Holbrook line: John Thompson abt 1618-1685

I hesitate to write about the early life of John Thompson.  There are several men by that name in our ancestor's time frame, in various locations.  So, to clarify, I am going to give the most commonly found information, with a warning that it may or may not be accurate.  Once we get into John's adult life, we are on more solid ground, but it's shaky going at first.

John's parents may have been David and Amyes Colle Thompson or Thomson.  He was reputed to be a "Scotsman" and at one time owned Thompson's Island (formerly Trevore's Island) in Boston Harbor.  He was there as early as 1626, and traded with native Americans, as well as helping to establish Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  He had a son named John, and many believe, (and many don't) that our John was his.  There were several other John Thompsons in the same area at the same time and I would not be surprised to someday learn that this connection is faulty.  

Now let's move on to more solid ground. John married Sarah, probably Trevor about 1640-1642.  If this identification is correct, Sarah may be the daughter of William Trevore, who was a sailor on the Mayflower, but that seems to be speculation.  It is more than possible that there was some sort of relationship, because before Thompson's Island was known by that name, it was known as Trevore Island and occupied by William for a short period of time.  

The family settled first in Weymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony where he was included in the second division of lots in 1663.  He moved a few years later to become a proprietor of Mendon, a distance of roughly 40 miles but inland from the coast that he had likely lived on.  He actually had land in Mendon in 1664, but we don't know when the move was actually made.  Some say he was a captain of various ships before his move to Mendon, but again, there were a lot of John Thompsons.

Since he was a proprietor of Mendon, we can probably assume that he was one of the men who were made freemen of the colony sometime between 1648 and 1664, but again, there were several men by that name and it is hard to know which one is ours.  We can also assume that King Philip's War affected him, as the town was attacked by the Nipmuc, 5 or 6 settlers were killed, and the town was abandoned for a time.  However, nothing is noted in town records that would help us determine when families started rebuilding their lives in Mendon. 

There is a will on record, written March 26, 1684 and probated April 27, 1686 in Suffolk County.  In it, he names his wife, Sarah, a son John, and two daughters, Mehitable Hayward and Sarah Aldrich.  His will is a little surprising in that he leaves ten pounds to his wife, 10 shillings to one daughter and five to the other, and everything else to his son John.  It's possible that Sarah was already living with her son and thus had no need of a dower third, but this is the first time I've seen a will not allocating property, even a room in a house, to a widow.  Unfortunately, I've not located an inventory, which would give us a closer look at John's life.  

John is another ancestor for whom there are many questions and not a lot of answers.  He has been researched by noted genealogists who know much more than I do and study records much more closely, and some think one way and one another, as far as his ancestry, and whether or not our John was a sea captain.  I guess we'll have to be content with this much knowledge, and these many questions.

The line of descent is:

John Thompson-Sarah probably Trevor

Mehitable Thompson-Samuel Hayward

Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood

John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer

Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson

Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell

Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook

Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore

Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown

Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

Note: Alice Thompson who married Joseph Rockwood is also a descendant of John Thompson, through his son John.  Thus, we have a double descent from John Thompson.