52 Ancestors #38 - Depositions of William Dixey

William Dixey is my 1oth great-grandfather. He came from England to Lynn in 1629 and later lived in Salem and Beverly. He operated a ferry from Salem to Beverly for both people and animals. He served on a variety of juries and was a fenceviewer (1637), lotlayer (1644), and highway surveyor (1645) for the town of Salem. He rose through the ranks of those defending the community until he acquired the title of Captain. He was married to a woman called Ann or Hannah but it is not known if she was the mother of all his children. 

Both from The Great Migration Begins (see citation below)

"In a deposition taken on July 1, 1657, Ens. William Dixey, aged about fifty years, deposed that about twenty-eight years ago, Mr. Isaac Johnson, his master, wrote to the Hon. Mr. Endicott 'for a place to sitt downe in,' whereupon Mr. Endicott gave them leave to go wherever they would. They went to Saugus, now Lynn, where they met with Sagamore James and some other Indians, who gave them leave to dwell thereabouts, and they and the rest of his Master's company cut grass for their cattle, keeping them on Nahant, and had quiet possession."

Gov. John Endecott

In a deposition taken in February 1680, William Dixey described his arrival in New England:

"William Dixy of Beverly in New England aged about 73 years testifieth that I came to New England and arrived in June 1629 at Cape Ann where we found the signs of buildings & plantation work and saw no English people. So we sailed to the place now called Salem where we found Mr. John Endecot Governor & sundry habitants besides some of whom said they had been servants to the Dorchester company & had built at Cape Ann sundry years before we came over. When we came to dwell here the Indians bid us welcome & showed themselves very glad that we came to dwell among them & I understood they had kindly entertained the English that came hither before we came & the English & the Indians had a field in common fenced in together & the Indians fled to shelter themselves under the English oft times saying they were afraid of their enemy Indians in the country, in particular I remember sometime after we arrived the Agawam Indians complained to Mr. Endecott that they were afraid of other Indians called as I take it Tawateens. Hugh Browne was sent with others in a boat to Agawam for the Indians' relief & at other times we gave our neighbor Indians protection from their enemy Indians. Taken upon oath this 16th of February 1680."

Children:

1. Mary Dixey was born about 1634 and married Hugh Woodbury, son of William Woodbury. 
2. Abigail Dixey was baptized on December 25, 1636 in Salem and married John Stone.
3. Anna Dixey was baptized on June 17, 1638 in Salem and married first Nehemiah Howard on August 11, 1657 in Salem and second Thomas Judkins on November 25, 1665 in Gloucester. 
4. John Dixey was baptized on December 19, 1639 in Salem and married Elizabeth Allen on November 6, 1668 in Swansea. 
5. Elizabeth Dixey was baptized on October 17, 1641 in Salem and married Samuel Morgan on December 15, 1658 in Salem. 
6. Sarah Dixey was baptized on July 2, 1643 in Salem and married Edmund Gale by 1666. 

William Dixey
Elizabeth Dixey & Samuel Morgan
Luke Morgan & Ruth Stone
Luke Morgan Jr. & Martha Pulcifer
Samuel Morgan & Judith Dennen
Martha Morgan & William Yates
Moses Morgan & Martha Whittle
Gilbert William Yates & Laura Emmons
Estes Gilbert Yates & Eva Delphinia Hayes
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother 

Source: Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins: Immgrants to New England, 1620-1633, Vol 1-3 (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995.).