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 War lasted 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).
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.
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.
