Deathaft 6 Jun 1718, Kittery, York, ME5,23
OccupationCarpenter
Spouses
Birth1646, York, York, ME23
Marriage7 Apr 1673, Kittery, York, ME2, 86:101,4, 87, 216, 656,68,25, 752,69, 1,70, 1
Marr Memo
STAPLES, Peter & Elizabeth (BEADLE?) [EDWARDS], w Stephen; by 1673; Kittery, Maine
ChildrenPeter (>1670-1721)
Notes for Peter STAPLES Sr
Peter, m abt 1669-1671 (“Old Elliot”, p37), wid. Elizabeth (BEEDLE or BEADLE) Edwards, b 1641, d abt 1736, 3 children, dau of Robert and Mary (BAILEYor BAYLY) BEEDLE of Kittery, Maine. Peter STAPLE, died early 1719, Kittery, now Eliot, Maine. His will is dated June 6, 1718, and probated April 7, 1719. “Maine Wills”, p 215-6, York Probate 3, 14 docket # 17865”. Peter's Adm., Will (He refers to himself as Yoeman and made his mark "p") the will was witnessed by John Newmarch, Paul Wentworth and Nicholas Weeks. Peters Inventory (refers to him as Husbandman). These records are at the York Co Courthouse, Alfred, Maine. His wife Elizabeth and three sons, Peter STAPLE, John STAPLE and James STAPLE are mentioned in his will. “Old Kittery”, p 752-758; “Genealogical Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire”, p 656; “Old Eliot” Book Two, Vol. VI, p29 ’Äì 43. The lineage from Arthur B. Staples (jr) to Peter Staple of Kittery has been approved by the "Piscataqua Pioneers" (#1747). According to local historians Peter & his wife are probably buried in unmarked graves, as was the custom at the time, in the 'Old Burial Field'.
Misc. Notes
According to his Inventory, Peter STAPLE was a Husbandman. His farm produce and stock of cattle produced income. The “Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire”, p656, lists Peter as a Highway Surveyor 1673; Constable for lower Kittery 1676, Grand Jury 1686, 1689-90, 1699; The NE Historical & Genealogical Register; pub. year 1928; Vol. 82; p72-74: Records of the First Church of Berwick, Maine; Starting on p72, are - The Records of the Church of Christ at Barwick, organized December 21, 1701. P74 lists Peter Staple as one of the seventeen Foundation Brethren, however the Staple name does not appear in any other place in the records. Since this record is in 1701, this is either Peter Sr. or Peter Jr as Capt Peter would have been about one year old. Peter turned over the Staple homestead to his son Peter Jr in 1694.
Misc. Notes
Legal Docs
Maine Will Abstracts, 1640-1760
Source Page: Probate Office, 3, 14.
Name: Peter Staple
Will Text: In the Name of God Amen The Sixth day of June in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighteen I Peter Staple of Kittery in the Co of Yorke in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New-England Yeoman being aged and weak in Body but of perfect mind and Memory thanks be given unto God Therefore Calling unto mind the Mortality of my Body do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament that is to Say Principally and first of all I give & Recommend my Soul into the hands of god that gave it. And for my Body I commend it to the Earth to be Buried in a Christian like and Decent manner at the discretion of my Executors hereafter named, And as Touching Such worldly Estate wherewith it hath Pleased God to bless Maine in this life I give devise and dispose of the Same in the following manner and form.Impr I give and bequeath to Elizabeth my dearly beloved wife her dwelling in and Improvement of my dwelling house during her Natural life and also all my household Stuff and other my moveable goods together with the one Third part of the Produce or Income of that my farm and Stock of Cattle which I have heretofore given and alienated to my Son Peter Staple for her Comfortable Support during her Natural life and if the abovesaid Income Shall not be Sufficient to maintain her She hath by these Presents Liberty to dispose of and Sell So much of my household goods or other moveables as Shall be Sufficient to Support her and what Household Goods & other Moveables Effects Shall remain at her Decease not disposed of by her for the aforesaid use I give the Same to my two Sons John & James Staples to be Equally Divided betwene them or those that Shall legally represent them. Item I do by these presents Confirm unto my Sons Peter Staple John Staple & James Staple their Heirs and Assignes forever the Lands which I have heretofore given them I do also give unto my Said Sons either Eighteen pounds in money or Six heat cattle between three and four years of age to be equally divided between them or those that Shall Lawfully represent them upon Condition of their defraying my funeral Charges and Obliging of themselves decently to bury my abovesaid wife Elizabeth their Mother after her decease. The abovesaid money or Cattle to be paid by my Said Son Peter to my other Sons John and James Staples their proportion.Item I do hereby Constitute make & ordain my three well beloved Sons Peter Iohn & Iames Staples my Executors of this my Last Will and Testament And I do hereby utterly disallow revoke & dissanul all and Every other former Testaments Wills and Executors by Maine in any ways before named And Willed Ratifying and Confirming this and no other to be my last Will and Testament In witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal the day and Year above written Signed Sealed Published Pronounced & Declared by the Said Peter Staple as his last Will and Testament In the Presents of us the Subscribers.Iohn NewmarchPavl WentworthNicolas WeeksPeter Staple (Seal) his markProbated 7 April 1719. Inventory returned, 3 April 1719, at ‰ì18:16:6, by John Dennit, and Joshua Remick, appraisers.
Text Resource
From "Old Kittery And Her Families" by Stackpole:
Peter Staple, as the name was for a long time written, had a grant of land in 1671, and he bought land of Thomas Turner on Long Reach 4 July 1674. He and wife Elizabeth deeded this to son Peter in1694. March 9, 1679, there were "measured and laid out unto Peter Staple five acres of land by town grant to his wife in her widowhood bearing date in December 13, 1669." See York Deeds, V. Part 1 fol. 87.
The town records of Kittery say that 13 Dec. 1669, there were "granted to Elizabeth Edwards five acres of upland joining to ye above said Christopher Beadle's land." This shows that Peter Staple married Elizabeth, widow of Stephen Edwards. Compare page 92. Various deeds indicate pretty plainly that she was a daughter of Robert Beadle, though absolute proof is lacking. The same day that the town granted five acres to her there were granted: to Christopher Beadle ten acres of upland at ye head of ye lot that was his father's in ye Long Reach." The will of Peter Staple, dated 6 June 1718, was probated 7 April 1719.
Made his will June 6, 1718, "being aged".
Text Resource
“Saco Valley Settlements and Families", by G.T. Ridlon, Sr., Page 1159, pub. in 1895, states; Peter, Thomas and another brother arrived at Kittery, Maine in 1671.
"A Genealogical History of New Hampshire", by Sterns, Vol 2, pub. in 1908, states; In 1640 three brothers, Peter, Thomas and another (name unknown) arrived in Kittery, Maine.
"Old Elliot", by J.L.M. Willis, Book Two, Vol VI, p. 37. as written by the Rev Charles J. Staples, (I think in 1901/02, The most consistant and authentic tradition connects the (Peter Staples) family with a previous settlement to the eastward (of Eliot, Maine), possibly the abandoned outpost at Pemaquid, founded in 1625, or earlier. There were brothers, it is said, who settled in Massachusetts and Virginia.
"The Boston Sunday Post", August 16, 1942, in an article by Andrew F. Donnel on the Staples coat-of-arms states that Peter was granted land at Kittery, Maine in 1671, Thomas was in Fairfield, Conn. in 1645.