birth
We know the approximate year of birth from the will of his brother in law William Hatch Jr. found in the Plymouth County Probate Records of Massachusetts (Vol 2 p 44). In this document, James testifies that he is 44 years old in 1657; which would make his birth year around 1613. There are also many written histories which include the Torrey family's lineage to England. A transcription of the wills for the parents of James Torrey are included the ancestry database, North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000, (originally from the book, Captain John Grout of Watertown and Sudbury...p 97). This source states that James and his siblings William, Phillip, Joseph, Anne, Mary and Sarah are from Combe St. Nicholas, England. Their father is Phillip Torrey and mother is Alice Richards.
immigration
In the Plymouth Colony Records (New Plymouth 111), James Torrey gives testimony that he was on the same ship as John Ames. After doing a quick google search for John Ames genealogy, some histories have John Ames (of Duxbury and Bridgewater) arriving on the ship Hercules in 1634/1635. However; he is not listed on the Hercules passenger list. I have not found any documentation as to when John Ames arrived in New England. In the book, The Seventeenth-Century town records of Scituate, Massachusetts, Volume 1, (Scit R) the author (Jeremy Bangs) lists 171 people living in the town of Scituate (names that were in town records and Lothrop's church records) between 1633-1639, and James Torrey is not listed (p 24). Looking through the Plymouth Colony records, I find that James Torrey starts showing up in the Scituate records in 1643.
land
Whenever I research a New England ancestor, I am always most interested to see where their homestead was; perhaps because I am local to the area. Looking through the records of Plymouth Colony and The Seventeenth-Century town records of Scituate, Massachusetts (Scit R), there are land transactions involving James Torrey that give some identifying information which may be helpful locating his homestead on a map.
hobart's landing:
The first record of James Torrey owning land in Scituate comes from a deed dated 1643 listed in the book, The Seventeenth-Century town records of Scituate, Massachusetts where James purchases 8 acres of upland from John Stockbridge. This land is bounded by a "swamp to the north; Thomas Robinson's land to the south; the highway between it and James Torrey's land to the east; Thomas Chambers' land to the west." (Scit R p.209) This is not enough information for me to place the land on a map. Looking further through the records in this book; however, I came across another transaction which involves James' sister in law, Abigail Hatch (his wife Anne's brother's wife). Abigail sells 13 acres in 1657, that is bounded by the highway and Thomas Robinson's land on the west, James Torrey on the north, William Witherell on the east, and the North River on the South. (Scit R p.155) Although the North River is large, we now have a general area of Scituate to place James. We get another clue though from another transaction when Thomas Robinson sells some of his land to John Otis in 1660. The record states this land is near the North River and Stony Brook, and bounds Thomas Chambers to the west, to the east and north to James Torrey's land. (Scit R p.158). So James Torrey's land is north of the North River and near Stony Brook. Then in 1664, the town grants to James Torrey, all the common land on the southerly side of his field in front of his house, which is between the field and the land James Torrey bought from Walter Hatch to the north and south, Rotten Marsh Swamp to the east and the way to the west. (Scit R p. 253-254) According to The History of Plymouth County, Massachusetts... on ancestry.com, Rotten Marsh Swamp is between Stockbridge's Mill and Little's Bridge (p438).
This location coincides with the description given in the North America, Family Histories database on ancestry, which states his house "stood 10 rods south of the gate that leads to Hobart's Landing". Below is a map of Hobart's Landing from the book, History of Shipbuilding on North River...., which includes the North River, Little's Bridge, and Stony Brook.
Looking through the later deeds in Plymouth County, it seems James' son James was eventually in possession of this land, which was then handed down to his children (immigrant James' grandchildren). (see note 1). James' other sons were granted land elsewhere from the town of Scituate. (see note 2)
two mile grant:
There is another area of land in Scituate that James Torrey owned. There are two land transactions recorded for James that do not seem to be from the Hobart's Landing area described above. One is in 1654, when James Torrey sells 40 acres of upland and meadowland to his brother-in-law, Walter Hatch. (Scit R p.151). This land is described as bounded to the west, south and north to Walter Hatch's land and to the east to common land. This transaction also mentions land near Richard Curtis and Thomas Byrd and a little creek. Another transaction between Walter Hatch and James Torrey occurred in the same year, this time with James Torrey purchasing 1.5 acres from Walter. This land is described as bounded to the south to Walter Hatch's meadow, the north to marsh of James Torrey, east to Walter Hatch and west to the North River. (Scit R p.289) With the North River to the west of this land, it seems it is not in the same location as James' homestead.
At this time in Scituate, there is an area which has the North River to the west. In 1640, the Plymouth Court granted to the people of Scituate more land to the east of the North River because there were general complaints about the quality of the current land in Scituate. This was known as the Two-Mile Grant. (Scit R 31). According to the book, The Red House, Walter Hatch did build a house in this area. This book also discusses the land that Walter Hatch bought from James Torrey as being in the area of the Two-Mile Grant. (Another book also discussed this area, The North River: Scenic Waterway of the South Shore). The map below is from the book The Seventeenth Century Town Records of Scituate..., and delineates the Two-Mile Grant, which now lies in Marshfield, as number 61. The area is now a Reservation that is accessible to the public known as the Two Mile Farm.
As with the Hobart's Landing area, this land also seems to have been handed down to James' son, James; who then handed it down to his children through deeds before his death. (see note 3)
The Google Map below shows where I have marked both areas of James Torrey's land. The smaller northern area is the Hobart's Landing area where I believe James resided. The larger shaded area is an estimation of the entire Two-Mile Grant where James owned and sold land.
Notes:
- Some of James' 2nd children (James, Joseph, William and Eunice) received the land in Hobart's Landing area in the early 1700's. (Plymouth County Deeds 14,271; 14,240). James 2nd also sold some of this land to Joseph Neal (Plymouth County Deeds 14,159) and gave some to his wife Eunice and his daughter Eunice (Plymouth County Deed 9,415). It seems likely to me that this is where my immigrant ancestor, James Torrey, resided.
- The immigrant James Torrey had 5 sons, James, William, Joseph, Jonathan and Josiah. Looking at the deeds, his eldest son James seems to have received most of his land; which was then handed down to most of his children - see note above. Immigrant James died unexpectedly in an explosion accident, and left no will. After James' death, in 1665, the town granted to James' four youngest sons 200 acres lying above Weymouth. (Historical Sketch of Abington p 16). One of those sons, Jonathan, is my direct ancestor who removed to Weymouth. Two of these sons also granted or bought land in Scituate. Josiah resided near Dead Swamp; which is Torrey Pond now, north of the Two Mile Grant. Joseph resided near Hooppole Hill, which is to the west of his brother Josiah's residence in Dead Swamp. There is currently a Hoop Pole Lane in this area of Scituate. At Joseph's death, he gives his brother Josiah his house and 2 acres in Scituate. There is not much information on the other son, William. He is not mentioned in his brother Joseph's will, when all the other siblings are mentioned; so he may be deceased by then, 1714.
- James Torrey 2nd, also handed down the land in the Two - Mile Grant area to his sons. James Torrey 3rd had land to the east of the North River (Plymouth County Deed 8,183). Nathaniel Torrey may have had two areas of land, one probably to the east of the North River, near his brother Joseph Torrey (Plymouth County Deed 11,257), which Nathaniel sold to Isreal Hatch (14,205). Nathaniel also received land west of the North River and west of James Torrey 3rd land (Plymouth County Deed 12,22), which he sold to Ebenezer Pinance in 1715 (16,8). There was a creek above the first area of Nathaniel Torrey's land (maybe hatch mill creek) and then above the creek was land that Joseph Torrey received (Plymouth County Deed 11,257). Joseph also sold his land to Isreal Hatch in 1716 (14,205). To the south of Joseph and Nathaniel Torrey's land was the meadowland of Walter Hatch; which is probably the general area where Walter built his historical house in 1647, the Red House at 385 Union St., now part of Marshfield.
