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Miles,
I am not of this line, just passing along some info that may help.
From the Boston Public Library a transcribe of a book "The Backus Family of Early New England" by Reno Warburton Backus in 1966.
This book contains approximately 200 pages of Backus info, you may want to inquire about it.
Page 13
THIRD GENERATION
William, eldest son of William Backus, Jr., and Sarah (Charles) Backus (page 11, was born May 11, 1660, presumably at Saybrook just before the transfer of his parents to the settlement which was to become Norwich. On Nov. 3, 1681, he married Elizabeth Royce, who was born January, 1661, daughter of Jonathan and Deborah (Calkins) Royce, both of English descent (see appendix D). Elizabeth died March 28, 1687/8 (122), some months after the birth of her third child. The New London County Records, 1689-1703, pp. 31 and 41, show that on the death of Jonathan Royce a bequest of fifteen pounds was left to William.
Four years after the death of his first wife, William married Mary Benton, on August 31, 1692. She was the daughter of Edward and Mary Benton (121, 122), the name often being given incorrectly as Dunton (see appendix D). Mary died Dec. 16, 1757.
When William was settled in 1691, after some years of delay, William transferred his property in Norwich to his father and received in return one of the land portions assigned to his father in the new territory known as "Joshua's Tract", so becoming one of the 22 origial settlers of that town. Larned's interesting History of Windham County (130) related "In 1691....William and Joseph (apparently meaning John3) Backus had broken up land, built houses and established themselves in the Hither-place - on what is now the west side of old Windham Street...In the autumn of 1691, the residents of the New Plantation now numbering about thirty, felt themselves sufficiently established to undertake the management of a township...and made know their wishes." The petition was signed by eleven men, including William and John Backus. The Hither-place, where the home lots of William and John were situated, later became Windham Center; there were two other settlements, one known as the Ponde place, becoming Mansfield Centre, the other, Willimantic. A portion of William's home lot was later purchased in 1700 by Mr. Whiting (later the town pastor) and Ensign Crane, and made over by them to the town for use as a meeting-house common. This was the nucleus of Windham Green, and a meeting house was soon erected. (See appendix C).
William was appointed Sergeant of the Windham train band in 1692. He was also "poundkeeper and hayward for the great field at the South end." In 1707 he was on a committee to select a burying ground. It is to be assumed that he
Page 14
maintained himself and family chiefly by farming. Apparently as William became aged, misfortune or mismanagement overtook him, for in April, 1730, "The proprietors of the town, considering that William Backus was one of the acient inhabitants of the town and now attained to old age and reduced to poverty, gave him and his wife Mary, one and one half acres of land and to his son Ephraim after him". This suggests that the parents may have spent their declining years with this, their yougest son. (122) William died in Windham January 25, 1742. The children by William Backus -
A. By Elizabeth (Royce) Backus:
1. Sarah, b. at Norwich Feb. 3, 1682/3; believed to have married Nov. 4, 1702, Joseph Bennett of Stonington (149, 80:108).
2. John, born at Norwich, Apr. 3, 1685.
3. William, b. at Norwich Oct. 3, 1687; d. at Windham Apr. 1, 1695.
B. By Mary (Benton) Backus:
4. Samuel, b. at Windham July 5, 1693; m. Dec. 2, 1719, Sarah Gard. (see p. 19)
5. Abigail, twin of Samuel; d. Sept. 26, 1693
6. Mary, b. at Windham Dec. 22(?), 1694.
7. Daniel, b. at Windham Oct. 27, 1696.
8.William (2nd of this name), b. Apr. 1, 1697 or 1698; d. Jan. 25, 1707/8. (This individual record is in some doubt, as a 3rd William appears below, with date of birth occurring before reported death of the 2nd William).
9. Hannah, b. at Windham Nov. 1, 1699.
10. Peter, b. at Windham Apr. 25, 1701; m. Feb, 7, 1728/9, Mary Arnold.
11. William (3rd), b. at Windham Apr. 4, 1702; d. Mar. 5, 1776; m. 1)Mar. 24, 1728, Sarah Bennett; 2) Nov. 3, 1742, Mary Dimmock (or Dimock), who d. 1793. Children of William Backus
By Sarah (Bennett) Backus:
a. Anne, b. June 1, 1732.
b. Stephen, b. May 27, 1734
c. Sarah, b. Aug. 15, 1736
By Mary (Dimmock) Backus:
d. Lydia, b. at Windham Mar. 28, 1745; m. Apr. 30, 1767, Demetrius Backus of Windham, her first cousin.
?(An Abigail, b. Feb. 25, 1701 is listed in the Windham Vital Records as a child of William, but appears inconsistent with record above).
12. Stephen, b. Windham Mar. 12, 1704; d. Aug. 9, 1783?
13. Ephraim, b. at Windham May 25, 1708; m. Oct. 10, 1734, Colaty Vining, who was b. ca. 1709, d. Jan. 22, 1801. Ephraim d. Feb. 28, 1785. Children:
a. Colaty, b. June 8, 1736; d. Sept. 1796.
b. Zerviah, b. May 17, 1738; m. John Rouse?
c. Mary, b. Sept. 4, 1740; d. Dec. 15, 1741.
d. Rufus, b. Oct. 15, 1742; d. May 4, 1774.
e. Demetrius, b. May 31, 1745; d. 1812; m. Apr. 30, 1767. his first cousin, Lydia Backus (see above), who was b. Mar. 28, 1745. Their children:
1. Stephen, b. Mar. 10, 1768, d. Aug. 9, 1783.
2. Shubael, b. Dec. 1, 1779, d. Mar. 27, 1781.
f. Mary, b. Feb. 19, 1747/8; d. Mar 14, 1798.
g. Hannah, b. Nov. 16, 1750; d. Dec. 13, 1839.
References: 153, 187, 122, 184, 159.
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Cheers and good luck,
Glenn Campbell
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