Holbrook line: William Fifield, newly found immigrant

William Fifield is a recent addition to our family tree.  When I learned who the Lucy Snow was who married Josiah Whittemore, she came with quite a well researched genealogy.  William Fifield was one of those finds.  I love it when an ancestor has been written up by Robert Charles Anderson in The Great Migration series!  What I don't love about William Fifield is that he lived in a state and county that I'm not familiar with.  That means I not only have more research to do, but I have to learn how to do the research in New Hampshire.  However, I digress.

William Fifield was born about 1614 somewhere in England.  A case has been made that he is from Littleton, Hampshire, England, and some believe his ancestry can be traced back another four or five generations.  I'm not convinced, but I'm sure going to look into it.  His birthdate is approximated from various depositions he gave in his adult life, when he said that he was of a certain age at that time.  It isn't known who his wife may have been, other than her given name of Mary.  They likely married after each immigrated.

The first record we have of William is his oath of fidelity given when he immigrated on the Hercules, in 1634.  It arrived at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony in April of that year.  Since there were only 12 known passengers on this ship, either it was very small or it carried primarily cargo.  In 1634, most of what the colony used would have been imported from "home".  It was, after all, a colony.  He lived at Ipswich for a short time, then at Newbury, and in 1639 went to Hampton, in what is now New Hampshire.  It appears that he spent the rest of his life there.

Hampton would have been a good place to raise a family.  It was on the Atlantic Ocean, so there was likely a maritime business.  If not, at least it was pretty!  Good water was available, and there were vast fields of timber nearby.  William and Mary may have had as many as nine children, the last born in 1660/61. Two children did not survive infancy, but the others reached adulthood and married.

There is a possibility that William was somehow related to the Fifields of Barbados, but that needs more study.  If it turns out to be true, one could wonder ships sailing to or from Hampton would have carried family members.  It also makes one wonder whether there was any slave trade involved.

William acquired land both by grants and by purchase, but I don't know enough about land in New Hampshire at this time period to figure out whether he acquired more than the typical resident.  

William had some amount of education, because he signed his name to deeds.  He was made a freeman in 1641, which gave him the right to vote and to hold office.  He held the office of timber surveyor, selectman, constable, and deputy constable at various times, and was frequently a petit juror.  He also served on a committee to set the boundary between Portsmouth and Hampton.

This is what I know about William Fifield.  I'd like to learn his origins and his wife's maiden name.  I'd like to know about his military service (he had some, because he was excused from military training in the later years of his life), and how active he was in church.  But, welcome to our family, William Fifield!  I'm glad you made your presence known.

The line of descent is:

William Fifield-Mary
Elizabeth Fifield-John Tidd
Elizabeth Tidd-Joseph Stevens
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants