Thomas Dewey
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Thomas Dewey (abt. 1613 - 1648)

Thomas Dewey
Born about in Englandmap
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married 22 Mar 1639 (to 27 Apr 1648) in Windsor, Connecticut Colonymap
Descendants descendants
Died at about age 35 in Windsor, Connecticut Colonymap
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Profile last modified | Created 28 Nov 2010
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There are disproven, disputed, or competing theories about this person's father. See the text for details.
The Puritan Great Migration.
Thomas Dewey migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 1, p. 537)
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Contents

Biography

Origins

Thomas Dewey was born in England by 1613 (based on freemanship[1] and consistent with his date of marriage). Robert Charles Anderson, in the Great Migration Begins (1995),[2] and also in the Great Migration Directory (2015),[3] finds that Thomas Dewey's parents and origins are unknown. In an 1878 article in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Benjamin W. Dwight claims Thomas Dewey was from Sandwich, Kent.[4] Anderson comments that "there is no documentary foundation" to this statement and that he was more likely from the West Country (Devon, Dorset or Somerset), as were other early settlers of Dorchester.[2]

Researcher Terry Dewey of Dorset, England, offers an interesting candidate for Thomas Dewey's English origins based in part on the discovery of a "Sandwich" in Dorset on a 17th-century map. See Possible Origins.

Emigration

Thomas Dewey emigrated by 1633. The first record of him in New England is as a witness (signed by mark) to the nuncupative will of John Russell in August 1633. Anderson identifies John Russell as a likely passenger on the unnamed ship from Weymouth, Dorsetshire, that landed in New England in July 1633[5] and suggests that Thomas Dewey may have also been aboard that vessel.[2]

Life in New England

Thomas Dewey initially settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He became a freeman in Massachusetts 14 May 1634.[1] In 1635, along with Rev. John Warham (bef.1595-1670), and many other Dorchester residents, he removed to what would become known as the Windsor Colony in Connecticut. There are no surviving records that specifically note his occupation in Windsor, but Anderson remarks that the items in the inventory of his estate indicate he was farming at a subsistence level.

He was a jury member for the Particular Court of Connecticut beginning in 1642[6] and serving several more times in the following years.[2] Most sources say he was a cornet of the troop, but Anderson says evidence for this has not been found.[2]

Marriage

Thomas Dewey married in Windsor 22 March 1638/9 Frances (____) Clark.[7] She was a widow with a daughter, Mary; the first name of her husband is not known. After Thomas's death, she married a third husband, George Phelps, in Windsor on 2 November 1648, and had three children by him.[8]

"Many secondary sources identify Thomas Dewey's wife as the widow of Joseph Clark of Windsor, but Clarence Almon Torrey demolished this claim in 1928, and demonstrated that the identity of the first husband of Frances (___) (Clark) (Dewey) Phelps remains unknown.[9][10][2]

Death and Probate

Thomas Dewey died in Windsor on 27 April 1648.[7] There is a stone for him in the Old Burying Ground in Westfield that was placed most likely by Jason Dewey in the 1830's,[11] but he was undoubtedly buried in Windsor.

Thomas left no will, but the inventory of his estate was taken 19 May 1648. Distribution was made on 17 October 1648[12] to his widow, his eldest son named Thomas Dewey and to the other five children who were listed as 4 boys, 2 girls: Mary Clarke, age 12; Thomas Dewey, age 8; Josiah, age 7; Annah, age 5; Israel, age 3; Jydidiah Dewey 3/4 of a year old.[13]

In 1650, the court agreed "on behave of the children of Thomas Dewey and Geo Phelps of Wyndsor that the whole of the land both meadow and upland mentioned in the said Deweys Inventory amountin to the sum of £75 shall be sequestred for the Children. The house and peece of land belonging to it valued at £40, the said Phelps accepts upon his wives parte of the Estate."[14]

Children

Children of Thomas and Frances Dewey[2]

  1. Step-daughter Mary Clark, b about 1636 (age 12 in 1648)[13] m 26 Nov 1656 John Strong
  2. Thomas Dewey, b 16 Feb 1639/40[7] m in Dorchester 1 Jun 1663 Constant Hawes.
  3. Josiah Dewey, bp 10 Oct 1641;[7] m in Northampton 6 Nov 1662 Hepzibah Lyman
  4. Annah Dewey, bp. 15 Oct 1643;[7] m Northampton 18 May 1671 John Woodward
  5. Isreall Dewey, bp 25 Sep 1645;[7] m in Northampton 20 Aug 1668 Abigail Drake, dau of Job of Windsor
  6. Jydidiah Dewey, bp 15 Dec 1647[7] m by 1647 Sarah Orton, dau of Thomas of Farmington

There is a record for the death of a John Dewey in Windsor, 23 June 1640, "drouned in ye r:et."[15] This has sometimes been interpreted to be an infant child of Thomas, but given the circumstances of the death, seems more likely to be an adult or at least a toddler. With their marriage in 1639, and birth of son Thomas in February 1640, John Dewey was probably not their son.

Research Notes

Disputed Origins: This profile was previously attached as the son of Thomas Dewey, but the connection was severed for lack of evidence.

Possible origins: Researcher Terry Dewey of Dorset England, reported (via email to Smith-32867 16:52, 26 February 2015 (EST) ) finding an old sea chart that showed that the town now known as Swanage in Dorset was known as Sandwich in the 1600s. Terry Dewey claims to have found parish records that leads him to conclude that:

  • the immigrant Thomas Dewey was most likely born in 1606 at Hinton Martell in the county of Dorset, England ( “1606 Baptized. Thomas Dewye son of Tho: Dewye 20 December”);[16]
  • his father was probably the Thomas Dewye Snr who died 1636[17] and
  • his mother was probably Mary Moore. Thomas Dewye, married, 12 Oct 1601, Hinton Martel to Mary Moore.[18]
  • he sailed from Swanage (known in 1600s as Sandwich) in Dorset, sometime prior to 1633.

See this web page for more information, including details on his Ancestry.com DNA autosomal matches with American Dewey families.

See also, Mark Dewey, Thomas Dewey: The Settler, who Sailde from England to the New World and Founded the Dewey Family in America (https://www.thomasdewey.org/), a blog about the history of the research which led to the conclusion that The Settler was baptised at Hinton Martel, Dorset in 1606. The history begins with the serendipitous find in June 2010 at the Maritime Museum, Buckler's Hard, Hampshire, England (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckler's_Hard), of an old sea chart showing that the town in Dorset now known as Swanage was known as Sandwich in 1781. This research has continued to the present day when DNA evidence is being made use of.

Was he a passenger on the Mary & John?: Some sources [citation needed] include Thomas Dewey on the 1630 voyage of the Mary & John. This claim is made for virtually all early settlers of Windsor, and the total number of supposed passengers exceeds the carrying capacity of the ship. [Work in Progress][19] Unfortunately, the records for both ships and passengers during the Great Migration are woefully incomplete. It is therefore not unusual to not know on what ship an immigrant arrived.

No known daughter Abigail: Abigail (Dewey) Cutler (abt.1646- abt.1711) was previously attached as a daughter. The probate record specifically names Thomas Dewey's children, and does not include Abigail. See Abigail's profile and PGM: Proposal to sever attached daughter Abigail from Thomas Dewey (-1639), Windsor, CT for further discussion.

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 Andrews, H.F. (arranger). List of Freemen Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1630 to 1691. Exira, Iowa: Exira Printing, 1906. p.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633 (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1995) Vol. I, Pages 537-9. AmericanAncestors.org (by subscription)
  3. Anderson, Robert C. The Great Migration Directory: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1640: A Concise Compendium (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Great Migration Study Project, Boston, 2015):, Page 93.
  4. Dwight, Benjamin W. "Brief Notes on the Early History of the Dewey Family in America." The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1878) Vol 6, Page 66. Archive.org
  5. Anderson, Robert C. "Reconstructing a Passenger List." The Great Migration Newsletter. Boston, MA: Great Migration Study Project) Vol 3, No. 2 (April-June 1992.) pp 9, 10, 16. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1567/i/21166/9/426828154
  6. Trumbull, J. Hammond. (transcriber). The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut Prior to the Union with New Haven Colony May 1665. Hartford: Brown and Parsons, 1850. AKA Colonial Records of Connecticut. Volume I. 1636-1665 p. 81 Google Books
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 “Matthew Grant Record, 1639-1681” in Some Early Records and Documents of and Relating to the Town of Windsor, Connecticut, 1639-1703 (Hartford 1930), p 30. Internet Archive.
  8. Matthew Grant Record, 1639-1681, p 56 Internet Archive
  9. Torrey, Clarence Almon. "A Dewey-Clark Problem,"The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record v59 (1929) pp 214-215, FamilySearch
  10. Jacobus, Donald Lines. "Strong-Clark: The Corrector Corrected." The American Genealogist, v 35 (1959) p 151. FamilySearch
  11. Find A Grave: Memorial #29756044 Stone Old Burying Ground, Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA, Plot: Block G
  12. Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut, 1639-1663; Published by The Connecticut Historical Society And The Society of Colonial Wars In The State of Connecticut, Hartford, 1928. Page 54; image 57, (FamilySearch.org link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSZC-S7ST-9 : 4 April 2022).
  13. 13.0 13.1 Manwaring, Charles William. A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records (R. S. Peck & Co., Printers, 1904) Vol. 1, Pages 7 & 8
  14. Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut, 1639-1663; Published by The Connecticut Historical Society And The Society of Colonial Wars In The State of Connecticut, Hartford, 1928. Page 85; image 72, (FamilySearch.org link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSZC-S7SK-X  : 4 April 2022).
  15. Matthew Grant Record, 1639-1681, p 78. Internet Archive.
  16. "England, Dorset, Parish Registers, 1538-2001", database with images, FamilySearch [1] : 14 May 2020), Thomas Dewye, 1606.
  17. "England, Dorset, Parish Registers, 1538-2001", database with images, FamilySearch [2] : 2 June 2020), Thomas Dewey, 1636.
  18. "England, Dorset, Parish Registers, 1538-2001", database with images, FamilySearch [3] : 2 June 2020), Thomas Dewye and Mary Moore, 1601.
  19. The Mary & John: Developing Objective Criteria For A Synthetic Passenger List. Robert Charles Anderson April 1993. NEHGR Vol. 147 April 1993 https://www.americanancestors.org/DB202/i/11686/148/0
See Also:
  • Rix Guy S. History and Genealogy of the Rix Family of America Containing Biographical Sketches and Genealogies of Both Males and Females. Grafton Press 1906. Archive.org.
  • Torrey, Clarence Almon. Third Supplement to Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Genealogical Publishing Co.; Baltimore, MD, USA;




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Comments: 6

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I've posted in g2g a proposal to sever daughter Abigail from this family. If you would like to comment and participate in the discussion please go to:

https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1641873/proposal-sever-attached-daughter-abigail-thomas-dewey-windsor

posted by M Cole
I have been trying to follow back from my grandfather back through the Dewey line and I got back to Thomas Dewey the settler and his dad. I wish I could find out more but limited funds and access
posted by Byran Dewey
Over the last few years I have continued researching Dewey family history and as a consequence, have recently completed a major update to my website (http://www.deweywiltshireroots.org.uk). Probably the most significant result, at least for me, is having taken the Ancestry DNA test, I now have DNA evidence that ‘proves’ I am related to ‘Thomas Dewey The Settler’ (TDTS). Specifically, TDTS’s brother John is my 9*great grandfather. My paternal uncle has also taken the DNA test; in theory, as he is a generation 'closer', his DNA search results should be more precise. Between us, my uncle and I have 15 DNA matches, some with trees which between them cover lines of descendants for all 5 of TDTS's children. I have a 3rd cousin on the Dewey line who has also carried out the same targeted search and she found a number of DNA matches. In addition, I have also searched my DNA matches for connections to the Moore family, and found several. This leads me to conclude that I must be descended from Thomas Dewey Snr and Mary Moore, via their son John. In addition, the DNA results support my hypothesis that TDTS was born in Hinton Martell, and his mother was Mary Moore. The details are all on my website.

I found information regarding the DNA effect of 'endogamy' (https://isogg.org/wiki/Endogamy) and how DNA can be boosted such that a 9th or 10th cousin might be interpreted as 5-8th. I believe this explains how I was able to find so many DNA matches. Researchers on other families could possibly achieve similar results by doing targeted searches on early settlements.

This update also covers:- a) I have checked all of the Ancestry suggested lines of linkage up to about the 4th cousin level, and I have now identified the linkage to 43 of my DNA matches. This corroborates the basic structure of my family tree involving these DNA matches. b) Addition of a family tree specifically for Thomas Dewey The Settler, prior to his emigration to America; it shows his immediate ancestors and also how other families living in SW England were connected to the Dewey family. In particular those with surnames Moore, Russell, Hyatt and Wareham, all of whom are referred to in John Russell’s will of 1633. c) My theory as to the origin of the surname Dewey based on the high population density of Deweys in Wiltshire, and the archaeological history of Stonehenge. Regards, Terry Dewey

posted by Terry Dewey
Thanks for merging the profiles. If someone who has permission could move the speculation and history from the Sources section up to Research Notes, that would be great.

 :)

Claire

posted by Claire (Chapel) Nava
Done, but this profile needs a lot more work. I've added a maintenance category.
posted by Jen (Stevens) Hutton
Dewey-2910 and Dewey-54 appear to represent the same person because: Clear duplicate
posted by Sean Pickett

D  >  Dewey  >  Thomas Dewey

Categories: Founders of Windsor | Puritan Great Migration