Born 1587. John married Elizabeth 1612, in Shiring, Essex, England.

Born 1617 in England, perhaps Shiring, Essex (another source gives his birth place as Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. He married Mary SARGENT about 1652 in Salisbury, Essex, MA. He died 1681 in Amesbury, Essex, MA. Philip Watson-Challis was born about 1617, and in 1637 he received a house lot at Ipswich, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where records show that he was a "planter." The land comprised of three acres of planting ground at the Reedy Marsh on the South side of the Merrimack River. In 1640 he moved to Salisbury, where he was one of the "first settlers", being among those who had "lotts and proportions granted by the town of Colchester", now called Salibury, in the land division of 7 September 1639. His house lot was one acre of upland between the lots of Josiah Cobham and John Hodges, and his meadow lands fell between the lots of John Hodges and John Severance. The next year, John Severance was granted a parcel of salt Massachusetts marsh to make up for his meadow, which was allowed to Philip Challis. He was a member of the Salisbury Church in 1677, as was his widow as late as 1687. His name is listed in most of the early Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts records. When Nathaniel Ward was granted his farm of 600 acres near Pantucket , Philip Challis was one of three men chosen to lay the lot lines. On 25 January 1644, Philip Challis was ordered by the town to run his fence on the nort hwest side of his house lot. In an apparent disagreement over the placement of the fence, on 21 Febrary 1646 the town ordered that the fence between Samuel Fellows and Philip Challis' house should be set up "in the same place where i t was want to stand." Philip was a man of standing and education, and was one of the men named as freemen of Salisbury in November 1645. He held offices of trust in Salisbury, including service as one of the "prudential men," repeatedly from 1646 through 1680 and early became a lieutenant of the military com pany of Salisbury. He was on the committee to create the bounds between Salisbury and Hampton on 18 October 1648 and participated in the division of common lands in 1651. That year he was the only contra vote when the town decided t o divide the Ox Common. He drew lots #13 in the Great Swamp, #7 on the River and on 2 March 1662/3 he recieved 40 acres, 50 acres and 200 acres in Salisbury. He received more land in 1654, 1658 and later, "children's land" for his son in 1659, and a "township" for one of his sons in 1660. It is said that Philip Challis was a well-respected man with an eye for detail. He was chosen Lieutenant of the foot company of Salisbury in 1658, but refused the office be cause it was "not properly offered." In the same vein, on 16 May 1667, Challis refuse to sign the return of a committee appointed to run the bounds for Haverhill because he had not received his pay. Salisbury decided to set off a portion of its lands and created a "new towne" in 1665. Philip Challis was one of those who signed the articles of agreement separating the two towns. It wa s originally called "Salisbury Newtowne", but in 1668 it was named "Amesbury." In June, 1680, he was discharged from the "foot company" of Salisbury and appointed "Leftenant" to the military company of Amesbury. Although the circum stances of Philip Chalis' death are uncertain, he must have had a foreshadowing of his end, for on 10 March 1680, his was the first signature on a petition to the General Court regarding the replacement of a military officer for the town of Amesbury. In this way he passed the baton to his friend and long-time associate, Sgt. Samuel Foot, who was appointed lieutentant in Challis' place. They had the following children;
John, born May 9 1653, who died June 25 1655;
John born, June 26 1655;
twins William and
Phillip born October 19 1657;
William born May 18 1663;
Lydia Watson born May 31, 1664;
Elizabeth born April 26, 1665;
Mary born August 27, 1668;
Phillip Watson born about 1670,
Thomas born June 22, 1673;
Hannah September 20, 1675; and John born about 1677. He was also married to Lydia SARGENT.