William Swift (1705-1748) of Sandwich, Mass., and His Wives Keziah Rider/Ryder and Abigail Burgess

William Swift was born 5 July 1705 at Sandwich on Cape Cod, the son of Jireh and Abigail (Gibbs) Swift.  [Sandwich VR 1:69] He was the fifth child and third boy in the family of 12 children. William and six of his siblings were baptized at Sandwich on 8 October 1710. [Sandwich VR 2:1374] Although his family continued as members of the church at Sandwich, they moved to Wareham, Plymouth County, so William spent at part of his childhood there. He is my 8th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Ellis Davis’ side of the family and is a descendant of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren.

William married, first, Keziah Rider/Ryder about April 1733. The intentions of William Swift of Sandwich and Kezia Rider of Plymouth were published Plymouth 30 March 1733. [Plymouth VR 1:161] Keziah was born Plymouth 1 March 1713/4, the daughter of Samuel and Ann (Eldred) Rider. [Plymouth VRs in MD 12:11]

Keziah Rider was a minor when her father Samuel died and there was a June 1720 Plymouth Court of Common Pleas case concerning Samuel Rider Sr’s (Keziah’s grandfather) land. Benjamin Rider vs. “Keziah Rider, Ezekiel Rider, Samuel Rider, minor children of Samuel Rider Jr deceased, and grandchildren of Samuel Rider Sr, deceased,” partition…” lands [granted to plaintiff and his brother Samuel Rider Jr] lying in Common between the Plaintiff and the defendants…” [Lainhart] 

Keziah and William had two daughters born Sandwich:

1. Anne Swift born 18 January 1733/34 [Sandwich VR 1:118]; I believe she married Luke Tobey 30 August 1750 at Rochester, Plymouth County [Rochester VR 2:306]
2. Keziah born 22 January 1735/36 [Sandwich VR 1:118]; married Thomas Mitchell, Bridgewater, 6 Dec 1757 [Swift]

I descend from Anne whom I wrote about here.

Keziah (Rider) Swift died at just 22 years old. “Keziah Swift the Wife of William Swift Died March 23d Anno 1735/6.” [Sandwich VRs in MD 29:27] Perhaps her death was caused by complications from the birth of her daughter Keziah two months earlier.

About 1740 William married, second, Abigail Burgess. She was born as Abigail Burge on 29 June 1709 at Sandwich to Jacob and Mary (Hunt) Burge. [Sandwich VR 1:74] 

Abigail and William had four children born Sandwich, all recorded Sandwich VR 1:118:

3. Stephen born 5 June 1741; died before 2 October 1748 when William wrote his will 

4. Jacob born 16 October 1742; died before 2 October 1748 when William wrote his will 

5. Abigail born 24 April 1744; Abigail Swift Junr married Eliab Fish both of Sandwich 1 January 1764 [Sandwich VR 1:209]

6. Mary born 23 June 1746; married m. Josiah Ellis 20 October 1765 [Swift]

On 11 April 1744 William Swift of Sandwich, yeoman, was appointed guardian of his daughters Keziah and Ann Swift. [MD 44:2] I am not sure how to interpret this record. Perhaps the girls had been living with a relative since his first wife’s death and he decided to bring them back into his care or it was just a legal arrangement to ensure he would be financially responsible for them.

William is called yeoman in records and he served in the local militia as his inventory included arms and ammunition. He produced wool yarn and crops on his farm. 

William received a small bequest of five shillings in his father Jirah Swift of Wareham’s 29 March 1744 will which was probated 1 May 1749. [Plymouth County probate records 11:241] His father was well-off and left other larger bequests, including £200 to his widow and £5 each to his younger children and grandchildren. It would seem William and his siblings who also received small bequests had already received gifts of land or money from their father.

My unproven theory is that William was deeded his father Jireh’s Sandwich land in the Sagamore/Scusset area, especially plausible since Jireh was living in Wareham. Unfortunately most of the Barnstable County deeds from this time were destroyed in a fire. William’s older brothers Jabez and Zephaniah moved to Connecticut, so William was the eldest son to stay in Sandwich.

William Swift, yeoman, died at Sandwich between 2 October 1748 (date of will) and 20 December 1748 (will proved). He was 43 years old. 

It is clear from William’s probate records that he was sick at the end of his life. He writes in his will he was weak of body. It seems it was not a brief illness as the estate paid two doctors a combined £29. He left bequests to his two oldest daughters, Ann and Keziah, by his “former wife” Keziah. When they married or came of age they were to equally divide all the moveables that were part of his household when he was married to their mother. His widow Abigal was to inherit his real estate as long to use to support the children as long as she remained his widow. His younger daughters Abigal and Mary were to receive the rest of the moveable estate after their mother’s death. All four daughters were to equally divide his real estate and housing after Abigal’s death or the marriage/full age of the youngest daughter. His wife Abigal and brother Roland Swift were named co-executors. William signed his will which was witnessed by Ichabod Morton, Meribah Gibbs and Elisha Tupper. 

The will was presented for probate on 20 December 1748 on the oath of Elisha Tupper and Meribah Gibbs; Ichabod Morton made oath on 29 May 1749. 

Medad Tupper, Elisha Tupper and William Swift conducted an inventory of William Swift’s estate on 21 December 1748. It totaled £1,286 18 shillings, 8 pence, a considerable value at the time. It includes cash, arms and ammunition, spinning wheels, English and Indian corn, beans, flax, yarn, a canoe, 2 cows, 2 sheep, a swine. It also contained a value for the items given to his two oldest daughters as directed by his will. Real estate included homestead lands and salt meadows, building and well, woodlot at Herring River. The three men presented and made oath to the inventory on 27 April 1749. Executors Abigal Swift and Roland Swift made oath to the inventory on the same day. 

Abigal’s account of the estate included an allowance to her for expenses related to settling the estate, a payment to constable Silas Gifford, payments for the men that conducted the inventory, £7 to Doctor Thomas, £22 to Doctor Smith, and a few additional small debts. Abigal swore to the account 7 November 1749. 

William’s will, inventory and estate account are located in Barnstable County Probate Records 8:344-347.

I would expect Abigail would have remarried after William’s death but I yet to find a marriage record. 

Sources:

George Ernest Bowman, The Mayflower Descendant, “The Bowman File,” Vol 44, no. 2, page 170 (July 1994)

Lydia B. (Phinney) Brownson and Maclean McLean, NEHGS Register, Thomas 1 Gibbs of Sandwich, Mass. (Ca 1615-1693), 123:54

Ann Smith Lainhart, The Mayflower Descendant, “Genealogical Gleanings from Plymouth County Court Records,” 51:1:14

Eben Swift, Library of Cape Cod History and Genealogy, Pamphlet No. 15, ”William Swift and Descendants to the Sixth Generation," 1923