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THE
TORREY FAMILY We
are very grateful to Don Torrey of the USA who sent us the following
extracts from Frederic C. Torrey's book, "The Torrey Families and
Their Children in America". They provide details regarding of
Don’s ancestoral home and the people who went to America in 1642. Some
changes have been made to the text for inclusion on the website. Don
lives in a village called Grapeview, on Stretch Island in Southern Puget
Sound, Washington State, that is about 30 air miles from Seattle. TORREY
GENEALOGY The
English Ancestry of the Main Branch Philip
Torrey, whose wife was Alice Richards and who has been already spoken of
as our common English ancestor, mentions in his will, "my father,
William Torrey," who thus becomes the earliest absolutely certain
ancestor of the Main Branch. There
were a few Torreys of earlier date who lived in or near Combe St.
Nicholas, England and several published works have stated, entirely
without proof, that most of these were related to each other as father
and son in such a way as to give us four generations of Torreys who
lived and died in England. Conjecture
is hardly pardonable in genealogy; and my only excuse for giving my
personal conviction, arrived at after much study, regarding these
relationships is the wide publicity given to these earlier guesses,
which were clothed with the language of positive assertion. All
that is known regarding these earlier English Torreys is contained in
certain wills which were found by Hon. Alphonso Taft many years ago in
England.
Hon. Alphonso Taft, whose wife was a Torrey, was the father of
our American ex-president. Details have also been reported by Mr. Henry
M. Waters. Mr.Waters was a well known genealogist who spent many years
in England under the auspices of Harvard College and the New England
Genealogical Society unearthing records of the progenitors of many of
our American families.
These Torrey wills may be found in New England Historical and
Genealogical Register, Volume XLV, page 299. Abstracts of these wills
are given in the paragraphs which follow. WILLIAM
TORREY, wife
THOMASYNE, died 1556-7 in Combe St. Nicholas, England. I
agree with earlier writers that it is most probable, from his place of
residence that this William Torrey was our ancestor, and from the date
of his will, that he was our earliest known one. His will was dated
October 7, 1556 and was proved June 18, 1557, and reads as follows: “William
Torrey of Combe Seynt Nicholas in the dioc. of Bathe and Welles. My body
to be buried in the church yard of Combe St. Nicholas. To the Church of
St. Andrew in Welles twelve pence. To the Church of Combe St. Nicholas
six shillings eight pence. To Elizabeth Screvyn my servant a chilver
sheep. To John Morys my servant a chilver sheep. To every of my children
ten sheep. To Alexander Nobyll twelve pence. The residue of my goodes
not given nother bequeathed I give and bequeath to Thomasyn my wife,
whom I make and ordain sole executrix. William Gollopp and Thomas Torrye
two of the overseers." WILLIAM
TORREY He
is known only by being mentioned in the will of Henry Cookney, made May
13, 1593 and proved January 23, 1601, reading: “Henry
Cookney of Hawkechurch, Dorset. To William, my son, ten pounds and to
Jone, my daughter, ten pounds. To Thomasine, my daughter, ten pounds and
a cow which is with her uncle William. I do ordain Emmett, my wife, to
be my whole executrix. Also I appoint my brothers Philip Torry, William
Torry, and John Cookney, overseers, and do give every one of them twelve
pence apiece." It
is very certain that the Philip Torrey mentioned in the above will of
John Cookney as brother of William Torrey was the same Philip Torrey
whose will, made August 31. 1604 and proved February 23, 1604, reads as
follows: "The
last day of August 1604 Philip Torry late of Wadbrook in the parish of
Hawkechurch, Dorset, husbandman &c. did make his last will and
testament nuncupative in this manner and form following, or the like in
effect, viz. To his son William Torry he did bequeath ten young sheep
and not any other cha tel or goods whatsoever. He bequeathed all the
rest of his goods to Margaret his wife and Dorothy his daughter.
And last of all he appointed his forenamed son William Torry the
sole executor of his last will and testament. Witnessed by Henry
Holcombe and John Cookeney" with others. This
Philip Torrey and son William whom he names in his will are the ones
whom previous writers have stated with positiveness to be ancestors of
ours, but this cannot be proven, and I think it unlikely. I
consider it very likely that this William Torrey was the one mentioned
in the will of our common English Ancestor, Philip Torrey as "my
father William Torrey" and also that he was son of William Torrey. PHILIP
TORREY, wife ALICE RICHARDS, m. Nov. 27, 1604, at Pitminster,
Somersetshire, England. He died in 1621. Lived at Combe St. Nicholas,
England; husbandman. She was daughter of James. Children: Anne, m. May
8, 1627 Henry Dunster. Mary, d. bef. l634, Sarah, William, James,
Philip, Joseph. The
will of Philip Torrey, was made April 16, 1621 and proved June 27, 1621,
and reads: "Philip
Torrey of Combe St. Nicholas, Somerset, husbandman. To be buried in the
church yard of Combe. To the relief of the poor of Combe three shillings
four pence. Anne Torrey mine eldest daughter shall have three score
pounds when she shall accomplish the age of sixteen years, to be paid my
overseers who shall take the government of it
until
she
shall
accomplish
the
age
of
one
and
twenty years. To her the biggest brass pan to be delivered unto
her at the time of her marriage and not before. To Mary Torrey my
daughter twenty pounds at sixteen to be held (as before) until she is
twenty one, and the second brass pan. To Sarah Torrey my daughter three
and thirty pounds six shillings eight pence at sixteen (as before), and
the second best brazen pot. To James Torrey my son thirty pounds at 16
(as before), and one silver spoon when he is one and twenty. To Philip
Torrey my son twenty pounds, at 16 (as before) and he shall be put an
apprentice unto some trade as soon as he is able, and also I do give him
one silver spoon to be delivered unto him when he is one and twenty
years old I do give unto William Torrey my son the biggest brazen pot,
the furnace kettle, the best table board, the cupboard with this
condition that his mother shall have the use of it so long as she doth
keep herself widow and dwelling in the house. To Joseph my son ten
pounds. All the rest to my wife whom I make sole executrix. My father
William Torrey, my cousin John Fry, John Richards, Robert Sellecke, and
Thomas Lumbert to be overseers, and I give them five shillings
apiece." Proved by Alice Torrey, the widow. Of the persons
mentioned, John Richards was his brother in law, and John Fry married
his sister in law, Dorothy Richards. Alice
(Richards) Torrey made her will April 24, 1634, but the date of its
probate is unknown. "Alice
Torrey of Bettam in the Parish of Combe St. Nicholas, Somerset, widow.
To be buried in the church yard of Combe. To the parish church iii s 4 d
and the poor of the parish vi s viij d. To son James Torrey so much of
mine own estate as to make his father's bequest and his sister Marie's
by 3 score pounds," (there is evidently an error in copying but I
have gathered that the intention was to equalize among the children
their portions from their father and their share in the inheritance from
their sister Mary who had died, and that perhaps "by'' should be
read "be") "and the same to be paid unto him within three
months after my decease. A similar bequest to son Philip Torrey, to be
paid unto him when he shall attain the age of one and twenty years and
not before. To Joseph Torrey a similar bequest of three score pounds. To
my servant Jone three pounds. To Samuel, the son of my son William, one
book in the house, of Mr. Perkin's works. I give to him also one ewe and
lamb the best of all my flock.
All the rest of my goods not given nor bequeathed, my debts and
legacies paid and my funeral dischargcd, I give and bequeath to William
Torrey, my son, whom I do make whole and sole executor, and for my son's
assistance in the performance of this trust I do intreat Mr. Joseph
Greenfeild my cousin John Blake, Henry Dunster and Hugh Sheppeard to be
my oversccrs, for the good of my children. Witnesses
Henry
Dunster, named in her will, was unquestionably the husband of her
daughter Anne and Joseph Greenfield was vicar of Combe St. Nicholas.
There is a record in the Bishop's Office at Exeter of a marriage license
granted May 8, 1627 to Henry Dunster of Willsworthy and Anna Torrey of
Whitstaunton, County Somerset. The
Immigration In
the south western corner of England at the south edge of the county of
Somerset, near where that county adjoins its neighbors Devon and Dorset,
will be found the town of Chard. "In Somerset near Chard on the
edge of Dorset" lies the Parish of Combe St. Nicholas, dear to us
as the home of our earliest English ancestors.
The old church, in the graveyard of which several of these early
Torreys requested in their wills to be buried, is still standing, though
with additions of a later date; and a very good view of the old grave
yard may be seen in the frontispiece. No Torrey gravestones remain. Six
or seven miles away in the county of Dorset is the hamlet of Wadbrook
which contains an old stone house two stories in height upon a beautiful
farm near the river Ax and not many years ago the home of a Mrs.
Roberts. This house is known to have been the home of the Philip Torrey
whom I believe to have been the uncle of our ancestor Philip, X, and
whose will is given in the footnote to a previous page.
This and the old church at Combe seem to be the only things now
remaining which were in any way related to our English ancestors. Three
families living in or near Combe St. Nicholas between 1600 and 1640, by
name Combe, Fry and Richards, have especial interest for us through
their relationship to our ancestor Phillip Torrey. Joseph
Combe, in his will dated March 21, 1619-20 and proved April 28, 1620,
gives his residence as Combe St. Nicholas; and he names, among others,
his brothers William and Edmund Combe and Edward Rossiter, Joseph
Greenfield, clerk, John Fry, and his wife Winifred and daughters Joan
and Agnes, both under 21. This daughter Agnes Combe later became the
first wife of William Torrey, 1, and the wife mentioned above was
Winifred Rossiter whose brother Edward is known to have had a son Hugh,
and to have sold land to John Fry in 1634. James
Richards of the Parish of Pitminster had a daughter Alice who married
Philip Torrey, X, and a son John (called "cousin" by Philip
Torrey, X, but not named in the will of his own sister Alice, Philip
Torrey's wife), and this John Richards is called "brother in
law" by one John Stone, of whom nothing more is known. An unnamed
daughter of the above James Richards married Thomas Lombard who
witnesses the wills of Philip Torrey, X, and of his wife Alice; and
another daughter, Dorothy Richards, married "John Fry the
younger." "John
Fry the elder" in his will made January 13, 1618-9 and proved
December 31, 1618 by "John Fry, brother of the deceased,” names
his sister Maute Meeres and her children Margaret and Agnes; and Hugh,
son of Edward Rossiter; also his brother John Fry (who calls himself
"John Fry the younger" in his own will); and cousin Joseph
Combe; and Joseph Greenfield, vicar of Combe. He gives his home as Combe
St. Nicholas. There
were also living near there two George Frys, an older one who witnessed
the will of Joseph Combe in 1619-20, and a younger one who was born
about 1616 and who came over in the same ship with Capt. William Torrey,
and was closely associated with him in this country. I have no doubt but
that the older George Fry was father of the younger one and also of
Elizabeth Fry, the third wife of Capt. William Torrey. Having
established these interesting relationships, let us survey the condition
of our little Torrey family in the year 1610. We find that Philip Torrey,
died in 1626 and his wife Alice followed him about 1634. The daughter
Anne left home to be married in 1637, the daughter Mary had died
earlier, and the eldest son William lost his second wife in 1639 so that
the year 1640 found the little home completely broken up with but
sorrowful recollections to bind them to their native soil. The
family then consisted of William, aged thirty two, a widower of a year,
with two small boys, Samuel, aged eight, and William, aged two, and his
three unmarried brothers, James, aged twenty-eight, Philip, aged twenty
five, and Joseph, aged nineteen. Under these circumstances it was deemed
best to seek a new home beyond the sea; and there is reason to believe
that Thomas Lombard, husband of their aunt Dorothy Richards left for
America a few years before, thus turning their thoughts in this
direction. In
this determination they were joined by George Fry whom I believe to have
been then or later William Torrey's brother-in-law, and who made the
following deposition in Boston: "George Fry aged fifty eight years
or thereabouts heretofore of Combe St. Nicholas in the Realme of
England, husbandman, liveing there untill the yeare sixteene hundred
& forty, in that yeare removed & came in the same shipp to New
England with William Torrey & Samuell Torrey his sonn both of the s
d Combe St. Nicholas, & being arrived in New England setled &
ever since have lived in Weymouth in the County of Suffolk in New
England afores d. On his Corporall Oath deposed that in old England for
severall yeares untill the yeare abovesaid he was well acquainted with
& knew William Torrey the Father and Samuell Torrey his sonn &
ever since untill the day of the Date hereof, they & hee this
deponent having lived in one Towne vizt in Weymouth in New England
abovesd & beeing with them in Boston in New England they are both in
good health this day being the fifth of March 1673-4." Philip
Torrey, brother of William, made deposition at the same time and in
nearly the same words. Samuel's younger brother William undoubtedly came
over in the same ship, though not mentioned in the deposition, which
required only the identification of the oldest son of William senior,
and probably the latter's brothers James and Joseph were of the company.
When the above deposition was made neither James nor Joseph was living
near Weymouth; but George Fry was living there and was William Torrey's
handiest witness and the next handiest was his brother Philip Torrey of
Roxbury. The
deposition was made to insure that a legacy which in 1671, on the death
of a brother of Jane Haviland (second wife of William Torrey) in
England, and left to Jane's two sons, should go to the right parties:
and there was no occasion for George Fry or William Torrey to mention
James or Joseph or little William any more than any other passengers on
the vessel. My discovery of the legacy as the cause of the deposition
throws some light on the situation. The
four brothers soon separated. William made his home in Weymouth, as has
been seen. James removed very soon (probably to secure more freedom for
his distinctive religious belief) further eastward to Scituate where he
lived and died. Philip went at once to Roxbury which he made his home.
Philip had but one son who lived to maturity and he had but one son who
married and he had but one son (of whom I can find no information), and
there the line seems to end, my latest Torrey item in this branch being
dated 1732. A lone grand daughter of Philip, however, Abigail Davis,
married and through her have come a host of descendants of Philip Torrey
under other names. The
fourth brother, Joseph, was for a short time in Weymouth, but from his
independent religious views (probably orthodox from our present view
point but too advanced for the narrow ideas of that time he removed,
possibly under compulsion, to Rehoboth, Mass., and from there to
Newport, R. I., where he was very prominently connected with public
affairs until his death in 1676.
He had one daughter who married and had a family, but this Torrey
line ends with him. Thus
it will be seen that all Torreys of the main Line are descended from
William of Weymouth and James of Scituate. Capt.
William Torrey William
Torrey was born in 1608 and died on June 10, 1690, at
Weymouth, Mass. The
Bishop’s Register at Wells, England shows that William Torry, son of
Philip, was baptized the 21st day of December, 1608," that he was
"married to Agnes Combe the 17th day of March, 1629," that
"Agnes, daughter of Joseph Combe, was baptized the 4th day of
January, 1608," and that "Jane, the wife of William Torrey,
was buried the 27th day of April, 1639." This
first wife, Agnes Combe, was baptized Jan. 4, 1608 in Combe St.
Nicholas, the daughter of Joseph and Winifred (Rossiter). She died
within a year of her marriage administration being granted in the
following words, "1630, Feb. 14.
Was issued a commission to William Torry late husband of Agnes
Torry, als. Combe deceased, whilst she lived of Combe St. Nicholas.” Jane
Haviland, second wife of Capt. William Torrey was from Hawkesbury
Barnes, Gloucestershire, England, and her ancestors were quite
prominent, among them being mayors of the cities of Poole and Bristol. I
have her line back to 1470. She was baptized Aug. 2, 1612 in Bristol,
Eng., married in 1630 and was buried April 27, 1639. She was the
daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Gyse). Children 11, Rev. Samuel,
William. Elizabeth
Fry, third wife of Capt. William Torrey was daughter of George, who was
probably that George Fry who, in Combe St. Nicholas in 1619, witnessed
the will of Joseph Combe, and she was also undoubtedly sister of the
George Fry (born 1616) of Weymouth who deposed that he came over in the
same ship with William Torrey. CHILDREN:
Naomi. Mary., Micajah. Josiah. Judith. Angel. CAPT.
WILLIAM TORREY is the ancestor of nearly two-thirds of the Torreys now
living. He owned 123 acres of land in Weymouth in 1648 and subsequently
100 acres more. The house where he lived was near what is now known as
Sampson's Cove, though formerly called Torrey's Cove. The remains of the
cellar were visible there until a few years ago. He
was an unusually capable business man and Weymouth records show that all
business of importance was transacted under his leadership. In 1641 he
was elected a member of the Royal Artillery of Boston and soon after a
Lieutenant. He was Deputy (member of the legislature) from 1642 to 1650,
Clerk of the House of Deputies (a very responsible Position) and
Recorder of Deeds.
His signature appears hundreds of times on the early records. The
title Captain (of militia) was prefixed to his name soon after 1655. Edward
Johnson in his book called "The Wonder Working Providence,"
published in 1654 says of Capt. William Torrey, "He was a good
penman and skilled in the Latin tongue." There is in the Boston
Public Library a book Written by Capt. Torrey entitled “A Discourse in
Futurities or Things to Come," bearing the statement, "Written
with his own hand in the seventy-ninth year of his age, and in the year
of our Lord sixteen eighty seven." It was published in 1757 with a
Preface by Rev Mr. Prince, Pastor of the Old South Church of Boston, and
it is said to have supplied almost all of the arguments of the
Millerites of our day. Upon
the death of his brother, James Torrey, at Scituate in 1665 Capt.
William became the guardian of two of his children, Jonathan and Mary
who grew up, in William's family at Weymouth and were erroneously called
his children by early genealogists. It is very singular that after more
than two hundred years the numerous Torreys now living in Weymouth are
all descended from James of Scituate, while the only descendants of
Capt. William now in Weymouth bear other names. Judge
Sewell's diary under date Monday, June 6, 1690, says: "Capt. Torrey
was buried last Thursday; died the Tuesday before." Where he was
buried cannot he established with certainty, but in the old cemetery at
Weymouth, close to the tombs of his son Rev. Samuel and wife and near
those of others of his children we find a flat slab of marked
distinction and costly aspect but with name plate missing which
historians unite in believing to be that of Capt. William. His will, made May 15, 1686 and proved July 2, 1692 leaves to Samuel Torrey his eldest son five hundred acres of land; to his wife the enjoyment of his new dwelling house for life and all his outhousing and garden, half the orchard and upland adjoining the house and half his meadow; to William Torrey his second son the other half of his orchard and upland and in lieu of the wife's half he gives him three acres of land whereon he hath built a house together with the wife's half after her decease; the residue to be divided equally among her (the wife's) six children; to grand daughter Hayward twenty shillings in the form of two silver spoons delivered to her father for her; his books to be distributed, six to be chosen by his wife and the rest equally divided between his sons Micajah, Josiah and Angel. The inventory of his estate amounted to £360-10s-6d. |