William Twombly

William was born to William and Mary Twombly on July 15, 1717, as recorded in the First Church Records of Dover, New Hampshire.  Several records show July 25, rather than July 15, 1717, as William's birth date (perhaps one is the old style date). 

He married Mary Heard, daughter of James and Deborah Heard by 1749.  Mary was born about 1717 and was apparently baptized with her family on September 28, 1718, by Reverend Jonathon Cushing at First Church in Dover, NH¹.  Her family included sister, Lydia Heard, baptized August 14, 1720; sister Phebe, baptized on December 15, 1723; Benjamin and Deborah baptized with Mary on September 28, 1718.

They had the following children²:

Joshua, born 1750

John, born November 24, 1755

Moses?

Nathaniel?

According to Early Marriages in Strafford County NH³, William " had a Garrison on the spot where Deac. Willey lives at Littleworth."  This garrison is identified on a map⁴ as being in what is now the northwest corner of Madbury.  Twomblys continued to live on this site until at least 1882 although history⁵ notes that Nathaniel Twombly tore down the garrison in 1842.

William inherited land  in Madbury on which he had been living and also inherited one-sixth of the timberland in Barrington, one-third of the livestock, and one-fourth of the land in Rochester according to his father's will (1763)⁶.

On April 24, 1784, William Twombly, yeoman of the Parish of Madbury, sold to John Twombly (also of Madbury) for 550 pounds 1/2 of 218 acres "laying in Madbury on the south side of the main road that leads from Cochecho to Barrington where I now live, the said land was given to me in and by the last Will & Testament of my Honored Father William Twombly late of Dover deceased"⁷.  I assume that this John is William’s son.  On March 28, 1791, this William appeared before the judge to declare the deed was a free act of will.  Hepzibah Twombly and Isaac Canney are witnesses.

There is a Mary who died August 21, 1783, in Dover, NH⁸.  Perhaps this could be the Mary of this profile.

Source Notes

1.      Collections of Dover, NH Historical Society, Baptisms by Rev. Jonathon Cushing, 1717-1766, Records of First Church, Scales and Quimby, Dover, NH, 1894, page 133.

2.      Scales, John: Colonial Era History of Dover New Hampshire, a facsimile of the 1923 edition, Heritage Books, Inc., 1977 page 316. 

3.      Canney, Robert S.: Early Marriages of Strafford County, New Hampshire 1630-1850, Heritage Books, Inc, page 534.

4.      Hayes, Harry E.: Map of the Landmarks in Ancient Dover [NH], in Thompson, Mary P.: Landmarks in Ancient Dover, New Hampshire, 1892.

5.      Adams, Elois, A: Madbury: Its People and Places, page

6.      New Hampshire Wills, William Twombly, 1763, pages 443-446.

7.      Strafford County [NH] Deed, Book 9, page 448. William Twombly to John Twombly.

8.      Collections of the Dover, New Hampshire, Historical Society, Nathaniel Cooper’s Record of Deaths 1773-1791, page 192.

9.      General Note: Information about this family comes from Quint: Historical Memoranda concerning Persons and Places in Old Dover, New Hampshire, 1865 and re-edited by John Scales, 1900, page 318-320.