Biography: William Swift and wife, Joan
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Swift-95
Extracted from the Great Migration[2]
He was born by 1593 (based on estimated date of first marriage) in Bermondsey, Surrey, England [TAG 77:161-72]. Before emigrating, he was a leather seller in England. [TAG 77:165]
He married first by about 1618 Sarah _____; she was buried at St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, Surrey, on 24 August 1625. [TAG 77:166, 168].
He married second at St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, Surrey, 3 Jan 1625/6 Joan (_____) Dimbleby, widow of Roger Dimbleby. [TAG 77:161-72].
Some say her maiden name was Sisson.[3] but this was disproven in 2002.[4]
He emigrated in 1634, [MBCR 1:144] settling initially in Watertown, removing to Sandwich in 1639.
He died by 29 Jan 1642/3 (date of inventory) [MD 4:168].
A will is not found, but inventory of William Swift's estate was exhibited at court on 29 Jan 1642/3. [MD 4:168-71, transcribing PCPR 1:44-45; see also Lechford 438]. On 7 March 1642/3, letters of administration were granted to his wife Joane. [PCR 2:53; see also PCR 2:54-55]
In 1660, "Jone Swift" [his wife?] was one of 25 men and women fined for having attended a Quaker meeting. [PCR 8:103]
Identification of his children is found in the will of his widow, dated 12 Oct 1662, proved 3 Mar 1663/4 and 7 Apr 1664, which includes bequests to:
Daniel Winge's two sons Samuell and John
my grandchild Hannah Swift
my grandchild Experience Allen
my two grandchildren Hannah Swift and Experience Allin
to Mary Darbey my wearing clothes
Hannah Winge the elder... to her daughters
Jedediah Allen and Experience Allen the third part of my estate
to my son William's children...
residue to m son William whom I make my executor
Children
(first four by first wife, Sarah):
Edward Swift, b abt 1618; apprenticed 8 May 1633 to George Andrews for 7 years; made free on 2 Jul 1640 [TAG 77:165]; mentioned by Thomas Lechford in September 1640 [Lechford 310]; no further record unless a 1646 burial record in London pertains to him. [TAG 77:171].
Hannah Swift, b abt 1620; m. in Sandwich 5 Nov 1642 Daniel Wing [Sandwich VR 2:1249], son of John Wing.
John Swift, bp St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, 26 Jun 1622 [TAG 77:166]; bur there 29 Jun 1622 [TAG 77:166]
Mary Swift, bp St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, 21 Aug 1625 [TAG 77:166]; bur. there 4 Sep 1625 [TAG 77:166].
William Swift, bp St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey 25 Apr 1627 [TAG 77:166]; m by 1651 Ruth____ [MD 14:166; Sand VR 1:15]; assumed to be mother of his children (named in his 1705 will)
Esther Swift, bp St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, 28 May 1629 [TAG 77:166]; m1 by 1646 Ralph Allen, mason; probably m2 Sandwich 14 Feb 1664/5? Henry Bull of Rhode Island.[Sand VR 2:1248; TAG 77:170-172]
Sarah Swift, bp St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, 7 Aug 16331 [TAG 77:166]; bur there 8 Sep 1631 [TAG 77:166]
Notes
His son Edward was apprenticed to George Andrews, Butcher, in Eastclepe, London.
He sold a house and land at Sud. 28-4-1641{Suff. De. and Col. Rec. vol.1}
On 25-Jul-1636 In the third Great Dividends of Town Lands, owned by the proprietors, William Swift drew number 14, being a 40 acre lot, and Feb 28 1636/37 he also drew a five acre lot in "Beaver Brook Plowlands."
On 1637 He sold his property in Watertown, MA to Thomas Whit of Sudbury who sold it March 31 1640, to John Knioght. He then probably moved to Sandwich. He resided at at Sandwich, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, circa Apr-1637;
The farm which Willaim bought in Sandwich was the largest in the town. It was owned (Jan 1 1887) by Shadrach Freeman Swift, Esq.
On Jun-1637 In another division of lands, his grantee Thomas White, received a lot, proving that William sold out in Watertown and removed to Sandwich in the spring of that year. (Hope we can use this to verify everything.)
Sources
↑ Jane Fletcher Fiske, "William Swift of London and Sandwich, Mass.," The American Genealogist, vol 77 (2002):161: the most recent research done. Robert Charles Anderson, in his subsequent The Great Migration, references Fiske's research.
↑ Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009; pp 626-632
↑ Mary E. Neal, "Family records of the branches of the Hanaford, Thompson, Huckins, Prescott, Smith, Neal, Haley, Lock, Swift, Plumer, Leavitt, Wilson, Green, and allied families,". Rockford, Ill., Hanaford, 1915.
↑ Jane Fletcher Fiske, "William Swift of London and Sandwich, Mass." in The American Genealogist, vol 77 (2002):161
See also:
George Thomas Little, A. M. Litt. D, Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine, Volume I, Illustrated (New York, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1909), Internet Archive, 385, 386. Page 385.
Bographical story on a descendant of William and Joan Swift
D(uane) Hamilton Hurd, History of Bristol County, Massachusetts: with Biographical Sketches of Many of the Pioneers and Prominent Men, Illustrated Part 1 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, J. W. Lewis & Company, 1883), NEW BEDFORD, page 150. THIS LINK does not work.
Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed, The University of Chicago Biographical Sketches, Volume 1 (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1922), Internet Archive, 170 Gustavus Franklin Swift
Care should be taken when reading William Swyft of Sandwich and some of his descendants, 1637-1899, by George H. Swift (Millbrook, NY: Round Table Press, 1900)
'William Swift, Senior and Junior, of Sandwich, MA,' F. Allaben (Journal of American Genealogy 2[1]:19-29).
Raymond L. Olson, Ancestry of Elihu B. Gifford, Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press (YEAR?)
Zelinda Makepeace Douhan, The Ancestry of Russell Makepeace of Marion, Massachusetts, 1904-1986... (Boston 2005), 218-35], includes an account of this immigrant and a line of descent through his son William.
Florence Barclay, "Hannah (Swift) Tobey," in The American Genealogist, 35 (1959):40-43], granddaughter of this immigrant through his son William
Ancestry Family Trees for William Swift
Richard Hart
Web site of Harry Hadaway of Bow, NH: "My Family Tree: Plymouth and Cape Cod MA Genealogy". This is an extensive Gendex site with 16,000 (August 1999) individuals, mostly from Massachusetts.
"Records of William Spooner of Plymouth, MA & his descendants Thomas Spooner, 1883"
Lynn's GEDCOM
William Swift
WorldConnect for William Swift
