William Torrey

     William was born in Combe St. Nicholas, Somersetshire, England. He was christened there on 21 December 1608 in the church of St. Nicholas.⁶ William married Agnes Combe on 17 March 1629 in Combe St. Ncholas at the church of St. Nicholas.⁶ William's wife, Agnes, died before 27 April 1629 in Combe St. Nicholas, leaving him a widower.⁷ William married 2nd Jane Haviland, daughter of Robert Haviland and Elizabeth Guise, in 1630. William's wife, Jane, died before 27 April 1639 in Combe St. Nicholas, leaving him a widower. William married 3rd Elizabeth Fry in 1640 in Combe St. Ncholas. William immigrated in 1640 to America with his two motherless boys along with his recently married wife, Elizabeth, as well as her father, Edward, and her brother, George. His brothers, James, Philip & Joseph were also on the voyage. After immigrating, he settled at Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. In 1641, he was elected into The Military Company of Massachusetts which would later be known as the Ancient and Honorable Artillary Company. As a member, William achieved the rank of Lieutenant and by 1655, the rank of Captain.⁸ On 6 July 1665, his brother, James, died; William was then appointed guardian of two of his children, Jonathan and Mary. William made his will on 15 May 1686.

The fifteenth Day of May in the yeare of our Lord 1686. I William Torrey senior of Waymouth in New England being of Perfect Memory & sound understanding yet being very aged & knowing not how soon I may be taken out of this world Revokeing all other wills by me formerly made Do make this my last will & testament in manner & forme following. First I commit my soul into the hand of God my faithful Creator & Jesus Christ my Merciful Redeemer in whom I trust through his Grace I have my portion in the resurrection of the Just at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And for my Body I commit it to th ground from whence it was taken there to remain till Christ shall rayse it up again which I believe & hope will doe. And for my Dear wife & children which God of his Goodness hath given me, I most freely & willingly resigne them up to God from whom I have received them. And as for my outward Estate with which God hath blessed me [my just debts being first paid & my funeral expenses Discharged] All my children having some portions already in Land & otherwise that little which is yet remaining in my hands I do dispose of it in manner as is hereafter exprest. First my Will is that Samuel Torrey my Eldest Son shall have that five hundred Acres of land lately granted to me by the Generall Court to be to him & his dispose. Secondly my will is that my wife shall have & enjoy dureing her natural life my now dwelling house & all my outhousing & garden & halfe the Orchard as also halfe the upland adjoining & belonging to my house as also one halfe of my meadow & mowing ground fresh & salt in the lower Plantation. Thirdly my will is That William Torrey my second son shall have the other halfe of my Orchard & the other halfe of my Upland, meadow & mowing ground also halfe a neck share & one Acre of fresh Meadow lying neer Andrew Fords house, which he now Improveth, both which said parcels of Land are to be accounted as part of his halfe when it comes to be Divided. And whereas I promised him at his marriage to provide him an house & that he should have halfe my housing & halfe my garden after my Decease, now upon his request & in liew thereof & to be discharged from that Engagement I have already freely given unto him three Acres of Land more or less now fenced out whereupon he hath built a house which is not to be accounted as part of his halfe when it shall come to be divided according to Articles of Agreement. Also my will is that after my wifes decease he should have her other halfe abovementioned, and the whole to be to him & his heires for ever, the division to be made by men mutually chosen & my widow to have the first choice & this division to be understood as well of the Eight Acres & halfe I had of William by way of Exchanges of any other Land. And for the rest of my Estate consisting of Neat cattle, horses sheep swine & etc my will is that she retain so much of it in her hand as her halfe part of the land will keep & for what remains over & above to be put into the hands of her sons Josiah & Angel Torrey to be improved for her & they to allow to their mother something by the yeare for the benefit thereof tending to her maintenance as they shall agree & so to manage it, that the original stock put into the hands be not diminished by them unless it be by the Providence of God. And as concerning my household stuff & goods within Doore, of all sorts cloth linen woole & woolen cloth Implements of husbandry beds & bedding,provisions & what else mighth be named except my Bookes, my will is that it be left in her hands full & whole for her use so that none of be sold or embezelled but remain in her hands together with all sorts of Cattle bequeathed as abovesaid without diminishing much the kind or number except in case of necessity for her supply & All this for & dureing her natural life [not doubting but if she dispose of her selfe in marriage she will take care fo her Children] And further my will is that what is remaining of all the particulars abovementioned as also what is in the hands of Josiha & Angel or any other thing or things which are not herein mentioned after my wifes decease shall be divided into six equal parts or portions to be disposed of to her six children each one alike, or if one or more of them dy before their mother, then into so many parts as are alive of her Children at that time & distribution to be made as aforesaid And further my will is that my Grand Daughter Hayward shall have Twenty shillings bestowed in two silver spoones immediately after my Decease & delivered to her father for her. And for my Bookes my will is that my wife shall have six of them such as she shall chuse & all the rest to be divided into three equal parts & Michajah to have one part Josiah another & Angel a third. And I do hereby constitute & appoint my beloved wife to be sole Executrix of this my last will & Testament to see it performed so farr as she is concerned. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seale the day & year first abovewritten.^9,10

William departed this life on Saturday, 10 June 1690 in Weymouth.¹¹ He was buried there in North Weymouth Cemetery.¹¹ The inventory of his estate amounted to £360-10s-6. His will was probated on 2 July 1691.