Brief Life History of William
When William Reed was born on 24 September 1739, in Westford, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, his father, Samuel Read, was 28 and his mother, Abigail Cummings, was 22. He married Priscilla Emery on 7 October 1762, in Westford, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 8 sons and 5 daughters. He died on 12 July 1817, in Hollis, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States, at the age of 77, and was buried in Congregational Church Cemetery, Hollis, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States.
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Family Time Line
Sources (36)
- Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850
- William Read, "Find A Grave Index"
- William Junr. Read, "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001"
Spouse and Children
Children (13)
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Parents and Siblings
World Events (7)
1743
Oldest grave seen in Memorials list.
1776
Thomas Jefferson's American Declaration of Independence endorsed by Congress. Colonies declare independence.
1776
New Hampshire is 9th state.
Name Meaning
English and Scottish: nickname from Middle English and Older Scots red(e) ‘red’, no doubt denoting someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
English: from Middle English ride, rede, rude (Old English rīed, rēod, rȳd) ‘clearing’. The surname may be topographic for someone who lived in or near a clearing, or habitational, for someone who lived at one of a number of places so named, including Rede Court in Strood (Kent), Rides in Eastchurch (Kent), Ride Way in Ewhurst (Surrey), and Reed Farm in Wadhurst (Sussex). The word is particularly common in the southeastern counties of England, from Kent to the Isle of Wight. See also Rider and Reader .
English: habitational name from Read (Lancashire), Reed (Hertfordshire), or Rede (Suffolk). The Lancashire placename derives from Old English rǣge ‘roe, female roe deer’ + hēafod ‘head’. The Hertfordshire placename derives from Old English rȳhth ‘rough piece of ground’. The etymology of the Suffolk placename is uncertain.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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