Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of John Fay

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Descendants of John Fay

Generation No. 1

1. JOHN¹ FAY was born 1648 in England or Wales, and died December 1690 in Marlborough, Massachusetts. He married (1) MARY BRIGHAM 1668 in Marlborough, Massachusetts, daughter of THOMAS BRIGHAM and MERCY HURD. She was born Abt. 1638 in Cambridge, Massachusetts (probable), and died 1677 in Watertown, Massachusetts. He married (2) SUSANNA SHATTUCK July 5, 1678 in Watertown, Massachusetts, daughter of WILLIAM SHATTUCK and SUSANNA. She was born 1643 in Marlborough, Mass.

Notes for JOHN FAY:
John came to America in 1656 at the age of 8 years on the "Speedwell", which had been the sister ship of the Mayflower. (It had to turn back during the Mayflower voyage, however, because it sprang a leak.) John is the father of John Jr., who married Elizabeth Wellington. President George Bush is a direct descendant of these two.

The Fay Family in America
NOTE Mr. Orlin P. Fay's book begins with the arrival of John Fay in
Boston June 27, 1656, John was by no means the first Fay to come
to America. Available Town records in New England show for
example that (1) Richard Fay resided in Dorchester Mass in 1634;
(2) Henry Fay, a weaver of Newberry Mass. died 6/30/1655 and (3)
William Fay was admitted as a townsman in Boston in 1643. These
Fays unquestionably preceded John Fay to America (1656), but
there are no records to establish any interrelationship between
any of them. On the other hand the direct lineage of the
descendents of John Fay from his birth in 1648 down to 1898 were
clearly and logically documented in the records accumulated in
Orlin P. Fay's book.

NOTE John Fay came to America at the age of 8 years on the Speedwell
(sister ship of the Mayflower), arriving in Boston Mass June 27,
1656. There is reasonable evidence that his father and a brother
Michael had preceded him to America, altho there is no documented
record of the father (David) or Michael's birth or death.
Reference is made in the early Town records of Sudbury Mass. that
the father of John and Michael was David Fay "who came to America
prior to 1656".
The passenger list of the Speedwell lists five minors, including John Fay age 8 years.
These young men were bound to Sudbury
Mass. (settled 17 years previously) where each of them had
parents or relatives. It is presumed that since John Fay was the
youngest of these minors, he very likely had parents already
residing in Sudbury.

NOTE Shortly after John Fay's arrival a group of recent immigrants,
including young John moved to a new grant which was newly
incorporated under the name of Marlboro, Mass. The early records
of Marlboro show that John Fay was made a freeman in 1669, at
which time he had a wife and child. In 1675 the name of John Fay
appears among the proprietors of Worcester Mass., and that he had
a lot of 50 acres assigned to him "in the eastern squadron, lying
next to the County road to Boston." Altho he owned land in
Worcester he continued to live in Marlboro until the marauding
Indians during the Phillips War made it necessary to move his
family to the greater security of Watertown Mass. While in
Watertown he buried his first wife (Mary Brigham) and one child.
His second marriage was to Susan [Susanna] Shattuck who was the
widow of Joseph Morse. She had 7 children by Morse and 4 by John
Fay. After John Fay's death, Susan married as her third husband,
Thomas Brigham, who was a brother of John Fay's first wife, Mary
Brigham. It is interesting to record that from Susan's last
marriage, one of her descendents was Peter Bent Brigham who left
a sum of $1,000,000 which was not to be spent until 25 years
after his death. By this time the fund had brown to $2,000,000
and was used to build the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, a world
famous medical research hospital connected with Harvard Medical
School in Boston, Mass. [The Fay Family in America, p.3]

NOTE "[There is a document in the Mid. Registry of Deeds, Vol. X., p.
105, dated Ap. 8, 1674, by which it appears that John Fay was one
of the heirs of Wm. Shattuck at that date.]" [Watertown, p. 427]

NOTE "FAY - Sept. 2, 1678, JOHN FAY, of Wat., was made one of the
feoffees in trust of estate of Raybold Bush, of Camb., who
proposes to Mary Susanna Lowell, of Beverly, Co. of Wilts, Eng.
JOHN FAY, by wife MARY, had DAVID, d. August 2, 1676. He (J.F.),
m. (2nd), July 5, 1678, wid. SUSANNA MORSE." [Watertown, p. 206]

NOTE "In a printed and attested copy of Watertown records it is stated: 'That in
1668 John Fay & Susanna Morse [nee Shattuck, i.e. a widow] were m. on the 5th
day of the 5th month, old style, and July 15th, new style. That David Fay 2d,
d. Sept. 28, 1676, and that Mary Fay, dau. of John & Mary [Brigham] Fay, d.
Aug 2, 1676.' This would give John Fay 9 chil. the above may be only a
tradition." [Fay (1898), p.19]

Notes for MARY BRIGHAM:
MARY2m daughter of Thomas and Mercy (Hurd) Brigham; born
probably in Cambridge, Mass., about 1638; died in Watertown, in
1676; married John Fay, the emigrant, who settled in Marlboro,
Mass., and died 5 May, 1690, ‘. 50.
Mary was the first Brigham born in America, and as such
deserves special mention. Paige, in his History of Cambridge (pp.
501-2), a most thorough and painstaking work, chronicles that "Mary
went to Sudbury and Marlboro with her mother, brothers and sister,
when her father died, where she married John Fay of Marlboro." And
he cites evidence, as already indicated by a legal document (Mid.
Prob. Recs., vii. 9), wherein, joining with other complainants, John
Fay and Samuel Fay, children of Mary Fay of Marlboro, and heirs of
Thomas Brigham, late of Cambridge began suit September 28, 1695, to
recover certain lands in the possession of Samuel Hastings, who
possessed also the Puritan Brigham homestead. John Fay Sr.'s wife
was Mary, and there was no other Fay in Marlboro at that time of
suitable age to be the father of said John, Jr., and Samuel Fay,
parties to said suit. Paige was undoubtedly correct, and we must
include in our genealogy of the Brighams the children of John and
Samuel Fay, sons of Mary (Brigham) Fay. Both of them had large
families, among them being sons who became the heads of numerous
branches (see Fay Family). There was also a daughter, Mary Fay,
who married Jonathan3 Brigham, her cousin, and a son of Thomas2
Brigham; they had 10 children, thus starting several male lines of
Brighams. Hudson, in his Hist. of Marlboro, does not conflict with
Paige's position; and he adds that John Fay retired (with most
other Marlboroites), during King Philip's War, to Watertown, where
he buried his wife Mary and a young son David, just coming five
years.
John Fay, the husband of Mary Brigham, came to America when he
was eight years of age. No mention is made of his parents. He is
found in Marlboro as early as 1669. He married (2) Susanna,
daughter of William Shattuck of Watertown and widow of Joseph
Morse. As will be seen, she married for her third husband, Thomas2
Brigham. [Brigham (1907) p. 63]

Children of JOHN FAY and MARY BRIGHAM are:

JOHN² FAY, JR., b. November 30, 1669; m. ELIZABETH WELLINGTON.

Notes for JOHN FAY, JR.:
President George Bush descends from this line.

	ii.	DAVID FAY, b. October 15, 1671; d. September 28, 1676.
2.	iii.	SAMUEL FAY, b. October 11, 1673, Marlboro, Massachusetts; d. October 10, 1732, Westboro, Massachusetts.
	iv.	MARY FAY, b. 1675.

Children of JOHN FAY and SUSANNA SHATTUCK are:

	v.		DAVID² FAY, b. April 23, 1679.
	vi.		GERSHOM FAY, b. October 19, 1681.
	vii.		RUTH FAY, b. July 15, 1684.
	viii.		DELIVERANCE FAY, b. October 7, 1686.

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