Thomas Bonney (abt. 1604 - 1693)

Born about 1604 in Dover, Kent, England

Husband of Mary Terry — married 1634 in England

Descendants

Died 1 May 1693 at about age 89 in Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay

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Thomas Bonney migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 1, p. 340) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Thomas "Goodman" Bonney.^[1][2][3]

b. Dover, England;^[1] or Clerkenwell, London.^{[citation needed]}

Perez Bonney (Thomas’s grandson), wrote down his family history in a chronicle, which is quoted by Bonney (1898):^[1]

Thomas Bonney, a shoemaker, came to New England on the ship "Hercules" from Sandwich, England in March 1634. He settled first at Charlestown, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts where he was a proprietor in 1635. He sold his house and land there in 1637 to Robert Cutler and moved to Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts where he became a freeman on March 5, 1638/9 and a proprietor on August 31, 1640.

Stratton (1986), states that although he proposed as a Freeman on 05 March 1638/9, Thomas Bonney "never became one", (p. 247).^[4]

In 1640 he owned land northwest of North Hill and thirty acres at Namasakeeset. The name was later changed to Pembroke and subsequently changed to Hanson.

(Unproven) -- Thomas's first wife was Mary Terry. Following her death, Thomas married Mary Hunt, the daughter of Edmund Hunt.^[5]

In 1643, Thomas was listed as able to bear arms (16-60 years old) in Duxbury along with his future father-in-law, Edmund Hunt and his son's future father-in-law, Henry Sampson. He was also listed as a constable at Duxbury between 1643 and 1644, a town officer in Court in 1645, and as a surveyor of highways in 1652. He was a shoemaker by trade.

His will was dated January 2, 1688/9 and was probated on May 1, 1693.^[6] He bequeath to his wife, Mary, and son, Thomas, his estate to be divided between the children after the death of their mother. While there has been some question as to which Thomas Bonney married Dorcas Sampson, daughter of Henry Sampson, Perez Bonney's chronicle of his predecessors and his own posterity -- from his grandfather down to his own grandchildren is generally accepted as being correct (according to??) In it he states, (Bonney, 1898, p. 5):[4]

"I, the subscriber, Perez Bonney, the son of John Bonney, of Pembrook, having a mind to write an account of my predecessor, according to the best information that ever I had, I shall begin with my grandfather, Thomas Bonney, who came from Dover, in England, and was born about the year 1604, and married Mary Terry, but she died, and then he married Mary Hunt,^[5] being as I have been told about 50 years old by whom he had, (Bonney, 1898, p. 7):[5]

• Thomas II,^[7] who m.1 Dorcas Sampson,^[8] ... Stratton (1986), states that Thos. II m.2 Sarah Studley.^[4]

Children of Thomas Bonney^[9]

• Mary b. about 1655. m. John Mitchell (son of Experience Mitchell) at Duxbury on December 14, 1675.

• (possibly) Sarah, b. about 1660. m. by 1680 to Nathaniel Cole

• Hannah b. 1663. "convicted of fornication with John Michell, and also with Nimrod, negro, and having a bastard child by said Nimrod; sentenced to be well whipped."

• John b. about 1664. m. by 1690 to Elizabeth Bishop, daughter of James Bishop.

• William b. about 1668. m. by 1693 to Ann (____) possibly surname May. m. 2nd at Plymouth on July 11, 1700 to Mehitable King.

• Joseph b. about 1674 or later. m. at Plymouth on November 14, 1707 to Margaret Phillips.

• James b. abt 1672. m. at Duxbury on June 12, 1695 to Abigail Bishop, daughter of James Bishop. m. (2nd) after 1714 to Desire Billington.

Pembrook, Jan. 23d, 1758.

Perez Bonney."^[10]

Immigration

• Ship: Hercules (of Sandwich, Kent).^[11][1]
• Passenger name: Tho. Boney of Sandwich (shoemaker) -- listed with another shoemaker named, Henry Ewell of Sandwich.^[11][1]
• Date of Certificate: Feb/Mar 1634.^[11]
• Departure: Sandwich, Kent.^[11]
• Destination: "New England in America" plantation.^[11][1]

Property

• 1640: granted lands in Duxbury; 30 acres by Namacusset River.^[4]

Occupation

• before 1634: Shoemaker.^[11][1][4]
• 1642/3 and 1644: Constable of Duxbury.^[1][4]
• 1653: Duxbury highway surveyor.^[4]
• 1661: coroner's jury.^[4]

Events

• 03 Mar 1645/6: charged with "lacivious actions towards women and maids," but released ... thereafter made a public apology.^[4]
• 04 Aug 1646: complaint against Johnny Willis and John Farneyseede for damage to garden ... awarded 7 shillings in damages.^[4]

Will

• Date: 02 Jan 1688/9.^[4]
• Probate (sworn): 01 May 1693.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Bonney, 1898
2. ↑ Nutt (1919), asserts that, "The first settler, Thomas Bonney, born in England, came in the ship "Hercules" in 1634, lived at Charlestown. Bridgewater and Duxbury, where he held town offices. His ancestry in England and France has been traced to Arnold, Lord of Bonney, knight, living in the year 1300; his son John was chamberlain to Charles VI and Charles VII of France and fought against the English in 1317 and later. Arnold, grandson of Arnold, fought at Crecy, 1346," (III, p. 134).[1]
3. ↑ see also: Jackson, R. V., (1999). "Massachusetts Census, 1790-1890." AIS. Ancestry.com. (Data from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes). NOTE: 1643 Residence: Plymouth County, MA; Filby, 2010; #S00128 Ancestry Family Trees.[2]
4. ↑ ^{4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10} Plymouth Colony, Its History & People, 1620-1691, Eugene Aubrey Stratton, 1986. Ancestry Publishing, Salt Lake City, Utah. Google preview link (Stratton, 1986)
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} (unproven - evidence inconclusive) m.1 Mary Terry and m.2 Mary Hunt, (Stratton, 1986, p. 247).
6. ↑ "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G97D-JDXY  : 19 March 2023), Probate records 1686-1702 and 1849-1867 vol 1-1F > image 80 of 490; State Archives, Boston.
7. ↑ Mentioned in father's will, (Stratton, 1986, p. 247).
8. ↑ Dorcas Sampson is the dau. of Henry Sampson, a passenger on the Mayflower in 1620, (Stratton, 1986, p. 247).
9. ↑ Great Migration 1634-1635, A-B.
10. ↑ Descendants of THOMAS BONNEY (1604-1694) of Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts. Familytreemaker.genealogy.com. PDF.[3]DEAD LINK
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5} Hotten, 1874, pp. xix

• Bonney, C.L. (1898). The Bonney Family, 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: Chicago Legal. Google Books.[6] Perez's notes taken from Bonney (1898) at Archive.org accessed 08-01-2015.

• Great Migration 1634-1635, A-B. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume 1, A-B, by Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999. Featured Sketch of Thomas Bonney. p. 340-3.link for subscribers

• Hotten, J.C. (1874). The Original Lists of Persons of Quality, Emigrants, Religious Exiles, Political Rebels, Serving Men Sold for a Term of Years, Apprentices, Children Stolen, Maidens Pressed, and Others who Went from Great Britain to the American Plantations, 1600-1700, pp. xx. NY: Empire State Book Co. Google Books.[7]

• Overmire, L. (2016, December 23). "Thomas (Immigrant, 1634 "Hercules") Bonney no. I597." Rootsweb.[8]

• Stratton, E.A. (1986). "Bonney, Thomas," in Plymouth Colony: Its History and People, 1620-1691, pp. 247. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Publishing. Google Books.[9]

• Bonney, Charles L. The Bonney Family. Chicago, IL: Chicago Legal News Co., 1898. Page 5.

• Mayflower Society Application Database: "Community Trees," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:QDJZ-7PD : accessed 5 August 2021), entry for Thomas Bonney; "Mayflower Pilgrim Genealogies" file (2:2:2:MMXD-DP8), submitted 24 February 2020 by FamilySearch. NOTE: No sources - family tree only