TENTH GENERATION

736. William Greene ⁽¹⁾ was born in 1678 in Long Island, New York or Trenton, N. J.. He died on 16 Jun 1722 in Trenton, New Jersey. He was buried in First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Ewing, New Jersey. He was a Judge, Court Common Pleas. William Greene left England in the late 17th century, arriving in Philadelphia
at age twenty. From there, he went to Long Island, New York (this does not
jive with the birthplace I, Danny A. McBee, was given by Thomas Greene of
Bakersville, North Carolina. [Danny A. McBee].

Tom Green, TBGreen3@aol.com., states that William Green, born about 1660,
who married Joanna Reeder in 1692 living in Ewing, New Jersey and built the
first brick home there in 1717, that still stands today on the campus of Trenton
State College. [Danny A. McBee, January 27, 1998].

William Greene could have been born in England before his father Richard immigrated
but it is known for sure. [Danny A. McBee, February 27, 1998].

According to the book Genealogy of Early Settlers in Trenton and Ewing "Old
Hunterdon County, New Jersey, by Eli F. Cooley and William S. Cooley, originally
published in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1883, William Green purchased three hundred
and forty-five acres of Col. Daniel Coxe, the deed bearing date 1712, and on it erected
the first brick house in township, which is still standing, having on the west end the
date 1717, and is owned and occupied by his descendant of the fifth generation, Henry Green. His qualities were such as to give him distinction, for he was appointed one of the first judges of Hunterdon County, and from the frequent mention of his name in public
affairs and important business transactions, he was evidently a prominent and useful citizen...He died, as indicated by his antique tombstone in the Ewing church-yard, in 1722.

The site of William Green's brick house, which still stands, is the campus of Trenton State College, Trenton, New Jersey. The house was featured in an article reprinted from The Times, Trenton, NJ, September 26, 1987, in The Signal, a newspaper of Trenton State College, Trenton, NJ, on October 6, 1987. [Danny A. McBee, February 27, 1998].

The following Will of William Greene comes to me, Danny A. McBee, from John O. Hawkins who wrote The Greens of jersey Settlement. He was assisted in this writing by Edwin D. Greene:

William Green's will is dated 11 January 1721/22 and is recorded in Trenton, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Vol. 23, page 193.

In the name of God Amen. This eleventh day of January Anno Domini one thousand seven-hundred and twenty-one. --I William Green of Trenton in the County of Hunterdon and province of New Jersey yeoman. Being in perfect mind and memory thanks be given to God but calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this to be my last will and testament. Viz: Principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God who gave it, and my body I recommend to the dust to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors, nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty powers of God and as touching such wordly estate as it hath pleased God to bless in this life, I give, devise, and dispose of the same in the following manner and form: Viz: IMPRIMIS. I give and bequeath unto Joanna, my dearly beloved wife the best room in my now dwelling house, and the closet in the seller [sic], and one third part of the improveable land and tenements belonging to it together with one third of the moveable estate, goods, and chattels during the term of natural life, and in case of her intermarrying during her widowhood. But if she marry again my will is that she have fifty pounds paid her by my executors out of my moveable estate on the day of her marriage and that she then give up the possession of the house and her thirds as aforesaid.
ITEM--I give and bequeath unto my well beloved son Richard my dwelling house and plantation, that I now live upon excepting that part as is will to his mother as aforesaid. And the whole of it at her death or intermarrying with all the appurtenances to him and his heirs and assigns forever.
ITEM--I give unto my well-beloved sons Joseph and William that house and plantation that I bought of John Severns to them and their heirs and assigns forever, to be equally divided by them, they paying their two sisters Joanna and Sarah fifteen pounds apiece when they either of them arrive to the age of eighteen years.
ITEM--I give and bequeath to my well beloved sons Benjamin, John, Jeremiah, and Isaac to each forty pounds when they arrive to ye age of twenty one years, to them and their heirs and assigns forever to be paid by my executors out of my moveable estate.
ITEM--I give and bequeath unto my beloved daughters Esther and Mary to each fifteen pounds to be paid by my executors out of my moveable estate to them and their heirs forever.
ITEM--My will and pleasure is that my four younger sons shall be put out to learn such trades as they shall choose when they shall come to the age of seventeen years and also they be learned to read and write. FURTHERMORE I constitute, make, and ordain my well beloved sons Richard and Joseph my executors to this my last will and testament. And my will is that after the aforesaid division and payments be made, that all the remaining part of my moveable estate, goods, and chattels be equally divided between my two executors aforesaid it being provided that all the legacies or bequests aforesaid be paid or levied on if the moveable estate goods, chattels at money price according to nine shillings and two pence p ounce. And I do herebey utterly disallow, revoke, and disannul all and every other former testaments, wills, legacies, and executors by me in any way before this time named, willed, and bequeathed ratifying and confirming this and 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
and declared by the said William Green
as his last will and testament
In the presence of ---
Christopher Howell
William Reed
David Howell William Green [seal]

Proved 1 June 1723.

[Note: January 1721 would be calendar year 1722 by our present Gregorian calendar which was not adopted by England and her colonies until 1752.] Thus William Green's will was written approximately six months prior to his death on 16 June 1722.
[Danny A. McBee, March 1, 1998].

Another Green(e) genealogist, Ron Greene (RGreene431@aol.com) suggests that William was born in 1671 in England. [Danny A. McBee, March 21, 1998].

Another Green[e] genealogist, Tom Green [TBGreen3@aol.com], suggests that William was born in 1660. [Danny A. McBee, April 29, 1998].

Ronnie L. Greene, RGreene431@aol.com., also stated "As to William Greene who married Joanna Reeder. I show him with a birth date of 1671. This birth date is arrived at by the fact that, supposedly, he came to America (Philadelphia) as a 20 year old and after a year went to New York to return to England. Instead he met Joanna REEDER, fell in love and got married in 1692. If that info is true; then, calculating backwards gives one a birth date of 1671. I show Joanna Reeder as born in 1669 and died after 1723. [Danny A. McBee, April 30, 1998].
He was married to Joanna Burroughs Reeder about 1692 in Newtown [now called Elmhurst], Long Island, New York.

737. Joanna Burroughs Reeder⁽¹⁾ was born about 1699 in New Town, Long Island, New York. She died about 1723 in Trenton, New Jersey. Children were:

i. Richard Greene⁽¹⁾ was born about 1694. He died about 1741.
ii. Joseph Greene⁽¹⁾ was born about 1695 in New Jersey. He died on 12 Mar 1784. There has been a question raised by Don Fauss, fauss@itsa.ucsf.edu., that this Joseph could not be the father of Phebe as he would have been dead before Phebe's death. Don proposes that Joseph Green, born circa 1737, died circa 1806, is the father of Phebe and Elizabeth Gillis, born circa 1746, died March 13, 1826, daughter of Reverend Mr. Gillis, a Presbyterian clergyman. Don also has a date of birth of June 22, 1714 for Elizabeth Mershon and that she married Joseph Green on June 15, 1738. [Danny A. McBee].

Ron Greene (RGreene431@aol.com] states that Joseph Greene was an Elder in the Ewing Presbyterian Church, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. [Danny A. McBee, March 21, 1998].
iii. Joanna Greene⁽¹⁾ was born about 1697.
iv. William Green⁽¹⁾ was born about 1699. He died about 1786. According to information received from Ron Greene [RGreene431@aol.com], William Greene Jr. was one of the corporators of the Ewing Presbyterian Church in Hunterdon County, New Jersey from 1754 to 1756. He was also a soldier in Washington's Army at the Battles of Trenton and Monmouth. [Danny A. McBee, March 21, 1998].
v. Sarah Greene⁽¹⁾ was born about 1701. Ron Greene, RGreene431@aol.com, has Sarah Greene marrying Thomas Smith. I, Danny A. McBee, have Sarah Greene married to Benjamin Severns. [Danny A. McBee, March 21, 1998].
368 vi. Jeremiah Greene Sr..
vii. Benjamin Greene⁽¹⁾ was born about 1707 in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. According to Ron Greene, RGreene431@aol.com., Benjamin Greene was one of the first common councilmen of Trenton, New Jersey after it was made a borough. [Danny A. McBee, March 21, 1998].
viii. John Greene⁽¹⁾ was born about 1709.
ix. Isaac Greene⁽¹⁾ was born about 1709. According to the book Genealogy of Early Settlers in Trenton and Ewing "Old Hunterdon County," New Jersey by Eli F. Cooley and William S. Cooley, Isaac moved to Sussex County, New Jersey. [Danny A. McBee, February 27, 1998].
x. Esther Greene⁽¹⁾ was born about 1713.
xi. Mary Greene⁽¹⁾ was born about 1715.

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