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The Sayre family of Long Island
The line of Joseph5 Sayre (Thomas4, Francis3,
William2, William1) born Abt. 1627 in Bedfordshire,
England, and died Bef. 05 December 1695 in Elizabethtown, Essex
Co.,NJ.
was donated by Beverly
Schonewolf
Joseph Sayre was born probably in
Bedfordshire, England, married Martha ______. On the fragment of
town records in Southhampton, Long Island is the following:
Monday Jan. 13, 1667, laid out for Job and Joseph Sayre on the north
side of Lieut. Post's, by Francis Sayre, on ye South side 51 poles; on
the north side 48 poles; on ye East side 30 poles, on the West side 32
poles, for
10 acres."
He removed from Southhampton in 1665 to Elizabeth, New Jersey, and was
named as one of the proprietors in Elizabeth in a deed from Richard
Nicholls, Governor. He signed a petition to the Governor in
December, 1667; was a witness there October 4, 1671, and took the oath
of allegiance to the Dutch September
11, 1673.
He was a tanner as well as a farmer, and received 40 pounds in
merchandise by his father's will towards setting him up as a
tanner. He also received one third of his father's household
effects, from which possibly it might be inferred that at that date he
was not yet married, or had just begun housekeeping.
April 11, 1676, a warrant for the survey of 180 acres of land at
Elizabeth
was issued to him. Hatfield's "History of Elizabeth" (pp. 167-183)
gives
the following list of lots, at Elizabeth, belonged to Joseph Sayre:
His house lot of 5 acres was bounded on the north by Robert Bond, west
by
the Mill Creek, east by the Highway, and south by Benjamin Homan. He
had
also 9 acres of upland in the plaine, adjoining Daniel DeHart; also 12
acres of upland adjoining Rev. Jeremiah Peck and Joseph Meeker; also 9
acres of upland on the small neck Robert Bond and Robert Vauquellen,
also 36 acres of upland near a swamp and adjoining George Peck; also 35
acres of upland adjoining Hurr Thompson; also 10 acres of meadow at
Woodruff's Creek; and 4 acres on Elizabethtown Creek. In all 142
acres.
This list cannot be complete, as it does not include the 180 acres
mentioned above nor the land referred to in this item:
"In 1699-1700 John Megie drew a 100 acre lot between Joseph Sayre and
Benjamin Lyon and the foot of the mountain."
In 1694 he subscribed 1 pound towards the support of the Presbyterian
minister, Rev. John Harriman.
He died
in 1695. His will. dated December 4, 1695, was apparently proved
the same day, and reads as follows:
In the name of God, Amen, I, Joseph Sayre of Elizabeth Town in ye
county
of Essex and Province of East New Jersey, Yeoman, Being weak and sick
in
body but of perfect understanding and memory as at any other times, Doo
make, Ordain, and appoynt this my last Will and Testament, hereby
nulling and Makeing voyd and of none effect any and all manner of will
or wills, Testament or Testaments whatsoever by me made at any time
here before Either by word of mouth or in writing, by these Psants
Establishing and confirming this to be
and Remain my last Will and testament. In which first I bequeath
my
Soul to God who gave it and my body to ye Dust out of wch it was taken
to
Receive a Decent Christian buriall, and for that worldly Estate wch God
hath
endowed me with I Dispose of as followeth viz; Imprimis. I give and
Bequeath
unto my wel beloved wife Martha and to her heirs and assigns for Ever
the
One third part of all my moveable Estate; (One Ox, one Cow, one Steer
Come
Two year old and one heipher Come three year old only excepted wch at
ye
making hereof Doo properly belong to my son Thomas Sayre.) and
further
I Give and bequeath unto my sd Wife the one third part of all my
Houseing
and Lands During her
widowhood.
Item. I Give and bequeath unto my wel beloved Son Thomas Sayre
all
my now Dwelling houses and Barn and home lot to ye sd Thomas, paying to
my Sonne Ephraim Sayre ye summe of five pounds Currt money when he
comes
to ye age of one and twenty years and to his heirs and assigns forever.
Item. I Give and bequeath unto my sd Sonne Thomas Sayre and to
his
heirs and assigns forever my bay lot of Meadow with all ye privileges
and
apurtenances to ye same belonging.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my Sonne Daniell Sayre all that my
lot of land lying and being in Elizabeth town aforesaid Joyning to ye
land
of Benjamin Trotter
and to his heirs and
assigns forever, and all my Right in ye new field and ye one half of
all that my lot of Meadow lying and being by Mr. Woodruff's Creek, ye
whole
lot being by Estimacon Ten
acres of Meadow be ye same more or be it less.
Item. I Give and bequeath unto my Sonne Ephraim Sayre and to his
heirs
and assigns forever all that my lot or Piece of Land lying and being in
ye Great Neck of sd Elizabethtowne Joyning to ye land of Joseph Meaker
being
by estimacon twenty two acres of land be it more or less and all my
share
of land in partnership with
Benjamin Meaker, Joseph
Meaker, and John Thompson, deceased; and ye one half of what my lot of
meadow by Mr. Woodruff's Creek above named and all other rights and
privileges in Elizabethtowne aforesd to me belonging not disposed of in
ye above Donations (namely of lands and heridatements) I Equally Devide
between my three sonnes above named.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my sd Sonne Ephraim Sayre one Good
Cowe and one of ye biggest of my Pewter platters.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my four children, namely Thomas,
Daniel,
Ephraim and Sarah all ye Remainder of my moveable estate to be Equally
devided
among them.
Item. I ye sd Joseph Sayre Doo make, Ordaine, Constitute and
apoynt
my Trusty and wel beloved friends Mr. Benjamin Meaker and Mr. Daniel
Price
to be ye Executors of this my Last Will and Testament, and in
Confirmation
hereof I, the said Joseph Sayre have to this my Last Will and
Testament,
and set my hand and fixed my Seale In Elizabethtown aforesd this fourth
day of December, One Thousand Six Hundred and
ninety five.
Signed and Sealed,
Joseph Sayre (L.S.)
Published and declared to be ye Testator's last Will and
testament in Ye Prescence of us Witnesses: Benjamin Meeker, Henry
Willright, Saml Whitehead
Elizabethtown 4th
Decrr Anno Dom 1695.
Benjamin Meeker
& Saml Whitehead two of ye Wittnesses of ye above written
Instrument came
before me Commissionated for takeing ye probate of Last Wills &
Testaments and did each of
them Solemnly Sware by ye Ever liveing God that they did see ye above
Joseph Sayre Sign, Seal publish & declare ye above sd Instrument to
be his
Last Will and Testament & at ye time thereof he was of Sound mind
&
perfect memorie to the best of their and each of their knowledge &
understanding.
(signed)
Thomas Gordan.
NOTES ON Thomas Sayre: Before 1638 First Sayre To
Emigrate From Eng.To Colonies, Probably Near
Age 40,
Lynn, Mass. was settled in 1629. In
1638 the committee appointed to divide the lands completed their work,
and a book was provided in which were recorded the names of the
proprietors with the number of acres allotted to each. This book
is lost, but the first three pages have been preserved, and on the
first page appear the names of Thomas Sayre, sixty acres, and Job Sayre
(his brother) sixty acres.
From
Lynn six colonies had been sent out prior to 1640 to make settlements
elsewhere. In the preceding year (1639) another colony undertook
to make a settlement on Long Island. They invited Mr. Abraham
Pierson of Boston, to become their minister, who, with seven of the
emigrants, entered into a church
covenant before they left Lynn. The eight "undertakers," as they
were
called, purchased a sloop for the transportation of their families and
goods
for 80 pounds, Thomas and Job Sayre each contributing 5 pounds as his
share. Articles of agreement dated March 10, 1639/40 were drawn
up and signed. A copy will be found in Howell's "History of
Southampton."
In 1648 Thomas Sayre built the house on
the town lot apportioned him in that year; which is undoubtedly
the oldest English house on Long Island, or in the
state of New York. It is still habitable, and had never passed
out
of the hands or occupancy of the family, until in 1892, upon the death
of
Mrs. Sarah (Sayre) Larry, it fell to her heirs, and was sold to settle
her
estate. It later belonged to her son, Capt. Larry. It
stands
on the west side of the main street, north of the academy, cornerwise
to
the road, a rod or so back from the fence, surrounded by rose bushes
and
fragrant shrubbery, and shaded by tall trees which are young in
comparison
to the age of the house. The great chimney, the narrow windows,
the
massive frame, are all as they were; and the endurance of the old
mansion
is not yet half tested. The original roof, no doubt, was
thatched,
as were those of the church, parsonage and jail, built about the same
time.
And a village ordinance required that a permanent ladder reach from the
chimney
to the ground as a precaution against fire.
Job's Lane, or the Academy Lane, was
originally a portion of Thomas Sayre's homestead, and was given to the
town as a thoroughfare by his son Job.
Since this description was written
several small houses have been put up on Main Street in front of the
"old Sayre house," and a fine Public Library has been
erected on Job's Lane so that the house is not now visible from the
streets. This venerable relic is now neglected and efforts should
be made to purchase it by the town and preserve it as an historical
monument.
Thomas Sayre was a prominent man among
the founders, as appears from the following extract from the town
records:
October 10, 1649: at a
General Court he was one of three men chosen "to agitate town business,
and they are to havethe same authority that the five men had the last
year." Thisis the first record extant of the choice of town
rulers, and he may have held office earlier.
October 6, 1651: he was one
of the five men chosen "for governing of
town affairs" - "to act and order all town affairs whatsoever excepting
matters
of admitting of inhabitants or giving of lands."
October 6, 1654: he was
chosen one of three "Townsmen".
March 6, 1657: He was chosen
at a town meeting as one of six men "to act and conclude concerning a
difference concerning land which east Hampton men make within our
bounds."
At a court, June 19, 1657 he was
one of five men "chosen to lay out roads and view fences."
December 9, 1658 at a town meeting,
he was chosen to be "overseer for mending the bridge."
October 1648 he "was allowed for
his basedrum the sum of thirteen shillings, and his year begins the
said day." There being no church bells, a drummer was employed to
go round the town and summon people to church and town meetings.
He was probably of a quick temper, and
not slow to express his opinions evenabout those in authority, as is
evidenced by the following:
November 18, 1644 "Thomas Sayre was
censured for some contemptuous carriage to Mr. Gosmer, being
Magistrate, to pay ten shillings and to make public acknowledgment
ofhis offense, which if he shall refuse, then to be liable to pay forty
shillings."
March 1653 "Thomas Sayre and Joshua
Barnes for speaking unseemly and unsavory words in the Court or
concerning the Court were fined to pay ten shillings each. Note -
ye fines remitted upon their acknowledgment March 6, 1654."
His original will, with autograph
signature, is preserved in the office of the Surrogate, New York, and
is recorded there in Liber I, folio 63.
It reads as follows:
In ye name of God, Amen. I,
Thomas Sayre of South Hampton on Long Island in the Com. Nov: Yorke,
being in perfect strength of mind, blessed be ye
Lord for it, but weake of Bodye, not knowing ye day of my appointed
change
doe make this last Will and Testament, in manner following:
"Imprimis. I give and freely
bequeath my Soule unto God that gave it
and my Body unto earth from whence it was first taken.
2d. I give unto my sonne
ffrancis Sayre 2 acres of land lyeing next unto his own in Copt Neck in
ye Great Playnes and 2 acres more of land lyeing in ye Eight acres
Lotts in ye said Great Playnes, a pewter fflaggon, A Pewter Bowl, and
great Pewter Platter.
3d. I give unto my sonne
Daniell Sayre 2 acres of land lyeing next unto ye above said two acres
in ye said Eight acre Lotts, and three acres more of Land lyeing in the
Ten acre Lotts, and one great Pewter Platter.
4th. I give unto my sonne
Joseph Sayre, ffourty pounds Sterling to be paid him by my Executor Ten
pounds per annum to beginne wth in five years next after my decease to
be paid in good Merchant's Shoos or other pay that will procure Hides
toward his setting up as a Tanner.
5th. I give unto my daughter
Damaris Atwater ffourty Shillings.
6th. I give unto my daughter
Mary Price ffourty Shillings.
7th. I give unto my daughter
Hannah Sayre Twenty pounds to be paid at her day of marriage or when
she shall be eighteen years of age which shall first happen and that my
Executor doe keep her Cow and Calfe and their increase for her untill
she shall be either married or in some other capable way to maintain
them.
8th. I give my household
goods to be equally divided between my sons Job and Joseph and Hannah,
and that when they be divided, Hannah have her first choice of ye
parties.
9th. Lastly. I by this
last Will and Testament have made my son
Job Sayre my sole Exacutor to receive all my Worldly estate, both of
Housing,
Lands, goods and Cattle and Debts due to me from any person or persons,
and to pay all debts due from me and all Legacyes specified.
In witness whereof I have hereunto
sett my hand and seale this 16th day of
September, 1669."
Signed, sealed and delivered in ye presence of
OBADIAH ROGERS
JOHN LAUGHTON
ADDITIONAL NOTE ON Margaret Aldrich
NOTE: some question has been submitted that this might not be the spouse of Thomas.
RE Email from Ralph Sayre
It seems that I am the only one puzzled
by this set of data accompanying Margaret Aldrich ( and in some cases
Aldred ). I have tried for years to track down the source of this
name. Clarence A. Torrey published that death date in his book,
NEW ENGLAND MARRIAGES PRIOR TO 1700. I should say NEGHS did; he
was deceased when the book published. Anyway he used
the surname Aldred. I had his source material searched at NEGHS
and
nothing turned up to show where he got that name and the accompanying
notations.
Some secondary sources have given
parents to Margaret Aldred as John and Agnes (Ross) Aldred--but to
everyone that I have inquired, no primary source is known. If
anyone
can add light to this please email either Ralph or Long Island Genealogy