See also
| Husband: | Joseph * PEASLEE (1600-1660) | |
| Wife: | Mary * JOHNSON (1604-1694) | |
| Children: | Elizabeth PEASLEE (1625- ) | |
| Mary * PEASLEY (1627-1684) | ||
| Mary PEASLEE (1629- ) | ||
| Elizabeth PEASLEE (1640- ) | ||
| Sarah PEASLEE (1642- ) | ||
| Joseph PEASLEE (1646- ) | ||
| Marriage | 10 Dec 1646 | Trevor Issa, Wales, England |
| Name: | Joseph * PEASLEE | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | Robert * PEASLEY (1570- ) | |
| Mother: | Jane* ( - ) | |
| Birth | Jan 1600 | Bristol, Gloucestershire, England |
| Death | 3 Dec 1660 (age 60) | Haverhill, Essex, MA, US |
| Probate | 11 Nov 1661 | |
| beq to wife Mary; son Joseph; daus Elizabeth, Jane and Mary; gr ch Sarah Sawer. | ||
| Name: | Mary * JOHNSON | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | John * + JOHNSON (1564-1659) | |
| Mother: | Hannah *+ THROCKMARTIN (1570-1664) | |
| Birth | 1604 | Trevor Issa, Wales, England |
| Death | 27 Sep 1694 (age 89-90) | Haverhill, Essex, MA, US |
| Name: | Elizabeth PEASLEE | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | 1625 | |
| Name: | Mary * PEASLEY | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Spouse: | Henry * SAYWARD (1629-1679) | |
| Birth | 1627 | Haverhill, Essex, MA, US1 |
| Death | 12 Jan 1684 (age 56-57) | Dover, Norfolk, MA, US |
| Name: | Mary PEASLEE | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | 1629 | |
| Name: | Elizabeth PEASLEE | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | 1640 | |
| Name: | Sarah PEASLEE | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | 20 Sep 1642 | |
| Name: | Joseph PEASLEE | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 9 Sep 1646 | |
The orgin of the name Peaslee is unknown. Some claim it comes from the name Peter, while others feel that it is a combination of the two words peas and lea (pasture). Still others feel that it is a combination of the families Pease and Lee.
Joseph, the first bearing that name who came to New England, was originally from Gloucestershire, England. Peaslee tradition places Joseph's orgin near the banks of the River Severn in Gloucestershire which flows not far from the border of Wales. He is referred to as having been of Bristol which is the metropolitan center of the area. His first three children were born in England with the last being born in 1629. This 13 year gap, plus the fact that Mary Johnson was much younger indicates that he was married before, which makes Mary his 2nd wife.
Joseph and his family came to America about 1635-1638 from Bristol, England and settled in Newbury, MA. He moved to Salisbury, Newton County, MA, from there to Colchester (now Salisbury) in 1641 where he was granted additional land. In 1642 he was made a Freeman of the community. He was one of 32 land holders who founded Haverhill, MA in 1645. He and his family lived in the eastern part of the town near the head of what is now East Broadway on the side towards the Merrimack River. He was chosen to serve Haverhill as a Selectman in 1649, 1650 & 1653. Joseph was a farmer and cattle rancher. He was also remembered as one who had much knowledge of herbs & roots and used them to aid people medically.
In 1656 he moved to Salisbury, MA. The section he settled in is now part of Newton, NH. According to Fredrick Lamphere, early settlers of Salisbury were reluctant to take up their abode in the western half of the town and in 1642, thirty families were either forced to or were persuaded to settle there. Once there the settlers felt they should have their own church and not have to travel to the church in Salisbury. They petitioned the General Court for their rights. The court ruled against them and added that anyone not attending their church would be fined five shillings.
When Joseph arrived in this part of town, this controversy was still going on. Joseph then took a leading role in it as he began to preach at the "new church". Joseph got into trouble over this on a number of occasions. At one point a warrant was issued ordering him to appear before the court and answer for his disobedience to the authorities. He refused to stop preaching and in 1659 he was fined by the court. A compromise was finally reached where the new residents would hire the preacher from Salisbury church to travel to their church and preach.
In 1741 when the state was established, his settlement was within the present lines of Newton, NH, where his homestead of 200 acres were. He continued to preach the doctrine that resulted in the formation of the "Society of Friends" (Quakers) in 1653. This is from "Early Settlers of Essex and Norfolk" page 357.
While residing in East Salisbury, he fell out of favor with the established church and moved out of it's jurisdiction to west of the Powow River in what is known as Amesbury Mills. He continued to have problems with the East Salisbury church who extended their jurisdiction, forcing Joseph and others to move farther west and making a permanent settlement in Haverhill, in the part which was in MA before the state line was established in 1741. He was a Quaker and continued to be prohibited by the Puritans in practicing his belief. Joseph, a successful farmer, owed a large amount of property both in Salisbury and Haverhill.
On November 11, 1660 his will was written : (copied as written)
The last will and testament of Josef Peasly is that my debts shall be payed out of my estate and the remainder estate-my debts being payed I doo give and bequeath unto Mary my wiff during her life and I do my daffter Sara all my hous and lands that I have at Salisbury and I doo give unto Josef my sonne all my land that I have upon the plain at Haverhill and doo give unto Josef my sonne all my medo ling in East medo at Haverhill and doo give unto Josef my sonne five shares of the common rites that doo belong to me on hte plain. I doo give unto my daffter Elizabeth my fourty fower acres of upland ling west wards of Haverhill and do give unto my dattfer Elizabeth fower acre and a half of medo lingin the -?- at Haverhill and doo allso give my daffter Elizabeth fower of the common rites that doo belong to the plain and doo give my daffter Jean fower shillings and to my daffter Mary fower shillings. I doo give untoSara Saier my gandchild my upland and medo ling in -?- medo. And I doo give unto my sonne Josef all the remainder of my land at Haverhill which is not herein disposed of. I doo allso make Mary my wife my Soule executrer and do allso leave Josef my sonne and the estate I have given him to my wiff to poss on till Josef my sonne be twenty years of age
This will was proved on February 9,1661.
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JOSEPH PEASLY/PEASLEE -1, was born 1600-1605 in England, and died 3-Dec-1660 in Salisbury, MA. He married (1) abt 1625 in England to -- PEASLEY/ PEASLEE. She was born Abt. 1600 in England, and died before 1635 in England. He married (2) prob before 1635 in Wales to MARY JOHNSON, daughter of JOHN JOHNSON and HANNAH THROCKMORTEN. She was alive in 1664 when "Widow Peaslee, Exacitor to Joseph Piesly, received twenty acres of land in exchange for six acres of salt marsh formerly granted to her husband."
Joseph came from England before 1638 and first settled in Newbury MA; in 1639 he is found in Hampton NH with his wife Mary; then to Salisbury in 1641, and was one of the 32 landowners in Haverhill, MA in 1645. While he was residing in East Salisbury, he fell out of favor with the established church and moved out of it's jurisdiction to west of the Powow river in what is known as Amesbury Mills. He continued to have problems with the East Salisbury church who extended their jurisdiction, forcing Joseph and others to move farther west and making a permanent settlement in Haverhill, in that part which was in Massachusetts before the state line was established in 1741, changing some of the locations to current day New Hampshire.
In 1642, he was made a Freeman of the community. As a freeholder, he was entitled to a grant or to purchase land in Newbury. A Freeman in Newbury was entitled to a 4-acre home lot and at least 50 acres of additional land. The amount of land a freeman owned depended on how much he had invested into the community and how much land he could later buy. Sarah was born during their stay in Newbury.
In 1645, JOSEPH PEASLEY was one of 32 landowners who founded Haverhill, Mass. He was listed as a Freeman in Haverhill in 1646. Joseph was a prosperous man. He was a millwright, a farmer, and a cattle rancher. He was chosen to serve Haverhill as a Selectman in 1649, 1650 and 1653. He was a Quaker and continued to be prohibited by the Puritans in practicing his belief.
Once there the settlers felt that they should have their own church and not have to travel to the church in Salisbury. The settlers began to meet at "church" in their new settlement. Joseph Peaslee and Thomas Macy preached the sermons. The General Court ruled on 6-Nov- 1646 that : "Any person living within the limits of the colony of Massachusetts Bay who shall without cause, neglect to attend public worship shall forfeit for his absence from every said published meeting, five shillings." Both Peaslee and Macy were warned about their preaching, but both continued to defy the General Court.
The inhabitants of Salisbury petitioned the General Court seeking to be declared a separate town and have the right to have their own church. The court ruled against them on May 26, 1658: "Judged it not meete to grant ye inhabitants of the new town of Salisbury their petition but doe declare and order for the present, that they shall attend the worship of God together in the old town and that they contribute their several proportions for the maintenance and continuance of the same amongst them."
The residents of Salisbury ignored this order and a warrant was issued ordering Joseph to appear before the court and answer for his disobedience to authorities. This warrant read: "That the recorder for the County of Norfolke, fforthwith issue out his warrants requiring Joseph Peasley & the rest of the inhabitants of the new toune, being masters of families, or at their own dispose to make theire personal appearances before the next County Court to be held at Salisbury, to answer for their disobedience to authoritie in not complying wth said order and the said County Court is hereby empowered to procede agt all such of them as in their appearance shall not fully make it cleare they have since said order, performed their duty and repajred to the public worship of God on the Lords day at the ould toune, to fine them for every days absence there, five shillings".
Joseph refused to stop preaching and in 1659 was fined 5 shillings per week by the court. The Court ordered him to stop preaching. A compromise was finally reached where the new residents would hire the preacher from the Salisbury church, Rev. Worcester, to travel to their church and preach. There were problems with this arrangement and after protests made, the residents were ordered by the court to attend Rev. Worcester's meetings. Joseph Peaslee and others decided to ignore this court order. The court then responded with a stronger order: "The Court, having considered of & given ansr to the petition of the inhabitants of Salisbury, calling to minde the affront that Joseph Peasley put upon this Corts judgement & order in the yeare fifty eight, not only by continewing his preaching amongst the inhabitants of the new toune of Salisbury notwithstanding this courts injunction to the country but refusng to come to ansr for his contempt of the courts order & understanding the County Court only fined him five shillings for his absence weekly, as they did others & that still he continews preaching there as frequently as before the courts order & that also as we have been informed against the advice of the church whereof he is a member, and that his preaching, (being very weak and unfitt for so great a work) doth rather encrease then lessen the contentions there, doe order, that the said Joseph Peasley be forthwith by order of this court forbidden to preach anymore in any part of this jurisdiction till he give full satisfaction to this Court for what have been past."This dispute was never solved during Joseph’s lifetime.
On 11-Nov-1660 his will was written:
The last Will and Testament of Josef Peasly is that my debts shall be payedout of my Estate and the remainder estate----my debts being payed I doo give and bequeath unto Mary my wiff During her life and I doo my daffter Sara all my hous and lands that I have at Salisbury and I doo give unto Josef my sonne all my land that I have upon the plain at Haverhil and doo give unto Josef my sonne all my medo ling in East medo at Haverhil and doo give unto Josef my sonne five shares of the common rites that doo belong to me on the plain. I doo give unto my daffter Elizabeth my fourty fower acres of upland ling westwards of Haverhil and doo give unto my dattfer Elizabeth fower acres and a half of medo ling in the---- at Haverhil and doo allso give my daffter Elizabeth fower of the common rites that doo belong to the plain and doo give unto daffter Jean fower shillings and to my daffter Mary Fower shillings. I doo give unto Sara Saier my grandchild my upland and medo ling in -----medo.
And I doo give unto my sonne Josef all the remainder of my land at Haverhil which is not herein disposed of. I doo allso make Mary my wiff my Soule executrer and doo allso leave Josef my sonne and the estate I have given him to my wiff to poss on till Josef my sonne be twenty years of age."
Joseph Peaslee was buried in the Quaker burial ground in Salisbury (now Newton) New Hampshire.
Children of Joseph & -- (Peasley) Peaslee:
1. Jane/Jean, b before 1630 in England; m. John Davis 10 December 1646, had issue [these are the direct ancestors of Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis, the actress]. Their children, recorded in Haverhill MA were Mary, b. 6 Nov 1647, Sarah b 7 march 1648, and John b 22 Aug 1654. He is said to have removed to Dover NH. "Jean" is mentioned in her father's will.
2. Mary, b. abt 1629, mentioned in her father's will; ?m. Joseph Whittier [History of Weare NH states she married Joseph Whitter. This is not the same Mary below who married Joseph Whittier, and possibly is an error].
3. Elizabeth, mentioned in her father's will.
Children of Joseph & Mary (Johnson) Peaslee:
4. Sarah, b. 20 Sep 1642 Newbury MA; m. Thomas Barnard Jr.; mentioned in her father's will.
5. +Joseph Jr., b. 9 Sep 1646 Haverhill MA [see below]; mentioned in his father's will.
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Joseph Peaslee, the emigrant ancestor, came to this country about 1635. Prior to the emigration he married, in Wales, Mary Johnson, daughter of a well-to-do farmer who lived near the river Severn, in the western part of England, near the Wales line. The first mention of Joseph Peaslee in Massachusetts is in the records of Newbury, in 1641. He took the freeman's oath, June 22, 1642. He was granted land in Haverhill, March 14, 1645, and subsequent allotments up to 1656. He was a farmer, eminently respectable, of strong character, a self-educated physician, and often mentioned in old records as a "preacher and gifted brother." His descendant, the poet Whittier, speaks of him as the "brave confessor." He was a commissioner of claims and selectman of Haverhill, 1649-50-53. He removed from Haverhill to Salisbury, Massachusetts to the part called Newtown, now Amesbury. He was made a "townsman" there July 17, 1656, and granted land; later grants were made in 1657 and 1658. The inhabitants of "Newtown" neglected to attend church worship in the "Old Town" and failed to contribute to the support of the minister. They held meetings for worship in private houses, and having no minister, Joseph Peaslee and Thomas Macy officiated as such; this soon coming to the notice of the general court, who decreed that all the inhabitants of "New Town" should attend church in "Old Town" and also contribute to the support of the minister. All who did not obey were to be fined five shillings unless they had a reasonable excuse. Under the leadership of Peaslee and Macy the people did not heed the "decree" of the general court, nor did the leaders cease preaching although a special fine of five shillings was to be imposed on them for each offense. In 1658 the general court ordered Joseph Peaslee and Thomas Macy to appear before the next term of said court to answer for their disobedience. This mandate was also unheeded, and Joseph Peaslee continued to preach, with the result that he was fined five shillings per week. While there is no evidence to show that Joseph Peaslee joined the Society of Friends, his friend, Thomas Macy, was prosecuted and fined for allowing four of that sect to take shelter in his house one rainy day for three-quarters of an hour. There was no society of "Friends" organized in New England prior to is death, the early comers being cruelly persecuted and sent back to England. Joseph was opposed to the Puritan church in his religious convictions, hence his disregard of the orders from the court to conform to the state church. He died December 5, 1660, leaving his wife, Mary, three hundred and sixty-four pounds. In 1662 she was granted one hundred and eight acres of land in Salisbury. She died in Haverhill in 1694.
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The inventory of Joseph Peaslee's estate shows the following items;
A grinding ston & crank & betle ringe- 12 shillings
A smoothing iron,5 wedges & one Iron barr-1 pound 5shillings
One payer Andirons & 2 spitts 4 axes & 2 sawes-2 pounds 6 shillings
One Crane, 2 trammells, gridiron &Brandiron, Fireslice, tonges-1 pound 14 shillings
One tow combe, parsell-10 shillings
One iron pot & skillet, pot hooks 7 flesh Hooks & frying pan- 1 pound 4 shillings
5 howes, 1 chaine & other iron worke- 1 pound
peuter & brass- 5 pounds 8 shillings
2 gunns & 1 sword- 2 pounds
all his waring apparell, woolen & linen-8 pounds
cloath & searge & tame-7pounds 13 shillings
beds & bedding-10pounds 18 shillings
yarn, wooll, flax & hemp- 5pounds 10 shillings
chests, barrills, spinning wheels & other lumber-3 pounds
Forty bushells of wheat-10 pounds
Sixty bushells of Indian corn- 9 pounds
3 cowes, 2 heffers & 1 calfe -19 pounds
swine - 3 pounds
howse & land & meadow - 50 pounds
2 Bibles & other books - 1 pound 15 shillings
Total 143 pounds 5 shillings
The real estate owned by Joseph Peaslee was appraised by James Davis jr., and Theophilus Satchwell. This land consisted of;
12 acres more or less within ye playne fenced as it is bounded in ye records 50 pounds
18 acres without ye fence 40 pounds
44 acres in ye 2d division over ye little river eastward 35 pounds
4 score & 4 of ye 3d division on Spickett Hill 35 pounds
4th division of upland not yet pfected altho granted by the town (app. 350 acres which lay beyond Spickett River) 5 pounds
6 acres of meadow at ye east meadow 8 pounds
6 acres of 2d division of meadow 9 pounds
4 acres of 3d division of meadow bounded in the new found meadow 5 pounds
4 ox commons & other cow commons 16 pounds
Total 223 pounds
Joseph's widow, Mary, received two further grants of land after Joseph's death. She was granted Lot #25 which bordered the river in Salisbury and in 1662 granted Lot #19. Lot 19 consisted of 108 acres.
Joseph Jr. married Ruth Barnard on January 21, 1672 when he was 25 years old. The Barnard family was close to the Peaslee's as Thomas Barnard had been one of the witnesses to Joseph's will. He had also taken inventory of Joseph's estate.
Sarah Peaslee married Thomas Barnard about 1666. Thomas had a sister, Ruth Barnard. Joseph Jr. grew close to Ruth. They were married in 1672. While there are many instances of siblings marrying siblings during the colonial era, Joseph and Ruth may have had to get married. On July 14, 1672, less then 6 months after the wedding, Joseph and Ruth had their first child. The leaders of the community were aghast. Some of this enmity may have been due to Joseph’s father having disputes with the establishment.
"Consequently, at the quarterly court session at Salisbury on April 8, 1673, Joseph Peasley and Ruth, his wife, (were) presented for fornication, confessed and were sentenced to be whipped tomorrow or pay a fine of 6 pounds. The record does not state which they chose."
Joseph may have been spoiled as he was the youngest of five children, and he was the only boy. He was only fourteen when his father died. His personal life was a rocky one as Joseph was in trouble for much of his early life. He was in court on numerous occasions both as a complainant and as a defendant.2
Mary Johnson was born in Trevor Issa, Wales and was the granddaughter of Edmund Johnson. He, along with six of his children, drowned while on a boating trip in Ponty Pool, Wales, in 1600. The only surviving child was Mary's father, John who was 12 years old when this happened. He had stayed home with his mother during this family outing. John Johnson was a successful farmer in Wales. He had at least three children, Edmund, Mary and John. Edmund settled in Hampton, New Hampshire in 1635. Mary married Joseph Peasley and settled in Haverhill, Mass, while John remained in England where he became a noted Quaker and a companion of George Fox.
Joseph Peaslee and his family might have traveled to New England with Rev. Thomas Parker whose group landed in Boston in May, 1634, but there is no written record of this. It is thought that they settled in Newbury, Mass, around the year 1638, but it was not until 1641 that there was a written record of Joseph Peaslee in New England. In that year, Joseph was granted land in Newbury. His grant consisted of "two and a half acres stint of ox and cow common".
| 1 | Edward West, "Family Data Collection - Individual Records" (on line - published by Provo, UT). |
| 2 | William Richard Cutter, "Genealogical and Family History of Western New York". |