Holbrook line: Joseph Thomson 1698-1755

There are certain towns in Massachusetts that should be "destinations" for family travelers.  One such area is Springfield-Westfield, in the Connecticut River valley, where many of our Allen names lived for generations.  Another is the Mendon-Wrentham-Franklin-Bellingham area, which was home to many of our Holbrook families for generations.  Sometimes our ancestors were big people in these little places, and sometimes they didn't leave much of a trace. 

Joseph Thomson (or Tomson, or Thompson) is one of our Mendon-Bellingham ancestors, who didn't make much of an impact on the town, as far as we can tell.  He lived, married, had children, and died.  Even though there is a lot we don't know about him, we do know that he lived in interesting times, and we know that his estate papers will tell us a little about his life. 

First, what we do know.  Joseph was born in Medfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on October 19, 1698, to John and Hannah Wight Thomson.  Medfield at the time would have felt like a new town.  It was originally founded in 1649 but was burned during King Philips War, so none of the hoes were more than 20 or so years old.  And memories were long.  Joseph had at least seven brothers and sisters, so his parents had plenty to do.  One thing they likely did was send the boys to school.  Another Holbrook ancestor, Ralph Wheelock, had founded the school there and it was important that boys learn to read and write.

Joseph married Mary Holbrook, daughter of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook, on March 28, 1725, in Bellingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  The town had been officially formed in 1719, but people had been living in the area for some time.  Joseph's parents died in Bellingham, so it seems likely that his parents had initiated the move prior to Joseph's reaching the age of 21, but we don't know for sure when the move was made.  Joseph and Mary had 11 children together, so again, this was a busy family, with busy parents. 

Some of the Thomsons and most of the Holbrooks were Baptists, but the church didn't form until mid-century so Joseph, even if a member, would not have had a lot of influence there.  He doesn't show up on the earliest membership rolls, so perhaps he stayed in the Puritan church.  He does show up as one of only 50 qualified voters in the town, in 1739. 

I don't know if he ever served in the military.  We was of the right age to be in Queen Anne's war and might have been in King George's War, but I've not yet found his name on any such listing.  His inventory does include "Armour, gun, sword and accoutrements" so he was or had been ready to serve, at one time. 

Joseph died January 2, 1755, without having a will.  His appraisers were Ebenezer Thayer, (ancestor), Samuel Hayward, and John Metcalf.  Besides the military items listed above, he had several parcels of land, bedding for four beds, feathers, household goods, husbandry and carpenter tools, farm animals, and a lot of flax, It's hard to tell whether there was a loom or spinning wheel because several lines list an object and then say "and sundry items" so similar words.  He did have a few books.
There is a careful documentation in the file of who was to get which part of which parcel of land and other belongings.  Mary was entitled to her one third of the estate and the rest was divided up among the children.  Mary died March 4, 1781.  I haven't located a burial location for them but it was probably what is known as the North Cemetery, where many of the town's founders are buied.

So that's the little we know about Joseph Thomson.  He was a decent man, or there would be stories of any shenanigans in court records.  He may or may not have been a religious man, whether Puritan or Baptist.  He may or may not have served in one of more of the conflicts that were an ongoing part of colonial life.   But he was our ancestor, anchored in time and location, and for that, I am grateful.

The line of descent is:

Joseph Thomson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thomson-Joseph Rockwood
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

Holbrook line: Joseph Rockwood, who are you?

I'd like to put dates in for his birth and death.  I thought I knew them.  I thought I knew who his parents were.  But now that I'm getting ready to write a little about his life (and it's little enough, I will say), I'm confused. 

So, I will say that Joseph was probably born in Mendon, Massachusetts in 1727 or in 1722.  His parents were either John Rockwood and Deborah Thayer, or Joseph Rockwood and Elizabeth Turner.  He comes from a long line of Johns and Josephs who lived in the same area for many years and who names their sons both John and Joseph.  So you can see the problem, which I haven't yet solved.  I'm posting this in the hopes that someone has documentation that proves, either by will or land records, which Joseph is which, and which parents are his.

Mendon, Massachusetts was founded in 1667 and John Rockwood, who is Joseph's great-grandfather, was one of the first founders of the town.  The town was burned during King Philip's war but was rebuilt in 1680.  Many of the first settlers stayed there for generations, and we find a lot of family names on the lists of those first founders.  But information about the later lines is sparse. 

Assuming that his parents were John and Deborah, Joseph had as many as eight siblings.  However, if he was the Joseph born in 1722, his parents were Joseph and Elizabeth, and his father died before our Joseph was even born.  That would have likely been a veryh difficult life.

We do know that Joseph married Alice Thomson or Thompson, daughter of Joseph and Mary Holbrook Thomson, on March 10, 1750 in Bellingham.  Bellingham was created from the very large land that Mendon had charge of, in 1719/  It is likely that Joseph didn't move very far at all when he married.  Joseph and Alice had nine children, all in Bellingham. 

I can't imagine the pain that Alice would have suffered as she lost her family.  On October 6, 1778, their son Joseph died, "on returning from the Army", so I'm not sure whether he made it home first or not.  Joseph himself died November 10, 1778, just a little over a month after their son had died.  Alice was not done grieving.  In 1786, just as her sons were reaching manhood, John and Cephas died while at sea.  Their death dates are given as one day apart.  Did a hurricane or a nor'easter take them? Where had they been?  Were they seamen or traders or what?  Regardless of the circumstances, Alice would have been overcome with sorrow.  Levi and Daniel seem to be the only sons left to her.

I haven't yet found a will that I think was Joseph's, nor have I found a father's will that clearly identifies his children.  I will continue to look, and to think.  Besides wanting to verify his parentage, I would also like to find his religion (many of the families in Bellingham were Baptist) and his occupation.  I'd also like to know if he was involved in the French and Indian war.  I know men from his area were drafted into the King's service, but I've not found a record for Joseph, at least not yet. 

I plan to keep looking for information about Joseph, and his parents.  Someone is right about his parents, and someone is wrong.  I'd like to declare the winner.  If you have records or documents that would help in straightening this out, I would be most appreciative if you'd contact me.  Thanks!

The line of descent is:

Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thomson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Pheobe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: John Thompson 1642-1715

OK, John Thompson is not quite an immigrant.  However, I'm no longer sure of the identity of his parents. I had a whole blog post written and ready to post about Simon Thompson, whom I believed to be his father.  I no longer believe that.  I've found several sources that appear to be authoritative saying his parents were John and Sarah (possibly Trevore) Thompson and his paternal grandparents were David and Amyas Cole Thomson.  These seem to be more likely for our John, and this is the way it is given in a published genealogy plus on line trees, so that's how we'll leave it for now.  It's important that I get this right, because we have two lines of descent from this man. 

I will say that John Thompson appears to have been born in 1642, although some sources say 1645, possibly in Dorchester.  So his parents were already here, and John Thompson and Sarah possibly Trevore would appear to have been here, and in the correct location.

Before 1663, John is believed to have lived at Weymouth, Massachusetts.  He married Thankful Woodland, daughter of John and Martha Woodland in about 1665, in Dorchester.  Some sources say the marriage occurred in Mendon, but Mendon was not yet a settlement so that appears unlikely.  The actual settlement of Mendon occurred in 1668, although there may have been a house or two before then. All 10 of their children were born in Mendon, and John and Thankful probably intended to live out their days there. 

Life wasn't as peaceful as it sounds, however.  The Thompsons left Mendon in late 1675 and went to Dorchester or one of the "safer" towns, due to the outbreak of King Philip's War.  Mendon suffered the first casualties of the war in 1675, and the natives returned to burn the town to the ground in early 1676.  The Thompsons were some of the earliest families to return to Mendon in 1677, and to start rebuilding their lives.

John was chosen surveyor for the town in 1680, the first such office to be filled since the burning of the town. He was also a town selectman, and is noted in some records as being an Ensign.  If so, he probably was involved in military action during King Philip's War. He may have lived until 1715, but I have not been able to locate a death record or a will.  

This is not much to define the life of a pioneer and a patriot.  I wish I had more information.  I wish I knew how he met his wife.  I wish I knew what stories his father must have told, about his amazing grandfather.  There is so much I'd life to know, but at least I can honor his name by writing this blog post.

The line of descent is:

John Thompson-Thankful Woodland
Martha Thompson-Ebenezer Thayer
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
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

The second line is:

John Thompson-Thankful Woodland
John Thompson-Hannah Wight
Joseph Thompson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood (so they would be second cousins)
See above

Holbrook line: Thomas Stoughton 1588-1661

Thomas Stoughton is, like many of our ancestors, a man with secrets.  We know quite a bit about him, but one thing I have not been able to determine is how he made his living.  But let's start at the beginning. 

Thomas was likely the second Thomas in his family.  There was a Thomas born in 1588, but our Thomas wasn't baptized until January 23, 1592/93.  It would have been unusual to wait that long to baptize a child in Naughton, Suffolk, England, especially since his father, also Thomas Stoughton, was a Puritan clergyman.  His mother was Katherine, likely Montpesson.  So unless Thomas Senior for political/religious reasons had delayed baptizing his first born, we can consider it likely that Thomas, our subject, was born in January of 1592/93. 

Thomas was born into a family who valued education and who honored the Lord but wished to do it in their own way.  that way was Puritan, not church of England, and so the family probably suffered economically after the father lost his church in 1606.  His father, a Cambridge graduate, turned to writing theological pamphlets but it is hard to see how he would have made a living from that.  Thomas was one of seven children, and was educated to a high grammar school level.  Perhaps he was tutored, at home or elsewhere, but as far as is known he did not attend a university. 

Thomas married Elizabeth Thompson or Tompson on May 5, 1612 at Great Totham, Essex, England.  He would have been just about 20 years old, which was a little young for the time and place, but he felt ready to support a wife and family.  Again, we don't know how he supported his family, which soon included 4 daughters and a son.  Another daughter, the first Elizabeth, died shortly after her birth.  The second Elizabeth died when she was 6 years old, and there is no further record of Anna, who may also have died young.  His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1627, leaving Thomas with children Sarah, Katherine, and Thomas.  It should be noted that our connection is through a daughter Elizabeth, who is given varying birth dates but no documentation.  So it's possible that Elizabeth was part of this family, but not a child of Thomas's.  Perhaps she was his niece or a cousin or some other relation.  For now, we will leave her as a daughter. 

Thomas and his children came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, possibly on the Mary and John, although I don't find his name on any of the lists.  He probably went directly to Dorchester where he became a freeman on May 18, 1631.  He served on the General Court there until 1634, helped "order the affairs of the plantation" and later was a constable there.  He was fined five pounds for marrying two people, which is a bit puzzling.  Was he doing this as a civil servant or as a religious person?  At any rate, the fine was eventually forgiven. 

By 1635, there were religious tensions in Dorchester and Thomas was one of the men who went to what would become Windsor.  He set the boundaries for the village and served in the court there for eleven years.  About the time he went to Windsor, he married again, to Margaret Barret Huntington, a widow of "good means, and has five children".  As far as we know, they lived happily every after.

Thomas died on March 25, 1661.  I have not been able to find a will or inventory for him, which is a disappointment.  We do know he owned several parcels of land, but whether these were developed for farming or not we don't know.  So, as mentioned earlier, although we know quite a bit about him there are still mysteries.  How did he make a living?  And was Elizabeth his daughter, or possibly the daughter of one of his brothers who also came to the Bay Colony? 

The supposed line of descent is:

Thomas Stoughton-Elizabeth Thomson
Elizabeth Stoughton-John Kingsley
Freedom Grace Kingsley-John French
Elizabeth French-Jonathan Thayer
Huldah Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susannah Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants