John Perry, immigrant ancestor, was born in England in 1613. He was in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1674, when his age was sixty-one years. He married, in England, Joanna, daughter of Joseph Holland. That is about all that is known of him. He came to this country late in life and Bond surmises that he was the brother of William Perry, of Watertown, who was born in England in 1606, a tailor by trade, who came over before 1642.
Another John Perry lived in Roxbury and had children: Elizabeth, born January 25, 1637; John, September 7, 1639; Samuel, March 1, 1640; John Perry, of Roxbury, died in 1642, leaving his house and land to his wife to bring up their three children. The John Perry, of Roxbury, may have been nephew of John (1), of Watertown.
(II) John (2), son of John (1) Perry, of Watertown, was born in London, England, according to the generally accepted story, in 1644, and came to America in 1666. He married Sarah, daughter of John Clary, of Cambridge, where she was born October 16, 1649. They settled in Watertown. In 1701 he was in Brookfield for a year and Perry's Pond there was named for him. A chest brought to this country by Sarah Clary is still owned by descendants in Worcester. John Perry died in 1724 before December 23. Children:
- John, mentioned below;
- Joanna, born November 8, 1672;
- Sarah, July 11, 1675;
- Elizabeth;
- Josiah, November 28, 1684;
- Joseph, January 17, 1690.
(III) John (3), son of John (2) Perry, was born March 3, 1669-70, at Watertown. He married, July 19, 1693, Sarah, born September 27, 1667, daughter of William and Mary (Marblehead) Price, of Watertown. She died October 11, 1730, a widow. Children:
- John, born March 2, 1695-96, lived at Lexington;
- Mary, married Edward Manning;
- Sarah;
- Abigail, baptized November 16, 1701;
- Elizabeth, baptized May 30, 1703;
- Ebenezer, baptized April 15, 1708, of Newton;
- Mercy, baptized August 28, 1709;
- James, mentioned below.
(IV) James, son of John (3) Perry, was born January 27, 1712, baptized September 1, 1717. He was a chairmaker in Charlestown, Massachusetts, later of West Cambridge, now Arlington, where he was the precinct collector in 1770. He married, at Charlestown, October 14, 1742, Lydia, daughter of James and Lydia (Hall) Tufts. He died May 30, 1771, and she married (second), November 29, 1773, Josiah Mixer, born November 17, 1716, son of Deacon Josiah and Anna (Jones) Mixer. Children of James and Lydia Perry: Lydia, Ruth (died young), Mercy, James, Ruth, John, Jonathan, Elizabeth, Joseph and Benjamin.
(V) John (4), son of James Perry, was born December 9, 1754, baptized at West Cambridge, January 19, 1755, died August 7, 1834, at Rindge, New Hampshire. He resided at Lincoln, Massachusetts, for a time, then settled in Rindge in 1789, in the northeast part of the town. He joined the Lincoln church, November, 1787. The farm in Rindge on which he afterward lived was occupied by his son and grandson and is still known as the Perry place. He was a man of superior intelligence and character, and had the respect and confidence of all his townsmen. He married (first), February 28, 1775, Persis Mixer, born November 6, 1756, daughter of Josiah and Sarah (Mead) Mixer, of Watertown. She died in 1780 and he married (second), November 22, 1781, Abigail, daughter of Jason and Abigail (Witt) Bigelow, of Marlborough and Brookfield, Massachusetts (see Bigelow IV). Abigail died September 11, 1818, and he married (third), February 17, 1820, Lucy Weston, of Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Her father died in the revolutionary service. She died January 16, 1857, aged ninety-eight years. Children of first wife:
- Lydia, born July 17, 1776;
- Persis, February 24, 1778;
- John, April 18, 1780.
Children of second wife:
- Betsey, September 9, 1782;
- Lydia, April 9, 1784;
- Benjamin, May 1, 1786, mentioned below;
- Chauncey, February 8, 1788;
- Abigail, May 15, 1791;
- Sarah, June 12, 1793;
- Daniel, July 12, died July 15, 1795;
- Selinda, January 29, 1798;
- Colonel Jason Bigelow, September 27, 1801; he had the homestead; representative to legislature, 1852-53, selectman of Rindge sixteen years, treasurer of Congregational church, leading citizen; married November 11, 1828, Sally Willson.
(VI) Benjamin, son of John (4) Perry, was born May 1, 1786, at Rindge, New Hampshire. He removed to New York state, where he died in 1851. He married, November 2, 1813, Anne Barker, of Hoosick. He was a a carpenter, architect and builder, and built many of the most substantial buildings of Schaghticoke, New York, and vicinity. Children:
- Deborah, born at Hoosick, New York, April 14, 1815;
- Lydia, Hoosick, May 18, 1817;
- John Barker, October 14, 1819, mentioned below;
- Charles, February 15, 1822, at Schaghticoke, died September 14, 1824, in that town;
- Harriet, March 31, 1824, at Schaghticoke, died there October 17, 1825;
- Charles, June 16, 1826, at Schaghticoke;
- James, March 11, 1828, died August 20, 1838;
- Harriet Ann, July 29, 1830, died November 10, 1833;
- Jeremiah Evarts, December 2, 1831, died October 12, 1855;
- Ann Virginia, May 18, 1836.
(VII) John Barker, son of Benjamin Perry, was born at Milton, New York, where his parents lived for a short time, October 14, 1819, died August 5, 1889, at Troy. He was educated in the district schools. He became a millwright, and in his younger days worked with his father in a bobbin factory and saw mill. He enlisted in January, 1862, in Company F, Captain Eaton, New York Volunteer Engineers, and was discharged on account of disability in August, 1863. He then returned to Schaghticoke and followed his trade of millwright. He lived also at Williamstown, Massachusetts. Afterwards he was at Schaghticoke Hill and at Troy, New York. In politics he was a Republican; in religion an active Presbyterian. He married, at Schaghticoke, November 16, 1853, Charlotte F. Moore, born January 11, 1833, at Schaghticoke, died December 28, 1897, at Troy (see Moore VI). Children, born at Schaghticoke:
- Edward, born August 22, 1854, died there September 30, 1855;
- William Barker, mentioned below;
- Mary L.;
- Nena H.;
- Nina F.
The three youngest reside at Troy, New York.
(VIII) William Barker, son of John Barker Perry, was born at Schaghticoke, November 26, 1856. He was educated in the public schools and at Lansingburg Academy, Lansingburg, New York. He went to Lansingburg with his parents in 1872 and worked in a brush factory and afterward for George B. Cluett & Company, manufacturers of collars. During the last four years of the seven spent with this concern he was foreman of the cutting department. He then accepted a position in a similar concern at Troy, New York, Douglas Corning & Company, the name being changed to Corning & Barker. After the death of Mr. Corning, the business was conducted by William Barker, and in 1899 it was incorporated under the present title of William Barker Company, with Mr. Perry first vice-president, an office he has since held. The concern is large and flourishing, manufacturing collars and cuffs, and Mr. Perry is at the head of the manufacturing department. His home is in Watervliet, New York. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of Christ Protestant Episcopal Church of Troy. He belongs to the King Solomon's Lodge of Free Masons of Troy; Apollo Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Apollo Commandery, Knights Templar; Oriental Temple, Mystic Shrine; member and director of the Colonial Club of Watervliet; member of William Floyd Chapter, Sons of Revolution.
He married, October 15, 1879, at Green island, Albany county, New York, Anna Frances Nimmo, born at Green Island, New York, daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Thompson) Nimmo. Her father was foreman in the car machine shop at Green Island. She was the third of eight children. Children of William Barker Perry:
- Mabel Thompson, married, June 19, 1906, William Ralston Headden, born February 26, 1881, at College Park, Maryland. Graduate of Colorado Agricultural College, class of 1899, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, class of 1904; member of the Rensselaer Society of Engineers, the Sigma Xi Fraternity, Tau Beta Pi Fraternity, the Society of Engineers of Eastern New York; now instructor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and assistant city engineer of Troy. Child, William Perry Headden, born June 25, 1907.
- Charlotte Moore, married, December 4, 1906, at Watervliet, John Clark Bentley, born November 17, 1881, at Westerly, Rhode Island; graduate of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, class of 1904; assistant engineer of Maintenance of Way, New York, Ontario & Western Railroad; associate member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
(The Bigelow Line)
(I) John Bigelow, immigrant ancestor, was baptized in England, February 16, 1617, and is first mentioned in the Watertown, Massachusetts, town records, on the occasion of his first marriage, which is the first recorded in that town. The record is as follows: "1642-30-8. John Bigulah and Marin joyned in mariag before Mr. Nowell." Of his early ancestry nothing definite is known. He is supposed to have had a sister, Elizabeth, who married Deacon Richard Butler, of Hartford. Mary Warren, his first wife, was the daughter of John and Margaret Warren, and is said to have been born in England. She died October 19, 1691, and he married (second), October 2, 1694, Sarah, daughter of Joseph Bemis.
John Bigelow took the oath of fidelity at Watertown in 1652, and became a freeman, April 18, 1690. In the roll of freemen his name is written Bigolo, and it appears at different times, as Biglo, Biglow, Bigelo and Bigelow. By trade he was a blacksmith. He was chosen a surveyor of highways in 1652-60; constable in 1663, and selectman, 1665-70-71. He died January or July 14, 1703, aged eighty-six. His will was dated January 4, 1703, and proved July 23, 1703. The inventory of his estate amounted to six hundred pounds and twelve shillings. Children, all born in Watertown:
- John, October 27, 1643.
- Jonathan, December 11, 1646.
- Mary, March 14, 1648.
- Daniel, December 1, 1650.
- Samuel, October 28, 1653, mentioned below.
- Joshua, November 5, 1655.
- Elizabeth, June 15, 1657.
- Sary, September 29, 1659.
- James.
- Martha, April 1, 1662.
- Abigail, February 4, 1664-65.
- Hannah, March 4, 1666-67.
- A son born and died December 18, 1667.
(II) Samuel, son of John Bigelow, was born October 28, 1653. He married, June 3, 1674, Mary, born June 14, 1657, daughter of Thomas and Mary Flagg, of Watertown. He was representative in 1708-09-10. By trade he was an innholder. He died before 1732.
(III) Samuel (2), son of Samuel (1) Bigelow, was born September 18, 1677, in Watertown. He married (first), in 1705, Ruth, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Whitney) Warren. She was born October 15, 1681, died in 1716. He married (second) Mary Gleason. He removed to Marlboro, where he died about 1734. Child, Jason, mentioned below. Daniel Warren, father of Ruth (Warren) Bigelow, was born October 6, 1653; married, December 19, 1678, Elizabeth, daughter of John and Ruth (Reynolds) Whitney, born June 9, 1656. He was representative in 1701 and selectman of Watertown for many years. Daniel Warren, his father, was born in 1628, admitted freeman in 1652; lived in Watertown; married, December 10, 1650, Mary, daughter of Ellis Barron, of Watertown. She died February 13, 1715-16. John Warren, father of Daniel Warren, was born in 1585; came to America and settled in Watertown in 1630. He was admitted freeman in 1631, selectman, 1636-37-38-39-40. He was fined for refusal to attend church and his house searched for Quakers. March 14, 1658-59, he was solemnly warned for not attending public worship and officer returns "Old man Warren is not to be found in town." He married Margaret ————, and his four children were probably born in England.
(IV) Jason, son of Samuel (2) Bigelow, was born April 11, 1718. He married, in 1748, Abigail Witt. He lived in Marlboro and Brookfield. Child: Abigail, married John Perry (see Perry V).
(The Van Antwerp Line)
(V) Cornelius, son of Douwe Van Antwerp (q. v.), was born July 4, 1788, at Schaghticoke. He married Catherine Ackert, who died about 1820. They lived at Schaghticoke. Children:
- Julia A., mentioned below;
- Elizabeth, married Ira L. Peck;
- Catherine;
- Alida.
(VI) Julia A., daughter of Cornelius Van Antwerp, was born November 9, 1813, at Schaghticoke, died January 30, 1889, at Stillwater, New York. She married, February 14, 1832, in Schaghticoke. Cornelius Moore, born March 10, 1803, died January 5, 1895, at Troy New York. They lived in Schaghticoke, Stillwater and Troy. Children:
- Charlotte F., born January 11, 1833: married John Barker Perry (see Perry VII).
- Ira L., May 15, 1836, at Schaghticoke; married, May 7, 1861, at Stillwater, Fannie H. Haight, still living; he died June, 1882, in Stillwater.
- Esther Eliza, February 21, 1840, at Schaghticoke, died there January 29, 1845.