William Dyer

William Dyer purchased from the Indians Daniel, Sagamore and Dick Swash, Sagamore on 11 February 1662/63 land at Massoemek, later called Dyer's Neck, at Sheepscot, Maine.¹

On 29 March 1664, William Dyer purchased of Robin Hood, Sagamore and his son, land at the Neck, Massoemek.²

He was wealthy and prominent until Indian attacks drove everyone away. That year he was in Scituate having left everything behind: "Mr. [William] Dyer left all behind him, who sowed 16 bushells of wheat, planted a bushell and a half of Indian corne, sowed 9 bushells of peas, left 56 hed of Cattell, 30 swine, and household goods, and tackling for a plow and carte."^3,4

William Dyer moved circa 1678/79 to Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts.¹

William Dyer returned to Dyer's Neck about 1683.¹

William Dyer and Christopher Dyer were within a few months of each other massacred by Indians during King Philip's War, after which the rest of the family fled to Braintree in 1689 in Sheepscot.^3,1

The lands in Maine were conveyed 10 June 1712.⁵

The lands at Dyer's Neck in Maine (600 acres) were conveyed in 1712 and in 1732 to Henry Flint of Cambridge by Samuel Boles of Rochester, Plymouth Co., husbandman, and wife Mary, daughter of William Dyer and by William Dyer of Weymouth, eldest son of Christopher Dyer, the eldest son of the first William Dyer.⁶

On 19 January 1732/33, "John Dyer aged about 85 years, formerly an inhabitant of New Dartmouth, alias Sheepscot, now living in Braintree, Norfolk, Made affidavit that he was living with his father William above 60 years ago for several years at said Sheepscot or Dyer's Neck, whose eldest son was Christopher, and he also had one daughter Mary who afterwards intermarried with one Samuel Bowles. His said father was killed by Indians on said Neck in or about August above 42 years since and in the lifetime of his eldest son Christopher; and himself was grievously wounded in several parts of his body by the same party of Indians and was carried by his brother Christopher to a doctor at Pemaquid, and some few months after his eldest brother Christopher was himself about the month of December killed by Indians, and Christopher left a son William, his eldest son, besides some other children, which William now lives at Weymouth in Co. of Suffolk."⁷

In an affidavit of Esther Roberts of Boston, aged about 64 years, she says that she very well knew William Dyer of Sheepscot father of Christopher and John and Mary who married Samuel Bowles, said Christopher was said William's eldest son and had by his first wife two sons William, and John and one daughter Grace who married one Allicet. The first William Dyer lived on a neck of land called Dyer's Neck and had a house, field, orchard, garden, and cattle, and at the same time a little distance from him on said neck, his second son John. The said William Dyer was mending his garden or orchard fence when the Indians came and knocked him down which I saw, and they killed and scalped him and wounded grievously his second son John Dyer but he recovered of his wounds. Christopher Dyer was killed by the Indians a few months afterwards which I also well remember upwards of 40 years ago: dated Mar. 31, 1733.⁸

William Dyer of Weymouth made an affidavit as published in the History of Weymouth under Dyer Family, by which he testified 31 Aug 1738 that his grandfather lived at Dyer's Neck where were "two houses wherein lived William Dyer, Esq., his second son John Dyer, and his only daughter Mary Bowles until 1689 when his said grandfather and his father Christopher Dyer, eldest son were killed by the Indians, his grandfather about 16 Aug 1689 and his father about Dec -1689.⁹