William Hammond (1568-1662) and Elizabeth Paine (1580-1670) of Watertown, Massachusetts

 

William Hammond was baptized Lavenham, Suffolk, England 30 October 1575, the son of Thomas and Rose (Trippe) Hammond.

St, Peter and St. Paul Church, Lavenham

On 9 June 1605 William married Elizabeth Paine at Lavenham. She was baptized 11 Sept 1586, daughter of William and Agnes (Neves) Paine. William and Elizabeth are my 12^th great grandparents on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Davis’ side of the family.

Children of William and Elizabeth:

William, baptized 20 September 1607; killed by Indians 1636

Anne, born 1608, died 1615

John, born 1611, died 1620

Anne, born 1616, m. Timothy Hawkins and 2^nd Ellis Barron

Thomas, born 1618, married Hannah Cross, died 1655 at Watertown

Elizabeth b. ca 1619, died before 1 July 1662 when she is called deceased in her father’s will

Sarah, b. 1623, m. Richard Smith

John, b. 1626, m. Abigail Salter and 2^nd Sarah Nicholas

 I descend from Elizabeth who married Samuel Howes of Scituate. I wrote about that couple here.

William emigrated in 1631 and settled at Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. He was admitted to the Watertown Church prior to 25 May 1636 when he was made a freeman.

It was interesting to find that William was declared bankrupt in England in February 1629/30, and fled to New England to avoid legal troubles. The timing works out that he would have sailed on the Lyon which left Bristol on 1 Dec 1630 and arrived in New England the following February.

Elizabeth came to New England in 1634 on the Francis with their three youngest children, Elizabeth, Sarah, and John. Her brother William Paine also emigrated, living at Watertown and Ipswich, Massachusetts. Her sister Dorothy Paine Page (wife of John) emigrated to Watertown. How nice it must have been to have her siblings nearby.

William’s mother Rose Steward died in England in 1645, and two years later William’s son Thomas went to England with letter of attorney from William, demanding from the lord of the manor possession of lands in Lavenham, Suffolk, that were in the possession of Rose Steward. 

Rose Trippe Hammond Steward had left bequests to her Hammond grandchildren, William’s children: William, Elizabeth, Hannah, Thomas, Sarah and John.

William was literate and had some education as his inventory included one Bible and three other books. He was involved in local politics, serving as Selectman in Watertown.

William was granted 40 acres at Watertown in 1636, 8 acres in the Remote Meadows in 1637 and a farm of 155 acres in 1642. In the Inventory of Grants he held six parcels of land: homestall of 40 acres, three acres of meadow 40 acres of upland being a Great Dividend, 18 acres of upland beyond the Further Plain, 8 acres of Remote Meadow, and four acres of upland. In the Composite Inventory he also held six parcels but that now included a farm of 155 acres.

William wrote his will 1 July 1662, proved 16 Dec 1662, when he was about 90 years of age. He leaves his full estate to wife Elizabeth, and the land and housing was to go to his son John Hammond after her death. He left 40 pounds to his grandson Thomas Hammond, son of Thomas, deceased. If Thomas dies, then it should go to children of daughter House and children of daughter Barnes (should be Barron). He left 30 pounds to daughter Barnes; 5 pounds each to four children of daughter of Elizabeth House, deceased; one mare to Adam Smith, son of daughter Sarah; five pounds to daughter Sarah Smith. His wife Elizabeth and son John named executors. He signed the will.

The inventory of William Hammond of Watertown totaled over 467 pounds, including 318 pounds in real estate (dwelling house and orchard, 23 acres of pasture land, 11 acres of broken-up land, 15 acres of meadow, 8 acres of meadow remote, 18 acres of land in lieu of township, 1 Great Dividend 40 acres, 1 farm of 160 acres, part of a barn.

William did well for himself—from possibly facing debtors prison in England to being a self-made wealthy man in the new world.

William Hammond died at Watertown on 8 October 1662.

Elizabeth Paine Hammond died Watertown 27 Sept 1670.

I would think William and Elizabeth are buried at the Old Burying Place/Arlington Street Cemetery in Watertown, without surviving stones.

Sources:

Torrey’s New England Marriages

Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins, 1995