William Longfellow is believed to be the first Longfellow who emigrated from England to America, sometime in the early 1680's.

In the Spring of 1689, war broke out in Europe between France and the League of Augsburg, a coalition of countries led by England. France wanted to launch a full-scale attack on the British colonies in America, especially New York. In 1690, the French sent troops to New England where they attacked and destroyed a number of villages, killing their inhabitants or taking them prisoner. New Englanders joined forces against New France.

On August 10, 1690 the British sent an expedition of 32 ships and some 300 men, including about 50 American Indians, from Plymouth colony to attack Quebec City. Only about 5 or 6 of the ships were actually warships. Most of the others were merchant or fishing vessels.

William Longfellow

William Longfellow was on one of the ships. The contingent of ships reached Quebec City on October 16, 1690. When the French were ordered to surrender,they sent a messenger with the now famous reply: "I will answer your general through the muzzles of my cannon and muskets." The New Englanders attacked Quebec on October 18, but were driven back. The ships turned around and headed back to Boston harbor.

Several storms were encountered on the return voyage and a number of ships were wrecked. Four of them, including the ship William Longfellow was on, never returned.It went down on October 31, 1690 at Cape Breton near Anticosti. All aboard drowned.

Joseph Longfellow

Joseph Longfellow was born and raised in Murderkill Hundred, Kent, Delaware. A number of other Longfellow family members lived in the same community.Most of the Longfellows who lived in that area were either descendants of William Longfellow (born in 1712) or his brother Jonathan (born in 1715).

Joseph fought in the War of 1812. He was short of stature. He voted in every Presidential election, first for George Washington and last for Abraham Lincoln.

Joseph and his 3rd wife, Martha, lived on the family farm in Concord near Urbana, Ohio. His tombstone says he died at the age of 99, however Joseph himself declared to a judge on April 4, 1855 that he was 86, which would have made him born on November 9, 1768, as other Bible records also indicate. He and his wife,Martha, are buried at the Concord Methodist Church cemetery near Urbana, Ohio. His first wife, Tracy, died within 6 months of their marriage.

Joseph's second wife, Mary, was thrown from a horse on the way to church. She died of injuries as a result of that fall. That occurred after the family had migrated to Ohio about 1805. They had moved there a couple of years after the death of Joseph's father, John, and the payment of disbursements from his will. Joseph and Mary had 13 children.

Joseph married his third wife, Martha, in 1826. He was 60 years of age at the time and she was 30. They had 5 children, including Nathan Moras Longfellow.

NOTE: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, probably the best-loved American poet, is a first cousin (four times removed) of Morris Longfellow Harness and his siblings. William Longfellow, born October 20, 1650, and wife, Ann Sewell (see Family Tree), were the great, great, great grandparents of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.