William Ellis
- Born: Abt 1694, Plymouth, Plymouth, MA 5,29,37,64,65,66
- Christened: 30 May 1697, First Parish of Sandwich, Sandwich, Barnstable, MA 37,65
- Marriage: Joanna Gibbs on 19 Mar 1717/18 in Plymouth, Plymouth, MA 5,37,64,65,66,314
- Died: Bef 18 May 1768, Plymouth, Plymouth, MA 5,29,37,65
General Notes:
WILLIAM3 ELLIS (Lt. Mordecai,2 Lt. John1), born about 1694, baptized 30 May 1697, died in Plymouth, intestate, shortly be-fore 18 May 1768.
He married 19 March 1718 JOANNA4 GIBBS, born in Plymouth 13 March 1697, died after 2 April 1762, daughter of Lt. John3 and Esther (Swift) Gibbs of Plymouth.
From the genealogical point of view this William Ellis and his wife presented a variety of difficulties and it was not until the completion of a thorough search of all Ellis records in the Plymouth deed registry that it was possible to be quite certain that this family is properly identified. In the first place this William Ellis was a minor, aged about 13, when his father died intestate, and he and his younger brothers were not named in the first settlement of the estate by which he did not share in the real property. His wife's father also died intestate and she was not named in her mother's will. She was William Ellis' only wife, though in various records his wife is called Joanna, Joane or Jane.
The first record we find of him as an adult is a release, dated 6 April 1720, in which he and his siblings acknowledged the receipt of their shares of their parents' estates from their elder brother John3 Ellis. This William3 Ellis evidently used his in-heritance to purchase land in Plymouth. Since it is only through these Plymouth County deeds that he can be properly traced, we will refer to them as PLCD. We suspect that these deeds, and those of his siblings, may help also to furnish clues by which future searchers may identify the family of Sarah, the mother of this William3 Ellis (she may well have been a native of Plymouth County).
The first deed, dated 14 Oct. 1720, describes this man as "William Ellis of Plymouth, Labourer," a term usual for young men of the period who had recently completed their apprenticeships. He bought a mortgage on some 200 acres of Plymouth land, a dwelling house and appurtenances from Jonathan Waldo of Boston for £60. The deed was acknowl-edged the same day, but not recorded until the mortgage was paid off, 25 Jan. 1725/6 (PLCD, vol. 15, p. 52). Although this first instrument would seem to imply that William Ellis had originally acquired the land from some one else, the actual position is made clear by a deed of 1736 in which "William Ellis of Plymouth, Innholder" sold for £350. to Joseph Bartlett, this same tract which, says Ellis, "I bought of Mr. Jona-than Waldo of Boston, deceased" (ibid., vol. 30, p. 125). We come next to a genealogically interesting deed, dated 4 March 1724, by which "Thomas Little of Chilmark, Co. Dukes, ... Physician ... sells to William Ellis of Plymouth ... [a lot] bounded by Joseph Warren's children's lands near the way that leads to Sandwich ... Mr. Cotton's land ... Joseph Bartlett's land ... [etc.] ... which was halfe share of common formerly laid out to my Honoured Father Thomas Little of Plymouth, deceased" (ibid., vol. 18, p. 190). "William Ellis and [his brother] Samuell Ellis, both of Plymouth, yeoman" paid Jonathan Morey £10. for three lots of Plymouth meadow land, 3 Feb. 1726/7 (ibid., vol. 21. p. 101). "William Ellis of Plymouth" paid Benjamin Warren of same £20. for three acres of Plymouth land 30 Jan. 1727/8 (ibid., vol. 22, p. 148). "Wil-liam Ellis & Samuell Ellis of Pymouth, yeomen" paid £50. to Thomas Clarke, Jr. (who had married their sister Mary Ellis) for additional Plymouth land, 17 Jan. 1727/8 (ibid., vol. 22, p. 141).
In a series of deeds beginning in 1728 by which he bought, sold, exchanged and mortgaged Plymouth land William Ellis is described as an innholder. Several of these were with mem-bers of the Morey family. In two of them he was in partnership with Benjamin Cornish, who had married his wife's sister, Experience Gibbs (see PLCD, vol. 23, p. 151; vol. 26, p. 49; vol. 24, p. 13; vol. 27, p. 53; vol. 25, p. 195, 199-200; vol. 27, p. 76, 52, 103-4; vol. 28, p. 90, 161-2; vol. 30, p. 125; vol. 38, p. 121).
There remain three deeds of importance to our purpose. "William Ellis of Plymouth, Innholder," mortgaged for £211. 7s. 8½d. to Silvanus Bourne, of Barnstable, Esqr. ... all my several lots of land in Plymouth, my homestead where I now dwell, together with my dwelling house" and other land bought of Jonathan Morey in 1732. This mortgage deed, dated 30 July 1744, was acknowledged the same day, at which time "Jane, wife of sd William Ellis," relinquished her dower rights.
Both signed by mark (PLCD, vol. 36, p. 201). The mortgage was discharged in 1747 (ibid., vol. 39, p. 35). A deed, dated 24 May 1745, shows that "William Ellis yeoman of Plymouth, for £250, paid by my sons William Ellis and Eleazer Ellis" con-veyed to them "equally to be divided between them all and singular my Real Estate, … housing, lands, meadows, marshes, beeches, woodlands, in the County of Plymouth or the County of Barnstable, ... including all that part ... that I ... mort-gaged to Silvanus Bourne," bearing date 30 July 1744; ac-knowledged same day in Barnstable by William Ellis (ibid., vol. 37, p. 126). William4 Ellis and Eleazer4 Ellis then con-veyed, 4 June 1745, a part of this property to their brother-in-law, Josiah5 Morton, for same amount, namely £250. This land is described as "being at a place called Salt Water Pond, in Plymouth, which we bought of our Honoured Father William Ellis by deed 24 May 1745" (ibid.).
Two final deeds, both bearing date of 2 April 1762, are of interest. In one "William Ellis Junr., of Plymouth, yeoman" for £50. "paid by my Honoured Father William Ellis and my Honoured mother Jane Ellis ... do sell ... to them during the term of their natural lives and the life of the longer liver the one halfe part of the Real Estate which I have in Plymouth aforesd, as described in a deed of division made this day be-tween me and my brother Eleazer Ellis." The other relates that the brothers, having been tenants in common of several un-divided tracts which they had acquired from their father, Silvanus Bourne and Thomas Swift, including land which their father had originally purchased of Thomas Clarke, agreed to a division. The agreement was witnessed by William and Jane Ellis, who both signed with their marks (ibid., vol. 47, p. 178-9).
Job Brewster of Duxbury posted bond, 18 May 1768, as administrator upon "the estate of William Ellis, late of Plym-outh, Innholder, deceased." The bond was set at £300. (Plym-outh County Probate, vol. 20, p. 82).
[Lt. John & Elizabeth (Freeman) Ellis of Sandwich, Mass by Lydia B. (Phinney) Brownson, of Duxbury, Mass & Maclean W. Mclean, of Pittsburg, PA]
Noted events in his life were:
• Occupation: innholder, Between 1728 and 1744, Sandwich, Barnstable, MA. 65
• Occupation: yeoman, After 1744. 65
William married Joanna Gibbs, daughter of Lt. John Gibbs and Esther Swift, on 19 Mar 1717/18 in Plymouth, Plymouth, MA 5,37,64,65,66.,314 (Joanna Gibbs was born on 13 Mar 1696/97 in Plymouth, Plymouth, MA 5,29,37,65,66,314 and died after 2 Apr 1762 in Plymouth, Plymouth, MA 5,29,37,65,314.)
|
