Various spellings of Estey
Easte, Este, Estee, Estes, Estey, Esty
A yeoman was a man who owned and cultivated a small farm. He belonged to the class below the gentry or land owners. A husbandman was a free tenant farmer. The social status of a husbandman was below that of a yeoman.
The French and Indian Warlasted from 1754 to 1763 and was the North American phase of the Seven Years' War.
Esther Estey Balch was born on June 29, 1741 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts. Her parents were Aaron Estey and Esther Richards.
She married cordwainer and yeoman, David Balch, on November 12, 1761 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts. His parents were John Balch and Rebecca Smith. He was born on January 04, 1740/41 in Topsfield. David was a soldier in the French and Indian War in 1758.
Esther and David's children included:
Esther Balch (1762),
William Balch (1764, married Mehitable Townsend),
Lydia Balch Peabody (1765, married John Peabody, son of John Peabody and Hannah Smith),
Israel Balch (1768, married Lucretia Wyman),
David Balch (1771, married Abigail Wells), and
Daniel Balch (1783).
They moved to Keene, New Hampshire in 1789. Esther died in Keene.
After her death, David married Mary Clark on March 6, 1783. David died on July 31, 1801 in Keene.
Keene, Cheshire County, New Hampshire was settled after 1736 and was a fort protecting Massachusetts during the French and Indian Wars. It was called Upper Ashuelot. When New Hampshire separated from Massachusetts in 1741 it became Keene, New Hampshire.
During King George's War, the village was attacked and burned.
Three daughters of William Towne and Joanna Blessing were wrongly accused of practicing witchcraft in Salem. Rebecca Towne Nurse, Mary Towne Estey, and Sarah Towne Bridges Cloyes were persecuted in 1692. The children of people in the line below are all descendants of Mary Estey.
A cordwainer (or cordwinder) made shoes from fine, soft leather. There was a distinction between a cordwainer, who made shoes, and a cobbler who repaired them.
New Hampshire was first settled by Europeans in 1623. It was separated from Massachusetts in 1679.
It was common for bequests in Colonial America to include wearing apparel.
Essex County, Massachusetts was created on May 10, 1643 by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when it ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four sheires."
The Essex Antiquarian by Sidney Perley, 1902
David Balch, born in Topsfield Jan. 4, 1740-1. He was a cordwainer and yeoman, and lived in Topsfield until 1789, when he removed to Keene, N. H.
He married, first, Esther Estey Nov. 12, 1761; and second, Mary Clark March 6, 1783; and died in Keene July 31, 1801. He was a soldier in the French and Indian war of 1758.
Children:
I. Esther
II. William Henry; yeoman; lived in Keene, N. H., and Madison county, N.Y.; m. Mehitable Townsend: had eleven children; and was living in 1830.
III. Lydia, b. in 1765: m. John Peabody, jr., of Topsfield March 6, 1781.
IV. David, b. Sept. 1, 1771; yeoman; lived in Keene; m. Abigail Wells; had seven children; and d. Sept. 8,1835.
V. Daniel, b. March 6, 1783; and perhaps d. in Danvers.
Old Style Calendar
Before 1752 the year began on Lady Day, March 25th,. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year. Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) are used to indicate whether the year has been adjusted. Often both dates are used.
