Person:John Libby (4)

John came on the Hercules bringing ship's letters dated 30 Nov. 1636 and arriving at Richmond Island 13 Feb. 1636/7. He was in the fishing company of John Winter from 15 Dec. 1636 to 13 Feb. 1639 and also for six weeks in 1643. He was then in the service of John Sparke, merchant and Mayor of Plymouth, England. Some money was paid for him to John Sparke by Trelawny.

John settled near "Libby's common landing place" at Anthony's hole near the eastern point of the "Old Neck" in Scarborough. Before 1 Jan. 1663/4 he moved inland and built on the bank of Libby's River on the 283 acres which he purchased from Henry Jocelyn.

In 1661 John along with William Sheldon were appraisers of Andrew Heffer's estate. In 1664 John was constable and in 1669 a selectman.

In 1675 John had to move to the garrison for safety, the crops being gathered under protection of soldiers from Boston. A petition against Captain Scottow was taken to the General Court 9 Aug. 1676 complaining that Mr. Scottow got the soldiers from Boston upon his own responsibility, that he refused to use or have others use the soldiers to preserve the lives and estates of others, that he used the soldiers mostly for his own security and advantage, attending and strengthening his garrison, paving his yard, moving his barn, cleaving his wood, etc. John and his son John Jr. were some of the townspeople who liked him and had a petition sent in favor of Captain Scottow telling of all the good things he had done for the town. The Captain was acquitted and the men who had made the complaint had to pay the costs of the court. On 7 Sept. 1675 the Indians burned John's house. In Oct. 1676 the Black Point garrison was deserted all having left for Boston. The following were at the Black Point garrison 12 Oct. 1676; James Lybbey, John Lybbey, Anthony Lybbey and Samuel Lybbey. John deposed in Boston 10 July 1677 age 75 years that he had come to this country 47 years before and that his four sons had kept himself, his wife and eight small children from want but, that the enemy had burned their homes and destroyed cattle and corn. He stated that one of his sons had lately been killed at Black Point another wounded, had since died, and the other two were at Black Point. He asked that the latter might be discharged from the garrison having served there the extraordinary period of nine months. The petition was granted, Henry and Anthony were released and John returned to Scarborough. A treaty was signed with the Indians and the trouble stopped.

John's estate on 28 Nov. 1681 consisted of 70 acres of land, 30 acres of marsh, 4 hogs, 3 yearlings, 3 cows, 1 horse and 2 steers. His will provided for his wife and especially for his two younger sons Matthew and David.

Issue-

2I. JOHN- b. 1637, m. AGNES ______, d. 1718 II. James- d. in Philip's War 1676/7 III. Samuel- d. in Philip's War July 1677 IV. Joanna- m. Thomas Bickford V. Henry- b. 1648, m. Honor Hinkson (d. 24 Aug. 1724), d. 21 Oct. 1732 Scarborough, Maine VI. Abigail- m. John Fickett VII. Anthony- b.c.1649, m. 1. Sarah Drake of Hampton, NH (b. 20 Aug. 1656, d. 12 June 1716) 2. 6 Jan. 1717/8 Jane Rackley of Portsmouth, NH, d. 1718 VIII. Sarah- b.1654, m.1. Robert Tidy 2. Richard Rogers 3. Christopher Banfield IX. Mary- m. John Slaughter 3X. DAVID- b. 1657, m. 1690 ELEANOR ______, d. 1736" 4XI. HANNAH- b. 1660, m. DANIEL (4) FOGG, d.c.1735 5XII. MATTHEW-b.1663, m. ELIZABETH (2) BROWN, d.March 1740/1 XIII. Daniel- b. 1666, m.23 Feb. 1687 Mary Ashton (d. after 1737), d. after 1735 XIV. Rebecca- m. Joshua Brown

History and Description of New England: Maine- A.J. Coolidge Genealogical Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire- p.432 The Genealogy of Herbert Cornelius Graves- Clara Edith Baker, pp.324-34 York County Registry of Deeds- Vol.5, p.23

John Libby's Wives

"That John Libby had two wives is certain. Of the first, nothing is known but that she was the mother of all his sons except Matthew and Daniel, and probably all his daughters. Of the second there is nothing known but her christian name, which appears from the mention in bounding a town grant, 1 May 1686, of "Mary Libby's marshes." How long Mary Libby outlived her husband is uncertain; but she probably lived to be again driven from her home by the Indians, as no attempt was made to settle her estate."^[4]

"Only once is either w. named in the records, 'Mary Libby's marshes.' Poss. she m. 2d Wm. Green."^[2]

1. ↑ Burrage, Henry Sweetser; Albert Roscoe Stubbs; and George Thomas Little. Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine. (New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, c1909)
   307.

   "(I) John Libby, born in England about the year 1602, came to New England and was employed in the fisheries by Robert Trelawney, who has a grant of land embracing Richmond's Island and other land about Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The records of this industry show that John Libby was in the employ of Trelawney four years from the summer of 1635 to the summer of 1639. He had a grant of land in Scarborough, on the bank of a stream since called Libby river, and there built a house. Here he is supposed to have divided his time between fishing and agriculture. In 1663 he is described in a document as a "planter," and in the history of Scarborough he is said to have been "for many years one of the town's principal planters." He was constable in 1664, and his name stands first of the four selectmen in a town grant bearing date 1669. In King Philip's war (1675) he lost everything he had except his plantation. Captain Joshua Scattow's diary says: "Eight or nine deserted houses belonging to Libby and his children" were burned by the Indians September 7, 1675. John Libby and his wife and younger children were in Boston, July 10, 1677, and on his petition at that time his two sons, Henry and Anthony, were discharged from Black Point garrison. He probably soon after returned to Black Point, his old home in Maine, where he acquired a comfortable property, and died at the age of eighty years. He had two wives. Of the first nothing is known except that she was the mother of all of his sons except Matthew and Daniel, and probably all his daughters. Of the second nothing is known but her christian name, which was Mary. The children of John Libby, probably all born in this country except the eldest, were: John, James, Samuel, Joanna, Henry, Anthony, Rebecca, Sarah, Hannah, David, Matthew and Daniel."

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} 5 John Libby, in Noyes, Sybil; Charles Thornton Libby; and Walter Goodwin Davis. Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire. (Portland, Maine: Southworth Press, 1928-1939)
   432.

   5 John (Libby), the only early emigr. of this name, was by early trad. (transmitted by Dr. Benj. Libby, b. 1777, written down ab. 1855) 'Welsh,' that is native British, not Anglo-Saxon. By this trad. he came over with 'the Plymouth company,' meaning the plantation at Richmond Isl. estab. by Trelawny. This trad. is borne out by the plantation accounts. He came on -The Hercules-, bringing ship's letters dated 30 Nov. 1636, arr. at Rich. Isl. 13 Feb. He had been in the service of Mr. John Sparke, merchant and Mayor of Plymouth, whose wife was from Fowey, co. Cornwall, the seaport of the Fowey river valley, where Col. Banks found several John Libbys who might have been the emigrant, presum. b. as early as 1615. The petition to the Boston authorities to release his sons from the Scarb. garrison was the work of a professional, worded regardless of truth to accomplish its object, and unnec. even to be read to the petitioner. He came under contract for three yrs. service, which expired 13 Feb. 1639-40, aft. which he settled near 'Libby's common landing place' at Anthony's hole near the eastern point of 'the Old Neck,' a spot shut out from view of the Prout's Neck summer settlement by Black Rock. Sometime bef. 1 Jan. 1663-4 he rem. inland and built on the bank of Libby's River, on the spot now marked as his homestead. In Philip's War 'Libby's buildings' were burnt. In 1661 J. L. and Wm. Sheldon were appraisers of Andrew Heffer's est. In 1664 he was constable and in 1669 J. L. sr. is named first of the selectmen in a town gr.; selectman 1676. … His will 9 Feb.--5 May 1682-3 provides for 'my wife' and esp. for his 'two younger sonns' Matthew and Daniel. His sons David and Matthew were half-bros., acc. to early trad. in the fam. of their sister Hannah Fogg, all three liv. side by side in Eliot. Only once is either w. named in the records, 'Mary Libby's marshes.' Poss. she m. 2d Wm. Green. Heirship deeds and the div. of his est. in 1736 show that 12 of his ch. left ch., besides the two who lost their lives in Philip's War. Ch: John, b. 1637. James, garrison soldier in Philip's War, k. 1676-7. Adm. in N. H. court 9 Oct. 1688 to bro. Anthony. Samuel, soldier in Philip's War, sickened in Scarb. garrison, taken to Boston where he d. ab. July 1677. Joanna, m. Thomas Bickford. Henry, b. 1648. Abigail, m. John Fickett. Anthony. Sarah, b. ab. 1654; m. 1st Robert Tidy, 2d Richard Rogers, 3d Christopher Banfield. Mary, m. John Slaughter. David, b. 1658. Hannah, m. Daniel Fogg. Rebecca, m. Joshua Brown. Matthew, b. 1663. Daniel, b. ab. 1666.

3.   Historical and Biographical Sketch of the Libbey, Libby Family- Historical Research Bureau, Washington, D.C., MS at Auburn Public Library
   p. 2.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Libby, Charles T. (Charles Thornton). The Libby Family in America, 1602-1881. (Portland, ME: B. Thurston & Co., 1882)
   p. 21-25.
5.   Pope, Charles Henry. The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623-1660. (Boston, Mass: Charles H Pope, 1908)
   pp 126-7.

   "...He deposed July 10, 1677, ae. about 75 years, that he came to his county 47 years before..."

6.   Libbey, Dorothy Shaw. Scarborough becomes a town. (Freeport, Maine: Bond Wheelwright Co., c1955).
7.   John Libby, in Sargent, William M. (William Mitchell), and Maine) Maine Historical Society (Portland. Maine Wills, 1640-1760. (Portland, Me.: Brown Thurston, 1887)
   p. 75.

   In the name of God Amen / Bee It known unto all, unto whom this shall Come, that I John Lybby Senjo'r, do giue unto my children fiue shillings a peece to euery one of them, & to my too younger sonns Namely, Mathew & Daniell shall haue fiuety shillings out of ye Estate when they Com to age / & my wife shall haue It all to here disposeing to mantayn the children
   Witnesses: John / Anthony Roe / the marke of Lefft't : Ingersall
   Inventory returned at £118:06:0, by William Burrine and Andrew Brown, appraisers, 9 Feby 1682.

8.   "Notes and Queries: John Libby", in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
   34:200.

   [A transcription of the deposition mentioned by the Pope source.]

9.   Davis, Walter Goodwin. "Multiple Descents from John ¹ Libby", in The American Genealogist (TAG). (Donald Lines Jacobus, et.al.)
   36:182 (membership required).

   [Basically reprinting a pedigree descending from John Libby that was originally found in the Libby Family, p. 19.]

10.   Davis, Walter Goodwin. The ancestry of Lydia Harmon, 1755-1836, wife of Joseph Waterhouse of Standish, Maine. (Boston, Massachusetts: Stanhope, 1924 )
    p. 115+.

    John Libby, a fisherman in the employ of Robert Trelawny, arrived at Richmond Island on the Hercules 13 Feb 1636/7. Born about 1602 based on deposition but this may be exaggerate his age. Some evidence suggests he came from Fowey River valley in Cornwall. The John Libby who m. Judith "her suname not recorded" in parish of Lanlivery 27 Apr 1635 "seems particularly probable" to be the immigrant. Wording of will suggests a second wife, who was named Mary, married about 1662. Will undated, inventory 1682, farm divided in 1736 into 13 shares, suggesting 12 children (double share for eldest son).