In the cemetery of Springfield, Hampden county, Massachusetts, stands the elaborate tomb of Captain William Day, with his wife Rhoda, and his son Captain James Day. The inscriptions and images on this monument are the starting point for exploration of what may be a very very complicated life:
Capt. Wm. Day sailed in command of a frigate with a picked crew, encountering a fleet of five French ships in the Bay of Biscay. The admiral's ship larger than his own was considerably in advance of the others. He engaged and captured her before the others came up, and neither vessel being much injured he divided his force with the captured ship and the others coming he attacked them with such spirit that they all surrendered and he brought them all safe into Plymouth.
On the opposite side, an inscription on the upper sarcophagus, and a caption to the battle scene, give a little more information:
The scene on the other side of this monument is taken from a portrait painted at the time, now in possession of his family. Capt. William Day soon after the war retired from the sea and settled in Sheffield, Mass. where he died. He was an active patriot in the revolution. He lived and enjoyed the esteem and respect of his friends and neighbors. His remains with those of his wife were removed from Sheffield and placed under this monument. This monument is placed here by his grandson Thomas D. Day of St. Louis.In memory of Capt. Wllliam Day. Born in Springfield Oct. 26, 1715. Died in Sheffield March 22, 1797. Aged 82 years.
These inscriptions contain a great deal of falsehood, and a great deal of concealment (Plymouth Massachusetts, or Plymouth England? "Active patriot" in what way? ...). Investigation of contemporary records reveals many possibilities, some of which can be firmly identified as red herrings that have led to mistakes and misunderstandings by historians and genealogists, but others of which remain, so far, tantalising. What follows is a tabulation of information which will help to begin the process of untangling Captain William Day of Massachusetts, 1715-1797, from the numerous people he never was.
The action represented here was fought during the French War about the year 1760 by Capt. William Day.
| Colour key | Family | Household / Community | Sea trade | War | Background | Possibly our William | Probably not |
| 20 Sep 1673 |
81.Mary Smith, born 1677; died February 28, 1741/42.She was the daughter of 162. John Smith and 163. Mary Partridge. | |
| 13 Feb 1697 |
Springfield Marriages Day Jon of this towne and Marah Smith of Hadley, int. Feb. 13, 1696/7 | |
| 1713 - |
| |
| 23 Oct 1715 |
SPRINGFIELD BIRTHS Day John, s. John and Marah, July 5, 1698. Hezekiah, s. John and Marah, Oct. 15, 1700 Joseph, s. John and Marah, June 24, 1703 Mary, d. John and Marah, Jan. 20, 1705/6 [? Sarah, d. John and Margt, May 14, 1708] Benjamin, s. John and Marah, Oct. 27, 1710 Rebeca, d. John and Marah, May 12, 1713 William, s. John and Marah, Oct. 23, 1715 Elizabeth, d. John and Marah, Jan. 19, 1717/18 Thankfull, d. John and Marah, Jan. 29, 1720/21 [The following all seem to be offspring of John jnr.] Abigail, d. John and Abigail, Sept. 2, 1724. Abigail, d. John Jr, bp. Nov. [Oct.] 8, 1724 [bp = baptised] Marah, d. John and Abigail, Aug. 7, 1726 Marah, d. John Jr., bp. Aug. 14, 1726 John 3d, s. John Junr and Abigail, Apr. 23, 1728. Bk. 1, p. 95 John, s. John Jr., bp. May 5, 1728 | |
| 19 Apr 1720 |
| |
| 6 Mar 1724 |
James Day of Boston married Mary ?Ring at Gloucester, 6 March 1724 [?converted to New Style date?] | |
| 1725- |
| |
| 9 Mar 1726 |
... On the 9th of March, 1726, at a meeting of the committee, it was determined "that two of the committee, at least, should go to Housatonic to make something of a survey of the same, in order to a division of the two towns ..." " [not sure if these dates are Old Style or New Style] [disputes with New York prevented settlement for some years, hence the delay of apportionment until 1733] | |
| 3 Sep 1727 |
p181: Mary daughter of James and Mary Day, born 3 Sep 1727 [possible future (1747) wife of William Day] | |
| 1734 |
"By March of 1726, the settling committee was ready to make plans for surveying the tract in order to divide the townships and lay out lots at least in the Lower township. ... The Lower Township was partitioned into five divisions, two of which were the minister’s right and the school land and reached as far as the Indian reservation. Shares in the other three divisions were sold to 39 prospective setters. ... During the year of 1733-34, the new settling committee visited the town several times, admitted colonists, surveyed the land, outlined the plots, and recorded titles. The committee records describing the lots laid out in the Lower township have been preserved and are stored in the town hall in Sheffield. ... THIRD DIVISION Japhet Bush, John Ashley, Capt. John Day, Philip Callender, John Huggins deceased, David Clark, Anthony Austin, Nathaniel Austin, Eleazar Stockwell, Noah Phelps, Lt. Thomas Ingersoll, Obadiah and Solomon Noble, Matthew Noble Sr., William Goodrich, Jonathan Root, Daniel Kellogg, Stephen Vanhall, Samuel Ferry, Capt. John Ashley, Minister’s Lot, School Lot."  | |
| 13 Feb 1735 |
| |
| 17 Feb 1735 |
[+ in other New England papers] | |
| 29 Apr 1735 |
| |
| 15 Sep 1737 |
| |
| 5 Dec 1738 |
| |
| 7 Dec 1738 |
| |
| 14 Dec 1738 |
| |
| 12 Mar 1739 |
| |
| 16 May 1739 |
[Lease of land at S end of Boston to S. Kneeland, bounded W on Orange St., E on James Day's land; N on Kneeland's land; S on Samuel Haley's Hs & land] | |
| 4 Aug 1740 |
[also in Boston Gazette] | |
| 7 Aug 1740 |
| |
| 11 Aug 1740 |
[also in Boston Gazette, New England Weekly Journal] | |
| 5 Dec 1740 |
On a Motion made and seconded by divers Members, Ordered, That Judge Greaves, Mr Fairfield, Capt. Little, Major Pomroy, Col. Buckminster, Mr Lee, and Dr. Hale, be a Committee to consider the Petitions of Capt. Gosse, Capt. Prescot, Capt. Philips, Capt. Stewart, Capt. Ruggles, Capt. Blogget, Samuel Miller, Allen Wilde, Jemima Debuke, William Lackey, John Simpson, Joshua Fuller, Simon Dillis, and William Day, and report what they judge proper for this Court to do thereon respectively. | |
| 26 Dec 1740 |
Mr Fairfield from the Committee appointed the 5th currant upon the Petitions of Samuel Miller, Allen Wilde, William Day, Simon Dillis, Thomas Cavarly, John Simpson, William Lacky, Joshua Fuller, and Jemima Debuke, reported according to Order. Read and accepted, and thereupon Voted, That the said Petitions be dismiss'd. The Report upon the Petition of Capt. Timothy Ruggles, was accepted, and thereupon Voted, That there be allowed and paid him out of the publick Treasury the Sum of three hundred and fifty seven Pounds being so much he has paid and engaged to pay, as appears by proper Vouchers for subsisting and marching &c. a Company of Voluntiers; and that the further Sum of fifty Pounds be allowed the Petitioner out of the publick Treasury for his Trouble and Service in the Affair. Sent up for Concurrence. [Money for subsistence of Voluntiers voted to Captains Gosse, Prescot, Stewart etc.] | |
| 5 Mar 1741 |
| |
| 9 Mar 1741 |
[also in New England Weekly Journal] | |
| 10 Mar 1741 |
26 Feb Dillon, Day sailed for Rotterdam | |
| 6 Apr 1741 |
| |
| 13 Apr 1741 |
[also in Boston Gazette] | |
| 14 Apr 1741 |
| |
| 16 Apr 1741 |
| |
| 26 May 1741 |
Dillon, Day arrived from Rotterdam] | |
| 8 Jun 1741 |
| |
| 18 Jun 1741 |
| |
| 22 Jun 1741 |
[also in BOSTON Weekly Post-Boy] | |
| 25 Jun 1741 |
| |
| 23 Jul 1741 |
[This may be Eliphalet Day, son of Timothy and Jane/Jean, born in 1711 at Gloucester, Essex county, Massachusetts] | |
| 13 Aug 1741 |
| |
| 27 Aug 1741 |
| |
| 7 Sep 1741 |
| |
| 8 Sep 1741 |
| |
| 16 Oct 1741 |
15 Dove, Day arrived from Norway] | |
| 30 Nov 1741 |
| |
| 1742-3 |
| |
| 28 Feb 1742 | William's mother Mary died 28 Feb 1742 [possibly 1741/2 rather than 1742/3], and is buried in the Old Meadow cemetery at West Springfield. Major John remarried, to Hannah (possibly Hannah Marsh, or widow Hannah Kent). | |
| 1 Mar 1742 |
[also in Boston Gazette] | |
| 2 Mar 1742 |
| |
| 10 Sep 1742 |
Inn holders, Approved and Recommended ... James Day Orange Street ... | |
| 1 Nov 1742 |
| |
| 21 Feb 1743 |
| |
| 28 Feb 1743 |
| |
| 27 Feb 1743 |
[NB: Some transcripts give the year as 1741/2] [This William has been suggested as a candidate for the William Day who married at Springfield in 1759- but the general consensus seems to be that he married somebody completely different.] | |
| 15 Nov 1743 |
| |
| 21 Nov 1743 |
[also in Boston Weekly News-Letter] | |
| 13 Jan 1744 |
8 Margaret, Day sailed for Rotterdam] | |
| 20 Jan 1744 |
Margaret, Day arrived from Youghall] | |
| 27 Feb 1744 |
| |
| 23 Apr 1744 |
[also in Boston Weekly Post-Boy, Boston Weekly News-Letter] | |
| 24 Apr 1744 |
| |
| 4 May 1744 |
30 Apr Neptune, Day sailed for Dublin] | |
| 22 May 1744 |
Neptune, Day arrived from Rotterdam] | |
| 26 Jun 1744 |
Experiment, Day arrived from S. Carolina | |
| 6 Jul 1744 |
3 Experiment, Day arrived from Portsmouth | |
| 24 Dec 1744 |
| |
| 1745-6 |
| |
| 24 Mar 1746 |
| |
| in 1746 |
a William Day was a member of the Lodge from 1746 to his death in 1795 a James Day was also a member from 1746 [no end date given] Neither is listed among the Initiates of the Lodge. [Very tantalising- the date of death is wrong, but an apparent association with James Day will shortly become significant for our William] | |
| 1747 |
| |
| 10 Mar 1747 |
| |
| 26 Mar 1747 |
| |
| 7 Sep 1747 |
[also in Boston Evening-Post, Boston Gazette] [this would not be St. Martins in the Bay of Fundy, which was established later; possibly the Caribbean island of St. Martin] | |
| 10 Sep 1747 |
| |
| 12 Oct 1747 |
[also in Boston Weekly Post-Boy] | |
| 15 Oct 1747 |
| |
| 1 Nov 1747 |
Male 1715 - 1797 William's 1st wife was Polly Day according to Thomas B. Warren, "Springfield Families" (typescript, 1935; Conn. Valley Historical Museum, Springfield, Mass.), 237 (FHL #014787). They are presumably the William Day and Mary Day married at Boston, Polly being a nickname for Mary | |
| 1 Nov 1747 |
| |
| 1 Nov 1747 |
... William Day and Mary Day: Oct 21, 1747 p343: William Dey & Mary Dey: Date of Marriage Nov. 1, 1747 | |
| 5 Nov 1747 |
| |
| 9 Nov 1747 |
| |
| 9 Nov 1747 |
| |
| 24 Nov 1747 |
| |
| 3 Dec 1747 |
Brigt. Mary, William Day, from Boston. ... | |
| 12 Dec 1747 |
Cleared Brigt. Chesterfield, Thomas Coatam, to Londonderry. ------ Mary Anne, William Day, to Newry. ------ Greyhound, Lister Falconer, to Belfast. ------ Princesss Louisa, Hugh Harper, to Newry. .... | |
| 4 Jan 1748 |
[Sadly, the Maryland Gazette of the time was not over-zealous in its reporting of ship movements] | |
| 5 Feb 1748 |
| |
| 15 Mar 1748 |
| |
| 25 Apr 1748 |
| |
| 9 May 1748 |
[also in Boston Weekly Post-Boy] | |
| 9 May 1748 | [NB: At this time there was also a Capt. Day commanding the Swan, a privateer vessel operating in the English Channel area from the port of Hastings.] | |
| 10 Jun 1748 |
9 Winchelsea, Day arrived from Holland] | |
| 12 Jul 1748 |
5 Mary-Anne, Collins sailed for Lisbon [No other Mary-Anne commanded by Collins in Lloyd's List 1748-50; was he supervising a novice trans-Atlantic round trip under command of William Day, and assuming nominal command for insurance purposes in the crossing of the notoriously dangerous Bay of Biscay?] | |
| 19 Jul 1748 |
6 Jul NS [New Style] Mary Anne, Day sailed for N[ew]. England | |
| 26 Jul 1748 |
| |
| 8 Aug 1748 |
Last Tuesday [26 or 19 July] arrived Capt. Day from Lisbon, by whom we are inform'd, That he sail'd from thence on Sunday the 17th of June N.S. [nominally, 17 June was Monday- confusion may have arisen from the maritime policy of measuring days from midday to midday] and that the Day before, in the Morning, a Post from Madrid, brought certain Advice, that the Court of Spain had acceded to the Cessation of Arms in the same Manner that was agreed upon between Great-Britain, France and the States-General; and that Hostilities on the part of Spain were accordingly to cease at the same Period. This News was told Capt. Day by a Merchant of very good Credit at Lisbon just before he sail'd, who shew'd him a Portugueze News-paper, in which it was inserted; and as Capt. Day had all his Letters and Papers for this Place on board a Week before he sail'd, some of which Letters intimate, that the Spaniards stood out and would not sign, nor was there any likelihood of it, so now the Gentleman told him the contrary, and said, that he might inform any Person in New-England, That the above News of Spain's agreeing to the Cessation might be depended upon. | |
| 1 Dec 1748 |
| |
| 5 Dec 1748 |
| |
| 8 Dec 1748 |
| |
| 1748 |
| |
| 1748 |
| |
| in 1748? |
[is “Junius” a mistake for “junior”?!] [NB: database entries giving a date of 7 Mar 1749 for young William are misreadings of 7 Mar 1787] [The confidence of that birth-year 1748 raises a problem, for it requires us to find an as-yet-unknown William Day born in 1750-51, to be the William Day who died in Boston on 28 March 1782, age 31] | |
| in 1749? |
[If Polly was really the first child, born in 1748, then she may also be the Polly who died about 1755, for her mother was still alive in 1758] | |
| 1749 | ONLY FRIENDSHIP CAPT. DAY IN LLOYD'S LIST 1749 [8 issues missing] | |
| 14 Mar 1749 |
| |
| 3 Apr 1749 |
| |
| 17 Apr 1749 |
[also in Boston Gazette, OR Weekly JOURNAL] | |
| 31 Jul 1749 |
[also in Boston Gazette, OR Weekly JOURNAL] | |
| 30 Aug 1749 |
... Sloop Endeavour, Eliphalet Day, from Boston ... | |
| 20 Nov 1749 |
[also in Boston Gazette, OR Weekly JOURNAL] | |
| 4 Dec 1749 |
[also in BOSTON WEEKLY POST-BOY] | |
| 6 Dec 1749 |
... Sloop Endeavour, Eliphalet Day, for Boston ... | |
| in 1749 | Subscribers to the book "An Account of the Life of the Late Reverend Mr. David Brainerd" published in Boston in 1749 included Capt. Eliphalet Day, Benjamin Day and Samuel Day. | |
Coming in Part 2- the 1750s and the real second World War