William Wilbur - From Cutter, the Wilbor English Ancestry on CD and the GMB

The history of my Wilbour family, in New England, starts with William 1630-1710, married to Martha, or Samuel who was born between 1594 - 1600 in Sible Hedingham, Essex, England.
Depending upon who and what you read, Samuel is the father of or uncle to William. Samuel came to New England before 1633, as he and his wife Ann were admitted to Boston church, Dec. 1, 1633. William is not mentioned in New England until July 10, 1654, when he received 10 acres of land in Portsmouth from Samuel.

Samuel and William spelled their name Wildbore and this spelling continued to be used in some branches of the family, through a couple of generations. Their names appear in some records as Wilbor.

Variants of the Wilbour name appear in the early town records where the families descends lived. According to Savage, "Wilbore, Wildboare, Wilbur, Wildbore and the name Wilbar represents a majority of the descendants of Samuel, of Boston and Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and Taunton, Massachusetts".

The most consistent name & date information I had found comes from William Richard Cutter, but the information was originally published in 1915. It names William as the son of Samuel and Ann. More up to date findings may be published elsewhere that I have not located yet.

I have not seen the printed Wilbor genealogy as yet and do not know it's original print date, so there may be more to find there. From what I have seen quoted from the book, it is probable that William is a nephew of Samuel¹and Ann and cousin to Samuel², not son and brother. I have purchased a CD which contains a copy of The English Ancestry of Samuel Wilbor of Boston, MA, and William Wilbor of Portsmouth RI.
This article written by Benjamin Franklin Wilbor of Little Compton RI. Confirms this uncle, cousin relationship. Again, I do not know when this article was first published and new information may be available.

According to the English Ancestry, they both descend from a long line of well to do Taylors and Wool Drapers. Earlier generations starting out in Yorkshire, later families are placed in Essex.

On Samuel:
Both the Great Migration Begins and the LDS web site have Samuel married to Ann Semith Jan, 13, 1619-20 in Sible, England.
She died after Dec. 1. 1633 and before 1645. He married as his second wife, Elizabeth Lechford, widow of Thomas Leachford, by 1645. On May 2, 1648.
According to Cutter his first wife was Ann Bradford:

"The Christian name of his first wife was Ann, and reliable accounts mention her; a daughter of Thomas Bradford, of Lancaster, Yorkshire, England, from which part of the dominion Samuel himself is said to have come. His second wife was Elizabeth, widow of Thomas Lechford."

In 1633, he was made freeman in Boston, and he and wife Ann were admitted to the church in December that year.
Nov. 20, 1637, was one among a number of others disarmed for becoming followers of Ann Hutchinson. He left MA. and removed to Rhode Island.

He was one of nineteen Aquedneck settlers who entered into a civil compact formed in Providence, Rhode Island to start a new settlement on the northeast part of the island, called Pocasset later called Portsmouth:

There were eighteen original proprietors and nineteen signers of the compact. They were; William, Coddington, John Clarke, William Hutchinson, John Cogershall, William Aspinwall, Samuel Wilbore, John Porter, John Sanford, Ed. Hutchinson jr., Thomas Savage, William Dyre, William Freeborne, Philip Shearman, John Walker, Richard Carder, William Baulstone, Ed, Hutchinson sen., Henry Bull and Randall Holden, Holden's name is separated from the others by a line. It is believed that he was not associated with the purchase as he and Roger Williams signed as witnesses to the deed. All of these men with the exception of Coddington and Holden were disarmed on Nov. 20, 1637.

June 1, 1638 Samuel Wilbore was given permission to sell his house and garden plot to Mr. Offley and his house and ground "next Roxbury" to Samuel Sherman.

In Portsmouth
In 1638, he was chosen town clerk board.
In 1639, he was made constable, whose duties were to keep the peace, to inform of any breaches of the peace, and had the power to command aid for that purpose should it needed. He was also given an allotment of a neck of land lying in the great cove, containing about two acres.
March 16, 1641, he was made a freeman in Portsmouth
In 1644, became sergeant of militia

Returning to Boston
In 1645, after sending a letter to the Mass. Bay government expressing regret over, and asking forgiveness for, his association with the Hutchinsons, he returned with his wife to Boston.
On November 29, 1645, Samuel Wildbore and his wife were received into the church in Boston. He built an iron furnace at Taunton, the first to be built in New England.
In a deposition made May 2,1648, he made oath that when he married the widow of Thomas Lechford he received no part of her former husband's estate.
In 1655 he was in Portsmouth again, but at the time of making his will, dated, April 30, 1656, he lived in Taunton and at the same time had a house in Boston. His will was recorded in both Massachusetts and the Plymouth colony. Samuel died July 24, 1656, and his will was proven November 6, 1656, his widow and son Shadrach being the executors. His widow married Henry Bishop and died about July 1665.

CHILDREN of Samuel and Ann are:: 1. Samuel m. Hannah Porter
2. Joseph
3. William (according to Cutter and some others); 4. Shadrach
Printed information as to why William may not be the son of Samuel:

1.Samuel¹ did not mention a son William in his will, but he does mention sons, Samuel jr.², Joseph and Shadrach.

2.Samuel jr². refers to "my cousin, William Wilbore, Sr." in his will.

The English Ancestry of Samuel Wilbor of Boston, MA, and William Wilbor of Portsmouth RI. tells us that

Cutter says:
William Wilbour was born in 1630. He spelled his name Wilbor. In 1653 William married Martha ___ and in 1654 settled as a farmer in Little Compton RI. He died at Tiverton in 1710

William and Martha's Children are:: 1. Mary b. 1654 d. 1720, m. Joseph Mowry
2. Joseph b. 1656 - May 4, 1729 m. Ann Brownell
3. John b. 1658
4. Thomas b. 1659
5. William b. Dec. 1660, d. 1738 1st a Tallman, 2ed, Joan Biggs
6. Martha b, 1663, m. William Sherman
7. Samuel b. 1664 d. 1740 m. Mary Potter
8. Daniel b. 1666, d. 1741 m. Ann Barney
9. Joan (or Joanna) b. 1668, d. 1729 m. Nathaniel³Potter; 10. Benjamin b. 1670, d. 1729 m. 1st Mary Kinnicut, 2nd Elizabeth Head

Note on William’s wife Martha
In most printed genealogies that I have come across, Martha’s last name is not known. On a few occasions I have seen her named as the daug. of Rev. Obadiah Holmes, b. abt. 1606, d. abt . 1682 and Katherine Hyde, b. 1613, of Salem Mass. Rehobeth & Newport RI.
According to the will of Obadiah, presented to the council, Dec. 4 1682, he refers to his daug. Martha, as Martha Odlin.

Samuel was born, in 1664 and married in 1689, to Mary Potter, daug. of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Stokes) Potter.

Children of Samuel and Mary are:: Mary b. Oct. 22, 1690
Samuel b. Nov. 7, 1692
William b. Jan. 6, 1695
Martha b. Oct. 29, 1697
Joanna b. June 8, 1700
Thankful b. June 8, 1700
Elizabeth b. Dec. 23, 1702
Thomas b. Dec. 29, 1704
Abigail b. May 27, 1707
Hannah b. Feb. 9, 1709
Isaac b. Aug. 24, 1712

I descend from Joanna who married John Taylor.

See my Wilbor to Terry line

A note on the Wilbor Family :
There are a number of Samuel and William Wilbors listed in the many histories, printed genealogies, at the LDS web site, and various other web pages. I have seen a number of places where the Samuel Wilbor married to Hannah Porter is placed with Mary Potter despite the huge age difference. I have seen Joanna called Hannah in a number of places adding to the confusion.