Cheney, William Jr.
| Birth Name | Cheney, William Jr. |
| Gender | male |
| Age at Death | 40 years, 8 months, 20 days |
Events
| Event | Date | Place | Description | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 1641 |
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| Death | 1681-09-21 | Dorchester, MA |
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Parents
| Relation to main person | Name | Birth date | Death date | Relation within this family (if not by birth) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Father | Cheney, William Sr. | 1603-07-31 | 1667-06-30 | |
| Mother | Mason Or Cole, Margaret | about 1604 | 1686-07-03 | |
| Sister | Cheney, Ellen (Eleanor) | 1626 | 1678-09-26 | |
| Sister | Cheney, Margaret | 1628-11-26 | 1683 | |
| Brother | Cheney, Thomas | 1633 | 1694 | |
| Brother | Cheney, John | 1639-09-29 | 1671 | |
| Cheney, William Jr. | 1641 | 1681-09-21 | ||
| Sister | Cheney, Mehitable | 1643-06-01 | 1693 | |
| Brother | Cheney, Joseph | 1647-06-06 | 1704-09-16 |
Families
| Family of Cheney, William Jr. and Wiswell, Deborah | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Married | Wife | Wiswell, Deborah ( * + ... ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Children |
| Name | Birth Date | Death Date |
|---|---|---|
| Cheney, Deborah | 1662 | |
| Cheney, William | 1663-03-30 | before 1666 |
| Cheney, Deborah | 1665/6-01-11 (Julian) | |
| Cheney, William III | 1666-08-03 | 1753-07-01 |
| Cheney, John | 1673-05-01 | |
| Cheney, Benjamin | 1677-05-01 | 1737-12-17 |
| Cheney, Abiel | 1681-11-26 | 1681-12-17 |
Narrative
r3 William made his home in Medfield on lands which his fatherhad acquired in the early laying out of the town when it waspart of Dedham. He afterward resided in Dorchester. He died inSeptember 1681, bequeathing his property to his widow and hersons. Only two of his children lived to maturity and hadfamilies.Death: Smith Gen. p142 & Hist. of Medfield p343.There is a record that he previously married a Sarah Daniels andhad also had an illegitimate daughter with her.William Cheney had an unhappy life. He had a turbulent marriageto Deborah which led to at least one separation. In 1681,William was accused of raping Experience Holbrook, a girl he wasliving with. Deborah (Debbara) testified for William, callingExperience "a lying wench". The Grand Jury found William guiltyof rape and sentenced him to hang. William could have won areprieve if he had not refused to hear a sermon on the day ofhis execution. William "hardened himself still in hisunrepentant frame of mind" and faced the scaffold.