Generation 1

EDWARD FRENCH (d. 1674) of Salisbury

Parents: Unknown

Edward French died on 28 Dec 1674 [Ref, 8;82] in Salisbury. [Ref] He married Anne Unknown. She may be Anne Goodale, as Richard Goodale mentions his brother Edward French in his will. [Ref, 8;82] She died on 9 Mar 1682/3 [Ref, 8;82] in Salisbury. [Ref]

He was sued by Mr. Samuel Winsley, who wished "to recover his bolts from those who made use of them", at the 24 (2) 1649 court. [Ref 1;165] He was sued for carrying hay off of Francis Dove's land at the Mar 1664 court; the verdict was for the plaintiff. [Ref 3;147]

He is on an 18 (5) 1652 Salisbury tax list. [Ref]

He was on the trial jury at the 9 (2) 1650 and 14 (12) 1663 courts. [Ref 1;189, 3;56] He was on the grand jury at the 8 (2) 1651, 7 (8) 1651 and 11 (2) 1654 courts. [Ref 1;221,236, 339]

Children of Edward French:

1. Hannah French married first John White on 26 Nov 1662 in Salisbury. [Ref][Ref, 8;82 says 25 Nov] She married second Thomas Philbrook of Hampton on 22 Sep 1669. [Ref, 8;82]
2. Joseph French married Susanna Stacy.
3. John French died on 4 May 1706 [Ref, 8;82] in Salisbury. [Ref] He married Mary Noyes on 23 Mar 1659 [Ref, 8;82] in Salisbury. [Ref]
4. Samuel French died on 26 Jul 1692 [Ref, 8;82] in Salisbury. [Ref] He married Abigail Browne on 1 Jun 1664 [Ref, 8;82] in Salisbury. [Ref] She died on 11 Jan 1679 in Salisbury. [Ref]

Generation 2

JOSEPH FRENCH of Salisbury

Parents: Edward French and Anne Unknown [Ref, 8;82]

Joseph French may be the Joseph who died on 6 Jun 1710 in Salisbury. [Ref] He married Susanna Stacy. She died on 12 Feb 1687 in Salisbury. [Ref]

He is on an 18 (5) 1652 Salisbury tax list. [Ref]

Joseph was constable of Salisbury in 1661 and 1662. [Ref 2;298, 410] He was on the trial jury at the 12 Apr 1664 court. [Ref 3;144] He was fined for non-appearance on the trial jury at the 14 Apr 1668 court. [Ref 4;20] He was on the grand jury at the 11 Oct 1664, 9 Oct 1677, 9 Apr 1678 and 11 Nov 1679 courtx. [Ref 3;198,6;339,427,7;272]

In a deed dated 25 Mar 1685, Joseph French, a tailor of Salisbury, and Susanna his wife, gave land to Sarah French, the widow of their eldest son Joseph, deceased. [Ref, p. 105]

Children of Joseph French and Susanna Unknown:

1. Joseph French was born on 16 Mar 1654 in Salisbury. He died on 14 Dec 1683 in Salisbury. He married Sarah Eastman. [Ref]
2. Elizabeth French was born on 5 Nov 1655 in Salisbury. [Ref] She died on 6 Dec 1655 in Salisbury. [Ref]
3. Simon French was born on 24 Oct 1657 in Salisbury. [Ref] He died on 19 Apr 1732 in Salisbury. [Ref][Ref] He married first Johanna Jackson in 1685 in Newbury. [Ref] Johanna, the daughter of James Jackson, was born on 14 Jun 1657 in Newbury. [Ref] She died on 15 May 1704 in Salisbury. [Ref][Ref] Simon married second Abigail Noyes on 8 May 1707 in Newbury. [Ref] Abigail was the daughter of Nicholas Noyes and Mary Cutting. [Ref]
   He took the oath of fidelity on 11 Dec 1677 in Salisbury. [Ref]
   
4. Anne French was born on 10 Mar 1659 in Salisbury. [Ref] She died after 1731. [Ref] She married Richard Long on 21 Jul 1680 in Salisbury. [Ref] Richard Long and Sheriff Joseph Pike were killed by Indians on 4 Sep 1694 while on there way to Amesbury. [Ref] She married third Thomas Mudgett. [Ref] She married third Alexander Magoon. [Ref] Alexander died in 1731 in Exeter, NH. [Ref]
   She is mentioned as Anne Mudgett in her uncle Simon Stacy's 20 Oct 1699 will. [Ref]
5. Edward French was born on 14 May 1663 in Salisbury. [Ref] He died on 8 Jun 1663 in Salisbury. [Ref]
6. Sgt. Edward French was born on 6 Apr 1667 in Salisbury. [Ref] He died in Dec 1737 in Salisbury. [Ref] He married Mary Unknown. She died on 4 Jan 1735/6 in Salisbury. [Ref]
   He is mentioned in his uncle Simon Stacy's 20 Oct 1699 will. [Ref]

Generation 3

JOSEPH FRENCH (1654 - 1683) of Salisbury

Parents: Joseph French and Susanna Stacy [Ref]

Joseph French was born on 16 Mar 1654 in Salisbury. [Ref] He died on 14 Dec 1683 in Salisbury. [Ref][Ref] He married Sarah Eastman on 13 Jun 1678 in Salisbury. [Ref] Administration on Joseph's estate was granted to his widow Sarah in Mar 1684. [Ref 9;202]

Joseph French, Jr. took the oath of fidelity on 6 Dec 1677 in Salisbury. [Ref]

Joseph died intestate. [Ref, p. 103] The petition 4 Jan 1684 of Joseph French and Roger Eastman, grandparents of Joseph's children, names the children: Joseph, Timothy and Simon. It mentions Benjamin and Nathaniel Eastman, bothers of the widow. Both Joseph and Roger signed with their marks. [Ref, p. 103]

On 1 May 1699 Joseph's grandfather Joseph French petitioned the court, saying that he was willing to bring up Joseph's eldest son, but that his mother couldn't part with him. Later, she brought Joseph to his grandfather's house and he lived there a year. But, apparently, there was some conflict and on 27 Mar 1699 Joseph French chose Mr. Nathaniel Bacon of Salisbury to be his guardian. [Ref, p. 103]

Children of Joseph French and Sarah Eastman:

1. Joseph French was born on 25 or 26 Mar 1679 in Salisbury. He married Abigail Browne.
2. Timothy French was born on 16 Jun 1681 in Salisbury. [Ref] Timothy French of Kingston, NH married Sarah Heard on 24 Nov 1709 in Salisbury. [Ref] He married Mary Harriman on 15 Feb 1704/5. [Ref, p. 108] Perhaps he is the Timothy who married the widow Mary Pike on 28 Jun 1722 in Salisbury. [Ref]
   On 18 Jul 1699, Jarvis Ring was appointed the guardian of Timothy, age 18. [Ref, p. 104]
   
3. Simon French was born on 26 Aug 1683 in Salisbury. [Ref] He married Mrs. Abigail Noyes of Newbury on 8 May 1707 in Newbury. [Ref] Perhaps she is the Abigail who died on 22 May 1734 in Salisbury. [Ref] Holman [Ref, p. 108] says that he married Sarah Unknown and went to Kingston, NH.
   On 1 May 1699 John Eastman was appointed the guardian of Simon, age 15. [Ref, p. 104]

Generation 4

JOSEPH FRENCH (1679 - 1756) of Salisbury and Southampton

Parents: Joseph French and Sarah Eastman [Ref]

Joseph French was born on 25 or 26 Mar 1679 in Salisbury. [Ref] He died in 1756. [Ref] He married Abigail Browne on 20 Dec 1699 in Salisbury. [Ref][Ref, p. 108][Ref, 7;313]

He went to Southampton. [Ref]

On 1 May 1699 Joseph's grandfather Joseph French petitioned the court, saying that he was willing to bring up his son Joseph's eldest son, but that Joseph's mother couldn't part with him. Later, she brought Joseph to his grandfather's house and he lived there a year. But, apparently, there was some conflict and on 27 Mar 1699 Joseph French chose Mr. Nathaniel Bacon of Salisbury to be his guardian. [Ref, p. 104]

Children of Joseph French and Abigail Browne:

1. Sarah French was born on 20 Nov 1700 in Salisbury. [Ref] She died on 19 Dec 1700 in Salisbury. [Ref]
2. Joseph French was born on 27 Feb 1701/2 in Salisbury. He married Ruth Knowles.
3. Ebenezer French was born on 3 Jan 1703/4 in Salisbury. [Ref] Perhaps he is the Ebenezer who married Elizabeth Gould of Amebury after 8 Apr 1725 in Salisbury. [Ref]
4. Daniel French was born on 21 Aug 1708 in Salisbury. [Ref] He died in 1783. [Ref] He married Sarah Gould on 28 May 1730 in Salisbury. [Ref][Ref]
5. Abigail French was born on 22 Sep 1710 in Salisbury. [Ref] Perhaps she is the Abiagil who married Thomas Eastman of Kingston after 16 Jan 1729 (int.) in Salisbury. [Ref]
6. Obadiah French was born on 29 Sep 1716 in Salisbury. [Ref] Perhaps he is the Obadiah who maarried Hannah Boyington of Kingston after 1 Nov 1737 (int.) in Salisbury. [Ref]
   

Generation 5

JOSEPH FRENCH (b. 1702) of Salisbury

Parents: Joseph French and Abigail Browne

Joseph French was born on 27 Feb 1701/2 in Salisbury. [Ref] He married Ruth Knowles of Hampton on 22 July 1731 in Salisbury. [Ref]

Is Ruth the daughter of Simon and Rachel (Joy) Knowles, born on 30 Sep 1707 in Hampton, Rockingham, NH?

Children of Joseph French and Ruth Knowles:

1. Abigail French was born on 4 Feb 1731/2 in Salisbury. [Ref]
2. Ruth French was born on 21 Sep 1733 in Salisbury. [Ref]
3. Joseph French was born on 2 Feb 1738/9 in Salisbury. [Ref]
4. Simon French was born on 27 Oct 1740 in Salisbury. He married Dorcas Shackford.
5. Ruth French was born on 2 Jul 1744 in Salisbury. [Ref]

Generation 6

SIMON FRENCH (1740 - 1823) of Candia and Chester

Parents: Joseph French and Ruth Knowles

Simon French was born on 27 Oct 1740 in Salisbury. [Ref] He died on 3 Aug 1823. [Ref, p. 526] He married Dorcas Shackford. [Ref, p. 526, "a daughter of John Shackford"]

Simon came to Chester for Salisbury. [Ref, p. 536] He bought 25 acres from Joseph French. [Ref, p. 526] He bought land from Benjamin Porter, paying for it with 133 Spanish dollars. [Ref, p. 526] Part of the land was in Candia and he settled on this part in 1765. [Ref, p. 526]

Children of Simon French and Dorcas Shackford:

1. Ruth French was born in 1766. She died on 3 Sep 1831 in Derby, VT. She married Samuel Colby.
2. Dolly French married Andrew Rankin. [Ref, p. 526] Andrew died in Danbury. [Ref, p. 526] He was a minister, settled at Salisbury. [Ref, p. 526]
3. John French was born on 25 Mar 1770. [Ref, p. 526-7] He died on 24 Dec 1845, [Ref, p. 526-7] age 75, and is buried in the Candia Hill Cemetery in East Candia. [Ref, p. 30] is buried in the Candia Hill Cemetery in East Candia. [Ref, p. 30] He married Comfort Moore. [Ref, p. 526-7] Comfort, the daughter of Dr. Coffin Moore was born on 24 Jan 1770. [Ref, p. 526-7] She died on 1 Dec 1834, [Ref, p. 526-7] age 65, and is buried in the Candia Hill Cemetery in East Candia. [Ref, p. 30]
   John and Comfort lived on Simon's homestead. [Ref, p. 527]

Generation 7

RUTH FRENCH (1766 - 1831)

Parents: Simon French and Dorcas Shackford [Ref, p. 526]

Ruth French was born in 1766. [Ref] She died on 3 Sep 1831 in Derby, VT. [Ref] She married Samuel Colby. [Ref][Ref, p. 494]

References

Anderson, Robert Charles, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III, 3 vols, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1995.

Brown, Asa W., "Early Settlers of Salisbury, Mass.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 7, 1853, 311-314; 8, 1854, 79-82, 157-162.

Chase, Benjamin, History of Old Chester: From 1719 to 1869, Auburn, NH, The author, 1869.

Dow, George Francis, Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Essex Institute, 1911.

Durrell, Harold Clarke, "Amos Tuck French," Memoirs Section, New England Historical and Genealogical Register 96, 1942, 85.

Goss, Charles Carpenter, Colonial Gravestone Inscriptions in the State of New Hampshire, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1974.

Greenlaw, Lucy Hall, "Stacy-Starr Adams," Notes and Queries Section, New England Historical and Genealogical Register 58, 1904, 91-92.

Holman, Mary Lovering, Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury, unknown, unknown, 1938.

Long, Hallock Porter, "A Line of Descent of Richard and Ann (French) Long, Who were married in Salisbury, Mass., 1680," Notes Section, New England Historical and Genealogical Register 100, 1946 , 254.

Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Online Database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2007.

Alonzo H. Quint, "Oaths of Freemen, Allegiance, &c. in Old Norfolk County, New England Historical and Genealogical Register 6, 1852, 201-204.

Mr. Thornton, "Original Settlers of Salisbury, MA," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 3, 1849, 55-57.

Weis, Frederik Lewis, The Colby Family in Early America: Early Generations of Descendants of Anthony Colby of Boston, Cambridge, Salisbury, Massachusetts 1595-1661, Colonial Press, Concord, 1970.

Ackerman, Arthur Wilmot, "Caleb Jay French," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 80, 1926, 115-115.