached to his will proved 12 Apr. 1671: "When I maried my wife I kept her Grand Child as I best remember 3 years to Scooling Dyet & apparell & William Hill her son had a bond of Six pound a yeare whereof I Received no more than a barrell of porke of 3t: 6-0 of that 6-0-0 a yeare he was to pay mee & I Sent to her Son Ignatius Hill to the Barbados in Mackrell Sider & bred & pease as much as come to twenty pound I never received one penny of itt: his Aunt gave to the three Brothers 50� apeice I Know not whether they receaved it or not byt I have not received any pt of it beside when I married my wife She brought mee A silver boule a silver porringer a silver spon She Sent or gave them to her son James Hill without my consent" signed 29 July 1669.(2)
Issue- children bpt. at St. Mary la Tour or St. Margaret's parish, Ipswich.
Ref:
(1) "History of Dover, NH"- John Scales
(2) Suffolk County Court Records
"Old Families of Salisbury & Amesbury"- David Hoyt, Vol.I, p.183
"Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury"- Mary Lovering Holman, pp.589-91
"A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport and West Newbury"- Joshua Coffin, p.303
Parish Registers- Ipswich, Suffolk
4IX. STEPHEN (JOHN 1, EDMUND 2)
bpt. 10 Aug. 1628 Ipswich, Suffolk
m.1. 13 Nov. 1651 Newbury, MA, ELIZABETH COFFIN (d. 19 Nov. 1678 Newbury)
2. 31 Mar. 1679 Newbury, Esther (Weare) Swett (b. 1629, d. 16 Jan. 1718)
d. 1 Dec. 1690 Cape Breton
In 1669 the selectmen, in response of "Complaints of considerable persons for want of seats in the meeting house" ordered three new pews to be built and fifty or sixty people placed in them under certain conditions: "In the second seat of the men's side below in the meeting house is placed Daniel Lunt, James Smith... And if Stephen Greenleaf refuse also to pay his share accordingly, then he is to return to his own place againe."(1)
Newbury was having continued problems with its minister in 1670 as to whom controlled the church: "We whose names are here underwritten do consent to the writing, which do declare an act of the church laying Mr. Parker under blame, and suspending him from all official acts in the church. Dated sixteenth of March, 1670... Steven Greenleaf."(2) The debate over Mr. Parker's beliefs continued as did the flood of paper going to the General Court from his proponents and his detractors. Edward Woodman's party of 41 people (Stephen was an ensign in Woodman's company of the militia), who were against Parker, was sentenced on 29 May 1671 for its activities against Parker. Stephen was fined four nobles (a noble was 6/8).(3) Stephen evidently came back into the fold as no further mention is made of him concerning these ecclesiastical matters and in 1686 he was made a magistrate.4)
"January 5th. (1680) The town granted liberty to ensign Greenleaf and Mr. (Daniel) Davison to build a wharf at the point of rocks above Watts his cellar, to be threescore feet in front at high water mark and so down to low water mark, provided the inhabitants of the town shall have liberty to land wood or hay or other goods so that the said goods be not above twenty-four hours, neither at any time to do them damage."(5)
In 1686 Stephen was a member of the committee to divide the common lands among the freeholders in Newbury.(6) Also in 1686: "Captain Daniel Pierce and Captain Stephen Greenleaf senior, were added to the deacons as overseers of the poor, and that any three of them shall have power to make a valid act." The town also engaged "to ratify and confirm whatsoever bargain the overseers of the poore shall make, provided alwayes that they do not engage money."(7)
"To his excellency Edmund Andros
Great Island, August
13th, 1687
Sir:
Your excellency may please to remember I proposed some persons as fitting to serve his majesty in the town of Newbury both in civil and military affairs... There are no military commissions sent to that place and therefore I doe entreat your excellency's favour that commissions be sent theses following persons... Of the first company Thomas Noyes captain, Stephen Greenleaf senior lieutenant...
I shall be extream glad to heare of my good lady's safe arrival, which so soon as I shall understand, I will make a speedy journey to Boston to kiss her hands. I came last night to this place. I hope all things will go easy so that I may have no occasion of using the former severities of the law against my tenants. I had rather see them rich than poor. I humbly kiss your excellency's hands and am Your excellency's servant
Robert Mason"(8)
"May 6th. The committee of safety in Boston having desired us to send a man or men for consulting with them what may be best for the conservation of the peace of the country. Our inhabitants being met this sixth day of May 1689 have chosen Captain Thomas Noyes and lieutenant Stephen Greenleaf senior for the end aforesaid."(9)
The wars with the French and Indians persisted during this time and the situation was so grave that the following order was passed in 1690:
"August 7th. These are in his majesty's name to require all the soldiers belonging to this towne to bring their arms and ammunition to ye meeting house evary saboth day and at all other publick meetings, and also they ar required to carry their arms and ammunition with them into meadows and places, where they worke, and if any man doe refuse or neglect his dewty as above expressed he shal pay five shillings for every such neglect.
Danie Pierce, captain Jona. Moores, lieutenant
Thomas Noyes, captain Jacob Toppan, ensign
Steph. Greenleaf, captain, Henry Somerby."(10)
The General Court decided to attempt the acquisition of Canada which proved a total failure with a great loss of men and money.
"October. Captain Stephen Greenleaf, lieutenant James Smith, ensign William Longfellow serjeant Increase Pilsbury, William Mitchell, Jabez Musgrave of Newbury and four more were cast away and drowned at Cape Breton."(11)
Issue-
Ref:
(1) Ibid- pp.80-1
(2) Ibid- pp.82-3
(3) Ibid- pp.89,100
(4) Ibid- p.144
(5) Ibid- p.125
(6) Ibid- p.145
(7) Ibid- p.147
(8) Ibid- p.149
(9) Ibid- pp.151-2
(10) Ibid- p.154
(11) Ibid- p.155
"A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport and West Newbury"- pp. 303-4
5VI. TRISTRAM (JOHN 1, EDMUND 2, STEPHEN 3)
b. 11 Feb. 1668 Newbury, MA
m. 12 Nov. 1689 Newbury, MARGARET PIPER (b. 16 June 1668 Ipswich, MA), d. of Nathaniel and Sarah (Edwards) Piper of Dartmouth, Devon
d. 15 Sept. 1742 Newbury, MA
bur. Sawyer's Hill Burying Ground, Curzon's Mill Rd., Newburyport
"February 28th (1696) A rate was made for payment of building and finishing the west end meeting house and ministry house. The expense was �22/3 in money, and �218/18/2 in pay. This was due from 64 persons. Of this number, 24, namely... Tristram Greenleaf... objected to the continuance of the meeting house on the plains, and wished to have it removed to Pipe Stave Hill."(1)
"Newbury: janu: 15th 1710-11.
"In the House of Representatives January 9th 1739- Ordered that Thomas Berry Esqr be and hereby is impowered to assembled the Grantees of the Township Lying on Merrimack River Granted to the Officers & Soldiers in the Expedition to Canada Anno: 1690- under the Command of Capt John March Capt Stephen Greenleaf and Capt Philip Nelson..."
"Essex ss Ipswich January 26th 1739
In obedience to the forgoing ordr I have Caused notifications to be Posted in the towns of Newbury Almsbury and Haverhill appointing the meeting to be February 12th 1739 at the House of mr Tristram Greenleaf in Newbury at ten of the Clock before noon.
Thomas Berry."
Here lies Buried The Body of Capt. Tristram Greenleaf Who Died Sep 15 1742 In The 73 Year Of His Age
Issue-
Ref:
"A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport and West Newbury"- pp. 303-4
(1) "A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport and West Newbury"- pp. 163-4
(2) Mass. Archives- Vol. 14, p. 179- quoted in Society of Colonial Wars in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1898, p. 64
(3) NEHGR- Oct. 1876, p. 434
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