Holbrook line: William Sumner, Immigrant

Sometimes there's not enough information about an ancestor to fill even a modest paragraph, and sometimes there is an overwhelming amount of information.  I'd rather have the latter situation, and that is the case with William Sumner, immigrant during the Great Migration.  We know who his parents were, we know who his wife was, we know his religion, we know his occupation and whether or not he was literate, we know where he settled, and we know his children. 

His parents were Roger and Jane Franklin Sumner.  Roger died in 1608, when William was about three years old, so he likely had a very limited recollection of his father.  His mother married Marcus Brian a few years later, but he died in 1620. Roger was called a husbandman and William a yeoman, meaning they farmed.  "Yeoman" is considered to be a higher economic status than husbandman, because a yeoman owned the land he farmed and a husbandman had just a lease on "his" land. 

On October 22, 1625, William married Mary Swift, in Bicester,  She was the sister of Thomas Swift but her parentage has not been determined.  Four of the couple's seven children were born in England, but in 1634 William packed up his family, lock, stock and barrel, and traveled to Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he was in Dorchester by February of 1635, when he was allotted some marsh land.  He probably arrived in 1634.  He returned to England for a few months in 1649-1650 to handle some business related to his father's estaate, but other than that he stayed in Dorchester his whole life.  I wonder if Mary told him "One and done"? 

William and Mary (Maria) were admitted to the second Dorchester church on August 23, 1636 and WIlliam became a freeman on May 17, 1637.  He was chosen as selectman of the town as early as 1637 and 1638, and then occasionally thereafter.  Starting in 1661, he was a selectman more years than we was not, with the last selection in 1686.  At various times he was also a deputy for Dorchester to the General Court, a livestock appraiser, the Dorchester commissioner to end small causes (sort of a justice of the peace), a lotlayer, fence viewer, bailiff, assessor, sergeant, and clerk of the trained company (militia). This man was heavily invested in public service. 

William had a servant as early as 1636, because William Shepherd, servant to WIlliam Sumner, was to be whipped for stealing victuals from his master and beans from the Indians.  The number of lashes is not indicated.  We wonder if the family was having a hard time providing adequate food or whether Shepherd was trying to sell his ill-gotten goods.  It could have been either scenario. 

William acquired, both by grant and by purchase, several acres of land so that at his death in 1688 the land and house were appraised at 421 pounds.  He also had 2 pounds of Bibles and books, and over 6 pounds worth of arms and ammunition.  He may not have been considered wealthy, or even well to do, but he was certainly not counted among the poor of the town.  At the time of his death, WIlliam had lived in Dorchester over 50 years.  Mary preceded him in death, in 1676.  There is no indication that she was killed in King Philip's War, and Dorchester was close enough to the coast that it seems more likely that she died a natural death. 

I'd still love to know more about William, but my heart is happy knowing I have this much information.  I'd love to be able to make these sketches zing, describing our ancestor's personality.  I don't know if he had a sense of humor or was unrelentingly stern, and there is a lot more I'd like to know.  But this information is a good starting point, and I am so glad to have it!

The line of descent is:

William Sumner-Mary Swift
Samuel Sumner-Rebecca Staples
Rebecca Sumner-Ephraim Wilson
Samuel Wilson-Elizabeth Hawes
Rebecca WIlson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants