NORTHERN NEW YORK
Genealogical and family history of northern New York: a record of the achievements of her people
in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation.
New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co. 1910.



WOODBERRY/WOODBURY



Transcribed by Coralynn Brown



Woodberry is the name of an ancient and widespread English family. The name occurs all over England, but the family is most numerous in the county of Devon. The name was undoubtedly a place name. An estate of Wodebergh has been traced in Somerset from 1304. In 1216 Will'is de Wode-bere held a knight's fee at Plymtree. The name occurs in the Domesday book, spelled Woodberie, and various spellings have since been used.

(I) John Woodbury, the immigrant ancestor, came from Somersetshire, England, about 1624-25, in the interests of the Dorchester Company, which established itself at Cape Ann, now Gloucester, Mass., at or shortly before that period. Perhaps no better or clearer account can be given of his earlier connection with this company as its agent, than to give the deposition of his son, Humphrey, who accompanied him on his second voyage. The depsition was given to disprove Mason's claim to extensive tracts of land in Massachusetts and New Hamphshire, Feb. 16, 1680-81.

"Humphrey Woodbury, Beverly, aged seventy-two, testifies when I lived in Somersetshire, in England, I remember that my father, John Woodberye (since deceased), did about 56 years agoe, remove for New England & I then travelled with him as farr as Dorchester (Eng.) & I understood that my said father came to New England by order of a company called Corchester company (among whom Mr. White of Dorchester in England was an active instrument) & that my father and the company with him brought cattle & other things to Cape Ann for plantation work & there built an house & kept theire cattle and sett up fishing & afterwards some of them removed to a neck of land afterwards called Salem. And after about three years absence my father returned to England & made us acquainted with what settlement they had made in New England & that he was sent back by some that intended to settle a plantation about 3 leagues west of Cape Ann, to further this designe after about half a years stay in England, my father returned to New England & brought me with him; wee arrived a the place now called Salem in or about the month of June, 1628, where wee found several persons that said they were servants to the Dorchester company & had built another house for them at Salem besides that at Cape Ann. The later end of that summer, 1628, John Endicott, Esq. came over govenor, declaring his power from a company of patentees in or about London; & that they had bought the houses, boates & servants which belonged to the Dorchester company, and he he sd Endicott had power to receive them which accordingly he did take possession of; when we settled the Indians never then molested us in our improvements or sitting down either on Salem or Beverly side of the ferry, but showed themselves very glad of our company & came & planted by us oftentimes came to us for shelter saying they were afraid of their enemy Indians up in the country; & wee did shelter them when they fled to us & wee had theire leave to build & plant where wee have taken up lands; the same year, or the next after, wee came to Salem wee cut hay for the cattel wee brought over on that side of the ferry now called Beverly; & have kept our possessions there ever since by cutting hay or thatch, or timer & boards & by laying out lots for village; & sometimes after building & dwelling heere, where, with others have lived about 40 years; In all this time of my being in New England, I never heard that Mr. Mason took possession here, dispursted estatge upon, or layd claim to this place of ours, save the discourse of a claim within this yeare or two."
John had a brother, William Woodbury, who came over before 1630, when the two brothers settled in what is now Beverly, near Woodbury's point, on Mackerel Cove. John was admitted a freeman in 1635 to 1638. In 1635 he was appointed one of the committee to lay out lands. In the year in which Harvard College was established, 1636, Captain Endicott, in behalf of Col. John Humphries, presented a motion to the general court to set off some lands beyond Crest river for the erection of a college there. Woodbury was appointed on the committee of six to view the lands. In 1637 he was elected selectman and continued in that office until his death, being present at every meeting. He and his wife, Agnes, were among the original members of the First Church at Salem, in 1629. His will was proved Feb. 8, 1642-43, but is not preserved. He was probably about sixty years old at the time of his death.
Children:
Humphrey, born 1609-10, mentioned below.
John, resided in Beverly, called Sr.
Hannah, baptized Dec. 23, 1636.
Abigail, baptized Nov. 12, 1637.
Peter, baptized Sept. 19, 1640.

(II) Humphrey, son of John Woodbury, was born in England in 1609-10. He and six others were granted half an acre each at Winter Harbor for fishing trade and to build upon. In 1636 he received a grant of forty acres of land, and Jan. 29, 1636-37, forty acres more. He was called "fisherman" in the deeds of the various parcels of land that he bought.
He married Elizabeth ____; she made her will May 1, 1689, proved Nov. 26, 1689, mentioning her two grandchildren, Peter, son of John Woodbury, and Peter, son of William, to both of whom she gave ten shillings because they were named for her son Peter, who was killed by the Indians in King Phlip's war under Captain Lathrop; two daughters, Susanna (Tenny) and Christian Trask, to whom she gave twenty shilling each, and daughter, Elizabeth Walker; Peter Woodbury and Cornelius Baker, her friends, were named as overseers of her will.
Children:
1. John, baptized Oct. 24, 1641.
2. Isaac, baptized Feb. 4, 1643-44, mentioned below.
3. Humphrey, baptized March 8, 1646-47; died April 9, 1727.
4. Thomas, born about 1639.
5. Susanna, born Feb. 4, 1648-49; married John Tenny.
6. William, baptized May 4, 1651.
7. Peter, born March 28, 1653; killed 1675.
8. Richard, born Feb., 1654-55; died 1690, on his return from the Canada expedition.
9. Elizabeth, April 28, 1657; married ____ Walker, of Boston.
10. Christian, born April 20, 1661; suicide; married John Trask.

(III) Isaac, son of Humphrey Woodbury, was baptized Feb. 4, 1643-44, and died March 11, 1725. His will was dated Aug. 4, 1724, and proved April 14, 1726. In 1689 he was taken in his fishing schooner by the French.
He married, Oct. 9, 1671, Mary, daughter of Thomas Wilkes.
Children:
Robert, born July 4, 1672, mentioned below.
Mary, born Oct. 6, 1674, died Oct. 22, 1717.
Christian, born March 20, 1677-78; died April 30, 1714.
Isaac, born April 6, 1680, died Aug. 14, ___.
Deliverance, born Feb. 18, 1683, died Nov. 22, 1683.
Joshua, born Jan. 29, 1684.
Elizabeth, born Jan. 17, 1687-88; died April 23, 1688.

(IV) Robert, son of Isaac Woodbury, was born July 4, 1672, and died suddenly, Oct. 13, 1746. He was town clerk for several years. He married, Dec. 11, 1693, Mary Woodbury, born March 5, 1676, died Dec. 5, 1754, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (West) Woodbury.
Children:
Robert, born Sept. 4, 1694, died May 21, 1750.
Mary, born April 18, 1697.
Benjamin, born Aug. 1, 1699, died April 26, 1702.
Isaac, born June 18, 1701, died Oct. 31, 1775.
Thomas, born June 21, 1703, mentioned below.
James, May 20, 1705.
Hannah, April 22, 1707.
Zebulon, March 19, 1709.
Ebenezer, Nov. 19, 1712, died Nov. 19, 1727.
Benjamin, baptized June 25, 1716, lost at sea 1730.
Ruth, born Feb. 21, 1715.
Elizabeth, July 17, 1717, died Nov 7, 1717.

(V) Thomas, son of Robert Woodbury, was born June 21, 1703, and died May 8, 1751. He married (first) Martha Cleaves, baptized Aug. 6, 1704, and died May 8, 1751. He married (second) Lucy, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Herrick.
Children:
Anna, baptized March 10, 1727-28.
Lucy, born Dec. 18, 1733.
Martha, March 28, 1736.
Zebulon, June 9, 1739.
Ruth, May 17, 1741.
Thomas, May 19, 1743.
Isacher, Oct. 27, 1745.
Asa, mentioned below.

(VI) Asa, son of Thomas Woodberry, was born in Beverly, Nov. 15, 1747, and died April 2, 1830. He married, in 1771, Anna Woodberry. They had several children, among them Martha, born at Beverly, Jan. 18, 1773, died Aug. 29, 1844, married, July 26, 1795, Captain George McLellan (see McLellan).

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