Today I had a choice of 10 events. I started looking for who I would highlight today and ended up spending time trying to unravel the life of William Ray, my 4x Great Grandfather.
William Ray was born in 1760 in Wrentham, Massachusetts, and died in 1845 in Hubbardton, Vermont. They mysterious part of this search is: Was William Ray a member of the Green Mountain Boys?
I am not able to determine exactly when William Ray moved to Vermont. His first son was born in Wilmington, Vermont in 1782. His marriage to Joanna Pond in 1781 was in Wrentham, Massachusetts. Perhaps the couple moved after they were married? Or perhaps he was already living in Vermont and traveled to Massachusetts to get married. I checked - its 128 miles from Wrentham to Wilmington.
There is an interesting coincidence that surfaced when researching William Ray and his possible connection to the Green Mountain Boys. William's daughter, Roxalana Ray, married Samuel Shepherd and several members of his family were in the Green Mountain Boys.
While researching, I found that there is a lake in Vermont, near Wilmington that is named for William, and his brother Benjamin.
Below is an except from a Wilmington Historical Society newsletter. William and his brother, Benjamin, bought a piece of land near Wilmington that contained a pond, which was known as Ray's Pond. After purchasing this land, the brothers expanded the pond and it later became known as Lake Raponda after the area had been developed and people felt that Ray Pond didn't sound very interesting. The name was combined to Raponda. It has grown to be an exclusive place to vacation and live. I found it interesting that William and Benjamin were referred to as being members of a local family in 1788................ if they had just recently moved there.
So - without any conclusive evidence - Is this my 4x great grandfather or not? Maybe someday I will find out for sure!
Also the day my daughter was born. 3 days b4 my mothers and 3 days after she could be claimed. Just like my mother and me she was a rebel and came when she was ready and love her so much.
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