John DILLY, The ELDER, of Woodbridge, NJ
Submitted by Bob Smith
"Important first settler, name was orig. Dutch, Flanders, the French flavor leading to the suffixes "e" and "ey", which were Anglicized as plain DILL, the Anglo-Saxon; DILLA, meaning "good". DILL was corrupted into DEL and DELL in the early records, but without any entymological authority. Immigrant ancestor of all was that George DILL, who first settled at Salem, where in 1639 he had a land grant. With the 'First Settlers', there are to be found the familar names of John BURROWS, 1637; Thomas CHADWELL ( SHADEWELL), 1637; John BURTON, 1637; Philip CROMWELL, 1648; John ELSTON (ALSTON), 1631; Thomas GRAY, 1626; Henry HAGGETT, 1642; Joseph HULL, 1637; John MANNING, 1631; Richard SINGLETARY, 1637; Richard WALKER, 1637; John WEBSTER, 1638; some of whom or whose descendants , later, become neighbors and intermarried at Piscataway and Woodbridge, NJ.
SAVAGE, indexes as DELL or DILL, George, Salem, 1639, removed to Boston, freem. 1651; by wife Abigail, had John DILL(e), born October 1645; Samuel born August 31, 1647; Joseph born February 1650; and Benjamin born April 27, 1652. His widow married November 8, 1655, John HANNIFORD (N. E. Hist. Gen. Reg., Vols. III, page 192 and V, pages 442-3 and VII, page 337) In the same (Vol. 23, page 417), Philip WELCH, (anc. of O. E. M.), came to N. E. in the ship "Goodfellow" of which George DELL (DILL) was Master. However, QUART, CT Records, Essex Co., MA (several references to each) prove conclusively that this George DELL or DILL was the father of John DILL (DILLIE) of W., (vide, Vols II, page 184 and II, pages 154 and 223), where in 1664, John DILLE deposed, 'aged about twenty-one years', ca., b. ca., 1645, as per above. John DILLEY, the Elder, removed from Boston, where he, with the other children of the first George DILL, had been recorded, although his intermediate residence is not shown, to Woodbridge, NJ, sometime before 1670, for in 1669-70, a description of land recited "betw, Jonathon HAINES and John DILLIES" at Woodbridge, (Arch., Vol. XXI, page 11).
John DILLEY, the ELDER, died at Woodbridge, 1683-4 intestate, entry of March 12; Samuel HALE and John BISHOP made up the inventory. (ARCH. Vol. XXIII, page 139). It is believed that Rebecca, wife of Charles THOMS of W., was a DILLEY, of whose will, October 21, 1728, Jonathan DILLEY was a witness (Idem., page 458). The Woodbridge Vital Records, (idem., Part Two, page 255) show the name of Sarah, wife of John DILLEY, the ELDER,, and gives births of their children, in part; Susannah b. January 4, 1676 (1674); Sarah b. December 28, 1677; John b. January 24, 1680-1 and Jonathan, b. September 30, 1684, and to the latter, who married Hannah ca. 1713, Jonathan b. February 7, or September 12, 1714. (DALLY -- idem. page 266)
John DILLY Jr., had his wife, Ruth, in 1701-2, when they conveyed to George BROWN, Tailor. DILLY, (sic), Ruth, the wife of John DILLEY, Jr., died November 4, 1722, aged 41 years. S.____ DILLEY, d. March 24, 1726 in 20th year, and in connection with same record, is shown; "Marcy DILLEY, (Wife of John) died February 13, 1747-48 in 63rd year", with, by 1749 an Ichabod DILLEY with wife Abigail, and sons, John and Thomas DILLEY. (Proceedings NJ Hist Soc. n.s. Vol. X, 1925, p.325), being "Insciptions from Newark's Oldest Burying Ground." Jonathon DILLEY of Woodbridge was deceased by May 10, 1733, dying intestate, when his administrators were appointed, namely, Jonathon DILLEY and Edward CROMWELL.
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Additonal fodder for George Dill, submitted by (Ydnar49@aol.com)
Button Families of America , Author: R. Glen Nye
Bibliographic Information: Nye, R. Glen. Button Families of America. Private Publisher, Utah 1971.
Children: (born abroad)
1 John
2 Abigail. She married (1st) George Dill and (2nd) No. 8, 1655 John
Hanniford. He made his will Dec. 26, 1657, proved Feb. 5, 1660.
In it he names a son Samuel to whom he gives "the land and houses
then on, lately purchased of my father-in-law John Button of
Boston". To daughter, Hannah, he gives "one silver beer bole &
2 silver spoons, all the linnine which appertained to mee, one
Feather bed and Rugge and whatsoever is myne in ye custody of
my father-in-law John Button......as concerning the estate of
my predecessor (wife's former husband) George Dill, my desire
if yt the Honoured Court of Boston could be pleased to Order unto
my wife that part unto her due, as also the parts due unto the
three sonnes of him...." In the inventory he named "A dwelling
house and wharfe with the land thereto belonging where his wife
now liveth, as it is now Ï200: and one Negro boy servant Ï20.
Children:
i John Dill, born Oct. 1645.
ii Samuel Dill, born Aug. 31, 1647.
iii Joseph Dill, born Feb. 1649.
iv Benjamin Dill, born Apr. 27, 1652.
v Sarah Hanniford, born Aug. 8, 1656.
vi Abigail Hanniford, born Mar. 8, 1660. John Hanniford had
married (1st) Hannah, who died Aug. 1653. By her there
were:
vii Samuel Hanniford, born May 1, 1645.
viii John Hanniford, born Dec. 27, 1648; died young.
ix Hannah Hanniford, bapt. Jan. 5, 1650.
x John Hanniford, born Jan. 29, 1652; died Feb. 7,1652.
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