DYETT
DYRE
Kingston academy. He was educated as a farmer
and nurseryman, his father being proprietor of
the Dyer nursery. In 1!^3G he became interested
in the propagation of mulberry trees to furnish
food for silkworms and in the production and
prejxiration of silk for the manufacturers. He
conducted this business one year in Providence,
R.I., and three years in Fredericksburg, Va. In
1840 he was captain of the state militia, and in
the Dorr rebellion took sides with the law and
order party. In 1S61 he joined the Federal armj^
and was made recruiting officer, his age exempt-
ing him from active field service. He served in
this capacity for two years. In 1875, on the death
of his father, he became sole proprietor of the
nursery and farm on Pocasset Xeck. He was
married May 1, 1836, to Mary Groton, daughter
of Christopher and Sarah (Williams) Tanner. She
was a direct descendant in the sixth generation
from Roger Williams and was born and married
in the house built by Roger AVilliams for his son.
Of their sons, William S. was an officer in the civil
war and subsequently Indian agent in Dakota.
Daniel Pierce was a soldier in the Federal army
during the civil war and succeeded to the manage-
ment of the nursery business and Edmund Tanner
became joint proprietor with liis brother Daniel
of Mulberry Grove on the death of their father.
Captain Dyer died at Pocasset, R.I., Feb. 3, 1899.
DYETT, Anthony Rainetaux, lawyer, was born in New Y'otk city in 1824. His father was of English and French descent and his mother was a member of the Brevoort family and came of Knickerlx>cker stock. Anthony was educated in his native city, studied law with Hiram P. Hastings and with Kinney & Townsend, and was admitted to the bar in 1847, subsequent!}- becom- ing a member of the firm of Townsend, Dyett & Raymond. This firm continued the law business in New Y^'ork city for forty years, when it became Townsend & Dyett.
DYRE, William, mayor of New Y^ork, was a son of Captain William and Mary Dyre, who came from England to Boston, Mass., and joined the First church there in December, 1635. Cap- tain Dyre was disfranchised for " seditious writ- ing " Nov. 15, 1637, removed to Rhode Island, and was one of the signers of the compact of gov- ernment for that province, March 7, 1638. He was secretary- the same year, general recorder, 1648; attorney-general, 1650-53; member of the general court, 1661-62, 1664-66; general solic- itor, 1665-(}6, and 1668, and secretarj- to the council, 1669. He was commissioned commander- in-chief upon the sea in 16.53, and headed an ex- pedition fitted out in Rhode Island again.st the Dutch. His \vife. Marj- Dyre. was the only woman to suffer capital punishment in all the oppression of the Friends the world over. She accompanied
her husband on his mission to England with
Roger AVilliams and Dr. John Clarke to obtain
the revocation of Governor Coddington's jxjwer
in Rhode Island and while there became a con-
vert to Quakerism and a preacher in the society.
On arriving in Boston in 1657 she was unprisoned
and on the petition of her husband was permitted
to go with him to Rhode Island, but never to re-
turn to Massachusetts. She returned, however,
and with William Robinson and Marniaduke
Stevenson was tried and convicted for " their re-
belljon, sedition and presumptuous obtruding
upon us notwithstanding their being sentenced
to banishment on payne of death, as underminers
of the govermnent." Robinson and Stevenson
were executed, but through the petition of her
son, Maj-or William Dyre, she was reprieved on
the same conditions as before , but in May, 1660,
again appeared on the public streets of Boston,
and was brought before the court. May 31, and
condemned to death. She was executed June 1,
1660. Mayor William Dyre was appointed to the
military service under the crown and jiroposed
the conquest of New Y'ork from the Dutch in
1773. He was made collector of customs of his
territories in America by the Duke of Y'ork, July
2, 1674, and took up his residence in New Y'ork.
He was a member of the governor's council, and
in 1680 was elected mayor of the city. He was
arrested on charge of high treason by the mer-
chants of New Y^ork in 1680 and indicted in 1681.
He was placed upon trial, denied the authority of
the court, and was sent to London for trial, which
was delayed by Samuel Winder, his prosecutor,
and he was given his liberty by the covmcil, Sept.
30, 1682. He was advanced by King Charles II.,
Jan. 4, 1682, to the position of surveyor-general
of his majesty's customs in America and held the
office till his death. He was also made king's col-
lector of customs for Pennsylvania and New Jer-
sey and removed to Penn's province, settling on a
large tract of land in Sussex coimty (now in Dela-
ware). In 1687 he was elected a provincial coun-
cillor of Pennsylvania for three years, but was
not allowed to take his seat. His will, dated Feb.
20, 1688, was probated June 5, 1688. and proved
in London. Sept. 4, 1690. He left surviving him,
his wife, Marj', and children, William, Edmund,
James, Sarah and Mary. He bequeathed his
estate of 2500 acres in Su.s.sex coimty (Del.), and
Dyre's island, between Providence plantations
and Rhode Island, and two islands in Casco bay,
to his wife, and 2000 acres in Sussex county to
his son William, who was elected to the Pennsyl-
vania assembly in 1699. and helped to found the
Episcopal church in New Castle. Del. The date
of Mayor William Dyre's death is not known, the
time being only fi.\ed as between the dates of
Tnaking and probating his will.
