Alice Abbott, wife of William Wallis of Greenland, N.H.

On 22 January 1768, William Wallis of Epsom, yeoman and Alice my wife heretofore Alice Abbott for twenty-three pounds sold to Mark Noble of Portsmouth, "one sixth part of that Lott of Land in Portsmouth aforesaid therefore of the Estate of Susanna Pitman."  [Rockingham County Deed 79:458].  This deeds proves that the wife of William^4-3-2 Wallis was Alice Abbott, the daughter of Reuben and Susanna (Shortridge) Abbott.  Susanna (Shortridge) Abbott remarried and became the Susanna Pitman of Portsmouth and the one sixth part was Alice's share of her mother's estate.  Administration to the estate of Susanna Pitman was granted on 6 August 1767 to Mark Noble. [N.H. State Papers 39:32].  Reuben Abbott left a will dated 20 March 1744/45 in which he mentions his wife Susanna, three sons: Reuben, Benjamin and Moses; and daughters Margaret Libby, Alice, Esther and Mary Abbott (all unmarried).  [N.H. State Papers 33:257] So Alice was unmarried by then, but likely married soon thereafter, say 1746.

William sells land several times and Alice releases her dower on many of these deeds, the last of which was dated 13 April 1784 [Rockingham County Deeds 117:80].  They had the following children (list incomplete and order uncertain):  

1. William Weymouth⁵ Wallis born ca. 1747, who as Weymouth Wallis married at Rye on 8 July 1772, his first cousin, Martha Wallis, daughter of Samuel⁴ (William³) and Phebe (Libby) Wallis.  A revolutionary war soldier, Weymouth eventually settled in Sandwich, N.H.
2. Reuben⁵ Wallis, born ca. 1756 who married at Greenland in January 1785, Elizabeth Rand, daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Dowse) Rand.  Reuben eventually settled in Sanbornton and either died there or at New Hampton, N.H.
3. Jane Moses Wallis, Simeon Wallis, and Nanny Wallis, all of whom were baptized at Epsom in 1769 and 1770.

Many sources have mistaken the two generations of Williams in this family assigning William Weymouth⁵ Wallace with a mythical wife named Alice Doe.  As we can see the name Alice is correct and belongs to his mother.  Care must be taken that this William is distinguished from his first cousin William⁴ (Samuel³) who married Comfort Cotton and died before 24 March 1747 when administration of his estate was granted to his widow [N.H. State Papers 33:441].  This William⁴ is the father of the William⁵ who settled in Epsom, then Nottingham, eventually dying in Pittsfield and is the father of John⁶ of Sanbornton.  John and Reuben are related distantly, being second cousins, once removed.

Comments

[Barbara]

I've been reading your Wallis posts over the last few days and have found them very interesting. I noticed in your William Weymouth summary you do not refernce his will which lists his oldest son William, second son Samuel, a daughter and son-in-law (whose names I can not read) and a youngest daughter Sarah Hadley, wife of Joseph Hadley. He is living with the Hadleys when he dies in 1843. The will was dated Jan 15 1836 and recorded in January 1844. Anyway, that's where you can find more of his children.

[Martin Hollick]

Can you please give a precise citation to William Weymouth Walliss will? Is it Carroll County Probate #5828 or 5328?