PICKERING WILLIAM PICKERING I

One of the early settlers to the New London Bay Settlements was WILLIAM PICKERING I. It is not certain whether William, a member of the St. John’s Volunteers, emigrated from England or the Thirteen Colonies. It is held by some Pickering descendants that William came out of Kirkham, England. Other descendants feel certain that William came here from Salem, Massachusetts. A hopeful solution would be that William Pickering went to Salem from England, and later moved to St. John’s Island. The problem with the explanation is that the well—known Pickering family of Salem, arrived in Massachusetts in 1636.

Tradition has it that William was a crew member on a British Man of War, captained by his uncle. The ship was supposedly seized at one point by the French and then by the English. Passing by St. John’s Island, probably in 1775, William is supposed to have asked to be let off. He had enough of the seafaring life and was interested in settling down. {NOTEz — Irene Pickering MacEwen in her notes states that William Pickering 1 came from Salem, Mass, to Wheatley River. He had received a land grant in this area in 1755. However, there is no indica~ tion that he ever lived here in Wheatley River. William I later purchased 200 acres in Stanley Bridge from Robert Clark on Sept. 8, 1787}

On November 17, 1783, WILLIAM PICKERING I In. 1. JANET ANDERSON, daughter of ALEXANDER and MARGARET ANGUS ANDERSON, another early settler of the New London Bay Settlements. The Anderson family emigrated from Ayrshire, Scotland. William and Janet set up farming in Lot 22 in what is now part of the community of Stanley Bridge. Kirkham - {Ann MacLeod Coles, Genealogist, wondered if this was his birthplace in England} is the name that they gave to their two hundred acre farm. It was situated on the

point of land now occupied by Seawood Estates. Six sons were born to the William and Janet Anderson Pickering family namely: (1.) Alexander, (2.) James, (3.) Thomas, (4.) William II, (5.) Anthony, (6.) David

William I m. 2 Mary Smith of New London and they had one son, probably named Anthony.

According to William I’s will of 1832 his freehold land of 100 acres was given to his son, Anthony, at 21 years of age. The southern portion was to go to his son James, {father of William III}. (James, having established himself in Clinton, passed this land to his son, William III, who married Jane Fyfe, of Stanley Bridge — see below.}

It would seem very likely that William Pickering I was married twice. On August 29, 1826, a marriage license was issued to William Pickering, Widower, to Mary Smith, spinster, both of New London. (William would be seventy-six years old at the time). The reasons for believing this to be Wm. Pickering I are:

1. William Pickering II is not believed to have been married once, let alone twice.

2. William Pickering I in his last Will and Testament, refers to his wife, Mary.

3. William I in his Will also mentions his son, Anthony, who has not yet reached the age of twenty-one. This Anthony could not possibly have been the son of William’s first wife, as she would have been in her fifties or early sixties when he was born.

4. The Anthony earlier mentioned as a child of William and his first wife, died prior to 1823.

William Pickering died at New London on June 30, 1837, at the age of eighty-seven. He was buried on his farm, Kirkham. His grave was covered by a wrought-iron affair, properly called a “mort~safe”, which looked slightly like an over-sized lobster trap. It was the length of the grave, and consisted of a number of semi-circular hoops. This marker was on the property until the 1960’s when it was sold as scrap iron. Janet Anderson, William’s first wife, was also buried at Kirkham. As for the suspected second wife, Mary Smith, nothing is known of her.

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