William Beardsley

Born Abt in England. 1635: came to America from England aboard the ship Planter. He married January 26, 1631[1632] in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England and worked as weaver. He died Abt in Hadley, Connecticut.

Stratford's Namesake

William Beardsley was born around 1605 in England and emigrated to America in 1635 aboard the ship Planter, traveling with his wife, daughter, two sons, and the Reverend Adam Blakeman. He worked as a weaver and mason, settling first in Concord, Massachusetts, then Hartford, Connecticut, before becoming one of the first settlers of a new Connecticut town in 1639 — reputedly naming it Stratford after his hometown in England. William represented Stratford as its deputy to the Connecticut General Court nine times between 1645 and 1658, served on committees provisioning soldiers and assisting magistrates, and built a substantial landholding of farmland and meadow. In his September 1660 will, he divided his considerable property among his wife and children, with careful provisions for his son Joseph depending on whether he settled down or continued his life at sea. William died around 1661; his estate was appraised at nearly 328 pounds.