Anthony Colby is your 10th great grandfather - twice

New England Colby Family Founder

Anthony Colby, was the founder of the Colby family in New England. He was born about 1605 at Horbling, Lincolnshire, England. Horbling is next to Semperingham where his Colby ancestors had lived for several generations. He was apparently named for his uncle Anthony Jackson. [Anthony Colby is listed as a founder of both Salisbury and Amesbury Massachusetts.] Anthony Colby died Feb. 11, 1660, aged about 54 years.

Four of our grandfathers listed as founders of Amesbury, MA. Anthony Colby, John Bailey, George Martin, William Sargent

Anthony came to America in the Spring of 1630 on the ship "Arbella" with the "Winthrop Fleet". His first home was in the disputed territory between Cambridge and Watertown which was given to Cambridge in 1632, and was on the road to Mount Auburn close by the river. His close friend was Jarred Haddon. Anthony's wife might have been Jarred's sister. In 1633, on the second Sabbath that Rev. John Cotton preached, he baptized his own son Seaborn Cotton and John Colby, son of Anthony. Anthony built a second house near the Washington Elm and a third one near the Fresh Pond. He was admitted freeman in Cambridge in 1634. Three years later, he appeared in Ipswich, and three years after that in Salisbury. He was among the first settlers of the latter town. Together, the men (Jarred Haddon) joined the church in Charlestown and took the freeman's oath in Cambridge on 14 May 1634. Together lay their houselots at East Salisbury and when Jarred sold his homestead in 1644 and built in what is now Amesbury, Anthony bought the lot adjoining and came with his family. On this land he at last settled down to make a permanent home. He received additional lots of land from the divisions in 1643, 1654, and 1658. In 1640, he was appointed an appraiser for the government and in 1651 was elected a selectman. Anthony Colby seems to have been always at odds with the leaders in town affairs and was often in controversy , legal or personal, with the authorities. Once he was fined for making a speech in town meeting on the ground that he had created a disturbance. He worked incessantly to have the new settlement at Amesbury set off from Salisbury as a town. The fight was carried on after his death by his sons, and the separation was finally accomplished in 1666. He was an industrious man, and in spite of moving every few years and in spite of many children, he became one of the largest property holders in Amesbury. His lots included: Back River, Fox Island, Lion's Mouth, Great Swamp, Hampton, River, Whiskers Hill, and lots from the third and fourth divisions. His inventory set a value of 359 pounds sterling upon his property. The house that he bought from Thomas Macy is still standing and can be seen today. Colbys have been living in the house (no electricity, water, or heat other than the fireplaces) until recently. The old house was on the southwest side of Main St. which leads from Amesbury Center to the Merrimac and was the seventh from Bartlett's Corner. Thomas Macy was a friendly man. A family of Quakers was passing his home in a big rain storm. They asked if they could shelter in his shed until the rain had passed. He said that they could not shelter in his shed, but should come in by the fire. Harboring Quakers was against the law. He got caught. Anthony was his friend and bought the house from him and gave him enough to go to Nantucket to become the founding father of the Macy's stores. Whittier's poem "The Exiles" is based on this story. Bartlett's Corner is the location of the well described in Whittier's poem, "The Captain's Well". The well was dug by a grandson of Anthony's daughter Mary. Colby's have been living in and around Amesbury ever since. Amesbury is a very pretty, quiet, little town with some interesting features.

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Macy - Colby house

— The antiquated brown saltbox on Main Street, Amsebury, MA —

The Macy-Colby House, dating back to 1652, has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. The list captures the most historic and significant places in the United States and preserves them from future development.

one of the fireplaces

According to the little plaque inside (and another attached to the bottom) the cradle was given to the Colbys by their good friend, Susannah North Martin [another one of my grandparents], the famous witch of Salem.

From Wikipedia The Macy-Colby House is an historically significant Eighteenth Century saltbox, located in Amesbury, Massachusetts. The house, at 257 Main Street, was first built in 1654 by Thomas Macy, a merchant who served as Åmesbury's first Town Clerk. A few years later, Macy was forced to leave town, after he allowed a group of Quakers to take shelter in his home for a few hours, during a thunderstorm. ("Harboring Quakers" was considered a criminal offense.) The house was acquired by prominent Amesbury citizen Anthony Colby. Around 1712, the original house built by Macy was torn down. By 1745 the saltbox style house that exists today was completed by Obadiah Colby. The house remained in the Colby family for nine generations, and was used as a private residence by Colby's descendants until 1958, after which time it was acquired by the Daughters of the Revolution, until 2000. The Friends of the Macy-Colby House have maintained the house (now a museum) ever since.

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Ancestory Chain: My children's 7th Great Grandparents were 2nd Cousins. They were Philip Sargent and his wife Martha Hadley who were both the Great Grand children of Anthony Colby. Anthony Colby and Susanna / their daughter Mary Colby / Pillip Sargent / Philip Sargent / his daughter - Martha Sargent / Moses Quimby / Betsey Quimby / Almeda Sophia Roundy / Charles Parker / Larua Elizabeth Parker / Kirt DeMar Wood/ Lark / TR. Anthony Colby and Susanna / their son Isaac Colby / Dorothy Colby / Martha Hadley / her daughter - Martha Sargent / Moses Quimby / Betsey Quimby / Almeda Sophia Roundy / Charles Parker / Larua Elizabeth Parker / Kirt DeMar Wood/ Lark / TR The Colby family tree includes the following notable people: Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie) Joseph Smith, Jr. (Founder of the Mormon Church) Chester A. Arthur (21st President of the United States) William Egan Colby (CIA) Anthony Colby (Governor of New Hampshire) Gardner Colby (Colby College & President-Wisconsin Central RR) Carlos W. Colby (Congressional Medal of Honor - Vicksburg, 1863) Rear Admiral Harrison Gray Otis Colby (Commander-North Atlantic Fleet) Bainbridge Colby (U. S. Secretary of State, 1920-21) Stoddard B. Colby (Register of the U.S. Treasury) Richard Bruce Cheney (Vice President of the United States, 2001-) Notable people whose descendants married into the Colby family: Susanna North Martin (Salem Witch Trials) Mary Perkins Bradbury (Salem Witch Trials) Hannah Emerson Dustin (Indian Captive) Myles Standish (Mayflower Passenger) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~colby/colbyfam/