Holbrook line: Thomas Judd, immigrant

For this post, I'm relying heavily on the information found in "The Great Migration 1634-1635".  For those of us who have ancestors who arrived in New England very early, we are blessed in the genealogy world to have this wonderful compilation of our ancestors and their neighbors.  My hat is off to Robert Charles Anderson and the New England Historical and Genealogical Society for their great and wonderful efforts.

Having said that, it doesn't mean their great work tells us everything we want to know.  For instance, the article about Thomas Judd says that his origins are unknown.  Unknown?  How can that be?  Surely someone somewhere must know something.  If not, it's time to get some DNA tests going!  Find some cousins, sound the alarm!  My first goal in genealogy is to get all my ancestors "across the pond" and if NEHGS can't do it, that is going to be a problem. 

Now that my rant is over, here's what is known.  Thomas came to Cambridge, Massachusetts about 1634, because he had a grant of land in Cambridge then.  He was a freeman by May 25, 1636, so he would have joined the church prior to that time.  The name of his wife is known only as Elizabeth, and that is known only because John Winthrop treated her in 1669.  There is speculation that she was Elizabeth Freeman, but so far as I can find, there is no documentation for that. The marriage likely took place in England, as the first children were born about 1633-1635. 

A compiled list of children from secondary sources lists 9 children, born from about 1633 to 1651, and all to Thomas and Elizabeth.  They were Elizabeth, William, Thomas, John, Benjamin, Mary, Ruth, Philip, and Samuel.  The first child may have been born in England, William was likely born in Cambridge, and then the migration continues. 

The Judds were in Hartford, Connecticut from about 1636 to 1646.  They may have come with the Rev. Thomas Hooker party of 1636, who arrived in the dead of winter to establish their colony.  Thomas Judd's name is on the obelisk honoring the founders of Hartford.  The Judds worked and lived in Hartford for about 10 years, and in 1646 moved on to Farmington.  Farmington had been founded in about 1640, and many residents from Hartford went to Farmington, presumably for better land.  They were still under the rule of the Hartford church and the two settlements stayed in close touch with each other.  The last three children were born in Farmington.

The Judds lived in Farmington until the death of Elizabeth, which took place sometime after July 8, 1669 and before November 12, 1679.  On that date, Thomas married Clemence, the widow of Thomas Mason in Northampton, Massachusetts, and Thomas moved to Northampton.  He would have been about 71 at this time.  He disposed of much of his land at that time.  His widow, who died in 1696, left everything she had to Thomas's son Samuel. Samuel and "Marriah" had cared for her in her old age. She did have a house and homestead and meadow land, and Samuel ad "Marriah" apparently had very little.  Thomas died November 12, 1688 in Northampton, Massachusetts.

The line of descent is: 

Thomas Judd-Elizabeth
Samuel Judd-Maria Strong
Elizabeth Judd-Ebenezer Southwell
Eunice Southwell-Medad Pomeroy Jr.
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stanard
Libbeus Stanard Jr-Euzebia or Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis E Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendents

Fun fact:  Thomas was a deputy for Farmington to the Connecticut General court many times during the time he lived there, from 1647 to 1677. If would be fun to know what sort of decisions were made by this very Puritan colony during the time Thomas was a deputy.