{Garnsey Immigrant Ancestors}
Henry Garnsey and Hannah Munnings were Ezekiel's immigrant ancestors on the Garnsey line. They were Bethiah Garnzey's great-great grandparents. Henry was born in England about 1620-25, but we don’t know the exact time or place, nor the ship on which he immigrated to New England. He settled in Dorchester, south of Boston sometime before 1647 when he was married to Hannah Munnings.
We know that on 3 January 1655/6 in Dorchester Massachusetts, Henry Garnsey was elected "Bayliffe" by his fellow townsmen, which is especially interesting, since he was not a freeman at that time, and only freemen were supposed to hold office. A Bayliffe was an enforcement officer of the court, who collected taxes, levied fines, and if necessary, (im)pounded and sold the offenders goods to recover the money owed.) In 1656/7, he was chosen Constable. He was a chosen fencewalker in 1661, and Constable again in 1667 and 1678.4 The office of Constable was an important one and the badge of office was a black staff from five to five-and-a-half feet long with five or six inches at the end tipped with brass. According to the Letter of Administration granted to his widow, Elizabeth, after his death, Henry Garnsey was a tailor.4 (This could mean member of the Merchant Taylor Guild.)
The earliest mention of a wife is found in Records of the First Church of Dorchester, Massachusetts, p. 22 "Hanah, ye wife of Henry Garnsey admitted ye 22 of ye (2) 60." i.e. 22 April 1660.4 Evidence that Hannah Garnsey’s maiden name is "Munnings" comes from the probate records of her brother, Mahalaleel Munnings, who left property to his "nephew, John Garnsey."
Hannah Munnings was born 6 January 1627/28 in Tillingham, Essex, England,6 the second of seven children of Edmund and Mary (Herris) Munnings. Hannah immigrated to Dorchester with her parents in 1635, aboard The Abigail. According to the passenger list, she was 6 years old. The ship arrived in Boston "infected with smallpox." The Munnings settled in Dorchester. About 1647, Hannah married Henry Garnzey. She would have been about 19 years old at the time of their marriage.
Hannah and Henry had two sons, John, and Joseph, who survived them. Because the Dorchester records were lost in a fire, there are no records to tell us if there were other children who died. These two sons were both baptized in the First Church of Dorchester on 29 (2) 1660, "ye elder being about 12 years old and the other about a yeare & halfe younger" (1st Ch. R. p. 170 [191]).
Henry Garnsey, took the oath of allegiance in 1679 with his son, John, but Henry was not made a freeman until 1690.2 Since he died in 1692, that didn’t leave him long to enjoy his freedom.
Henry had contributed to the church bell in 1675, and was elected tithingman in 1681, but when Henry was finally admitted to "full communion in First Church" on 8 May 1686, it was noted in the record that this was "notwithstanding his opinion for Prelacy." A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy, especially a bishop. Being admitted to full communion would have finally opened the way for him to become a freeman.
Hannah Munnings Garnsey, the wife of Henry, died at Dorchester on 17 August 1686, the same year Henry was admitted to "full communion". After her death, Henry married Elizabeth Lane Rider, the widow of Thomas Rider, who survived him and was made the executrix of his estate.
Henry Garnsey died in Dorchester Massachusetts on the 13 August 1692.2
Wikipedia Article on Dorchester, MA
Report of the Record Commissioners of Boston, V. XXI: 122.
http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/01/amanuensis-monday-1692-probate-records.html
The 2005 Garnsey Guernsey Gurnsey Genealogical Dictionary by Judith Young Thayer pp xxi – xxvi and pp 134-136
Records of the First Church at Dorchester, in New England, 1636-1734 p16,
The Great Migration Vol 5 p 192