(c) 1999 TFDG

John Talby is the first of the surname to appear in the colonies.  While he probably came from England given the time and place, there is no foundation for this.

The facts are as follows:

He was in the Salem area by 1635 and died in 1645.

Their Children were John Jr., Stephen, and daughters Difficulty, Ann and Jane.  It seems unlikely (not impossible)  that all were born in the colony, but we have no information on this.

Dorothy was hanged in Boston for the murder of the daughter Difficulty.

A British Isles IGI Record shows the following marriage.  We are interested in this marriage but at this time we do not have the foundation needed to link this marriage with John and Dorothy in Salem.

John TAYLBYE married Daritye ROLLINSON on 14 Oct 1619 at Threekingham (cum Stow Green), Lincoln, England.  Source Information: M033041 (Marriage record)

The following items on John and Dorothy Talby were extracted from History of Salem Massachusetts by Sidney Perley published in 1924.  I have modernized the spelling and added some paraphrasing and paragraph breaks to make them easier to read.

At a town meeting, July 11, 1636, John Talby was granted an acre house lot "next to the Marshalls," and Benjamin Felton was granted a similar lot next to Mr... Talby's.

In the book of grants of land in Salem there is a list of names of persons to whom grants had been made, together with the number of acres granted, bearing the date of 1636.  The letter "f" following some of the names probably means that they are freemen. The list follows:-

<snip>
Following the name of Mr. Maverick was written and the word cancelled: "Ricd Huchenson  tho: Gouldthait  Jno Talbie f. 30. Wm Jeggles. Wm Lord."

John Talbie 30 aboue Mr. Cole.

The following list, in the handwriting of Roger Conant, occupies two leaves of the town records.  It is apparently a record of the division of the marsh and meadow ordered to be assigned and laid out to the families at a town meeting, Dec. 25, 1637.  The figure before each name gives the number of persons in the family.  The figure after each name gives the amount of land to which each one was entitled, as one acre, three- quarters, one half.  Families consisting of three persons or less apparently had at first three quarters and afterwards only two quarters; of four of five persons three quarters of an acre; and of six or more persons an acre.  The figure "1" means one acre, "1-2" or "2" one half and "1-3" or "3" three fourths. Where three-quarters of an acre was granted and was afterwards reduced the one-half, the "3" in brackets was crossed out and "2" written after it.
<snip>

Jo Talby 3  [4 or 5 persons in the family]

March 20, 1636-7, the town ordered that "all of fences" be repaired before April 1st"with either post and rails or bound with poles or laths on each side within a foot & a half of the Top, or some other way so sufficiently, as the surveyors shall approve of."  The first fence surveyors mentioned, which was at this time, were Jacob Barney and Jeffrey Massie for the fences "bordering from John Talbie's Lot along the North River to John Symonds' house";

John Talby in 1652 is  owner of a ten acre lot in the south field.  The lot bordered the South River.  (The map shows these to be very long and narrow lots.)

John Talby lived in Salem in 1636. His wife was named Dorothy; and for frequently laying hands on her husband, to the danger of his life, and contemplating the authority of the court, she was sentenced by the Salem court June 27, 1637, to be chained to a post;  being allowed to "come to the place of God's worship," until she repented.  They had a daughter Difficulty baptized here Dec. 25, 1636.  The mother was convicted of the murder of the child, and hanged Dec. 6, 1638.  Mr. Talby was living in Salem in 1654.  (Rose has John dying in 1645. This could be John Talby, Jr.)

The saddest scene of all in the quarterly court in Boston, Dec. 4, 1638, was the conviction and sentence to death of Dorothy, wife of John Talby, of Salem, whose domestic troubles have already been mentioned.  Mr. and Mrs. Talby were members of the church, and their daughter Difficulty was baptized on Christmas day, 1636. Mrs. Talby was esteemed for godliness, etc., but after the birth of the child she became melancholy and possessed
of delusions. She sometimes tried to kill herself and her husband by refusing to eat "meat" and not permitting them to eat it, saying it had been so revealed to her.

He complained to the Salem court, June 27, 1637, that she frequently laid hands on him to the danger of his life. She manifested contempt for the authority of the court, who ordered her to be chained to a post, being allowed only to "come to the place of God's worship," until she repented. The church was very patient with her, and after various admonitions, which were unavailing, they "cast" her out of the church. Whereupon she became worse, and September 25 following, she was ordered to be whipped for misdemeanors against her husband.

For a time she behaved herself more dutifully to her husband, etc., but this continued only a few weeks. Her mind again became more clouded, and delusions controlled her. She believed that God revealed to her the necessity of taking the life of her baby, in order to save the child from future misery. Her acquaintances and even Governor Winthrop himself believed that she was possessed by Satan and by the delusions he caused her to believe were from God, she was led to take the child's life, by breaking its neck. She made no secret of the murder, and when apprehended confessed the deed.

In the court, on this day, upon her arraignment, she, however, stood mute a good while, - until the governor told her that if she did not plead she would be pressed to death.  She then confessed the truth of the indictment. She was duly sentenced.  When she was to receive judgment, she would neither uncover her face nor stand, but as she was forced.  She gave no testimony of her repentance, neither at the time of her sentence nor at her execution, by hanging, in Boston, two days later. She desired to be beheaded, as that method would be less painful and less shameful.

Hugh Peter, her late pastor, and Rev. Mr. Wilson of Boston went with her to the place of execution, but could do no good. Mr. Peter gave an exhortation to the people to take heed of revelations, etc., and of despising the ordinances of excommunication as she had done; and when he addressed her, denouncing her crime, she turned her back and would have gone away had she not been forcibly detained. After the rope had been placed about
her neck and her face covered with a cloth, she pulled the latter off and put it between the rope and her neck. She was then cast off, and, after a swing or two, she caught at the ladder.

Mr. Talby was himself subsequently excommunicated from the Salem church for much pride and unnaturalness to his wife." Perhaps Mr. Peter, after his second marriage, had received light on Mrs. Talby's mental condition, - that it was one which demanded more reasonable and humane treatment.

The following is a copy of a letter sent by the church in Salem to the church in Dorchester:-

Salem 1. 5[May]. [16]39

reverend and deerly belouved in the Lord. wee though it our bounden duty to acquaynt you with the names of fuch perfons as have had the creat cenfure past vpon them in this our church, with the reafons therof. Befeeching you in the Lord not only to reade their names in publike to yours, but alfo to giue vs the like notice of any dealt with in like
manner by yours that fo wee may walk towards them accordingly; for fome of vs here haue had communion ignorantly withy fuch as haue bin cast outof other churches.

<snip>
John talby for much pride, and unnaturalnes to his wife, who was lately executed for murdering her child.
<snip>

John Talby died in the winter of 1644-5, leaving children:  Anne, living in 1645;  John, eldest son, living in Salem as late as 1657, an idle man, of whose support the town took charge; and Stephen, who, in 1757, commanded the ketch Adventurer which sailed between Boston and London.  (In volume 1, page 362 it states that Mr. Talby was living in Salem in 1654; but this statement has reference to his son John, and not to his father
who had died nine years before.)

In the Directory of Ancestral Heads of New England Families, 1620 - 1700, John and Stephen Talby are listed as Talby/Tolby.  Since we have  been looking at information which has been  transcribed, I am wondering it there has been some confusion between the old handwriting of Talby/tolby.[Bob George.]