Risley

Richard Risley and Rebecca Adams b. 1648

/ Kirstin Miller

Richard Risley and Rebecca Adams 9th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree.

Richard Risley was born in Hartford, Connecticut on August 2, 1648. His dad, also Richard Risley, died soon after. Richard and siblings are mentioned in their dad’s estate, “There are three children viz. one daughter by name Sarah Rissly, between 7 and 8 one son by name Samuel Rissly about 2 years old and one son by name Rich: Rissly about 3 months old, distribution to children, daughters age 18, sons age 21. William Hill guiding security to the Court for the payment of the several children portions”. Richard’s mom married William Hill. The Risley Hill family stayed in Hartford. Richard was executor of William Hill’s will at his death in 1683.

Rebecca Adams was born in August 1658 in Hartford. Her grandpa Jeremy Adams was somewhat famous in Hartford during his lifetime. He ran the tavern there and is an ‘original founder’ of the place. Rebecca died 12 years before Richard at age 58.

View of Hartford at Library of Congress

In 1675 Richard and Rebecca married and they had 12 children. The family lived on the east side of the Connecticut River, then called the Great River. Richard owned land, some of it inherited by him and Rebecca, from their fathers and grandfathers.

Richard testified in court on a land ownership issue for his wife’s Adams relatives. “The testimony of Richard risley Sr. Hartford May ye 20th 1726 … I Richard Risly of Hartford Do of my Certain Knowledge Know yt my father John Addams formerly of Hartford Deceased, had seven Children viz : 4 sons and three Daughters : I married one of ye Daughters … ye sisters are all Deceased but they have Left Children as I herd by Jeremiah Adoms … ye above written I am Ready to testifle to If Cald, witness my hand Richard Risle.”

Rebecca died in 1716. Richard died October 19, 1728 in Hartford. They are probably buried in the Ancient Burying Ground, in Hartford, next to Center Church which was The First Church of Christ in their time, founded in 1632.

Richard and Rebecca’s great granddaughter Prudence married David Gaines, whose grandson Obed Gaines was in Iowa in 1854. In Iowa Obed’s granddaughter Mary Ella married James Miller and their grandson Faber was born in there in 1905.

Sources

Samuel Risley b. 1679

/ Kirstin Miller

Samuel Risley 8th great grandpa on RootsMagic tree.

Samuel Risley was born in 1679 in Hartford, Connecticut, one of 12 children of Richard and Rebecca Adams Risley. Samuel’s grandfathers Richard Risley and Jeremy Adams, born in England in 1615, were in Hartford in the 1630s and were “original proprietor[s] of Hartford”.

Samuel married Rebecca Gaines on August 1, 1704. They had 9 children. In Hartford, Samuel, like his dad, was a fence viewer. Elected in 1703, 1707 and 1712, he  inspected fences and made judgements on property line arguments  for people and grazing livestock.

In 1713 the Risley family moved to Glastonbury, still in Hartford County about 15 south along the Connecticut River. Samuel’s older brother John lived there with his family too.

Samuel died on February 6, 1756 and is buried at Old Eastbury Cemetery in Glastonbury, Connecticut. His gravestone is weathered but still there. HIs gravestone is  intricate with a heart at the bottom and a face at the top and inscribed, “In memory of Mr Samuel Risley who died Febr 6th 1755 in ye 77th Year of his Age”.

Find a grave memorial

In 1752 Samuel wrote his will: “In the name of God Amen this 9th day of May, 1752, I, Samuel Risley of Glastonbury being, of a disposing mind and memory (thro’ God’s Goodness) do make and ordain this to be my last will and Testament as follows: My mind and will is that my just debts and funeral charges be first paid out of my moveable Estate. I give and bequeath to my Beloved Wife Rebecca one hundred and fifty pounds out of my moveable Estate old Tennor [money] and also ye free use and improvement of ye one half of my dwelling house and cellar and three acres of land by said house as long as she shall Remain my widow.” Samuel’s sons and daughters inherited old Tennor [money] and lands. Thomas, the youngest son was in charge of the estate. 

Samuel’s 2nd great grandson Obed Gaines, born in Vermont, was in Iowa by 1854, 8 years after Iowa became a state. Samuel’s 6th great grandson Faber Miller was born there in Iowa, in 1905.

Sources

David Gaines and Prudence Risley b. 1732

/ Kirstin Miller

David Gaines and Prudence Risley 6th great parents on RoostMagic tree

David Gaines was born on June 25, 1732 in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Prudence Risley was born September 26, 1735 in the same place. The Gaines family had been in America since 1637, the Risley family since 1633, both families arrived from England.

David  married Prudence in 1754 in Glastonbury, CT. They had 5 sons and 2 daughters, the family moved north from Glastonbury, Connecticut to Northfield, Massachusetts to Guilford, Vermont.  Guilford is on the Vermont and Massachusetts border, southern Vermont in between … Sweet Pond and Satan’s Kingdom … One source states the Gaines farm was “near the state line”.  Guilford was the biggest town in Vermont from 1791-1820, today it’s population is about 2000.

David’s dad Nathaniel died in 1755 David and his brothers inherited land, David signed the will. The Gaines family was on the 1790 US Federal Census, the first federal census. The 2020 US Census was the 24th, run every 10 years.  On this first census one name, the head of house is recorded. Others in the house were recorded by age and gender. In the snapshot column 1 is males 16 and older,  column 2 males younger than 16, column 3 is all females.  David Gaines is 2nd in the snapshot, Joseph Gaines is at the bottom. 

Sons David and Joseph each married a Tubbs sister. David married Elizabeth, Joseph married Abigail Tubbs. Joseph and Abigail’s son Obed Gaines went west to Iowa where his granddaughter Mary Ella Gaines married James Miller, they’re the grandparents of Faber Miller, my grandpa.

David died July 31, 1813 and Prudence died April 15 1816. They are buried in Maplehurst Cemetery in Guilford- with matching headstones. Gaines family burials are 32 of the 235 burials in this small country cemetery.

Sources

  • 1790 United States census at FamilySearch.org
  • Find a grave memorials 21747459 and 21747457
  • The New England historical and genealogical register 1931 Volume 85
  • Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954 at FamilySearch.org
  • Guilford , Vermont map at Google

Richard Risley b. 1709

/ Kirstin Miller

Richard Risley 7th great grandpa on RootsMagic tree

Richard was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut on July 24, 1709. On September 24, 1729 he married Hannah Smith. They had 8 or 9 children and lived in Bolton, Connecticut. Richard was a widow in 1785 then married Mary Smith. On the 1790 census Richard is head of house living, probably, with a son with 2nd wife Mary.

Richard died in 1792. There’s no record of his will. His probate was on August 7, 1792 with Joseph Carver (no clues on who this person was) and Mary the widow as executors. The inventory of Richard’s estate included: One great coat, one bed with pillows and bolsters, 16 runs of linen yarn, a trunk, a chest of drawers, a tea kettle, pewter plates and cups, some livestock, 20 acres of land. An estate sale was held on April 18, 1793. Handwritten inventories of the 1600 and 1700s seemed to include every thing the person owned from buttons and seeds to land and livestock.

Risley, Richard estate papers page 4

Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 at Ancestry

Sources