William Arms1

#2159, (1654 - 25 August 1731)
Relationship6th great-grandfather of William David Lewis
Parish Church of St. Brelade, Jersey. Contributed by Man vyi, Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

Family

Joanna Hawks b. 1653/54, d. 1729
Children 1.William1 Arms4 (1678 - 1690)
 2.John Arms+1 (1679 - 1753)
 3.Sarah Arms+5 (1681 - )
 4.Margaret Arms+4 (1683 - )
 5.Hannah Arms4 (1685 - )
 6.Daniel Arms+4 (1687 - 1753)
 7.Ebenezer Arms4 (1689 - 1690)
 8.William Arms Jr+6 (1692 - 1774)
 9.Elizabeth Arms+7 (1695 - 1772)
Was a soldier under Captain Turner at Hadley, April 6, 1676. He was also in the Falls fight May 19, 1676. He came to Deerfield, MA about 1698. He settled on the south end of the street on "Arms" corner. 
"William, born 1654, died August 25th, 1731, married Joanna Hawks, 1677, who died Nov. 22, 1729. William Arms, the ancestor of the Arms family in the United States, came from either the Island of Jersey or Guernsey, in the English Channel. It is presumed that he assumed the name of Arms, as none of this name are found on the island from whence he came. He was a knitter of stockings by trade. The first heard of him was his marriage with Joanna, daughter of John Hawks, one of the settlers of Hadley, Mass., in 1677. His name appears in the town records of Hatfield, Mass., in 1677. He removed from Hatfield to Deerfield, Mass., about 1684. It is said of him that he was a good farmer, industrious and economical, devotional and religious, and a quiet and obliging neighbor. He would knit a pair of stockings while going to and returning from the mill at Hatfield. In 1698 he was chosen farm viewer, and one of a committee to build a school house and hire a schoolmaster; in 1699, a constable; in 1700 a tythingman; in 1701, fence viewer and school commissioner. After that his name appears almost yearly in the town records. Also in the records of Sunderland, Mass., from 1714 to 1722, where he is spoken of as "Good Mr. Arms." He served in the Indian fight at Great Falls, where now is Gill, Mass., May 17, 1676, for which his son John was one of those entitled to the township granted by the General Court 1736. His body lies in the old burying ground at Deerfield, a little east of the center of the grounds, adjacent to his son William and grandson William."1 
Birth*1654He was born in 1654 at EnglandG.1 
Baptism19 September 1655He was baptized on 19 September 1655 at St. Brelade's, Jersey, Channel Islands, EnglandG.2 
1676He was a soldier in the Indian fight at the Great Falls in 1676.3 
Marriage*21 November 1677He married Joanna Hawks, daughter of John Hawks and Elizabeth _____, on 21 November 1677 at MassachusettsG; prob. in Hatfield.4 
1698He and Joanna Hawks removed in 1698 to Deerfield.5 
1698He lived at "Arms Corner" at the south end of the Street in 1698.5 
Death*25 August 1731He died on 25 August 1731 at Deerfield, Franklin Co., MassachusettsG.4 
Burial*28 August 1731He was buried on 28 August 1731 at Old Deerfield Burying Ground, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MassachusettsG; est.date.4 
ChartsAncestors of William D. Lewis

Citations

  1. [S280] Edward W. Arms, Genealogical Record of the Arms Family in This Country (Troy, N.Y.: Higginson Book Company, 1877), p. 5.
  2. [S283] Internet post.
  3. [S743] Rev. Charles Stanley Pease, editor, History of Conway (Massachusetts) 1767-1917 (Springfield, MA: Springfield Printing and Binding Company, 1917), p. 248.
  4. [S1628] FindAGrave.com, online findagrave.com, old standing shared marker. "Here Lyes Buried the Body of Mr William Arms Who Dec'd August ye 25 1731 in the 77th Year of his Age / Here Lyes Buried the Body of Mrs Joanna Arms Wife to Mr. Will'm Arms Who Dec'd Novr ye 22nd 1729 in ye 77th Year of he Age." Old Deerfield Burying Ground, Deerfield, MA, lot 112.
    Narration: Joanna Hawks, b. Feb. 8, 1653, MA, d. Nov. 22, 1728, Deerfield, MA. Joanna was the daughter of John & Elizabeth Hawks of Hadley, MA. She married William Arms November 21, 1677 in MA. They were the parents of William (1676-1690), Sarah, Margaret, Hannah, Ebenezer, John (1679), Daniel (1687), and William (1692) and Elizabeth Arms. Children: John Arms (1679 - 1753), Daniel Arms (1687 - 1753), William Arms (1692 - 1774), Elizabeth Arms Wright (1695 - 1772). Memorial 21946170, created by Geo Clinton, photo added by the moo.
  5. [S289] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield, Massachusetts, Volume 2 (Deerfield: E.A. Hall and Co., 1896), pt. II 31-32.
  6. [S1740] Births, Marriages, and Deaths in Four Massachusetts Towns, 1655-1844, online FamilySearch.com, Hatfield, img. 68/94. William, son of Wm & Joanna Arms, b. 26 Oct 1692.
  7. [S1628] FindAGrave.com, online findagrave.com, old standing grave marker. Azariah Wright, d. 17 Oct 1772, age 75y / Mrs. Elizabeth Wright, wife of Azariah, d. 1 Oct 1772, age 77y. Narrative: Azariah, b. Northampton MA 6 Mar 1697, son of Eleazer Wright (1668 - 1753) and Mary Pardee; Elizabeth Arms Wright, b. Deerfield MA 1695, dau. of William Arms (1654 - 1731) and Joanna Hawks Arms (1653 - 1729); children Eldad Wright (1733 - 1822), Azariah Wright (1733 - 1811), Medad Wright (1734 - 1817), Azubah Wright Alexander (1736 - 1811), Abner Wright (1740 - 1809). Elizabeth marr. first Ebenezer Field in 1714, d. 1723. Center Cemetery, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. Memorial 55637465, created by and photo added by the moo, additional photo added by lynnz74.