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An historic sketch of their ancestry and their settlement, first in New England States and later in Nova Scotia, locating in Yarmouth, Shelburne and other counties.
Fred E. Crowell
(Published in the Yarmouth Herald in the early 1900s)
The surname Trefry (or Treffry) is a local or place name in derivation. There is a manor of Treffry in the Parish of Lanhydrock, Cornwall, England, and the family taking its name from this manor traces its history to a very early peroid.
"by the toe, Pol, and Pen,
You shall know the Cornishmen."
The "Patronymic Brittanica" says - "in 1620 John Treffry was eleventh in descent from Roger Treffry of this Manor of Treffry, reign of Henry III. The family removed to Fowey, where was born the gallant Sir John Treffry, who fighting under the Black Prince at the battle of Poictiers, took the French royal standard, for which he was created a knight baronet, and given augmentation of his arms - the fleur-de-lie of France. In the next century some French marauders (whether in revenge of the National disgrace or not does not appear) attacked Place House, the residence of the family at Fowey, but met with a repulse at the hands of Mistress Treffry of the peroid. Leland says - "The Frenchmen divers times assaulted Fowey and last most notably about Henry V. tyme, when the wife of Thomas Treffry built a right fair and strongly embattled tower in his house."
Elizabeth Treffry of Fowey, Cornwall, "of a great family of antiquity yeilding not in quality.....in Cornwall," married William Peter, a prominent merchant, fourth son of Sir John Peter, Knight, of Exeter, Dayonshire, and their sons - William, Thomas and Rev. Hugh were eminent men both old and new England.
Rev. Hugh Peter came to Boston, and in 1635 he was ordained pastor of the church of Salem. He returned to England as one of the representatives of the Colonies, and after the restoration, was brought to trial for treason, condemned, hanged, drawn and quartered, October 16, 1660
Henry Trefry was the first settler of the name at Marblehead. There was also a George Trefry who settled at York, Maine, and a John Trefry of Boston, who died in 1675.
Thomas Trefry had two sons, Thomas and James (see next generation), a daughter Sarah, and perhaps others.
James (2) Trefry (Thomas 1) b. about 1680, m. June 8, 1702 Sarah Russell, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Pitman) Russell. Her father was one of the 114 householders of Marblehead in 1674, and is said to be a son of Roger Russell. Henry Russell died in 1683, adm. being granted to Elizabeth Russell the relief of deceased, at the court in Salem, 26-4-1683. Her mother Elizabeth, was the daughter of Thomas Pitman, probably the first American ancestor of this particular family of Pitman’s. Sarah Russell’s sister, Elizabeth Russell, m. Amos Dennis, and were the great grand parents of Ambrose Dennis who settled at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1775.
James Trefry’s sister, Sarah m. Robert Laskey. They had a son Thomas, who m 1725-6, Tabitha Coates of Lynn and their sons, Robert and William Laskey were among the original Proprietors of Barrington Township, Nova Scotia.
John (3) Trefry (James 2, Thomas 1) b. at Marblehead, Mass., Sept. 10, 1711; m. Sept 23, 1734, Hannah Pitman, b. May 19, 1711, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Huckstable), and a sister of Elizabeth Pitman, who married Henry Darling and were the parents of Benjamin Darling, who came to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, as early as 1762, and became a grantee in the township.
It will be seen from Mr. Brown’s genealogy of the "Trefry Family" of Yarmouth, N.S. that he skips one generation. The children, whom he gives to John and Hannah (Pitman) Trefry, are his son John’s children, and his grandchildren, there being a difference of 26 years between his marriage and the birth of the first child as it is given.
Ch. (1) John, bp. Dec. 21, 1735; m. Oct 29, 1759, Mary Sweedland (Sweetland), bp. Sept. 25, 1737, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Grant) Sweedland. Her sister Sarah Sweedland, bp July 21, 1745, m. Sept. 18, 1766, Moses Hooper of Marblehead, Mass, and a grantee in Yarmouth, N.S. John Trefry removed with his family from Marblehead to Yarmouth, N.S. in 1766 and in the township grant he received 1911 acres. We believe it was John (4) Trefry and not John (3) Trefry, the grantee in Yarmouth.
This section of Nova Scotia has been well advertised for settlers, as the following notice appeared in the Boston Evening Gazette as early as 1761.
"This is to give notice to all persons who shall incline to settle on Cape Sable Shore
at a Place called Pugma Cove lying betwixt said Cape and Cape Parfu, that they may
have Grants of Land by applying to Joseph Proctor senr, or to Thomas Moon or
their associates at Marblehead." --- Marblehead, Mar. 21 1761 Thomas Moon
Ch. of John and Mary (Sweedland) Trefry from Marblehead rec. Mary, bp Nov. 30, 1760; Sarah, bp. Jan 3, 1762; Mary, bp. Nov. 13, 1763.
(2) Hannah, bp. Mar. 5, 1737-8; m. Dec. 30, 1760, John Virgee.
(3) Joshua Pitman, bp. May 25, 1740; m. Nov. 9, 1762, Mary Allen, bp. Sept. 20, 1741, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Card), and sister of John Allen of Yarmouth, N.S. 1770. Joshua Pitman Trefry is listed in Mr. Brown’s Early Settlers of Yarmouth "as of Yarmouth in 1766, and received in the three divisions of the township grant 888 acres; also lot No. 3 of one acre at Chebogue Town Point, (see "Yarmouth Genealogies" for his descendants).
(4) Sarah, bp. July 13, 1742; m. Sept. 24, 1761, Moses Vickery of Marblehead, and they followed to Yarmouth, N.S. in 1773. We can find only one child recorded – Moses, bp. Apr. 28, 1771.
(5) Margaret, bp. July 22, 1714, m. July 11, 1765, Richard Jones
