The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-09-17

Mr. EDIroa My attention has been called
to clip from the Portland Press covering
communication from Mr.. S. P. Mayberry of
Cape Elizabeth. dated July 20, 1881, in which
he states that he has in his possession an an
Gent document which he values very highly
and which contains the following:
ssThe town of Weymouth doth humbly re-
quest this general court that Mr.. Cory should
have liberty to marry such persons as shall
rightly and orderly enter into that condition.
THOMAS DYER.
The Deputy have passed this bill and ap-
prove thereof which reference our Governor,
msgistry conss ut thereto.
The maj. concur herin.
10. WINTHROP, Goy'r.
(sa) 2747."
There is evidently a mistake here in the~
name, which should be TORY, Tor, as it was
variously spelled at that day, TORY and Tory
instead Of Cory In the old style of enman-
ship of that period, at could be easily mis-
taken for G, and nowhere find the name of
Cory upon town or county probate deeds)
records in connection with Weymouth affairs.
Capt. William Torrey, however, was ono Of
the most prominent among the early settlers of
Weymouth. He was a justice Of the peace
and town officer for many years, and one of its
most trusted citizens. He left large family,
one of his sons being Rev. Samuel Torrey.
minister for a long period, of the church in
that town, and divine who had few if any,
superiors among his New England contempo-
raries
Capt. William was probably the ancestor
of most, If not all of those who bear Che name
in this country. The family has always been
an important and prominent one in the town
AS proof that he, and not Mr.. Cory, was the
man named in Mr.. Mayberry document, the
following reference will be sufficient:
Records of Massachusetts, vol. 2, 1912 9, page
| 1856.
Doings of the General Court, under date OF
| Goth of the Sd Mo-, 1647.
MIR. VIM. Tory is authorized to see people
| joyne in marriage in Weymouth"
| This is undoubtedly the act of which the
document of Mr.. Mayberry is the Governors
approval.
| With regard to Thomas Dyer, to whom ex-
| tended reference is made in the same commu-
nication, there are several errors which should
| be corrected. Deacon Thomas Dyer came to
Weymouth about $780, The exact date is not
known, but it could not have been far from
that time. Trustworthy tradition says that
when his betrothed, Agnes Reade, was on the
| eve of her departure Tor America, with her
father, William Reade, Thomas went on
| board the ship to bid her farewell; bnt, instead
of doing this he was, himself persuaded to
emigrate, and came over with the family
| Upon his arrival here he married Agnes, by
| whom he had a large family, many OF his de-
scendauts remaining in this and the neighbour
| ing towns for several generations; the last of
the male line in Weymouth dying about one
hundred years ago. The female line however,
| has yet numerous representatives here, the
writer of this being one of them, of the sixth
| generation.
Deacon Thomas Lad no son William, there
| fore, he of Sbpscot, of 1864, could not have
| been his descendant A genealogy of the fam
| lily, written by Col. Asa White, grandson OF
| grandson, who wrote with the journal of
| Deacon Thomas before him some eighty years
! ago, was published by the Weymouth HisJori-
| cal Society in April, 1879.
There was, however, q William Dyer, in
| Weymouth, who may have been a son OF min
of Shipscot; since he came to Weymouth with
his wife Joanna, about 1888, and had family,
among whom were three sons-Josepb, Will
| lam and Christopher: the two former remain
| ing in this town, aud the latter removing to
| Abingdon The name Christopher furnishes
| strong presumptiye evidence of connection
between tho families, that being an unusual
name, and as far as l am informed, common
to no other family OF the Dyers. VINO this
| William was, or where he came from, has not
been ascertained, but his family has been, from