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Subject: [GM-L] LONGLEY ~ Includes Captive John Longley's 2 wives and 11 children.
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 22:03:28 EST

Note: Using several books of Dr. Samuel A. Green, Caleb Butler's History of
Groton,
both the Farnsworth & Prescott books, I found all the children of John
Longley and
his first wife, Lydia Prescott (and there were 5 not 4) and all the children
by his second wife, Deborah Houghton (and there were 6 not 7). Also found
Deborah (Houghton) Longley's grave at Groton. John Longley was an Indian
Captive for four years.

Subject: LONGLEY
Source: Groton Historical Series by Dr. Samuel A. Green Vol 1, Chapter XVII
p.21
In Hawley, Mr. Joseph Longley, born in Groton, MA, Aug 8, 1744. He was
great grandson to William Longley, who with a part of his family, were
killed at Groton by the Indians in 1604, grandson to John Longley
who was captive four years in Canada; and son to Joseph Longley, who was
mortally wounded in the battle and defeat of Fort William Henry, 1758.

When 16, he was in the French war one year and helped to build the stone
barracks
at Crown Point, 1760. He was five years in the revolutionary war. In the
first eight months'service, 1775; at Ticonderoga in 1776; at the capture
of Burgoyne, 1777. In December following, while in the van of 100 volun-
teers under Major Hull, pursuing a foraging party, 32 were cut off by the
British cavalry, near Derby, deprived of their blankets, and put in prison
at Philadelphia, where more than half died of cold, hunger and disease.
In April, 1778, he, with others were put on board a prison ship for N.Y.
where he was exchanged in July and soon after joined his regiment and was
in the battle in Rhode Island, and in that signal retreat, under General
Sullivan.
The Massachusetts Spy (Worcester) August 24, 1836.

p.22
According to the genealogical tables in the Appendix to Mr. Caleb Butler's
History of Groton (p.417) Joseph Longley was born on Aug 6,1744.
p.417 Joseph Longley and his wife, Mary had issue:
1. Joseph Longley b. Aug 6, 1744 d. July 8, 1836* see below.
2. Edmund Longley b. Oct 31, 1746; d. Nov 29, 1842.
3. Phebe Longley b. Nov 26, 1748.
4. John Longley b. Feb 17, 1750
Vid. in Shirley, MA


The date of his death was July 8, 1836, according to the American Almanac for
the
year 1837, where the following notice of him appears under the head of
"American Obituary," "July 8. At Hawley, Mass., aged 92, Joseph Longley
who was one year in the French War and five years in the revolutionary
war." (p.304)

Vol II p. 75
Among the early settlers of Norridgewock and Canaan, Maine, families of
Groton, MA
who migrated just after the Rev. War or just before, were Asa Longley and
Zechariah
Longley. See the history of those towns by Rev. John Wesley Hanson (Boston,
1849).

p.361
Groton Revolutionary Soldiers Living in Maine
Source: "Names of Soldiers of the American Revolution who applied for State
Bounty Under
Resolves of March 17, 1835, March 24, 1836 and March 20, 1838 as appears of
record in
Land Office," compiled by Charles J. House Augusta 1893

Asa Longley, St. Albans - of Groton (MA)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grave of John Longley at the Old Burying Ground, Groton, MA
Source: Epitaphs by Dr. Samuel A. Green 1878

p.18
Tombstone
(Death's Head)
Here Lies Buried Ye Body of Deacon John Longley Who Departed This Life
May Ye 25th A.D. 1750 In Ye 68th Year of His Age.

Author's Note: The son of William and Deliverance (Crispe) Longley.
When Groton (MA) was assaulted by the Indians July 27, 1694, he was
taken captive and held a prisoner during more than four years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

p. 48 Prescott Memorial
Sarah Prescott b. May 3, 1686 dau of Jonas Prescott & his wife, Mary Loker
of Groton, MA. Sarah Prescott m. in 1705, John Longley b. 1683. She died
March 8, 1716 leaving four (5) children and he m. (2) Deborah Houghton abt
1718 who had seven (6) children. They resided at Groton where he died
March or May 25th, 1750 aged 67 years.

p.55. John Longley and his wife, Sarah Prescott of Groton, MA had issue:
1. Sarah Longley b. March 28, 1706 m. John Woods
2. William Longley b. Feb 13, 1708; m. and lived in Shrewsbury, Mass.
3. John Longley b. Jan 6, 1710, m. Feb 7, 1739, Mary Lawrence.
4. Jonas Longley b. Jan 22, 1712 m. Esther Putney.
(a 5th child Lydia Longley m. Amos Farnsworth (see Butler & Farnsworth
below, as well as all his children by Deborah Houghton & her grave.)

Tombstone at Groton of John Longley's 2nd wife, Deborah Houghton
p. 41 Epitaphs
Tombstone
(Death's Head)
Here lies the Body of Mrs. Deborah Longley Relict of Deacon John Longley
who Departed this Life Novb'r the 7th A.D. in the 72d year of her Age.
Author's note: Her maiden name was Houghton.

Caleb Butler in his History of Groton, MA 1848
p.278
John Longley, son of William Longley Jr., who was carried away a
captive, who was also a town clerk six years and deacon of the Church
from 1722 to the time of his death in 1750, and town treasurer and
parish treasurer for many years. He represented Groton in the
General Court three years. He had nine sons and three daughters.
Five of his children by his first wife, Sarah, one of the eight
daughters of Capt. Jonas Prescott, and seven by his last wife.
His son Joseph Longley was a soldier in the French War and died
of a wound at Greenbush, New York in 1758. This Joseph Longley
was father to Col. Edmund Longley late of Hawley and grandfather
of General Thomas Longley of the same place. Not less than
fifteen of the name in Groton and its vicinity were soldiers
in the Revolutionary War.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

p.417 Butler's Hist. of Groton
John Longley and Sarah Prescott & 2nd wife, Deborah Houghton
John Longley died May 25, 1750 aet. 67.
Deborah (Houghton) Longley died March 8, 1718.

Their children:

Sarah Longley b. Mar 28, 1706
William Longley b. Feb 13, 1708
John Longley b. Jan 6, 1710
Jonas Longley b. Jan 22, 1712
Lydia Longley b. June 26, 1716 m. Amos Farnsworth.
(see below, Farnsworth Memorial)

By his 2nd wife, Deborah Houghton he had
Zachariah Longley b. Aug 30, 1721; d. Sept 2, 1723
Joseph Longley b. Sept 12, 1724, died at Greenbush of wounds 1758.
Jonathan Longley b. Nov 18, 1726
Zachariah Longley 2d b. June 7, 1729
Nathaniel Longley b. Sept 6, 1731
Robert Longley b. Mar 11, 1733.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Farnsworth Memorial
p.204
Amos Farnsworth b. Nov 27, 1704 son of Benjamin Farnsworth and his
wife, Mary Prescott (dau of Jonas & Mary Loker Prescott of Groton)
Amos Farnsworth m. March 20, 1735, Lydia Longley b. June 26, 1716
dau of John & Sarah (Prescott) Longley. She was cousin to Amos.
He is said to have been a very tall man, 6' 4" in height and of
very striking appearance. He built his house which was subsequently
occupied by his son, Major Amos Farnsworth. On Dec 5, 1775
he and his youngest son, Benjamin Farnsworth were both drowned
by the upsetting of a boat on the Nashua River. His wife died
in 1810. (see p.211 for Amos Farnsworth & his wife, Lydia
Longley's eleven children - on request.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
p.244 Appendix of Epitaphs of the Old Burying Ground, Groton, MA

William Longley was among the earliest settlers of Groton, MA and was the own-
er of a thirty acre right. He was the son of Richard Longley of Lynn, MA
where
in town records the name is sometimes spelled Langley. He had been one of the
selectmen of Lynn and was clerk of the writs in the year l655. He removed
abt the
year 1660 to Groton, where he was one of the selectmen in the year l665 and
town
clerk in l666. He d. Nov. 29, l680 leaving a will dated six days before his
death.

His widow Joanna (Goffe) Longley afterward married Benjamin Crispe whom she
survived; she died at Charlestown MA in the year l698.

The following is a list of his children, though probably not in the order of
their birth:

John Longley b. abt l640 m. Hannah_____ and had several children

Elizabeth Longley married Sept. 7, l669 James Blood She d. abt l677 leaving
two
daughters Mary Blood and Elizabeth Blood who married brothers named Shattuck.

Anna Longley (or Hannah) who m. June 30,l666 Thomas Tarball, Jr. and had
sever-
al children.

Mary Longley who married Samuel Leaman prob. of Charlestown, MA.

Sarah Longley b. Oct l5, l660 m. June l7, l679 Thomas Rand of Concord, MA.

Lydia Longley who married James Nutting and had six children.

William Longley who married May l5, l672 Lydia____
He was town clerk in the year l687 and from l692 til his death in l694.
William
Longley lived on the east side of the Hollis road abt a mile from the village
of
Groton. A melancholy interest is connected with the site, as it was here that
he and his wife with five children were massacred by the Indians in their
assault
on the town, July 27, l694. Three more of their children: Lydia, John and
Betty
were carried off by the savages and taken to Canada. Lydia was sold to the
French and placed in the Congregation of Notre Dame, a convent in Montreal,
where she embraced the Catholic faith and d. July 20, l758 at age 84 yrs.
Betty
died soon after her capture from hunger and exposure and John, the 3d child,
remained with the savages for more than four years when he was ransomed and
brought away. He was known by his captors as John Angary. Their grandmother
the widow of Benjamin Crispe in April l3, l698 made her will which was
admitted to
probate on the 28th of the following December and remembered the three
children.
John Longley returned to Groton abt the time his grandmother died.
Dr. Samuel A. Green
________________________________________________________________
Surname: Longley
Source:"An Historical Sketch of Groton, Massachusetts l655 to
l890" by Dr. Samuel A. Green - Groton, l894.

(p.40) William and Deliverance (Crispe) Longley
The story of William and Deliverance Longley's family is
a sad one to relate. They were living, with their eight
children, on a small farm, perhaps a mile and a quarter
from the village (Groton) on the east side of the Hollis
Road. Their house was built of hewn logs, and was stand
ing at the beginning of the l800s. The old cellar, with
its well-laid walls, was distinctly visible forty years
ago (l854) and traces of it could be seen even to a
very modern time (book pub. l894) The site of this house
has recently been marked by a monument bering the follow
ing inscription:
Here dwelt
William and Deliverance Longley
with their eight children
On the 27th of July l694
The Indians killed the father and
mother and five of the children
and carried into captivity the
other three.

The monument was erected in the autumn of l879 at the
expense of the town, on land generously given for the
purpose by Mr. Zechariah Fitch, the present owner of
the farm; and it was dedicated with appropriate exer-
cises on Feb. 20, l880

On the fatal morning of July 27, l694, the massacre of
this family took place. The savages appeared suddenly
coming from the other side of the Merrimack River, and
began the attack at Lieut. William Lakin's house, where
they were repulsed with the loos of one of their number.
They followed it up by assaulting houses in the same
neighborhood. They made quick work of it and left the
town as speedily as they came. With the exception of
John Shepley's house, it is not known that they de-
stroyed any of the buildings; but they pillaged them
before they departed. They carried off thirteen prison
ers, mostly children - and perhaps all - who must have
retarded their march. There is a tradition that early
in the morning of the attack, the Indians turned Long-
ley's cattle out of the barnyard into the cornfield
and then lay in ambush. The stratagem had the desired
effect. Longley rushed out of the house unarmed in
order to drive the cattle back when he was murdered and
all his family either killed or captured. The bodies
of the slain were buried in one grave, a few rods north
west of the house. A small apple tree growing over the
spot and a stone lying even with the ground, for many
years furnished the only clue to the final resting place
of this unfortunate family, but these have now disappear
ed.

William Longley was town clerk in the year l687 and
also from l692 till his death in l694 and only one week
before he was killed he had made entrees in the town
records. His father William Longley Sr. also had been
town clerk during the years l666 and l667 and died Nov.
29, l680. The father was one of the earliest settlers
of Groton as well as the owner of a thirty acre right
in the original Groton Plantation.

Lydia, John and Betty Longley were the names of the
three children carried off by the savages, and taken to
Canada. Lydia was sold to the French and placed in the
Congregation of Notre Dame, a convent in Montreal. She
died July 20, l758 at the age of 84 yrs. Betty Longley
perished soon after her capture from hunger and exposure
and John Longley the 3d child remained with the savages
for more than four years when he was ransomed and
brought back. He was known among his captors as John
Augary. After he came home, his sister Lydia wrote from
Canada urging him to abjure the Protestant religion,
but he remained true to the faith of his early instruct
ion.

Their grandmother, Joanna (Goffe) Longley Crispe,
the widow William Longley and the widow of Benjamin Crispe
made her will April l3, l698 which was admitted to probate
in Middlesex County on the 28th of the following Dec.
and in it she remembered these three absent children:
"I give and bequeath unto my three grand-children who
are in captivity if they return, viz: these books, one
them a bible, another a sermon booke treating of faith
and the other a psalme book" The old lady herself,
doubtless had read the sermon booke treating of faith,
and it must have strengthened her belief in Divine wis-
dom and been a great consolation in her trials. She
did not know at this time that her grandaughter was al-
ready a convert to the Catholic religion. The know-
ledge of this fact would have been, to her, an afflict-
ion scarcely less than the massacre of her daughter's
family. John Longley returned about the time when the
grandmother died; and subsequently he filled many
important offices both in the church and the town.
Like his father and grandfather he was the town clerk
during several years. Among the papers (Knox Manu-
scripts, Waldo Papers, Ll3) in the possession of the
New England Historic Genealogical Society is a deposi-
tion made by Longley giving a short account of his
captivity among the Indians. Samuel A. Green l894

Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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