William French

M, b. circa 1603, d. 20 November 1681
Relationship11th great-grandfather of Pamela Joyce Wood
Last Edited22 Jan 2019
     William French married Elizabeth (?) at England.1,2 William French was born circa 1603 at England; Many sources list him as bapt at Halstead 15 Mar 1603, but this was disproven. That particular William French died in England. There seems to be another William French in Halstead b. 1606, but little information is found for him.2 He married Mary Lathrop on 6 May 1669.1 William French died on 20 November 1681 at Billerica, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts.2
     William French came to America on the ship "Defence" in the summer of 1635, first settling at Cambridge, but by 1652 was one of the original proprietors of Billerica, Massachusetts. He was a lieutenant in the militia, and later captain. He held many assorted positions within the town - among them, Representative of Billerica to the General Court in Boston. He was also very interested in the education of children and Indians.2

Family 1

Elizabeth (?) b. c 1605, d. 31 Mar 1668
Child

Family 2

Mary Lathrop

Citations

  1. [S62] William R. Cutter, New England Families, p. 1458.
  2. [S500] NEHGS Online, online at http://www.americanancestors.org, 1890, Vol 44, p. 367 - William French and His Descendants.