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: Edmund Hobart 1573-1646, Immigrant

 Update:  The is not our ancestor, at least not through this line.  John Beal was married to Nazareth Hobart, but she was his second wife, and our connection, Sarah, came through his first wife.  A blog post about John will follow later this week, Lord willing.  Meanwhile, I'm leaving this up for the usual reason-someone may benefit from it.  My apologies to anyone whom I may have misled. 


I love writing about the members of the Holbrook line.  They are numerous indeed, and many of them are well documented.  Edmund Hobart is such a man, at least after he arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Eminent genealogists have written about him and although there is some dispute about his parents (Robert Charles Anderson of The Great Emigration Begins volumes doesn't identify them), I am reasonably confident that they are properly identified.

So, Edmunt Hobart was born about January 1, 1573 (not sure if this is a christening date) in Hingham, Norfolk, England to Thomas and Helen Windsofer Hobart.  Thomas was "Lord of the Manor in Hingham", although I've not been able to find more information about that claim.  When Thomas died in 1603, Edmund became the Lord of the Manor.  The family must have had some money, because Edmund's son Peter was able to attend Cambridge University and obtain his master's degree there.   

Edmund married Margaret Dewey, daughter of Robert and Margaret Stasye Dewey on September 7, 1600 in Hingham, Norfolk, England.  The couple had a least 10 children, with the last known birth in late 1617.  (Let's bless our female ancestors, specifically this one!)  Edmund and Margaret are noted as being a very pious couple, so we are not surprised that they made sure that at least one of their sons had the opportunity to become a pastor.

Edmund was 60 years old when he came to the New World in 1633 with at least five of their children.  Sarah, the youngest, would have been 15 years old.  Margaret, his wife, is believed to have made the trip but did not survive long.  The family came on the ship Elizabeth Bonaventura, with a total of 95 passengers.  They may have come with the intention of setting up a congregation and location for their son Peter to pastor later, because Peter stayed in England for a few years.

Like many early arrivals, Edmund first settled in Charlestown, where he joined the church on October 19, 1633.  Soon after, in March of 1634, he was made a freeman, and on September 10, 1634 he married Sarah Oakley Lyford, the widow of Rev. Peter Lyford.  That was certainly an eventful year, with highs and lows. He held the offices of Charlestown constable, lot-layer and assessor, so he was a highly respected person, almost as soon as he arrived in Charlestown  

Edmund and Sarah were some of the first founders of Hingham, Suffolk, Massachusetts, which was established in 1635. It's not certain exactly when they took up residence there, but he was serving on a grand jury there in 1637.  Later he was on a committee to levy a colony rate, and was deputy for Hingham to Massachusetts Bay Colony Court at least four different times.

Edmund died on March 8, 1646/47 in Hingham, at the age of 73 or 74.  Unfortunately, his will, if he left one, has not been found but there are records of land settlements among the Hobarts in 1647 that may relate to his estate.  Sarah survived him and was apparently cared for by Rev. Peter Hobart.

I would love to know more about Edmund.  Did he have an occupation other than "Lord of the Manor"/  How did he support himself and his family in Massachusetts?  Did he still own the manor in Hingham, England?  He obviously placed a high value on education.  What was the level of his own education?  While I have lots of questions about Edmund, I am also gratified to know this much about our pious ancestor, who courageously came to the New World when it was very new and he could almost have been termed "old", or at least well past middle age.  Thank you, grandfather Edmund, for your courage and your example.

The line of descent is:

Edmund Hobart-Margaret Dewey
Nazareth Hobart-John Beal
Sarah Beal-Thomas Marsh
Thoms Marsh-Sarah Lincoln
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

Note: The first six generations of this family were born or/and died in Hingham, Massachusetts.  Our roots there run deep!