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."
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