William MOULTON
Biography

William was born in 1617 in Ormsby, Norfolk, England. He was the son of John Moulton and Mary Smith.

In April 1637, William came to America. He came from Ormsby with the family of Robert Page. He was a "minor, 20 years of age" at the time. He was examined on April 11, 1637 before leaving England. William sailed aboard either the "Rose" of Yarmouth, or the "John and Dorothy" of Ipswich. The two ships sailed together and both were commanded by William Andrew and his son.

In the shipping records, William is listed as a servant to Robert Page and family. The group landed at Boston and from there, they went to Newbury, Massachusetts. A little over a year later William went with the Pages when they moved to Winnacunnett, now Hampton, New Hampshire in 1639. This was when the town was first settled. Thomas and John Moulton were also among the first settlers of Hampton. There is some evidence that these men were William's brothers. All three Moultons built houses on the same street. John Moulton, his wife and five children had sailed to America on the same ship as William. Also, aboard was a Mary Moulton, a 30 year old "wydow". William traveled to America as the servant of Robert Page. At the time, Page and his wife had three children. Margaret Page was the middle child and was 7 when they came to America.

William and Margaret married about 1645, probably in Hampton, New Hampshire. He was 28, and she was about 15. They had eight children; Joseph 1646, Benjamin 1648, Hannah 1652, Mary 1654, Sarah 1656, Ruth 1659, Robert 1661, and William 1664. All the children were born in Hampton. William received land in Hampton in the land divisions of 1645. He was elected a Selectman in 1649, 1653 and again in 1658. He was made a freeman in October 1654.

William died in April 1664 in Hampton. He was only 47 years old. He made his will about a month before his death. It was proved in October 1664. Even though he had come to America as a servant, William did well in the twenty years before he died, and left a large estate. When he died, Margaret was 8 months pregnant and their last child was born after his death. The baby was a boy and named William. Margaret remained a widow for seven years. In 1671 she married John Sanborn and probably moved to Essex, Massachusetts. (William Moulton that was born after William's death, became a famous silversmith in New England and founded the "Towle" Company.

Information from "Genealogical Dictionary of New England" Vol. 3, "Genealogy of Patty Rose", and "Moulton Annals" by Henry Moulton. Compiled by G. Lewis July 2005.

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