The progenitor and emigrant ancestor of the Vermont family of Paine was Stephen Paine, of Great Ellingham, Norfolk county, England. He was a miller by trade and came to America with a large party of emigrants from Hingham and vicinity in the year 1638, in the ship "Diligent," of Ipswich, John Martin, master, bringing his family, consisting of his wife Rose, three sons and four servants. He settled at Hingham, Massachusetts, where he had land granted him; was made a freeman in 1639, and elected deputy in 1641. In 1643-4 he removed to Seekonk, afterward called Rehoboth. He was prominent in the affairs of the new town and his name often appears in the town records as holding offices of honor and trust. He was elected a deputy from Rehoboth in 1645, continued by re-election until 1660, and was elected at various times prior to 1671. He became a large landowner and a man of wealth. He was associated with Captain Thomas Willett (first English mayor of New York) in several large purchases, and with his sons, Stephen (2) and Nathaniel. They owned the land now included in the town of Attleboro, Massachusetts, and part of which is now Swansea, Massachusetts, and Barrington, Rhode Island. He died in August, 1679, outliving his sons. His first wife died January 20, 1660, and in 1662 he married Alice, widow of William Parker, who survived him. Sons of Rose, his first wife, that grew to manhood, born in England:
- Stephen, see forward.
- Nathaniel, settled at Rehoboth; a merchant and man of importance; deputy to the general court, and contributed one hundred pounds toward the expense of King Philip's war, the largest sum contributed in Rehoboth; the latter part of his life he lived in Boston; he left a wife Elizabeth and a son Nathaniel.
(II) Stephen (2), son of Stephen (1) and Rose Paine, was born in Norfolk county, England, 1629, and came to New England with his father when about nine years of age, going first to Hingham, Massachusetts. He removed in 1643-44 to Rehoboth, where he became a prominent citizen and land owner. He was a tanner by trade, and held several of the minor offices of the town. He was a soldier in the ranks during King Philip's war and contributed ten pounds eleven shillings and five pence toward the expense of carrying it on. Stephen Paine and his father were among the early land owners of Swansea, Massachusetts, and one of them may have resided there for a few years. Stephen Paine (2) was a man of considerable wealth for that period. He married Anne Chickering, who survived him. Children:
- Stephen, representative to general court from Rehoboth, Massachusetts, 1694-1703.
- Rebecca, married (first) Peter Hunt; (second) Samuel Peck.
- John, twice married; fifteen children.
- Mary, married Enoch Hunt.
- Samuel, see forward.
- Elizabeth, married Jacob Pepper.
- Sarah, married Daniel Aldis.
- Nathaniel, married Dorothy Chaffee.
(III) Samuel, fifth child and third son of Stephen (2) and Anne (Chickering) Paine, was born August 12, 1662, at Rehoboth, Massachusetts, about two miles east of Providence, Rhode Island. He was a man of wealth and influence. He purchased several farms which he gave to his sons, and held many town offices. He removed to Woodstock in 1708; where he died. He married (first) Anna Peck, December 16, 1685, daughter of Deacon Samuel and Sarah (Hunt) Peck. She was great-granddaughter of Enoch Hunt, the emigrant. Joseph Peck, her paternal grandfather, came over in the "Diligent" with Stephen Paine, the emigrant, from old Hingham, England. Deacon Samuel Peck, her father, was the first deputy from Rehoboth to the general court of Plymouth Colony. She died February 26, 1703, the mother of eight children. He married (second) Abigail, widow of Joseph Frizzell, of Woodstock. She died January 13, 1752, aged seventy-nine years, after bearing to Samuel Paine two children. Children by first wife, all born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts:
- Samuel, married Ruth Perrin; they were admitted to Pomfret church, September, 1719.
- Anne, married Peter Hunt; had issue.
- Seth, see forward.
- Sarah, married Ensign Daniel Peck; had issue.
- Judith, married Ichabod Peck, brother of Ensign Daniel Peck, her sister Sarah's husband; had issue.
- Noah, married Mehitable Storrs; had issue.
- Stephen, married Sarah Leach; two children.
- Captain Daniel, married Leah Smith; he was a farmer and an extensive land owner as well as a surveyor; for more than eighty-five years he lived in the "Mansion House," which his father, Samuel Paine, purchased from John Lyon, and distributed openhanded hospitality to all who came; he died June 22, 1795, at the age of ninety-four years; eight children.
Children of second wife:
- Rebecca, married Deliverance Cleaveland; had issue.
- Ebenezer, married Mary Grosvenor; had issue.
(IV) Seth, son of Samuel and Anna (Peck) Paine, was born in 1690 at Rehoboth, Massachusetts. died January 18, 1772, at Pomfret, Connecticut. He received land from his father in Pomfret on which he settled prior to 1713, as in that year he was a petitioner to the general court for a town organization. He was one of the leading men of Pomfret, a patron of common schools and of Yale College, where his son Joshua was graduated in 1759. He married May Morris, of Woodstock, daughter of Ebenezer and Sarah (Davis) Morris. Their intentions of marriage were published April 16, 1718; she died May 7, 1762, in her sixty-eighth year. Children:
- Seth, see forward.
- Mary, married (first) Colonel Ross; (second) David Abbott.
- Hannah, married Thomas Bass.
- Dr. Elijah, married Mary White; he died in 1814, aged ninety years.
- Joseph, married Sara Morris; he was a captain in the French war.
- Sarah, the title "Mrs." is on her tombstone, but her husband's name is not given, supposed to have been Paine.
- John, died June 22, 1754, at age of twenty-two.
- Margaret, married Deacon Isaac Bennett, of Hampton, being his second wife.
- Rev. Joshua, graduated from Yale College, 1759; studied divinity and was installed minister at Sturbridge, Massachusetts, June 17, 1761; served as chaplain in the American army two years and gave a barrel of gunpowder as a practical expression of his sentiments, on a salary of two hundred and twenty-two dollars annually; he married Mary, daughter of Rev. Samuel Moseley; he carried two sons through Harvard College, one of them becoming a minister, the other a lawyer. During his ministry of thirty-eight years he wrote more than three thousand sermons. He died December 28, 1799, in the sixty-fifth year of his age. His wife died May 28, 1816, in her sixty-seventh year; from her tombstone we read: "Integrity, Virtue, Piety and Wisdom, gray hairs, and an unspotted life, is old age."
- Judith, married Stephen Williams.
(V) Seth (2), son of Seth (1) and Mary (Morris) Paine, was born in Pomfret, Connecticut, March 4, 1719-20, died February 24, 1792. He was of strong intellectual powers and of persevering industry. He was originally a merchant, but having several sons abandoned business for agriculture. He was a member of the state convention for the ratification of the constitution of the United States, and voted yea. He served several terms in the state legislature, and filled other less important offices. In 1758 he and his wife were admitted to the Congregational church. He married, November 1, 1749, Mabel Tyler, who died February 21, 1792, aged sixty-eight years. Children, all born in Pomfret, Connecticut:
- Seth, married ———— Lester, of Preston, Connecticut.
- Mary, unmarried.
- John, unmarried.
- Elijah, graduate of Harvard College, 1781; one of first settlers of Montpelier, Vermont, 1785, and cleared the first land at Northfield; was a merchant of Windsor, later of Williamstown, Vermont; was elected United States senator in 1795 and reelected in 1801; was appointed judge of the district court of Vermont by President John Adams; married Sarah Porter, a lady of literary as well as domestic accomplishments. Their son Elijah was a soldier of the revolution; member of the Massachusetts legislature and state senator 1815-16; chief justice of court of sessions, and deacon for thirty years of the Congregational church.
- Ebenezer, married Sarah De Croe; he was a navigator and settled in Edenton, South Carolina; he owned slaves, whom he treated with great humanity; he died in Troy in 1826.
- Sarah, married Judge Isaac Cushman; "she was well skilled in making cheese."
- Amasa, (see forward).
- Anne, married ———— Dennison. [Handwritten note says Daniel Dennison]
- Daniel, married Mehitable Lester.
(VI) Amasa, son of Seth (2) and Mabel (Tyler) Paine, was born in Pomfret, Vermont, May 28, 1762, died in Troy, New York, December 25, 1823. He was of a strong, robust constitution, and following the wish of his father worked on the farm until attaining his eighteenth year, then began preparing for college. He spent two years at Yale, then went to Harvard, where he was graduated in 1785. He entered the law office of General B. Bradley at Westminster, Vermont, and was admitted to practice. For eighteen years he practiced his profession in Windsor, Vermont, cultivating a farm in connection. In 1807 he removed to Troy, New York, and immediately began the practice of law. After the admission to the bar of his nephew, Daniel Hall, they formed a partnership under the firm name of Paine & Hall, and that continued until May 14, 1814. In 1816 he was one of a committee to represent Troy in the project to connect Lake Erie with the Hudson river by means of a canal, the consummation of which was the Erie canal. He was one of the first board of trustees of the Emma A. Willard Female Seminary, and deeply interested in the welfare of that famous institution. From 1818 to 1821 he was recorder of Troy, which office was abolished by act of legislature that took effect January 1, 1868. He was a lawyer of high standing and a man of unblemished character. He married, September 9, 1787, Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin Homer, of Boston. She was born July 21, 1763, died at Troy, New York, October 26, 1838. Children, all born in Windsor, Vermont:
- Mary P., married Lewis Lyman;
- Abigail, married Daniel Southwick;
- John, see forward;
- Elizabeth, married Henry Nazro;
- Frances, married Daniel Southwick;
- Sophia, died in infancy;
- Lucretia, married William T. Williard.
(VII) John, son of Amasa and Elizabeth (Homer) Paine, was born in Windsor, Vermont, February 12, 1793, died in Troy, New York, February 7, 1852. When a boy of thirteen his parents removed to Troy, which was ever afterward his home. He received his early education in the city schools and in 1809 entered Union College, from which institution he was graduated with honor in 1811. He chose the profession of law, and immediately after his graduation entered the law office of Judge John Wells, of New York City. He was admitted to the New York state bar in 1814 and at once began the practice of law with his father, continuing twenty-four years. In 1836 he was elected cashier of the Bank of Troy. On entering the banking business he abandoned his profession and devoted his great talents entirely to finance, in which he displayed marked ability. He was known as a wise and safe counselor in financial matters, and so great was the confidence in his judgment that the municipal officers of Troy invariably consulted him on all matters of important finance. He was deeply interested in the prosperity of Troy, and always extended his aid to all business interests that was for the welfare of the city. He was interested in her railroad enterprises, mills, factories and financial institutions. His reputation at home and abroad was that of a sterling, sagacious, energetic and reliable man of affairs. In February, 1827, he married Eliza Ann, eldest daughter of Esaias Warren, of Troy. She died in that city, December 20, 1866. A beautiful altar and window of exquisite design and workmanship were created to her memory in Kay Chapel, Newport, Rhode Island, by her son, John W. Paine. It was dedicated with impressive ceremonies July 7, 1882, by Bishop Clark, of the diocese of Rhode Island. Children:
- Elizabeth, born February 17, 1828, married Cicero Paine.
- Esaias, see forward.
- John Wells, born October 18, 1832; a prominent business man of Troy; married, May 3, 1865, Julia Dickinson Tayloe, daughter of Benjamin Ogle Tayloe, of Washington, D. C.; she died, leaving children: Estelle Tayloe, John and Ogle Tayloe.
(VIII) Esaias W., eldest son of John and Eliza E. (Warren) Paine, was born in Troy, New York, May 26, 1830, died there March 26, 1892. He was educated in Troy and at once entered business life, continuing until his death one of the important factors in the Troy business world. In 1854 he was admitted a partner in the Troy Malleable Iron Company, founded in 1850 by George Harrison and William Knight. In 1886, in company with his brother-in-law, John A. Manning, under the firm name of Manning & Paine, he began the making of manilla paper at the Olympus mills on River street. He was interested in other of the leading enterprises of Troy. He was a director of the Bank of Troy, trustee of Emma A. Willard Female Seminary, president of the Manufacturers Association, interested in the shirt and collar manufactory, and was a director of the Young Men's Christian Association. For many years he was an active leading member of State Street Methodist Episcopal Church, serving on the official board as trustee. He was one of the founders and incorporators of Oakwood Cemetery, and his connection with that association is preserved by his bust in bronze over the main entrance to the beautiful grounds. He married Sarah G., youngest daughter of William H. Manning, who survives him and resides in Troy.
Mrs. Sarah G. (Manning) Paine was a daughter of William Henry Manning, born 1817, died 1855, in Troy, New York. He came to Troy from northern New York and was one of the leading paper manufacturers of the city. He was the senior partner of Manning & Howland, who built the Mt. Ida paper mill and manufactured there a grade of heavy manilla paper for flour sacks, sandpaper and insulating purposes. He was succeeded by his son, John A. Manning, also a leading business man of Troy. William H. Manning was a graduate of McGill University, and a man of studious literary tastes. He was supervisor of Troy a number of years, and a member of the State Street Methodist Episcopal Church. He was an only son of his parents, who died when he was very young. He married Susan P. Robinson, who died November 3, 1893. Children:
- John Alexander,
- Elizabeth M., married Donald Warren;
- J ———— W ————;
- Sarah G., widow of Esaias W. Paine.