Day, Anthony

Birth Name Day, Anthony
Gender male
Age at Death about 83 years, 3 months, 22 days

Events

Event Date Place Description Notes Sources
Birth about 1624 England  
 
Death 1707-04-23 Gloucester, Essex, MA  
 
Burial 1707-04-25 Gloucester, Essex, MA  
 

Families

    Family of Day, Anthony and Matchett, Susanna
Married Wife Matchett, Susanna ( * + 1717-12-10 )
   
Event Date Place Description Notes Sources
Marriage 1650-04-23 Ipswich, Essex, MA  
 
  Children
Name Birth Date Death Date
Day, Thomas16511726-01-29
Day, Timothy16531723-04-08
Day, John1657-04-281736-03-08
Day, Ezekial1660-03-121660-07-12
Day, Ezekial1662-05-191724-02-18
Day, Nathaniel1665-04-091734-02-25
Day, Elizabeth1667-04-021728-10-06
Day, Samuel1670-02-251749-11-11
Day, Joseph1672-04-041742-06-14

Narrative

From the research of Donald Dillaby [ddillaby@bit-net.com]:Anthony Day was born about 1616 in England. There areindications that Anthony Day first came to Fitchburg, MA, thenmoved to Ipswich, MA, and finally to Gloucester where he finallysettled and purchased a house. He died on 23 April 1707 inGloucester, Essex County, MA, and was buried there.He was married to Susannah Ring Matchett before 1657. She wasborn in 1623 in England. She died on 10 Dec. 1717 in Gloucester,Essex County, MA, and was buried there. She was also known asSusannah Matchett Ring , Susan Ring.A son of that marriage, Timothy Day was born in 1653 inGloucester, Essex County, MA. He died on 8 April 1725. He wasmarried to Phebe Wilder on 24 July 1679 in Gloucester. Phebe Wilder was born on 8 April 1653 in Gloucester, EssexCounty, MA. She died on 8 April 1723 in Gloucester.A son of that marriage, Ebenezer Day, was born on 14 Nov. 1697in Gloucester, Essex County, MA. Ebenezer Day and Hannah Downingwere married in Gloucester, Dec. 3, 1719.Son James, born Dec. 6, 1738, in Gloucester, married ElizabethBradstreet of Gloucester, July 1, 1762.According to the National Archives and Records Administration,James Day was the original keeper of the Wigwam Point lighthousein Annisquam when it opened in 1801. However, it appears morelikely that a son, George, may have actually been the firstkeeper of the Wigwam Point lighthouse. George Day was born on 27Mar 1769 in Gloucester. That George Day was the first keeper seems more plausible sincehis father, James Day, probably died 14 Jun 1805 age between 73and 80 yr per Third Parish Church Record. This from GloucesterVital Records to 1849. Winslow Lewis was the contractor who built many of thelighthouses along the U.S. Coast in the early 1800s, includingthe Wigwam Point Light . He also patented a lighting system oflamps and reflectors. Because he was friends with Fifth AuditorStephen Pleasanton, who was in charge of lighthouses, andWinslow Lewis consistently was the lowest bidder, his lightingsystems were used in U.S. lighthouses even after the much moreefficient Fresnel lenses were being used in Europe. Much of Winslow Lewis' work was considered very shoddy. He usedvery poor construction techniques for the lighthouse structuresthemselves. Additionally, he convinced the government, likelythrough his friendship with Pleasanton, to purchase and adopthis system of lenses which were also considered very poor indesign and manufacture. While there had been an inspection of light stations in 1838, by1842 many U.S. lighthouses were in such poor condition that theywere all but ready to collapse. As a result of the decaying condition of the nation'slighthouses, his nephew, I.W. P. Lewis, Civil Engineer, had beenappointed by Congress to make a survey of lighthouses in1842/43. His scathing report on the condition of the variouslighthouses helped lead to reform and a new Lighthouse Boardwhich took away the responsibility for lighthouses from theFifth Auditor of the Treasury. Following his inspection, I.P.W. Lewis issued a report, Doc.183, EXAMINATION - LIGHTHOUSE ESTABLISHMENT "...on the conditionof the light-houses, beacons, buoys, and navigation, upon thecoasts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts." His scathing report on the condition of the lighthouses wasespecially hard on his own uncle, Winslow Lewis, who wrote along response in his own defense. In that inspection report, George Day made a statement that wasa part of the section on Annisquam Light. In it he said, "I wasappointed keeper of this light in the year of its erection, A.D.1800, and am now seventy-two years of age..." This seems to substantiate the belief that James Day's son,George, was in fact the first keeper of the Wigwam Point(Annisquam Harbor) Light, and not James Day himself. New England author Edward Rowe Snow also notes that George Daywas the first keeper of the Annisquam Light or Wigwam PointLight as it was formerly known, and it was the oldest of fourlighthouse locations off Gloucester. "The tower was lighted forthe first time by Keeper George Day on March 23, 1801, and in1850, Day was still the keeper at what is now Annisquam HarborLight!" Another son of James Day and Elizabeth Bradstreet, David Day,was baptised Feb. 2, 1765 in Gloucester. The records have notbeen researched throroughly to learn who he married or when, butthe marriage produced at least one son, David, referred to as"junior" and later as "David of Annisquam" in the records.It is David Day Jr., who lived in the Annisquam section of whatis the City of Gloucester, Essex County, MA, for which we havemore detailed information.David Day Jr. married Martha Davis, daughter of the Rev. EpesDavis and Nancy Davis, a cousin, of "Chebacco", a portion ofIpswich, Essex County, MA, now known as Essex, Essex County, MA.Anecdotal information indicated that David Day Jr. also was, atleast for a time, the lighthouse keeper of the Annisquam Light.However, thus far there has been no confirmation of that.Additionally, there is no record of his death, although in therecord of the death of his wife, Martha, she was identified asthe "Wid" of David Day. That would seem to indicate that, giventhe period and the location, Gloucester being a seafaring townthen and now, he could possibly have been lost at sea.The marriage of David Day Jr. and Martha Davis produced 10,possibly 11 children, although town records indicate 10, andJohn Davis of Chebacco and Some of His Decendents, by EdgarAddison Davis, John's eighth generation, seems to indicate therewere 11 children.Town records agree on at least nine of the children, with thetown listing a tenth as "un-named", possibly a stillborn child.The nine upon which both town records and the Davis book agreeincluded Caroline Amelia, born Sept. 19, 1827; Ellen Maria, bornMay 18, 1823; George Warren, born Oct. 17, 1824; Martha Frances,born Dec. 11, 1821; Howard, born Oct. 6, 1830; John QuincyAdams, born April 5, 1826; Mary Augusta, born May 198, 1838, andThalia Ann, born May 25, 1835, and my great, great grandfather,Marcellus, born July 23, 1833. The "un-named" child, born Sept.17, 1840, may have been Eliza Jane or Abbie Franklin, who arelisted in the Davis book.The Davis book also indicates another son, Frederick BradstreetDay, but his name does not appear in the town records as beingone of the children of David Day Jr. and Martha Davis.Marcellus Day moved to Somerville, MA, marrying Mary JaneWilson. Marcellus was a builder, and for a time served on theBoston City Council. A badge issued to him is in my possession.The Wilson-Day marriage, produced three children, Marcellus DayJr., who, according to Davis, "died young"; Rev. John BoyntonWilson Day, my great uncle; and Martha Day, my grandmother.My grandmother, Martha, married Frank Henry Dillaby, but theywere divorced, but not before the birth of my father, EdwinFrank Dillaby, on Aug. 15, 1907, in Somerville, MA.The complete decendency from Anthony Day can be found here. More information about Rowley, Ipswich, and Gloucester can befound in the Essex County, MA GenWeb site, and by subscribing tothe Essex-Roots email list discussion. Additional information about the Day family can found atThe-World-of-Days web site. ReferencesDavis, Edgar Addison, John Davis of Chebacco and Some of HisDecendants, pub. in Lynn, MA, Dec. 1, 1934. Snow, Edward Rowe, The Lighthouses of New England, pub. by Dodd,Mead & Company, New York, N.Y. Lewis, I.W.P., 1843 Inspection of Lighthouses, Boston PublicLibrary. Lewis, Winslow,1817 Description of Lights, pub. by Thomas Bangs,Boston, 1817. Garland, Joseph E, The Gloucester Guide Gloucester (Old) Massachusetts Genealogy Project

Pedigree

    1. Day, Anthony
      1. Matchett, Susanna
        1. Day, Thomas
        2. Day, Timothy
        3. Day, John
        4. Day, Ezekial
        5. Day, Ezekial
        6. Day, Nathaniel
        7. Day, Elizabeth
        8. Day, Samuel
        9. Day, Joseph