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WILLIAM SWIFT (prob. 1593/6–by 1643)

JOAN UNKNOWN (d. 1662/4)

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William might have been the son of the Richard Swift who was buried on 13 March 1598/9 in St. Mary Magdalene, Bermondsey, London. [1] He was probably born between 1593 and 1596. [1][2] He died by 29 January 1642/3. He had an unknown first wife who probably died in the summer of 1625. He married second Joan (Unknown) Dimbleby, as (presumably) her second husband, on 3 January 1625/6 in St. Mary Magdalene. [1]

Joan died between 12 October 1662 and 3 March 1663/4. She married first Roger Dimbleby. [1] He was buried on 15 September 1625 in St. Mary Magdalene. [1]

Roger Dimbleby, citizen and leatherseller of London, made his will on 5 September 1625; it was proved on 26 September 1625. He named his wife Johane and his son Roger. [1]

Sarah (identified as a (grown) woman), Susanna and Elizabeth Swift were all buried in late summer 1625 in St. Mary Magdalene: Sarah on 24 August, Susanna on 26 August and Elizabeth on 16 September. [1] Any of them might have been William's first wife. A youth named William Swift died the same day as Sarah (the woman) and on 27 October, Sarah Swift, a maid, died. Perhaps the best guess is that our William's wife was Sarah, the woman. William, the youth, and Sarah, the maid, Susanna and Elizabeth might have been their children, but other Swifts lived in the parish.

A catastrophic epidemic of the plague in London in 1625 probably accounts for so many deaths in William and Joan's families that year.

Joan Swift was acting as administratrix of the will of William Swift, deceased, on 21 March 1642/3. [3]

William, a member of the Company of Leathersellers, was made a freeman in London on 3 October 1620. [1] He, Joan and their children Hannah, William and Esther probably came to New England about 1634, and settled in Watertown.

William was granted 40 acres—lot 14—in the Third Division of the Great Dividend in Watertown. [1] At the 7 April 1635 court at New Towne, William promised to give 20 shillings to the cure of his late servant, who was blind and lame. [1] On February 1636/7 William drew number 84 in the distribution of lots in the Plowlands at Beverbrooke Plaine. Allocations were one acre per person and per cow worth more than 20 pounds. This is consistent with a family with three children and no expensive cows. [1]

In a deed for a 31 March 1640 sale, the conveyor of a house and land said he had purchased them from William Swift of Watertown.[1] William Swift is referred to as of Sandwich in a 28 June 1641 land record.[1]

William got into trouble when he agreed to act as a surety for 52 pounds of debt owed to Andrew Coleman. Apparently, the debtor defaulted and sometime in 1636 Coleman gave John Haynes, Esq. power of attorney to sue William in New England. William was apparently forced to mortgage his house and land to Haynes. It appears that William may have gone back to England in the summer of 1637 to settle matters. A 1 August 1637 court record might appear to suggest he was not present in the colony. It also might be that he was imprisoned at least briefly.

William died heavily in debt. Inventory on his estate was exhibited on 29 January 1642/3 and totaled 82 pounds, 11 shillings and one pence, against which were about 250 pounds in debts. On 7 March 1642/3 administration was granted to his widow, Joan Swift of Sandwich. [2]

Joan lived for another twenty years. On October 1660 she was one of 25 people fined for being at a Quaker meeting. [2]

Joan wrote her will on 12 October 1662 and testimony was taken on 3 March 1663/4 and 7 April 1664. She left a mare foal each to Samuel and John, the sons of Daniel Wing, and one to each of her son William's children. She left her grandchild Hannah Swift her old mare: perhaps the mare or the foal was the one that later got Hannah in trouble. She left her granddaughter Experience Allen a chest of drawers and her bible. She left her linen and pewter equally to Hannah Swift and Experience Allen. She left Hannah Wing her best hat and 40 shillings. She left Jedidiah Allen and Experience Allen the "third part" of my estate. Inventory was taken on 25 December 1663 and it included 12 pounds of real estate. [2]

Children of William Swift and his first wife: All baptisms and burials in St. Mary Magdalene. [1]

i. Edward Swift was born say 1616. [1]

Edward was apprenticed to George Andrews, butcher, on 8 May 1633 in Eastcheap, London. [1] He was made free on 2 July 1640. [1]

Edward appears not to have come to New England.

ii. Hannah Swift was born say 1620. [1] She died on 31 January 1664/5. [1] She married Daniel Wing on 5 November 1642 in Sandwich. [1][4][5] Daniel was the son of John Wing. [2] He married second Anna Ewer in June 1666. [1]

iii. Mary Swift (possible daughter) was buried on 30 July 1625.

iv. Mary Swift was baptized on 21 August 1625 and buried on 4 September 1625.

Children of William and Joan Swift:

v. William Swift was baptized on 25 April 1627. He died on 7 January 1705/6 in Sandwich. He married Ruth Unknown.

vi. Esther Swift was baptized on 28 May 1629. She probably died about 1659. [1] She married first Ralph Allen "the mason" about 1646 in Sandwich. [1] She probably married second Henry Bull. [1]

vii. Sara Swift was baptized on 7 August 1631 and buried on 8 September 1631.

Children of Roger and Joan Dimbleby: All baptisms and burials in St. Mary Magdalene. [1]

i. Hester Dimbleby (probable daughter) was buried on 26 August 1625.

ii. Andrew Dimbleby was baptized on 4 May 1622 and buried on 13 May 1622.

iii. Roger Dimbleby was baptized on 13 August 1623 and buried on 10 September 1623.

iv. Roger Dimbleby was baptized on 17 October 1624 and died on 19 September 1625.

References:

1. Jane Fletcher Fiske, "William Swift, Citizen and Leatherseller of London and Planter of Sandwich, Massachusetts," The American Genealogist 77 (2002): 161–172.

2. "Great Migration 1634–1635, R–S," digitized book, AmericanAncestors.org,  originally published as:  Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634–1635, Volume VI, R–S (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009), 626–32.

3. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 2, Court Orders, 1641–1651 (Boston: William White, 1855).

4. Mrs. John E. Barclay, "Hannah (Swift) Tobey, daughter of William² Swift, and the Family of Ambrose² Fish, of Sandwich, Mass.," The American Genealogist 35 (1959): 40–43.

5. Caroline Lewis Cardell and Russell A. Lovell, Vital Records of Sandwich, Massachusetts: To the Year 1850, 2 vols. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1996).

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Last revised: 16-Feb-2024