William Hearl

Berwick, York, ME

Death Notes

His will was proved (York County Court of Common Pleas, hereafter York County CCP, "William Hearl vs. John Hooper," Box 38, 8-133; York County Probate, #9032).

General Notes

He married, first, after 29 February 1675/6 PATIENCE ETHERINGTON, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Spencer) Etherington (Noyes, Libby & Davis, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire [Baltimore MD, reprint 1988], hereafter NLD, 323).

William married, second, about December 1703 SARAH (THOMPSON) GOODWIN, the widow of James Goodwin and a daughter of Miles and Ann ------ Thompson (NLD, 681). On 8 December 1703, William and Sarah executed an "ante-nuptial contract" (York County deeds, hereafter YCD, 7:4). The contract stipulated that, during her marriage to William, Sarah would retain control over "the land that was my late Husbands James Goodings at Sluts Corner & four cows, one feather bed and bedding belonging to it and all other household goods and utensils.

William married, third, and probably by 1709, as her third husband, ELIZABETH(GRANT) (LANDERS) TURNER who survived him. She was the daughter of either James Grant or of his brother Peter Grant, both of whom married the same woman named Joan (see NLD, 281, for a most interesting discussion of Elizabeth's uncertain parentage and the odd circumstances surrounding her birth). The date of Elizabeth's marriage to William Hearl is determined from the fact that William and Elizabeth's son, Richard, was a soldier (therefore he was at least sixteen years old in 1725. Elizabeth had married, first James Landers and, second, John Turner (NLD, 281). She owned the covenant and was baptized at the First Church of Berwick on 5 August 1714 (NEHGR, 82:77). In April 1731, Elizabeth, now a widow, sued her stepson, Etherington, over a dispute for her thirds of William's personal estate (NLD, 323).

NLD states William was "nearly related" to the John Hearl of Kittery who bought land in Berwick on 2 June 1679. "This John Hearl, husbandman, sold land on 27 August 1681, one Thomas Hearl being a witness (YCD 3:130). John was alive and probably living at Berwick as late as 1695 (NLD, 323). On 9 November 1747, two of William's grandchildren sold property that was "granted unto John Hearl by the town of Kittery 28 July 1679" which they stated was an "Estate of inheritance" (YCD 28:112). William named a son John, possibly his eldest son. William was also seemingly related to one Allen Furs/Virrs, an early planter at Newichawannock whose estate William administered in 1718 (York County Probate #6456). On 8 April 1713, Furs gifted to William "for the love I bear unto my loving cousin William Hearl Sr." 15 acres in Berwick (YCD 20:220). Another William Hearl, born circa 1614, was a fisherman at Richmond Island from 1638 to 1640, then reportedly went to the Piscataqua in 1641 and was a resident of Portsmouth from 1657 onwards (NLD, 323). He dated his will 17 May 1689 in which he named only one child, a daughter Sarah (ibid.).

William first appears in the records in 1678 when he was questioned for failure to assist the constable (NLD, 323). He bought land south of the Great Works river in Berwick in 1690 (ibid.) and, on 5 April 1699, he purchased 24 acres in Berwick, bounding property owned by Richard Nason, Thomas Spencer and Daniel Goodwill (YCD 6:69). In 1703 he received a grant from the Town of Kittery of 50 acres in Berwick (NLD, 323).

In his will, William named his wife Elizabeth, his sons Athrington [i.e. Etherington], Thomas, James, John, William and Richard, and his daughter Margaret Lord.. He also referred to the "children of my daughter Mary Hambleton dec." and left bequests to his granddaughters, Patience Hambleton and Martha Lord. His son Etherington was named executor and "my loving Friends" Mr. Humphrey Chadbourne and Mr. James Grant were appointed trustees and overseers of the will.

The inventory of his estate included 24 acres of land comprising the homestead and 50 acres of outland (York County Probate, 4:80), obviously the same properties that William acquired in 1699 and 1703. The 24-acre homestead, which included "20 acres of woodland near Nathl. Goodwin's land ... being my part of Thomas Spencers 100 acre lot," was left to son Etherington. Sons Thomas and James were left the 50-acre grant near to Gellisons place" to be equally divided between them. The other living children were left small monetary sums, with son Richard to receive 10 Pounds "when he becomes 21 years." The two granddaughters each received a feather bed.

Click here for details of William's family with Patience Etherington