Allen line: Thomas Noble 1665-1750

We have a lot of men named Thomas Noble in our direct line, at least six of them.  By the time you add in uncles and cousins who are also named Thomas, there is just a slew of men by that name.  Fortunately, genealogists have most of them figured out and there is quite a bit of information about many of them.

This Thomas Noble is the grandson of the Thomas Noble, immigrant who married Rachel Gardner, and the son of Thomas Noble who married Hannah Warriner.  This family was firmly settled in Westfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony although Thomas himself was born in Springfield January 14, 1665/1666 if the family genealogy written by Lucius Manlius Boltwood is correct.  Our Thomas was one of at least ten children born to Thomas and Hannah.

The Noble family was well regarded in the small village and as Thomas matured, he, too, became well-respected.  He married Elizabeth Dewey, daughter of Thomas and Constant Hawes Dewey, on December 19, 1695.  Thomas was 30 years old, which is a bit old to be marrying for the first time but there is no indication of an earlier marriage.  Elizabeth was eighteen years old.  Elizabeth came from a family of at least ten children, so it should be no surprise to us that Thomas and Elizabeth also had a large family.  They are credited with having had eleven children, although two died as infants and one as a young man.

Thomas put himself under the watch of the Westfield church October 11, 1696, apparently a probationary period before he became a member on June 4. 1699.  He was then ordained a deacon of the church on May 25, 1712, and is therefore often referred to as "Deacon Thomas".  He was a selectman three different years, and was frequently moderator of town meetings from 1717 to 1726.  He inherited or/and purchased his father's land and home, and continued farming the land.  Frequently he was appointed to committees that required some tact and diplomacy, such as smoothing out questions over town boundaries, and inquiring whether a pastor would be willing to "lay down preaching".  He also helped determine the location for the new meeting house, which was a contentious subject in town.  

I've been unable to locate his name on any of the military lists for the time period.  He was only 9 or 10 years old at the time of King Philip's War, so would have stayed in a local garrison during that time.  But there were constant incursions with various native American tribes, including the battles at Deerfield, just up the Connecticut River, in 1704.  It's hard to imagine that he didn't take some role in protecting the town, if he didn't actually go out on patrol.  And of course he could have been involved in the other wars that took place in the 1690s and 1700s, although, as noted, I've not yet found record of that.

The other major item I have not found is a record of a will or/and inventory.  Perhaps the documents have disappeared, or perhaps Thomas had already deeded or otherwise granted his property.  We know that his son Thomas continued to live in the house that his father (possibly grandfather) had built.  There is a picture of that on Early American Ancestors.  It's a depiction of the house as it appeared in about 1725, and shows part of a barn at the rear.  I love that we have this picture but of course it also generates questions.  Thomas died July 29, 1750 and Elizabeth died October 2, 1757.  

As with so many of our ancestors, we can be proud of and humbled by this man, as well as grateful for his life.

The line of descent is:

Thomas Noble-Elizabeth Dewey

Thomas Noble-Sarah Root

Stephen Noble-Ruth Church

Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.

Ruth Root-Samuel Falley

Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr

Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott

Edith Knott-Edward Allen

Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook

Their descendants