THE TRUNK OF THE TREE

WILLIAM PERKINS, Merchant-Tailor of London

The Perkins Family is the trunk of my tree. There is a direct, unbroken line from William Perkins to my mother, Mertis Perkins.

William Perkins was born in Abbots Salford in Warwickshire, England where he was baptized January 1, 1579. He settled in London and became a successful merchant tailor.

William was a Puritan and became an investor in the Massachusetts Bay Company. The venture was formed as a for-profit-corporation, but its true purpose was religious. William invested £50 for which he was granted 400 acres of land in Massachusetts. William himself never left England. His two sons emigrated: William Jr. settled in Massachusetts and Edward went to New Haven. William Sr. died in June 1657 and is buried in All Hallows Parish, London.

William was a very prosperous businessman and owned many properties. In addition to the £50 he invested in the Massachusetts Bay Company, he donated £50 to the establishment of Harvard College in Massachusetts. Before his death he donated money to establish a primary school in his native parish of Salford Priors. Today it is known as The Perkins Educational Foundation serving Salford Priors, Harvington, Cleeve Prior, Bidford-on-Avon and Broom.