William Longley (5), John (4), William (3), William (2), John (1)

The son of William and Sarah (Prescott) Longley, was born Feb. 20, 1708, Groton, Massachusetts, and died May 15, 1788, at Shirley, Mass. He married Jan 4, 1734, Groton, Mary Parker, daughter of Joseph and Abigail (Sawtell) Parker. She was born Oct. 12, 1716, at Groton, and died Aug. 7, 1758, at Shirley, Mass.

William and Mary had twelve children:

1. William, b. Jan. 24, 1734, Groton; d. young, Groton.

2. Mary, b. Oct. 13, 1736, Groton; d. 1749, probably Shirley.

3. William, b. May 23, 1739, Groton; m. Aug. 8, 1763, Lydia Wallingford (Warrensford); d. Jan. 9, 1813, Shirley, Mass.

4. Sarah, b. Feb. 18, 1740, Groton; m. 1. James Willard, 2. _____Hall; d. ca. 1780, age 40.

5. Anna, b. Mar. 10, 1742, Groton; m. Samuel Bartlett; d. Apr. 18, 1826, Hopkinton, New Hampshire.

6. Lydia, b. Dec. 31, 1745, Groton; m. Thomas Bennett; d. 1828, Turin, New York.

7. Isreal, b. Oct. 12, 1745, Groton; m. 1770, Anna Kent; d. Sept. 16, 1824, Nova Scotia.

8. Nehemiah, b. Sept. 4, 1747, Groton; m. Maine, Miriam Sawtelle; d. Nov. 1, 1822, Sidney, Maine.

9. Mary, b. Nov. 4, 1749, Groton; m. John Priest; d. Mar. 22, 1822, Westminster, Vermont.

10. Joshua, b. July 23, 1751, Groton; m. Mar. 20, 1770, Bridget Melvin; d. Nov. 7, 1814, Shirley.

11. James, b. Nov. 4, 1753, Shirley; m. Jan. 15, 1784, Molly Bartlett; d. Jan. 14, 1837, Boylston, Mass.

12. Abigail, b. Dec. 1, 1755, Shirley; d. Oct., 1758, Shirley.

Note: Groton is listed as the birthplace of William's first ten children as given by chandler in his History of Shirley. However, it is possible that some of the older children were also born in Shirley.

The exact date Willaim and some of his brothers moved to Shirley is unknown. The land they settled was part of the inheritance that came down to them from their great-grandfather, William Longley, who, as one of the original proprietors of Groton, had received it as part of his acre-rights when the grants were distributed. Deeds show that, as recorded in 1729, there were two houses, one to "William Longley, builder," and the other, "William Longley, his house," which establishes ownership, if not occupancy.
In 1734 John Longley was recorded as the owner of 139 acres and buildings at "Tinn Corner" on Clark Road, and in 1746 he received 17 acres from his brother William and 18 acres from his brother Jonas. Jonas Longley was recorded as the occupant of the William Longley house on Hazen Road in 1747, and in 1748 William received a deed of "30 acres where he now lives" near his mill on the Catacanemaug stream in what later became Shirley Village. Shirley Uplands and Intervales, Occupants of Shirley Houses.

William Longley and Samuel Hazen were the first to immoratalize their names as builders of mills within the limits of what is now the Village of Shirlry. They built the first grist-mill and subsequently added a saw-mill.

"This first corn-mill was a humble structure, containing but a single run of stones and was without any apparatus for bolting flour. But humble as it was the enterprise when regarded from a later point of view, it required a mighty effort at the time, and was an event in the town of noteworthy character, and was hailed by the prople as the harbringer of better times. The two proprietors wrought with their own hands, in excavating the banks, laying a foundation for a building, and in erecting a dam across the stream. Within a few years Mr. Hazen disposed of his interest in the establishment, and it fell to Mr. Longley to serve his townsmen as their 'miller;' this he did with fidelity unto an old age, and was succeeded by his son in the same homorable employment." History of Shirley.
In 1759 or 1760 William Longley took his 14 year-old son, Isreal, and journeyed to Nove Scotia, and after staying several years, intended to return to Shirley and move his family there, but never returned. He left his son behind as an apprentice to a carpenter named Parker. Isreal remained and made Nova Scotia his life-long residence.
William saw military service during the French War and served on Col. Jonathan Bagley's Regiment during the campaign of 1758. His brother Joseph was mortally wounded in that campaign. "When the tidings of the Lexington battle (April 19, 1775) reached the town, every man old enough to bear arms volunteered his services and marched to Cambridge, but seven! And these, either by age or infirmities, or the situation of their families, were prevented from joining the expedition. One of them, William Longley, though bent down with age, and supporting himself with two staves, wished to join the company, and when reminded of his infirmity he replied, 'True, I cannot handle a musket, yet I will fight the red-coats with my two canes'."

ABOUT MARY PARKER:

Mary Parker was the great-granddaughter of Captain Joseph Parker who came to America from England in 1638 and owned a large estate in Groton. Her grandfather was Joseph Parker, who was the first inhabitant of Dunstable. Her father, also named Joseph, lived in Groton.
Many of the Parker descendants served with honor during the Revolutionary War. Among the most famous were Capt. John Parker, commander at the battle of Lexington, and Jonas Parker, one of the first nine Americans to die in that battle of April 19, 1775.

Mary Parker Longley died in 1758. Life became difficult for William after her death and his youngest son, James, was forced to find a home elsewhere. William Longley lived for thirty years after his wife's death, and died at Shirley in 1788. The graves of William and Mary have not been located.