Person:William Thayer (25)

References: Residences of William Thayer
Federal Census year 1810 Dana, Worcester, MA. 
                    1820 Otsego County, New York
                    1830 Otsego County, New York
                    1840 Springfield, Otsego County, New York

William is named in "Genealogy of the Thayer Family 1640-1874" by Bezaleel Thayer.

"Descendants of Thomas Thayer" by Patricia Thayer Muno & Norton, MA. Vital Records. Patricia Thayer Muno notes that the William Thayer buried in the Lakewood Cemetery in Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York is the son of Revolutionary War Soldier, John Thayer and his wife Rachel Skinner. She states that William was a war of 1812 veteran and that William does not appear to be mentioned in the, Massachusetts Vital Birth Records, but he is listed as a child of John and Rachel by Waldo Chamberlain Sprague. Sprague was considered an authority on early Massachusetts Thayer family members.

Further, William's father John Thayer had no probate! He moved to Hardwick, MA in about 1775 or after. Bottom line is John Thayer who married Rachel Skinner was not named in his father Philip's will of 31 October 1758 and secondly Mansfield was formed from Norton in 1770 and none of the children are recorded in the Mansfield Vital Records. The family was in Hardwick by 1778 but no record of John or Rachel's death.

1.   Memorial # 40223073 for William Thayer, in Find A Grave Index.

   William Thayer, b. Nov 6, 1771; Mansfield, Bristol Co., MA. d. 16 Mar 1862 NY State. Parents: John & Rachel (Skinner)Thayer.Husband of Mary "Polly" (Stephens) Thayer. Married Nov 28, 1793, Hartwick, Worcester Co., MA. Occupation: Sailor & Farmer. Family links: Parents: John Thayer (1723-____)
   Spouse: Mary Stephens Thayer (1773-1858)
   Children: Prudence Thayer Stocking (____-1895)
   Caleb Thayer (1799-1877)
   Leonard Thayer (1800-1804)
   John W. Thayer (1806-1882)
   Siblings: Ephraim Thayer (1755-1829)
   William Thayer (1771-1862)
   John W. Thayer (1772-1850)
   Burial: Lakewood Cemetery, Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York

2.   Marriage William Thayer to Mary Stephens, in Hardwick, MA Vital Records to 1850
   Page 252, November 28, 1793.

   Marriage of William Thayer to Mary Stephens on November 28, 1793.

3.   Town of Springfield, Otsego County, NY for William Thayer, in 1850 U.S. Federal Census
   158; Family 372; Line 39, 11 September 1850.

   William Thayer, age 77. Male, Trade None, Value Real Estate 400.(Surname misread as Hayer)
   Polly Thayer, age 76, Female

4.   Town of Springfield, Otsego County, New York for William Thayer, in 1855 State Population Census.
   Line 4, Dwelling 413, 14 July 1855.

   Dwelling 413, Wood, ,Value $200, Family# 456. William Thayer, Age 80; Male; Born in Mass. Married; 36 Years in this town;Farmer; Voter Native.
   Mary Thayer, age 78;Female; Wife; married;Resident of Town for 36 years.

5.   Both William & wife Mary Polly Stephens Thayer bodies were removed from the Drake Cemetery in Pierstown, Otsego County to the Lakewood Cemetery in Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York in Lot #581 on September 17, 1878.
6.   William Thayer arrive in Otsego County prior to 1819 with five sons and three daughters. William of Massachusetts was a sailor in his early life. He married Polly Stevens, of Massachusetts and they lived at Dana,Town of Hartwick, in that State, about 25 miles from Boston. He was a farmer and resided in Hartwick for many years. He finally came to Otsego County and bought a farm in Springfield, and resided upon it for a number of years, but his last years were passed at the home of his son Caleb. This according to "Biographical Review of Otsego County" pages 309 & 547.
7.   William Thayer is a 5th generation Mayflower descendant of both John Alden & Priscilla Mullins and is identified as #7873 in Alden Kindred - Eight Generations
8.   William Thayer is a descendant of the Thayer family of Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England as stated and written in "Thayer Family of Thornbury" by Thomas Thayer Ojeda, 1907.