BIRTH: 7 JUN 1741, Pembroke, Massachusetts, USA
DEATH: 17 NOV 1822, Salem, New York, USA
FATHER: Job Bonney (1709-1773)
MOTHER: Ruth Bisbee (1714-1754)
SPOUSE: Webster Hayford (1736-1819)
When Mary Bonney was born on June 7, 1741, in Pembroke, Massachusetts, her father, Job, was 32, and her mother, Ruth, was 27. She married Webster Hayford on January 17, 1760, in her hometown. They had six children in 11 years. She died on November 17, 1822, in New York having lived a long life of 81 years, and was buried in Cambridge, New York.
Her story
Mary Bonney was born on June 7, 1741, in the quiet town of Pembroke, nestled in Plymouth County, Massachusetts Bay Colony. She was the daughter of Job C. Bonney and Ruth Bisbee, descendants of early New England settlers whose lives were shaped by the rhythms of colonial life and the legacy of the Pilgrims.
Raised in a community steeped in Puritan values and surrounded by the echoes of America’s earliest European inhabitants, Mary grew up during a time of growing tension between the colonies and the British Crown. Her childhood would have been marked by the industrious spirit of New England families—farming, faith, and family forming the pillars of daily life.
On January 17, 1760, at the age of 18, Mary married Webster Hayford, a fellow resident of Pembroke. Together, they embarked on a life of partnership and resilience, raising a large family that would carry their names and values into the next century. Their union produced six children, including Mary Freeman Hayford, Webster Jr., Deliverance, Ruth, Chloe, and Samuel. Each child represented a thread in the tapestry of early American life, contributing to the growth of communities in Massachusetts and beyond.
As the American Revolution unfolded, Mary was in her thirties—a mother and homemaker during one of the most turbulent and transformative periods in history. Though not a soldier or stateswoman, her role was no less vital: she sustained her household, nurtured her children, and upheld the moral fabric of a fledgling nation.
In her later years, Mary and Webster relocated to Washington County, New York, a region that was becoming a hub for settlers moving westward. There, she witnessed the birth of the United States, the ratification of the Constitution, and the dawn of a new century. Her husband Webster passed away in 1819, and Mary followed three years later, dying on November 17, 1822, in Salem, New York. She was laid to rest at the Old White Church Cemetery in nearby Cambridge.
Mary Bonney’s life spanned 81 years—years of revolution, nation-building, and frontier expansion. Her legacy lives on through her descendants, many of whom carried the Hayford and Bonney names into the 19th and 20th centuries. She was a woman of quiet strength, rooted in faith and family, whose story reflects the endurance and spirit of America’s founding generations.
Legacy of Mary Bonney (1741-1822)
Parents
Father: Job Bonney (1709-1773)
Mother: Ruth Bisbee (1714-1754)
Married
Married Webster Hayford (1736-1819) on January 17, 1760, in Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Children
- Mary Hayford (1762-1843) married Daniel Buck (1762-1843)
- Webster Hayford Jr (1763-1822)
- Deliverance Hayford (1766-1817) married Elijah Higgins (1766-1854)
- Ruth Hayford (1768-1854) married Timothy Higgins Sr (1768-1850)
- Chloe Hayford (1771-1848)
- Samuel Hayford Sr (1773-1835)
Documents
- Birth Records
- Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 > Pembroke > Vital Record Transcripts > Mary, d. Job and Ruth, bp. June 7, 1741. C.R.I. (First Church of Ipswich’s register)
- Find A Grave Birth Date: 7 Jun 1741
- Marriage records
- Massachusetts, U.S., Compiled Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1700-1850 > Pembroke Marriages > Name: Mary Bonney; Marriage Date: 17 Jan 1760; Marriage Place: Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA; Spouse: Webster Hayford
- Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 > Pembroke > Vital Record Transcripts > Name: Mary Bonney; Gender: Female; Marriage Date: 17 Jan 1760; Place: Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts; Spouse: Webster Hayford
- Massachusetts, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850; Name: Mary Bonney; Gender: Female; Marriage Date: 17 Jan 1760; Place: Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts; Spouse: Webster Hayford
- Death records
- Find A Grave Death Date: 17 Nov 1822
- Burial: Old White Church Cemetery, Cambridge, Washington County, New York, USA
- Other
- North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 > B > Bonney > The Bonney family > Name: Mary Bonney; Gender: Female; Father: Job Bonney; Mother: Ruth Bisbee
Relation of Mary Bonney (1741-1822) to Steven Barry Staggs: 6th great-grandmother
Page last updated November 25, 2025
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