Additional Information on Edward Perry of Sandwich
(Abt
1630/32 to bef 9 Mar 1694/5)
The following excerpt is the introduction and information about Edward Perry (pg. 416-418) from the book “Ancestors and Descendants of William Browning Greene and Mary Hoxsie Lewis with Allied Families” by Bill Wright c1993, reprinted here with permission. The references are lettered and sources are listed at the end of the excerpt.
The book is now out of print but several libraries have a copy in their possession. For a list of these libraries go to this link:
http://www.hal-pc.org/~wmewrght/library.html. I thank Bill Wright for his contribution and help on Edward Perry of Sandwich for this website.
“PERRY
The Perry’s of Rhode Island are a family that includes several famous
sons. Like many others, the Wright family has a tradition that we are
descended from or at least related to the most famous of these sons, Commodore
Oliver Hazard Perry. However, while the Wrights are related to the
Commodore, the relationship is not as close as the family tradition presumes.
The Wright family tradition apparently arose from our descent from Augustus
Johnston Lewis and his wife, Susannah Perry.
The compiler is aware of three
genealogies on the Perry’s. The scope of each of these genealogies is
limited. Col. Thomas Lincoln Casey published articles on the Perry’s in
The Rhode Island Historical Magazine and Narragansett Historical Register
between 1885 and 1887. These articles contain twenty-eight
families. There is a handwritten notebook on the Perry’s of Rhode Island
compiled in 1942 by Martha A. Benns containing forty to fifty families.
This notebook is in the possession of the Rhode Island Historical Society and
has been microfilmed by the Genealogical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. More recently Rosemary Canfield published Rhode
Island Descendants of Edward Perry and distributed it to a few libraries.
This book contains about sixty-four families in seven generations. Of the
467 (families contained within this present work, there are approximately 250
in eleven generations that have carried on the Perry surname.
First Generation:
PR1 EDWARD PERRY1 of Sandwich, MA, is supposed to have been born about
1630-1632a,j in Devonshire, England;a and he died before 9 Mar 1694/5 in
Sandwich, MA, when the inventory of his estate was dated.l He was buried
at Spring Hill, MA.j He married about 1653,j MARY FREEMAN (See Family #
FM2).a
Rev. Calbraith Bourn Perry reports that Edward Perry persuaded "his future father-in-law that the marriage ceremony, although to be performed in the Gubernatorial mansion, should conform to the simple Quaker rite. Governor Freeman, as a magistrate, had been commanded by the General Court to perform the ceremony. This departure from Puritan forms of religion was so offensive to the lawmakers of Plymouth, that Perry was annually condemned for many years to pay a fine, the largest, except one ever imposed in the Colony."f
Most printed accounts of the Perry’s suggest that the following other early Perry inhabitants of Sandwich were siblings of Edward Perry, specifically: Ezra Perry, who married 12 Feb 1651, Elizabeth Burges; Margaret Perry, who married 18 July 1651, as his second wife, Edmond Freeman, Jr. (See Family # FM2); Hannah Perry, who married 24 June 1652, Henry Dillingham; and Deborah Perry, who married 9 May 1654, Robert Harper (See Family # HR1).f
Edward Perry was a prominent member of the Sandwich Society of Friends as were Hannah (Perry) Dillingham and Deborah (Perry) Harper. Yet, neither Ezra Perry nor Margaret (Perry) Freeman seem to have identified themselves with the Quakers.j
Rosemary Canfield writes that "The Plymouth Colony Court Records contain this entry: 7 Jun 1659 - 'Ezra Perry is allowed by the Court to be Executor of the Estate of Sarah Perry, there being noe other (although she hath many friends in the Country), that claimeth interest to the Estate, having put in securities into the Court to be accountable for the Estate encase it shall be required by any that hath better title thereto . . .’ The wording of this entry demonstrates clearly that Sarah Perry had no blood relatives in Sandwich, but may have been closely connected to Ezra, and perhaps Edward, by marriage. It has been suggested that she was step-mother to Ezra,h and that he had claim to her estate based on the right to a dower residue."j
Edward Perry is recorded in Sandwich as a grand juryman in 1653. As early as 1658, and from that date until the persecution of the Quakers ceased, he was repeatedly fined and otherwise punished for his religion and the conduct arising out of his beliefs.a, f
At the age of forty-six, Edward Perry published, "Warning to New England" condemning the sins of the day. In this pamphlet he wrote, "O, what lamentation shall be taken up for New England to countervail or equalize Abominations of drunkenness, swearing, lying, stealing, whoredoms, adultery and fornication, with many other Abominations..."f On 29 Dec 1694, Edward Perry made his will, which was proved 12 Apr 1695, naming his nine children who survived him.a
These children, all born in Sandwich were:j
i. DORCASa, 2 b 9 May 1661; d 16 Jan 1746; m 23 Aug 1679, JOHN EASTON, son of
Peter and Ann (Coggeshall) (See Family # CO1) Easton of Newport, RI.a
ii. MARY, b prob in 1663; m 22 Sep 1685, JOHN WING, son of Stephen and Sarah
(Briggs) Wing.a He was b 22, 9th month, 1661;i d in 1728.j
iii. SAMUEL,a b 2 Mar 1664/5;c m MARY TUCKER.a
iv. DEBORAH, b prob in 1667; m CHRISTOPHER GIFFORD.a
v. SARAH, b prob in 1669; m 1 Sep 1690, TIMOTHY DAVIS, son of John and Hannah
(Linnell) Davis. He was a Quaker and lived in Rochester, MA. He was b in 1662 and d in 1723.a
vi. PEACE, b in 1671;a d 9 Nov 1740;a m 20 Oct 1697,a JOHN MUMFORD, son of
Stephen and Ann Mumfordg of Newport.a
vii. EDWARD, b prob in 1673;a m poss as his second wife, ELIPHAL SMITH.a
viii. REST, b in 1675; m JACOB MOTT of Portsmouth.a
ix. BENJAMIN, b prob in 1677;a m (2) SUSANNA BARBER.a, e
[SOURCES: a. Gen of RI Fam, (1983), 1:667,674-679; b. Austin, 160, p 273; c.
Benns; d. TAG, 50:158; e. Harding, p 89; f. Rev. C. B. Perry, p 43,45-46; g.
Austin, Gen Dict, p 136; h. NEHGR, 115:86; i. Wing, pp 56,66 j. Canfield,
Perry, pp 1-3; k. Schroeder, p 3; l. Brown, Perry, p 8.]”
For more information and discussion on Edward and his family
check out some of Bill Wright’s posts on the message board at
genforum.genealogy.com. Here are a few
examples: http://genforum.genealogy.com/perry/messages/8037.html,
http://genforum.genealogy.com/perry/messages/5059.html,
http://genforum.genealogy.com/perry/messages/4589.html,
& http://genforum.genealogy.com/perry/messages/1952.html.