An American Family History

"[L]iberty must at all hazards be supported.
We have a right to it, derived from our Maker.
But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us,
at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood."

William Estey was born on August 2, 1748 in Topsfield, Essex County. Massachusetts. His parents were Aaron Estey and Esther Richards.

William served in the Revolution. He served in Joseph Gould's Company. He was also in Captain John Dodge's company, Colonel Jacob Gerrish's regiment of guards. He enlisted in that company on November 12, 1777 and served until April 3, 1778. He was at Cambridge and Charlestown. He was a sergeant in the same company and regiment according to the muster roll for February, 1778. At Winter Hill his company detached from the militia to guard Lieutenant General Burgoyne's army.

He married Phoebe Dwinnell. She was born in Topsfield in 1755 and was the daughter of Jacob Dwinnell and Kesiah Gould.

They moved from Topsfield to Keene and lived on Beech Hill. Their first six children were born in Topsfield and the last six in Keene.

William and Phoebe's children included:

Ruth Estey Evelith (1774, married Stephen Eveleth),
Phoebe Estey Bane Tenney (1776, married Bane or Bean and Nathan Tenney),
William Estey (1777, married Sally Blake),
Deborah Estey Kimball (1779, married Benjamin Kimball- son of Jacob, Richard, John, Richard, Richard),
John Dwinnell Esty (1781, married Betsy Howard),
Dorothy Estey Poole (1784),
Aaron Estey (1786),
David Estey (1788, married Mary Keith),
Nancy Estey Crandall (1791, married Joel Crandall),
Solomon Estey (1793, married Clarissa Tasker),
Fanny Estey Davis (1796, married Isaac Davis), and
Jacob Estey (1798, married Sophia Brown).

At the time of the 1790 census they were living in Keene.

William died on November 17, 1819 in Keene, New Hampshire and Phebe followed on February 18, 1835.

Shays's Rebellion was an armed uprising in Massachusetts in 1786 and 1787. Daniel Shays led four thousand rebels (Shaysites) in rising up against perceived economic injustices. Daniel Shays and Job Shattuck from Bickerstaff's Boston Almanack

from Genealogies by Josiah Lafayette Seward

. . .William Esty, son of Aaron. William Esty moved from Topsfield to Keene, and lived on Beech Hill, next farm south of the Koswell Nims farm, now owned by Louis A. and Fred C. Nims. The old Esty house, occupied after the Estys, by the Keiths, Howards, and others, is not now standing. William Esty d. in Keene, Nov. 14, 1819, ae 72.

He m. Phebe Dwinell. They had twelve children, the first six of whom were born in Topsfield, Mass., the last six in Keene. They were Ruth, Phebe, William, Deborah, John D., Dorothy, Aaron, David, Nancy Ann, Solomon, Fann6, and Jacob D. Their births are given in the Vital Statistics of Keene.

John Dwinnell Esty son of William, V., and Phebe (Dwinell or Dwinnell) Esty, b. in Topsfield, Mass., Aug. 2, 1781 (bap. there, Aug. 12, 1781; d. in Groton, N. H., May 3, 1867; came to Keene with his parents about 1784; lived in Keene, Sullivan, and the state of Vermont, and finally went to live with his ch. in Groton, N. H.

In S[ullivan], he lived at 156, from 1812 until 1819. He built the only house on that place and removed it, no one ever living there but himself.

He m. in Keene, by Rev. A. Hall, Feb. 1, 1809, Betsey Howard (sometimes spelled Hayward or Heywood), a dau. of William Howard of Stoddard, who began the farm where Heman Jenkins and Asa Davis, Jr., lived in the latter half of the nineeenth century. Betsey's mother's first name was Thomassine (usually written "Tamsin "), if we correctly decipher the chirography. We have not found the places and dates of the birth and the death of Betsey.

They had nine ch.:
1. Avis, b. in Keene (?), about 1809; d. in Keene, Oct. 28, 1812;
2. John, b. in Keene, Mar. 17, 1811;
3. Maria, b. in S., at 156, Aug. 19, 1813;
4. Nelson, b. in S., at 156, Aug. 1, 1815; d. in Groton, N. II., num., May 24, 1889;
5. Mary Ann, 4, b. in S., at 156, Mar. 25, 1817 ;
6. William, 5, b. in S., at 156, Apr. 7, 1818;
7. Laura, b. in Vermont, Sept. 13, 1820; d. in Groton, N. H., unm., Sept. 12, 1889:
8. Dauphin (by himself always misspelled Dorphin), b. in Vermont, Mar. 9, 1822:
9. Caroline, b. in Vermont, May 25, 1827; d. in Lyme, N. H., unm., Aug. 2, 1906.