Thomas Betts 1615-1688 Immigrant

I typed Thomas's birth date with trepidation.  If he was truly born in 1615, then he became a very young father.  I have seen other birth dates as "old" as 1602, and I think that Thomas was born sometime before 1615.  If his parents waited 13 years to have him baptized, one wonders what their motivation was.  Were they really strict Puritans (or another sect), who didn't believe in baptism of infants? Or did Thomas marry at a very young age?  Like so many others, what we know is just bits and pieces, and not very many of those!

Thomas is believed to be the son of John and Mary Bigge Betts, and his first wife is thought to be Mary Bridge.  It is possible, since I can't find documentation of the marriage, that there was no marriage and our Grace is an out of wedlock child, but others believe there was a divorce in Massachusetts, shortly after Thomas arrived in the Colony, and that Thomas then left his former wife and child there while he moved to Connecticut to start over.  As far as I know, there is no documentation for this idea, either.  I wonder if first wife died and he left Grace with relatives while he moved to Connecticut?  At this point, all this is speculation and needs more research. 

Grace's birth is variously given as Roxbury, Massachusetd "England" so we don't really know when Thomas arrived.  We do know he was in Milford, Connecticut in 1639, and in Guilford before 1644, and then moved on to Norwalk, Connecticut in 1660, where he died in 1688.  He was a farmer, and not an especially prosperous one at that.  His inventory amounted to just 45 pounds and 6 shillings, which is on the low end of "poor", actually.  It's possible that he had disposed of land earlier but it appears that he still had his own household. 

Thomas is thought to have married a second (?) time, to Mary, whom some have identified with Mary Raymond.  His daughter Mary married a John Raymond, so this needs to be researched further to make sure the families aren't mixed up.  He had several children with this wife, and these are the children he remembered in his will.  Grace wasn't mentioned.  Perhaps he had given her a dowry earlier. 

The facts and evidence about Thomas Betts is scant, as far as I have been able to learn.  However, he seems to be an ancestor and therefore is a man who deserves respect.  Without him, we would not be here, family!

The line of descent is:

Thomas Betts-Mary Bridge
Grace Betts-Edward Morris
Samuel Morris-Mehitable Mayo
Abigail Morris-John Perrin
Benjamin Perrin-Mary
Mary Perrin-David Fay
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants