Alice Freeman

Daughter of Edmund Freeman; “Alice Freeman 17” on the Abigail, 1635. Her husband William Paddy collected for Edmund’s armour in 1640 and acted for him with Winthrop. On 10 Oct 1640 Edward Winslow wrote to John Winthrop that “a mocon was made by Mr. Paddy and some that inordinately cleaue to him for his setling at Jones river” of Charles Chauncy, “who purposeth there to lay the foundacon of an Academy”; Winslow opposed it (Winthrop Papers 4).

On 20 July 1649 her uncle John Beauchamp wrote from London to “Cousin William Paddy. Loving Cousin, Your health desired, with your wife’s and all yours”: “my son Dogget sent some cloth and bibles to you, and desires you to put to sale, and to make return in corn and wheat, rye, pease, barley, and oats,” and “I pray you tell your father, my brother Freeman, that I have received the box of writings he sent.” He added that “the wife’s mother,” her grandmother Alice (Coles) Freeman, “is in good health, and lives with me at Ryegate.” The letter was written “in haste at a shop where I met him in London” (Freeman Genealogy pp. 23-24).

Paddy’s gravestone was found on 13 June 1830 in digging the foundation of the Old State House, Boston: “Here lyeth ye body of Mr. William Paddy, ae. 58 yrs.: departed this life Aug. 24, 1658.” On the reverse: “Here sleeps that | Blessed one whose lief | God help us all to live | That so when time shall be | That we this world must leave | We ever may be happy | With blessed William Paddy” (Freeman Genealogy pp. 25-26). Their sons Samuel and Thomas Paddy were the grandsons for whom Edmund sought land in 1663; Thomas inherited half of Edmund’s Waquanchett land. Children (Freeman Genealogy): Elizabeth, John, Samuel, Mercy, Thomas, Joseph.