Person:William Sumner (10)

m. 2 Nov 1601
  1. William Sumner1604/05 - 1688
  • HWilliam Sumner1604/05 - 1688
  • WMary SwiftAbt 1609 - 1676
m. 22 Oct 1625
  1. William SumnerAbt 1627 - 1675
  2. Joane Sumner1630 - 1695
  3. Deacon Roger Sumner1632 - 1698
  4. George Sumner1634 - 1715
  5. Samuel Sumner1638 -
  6. Elizabeth Sumner1640 - Bef 1688
  7. Increase Sumner1642/43 - 1683
  8. Abigail SumnerAbt 1646 - 1657
  9. Mary SumnerAbt 1647 -
Facts and Events
Name[1][2][3][4][5][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] William Sumner
Gender Male
Christening[2][3] 27 Jan 1604/05 Bicester, Oxfordshire, England
Marriage 22 Oct 1625 Bicester, Oxfordshire, Englandto Mary Swift
Other[6][5] 17 May 1637 Dorchester, Suffolk County, MassachusettsFreeman
Death[2][3][4][5][6] 9 Dec 1688 Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States
Other[5][16] Anecdote

US Gen Web Project for Windham County, Connecticut. Internet. 6/3/02

The Connecticut family of Sumners traces back to Roger Sumner, a husbandman of Bicester, Oxfordshire, England. On the second day of December, 1601, he married Joane Franklin. Roger Sumner died December 3, 1608.

(II) Their son, William Sumner, was born at Bicester in 1605. On Nov. 22, 1625, he married Mary West [see 3 Generations of Sumners, should be Mary Swift]. He settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1636, but still continued to own land at Bicester until the year 1650. He was made a freeman of the Colony on May 17, 1637, and became a selectmen of Dorchester in the same year, acting in that capacity for 20 years. From 1663 to 1680 he was one of the feofees of the school land, and from 1663 to 1671 he was one of the commissioners to try and issue small causes. In 1663 he was chosen clerk of the train band. He was deputy to the General Court in the years, 1658., 1666, 1670, 1672, 1678, 1681, 1683, 1686. His wife died at Dorchester, June 7, 1676, and his death occurred on Dec. 9, 1688.


From Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines - by Mary Walton Ferris. pp. 572-589:

"Evidence is found that William Sumner had a servant named William Shepard for in April 1636, that man was whipped for stealing from his master." p 572

In 1665 William protested that three men built a seat for themselves in the church without permission. p. 576

"Perhaps because of the military management of King Phillip's War, William became critical and was under consequent disapproval for on Sept 5, 1675, 'William Sumner appeared before ye church before the Sacrament to give Satisfaction for offensive speeches uttered against ye Comittee of ye Milicia'." William also disagreed with some church matters... 'The 18 April 77 ye sollemn day of fast was observed & after ye morning exersiz ye Covenant was againe publickly read & the Vote put forth or Called for & the Vote was in the affirmative noe man speaking against it, only Bror William Sumner went out of ye meeting when it was goeing to be read & Came not againe in ye afternoone.'" p. 577

William, son of Roger Sumner, was born at Bicester, England. He married there, Oct. 22, 1625, Mary West [see 3 generations of Sumners, should be Mary Swift]. He came to New England in 1636 and settled at Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was admitted a freeman May 17, 1637, and became a prominent man in the province. He was selectman there in 1637 and for more then twenty years. From 1663 to 1680 he was one of the feofees of the school land, and from 1663 to 1671 was a commissioner to end small causes. he was deputy to the general court in 1658-66 to 70-72-78- to 81, and 83 to 86. His wife died at Dorchester, June 7, 1676, and he died Dec. 9, 1688.

US Gen Web Project for Windham County, Connecticut. Internet. 6/3/02

«i»The Connecticut family of Sumners traces back to Roger Sumner, a husbandman of Bicester, Oxfordshire, England. On the second day of December, 1601, he married Joane Franklin. Roger Sumner died December 3, 1608.

(II) Their son, William Sumner, was born at Bicester in 1605. On Nov. 22, 1625, he married Mary West [Swift]. He settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1636, but still continued to own land at Bicester until the year 1650. He was made a freeman of the Colony on May 17, 1637, and became a selectmen of Dorchester in the same year, acting in that capacity for 20 years. From 1663 to 1680 he was one of the feofees of the school land, and from 1663 to 1671 he was one of the commissioners to try and issue small causes. In 1663 he was chosen clerk of the train band. He was deputy to the General Court in the years, 1658., 1666, 1670, 1672, 1678, 1681, 1683, 1686. His wife died at Dorchester, June 7, 1676, and his death occurred on Dec. 9, 1688. «/i»


From Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines - by Donald Jacobus. pp. 572-589:

«i»"Evidence is found that William Sumner had a servant named William Shepard for in April 1636, that man was whipped for stealing from his master."«/i» p 572

«i»In 1665 William protested that three men bult a seat for themselves in the church without permission«/i». p. 576

«i»"Perhaps because of the military management of King Phillip's War, Williama became critical and was under consequent disapproval for on Sept 5, 1675, 'William Sumner appeared before ye church before the Sacrament to give Satisfaction for offensive speeches uttered agains ye Comittee of ye Militia"." William also disagreed with some church matters..."The 18 Aapril 77 ye somen day of fast was observed and after ye morning exesiz ye Covenant was againe publickly read & the Vote put forth orCalledfor & the Vote was in the affirmative noe man speaking against it, only Bro William Sumner went out of ye meeting when it was going to be read & Came not anaie in ye afternoone«/i»" p. 577

References
  1. Sumner, William H. (William Hyslop), and William Blake Trask. Memoir of Increase Sumner, governor of Massachusetts. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1974)
    57.

    William Sumner, s/o William, b. England abt 1605 [deposition 23 Dec 1685 being "eighty years old or thereabouts"], will proved 24 Mar 1691/92, wife Mary when settled in Dorchester.

  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ferris, Mary Walton. Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines: A Memorial Volume Containing the American Ancestry of Rufus R. Dawes; and A Memorial Volume Containing the American Ancestry of Mary Beman (Gates) Dawes. (Milwaukee, WI: Cuneo Press, 1931-1943)
    572.

    William Sumner bp. Church St. Edburg at Bicester, Oxfordshire, England 27 Jan 1604-5, m. there 22 Oct 1635 Mary West [sic, see TAG article ], d. Dorchester 9 Dec 1688. Will dated 1 Mar 1688, inventory23 Jan 1688/89, proved 24 Mar 1691/92, mentions children Roger, George, Samuel, Increase, daughter Joan Way, children of deceased son William, other grandchildren and great grandchildren.

  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Holman, Mary Lovering. "Three Generations of the Sumner Family", in The American Genealogist (TAG). (Donald Lines Jacobus, et.al.)
    19:161.

    Child of Roger Sumner and Joan Franklin: William, bp Bicester, Oxfordshire, England 27 Jan 1604-05, d. dorchester 9 Dec 1688, m. Bicester 22 Oct 1625 Mary Swift. "Owing to a misreading of the Bicester register, it has always been written that William Sumner's wife was Mary West." Thomas Swift's will names brothers-in law John Capen and William Sumner as overseers. Thomas Swift m. Elizabeth Capen. Will of Dorothy (Capen) Upshall names brother John, sisters Elizabeth Swift and Honour Hannum, but no Mary. Relationship therefore not to Thomas' wife, so must be based on Mary being a Swift. Re-examination of register, which is faded, shows it does say "Sweift", not West.

  4. 4.0 4.1 Boston (Massachusetts). Record Commissioners. A Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston: Containing Dorchester Births, Marriages, and Deaths to the End of 1825. (Boston, Massachusetts: Rockwell and Churchill, city printers, 1890)
    p.121.

    William Sumnar dyed Desemr. 9, 1688.

  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 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)
    [SUMNER] "WILLIAM, Dorchester 1636, came prob. with w. Mary, and ch. William, Roger, George, Joan, and perhaps Abigail, wh. d. 19 Feb. 1658, was made freem. 17 May 1637 had Samuel, b. 18 May 1638; and Increase, 23 Feb. 1643; very oft. selectman, and rep. many yrs. His w. d. 7 June 1676, it is report. and he perhaps d. Mar. 1692, aged a. 86. He is thot. to have been only ch. of Roger of Bicester in Co. Oxford, 12 ms. from the city of O. and could only be two yrs. old when his f. made nuncup. will 3 Dec. 1608, pro. 22 Mar. foll. as set out in Geneal. Reg. IX. 300".
  6. 6.0 6.1 Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society. History of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, Second Publisher: Ancestry.com, Second Address: Provo, Utah. (Ebenezer Clapp, Jr., Boston, 1859)
    page 86.
  7. Genealogy of the Sumner Family
    57.
  8. Three Generations of the Sumner Family.
  9. Sumner Family..
  10. Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts.
  11. Genealogical Dictionary of First Settlers of New England.
  12. Ancestors of Moses Haskell Gilbert. comp by Geoffrey Gilbert.
  13. Swigart, Edmund K. (Edmund Kearsley), and Richard Andrew Pierce. An Emerson-Benson saga: the ancestry of Charles F. Emerson and Bessie Benson and the struggle to settle the United States : including 194 allied lines : major families: Barrows, Besse, Blanchard, Bloss, Booth, Chittenden, Ford, Freeman, Hafford, Hall, Johnson, Joslyn, Lewis, Lord, Lyman, Merrill, Moulton, Perry, Rogers, Safford, Shaw, Spear, Stevens, Sumner, Woodward and Younglove. (Baltimore [Maryland]: Gateway Press, c1994).
  14. Ages from Court Records 1636 to 1700 Vol I Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk Counties, Massachusetts.
  15.   Ferris, Mary Walton. Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines: A Memorial Volume Containing the American Ancestry of Rufus R. Dawes; and A Memorial Volume Containing the American Ancestry of Mary Beman (Gates) Dawes. (Milwaukee, WI: Cuneo Press, 1931-1943)
    pp 67-68.
  16. [P] was well respected in the town of Dorchester and was often chosen as selectman and representative