Holbrook line: Thomas Lincoln, Immigrant

I've spent most of the afternoon trying to figure out which of several Lincoln men I should write about today.  Let's just say the easiest one to track is Thomas Lincoln, husbandman, of Hingham, Massachusetts.  And to give you an idea of how difficult these Lincolns are, our Thomas was one of four men who lived in the same small down during the same time period.  Fortunately, other folks wiser than I have pretty well figured out which Thomas was which,

I wish I could tell you who Thomas's parents are.  There was a Stephen Lincoln who settled in Hingham a little before our Thomas.  I think he is a relation but I don't know whether he's an uncle, a cousin, or some more distant cousin, but I think there's a clue there. 

Thomas is believed to have been born in Wymondham, Norfolk, England.  His birth year is given as anywhere from 1616-1626.  I think it must be at 1620 or probably earlier, because he was accepted as an adult when he came to Hingham in 1638.  So if an adult was 18 years of age, he was born in 1620 or earlier, and if the accepted adult age was 21, he was born in 1617 or earlier.  He died in 1692 but many Lincolns had long lifespans, so 1610 is not out of the question. 

The first thing we really know about Thomas is that he arrived in Hingham shortly after he arrived in port, on the ship Diligent, which sailed from Ipswich, Suffolk, England.  Many of the people on board with him also went to Hingham, so it's possible there was a religious motive for some of the passengers.  We don't know whether that was true for Thomas. 

Thomas married Margaret Langer, daughter of Richard Langer, who also lived in Hingham, presumably after he arrived in America. The couple had at least 9 children, but at least one died in infancy.  Thomas, as mentioned earlier, was a husbandsman, a farmer who tilled fields rather than one who raised animals.  This was a status below that of yeoman, but it did mean that he acquired land. 

Apparently Thomas was well-regarded in the town, because he was a selectman in 1662 and probably other years. 

Thomas died sometime before November 3, 1692, when his will was filed.  The inventory of his estate totals 402 pounds, which seems like a healthy amount for a husbandman.  The inventory is clearly written out but unfortunately, I am unable to read much of it.  I can tell that he had several small plots of land, but not a lot of household goods.  Even at the age of 75 or more, he still had ammunition on hand, which tells us something of the times in which he lived.  Margaret outlived him by about two years. 

This is what I know about Thomas Lincoln, except for one fun fact.  He and Margaret were the great great grandparents of John Hancock, who signed his name so large on the Declaration of Independence.  Where would we be without Thomas Lincoln?

The line of descent is:

Thomas Lincoln-Margaret Langer
Sarah Lincoln-Thomas Marsh
Thomas Marsh-Mary Burr
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants