In the year 1679, there sailed from the Isle of Wight, three brothers, bound for the then almost unknown country of North America.
Their names were Peter, James and William White. They were of Quaker parentage and belief, and, probably, had left England with the intention of joining the Quakers that had, at that time, made a settlement at New Castle, Delaware.
James settled there permanently. Peter and William soon went to Manhattan Island, (which at that time was merely a trading post), but only remained there a short time, when they sailed up the Hudson River to Esopus, Ulster Co., N. Y., which is situated about ten miles north of Poughkeepsie, and the same distance southeast of Kingston.
William White married, in Esopus, N. Y., Elizabeth Meals, a daughter of one of the Dutch settlers of that place.
A family of seven children were born to them. They had been residents of Esopus for a period of sixty years, when, in 1748, with their sons and their sons' wives and children, with their flocks and their herds, they journeyed eastward to Connecticut.
Before William White left Esopus, a letter was addressed to him by the mother of his wife. She was then living with another daughter in New York.
The letter (of which the following is a copy) is remarkable for the excellent chirography as well as for the quality of the ink used; the writing being perfectly legible, after the lapse of nearly two hundred years
New York, October 8th, 1720.
Loving Son Wm. White.
I am at this instant in a sick and low Condition, and have therefore sent
these lynes to let you know my wants, which are many and very great, having nothing
to support myself but what comes from the hands and means of my dau. Sarah
Warn, to whom I have for a long time been, and so am yet, a very grievous Burthen
and charge, and have nothing by which I can make the least gratification, wherefore
I desire, (as you will answer it to God and to your Conscience,) that you bestow
what in reasonable Law or Equity is, or may be right. And as you can best judge
of whatever it be in reason, would have you pay it unto my daughter, Sarah Warn,
and I do hereby authorize her to give any legal discharge, which shall be as good and sufficient as if I had done the same in my own proper person. Pray fail me
not herein, and you will highly oblige me. Who am
Your loving Mother-in-law,
Sarah Meals.
The Letter is addressed to Mr. Wm. White, Manor of Livingstone, Province of Massachusetts Bay.
"The first purchase of lands lying within the present bounds of the town of Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn., was made by Wm. White, Abram Van Dusen, and Ruloff Dutcher. Wm. White bought of the natives, a tract of land containing about two thousand acres, for which he paid a half bushel of Spanish milled dollars. The eastern boundary of the land was the Little Falls of the Housatonic river; it extended west to N. Y. state, and north to Massachusetts. The deed of the land was given Aug. 29, 1720." The land was very rich in iron ore, but at that time was nearly valueless, owing to lack of facilities for manufacturing it. Ore Hill is two miles west of Wanscopommuc Lake, and has been worked since 1732. The large and inexhaustible quantities of iron ore found in Salisbury, and the abundant supply of wood for charcoal and other materials for smelting the ore, together with the superior quality of iron, introduced other manufactories, and iron has continued from that time the staple commodity of the town. The ore possesses a peculiar tenacious property, admirably adapted to the manufacture of wire, anchors, and other articles where firmness and flexibility, without brittleness, are desirable. Many thousands of tons of ore are mined annually, and it is a source of great wealth to the owners.
At the time the land was purchased by Peter and William White it was supposed that gold was to be found in the hills, and disappointed in this, Peter White became discouraged and sold the share he had in the land to his brother, William, for a "mug of flip," and returned to England. William White lived in Esopus until 1748, when he located in Salisbury, Connecticut, on a farm, a portion of the original purchase. The farm was sold to Nathaniel Church in 1804, by a grandson - Isaac White, who had inherited it from his father. Four of William White's sons located with him in the beautiful valley where his farm was situated. It is about three miles from the village of Salisbury, which is a pleasant summer resort, celebrated for its healthy climate and the delightful walks and drives in its vicinity.
William White was born on the Isle of Wight in 1666 ; came to America in 1679; died in Salisbury, Ct., Jan. 5, 1750, and is buried in the family burial ground on the farm where he died.
Genealogy of the White Family by Mrs. Jennett E. Vanderpool. 1899. pp.7-9
"William White - an Englishman, who died Jan. 5, 1750-51, in his 85th year, had long been a resident of the Dutch settlements, married a Dutch wife and was a sergeant in the Manor Company of 1715."
An Historical Sketch of Salisbury, Connecticut. Malcolm Day Rudd. New York. 1899. p.8.