NOTE: Another Mother listed as Sarah, Est. DOB 1655-1675, Dorchester, MASS
IMMIGRATION: William Pond was in Dorchester, Mass. by 1648. Sargent & Constable 1659. He was son of Robert Pond of Suffolk, England.
BIOGRAPHY: A Genealogical Record of Daniel Pond, and His Descendants
Author: Edward Doubleday Harris
Call Number: R929.2 P796
A genealogical record of Daniel Pond and his descendants who came to New England in 1630 from England.
Bibliographic Information: Harris, Edward Doubleday. A Genealogical Record of Daniel Pond, and His Descendants. Boston, MA: William Parsons Lunt, 1873.
http://www.genealogylibrary.comNOTE: WILLIAM POND of Dorchester, also supposed to have been a son of the first Robert, married Mary, daughter of George Dyer, and had several children born in Dorchester, none of whom, except a daughter Thankful, who married Philip Whithington, can be traced. The name in Dorchester, and of this line, seems to have died out with that generation.
NOTE: Edward Winship, who stands at the head of the Winship family in America, was born in England in 1613. He embarked for America in the good ship, The Defiance, at Harwich; England, August 10, 1635; arrived in Boston. Massachusetts, October 3, 1635, and two days later located in Cambridge Ma., a suburb of Boston. In 1638 he purchased the land commencing at the corner of Brattle and Mason streets, exending to the Commons, and he was for many years one of the most active and energetic citizens of Cambridge. He was commissioned ensign of the Cambridge militia companyin 1647, and lieutenant in 1660. He was elected deputy general of the court in the years 1663, 1664, 1681, 1682, 1684, 1685 and 1686.
He was selectman of Cambridge for fourteen years between 1637 and 1684, and held several other official positions.
NOTE: Colonial Families of the United States of America by MacKenzie Genealogical
Pub 1966 pg 193
Genealogical pub. co. 1989 pg 606NOTE: Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England by Savage pg 597
age 58 when diedNOTE: History of Cambridge by Paige pg 828
NOTE: Ancestral File
NOTE: Notes from The Cheney Family
NOTE: William was living in Roxbury in 1640 because he was listed in the "estates and persons of the Inhabitants of Rocksbury". At that time, William owned 24 1/2 acres; however, there is no record yet found on how and when he arrived in Massachusetts.
NOTE: William was a successful farmer. At the time of his death, he owned over 100 acres of land, his home and a house in Boston. The Cheney homestead was located on Dudley Street near Warren Street in Roxbury. Judging from the estate inventory, the main house was large. Probably, there was an entry area which opened on one side to the hall, and on the other side to the parlor. Behind both the hall and the parlor were bed chambers. The hall was the main living area of the Cheneys. The fireplace was located in the hall, and here was where the meals were prepared and eaten. The parlor was more of a state bedroom. Here the best bed with feather bolsters, pillows and fine linen was displayed. The room also boasted a great cupboard, a little cupboard and three chairs. Chairs were not common in New England households, and showed William to be above average in wealth.
NOTE: Also included in the estate inventory were 36 bushels of Indian corn, 12 bushels of Rye, 5 1/2 bushels of mault, 5 cows and 3 swine. This list gives a good indication of the Cheney diet. Indian corn was the staple of the Puritan diet. They learned how to plant, harvest and grind the corn from the Indians. The corn was then used in puddings, cakes, hominy, succotash, etc, etc. "Rye-n-Injun" bread, made from ground corn mixed with rye, was a moist bread which did not dry out quickly. The drink of the Cheneys was beer. It was drunk at all meals by the entire family. Mr Cheney obviously brewed his own beer since he had 5 1/2 bushels of mault.
NOTE: William was active in the community. On February 21, 1648, William was elected to the board of assessors. He was also a constable of Roxbury in 1654-1656. Constables in those days did more than keep the peace, they also collected the tax money. On January 19, 1656, William was elected a member of the board of selectman, an office associated with men of education and rank. In 1663, William Cheney guaranteed yearly contributions to the Roxbury Free School. The school, a first for Roxbury, was built with care and furnished with "convenient benches with forms, with tables for the scholars, and a conveniente seate for the schoolmaster, a deske to put the dictionary on and shelves to lay up bookes". On February 15, 1663 Cheney was chosen one of the Feofese of the school. The closest modern word for a feofee would be a director, and in Roxbury there were seven feofese. They made decisions on hiring of teachers, administrative matters and finances.
NOTE: William Cheney did not join the Puritan Church until January 5, 1664 - at least 24 years after he arrived in Roxbury. This is an interesting fact because in those days Massachusetts was a Puritan Colony. The Church leaders were also the Colony leaders, and they dictated all aspects of life from what holidays could be celebrated (not Christmas) to what books could be printed and sold (mostly sermons). In 1631, it was enacted that "no one should be admitted a freeman, and so have the right to vote, unless he was a member of one of the churches within the limits of the colony". How did William prosper in such a climate? Why did he wait so many years to join the Church. Possibly his wife joining the Church circa 1643, helped William maneuver around the Puritans. Whatever the case may have been, William was not made a "freeman of the Colony" until May 23, 1666. Unfortunately, he never got to use his new found right to vote because he fell ill in 1666, and died June 30th 1667.
NOTE: Sources: "The Cheney Genealogy" by Charles Henry Pope, 1897. "Customs and Fashions in Old New England" by Alice Morse Earle, 1893. "A Short History of the English Colonies in America" by Henry Cabot Lodge, 1881. (By Lisa Sorensen, 1998)
NOTE: Margaret had a breakdown after William died. In the Churc
h records of the time, Reverand S.
Danforth noted that "Margaret Cheany widow having been lon
g bound by Satan under a melancholick
distemper, (above 10 or 11 yeares) which made her wholly ne
glect her Calling & live mopishly, this day
(24 Mar 1673) gave thanks to God for loosing her chain & co
nfessing & bewailing her sinful yielding to
temptation" (The Cheney Genealogy by Charles Henry Pope, 18
97 pg 29)
Despite William's careful provision for Margaret in his wil
l, her widowhood was not without financial
problems. She petioned the court regarding her son Thomas
' treatment of her, to which it responded:
"In answer to the petition of Margaret Cheeny, widdow: Th
e Court Orders that Thomas Cheeny her
Son pay unto his sd Mother Five pounds in mony every quarte
r of the yeare, yearely for the
improvement of the Estate left by his Father & give her goo
d assurance of her living peaceably with
him, otherwise that hee leave the house; the Estate being j
udged to bee worth twenty five pound in
mony per annum (Suffolk County Court, 749, dated 31 Octobe
r 1676).
Margaret married Mr Burge (or Burges or Burdge) and moved t
o Boston. She made a will on
9/23/1686, and died sometime later that year. (From the "Pi
oneers of Massachusetts" by Charles
Henry Pope, copyright 1900, pg:97)
NOTE2: She sued her son Thomas in 1676, seeking better support. She, as thewidow Margaret Burge, widow of William Cheney, along with ThomasHastings of Watertown and wife Margaret, Thomas Wight and wifeMehitabel, and Joseph Cheney of Medfield, son and daughters of WilliamCheney, sold a parcel of land and the remains of a house in Boston toSamuel Shrimpton for L30 on 1679/80 Mar 15. The sale was inaccordance with William Cheney's will, which decreed the sale of the"house" in Boston if needed for Margaret's maintenance.
NOTE2: Will mentions son Joseph Cheney, daughter Mehitabel Wight, grandsonsWilliam, John, and Benjamin Cheney (brothers), executor son Joseph,and witnesses Robert Sanderson Sr, Mary Emblin, and ElizabethSanderson.SOURCE: Abbrev: Cheney Genealogy book
Title: The Cheney Genealogy
SOURCE: Author: Charles Henry Pope
Publication: Boston, MA 1897