Person:Joseph Peaslee (1)

On Jan 21,1672, Ruth Barnard married Thomas' brother-in-law, Joseph Peaslee. Ruth and Joseph's first child, Mary, was conceived out of wedlock. The Peaslee's and Barnard's were close, apparently these relations were closer than some like as less than six months after the wedding, Joseph and Ruth had their first child. The leaders of the community were aghast. Some of this enmity was due to Joseph's father having disputes with the establishment.

"Consequently, at the quarterly court session at Salisbury on April 8, 1673, Joseph Peaslee and Ruth, his wife were presented for fornication, they confessed and were sentenced to be whipped tomorrow or pay a fine of six pounds. The record does not state which they chose"

Joseph was spoiled as he was the youngest of five children and was the only boy. He was only fourteen when his father died. His personal life was a rocky one, as Joseph was in trouble for much of his early life. He was in court on numerous occassions both as a Plaintiff and a defendant.

About the time of the marriage, Joseph built a house in Haverhill where he then settled with Ruth. This house became known as the "Peaslee Garrison" and still stands st 790 East Broadway, Haverhill. It was constructed with bricks imported from England. (An interesting sidenote is that Robert Hastings, the mason who built the house, had a daughter, Elizabeth, who later married Joseph's son, Joseph.) The house is two stories high and has three rooms upstairs and three rooms downstairs. A chimney is located at each end of the house. During King Philip's War the home was used as a garrison house where soldiers were stationed and people could flee if need be.In 1956 the house was owned by Reginald C. Bacon. He had extensive renovations done on the house to restore it to it's original look.

In an article written about the house Mr. Bacon states:

   "Joseph Peaslee must have been a man of some means and artistic
   imagination, because by any standards, his dwelling was a fine
   house for the times. Its woodwork is in some details more
   elaborate than was customary in the late 17th century. Included
   in the original woodwork was a complete casement window frame,
   still in existence after nearly 300 years"

The richness of this house indicates that Joseph was a very successful farmer and businessman. Unfortunately, for the first part of his life Joseph was not a very good person. He was in court on numerous occasions both as a plaintant and defendant. In November of 1676 he was charged with assaulting a person with a chain. In 1681 he was charged with assaulting a Peter Green "on August 12 last, by kicking and striking him so that he was taken for dead at the time and was for a long time in fear of death by the blows". He was found guilty, fined and forbidden to bear any weapons. After this case he seemed to calm down and turn his life around. This may have been due in part or all to his having become a Quaker. In 1698 he and others petitioned the town to allow them to open a meeting place for the Quakers.

   In 1687 he was chosen to be the Town Constable for 1688. He was made a Selectman in 1689, 1690 and 1696. In 1701 a fire caused Joseph Peaslee serious grief.
   On November 5, 1723 Ruth died. Joseph married the widow Mary (Potter) Davis a short time later.
   Sources:

   Early Settlers of Salisbury, Ma. NEHGS Register vol 7, 1853
   NEHGS vol 2, Oct 1848, vol. 6, 1852 and vol. 15, July, 1861.
   The Peaslees by E.Kimball (Press of Chase Brothers,Haverhill,Mass. 1899)
   A Passel O' Peasleys by Fredrick Lamphere (Indianapolis, Indiana 1979)

   From internet site "bearclaws,basken.com/peasleybio"

   Joseph Peasley,Jr. was born in Haverhill,MA in 1646. He was the son of Joseph Sr. and his wife Mary Johnson. Joseph was raised in the eastern part of Haverhill, near to AQmesbury in the old riverfront settlement of Rocks Village. The Peasley family members were of a dissenting frame of mind, especially when it came to church affairs. They spoke their minds on many occasions and often what they had to say didn't agree with the doctrine of the established church. That they got away with this behavior, may be because they were eminently useful to the town, and also, probably due to the fact that they didn't live in the more populated area of Haverhill.When, in 1699 the town of Haverhill voted to build a new meeting house, Joseph formally requested permission for himself and those who worshiped in their own way (Quakers) to hold their meetings in this new building, but the town refused to grant the request. So, he and the other dissenters, met at his house, and this band of Friends held the first meeting of the society in this part of the country, at that site. Large groups of folk would assemble at the so called meetings, there to listen to addresses by the more notable speakers of the day. Earlier in 1693, Joseph built a sawmill on a local river, and he was also a physician who ministered to his neighbors. He owned a fortified house, to which people could repair, in the event of an Indian attack. this house was built in the 1690's , and still stands in the eastern part of Haverhill, known as Rocks Village. Joseph and his first wife Ruth (Barnard) Peasley were ancestors, through their daughter, Mary, of John Greenleaf Whittier. After Ruth's death in 1723, Joseph married Mary (Tucker) Davis, widow of Stephen. Joseph died 21 March 1734/35, and as those of the Quaker faith eschewed any large stones at gravesites, the site of his grave is unknown.

   From Chuck Griffin harlancgriffin@yahoo.com
   From "Whittier-Land" by Samuel Pickard:
   (sent by Sheryl Dailey miamech@yahoo.com)
   "On the Country Bridge road, leading from the birthplace (of John Greenleaf Whittier) to Rocks Village, is an ancient edifice, known as the "Old Garrison House," which is of interest to Whittier-Land pilgrims because it was the home of Whittier's great-grandmother, Mary Peaslee, who brought Quakerism into the Whittier family. Thomas Whittier, the pioneer, did not belong to the Society of Friends, though favorably disposed toward the sect. His youngest son, Joseph, brought the young Quakeress into the family, and their descendants for several generations, down to the time of the poet, belonged to the sect founded by her father's friend, George Fox. Joseph Peaslee built this house with bricks brought from England before 1675. As it was one of the largest and strongest houses in the town, in the time of King Phillip's war it was set apart by the town authorities as a house of refuge for the families of the neighborhood, and as a rallying point for the troops kept on the scout. There are many port-holes through its thick walls."

   Per the research of John Lyle Bascom-Gordon, Compiler of this line:
   "Joseph Peaslee, called 'Junior', was but twelve years old when his father died. He married Ruth Barnard of Salisbury. The house he erected prior to 1675 on the County Bridge road is now widely known as the 'Old Garrison', it having been used as a sort of armory at one time.

   In 1662, he was granted the privilege of erecting a sawmill. This sawmill was built the following year, and for a hundred and fifty years was owned wholly or in part by persons of the Peaslee name, descendants of the elder Joseph. 'Junior' was said to have been a physician and was called 'Doctor'. The amount of property enumerated in his will would constitute a well-to-do man, even of today. He also had a second wife, a Mary Tucker, the widow of Stephen Davis. His daughter, Mary, became the grandmother of John Greenleaf Whittier, a famous American poet. His house burned down in 1700, and the town gave him his 'rates'.

   His son, Joseph (III), married Elizabeth Hastings, daughter of Robert Hastings, who was one of the founders of Amesbury and Newton, with the Elder Joseph Peaslee. His daughter, Sarah, married Ebenezer Eastman, one of the first settlers of Concord, NH, and one of famous personages of the town. For descendants of them, see 'Eastman Genealogies'; altho, Rix in the 'Eastman Family in America', states that Sarah was the daughter of Col. Nathaniel Peaslee, but who was actually Sarah's brother.

   It may be mentioned here that Joseph Peaslee (Junior) was a Quaker of whatever faith his father was. He acted as the Quaker preacher and held the meetings of the faith in his home, altho forbidden to do so.

   In 'Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury', it is stated that a Nicholas Peaslee was slain by the Indians at the cave in which he lived, summer and winter, on 10 April 1706. This cave was a few miles above 'Oyster Bay'. Now, it is not known who this Nicholas Peaslee was, or what relation he was to this family. He may have been another child of the Elder Joseph, and for some reason, a recluse and for that matter omitted from the various records from which our information was taken. Or, perhaps, he was another immigrant who left no descendants. This is the only mention of him that the writer has been able to find.

   In the town of Newton, NH, near the Junction, in the heart of the woods, is the old Quaker burial grounds. Here, are rows of graves, unmarked except by rude, unlettered stones at the head and foot of each. Here may repose the dust of Joseph and Mary, and of Joseph (Junior) and Ruth.

   In the 'History of Sutton, NH', it is stated that David Peaslee was a descendant of John Peaslee. This is partly an error. David Peaslee was son of John Peaslee, a grandson of the original settler, Joseph Peaslee. In the 'History of Sanstead County, Lower Canada', the author stated that there was a Paul Peaslee, who came from England and settled in New Hampshire and whose descendants settled in Canada. This is believed to be an error, also. For more on this, see the descendants of John and Lydia Peaslee, given later herein."

1. ↑ Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849. (Topsfield, Mass.: Topsfield Historical Society, 1910)
   246.

   PEASLEY, Joseph, s. Joseph and Mary, [born] Sept. 9, 1646.