Abiel Cheney

Other Events and Attributes:

• Moved To: 1662, Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts
• Will: 30 Apr 1667, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; He is mentioned in his father's will.
• History: 1676; He first lived in Medfield, Mass. then removed to Dorchester, Mass. in 1676 It appears that William had both a wife and a mistress. He had obviously left his wife and was living with Sarah Daniels for a time. In his father's will of 1677 appear the following words: "I bequeath unto my sonn William Cheiney all that lying & being in medfield, latly in the possession of my said son upon this condition or proviso that hee & his wife Deborah bee Reconsiled & live together in Meadfeild or Elsewhere, to the sattisfaction of John Wisewell of Boston & Deacon Williams of Roxbury." By 1670, they were together again if the births of children are an indicator. In his will, he mentions his wife and brother Joseph. He also gives Lydia Winsor ten shillings "for going of errands for me in my late imprisonment."
• Will: 15 May 1686, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; He is mentioned in his mother's will.

Notes:

Died:
He died by being hung. He was found guilty of rape of a young servant girl living under his roof, however his wife, Deborah, called the victim, Experience Holbrook, the daughter of Capt. Joseph and Elizabeth Holbrook, a "lying wench."

William married Deborah Wiswel in say 1657 in Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Deborah was christened on 30 May 1641 in Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; died on 26 Feb 1717/18 in Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Married: say 1682; Ebenezer Williams, the son of William and Sarah Williams. He was born in Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Land/House: 1640, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; In the oldest record book of Roxbury, following an entry in 1640 is a list of inhabitants, with Wm Cheney listed as having 24½ acres.
• History: 1645; William was one of the subscribers and one of only a few who guaranteed the yearly payment for a public school
• Offices Held: 21 Feb 1648, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; He was on the Board of Assessors.
• Offices Held: 1654/55, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; He was appointed a Constable.
• Offices Held: 19 Jan 1656/57, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; He was elected a Selectman.
• Offices Held: 1663; He was chosen for the public school board of directors even though he could neither read nor write.
• Religion: 05 Mar 1664/65, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; William was admitted to full communion in the Roxbury Church.
• Freeman: 23 May 1666, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
• Will: 30 Apr 1667, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; Being sick in body, & of perfect understanding & memory according to my measure, I make this my last will & testament. My will is, that my deare & afflicted wife, Margaret Cheiney, be carfully & sufficiently provided for during the time of her life, & to that end my will is, that she have all the rents & proffitts yearely, & every years, during the afresayd tearms, of all my houses, lands, & orchards, that I die possessed of, wither in Roxbury, Boston, or els where, except such part of my lands or estate which I shall here after in this my will dispose of to my children or otherwise, which estate bequeathed by me unto my sayad wife, it is my will, that she enter upon & be possessed of immediately after my decease (to witt) the present cropp upon all the land & the use of all my household stuffe & goods, my debtts & funerall expenses being in the first place with all convenient speed fully discharged; & for my wifes more comfortable being, my desire is, that one of my executors may live in my house in Roxbury, with her, to injoy the housing & lands by the yeare which I have as is aforesayd given unto my wife, upon such equall termes as my other executor & overseers shall agree with him for, but in case both my executors see cause to refuse to accept of this motion in answer to my desire herein, then my will is, that it be let outt by my executors & overseers to the best advantage for my wife comfortable maintenance. When all my debts & Legacies are discharged out of my stock & husbandry utensills, as cartts, plows & such like, what remaines of my stock afterwards, my will is, it be let out or disposed of for my wifes use by my executors, with the advice of my overseers; And my will is, that all my moveables be for my wifes use during her life, except what is before disposed. And in case what is above expressed be not sufficient for the comfortable maintenance of my wife, then my will is, that the house at Boston be sold & improved for her further & better supply. I bequeath unto my sonne, John Cheiney, all that land both Aeirable & pasture lying on the east side of the great lotts, being with in the great lotts, being twenty accres, more or lesse, being nowe in the possession of the sayd John. Allso, I give to my sayd sonne, a percell of meadow in the fresh meades being two accres, be the same more or lesse, as it lyeth on the south of a ditch made to dreine the sayd meadow. Also I give unto him one accre of salt marsh, be it more or lesse, as it lyeth bounded with a Breeke next the marsh of John Bowles, formerly Isaack Heaths. Also I give unto him eitht accres of land, mor or lesse, lying neare the house of William Hopkinns, All & every of these percells of lands my will is, that my sayd sonne John, be possessed of immediately after my decease. I give to my sonne, William Cheiney, all my land lying in Medfield, lately in the possession of my sayd sonne, upon this condition or promise, that he & his wife, Deborah, be reconsiled & live together in Meedfield or ells where to the satisfaction of John Wiswall, of Boston, & Deacon Parke of Roxbury, but not in Providence or that Jurisdiction; provided allso, that what either my selfe or Deacon William Parke have allready payd, or doe stand ingaged for unto the Court in his behalfe, be first repayd & fully discharged by him, his heirs, or assignes; but otherwise, if my sayd sonne neglect or refuse to accept it with these provisoes, then my will is, that twenty pounds be payd to John Wiswall of Boston, out of my estate. To sonne, Joseph Cheiney, £60 (to witt) my land lying in the third devission, being thirty seaven accres, more or lesse, & twenty pounds to be payd to my sayd sonne, Joseph, out of my stock. My will is, that my three daughters (to witt) Ellin, Margret & mehitobell, have each of them £10 payd to them out of my stock. After my wifes decease, my will is, first that all my houses & lands in Roxbury undisposed of before by this will, I doe give unto two sonnes of my eldest sonne, Thomas Cheiney (to witt) his sonne, Thomas, & his sonne, William to be improved for their beniffitt by ther father untill they are 21 years old, then to be injoyed by them. What remaines of my estate after my wifes decease wither in stock or otherwise, in housing or lands (in any other towne) or estate in any kind undisposed of by this my will, My will is, that one halfe of it be given to my sonne, Joseph Cheiney, & for the other halfe thereof, my will is, that it be Devided into four equall parts, & so dispose of it to my sonne, John Cheiney, & to my three aforesayd daughters, to each of them an equall portion thereof. I make my two sonnes, Thomas Cheiney & Thomas Hasting, the executors of this my will, requesting my friends Mr. John Eliot, Deacon William Parke, & Edward Denison to be overseers. Aprill the last, sixty seaven. Witnesse, William X Cheiney John Newell, Samuell Scarborow [Suffolk Probate #458, proved July 30, 1667]
• Inventory: 10 Jul 1667, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; William's estate was inventoried and valued at £886 11/4.
• Probate/Proved: 30 Jul 1667, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts

Notes:

Name:


Religion:
The date was recorded as 5th 1m 1664/5

Buried:
His burial date was recorded as "1667. Moneth 5 day 2."

William married Margaret Cule about 1626 in England. Margaret was born before 1612 in England; died on 2 Jul 1686 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; was buried on 3 Jul 1686 in Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Will: 30 Apr 1667, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; She is mentioned in her husband, William Cheney's will.
• Religion: 1673, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; The following appears in the Roxbury church records: "1673, 24.3m. Margaret Cheany widow having been long bound by Satan under a melancholick distemper, (above 10 or 11 yeares) wch made her wholy neglect her Calling & live mopishly, this day gave thanks to God for loosing her chain, & confessing, & bewailing her sinful yielding to temptation." During this time, her son, Thomas, had left his Cambridge farm and lived with her.
• Deed: 1679; In 1679, she is listed as "Magaret Budge of Roxbury in New England, widow, Relict of William Cheney." on a deed.
• Moved to: 1682, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; On 9 April 1682, she was dismissed from the Roxbury church to the South Church in Boston, and on 19 May 1682 was received into that church
• Will: 15 May 1686, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; She mentions her children: Joseph, Margaret, William, and John as well as her grandson Benjamin.

Notes:

Name:

Notes:

Birth:
His birth date is based on his age given as 46 years on his marriage license.

John married ElizabethEngland. Elizabeth died in Jun 1614 to Nov 1614 in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]