Lieutenant William Palmer

Citations

1. [S969] Horace Wilbur Palmer, Palmer Families In America
   , page 10 - LIEUT. WILLIAM PALMER OF YARMOUTH, MASS. AND NEWTON, N. Y.
   The earliest history of this family begins with William Palmer who is first found in America in the Plymouth Colony Records where it is recorded that on Jan. 7, 1638:9 at a Court of Assistants for that Colony, and on Sept. 3, 1639, he was "propounded to be free at the next court as an inhabitant of Yarmouth" and on Sept. 1. 1640 he was admitted a freeman and took the oath (Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, Vol. I, pp. 108, 132, 161).
   Yarmouth as granted by the Plymouth Court as a settlement at this time and William Palmer was among the first persons to take up residence there in the early part of 1639. Yarmouth is located on Cape Cod in about the center of the Cape, just east of Barnstable.
   He was evidently in the Plymouth Colony at least a year earlier for in June 1638 he was commissioned an Ensign (Price's Colonial Lists of Plymouth and R. I. Colonies, 1887, p. 69) but there seems to be no record of this in the Plymouth records, and on May 10, 1639 he was called Sergeant and on Sept. 27, 1642 he was made Lieutenant by the Court at Plymouth. The Court on that date ordered that the company against the Indians should have Miles Standish as Captain and William Palmer as Lieutenant (Ply. Colony Rec. Vol. II, p. 65), and again in the year 1645 he was appointed Lieutenant under Standish (Vol. II, p. 88). Earlier than this on Sept. 3, 1639, the Court granted to William Palmer the right to "exorcise the inhabitants of Yarmouth in the use of arms" (Vol. I, p. 130). The list of males up to 60 yrs. of age who were able to bear arms in the Plymouth Colony in 1643 included William Palmer of Yarmouth (Vol. VIII, p. 194).
   On Mar. 5, 1638/9 the Court ordered William Palmer and three others of Yarmouth a committee to make a division of land (Vol. I, p. 117). It is thus seen that he was active in the affairs of Yarmouth from the very first.
   On June 2, 1644) he was on the grand jury (Vol. I, p. 155) and on June 17, 1641 he was on the jury at a court held in Yarmouth Vol. VII, p. 21). On June 7, 1642 he was appointed surveyor of Yarmouth (Vol. II, p. 41). In addition he was Representative from Yarmouth to the Plymouth Colony General Court for the years 1642, 1643, 1644, 1648, 1649 and 1650 (Vol. II, pp. 123, 130, 144, 154).
   On Mar. 6. 1618 9 the action of Thomas Dexter against Lieut. William Palmer for 30 shillings came up in the Court at Plymouth and was withdrawn because of non-appearance of the defendant (Vol. VII, p. 44). Also on Oct. 2, 1650, Lieut. William Palmer had an action against Thomas Starr, Thomas Boardman and John Wing (Vol. VII, p. 50) and at the same court he had a controversy about land at Sasuett
   Neck and he was granted the right to enjoy said land (Vol. VII, p. 51) ; and again on Mar. 4, 1650/1 the same action came up about the land at Sasuett Neck and Capt. Standish and Mr. Prence were appointed a committee to meet at Yarmouth to settle the case (Vol. VII, p. 52).
   When and in what ship William Palmer came from England to America we do not know. We do know that on May 10, 1639, a power of attorney was executed by Lieut. Robert Feake of Watertown, Mass., guardian of Tobias Feake, and Sergt. William Palmer of Yarmouth and Judith, his wife, and Tobias Feake, age 17 yrs., son and daughter of James Feake, late of London, goldsmith, deceased, to Tobias Dixon, their uncle, of London, to sell a house on Lombard St., London (N. Eng. Gleanings from Lechford's Note Book, N. E. Vol. 40, p. 271, N. E. Vol. 47, p. 516). This clearly shows that the Feakes were of Londcn and, therefore, it is believed that William Palmer also was of London or vicinity.
   The residence or home lot of William Palmer in Yarmouth has not with certainty been located as the early records of that town were destroyed years ago, but the will of William Chase, who also went to Yarmouth in 1639, and which is dated May 4, 1659 recites "halfe of my Lott of land att the Basse pond which I bought of William Palmer." (Some of the Desc. of William Chase in N. E. Vol. 87).
   Tn 1652 a company of English from various places in Mass. and Conn. arrived in Newtown, L. I. and made a settlement there under the jurisdiction of the Dutch in New Netherlands. This settlement was originally called Middleboro until 1665 when the name was changed to Newtown, and this settlement is now in the Borough of Queens, New York City, between Long Island City and Jamaica. Among these English settlers were Lieut. William Palmer of Yarmouth, Henry Feake of Sandwich or Barnstable and others. A deposition dated May 3, 1653 at Middleboro recites that Lieut. William Palmer had taken up his residence there and was formerly of Yarmouth in the Plymouth Colony (Acts of the Commissioners of the United Colonies of N. Y., Vol. II, p. 49, Ed. by David Pulsifer).
   William Palmer was a Magistrate in Middleboro from 1657 to 1660 inclusive (Documents relating to Colonial History of N. Y., Vol. 14, p. 424), and in addition thereto, the Newtown or Middleboro Town Records also recite that Lieutenant Palmer was magistrate at a Court on Dec. 5, 1659 (Newtown Court Book p. 6).
   On Aug. 1, 1659 William Palmer deeded his house and lot in Middleboro (Newtown Rec. Vol. I, p. 132) and on Nov. 29, 1661 Judah Palmer deeded her house and lot in Middleboro to James Cristie (Newtown Rec. Vol. I, p. 22). She signed the deed alone without any mention of her husband or even any recitation that she was a widow, but from the fact that
   
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   she deeded it alone, it is inferred that her husband had died
   before that date.
   On Mar. 9, 1660 the agreement of the inhabitants regarding the killing of wolves shows that William Palmer was taxed 5 shillings (Newtown Rec. Vol. I, p. 41) . On Mar. 16, 1662 the valuation of the inhabitants gives William Palmer at 0-12-6 (Vol. I, p. 47) , but this evidently refers to his estate. On Dec. 4, 1666 and on Feb. 26, 1667 the valuations do not show any Palmers (Vol. I, p. 79) . The Court reords of Newtown (Vol. I, p. 81) on Mar. 10, 1667 in an action of Humphrey Way against John Gorham makes mention of the deed between the widow Palmer and James Cristie.
   Lieut William Palmer eviedntly died shortly before his wife made the deed as aforesaid on Nov. 29, 1661, but there is no record of any will or administration. We do not know the date of his birth. Tobias Feake was born in 1622 since he was 17 yrs. of age in 1639, and he was in the care of his uncle Robert Feake at Watertown, Mass. Judith was, therefore, somewhat older tha l Tobias, perhaps 8 or 10 yrs. older, which would give her birth as about 1612-15. Perhaps she was not born until 1620, in which case she would have been 19 yrs. old in 1639 when she came to Yarmouth. William Palmer could have been born between 1610 and 1615 which we fully believe is approximately correct and Judith was probably born between 1617 and 1620. They were probably married shortly before coming to Yarmouth, quite probably in London, and they came to America at once, or else Judith was with her uncle Robert in Watertown earlier and married there just before coming to Yarmo^-_^-.th. These facts will probably never be fully known.
   Sometime late in 1661 or early in 1662 Judith moved to Greenwich or Stamford and soon married Jeffrey Ferris as his third wfie. Ferris' second wife was Susannah, widow of Robert Lockwood, whom he married May 1661, and Susannah died Dec. 23, 1661. Jeffrey Ferris had been made a freeman in Watertown, Mass. on May 6, 1635, went first to Wethersficld, Conn. then to Stamford by 1640. He died May 31, 1666 and his will is dated Jan. 6, 1664 '5 in which he mentioned wife Judah and gave 10 pounds to each of the "four boies (boys) which I brought up" of his wife to be put out for them when they reached 18 yrs. of age and when 20 yrs, old to receive it into their possession (Fairfield Probate Vol. 2, pp. 17, 21) . This would mean that the four boys of Judith were John, who was born about 1650-1, James, born about 16:72-3, William, born about 1654-6 and Joseph, born about 16:7.6-7. Also his will mentioned that if his wife should have a child while he lived or be with child when he died, he gave to that child the other half of his farm. This would mean that Judith was not more than 44 or years old in 1664 and if so, then her birth would be between 1617 and 1620.
   
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   After the death of Jeffrey Ferris, Judith married John Bowers, probably in the latter rart of 1666 or early in 1667 as his second wife and she died in 1668 (Stamford Vital Rec. Vol. I, p. ). On Mar. 9, 1667 8, Judah Bowers, "lately the widow of Ferris, sometime the wife of Jeffrey Ferris," acknowledged the receipt of her share of his estate in full (Fairfield Probate Vol. 2, p. 21). John Bowers later married Hannah Close. the widow of Joshua Knaryn and Bowers died early in 1695. His will is dated at Greenwich Mar. 16, 1693,⁷4, probated Mar. 16, 1694 '5, re sited widow Hannah and gave to his "daughter-in-law," Mrs. Judah Reynolds, the property that was her mother's (Fairfield Prob. Vol. 4, p. 108).
   We have never found any birth records of the children of Lieut. William Palmer and wife Judith Feake, but we do know that there were children by the names of Ephraim, John, James, William, Joseph, Judith and Susan^-2a as appears by deeds in Greenwich. There may have been others who died young, and we think there mist have been a son named William who was the oldest child and who died before 1654. otherwise a son would have been named William before Ephraim, John and James were named, and also a daughter named Judith who died early. It seemed to be the custom in this family in the early generations to name the oldest son after the father and the oldest daughter after the mother. All of these children except the two youngest were born in Yarmouth, but the early records of Yarmouth for this period have been lost, so that we are unable to give dates. However, the dates of births of these children are given as nearly as we are able to reasonably ascertain those dates based on the dates of their acquisition of property in Greenwich and on such dates of births of their children as the records disclose. We feel that we are not very far from the correct dates. The sons William and Joseph may have been born four or five years later than we have given them, based on the births of their children or they may have lost several in infancy. The children are given later herein.
   Now in Mead's "Ye Historie of Ye Town of Greenwich," Henry Palmer of Wethersfield has been called the first American ancestor of the Greenwich Palmers, a distinction to which he is in no way entitled and which conclusion is incorrect. This Henry first appears in Wethersfield as having a homestead on Broad Street by 16401 next to William Palmer, at about which time he was married, his wife being named Katherine. Four children are given on the Wethersfield records for Henry, their births being from 1643 to 1650. This William Palmer of Wethersfield is of a different family from Lieut. William (see the family of William Palmer of Westchester, N. Y.). Henry appears on the Wethersfield records up to 1665 '6. What became of him is not certain but he evidently did not go to Greenwich as there is no mention of his
   
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   name on the Greenwich records. We believe he went to Newport, R. I., as a Henry Palmer appeared there in 1668. The stateme.it in Mead's history that he died in Greenwich in 1650 is certainly in error, for he was living in Wethersfield at this time with wife Katherine. Mead also says Henry married a second wife, Judith, ty whom he had 5 children, John, James, Jduith, William and Joseph. Henry never married Judith, for his wire Katherina was living with him in Wethersfield at the ery time that Mead gives as the births of these 5 children by Judith. The error in this conclusion is due to the fact that Henry of Wethersfield had a son Ephraim and
   Lieut. William and wife Judith also had a son named Ephraim. The Greenwich Palmers were clearly the children of Lieut. William Palmer and Judith Feake. The fact that both Palmers had a son Ephraim leads us to believe that both Henry and Lieut. William had a common ancestor by the name of Ephraim. Such an Ephraim has been found in London, who had sons Henry, William, John and Thomas, and who could be a cousin of the Henry of Wethersfield and Lieut. William of Yarmouth, all descended from an earlier Ephraim Palmer. For a further account of Henry Palmer of Wethersfield, see the William Palmer Family of Wethersfield or Westchester, N. Y.
   Savage has said that Lieut. Wm. Palmer of Yarmouth was the son of Wm. Palmer of Plymouth and came over with him in The Fortune in 1621 and removed to Yarmouth, Dartmouth and then to Long Island, but this is clearly incorrect. Also it has been said that Lieut. William of Yarmouth had Judith Feake as a second wife, but here again Lieut. William has been confused with William, Jr. of Plymouth.
   There may be some relationship between Lieut. William Palmer of Yarmouth and William Palmer of Plymouth and Duxbury, but up to the present time, we have been unable to discover any. From available data we have collected, it is believed that both of these William Palmers lived in close proximity to London. William Palmer of Plymouth was a resident of Stepney, London, as given by Charles E. Banks in "The Planters of the Commonwealth," and he came to America in the ship "Fortune," landing at Cape Cod on Nov. 9, 1621. Judith Feake, the wife of Lieut. William Palmer, was the daughter of James Feake, goldsmith, of London, and she had a brother Tobias Feake. James, the father of Judith and Tobias, had a brother Robert of London was was prominent in Watertown. Mass. and Greenwich, Conn., and also a sister Alice, who married Tobias Dixon of London, haberdasher, on Feb. 14, 1619 20 at Stepney, according to the marriage licenses granted by the Bishop of London. Tobias Feake was clearly namd after his uncle Tobias Dixon and was born in 1622, as appears by the Power of Attorney executed May 10, 1639 by Robert Feake, as guardian of Tobias Feake, and William Palmer and wife Judith, with their uncle Tobias Dixon
   
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   of London, as given previously herein.
   Since William Palmer of Plymouth and Duxbury came from Stepney, and since Alice Feake was married in Stepney, it is quite likely that there is some relationship between Lieut. William Palmer and William Palmer of Plymouth. As said before, we fully believe that Lieut. William Palmer came from London or vicinity.
   Note :
   The deed mentioned on page 3 of this account of William Palmer, dated Aug. 1, 1659, was from William Palmer to Samuel Sollis and Richard Fidoe of his house and lot between Dowty and Richard Gildersleeve and also a right in Smith's meadow formerly bought by William Palmer of Matthew Edwards (Newtown Records Vol. 1, p. 132 and N. Y. Vol. 64, p. 28).
   Furthermore on Feb. 23, 1663 Thomas Robarts sold to Robberdson half of the house and land that was of William Palmer (N. Y. Vol. 64, p. 32).
   Note:
   After extensive research and study of the original records of Plymouth and Watertown, Mass., Newtown, N. Y. and Stamford, Fairfield and Greenwich, Conn., Horace W. Palmer prepared this account of Lieut. William Palmer for Dr. Byron S. Palmer to send to the Boston Transcript. This article appeared in the issue of August 26, 1925.
   Lieut. William Palmer and Judith (Feake) Palmer: Children:
   Susanna, b.     abt. 1640-1
   Ephraim, b.     abt. 1642-3
   Judith, b.     abt. 1646-8
   John, b.     abt. 1650-1
   James, b.     abt. 1652-3
   William, b.     abt. 1654-5
   Joseph, b.     abt. 1656-7
   THE FEAKE FAMILY
   This family was of London quite early in the sixteenth century and probably came from Norfolk Co., England. An early ancestor in Norfolk Co. was James Feake, who had at least three sons, James, Robert and William.
   James, the son of James of Norfolk Co., was a goldsmith in London and had wife Parnell, and they were of St. John Zachary in London. James died before his wife and Parnell died in 1593 and she mentions in her will children as follows : James, William, Judith, Margaret and Anne.
   Robert, the son of James of Norfolk Co., had a will dated July 4, 1612 in which he mentions wife Judith, son James and brother William.
2. [S1080] George E. McCracken, The Feake Family of Norfolk, London, and Colonial America, pages 210-211 - On 5 December 1639, in a power of attorney to allow certain property on Lombard Street in London, Judith is described as wife of Lieut. William Palmer.