William, Planter, Roxbury, bought house and 40 acres of groundfor 102 li. contracted to keep 6 cows for him on shares. He wasa freeman 1666; militia member 1647; constable; selectman1656-7. Ensign in the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Society.He was a founder of the Roxbury Free School in 1664. Marriedabout 1625, England.He was listed in the directory of Roxbury landowners in 1639,with 24 1/2 acres of land, an estate of L8. From 1654, he livednear the Dorchester road at the lane that later became EustisStreet. He made a will 30 Apr 1667, Roxbury?, MA. His will wasproved 30 Jul 1667, Suffolk Co, MA. Will: mentions w-Margaret,s-John, William, Joseph, d-Ellin, Margret, Mehitobell,s1-Thomas, gs-Thomas & William of Thomas, s(il)-Thomas Hastings.Married ?, Margaret MASON? (400), born about 1604, died 3 Jul1686, Boston, MA.Sources of information: Topographical Dictionary of 2885 EnglishEmigrants to New England, 1620-1650; Vital records of Roxbury,Massachusetts, to the end of 1849; Town of Roxbury; MemorialHistory of Boston; Suffolk County Wills; Case records (for placenoted); Cheney Genealogy; Pioneers of Massachusetts.=========================================================The following was written by Lisa Sorensen in 1998 who can bereached by email at Lisa_Sorensen@prodigy.com and her Cheney WebSite is located at http://pages.prodigy.com/QJNT72A/cheney.htmIt is still a mystery on how or when William arrived inMassachusetts. He was definitely living in Roxbury in 1640because he was listed in the "estates and persons of theInhabitants of Rocksbury". At that time, William owned 24 1/2acres. William was a successful farmer. At the time of his death, heowned over 100 acres of land, his home and a house in Boston.The Cheney homestead was located on Dudley Street near WarrenStreet in Roxbury. Judging from the estate inventory, the mainhouse was large. Probably, there was an entry area which openedon one side to the hall, and on the other side to the parlor.Behind both the hall and the parlor were bed chambers. The hallwas the main living area of the Cheneys. The fireplace waslocated in the hall, and here was where the meals were preparedand eaten. The parlor was more of a state bedroom. Here the bestbed with feather bolsters, pillows and fine linen was displayed.The room also boasted a great cupboard, a little cupboard andthree chairs. Chairs were not common in New England households,and showed William to be above average in wealth. Also included in the estate inventory were 36 bushels of Indiancorn, 12 bushels of Rye, 5 1/2 bushels of mault, 5 cows and 3swine. This list gives a good indication of the Cheney diet.Indian corn was the staple of the Puritan diet. They learned howto plant, harvest and grind the corn from the Indians. The cornwas then used in puddings, cakes, hominy, succotash, etc, etc."Rye-n-Injun" bread, made from ground corn mixed with rye, was amoist bread which did not dry out quickly. The drink of theCheneys was beer. It was drunk at all meals by the entirefamily. Mr Cheney obviously brewed his own beer since he had 51/2 bushels of mault. William was active in the community. On February 21, 1648,William was elected to the board of assessors. He was also aconstable of Roxbury in 1654-1656. Constables in those days didmore than keep the peace, they also collected the tax money. OnJanuary 19, 1656, William was elected a member of the board ofselectman, an office associated with men of education and rank.In 1663, William Cheney guaranteed yearly contributions to theRoxbury Free School. The school, a first for Roxbury, was builtwith care and furnished with "convenient benches with forms,with tables for the scholars, and a conveniente seate for theschoolmaster, a deske to put the dictionary on and shelves tolay up bookes". On February 15, 1663 Cheney was chosen one ofthe Feofese of the school. The closest modern word for a feofeewould be a director, and in Roxbury there were seven feofese.They made decisions on hiring of teachers, administrativematters and finances. William Cheney did not join the Puritan Church until January 5,1664 - at least 24 years after he arrived in Roxbury. This is aninteresting fact because in those days Massachusetts was aPuritan Colony. The Church leaders were also the Colony leaders,and they dictated all aspects of life from what holidays couldbe celebrated (not Christmas) to what books could be printed andsold (mostly sermons). In 1631, it was enacted that "no oneshould be admitted a freeman, and so have the right to vote,unless he was a member of one of the churches within the limitsof the colony". How did William prosper in such a climate? Whydid he wait so many years to join the Church. Possibly his wifejoining the Church circa 1643, helped William maneuver aroundthe Puritans. Whatever the case may have been, William was notmade a "freeman of the Colony" until May 23, 1666.Unfortunately, he never got to use his new found right to votebecause he fell ill in 1666, and died June 30th 1667. Sources: "The Cheney Genealogy" by Charles Henry Pope, 1897."Customs and Fashions in Old New England" by Alice Morse Earle,1893. "A Short History of the English Colonies in America" byHenry Cabot Lodge, 1881. ==========================================================