Deacon Humphrey AVERY

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Humphrey Avery was a freeman of Groton. In deeds given and received, he called himself a carpenter. He was justice of the peace for New London County, 1733, 1737, 1740, 1742, and as such was ordered, with others, "To perambulate the dividend boundary line" between Connecticut and Rhode Island and to set up the monuments. He was deputy from Groton from 1733 to 1735 inclusive, 1738, 740, 1741, 1743 (Conn. Col. Rec., 7: 403, 4420, 424, 464, 482, 545 & 8:28, 81, 159, 188, 224, 551). He was deacon, 1730; tythingman, 1730; lister, 1732; selectman, 1736. February 12, 1738, he was appointed to defend Groton's rights at the ferry. May 5, 1741, he and Christopher Avery were members of a committee to collect money from the sale of western lands belonging to the town. In 1747, he was deputy from Preston, to which place he had moved about 1745. He called himself of Preston, FEb. 4, 1750, at which time he sold land in a new township north of Wendellstown, Mass., to Bartholomew Arthur; Feb. 13, 1751, he sold land in the same township to John Maclewean; also to Daniel Lothrop and to Obadiah Gore (Springfield Deeds, U:150, 337 & X:542, 544). He was one of the Susquehanna company, Wyoming Valley, n the Susquehanna River, was purchased by the Connecticut Susquehanna Company fro the Six Nations in 1754. In 1769, a body of forty connecticut pioneers came to this region, but found the Pennsylvanians on the ground, the Indians having sold them the same tract the year before. From that time until the Revolution the conflicts between the two parties were numerous and bitter. Humphrey Avery and all of his sons owned shares in this company.

Humphrey Avery bought a large tract of land in Winthrop's Patent, Long Island, stretching four miles along South Bay and extending seven miles back into the interior. Becoming involved in debt by fire and sickness, he procured the passage of an act by the New York legislature in 1756, authorizing him to dispose of his lands by lottery to pay his debts. The estate was appraised at L6,900. There were in the lottery 1,616 prizes to 6,384 blanks, making 8,000 tickets sold at 30 shillings each. There were 1,580 cash prizes at L8 each; the land was cut into thirty-six parts, each of which was a land prize. The tract abounded in pine timber with a fine range for sheep and cattle; was divided by creeks into seven necks, Pine Neck, Swan Creek Neck, Pachoug Neck, Short Neck, Smith Neck, Tooker's Neck, and Blue Point Neck. It had on it four houses, a grist mill, and a saw mill.

In 1762, Humphrey Avery bought of Col. John Henry Lydius one seventy-sixth part of township 16, at Otter Creek, where it empties itself into lake Champlain. The price was one shilling in hand, and annually, for twenty years, one pepper corn; the improvement of the land within the twenty years; and after that five shillings for each hundred acres of arable land to be paid to Lydius or his heirs or assigns annually forever.

Humphrey Avery's wife died Sept 20, 1763, Groton. He married 2d, Martha Coit, dau. of the Rev. Joseph and Experience (Wheeler) Coit, b. about 1713. At the time of his second marriage he was living in Windham. he was one of the grantees of Chiswick, 1764 (new Hampshire State Papers, vol. 25:260). His wife became a member of the Separatist Church of Preston, April 13, 1777.

Humphrey married Jerusha MORGAN on 01 Feb 1723/24 in Groton, New London Co., Connecticut. Jerusha (daughter of William MORGAN and Margaret AVERY) was born on 14 Jan 1703/4 in Groton, New London Co., Connecticut; died on 20 Sep 1763 in Groton, New London Co., Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Martha COIT. Martha (daughter of Joseph COIT, Jr. and Experience WHEELER) was born in 1713. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Humphrey Avery, by the purchase of four lottery tickets, came into possession of Pine Neck, Swan Creek Neck, Short Neck, and a lot called No. 15, all in Winthrop's Patent, Long Island. These lots were some of the prizes in his father's lottery, an account of which appears on page 156. The drawing was conducted by sworn officials appointed by the commissioners of New York. Later, Humphrey Avery purchased more of the land in Winthrop's Patent, the last deed bearing date of aug. 15, 1789(Suffolk Deeds, B:352, 185). many of the original deeds are in the possession of Charles W. Avery, Patchogue, L.I., a descendant.

Humphrey Avery was one of the proprietors of Chiswick, N.H., in 1764. he was also a member of the Susquehanna land company. February 23, 1772, he and associates petitioned New York for 23,000 acres of land between Lake Champlain and the Connecticut River (New York Land Papers, 30:142). In September 1774, the commissioners of the New York land office granted to him and his associates 28,000 acres of land. They conveyed this land to Samuel Avery, September 29.

Humphrey Avery, in his will made Sept. 9, 1789, called himself of Brookhaven, Long Island. he bequeathed to his eldest son, Thomas Avery, one half of his lands, meadows and buildings at Pine Neck' to his fourth son, Roger, the other half; to his second son, Humphrey, he bequeathed his lands, meadows and buildings, at Blue Point; to these three sons, he also gave his dwelling house, grist-mill, and all his lands in Winthrop's Patent not otherwise disposed of and all his lands elsewhere, to be equally divided among them; his son, Nathan, "being in a state of lunacy," was to be cared for by his brothers; he gave to his eldest daughter, Mary Avery, a silver tankard and a hundred and twenty pounds in lawful money; his second daughter, Susanna Avery, was to have a hundred and twenty pounds on her marriage. The will was proved Jan. 29, 1790. It is recorded at Smithtown, Suffolk County, Long Island.

Humphrey married Mary BALDWIN on 19 Jul 1745 in Groton, New London Co., Connecticut. Mary (daughter of Sylvester BALDWIN and Elizabeth AVERY) was born on 14 Sep 1726 in Groton, New London Co., Connecticut; died on 11 Apr 1759. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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He was one of the grantees of Chiswick, New Hampshire and one of the proprietors of the Susquehanna Land Company. 'The Boston Gazette and County Journal', July 27, 1778, contained a letter from Mr. Samuel Avery (Solomons brother) of July 15, 1778 "giving the disagreeable intelligence brought by Mr. Solomon Avery, this moment returned from Wyoming (i.e. Battle of Wyoming Valley, Penn July 3, 1778, Revolutionary War), on the Susquehanna River. It says "the information conceives that of about five thousand inhabitants, one half are taken and killed by the enemy (i.e. Iroquois Indians) and the others fleeing away naked and distressed." Solomon Avery, Richardson Avery (Solomon's cousin) and other inhabitants of Wilkes-Barre, Penn asked for help on April 25, 1780 to build a fort and for arms and ammunition "In the name and in behalf of themselves and the Ret of the People that are driven from their settlements at Westmoreland on the Susquehanna river by the savages." Solomon Avery wrote from Groton on July 11, 1788 to his brother Col. Waightstill Avery of North Carolina, telling him of the battle of Groton Heights, Sept. 6, 1781. He says:"Eleven Averys were killed in the fort at Groton and seven wounded. Many Averys have been killed in this county, but there have been no Tories among them of our name." Solomon and Hannah, who were second cousins once removed, had nine children. His second wife was Mrs. Elizabeth (?) Purdy.

Solomon married Hannah PUNDERSON on 18 Feb 1751 in Groton, New London Co., Connecticut. Hannah (daughter of Rev. Ebenezer PUNDERSON and Hannah MINER) was born on 16 Jun 1733 in Groton, New London Co., Connecticut; died on 5 Feb 1775 in Norwich, New London, Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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He was one of the grantees of Chiswick, Lisbon, Landeroff, and Lincoln, all in New Hampshire. He purchased the rights of the other charter members of Chiswick and sold them for five hundred pounds, March 13, 1769, to Israel Morey and Moses Little (History of Littleton, N.H., 1:155). He was also one of the proprietors of the Susquehanna land company. He d. Feb. 22, 1794, at Poquetannock, Conn., and is buried in the ground given by his brother, Samuel, as a burial lot for the descendants of his father.

James married Martha SMITH on 13 Nov 1769 in Plainfield, Connecticut. Martha was born on 23 Apr 1751 in Sterling, Windham Co., Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jerusha married Latham AVERY in 1760 in Groton, New London Co., Connecticut. Latham (son of Ebenezer AVERY and Lucy LATHAM) was born on 15 Apr 1735 in Groton, New London Co., Connecticut; was christened on 20 Apr 1735 in First Church, Groton, Connecticut; died on 31 Dec 1815 in Groton, New London Co., Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]