Furbish, William

Published: 16 Dec 2014
Updated: 07 Mar 2020
Researchers: Jessica Allen (Furbish) Anderson, Ray Dusek, Heidi Lamonica, Andrew Millard, Marian Novak, Jean Paradis, Teresa Rust
Editor: Teresa Rust

IMPORTANT UPDATE! (Jul 2018)
According to, Christopher Gerrard, Pam Graves, Andrew Millard, Richard Annis, and Anwen Caffell, in, Lost Lives, New Voices: Unlocking the Stories of the Scottish Soldiers at the Battle of Dunbar 1650, (England: Oxbow Books, 2018),² on page 249, William is categorized as:

Probable [that he is a Dunbar prisoner transported on the Unity]

Appears: 1659. B.c.1631. D.1701. Clearly a Scot and acquired land in Dover at about the same time as Scots likely to have been prisoners. [Exiles; Banks; DR; BCS; SPOWS; Ch.7 & 8]^3456789

For explanations of the category, abbreviations and references see List of Dunbar prisoners from Lost Lives, New Voices.

First Generation in the New World

1. WILLIAM¹ FURBISH, was born in Scotland about 1631 and died at Kittery, York, Maine, before 21 Mar 1701. He married, first, at Kittery, Maine by 1669, REBECCA (_____).¹⁰ He married, second, at Kittery by 1686, CHRISTIAN (_____).¹¹

Biographical Notes:
Highly Recommended!
2023 Edition: William Furbish (1631-1694) by B. Craig Stinson.
2016 Edition: William Furbish (1631-1694) by B. Craig Stinson.
In 1659 William “Ferbush” was in the Oyster River community near Dover, New Hampshire.¹²
Did he have children by his second wife?

Children of William and Rebecca (_____) Furbish:
2. i. DANIEL² FURBISH, b. at Kittery, York, Maine, 20 Mar 1664; m. DOROTHY PRAY.
2. ii. JOHN² FURBISH, b. at Kittery about 1667; died
24 Nov 1701, Lost at Sea. Never married. No children.
2. iii. HOPEWELL² FURBISH, m. 12 May 1693, ENOCH HUTCHINS, Jr.
2. iv. K/CATHERINE² FURBISH, b. about 1673; d. 1755; m. abt. 1694, ANDREW NEAL, a son of SPOW, JOHN NEALE, #81 on George S. Stewart’s Captured at Dunbar list.
2. v. SARAH² FURBISH, b 1671; d. 1715; m abt. 1698, THOMAS THOMPSON¹³ .
2. vi. BETHIA² FURBISH, b 1677; d. 1747; m. in 1705, JOSEPH GOLD/GOOLD.
2. vii. WILLIAM² FURBISH, went to South Carolina.

Second Generation

2. i. DANIEL² FURBISH, (William¹) was born at Kittery, York, Maine, on 20 Mar 1664. He married, at Kittery, by 1689, DOROTHY PRAY,¹⁴ she was born about 1675 and is the daughter of, JOHN and JOANNA (_____) PRAY. She was taken captive by Native Americans and her husband ransomed her back.

Children of Daniel and Dorothy (Pray) Furbish:
3. i. DANIEL³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery on 9 Mar 1690. He became a Quaker in 1759. He married in 1718, ANN LORD.
3. ii. REBECCA³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery on 19 Apr 1694. She married in Feb 1715, BENJAMIN GOULD.
3. iii. JOHN³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery on 19 Apr 1699. He married about 1722, HANNAH LITTLEFIELD.
3. JOANNA³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery on 14 Jul 1701. She married on 20 Feb 1731/2, SAMUEL FERNALD.
3. iv. WILLIAM³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery on 19 Mar 1703. He married, SARAH PREBLE.¹⁵
3. v. DOROTHY³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery in 1704. She married, JOHN HARTFORD.
3. vi. SARAH³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery in 1706. She married on 11 Apr 1733, HATEVIL HALL.
3. vii. KATHERINE³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery in 1708 and baptized 21 Sep 1721. She married at Kittery, ROBERT ALLEN.
3. viii. JOSEPH³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery in 1710. He married 20 May 1734, ELIZABETH MEADER.
3. ix. BENJAMIN³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery in 1712. He married on 03 Jun 1740, HANNAH HUSSEY.
3. x. MARY³ FURBISH, (Daniel², William¹), b. at Kittery in 1714. Her marriage Intention was published 15 Oct 1743 to, BENJAMIN ROBERTS, a brother of Sarah who married Ebenezer Wentworth.

2. ii. JOHN² FURBISH, (William¹), was born at Kittery about 1667 and died on 24 Nov 1701, Lost at Sea. Never married. No children.

2. iii. HOPEWELL² FURBISH, (William¹), She married, first, at Kittery, on 12 May 1693, ENOCH HUTCHINS, Jr.,¹⁶ and married, second, at Kittery on 25 Apr 1711, WILLIAM WILSON, of Kittery.

Biographical Notes:
Hopewell, pregnant with her fourth child, was abducted along with her three young sons and sold to the French in Sorel, Canada, some 300 miles distant. Baby Mary Catherine was born in captivity there. Hopewell’s husband, Enoch Hutchins, Jr., was killed by Indians April 3, 1706, before any of his family were redeemed. He followed his own father’s unfortunate footsteps, as Enoch Hutchins, Sr., had been killed by Indians in May 1698.

Children of Enoch and Hopewell (Furbish) Hutchins:
3. i. _____ HUTCHINS, a son, was born at Kittery
3. ii. _____ HUTCHINS, a son, was born at Kittery
3. iii. _____ HUTCHINS, a son, was born at Kittery
3. iv. MARY CATHERINE HUTCHINS, b. at Sorel, Canada in 1705.¹⁷

Children of William and Hopewell (Furbish) Hutchins Wilson:
3. WILLIAM WILSON, b. at Kittery on 27 Jan 1711/2 and m., EDAH BRIAR.¹⁷
4. EDMUND WILSON,
5. EDMUND WILSON,
6. OTIS DOW WILSON,
7. LESTER ALONZO WILSON,
8. HOWARD EDMUND WILSON, ~ ancestry of Jean Paradis

2. iv. KATHERINE² FURBISH, (William¹), was born about 1673 and died in 1755. She married at Kittery about 1694, ANDREW NEAL, a son of SPOW, JOHN NEAL.¹⁸

Children of John and Catherine (Furbish) Neal:
3. i. KATHERINE NEAL, (Catherine², William¹), b. on 4 Dec 1695; m. 22 Sep 1714, NATHANIEL AUSTIN, of Dover.
3. ii. JOHN NEAL, (Catherine², William¹), b. on 18 Oct 1698; d. 1755; m. PATIENCE JOHNSON.
3. iii. ANDREW NEAL, (Catherine², William¹), b. 4 May 1701; d. 1757; m. DORCAS JOHNSON.
3. iv. HANNAH NEAL, (Catherine², William¹), b. 28 May 1704; died young.
3. v. REBECCA NEAL, (Catherine², William¹), b. 20 Jan 1706/7
3. vi. MARY NEAL, (Catherine², William¹), b. on 17 Aug 1708; m. 12 Jan 1726, BENJAMIN HILL (1703-1788).
3. vii. JAMES NEAL, (Catherine², William¹), b. 4 May 1711; died 31 Aug 1730.

2. v. SARAH² FURBISH, (William¹), married about 1698, THOMAS THOMPSON¹³ .

Children of William and Sarah (Furbish) Thompson:
3. i. MILES³ THOMPSON, (Sarah², William¹), 1699
3. ii. SARAH THOMPSON, (Sarah², William¹), 1702-1781
3. iii. ANN THOMPSON, (Sarah², William¹), 1707-1742, m. 27 Jan 1727 at Kittery, Maine, Hezekiah Staples¹⁹
3. iv. MEHITABLE THOMPSON, (Sarah², William¹), 1709-1734
3. v. THOMAS THOMPSON, (Sarah², William¹), 1712-1756

2. vi. BETHIA² FURBISH, (William¹), b 1677; d. 1747; married in 1705, JOSEPH GOULD/GOLD.

Children of Joseph and Bethia (Furbish) Gould:
3. i. WILLIAM³ GOULD, (Bethia², William¹), 1700-1774
3. ii. MARY³ GOULD, (Bethia², William¹), 1707-1762
3. iii. HANNAH³ GOULD, (Bethia², William¹), 1710-1712
3. iv. WILLIAM GOULD, (Bethia², William¹), 1711
3. v. HANNAH GOULD, (Bethia², William¹), 1713
3. vi. SAMUEL GOULD, (Bethia², William¹), 1714-1779
3. vii. WILLIAM GOULD, (Bethia², William¹), 1715-1751
3. viii. SARAH GOULD, (Bethia², William¹), 1722-1781
3. ix. JOSEPH GOULD, (Bethia², William¹), 1722-1797
3. x. BETHIA GOULD, (Bethia², William¹), 1723

2. vii. WILLIAM² FURBISH, (William¹), b. at Kittery in 1678; died at Craven, South Carolina in 1724. went to South Carolina. He married, BRIDGET SCREVEN (1681-1736), the daughter of Reverend WILLIAM SCREVEN.

Children of William and Bridget (Screven) Furbish:
3. i. WILLIAM³ FURBISH/FORBES, (William², William¹), b. 1703
3. ii. JOHN³ FURBISH/FORBES, (William², William¹), 1705-1706.

Third Generation

3. v. ANN³ THOMPSON, (Sarah², William¹) was born at Kittery, York, Maine, 1707. She married, at Kittery, 22 Feb 1727, HEZEKIAH STAPLES¹⁹ (1702-1752).

Children of Hezekiah and Ann (Thompson) Staples:
4. i . Sarah⁴ Staples, (Ann³, Sarah², William¹), 1731-1817, m. 24 Jan 1755 at York, York, Maine, CAPT. DANIEL WARDWELL²⁰ .

B. Craig Stinson has written about William Furbish. Highly recommended!
2023 Edition: William Furbish (1631-1694) by B. Craig Stinson.
2016 Edition: William Furbish (1631-1694) by B. Craig Stinson.

Sources and Notes:
On 10 Oct 2018, Ray Dusek shared: “In 1720 it was ordered that garrisons or places of refuge should be erected at the residences of the following persons; Andrew Neal, John Gowen, Jonathan Nason, Samuel Small, Jr., Capt. John Heard, Maj. Charles Frost, John Morrell. Senr., Capt. Nicholas Shapleigh, Capt. John Leighton, David Libby, Jr.Joseph Hill, John Staple, Maj. Joseph Hammond, Widow Spinney, John Dennet, Richard King, Senr., Joseph Curtis, Richard Rogers, John Adams, Robert Cutt, Lt. Elihu Gunnison, Nathaniel Leach, Nathaniel Keen, Rev. John Newmarch, Samuel Hutchins, Nicholas Weeks, Andrew Lewis, Col. William Pepperrell, Widow Wilson, Ebenezer More, Richard Cutt, Clement Deering, and Robert Eliot. Agreeably to this order we find the following list of garrisons in the records of the town. “At a meeting of ye Military officers of ye town of Kittery together with ye Selectmen of sd Town, Sept. 15th & 17th, 1722, for ye Ordering what houses be made Defencible in sd town by virtue of An Act of ye Governmt, passed at their Session ye 7th day of Augst, 1722—Ordered thet ye several houses following be made Defencible, Vizt; 1st. Daniel Furbush. And that Allexander Forguson & Samll Shorey with their familys Lodge therein. The 10 Dover Rd House is the land where William Furbish lived the Family graveyard is on the top of the knoll with all the brush, there our 4 generations of Furbish buried there about 30 graves no headstones, William his wife his son Daniel and his wife that we know of if you want to add me to the line of William Furbish as a contributor , my e-mail The 1st attachment list the names of the wives and Husbands of Daniel and Dorothy Children “

There apparently is this INCORRECT record: William Furbish “1648 Granted land in Dover, New Hampshire (18 March 1648)” BUT, “Historian Everett S. Stackpole is both the source of the error and its correction. In Old Kittery and Her Families, 1903, p. 121, (and p. 437) he states that William Furbish is found as early as 1648 in Dover, N. H. In 1913 the same author wrote History of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire. On page 79, Stackpole states: “William Furbish was taxed in Dover in 1659 as William Ferbush. The statement that he was taxed in Dover in 1648, made in Old Kittery and Her Families, is an error, the result of the misreading of the name William Furber…” ~ Submitted by Craig Stinson on 7 May 2016.

According to, Ronald Engelhorn, a descendant, “All records indicate there was only one William Furbush (Forbes) living in and around Maine after 1650, most genealogist believe the 1648 listing to be a typo. Both William and his brother Daniel Furbush (Forbes) are listed on the prisoner transport list to the colonies. To date, no other William or Daniel Forbes has been found from Maine or NH.“

In ‘The Devil of Great Island: Witchcraft and Conflict in Eary New England’ by Emerson W Baker (Palgrave Macmillan 2007), page 118, is this statement: “William Furbush, who converted to Quakerism in Dover in 1662, was prosecuted in 1674 for getting Indians drunk. In 1679, he was fined for abusing the constable, whom his wife Rebecca was convicted of striking. In 1683, husband and wife were both fined for speaking against the government.” The cited references for the paragraph that includes these statements are:
Charles Pettingell, ‘Quakerism in the Piscataqua: A Historical Address Delivered Before the Piscataqua Pioneers at Exeter, New Hampshire August 7, 1945’, pp.11-13
Sybil Noyes, Charles T Libby, and Walter G Davis, eds., ‘Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire’ (1928-1939; reprint Baltimore 1979), p.251.

Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, Volume 4 by William Richard Cutter, Lewis historical Publishing Company, 1908 – Boston (Mass.) Page 1966. (NEAL Family)
Piscataqua Pioneers : Register of members and ancestors, 1623-1775, JOHN SCALES, A. M., Editor, DOVER, N. H., MAY, 1919 FREE Google Book

Old Kittery and Her Families by Everett Schermerhorn Stackpole
Press of Lewiston journal Company, 1903 – Kittery (Me.) – 822 pages (Page 640 – NEAL family) FREE Google Book

William Furbish at Connected Bloodlines

Descendants of William Furbush at Family Tree Maker

“The transfer of the next lot from William Ellingham to Daniel Ferguson is not on record, but Ferguson must have settled here before 1659. when “the creek by Daniel Ferguson’s and Anthony Emery’s” is mentioned. 1 te and his neighbor. William
Furbish, together bought land further inland of James Fernery, in1667. The dividing line between F’erguson and Furbish was laidout by referees in 1680. Both prohablv came from Dover. X. 11.. where William Furbish is found as early as 1648 [??]. ” Again, the date of 1648 in INCORRECT! See above in the Biographical Notes for William Furbish. ~ Teresa

I descend from William Furbush (Forbes) through his daughter Catherine. I don’t know for sure than my information is correct, but I have in my notes that he was taken prisoner along with his brother Daniel, that they were fighting with Leslie and were part of the contingent of 150 Scottish POWs delivered up by Sir Arthur Haselrig to Augustine Walker of the ship UNITY on 11 Nov 1650. Walker sold William and Daniel Furbish (Forbes) to Samson Angier for 30 pounds each. Samson send Daniel to his brother Edmund in Cambridge and kept William with him. I also have that Daniel married Rebecca Perriman (Massachusetts Marriages, 1633-1850). The Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire cites that William’s daughter Catherine married Andrew Neale on p. 251. He was the son of POW John Neale. I also descend from POWs William Alexander Gowan and Peter Grant–and, from the South, Ninian Beall. And I seem to remember that there are still others, though I can’t name them right now and can’t find their notes. Quite a legacy!~ Marian Novak

William Furbush (Listed as Furbish, #26 on Dunbar) was my 9th great grandfather, with 1 surname between us- Down the line: William Furbush w/ wife, Rebecca Perriman (shown as marrying brother Daniel as well?)
Daniel Furbush Sr.
Benjamin Furbush
Richard Furbush Sr.
Richard Furbush Jr.
David Furbush
Greenleaf A. Furbush
Forrest L. Furbush
Carrie Furbush married Hershal Paul
Private Paul
Private Paul
Me
~ Heidi Lamonica

“I descend from William Furbush through his son Daniel. One of Daniel’s many children was another William (ma. Sarah Preble). I believe he was captured at Fort William Henry in 1757 with his son, who was also named William. William and Sarah also had a son named Isaac, who married Keziah Abbott. Both Isaac and Keziah’s gravestones are located on what used to be Oak Hill cemetary, which is on family land in Sanford, ME. There are many gravestones of Furbish descendants, from the late 1700’s through 1926 in this graveyard. It’s really remarkable about all the things you can find. I’m fairly new at this, but my Dad, and great uncle have started this research for me, and I aim to continue. I would love to find some information about the Furbish/Forbes lineage from Scotland. Can anyone give me any good ideas where to start?” Thanks, Jessica Allen Furbish Anderson

1. Stewart, George Sawin. The Bartlett Collection. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts. /george-sawin-stewart-documents/ [↩]
2. Gerrard, Christopher M.., et al. Lost Lives, New Voices: Unlocking the Stories of the Scottish Soldiers at the Battle of Dunbar 1650. Oxbow Books, 2018, p. 249. [↩]
3. Stackpole, Everett Schermerhorn. Scotch Exiles in New England. 1922. Coll. 733 & 831, Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Portland ME. [↩]
4. Banks, C.E. 1927. ‘Scotch Prisoners deported to New England by Cromwell 1651-2’. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society 61, 4-30. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25080212 [↩]
5. Rapaport, Diane. Working List of Early New England Scots. 2015. [↩]
6. Stinson, B. Craig. “‘Oyster River Scots.’” The Scottish Prisoners of War Society, Teresa Rust, 3 June 2018, scottishprisonersofwar.com/oyster-river-scots-by-b-craig-stinson/. [↩]
7. Stewart, George Sawin. The Bartlett Collection. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts. /george-sawin-stewart-documents/ [↩]
8. “Dunbar Prisoners of War Profiles.” The Scottish Prisoners of War Society, Teresa Rust, 18 Feb. 2019, scottishprisonersofwar.com/battle_of_dunbar_pows_america/. [↩]
9. Gerrard, Christopher M.., et al. Lost Lives, New Voices: Unlocking the Stories of the Scottish Soldiers at the Battle of Dunbar 1650. Oxbow Books, 2018. Ch. 7, 8. [↩]
10. FURBISH, William & [Rebecca] ____; by 1669; Kittery, ME {Kittery 437-8; Lord 6, 7; GDMNH 251; Forbes-Forbush; Farr Anc. 154} New England Marriages to 1700. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/rd/21174/560/426886015 [↩]
11. “FURBUSH, William & 2/wf? Christian ____ (?1652-); by 1686?; Kittery, ME {Kittery 461; Forbes-Forbush 16; Gould 319; GDMNH 251; Farr Anc. 154}” New England Marriages to 1700. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/i/21174/560/426886016 [↩]
12. Vital Records from The NEHGS Register. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB522/i/21068/249/45649273 [↩]
13. Genealogical Publishing Co.; Baltimore, MD, USA; Volume Title: New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Pg. 738 (requires subscription): https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/49379:3824 [↩] [↩]
14. “FORBASH, Daniel (1664, 1665?-) & Dorothy [PRAY] (1668-); by 1689?, by 1690(1?); Kittery, ME {Kittery 438, 463; Gould 320; Lord 7; Vinton Mem. 325; GDMNH 251, 565; Reg. 55:280}” New England Marriages to 1700. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/rd/21174/560/426923529 [↩]
15. Vital Records from The NEHGS Register. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB522/i/14321/390/264655797 [↩]
16. “HUTCHINS, Enoch (-1706) & Hopewell FURBISH, m/2 William WILSON 1711; 12 May 1693, ?13 May; Kittery, ME {Kittery 438, 542; GDMNH 251, 366; Forbes-Forbush; Farr Anc. 155}” New England Marriages to 1700. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/rd/21175/828/426929365 [↩]
17. Vital Records from The NEHGS Register. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB522/i/14309/293/264791785 [↩] [↩]
18. “NEAL, Andrew (ca 1665-1739) & Katharine/Catherine [FURBISH/ FURBUSH] (-1739+); ca 1694; Kittery, ME {Kittery 435, 640; GDMNH 251, 506; Forbes-Forbush; Farr Anc. 153, 207}” New England Marriages to 1700. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/rd/21175/1080/426934934 [↩]
19. “Maine Marriages, 1771-1907”, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F48F-R43 : 14 January 2020), Anne Thompson in entry for Hezekiah Staple, 1727. [↩] [↩]
20. Maine Marriages, 1771-1907″, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F465-VV4 : 14 January 2020), Sarah Staple in entry for Daniel Wardwell, 1755. [↩]