John Darby ca 1610 to ca February 1655/56 and his wife Alice of Dorsetshire, England, and Yarmouth, Mass.

John Darby was born about 1610, in England. I have read that he was
from Dorset, but I’m not sure what the source is for that. He is my
10th great-grandfather on my grandmother Milly (Booth) Rollins’ side
of the family. His last name is also spelled Derby and Darbey.  I know
very little about John, so this will be brief!

John was at Plymouth about 1637 and at Yarmouth before 1643.

John married a woman named Alice, maiden name unknown, and they had a
daughter Mary in about 1644, in Plymouth or Yarmouth. They also had a
son born the last of February 1647, but his given name was omitted in
the Plymouth Vital Records, and a son Matthew born 8 February 1649,
recorded Plymouth Vital Records.

Mary grew up and married, as his second wife, Nicholas Nickerson. I
wrote about that couple here.

Plymouth Court Records has information on the 21 Dec 1638 case of Ann
Hynes, wife of William Hospkins, aged about 25, who was deposed in a
case between John Darbey and John Chipman. Ann lived in the house of
John Darbey’s father with John Chipman at the time that John Chipman
came from England to New England to serve Mr. Richard Darbey, his
(John’s) brother, and that the said Ann came afterwards likewise to
serve the said Richard Darbey. This seems to indicate that John
Chipman and Ann Hynes were John Chipman were servants in Mr. Darby’s
household in England and that Mr. Darby had son’s John and Richard who
came to New England. I haven’t seen the original document; perhaps it
mentions Dorset.

John received fourscore acres upland and 20 acres meadow in the 1648
division of Yarmouth lands. Also in 1648, in a dispute over Yarmouth
land, “there was granted also to John Darby to have six acres of
meadow in the Eastern Swan Pond Meadowe, in lieu of 4 acres due to
William Chase, for a debt the town owed him.”

John Darby went to court against Indian Sagamore Massantampaigne for
"his dogs did him wrong among his cattle and did much hurt one of
them." This happened 16 years after English settlement at Yarmouth and
Indians were under subjection to colonial laws.

On 20 September 1655, William and Elizabeth Pearse of Yarmouth sold to
John Darbey of Yarmouth, their dwelling house, 38 acres of upland,
nine acres of meadow, all lying at the Bass Pond River. The sale also
include some items: one closet, bedstead with two shelves, one shelf
in the chimney corner, one mortar, one pestle, one dressing board and
little table by the bedstead, one little bench under the window in the
outward room, one shelf over the door of the inward room. Witnessed by
William and Nicholas Nickerson.

The Cape Cod Genealogical Society Bulletin, Spring 2001, has a map
showing locations of the homes of "Dennis First Comers." John Darby
lived in what is now the Mayfair section of town, on Country Circle
off Mayfair Road. It was a fairly well populated early section of
town. Nearest neighbors were W. Pearse, Francis Baker and David
Kelley. He lived on/near Kelley's Bay.

I have not found John’s death date, but he died before 22 February
1655. An inventory of the estate of John Darby of Yarmouth was taken
22 February 1655, by Edmund Hawes and Robert Dennis, and was proved
before Mr. Thomas Prence, 6 June 1656. Among the items are: five acres
of rye on the ground; children's bedding; ten acres of meadow "which
hee bought of goodman Seares which is to pay for," "one house and 38
Acars of upland and 9 Acars of meddow which hee bought of Willam
Pearse" £15.
The estate was indebted to: "Mr hedge"; William ffalland; "David the
Irishman"; "Peeter the Scotsman"; "goodman Wells"; James Lewis;
"goodman Sturgis"; "goodman Nicarson"; Thomas Phelps; William Chase;
"goodman Seares for Land" £6; "goodman Pearse for house & land" £15.

I also have not found Alice’s death date. Torrey writes that she
married 2nd Abraham Black in 1658. Plymouth Vital records have Allice
Derbey vid (sic) marrying Abraham Blush/Blish on 4 January 1658.

Sources Not Listed Above:

Charles Swift, History of Old Yarmouth, 1884

Vernon R. Nickerson, From Pilgrims and Indians...

Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1800

G. Andrews Moriarty Jr., NEHGR Volume 79, Genealogical Research in
England and Genealogical Research in New England