Andrew Peters (1635-1713) and Mercy Beamsley (1637-1726)
The story goes that in 1658 a young widow, Mercy “Mary” Beamsley Wilborne, was standing at her window in Boston when she caught sight of a young man making his way along the muddy trails. He looked up and saw her watching, and in that moment he resolved to marry her – which he did not long after. The young man was Andrew Peters, an Englishman who had just arrived on a ship from Holland. Not much is known about Andrew’s background but he was able to read and write and so thought to have had at least some education. Mary Beamsley had married Michael Wilborne in 1656 and had a daughter in 1657, but Michael died sometime in the following year.
Andrew and Mary married in Ipswich in 1659 and had seven children there. They were later in Andover. For a time, Andrew was in the British army as a private and fought from December, 1675 to February, 1676 against the Wampanoag Indians in what became called King Philip’s War; the chief of the Wampanoag was known as King Philip. Andrew worked primarily as a distiller.
On 16 Nov 1702 Andrew wrote a will in his own handwriting: My Will & Testament. I Andrew Peeters of Andover the county of Essex in New England Being in Good health & memory ... To my dear wiffe Mercij Peeters I will & bequeth my whole estate in houses Lands & Cattle, goods, money & —Dureing her natural Liffe, or whilst Shee Remains my widdow for her Comfortable subsisting in this world,...Samuell Peeters hath been my Copartner Euer Since, & also hath purchased a Great part of Said Land for himselue, of Col Dudley Bradstreet &c: Only I make this Exception, Giue to my two daughters Tenne pounds in paij Each of them, that is to Say Elizabeth Wright & Mary Chandler, Itm : I Giue to my two Grand Children, Andrew & Mary Peeters, which are ye Children of my Son John Peeters, deceased. Each of them fiue pounds in pay, or ye Land I bought of Sargt Jeremiah Belcher, on ye north side of Merrimack Riuer....
Family group sheet for Andrew Peters and Mercy Beamsley: http://sites.rootsmagic.com/colonialgenealogy/individual.php?p=1311
Sources:
Abbott, Charlotte Helen. (n.d.). Early records of the Peters family of Andover. Retrieved from Memorial Hall Library http://www.mhl.org/sites/default/files/files/Abbott/Peters%20Family.pdf
Peters, Edmund Frank, & Peters, Eleanor Bradley. (1903). Peters of New England: A genealogy and family history. New York, NY: Knickerbocker Press.