The William Perkins Family
Essex County, Massachusetts was created on May 10, 1643 by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when it ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four sheires."
William Perkins was born in 1607 in England. He was the son of William Perkins.
He was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 3 Sept. 1634.
In 1636 he married Elizabeth Wootton in Roxbury
William Perkins (1639, died young),
William Perkins (640/41, married Elizabeth Clarke),
Elizabeth Perkins (1643, married John Ramsdell),
Tobijah Perkins (1646, married Sarah Denison),
Katharine Perkins (1648, married John Baker, Jr.)
Mary Perkins (1651, Oliver Purchase)
John Perkins (1655, married Anna Hutchinson),
Sarah Perkins (1656/7, married John Bradstreet, Sr.)
Timothy Perkins (1658, married Edna Hazen), and
Rebecca Perkins (1662, Thomas Fiske, Jr.)
In 1643 they moved to Weymouth.
In 1652, they moved to Gloucester
In 1655 they moved to Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts.
Edward Richards declared in court before Mr. Wm. Perkins' face, that the latter being asked whither he was going, said to hell for aught he knew. Mr. Perkins appeared and denied the testimony, and was ordered to appear at the next Salem court.
—Sept. 26, 1665.
Mister ( Mr.) was derived from master and Mrs. and Miss were derived from mistress. They indicated people of superior social status in colonial America.
Tobijah Perkins was born on October 20, 1646 in Weymouth. He was the son of William Perkins and Elizabeth Wooton.
He married Sarah Denison.
Priscilla Perkins (1689, married Joseph Gould),
Mary Perkins (1690),
Tobijah Perkins, Jr. (1692),
Joseph Perkins (1695),
Daniel Perkins (1697)
In 1695 Michael Dwinnell sold Tobijah
that Ten Acre Lott, being ye thirtieth Lott in number of ye Divided common, on ye south side of Ipswich River, which I bought of Lieut Peabody, together with Five Shares, in the parcel of land, which is yet undevided and Lyeth, between Joseph Porters, and Wenham Meadow to have,
He died on 30 Oct 1723 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery there.
Timothy Perkins was born about 1658. He was the son of William Perkins. (not to be confused with Timothy Perkins born in 1661, son of Thomas Perkins)
He married Edna Hazen on o August 2, 1686. She was the daughter of Edward Hazen.
Abigail Perkins (1695, married Thomas Dwinnell),
Timothy Perkins (1687, married Hannah Buxton),
Nathaniel Perkins (1689)
John Perkins(1692)
Richard Perkins (1694)
Jacob Perkins (1696)
William Perkins (1698)
Hepzibah Perkins (1702)
from The History of Ufton Court
Reverend William Perkins, of Topsfield, Massachusetts was the son of William Perkins, merchant tailor, of London, and Topsfield, Katherine his wife...
William, born August 25, 1607; emigrated to New England; afterwards of Topsfield, Mass....
William Perkins sailed for New England in the William and Francis, Mr. Thomas, master, leaving London March 9, 1632, and arriving at Boston June 5, following.
In March, 1633, with the illustrious John Winthrop, junior, and twelve others, he began the settlement of Ipswich; was admitted freeman September 3, 1634, and removed to Roxbury, where he married Elizabeth Wootton, August 30, 1636.
October 10,1638, he was one of the surveyors appointed to survey and run the southerly line of the patent. October 7, 1641, because of his father's gift of £50 to Harvard College, he was granted 400 acres of land by the General Court. In 1642 he removed to Weymouth, and while there was leader of the military band; was also a lieutenant in 1642, and captain in 1644, in which year he represented the town in the General Court.
He was one of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, and was chosen commissioner "to end small controversies in Weymouth." From 1650 to 1655 he was preaching to the inhabitants of Gloucester; in 1651 he gave his testimony in regard to a lost will of Walter Tibbet, of Gloucester, upon which the Court allowed a copy (so called) to be proved.
From Gloucester he went to Topsfield; and after preaching a few years, William spent the remainder of his life in the calm pursuits of husbandry.
He was probably one of the most accomplished men among the first Topsfield, settlers of Topsfield; a scholar and a man of business; a clergyman; a Mass. soldier and a legislator; and, during the latter part of his life, a farmer.
In each of these relations, so unlike, and, according to present notions, so incompatible, he bore himself, so far as we can learn, with ability and discretion.
He often revisited his native country; was there in February, 1640; in October, 1646; in the spring of 1667 ; in April, 1670, and during the winter of 1673-4.
January 20, 1671, he mortgaged to Thomas Clark, "late of Plimouth, but now of Boston, merchant," all his house and seven acres of land in Topsfield, on the northerly side of which stood a grist mill, etc....
He died at Topsfield May 21, 1682, leaving a widow and nine children surviving. The date of his widow's death has not yet been ascertained.
The children of Rev. William and Katherine (Wootton) Perkins were:
1. William, born October 12, 1639; died December 23, 1639.
2. William, born in Roxbury, February 26, 1640-1 ; married Elizabeth, daughter of Daniel Clarke, of Topsfield, October 24, 1669; died October 30, 1695, aged 54.
3. Elizabeth, born in Weymouth, June 18, 1643; married John Ramsdell, of Lynn, May 31, 1671.
4. Tobijah, born in Weymouth, October 20, 1646 ; married Sarah Denison, November 4, 1680; died in Topsfield, April 30, 1723, aged 77.
5. Katherine, born in Weymouth, October 29, 1648; married John Baker, of Ipswich, May 13, 1667.
6. Mary, born in Gloucester, February 17, 1651; married Oliver Purchas, September 17, 1672. His first wife, Sarah, had died October 21, 1671.
7. John, born in Topsfield, April 2, 1655; married Anna Hutchinson, August 29, 1695; settled in Lynnfield and died there January 12, 1712, aged 57. His widow died in 1717.
8. Sarah, born in Topsfield, March 2, 1656-7; married John, son of Governor Simon Bradstreet, June 11, 1677.
9. Timothy, born in Topsfield, August 11, 1658; married Edna Hazen, of Rowley, August 2, 1686.
10. Rebecca, born in Topsfield, May 4, 1662; married Thomas, son of Captain Fiske, of Wenham, November 3, 1678; and died before 1719.
Thomas Perkins, son of John Perkins, was born in England in 1616, and came to America with his parents in 1631, when he was fifteen years old. At Ipswich he owned Sagamore hill, a tract of land one hundred and seventy feet high. He exchanged this land with his brother John for a house and lot in town.
After a few years he removed to Topsfield and married there, about 1640, Phebe Gould, daughter of Zaccheus Gould. She was born in England in 1620, baptized at Hemel Hempstead, September 20, 1620. Her father gave them one hundred and fifty acres of land. Thomas Perkins 'as chosen deacon of the Topsfield church, and was probably the first deacon. He was often selectman and tythingman, and on the committee to choose a minister. His farm was next that of his brotherin-law Redington, not far from the Newbury