he name of Edward1 Perry first
appears in the records of Sandwich, Plymouth Colony, for November
1652 when he was a member of a committee to acquire and store
fish for the towns use. In 1653 he was appointed a grand
juryman. He was surveyor of highways in 1657, 1658, and 1674. As
early as 1654 he was fined for conduct unacceptable to the
established church. Efforts to determine Edwards parentage
and his relationship to others of the Perry name who were present
in the Town of Sandwich, Mass. have so far been difficult.
Historian Samuel Eliot Morison in his book, Old Bruin
comments, "The utmost efforts of genealogists employed by
his more affluent descendants have failed to discover who Edwards
parents were or from what part of England he came, although
tradition states that Edward was from Devonshire". It seems
reasonable to suppose that Hannah Perry Dillingham and Deborah
Perry Harper, who were members of the Sandwich Society of Friends,
were relatives. Margaret Perry, who married Edmund Freeman, Jr.,
and thus was sister-in-law to Edward Perry, may have also been a
relative. Ezra Perry, another Perry of Sandwich, was not
associated with the Friends, but even so it seems likely that he
too, was related to this Edward1 Perry. The Plymouth
Colony Court records contain this entry, "7 Jun 1659 - Ezra
Perry is allowed by the Court to be Executor of the Estate of
Sarah Perry, there being noe other (although she hath many
friends in the Country), that claimeth interest in the Estate,
having put in securities into the Court to be accountable for the
Estate encase it shall be required by any that hath better title
thereto..." The wording of this entry demonstrates clearly
that Sarah Perry had no blood relatives in Sandwich, but may have
been closely connected to Ezra, and perhaps Edward1,
by marriage. It has been suggested that she was step-mother to
Ezra, and that he had claim to her estate based on the right to a
dower residue. It could be argued that the Perry family group
came to Sandwich with a widowed step-mother in order to live
under the protection of one of the pioneer Sandwich families to
whom the widow's husband and/or these minor children may have
been closely related. Edward1 Perry married about 1653.
From this fact it has been assumed he was born about 1630. The
Plymouth Colony records contain an entry for 7 Mar 1654 under the
heading of "fines": "Edward Perry, for unorderly
proceeding, contrary to order of the Court, about his marriage,
is fined five pound." On the same date: "Thomas Tupper,
for his negligence in not causing Edward Perry, of Sandwidg, to
bee by him orderly married, being by the Court appointed to merry
persons there, was required henceforth to desist, and is not
intrusted with that business any more." On 6 Jun 1654 the
Court again imposed a fine: "Edward Perry, for refusing to
have his marriage rattifyed before Mr. Prence according to the
order of Court, is fined five pounds for this present Court, and
soe five pounds for every Generall Court that shall bee during
the time of his said neglect for the future." Edward Perry
was one of many colonists whose religious beliefs differed from
the majority view. About 1657, he joined the newly formed Society
of Friends. Regularly throughout the years his name appeared in
the court records. In 1658, 1659, and 1660 he and other Quakers
were fined for refusing the oath of fidelity. In 1659 he was
fined for "using threatning speeches" to the marshall.
In 1663 he was called to account for a "rayling letter which
hee wrote to the Court". Nevertheless, he was respected
enough to be appointed to share in community duties. In 1671 he
and Ezra Perry were to view the damage done to the Indians by the
"Horses and Hoggs of the English" and he and James
Skiffe were appointed to "have inspection of the ordinaries".
Reportedly, Edward was the clerk of the Sandwich meeting of
Friends from 1672 to 1694. One historian states that Edward was
the author of several tracts setting forth the Quaker philosophy.
This claim has not yet been substantiated. Edward Perry named his
wife Mary as executrix of his will written at Sandwich 29 Dec
1694. The will was proved 12 Apr 1695. Edward requested that he
be buried at "Spring Hill burying place, among my friends
there". This spot is a short distance from the present
Quaker meeting house and cemetery in Sandwich, Mass. Nine
children were named in his will, all referred to by their first
names only. Was Edward1 Perry a younger brother to
Ezra Perry of Sandwich? Certainly one cannot rely on a naming
pattern to prove relationship, but such patterns sometimes can
offer clues for further research. The names Ezra and Edward Perry
chose for their children have interesting similarities. Some
suggest that Deborah (Perry) Harper of Sandwich was a sister to
Ezra and Edward, possibly named for their mother. It has been
postulated that Sarah Perry of Sandwich was step-mother to Ezra,
and the name Sarah appears in both Ezras and Edwards
families. Perhaps the childrens names of Samuel and
Benjamin memorialized older kinsmen left behind in England. At
this time, no one knows for sure! The above notes were taken from
Rhode Island Descendants of Edward Perry by Rosemary
Canfield of Pacific Grove, CA 1988. She used the following
sources as well: "Ezra Perry of Sandwich, Mass. (c. 1625 -
1689)," in the New England Genealogical Register #115, (1961):
88; History of Barnstable Co., Mass. by Simeon L. Deyo,
New York: H.W. Blake & Co., 1890. 1:174; Vital Records of
Rhode Island, 1636 - 1850 by James N. Arnold. 21 volumes,
Providence: Narragansett Historical Publishing Co., 1891 - 1912.
7:100, 116; 4:54; One Hundred and Sixty Allied Families
by John Osborne Austin, Salem, Mass.: 1893. [STACYN.GED]
From perry.dec. Married Mary Freeman (1631-1695) [John Paine, "The Freemans," NEHGR, xx, 59. [BINGHAM.GED]