Person:William Fellows (1)

Origin and Parentage

Erwin Fellows in Fellows Families: (NEHGR 128:17-23) concludes his analysis of the origin and parentage of William, Fellows of Ipswich with "[f]from the evidence here presented, it is probable that the immigrants William and Richard Fellows were direct descendants [either sons or grandsons] of a William Fellows of Foxton, Leicestershire, [England,] who died in 1630."
Fellows dismisses the supposition that William is the son of Noble and Elizabeth (__) Fellows of Selston parish. He states "Morris also thinks that Elizabeth was the mother of the three [William, Samuel, and Richard Fellows] and that the father was Noble Fellows of Selston parish, Northamptonshire [, England]. In addition to placing the parish in the wrong county, this interpretation misreads 'Robt,' a common written form, for 'Noble.' Both errors have since been repeated many times.^S3 Anderson concludes with "[i]n the course of this research the 1630 will of a Williyam Fellow of Foxton, Leicestershire, England was discovered; based on names mentioned in his will, that man could have been the grandfather of our immigrant, William Fellows."^S1

Estate of William Fellows of Ipswich

"'The last Will of William felows nouember 29: 76 I hauing my perfit memory I commit my soull to god and my body to y^e graue and bequea my earthly goods as followeth my will is y^t my wif shall haue one rome in my house to her self and for her uese dewring her life y^t is to say y^e parler and to haue twelve pounds yearly paid her in good marchantable pay by my three Sons ║Ephram Samul Joseph║ and likewis it is my will y^t my wif should haue two of my ║best║ Cowes and to be kept by my sonns winter and Somer for my wifs uese and my wif shall haue liberty to keep two swine and like wise my sons shall maintain her with conuenient fiering winter and somer as long as she lius a widow and like wise tis my will y^t my wife shall haue a conueanant peice of land for a gearding and a quarter of a acker of good land yearly to sow flaxe on and it is my will y^t my wif shall haue all y^e houshould goods at her dispoasel tis my will y^t my sonne Isack shall haue my march lote at hog Iland adid to that which I haue giuing him allredy and my will is y^t my other three sonns y^t is Ephram Samuel and Joseph shall haue y^e other half of my farme and ye rest of my sault march with y^e buildings and stock ║and corn║ upon ye farme to be posest of it after my deseas only to fullfill to thr mother what is aboue menchoned and to pay all ║my║ depts and legisis as foloweth tis my will y^t my daughter mary shall haue ten pounds paid her within two yeare after my deseas and ten pounds after my wifes deseas and it is my will y^t my othr three daughters Elisebeth abegill Sary shall haue tewenty pounds a peice one half paid them two years after my deseas ore one thr day or mariag and ye othr half two years after y^t and after my depts are all paid my will is y^t my daughters should be maid equale with ther three brothers Ephram Samuele Joseph only fifty pounds y^t my Sonne Isack is to pay after my wifs deseas shall be deuided equaly amongst my three daughters Elisebeth abigil Sary and then to be equallised with thr brothrs aboue menshnd.'

Willaim Fellowes

Witness: William (his ¢ mark) Story, Senear, Thomas Burnon, senier, Samuel Ingals, Seanir.

This writing produced in Ipswich court Mar. 27, 1677 as the will of Wm. Fellows., but no executor being named, administration was granted to the three sons, Ephraim, Samuell and Joseph and they were to order the division of the estate according to the mind of the father as expressed in this will.

Inventory taken Dec. 27, 1676, by Henry Benet, William Story, Sener and Thomas Burnum, Senior: … total, 581li. 17s. 11d. Debts due to the estate, 8li. 5s. 3d. Debts to be deducted out of the estate, 83li. 11s. 7d.; total remaining, 498li. 6s. 4d.

Attested in Ipswich court Mar. 27, 1677 by the administrators.

Bond of Jonathan Fellows, yeoman, with James Brown, yeoman, and Isaac Knowlton, cordwainer, all of Ipswich, as sureties, for the sum of 300li., dated Feb. 13, 1722-23, for administration on estate not already administered upon belonging to his grandfather William Fellows. Witness: Robert Holmes, Daniell Appleton, Reg.

'These ar The undersigned to segnefi we desire Cosen Jonathan Fellows to administer on the intestate estate of our father William Fellows.' Signed Abigel (her X mark) Fellows, Sara (her + mark) Fellows.

Essex County Probate Files, Docket 9,367.

Whereas an agreement hath been made Mar. 27, 1702, among Isaac Fellowes, Ephraim Fellowes, Ruth Fellowes widow and administratrix to the estate of her husband Joseph Fellowes, all of Ipswich, and Samuell Ayres of Newbury attorney to Samuell Fellowes of the same town, to settle and divide the real estate of their father William Fellowes formerly of Ipswich, according to his donation in his will, Ephraim, & Ruth Fellowes and Samuell Ayres do by these presents quitclaim to their brother Isaac Fellowes the land as now divided and set out by these bounds following: westerly upon a stake by the river north east side upon Samuell Ayres about sixty nine rods to a stake with stones about it & then westerly fourteen Rods upon Samuell Ayres land to a stake with stones about it which is Ephraim Fellowes corner & then northeasterly by Ephraim's land Till it comes to a stake with stones about it at the common & easterly by the common & southerly by the land that was Quartermaster Kinsman and southwesterly by the common with all the priviledges thereunto belonging.

Signed and sealed Mar. 30, 1702. Witness: William Fellowes, Jarvas Ringe

Acknowledged July 24, 1702 by Ephraim Fellowes, Samuell Ayres, Ruth Fellowes.

Whereas an agreement hath been made Mar. 27, 1702, among Isaac Fellowes, Ephraim Fellowes, Ruth Fellowes, widow, and administratrix to the estate of her husband Joseph Fellowes, all of Ipswich and Samuill Ayres of Newbury attorney to Samuell Fellowes of Newbury to settle and divide the real estate of their father William Fellowes formerlyof Ipswich according to his donation in his will, Isaac Fellowes, Samuell Ayres and Ruth Fellowes do by these presents quitclaim to their brother Ephraim Fellowes the land with all the buildings thereupon as now divided and set out by these bounds: southeasterly by Isaac Fellowes land, northwesterly upon Samuell Ayres land to a white oak tree marked by the common which is the bounds between said Fellowes and Ayres, northerly & easterly by the common and also eight acres more bounded northerly upon the common, easterly upon Samuell Ayres land, southerly upon the river, westerly upon Joseph Fellowes land, and also to his divisions of marsh as formerly divided and bounded out unto him with all the priviledges thereunto belonging. The widow Fellowes signed to all except eight acres of land which was conveyed to her husband per Ephraim Fellowes by a deed dated Feb., 1697.

Signed and sealed Mar. 30, 1702. Witness: Thomas Manning, William Fellowes, Jarvas Ringe.

Acknowledged July 24, 1702 by Isaac Fellowes, Samuell Ayres, Ruth Fellowes.

Essex County Probate Records, vol. 308, pp. 24-26.

Administration on a common right or rights of William Fellows, late of Ipswich, which have not been already administered upon, was granted Feb. 11, 1722-3, to his grandson William Fellows (son of _____ Fellows, late of Ipswich), _____ having renounced their right of administration, he giving bond to administer according to law.

Essex County Probate Records, vol. 313, page 566."^[4]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} William Fellows, in Anderson, Robert Charles; George F. Sanborn; and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635. (Boston, Massachusetts: NEHGS, 1999-2011)
   2: 507-12.

   "ORIGIN: Unknown."
   "CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: Admission to Ipswich church prior to 28 March 1654 implied by freemanship.
   FREEMAN: 28 March 1654 (second in a sequence of five Ipswich men [EQC 1:336])."
   "BIRTH: About 1610 (aged 24 in 1635 [Hotten 45]; deposed on 27 September 1659 'aged about fifty years' |EQC 2:170]).
   DEATH: Between 29 November 1676 (date of will) and 21 December 1676 (ILR 4:75]."

2. ↑ William Fellows, in Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
   2:151.

   "William (Fellows), Ipswich, 1642, shoemaker, came in the Planter 1635, aged 24, had Ephraim, Samuel, Joseph, Isaac, Mary, Eliz. Abigail, and Sarah, the last b. 26 July 1657. From his will, pro. 27 Mar. 1677, it seems, he left wid. but her name is not seen, nor whether she was mo. of all the ch."

3.   Fellows, Erwin W., "Fellows Families: First American Settlers and Possible English Origins", in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
   128:17-23.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Estate of William Fellows of Ipswich, in Massachusetts, Probate Court (Essex County). The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts. (Salem, Massachusetts: The Essex Institute, 1916, 1917, 1920)
   3:128-131.

   dated 29 Nov 1676, names: my Wif; my three sons Ephram, Samul, and Joseph; my Sonne Isack; daughter Mary; my other three daughters Elisebeth, abegill, Sary. No Executor was named. Witness: William Story, Senear, Thomas Burnon, senier, and Samuel Ingals, Seanir.