Essex County, Massachusetts was created on May 10, 1643 by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when it ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four sheires."
Their children included;
Elisha Perkins, Jr. (1714, married Lucy Tarbox),
Isaac Perkins (1717, married Elizabeth Perkins daughter of Robert Perkins and Elizabeth Towne),
John Perkins (1719/20),
Thomas Perkins (1723/24, married Martha Pierce) and
Moses Perkins (1732, married Anna Cummings, daughter of David Cummings (1698)).
When Mary's aunt, Hannah Estey Abbot became a widow in January, 1723/24. She lived with John and Mary.
When her sister, Abigail Estey Cummings, died on January 10, 1729/30, she became her niece, Abigail Cummings Sibley’s guardian.
Three daughters of William Towne and Joanna Blessing were wrongly accused of practicing witchcraft in Salem. Rebecca Towne Nurse, Mary Towne Estey, and Sarah Towne Bridges Cloyes were persecuted in 1692. The children of people in the line below are all descendants of Mary Estey.
Old Style Calendar
Before 1752 the year began on Lady Day, March 25th,. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year. Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) are used to indicate whether the year has been adjusted. Often both dates are used.
The settlement of New Meadows was incorporated as the Town of Topsfield in 1650. The church "gathered" on November 4, 1663. The third Meeting House was built in 1703 with Rev. Joseph Capen as pastor.
Early European settlers in the American colonies were mostly farmers and craftsmen. They had to work hard to provide daily neccesities for themselves.
