Joseph Almy

Notes:

I have not found a birth record for this particular William. He is a son of William, according to his will. This needs more research.

William's will mentions his father William, wife Patience, and children Gideon, Joseph (under 21), and Ann (under 18). The wording suggests that that Patience may have been his second wife, but this is not certain.

William married Patience ALLEN 12 Jun 1731, Portsmouth, RI. Patience (daughter of Matthew ALLEN and Phebe Unknown) was born 29 May 1708, Portsmouth, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

For the present, I have made an assumption that this is her birth: ALLEN Patience, of Matthew and Phebe, May 29, 1708. (Vol. 1 P. 179, Portsmouth Births)

The name of Patience Allen as grandmother of Lucy Almy came from John Redfern, professional genealogist (contact information available on request).

Notes:

ALMY William, Jr., and Patience Allen, both of Tiverton; m. at Portsmonth, by William Sanford, Justice, June 12, 1731. (Vol. 1 P. 185, Marriages, Portsmouth)

William married Deborah COOK Abt 1688. Deborah (daughter of John "Butcher" COOKE and Mary BORDEN) was born Abt 1667. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Deborah is mentioned as the wife of William Almy in her father's will.

Notes:

The transcription of the Portsmouth records, an online version of James N. Arnold's Vital Record of RI, has Matthew's birth year as 1675. So, without having seen the original, I would say it is either 1673 or 1675, since the numbers could have been difficult to decipher.

There's a will for a Matthew Allen of North Kingstown, dated Apr 1759, proved 11 Feb 1760. I don't know if it's for this particular Matthew or not -- probably not.

Matthew married Phebe Unknown 2 May 1700, Portsmouth, RI. Phebe was born 3 Sep 1677, Portsmouth, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Some genealogies have her maiden name as Cook. Her maiden name is missing from the transcribed records; I have not checked the original.

Notes:

In 1658, Christopher was made a freeman of Portsmouth. In 1667 he was one of many who finalized the purchase of lands in Monmouth, NJ. He lived in Monmouth for awhile, but returned to RI to live by or before 1678.

On 5 Mar 1680, Christopher and seven others bought Pocasset (Tiverton) lands from the Governor. By this time Christopher had become a political leader in RI. He was highly esteemed by his townsmen and on 27 Feb 1690 he was elected Governor of RI, but he refused to serve for reasons satisfactory to the Assembly. However, in that year he did serve as assistant to the Governor. During this year he was also deputy to the General Assembly. In 1692 he was made captain of the militia. In 1693 he was appointed agent to England, and on 24 Aug 1693 he represented RI in a petition to Queen Mary. In October 1696, he was reimbursed for his expenses.

Source for above info is "Tom Almy's page": www.almy.us/

Christopher's will mentions his wife Elizabeth; sons William, Christopher, & Job (in age order); and daughters Elizabeth (w/o John Leonard), Sarah (dec'd, formerly w/o Richard Cadman & Jonathan Merihoo), & Rebekah Townsend (dec'd)

Christopher married Elizabeth CORNELL 9 Jul 1661, Portsmouth, RI. Elizabeth was born Abt 1636; died Abt 1715, Newport, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

One web site identifies her parents as Thomas Cornell & Rebecca Briggs.

Notes:

"John Cooke alias Butcher" was made a freeman of Portsmouth, RI, on 10 July 1648 at the age of 18. In March 1656/57 he signed as one of the purchasers of Conanicut Island (Jamestown). On 14 May 1660 his parents deeded to him 60 acres of land in Portsmouth. He was a grand juryman at the Court of Trials in 1667, 1669, and 1673. His name appears in many official records of the time period.

See his will dated at Portsmouth on 15 May 1691, proved 25 May 1691. The will describes John as aged. He names four sons and seven daughters, plus one granddaughter: John, Joseph, Thomas (probably the one who married Mary Cory, b. 1669), Samuel, Mary (Mrs. William Manchester; these are our ancesters), Elizabeth (Mrs. William Briggs), Sarah (Mrs. Thomas Wait), Hannah (Mrs. Daniel Wilcox), Martha (Mrs. William Cory), Deborah (Mrs. William Almy), Amy (Mrs. David Clayton), and granddaughter Sarah Manchester, plus six other unnamed daughters (or granddaughters, or daughters-in-law).

According to the book "Thomas Cooke of Rhode Island," he died of smallpox.

John married Mary BORDEN Abt 1652. Mary (daughter of Richard BORDEN and Joan FOWLE) was born Abt Jan 1632/33, Cranbrook, Kent, England; was christened 13 Jan 1632/33, Cranbrook, Kent, England; died 23 Dec 1690, Portsmouth, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

The ages and birth order of the children are not certain. Birth years have been estimated for most.

Notes:

A "William Allin" was baptized in the town of Wales, Yorkshire, England, on 19 August 1640. This "is almost certainly the William Allin who emigrated to America in 1660." (source: "Genealogy of the Stone Family Originating in Rhode Island" by R. C. Stone)

The location of William's birth and baptism should not be confused with the country of Wales in the British Isles. Rather, Wales, England, is a town in the West Riding of Yorkshire, about nine miles from Sheffield, the largest town in the area. The West Riding of Yorkshire is where our immigrant ancestor John Remington is believed to have come from, so it is possible that these families had common culture and roots, and even the same reasons for coming to the New World. (source: "Some Prudence Island Allens" by Devere Allen, at the RIHSL)

William served as constable of Prudence Island and was surveyor of cattle. In addition to his land on the island, William also owned land in the East Bay area, probably what is now Barrington or West Barrington, RI, but was originally part of Swansea, MA. This land, purchased from Captain Thomas Willett of Swansea, had originally been sold to Captain Miles Standish by the Indian sachem Wamsutta. This land was described as being on both sides of the Seven Mile River; this river now forms approximately the border between Providence Co., RI, and Bristol Co., MA. However, the location may have been different as described in the 1600s. His land in the East Bay area totalled about 600 acres. (source: Cole's "History of Washington and Kent Counties")

The name on his will (dated 2 June 1685, proved 29 June 1685) is "William Allin." In the will he mentions his wife "that now is" Elizabeth (implying she was not his first wife), four sons, three daughters, and two friends. William, Thomas, John, & Matthew were all under 21; Mercy & Sarah were under 18; daughter Marie Remington was already married at this time. Appointed as executors of the will were Elizabeth Allin (wife), son William, and eldest daughter Marie Remington (Mary, my ancestor).

According to notes in the Mary E. Rice Collection, William Allin died in West Barrington, RI; he was married aft 1660 to Elizabeth; and his first child, Mary (who married Thomas Remington, s/o John & Abigail), was born c1664.

According to Charles Gregory Maytum in his book "Paragraphs on the History of Prudence Island" p. 16, William's children were born of his first (unknown) wife. He was a close friend of John Paine, who lived at the northern end of Prudence Island. William was a large owner of cattle and also had hundreds of sheep. In 1669 he was admitted freeman of Prudence Island (along with John Paine). He was tax rate assessor of PI in 1671; also that year he was constable of PI, as well as in 1678, 1679, 1680, 1682, 1683, & 1691. (Maytum's book is at the Newport Historical Society.)

This book also recounts how in 1680 William Allin moved his house from PI across the frozen bay to West Barrington, with the help of Indians and using three large trees made into a sled pulled by oxen.

A note from Cynthia Joly, as found in the PI Cookbook: "William Allin . . . who came to Prudence in 1660 as a tenant farmer for John Paine. He later built his own home along what is now known as Allen Lane."

William married Elizabeth Unknown Abt 1660. Elizabeth was born Abt 1640; died Aft Jun 1685. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Elizabeth was probably not William's first wife, as implied by the wording in his will. He may have married Elizabeth after 1660 (see notes for William).

William's children may have been by his first wife.

A posting on a message board (L-Sweet) suggests that Elizabeth later married Philip Sweet. I have not yet seen evidence of this, so more research is needed.