Thomas Burnett Jr. (abt. 1612 - bef. 1684)

Born about 1612 in Braintree, Essex, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Unknown) Burnet — married about 1644 in Southampton, Suffolk, New York Colony

Descendants

Died before 5 Dec 1684 before about age 72 in East Hampton, Suffolk, New York

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Alexander Hunter [send private message], Walter Burnett [send private message], and Rosie Blanckenburg [send private message]

Biography

Thomas Burnett Jr. of Leys was married to Mary Cooper [NOTE: Disproven] against his father's wishes.^{[citation needed]}

Their children are:

1. John
2. Joell
3. Lott
4. Hester
5. Merriam
6. Lois
7. Mathais
8. Mordecay
9. Dan-( Thomas Burnett's son Dan had a son Ichabod (b 1684, d 1774); Ichabod had a son William (b 1730); this William had a son David G. Burnett, who was the first president of the Republic of Texas in 1836.
10. Aaron b. 1655
11. Priscilla

Thomas Burnett first emigrated to Boston by 1639.^{[citation needed]} He arrived in Southampton and had a lot granted him October 13, 1643. He probably came here not long before this time.

Savage mentions him as a resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, though Lewis and Newhall make no mention of him. No record of his emigration has been found to show from what county in England he came. The record of the branch in New Jersey has been furnished by Mr. John K. Burnett of South Orange, New Jersey.

1 Thomas 1 d. about 1684. One source says that Thomas Burnett married first Mary, and second, Mary Pierson, probably daughter of John Pierson.^[1] The problem with this is that the Lynn Vital Records incorrectly used the name Thomas Burnitt instead of Thomas Burnap, who is actually the one who married Mary Pierson. ^[2] The result of this error is that Thomas Burnett is then left with only a wife named Mary ______; no evidence was found in the Burnap-Burnett source for a marrage between Thomas Burnett and Mary Cooper.

Thomas and his wife Mary had ch. oldest 2 John 2 , 3 Aaron 2 b. 1655, 4 Lot 2 , 5 Joel 2 , 6 Dan 2 , 7 Mordecai 2 , and 8 Matthias 2 b. 1674. (I do not know the order of the births of the ch. excepting John's, who is called the oldest son.) ^[1]

Thomas Burnett) was a Presbyterian Puritan and must have left England in the early 1630's. In these early years there were but few people in all of New England. So our ancestry dates from the very first to settle the new country. Lynn Mass was settled in 1630, 50 new settlers having come in that year from England. It was first called Saugus. Named for Lynn Regis, England" ^[3]

(from Lewis Compton Burnett, 1903: "(Thomas Burnett) was a Presbyterian Puritan and must have left England in the early 1630's. His second wife was Mary Pierson daughter of Rev. Pierson of Lynn Mass to whom he married in 1663. In these early years there were but few people in all of New England. So our ancestry dates from the very first to settle the new country. Lynn Mass was settled in 1630, 50 new settlers having come in that year from England. It was first called Saugus. Named for Lynn Regis, England" "Thomas Burnett, born in Scotland, emigrated to Massachusetts and removed to Southampton, Long Island, where he received his allotment of land October 6, 1643. Second marriage Dec. 3, 1663 at Lynn, Mass, Mary Pierson (Pearson) b. June 20, 1643, daughter of John Pierson. Thomas by his first wife {Mary Cooper} had a son, Aaron, b. 1655" - Vigo County Historical Society, 1915; ^[4]

...but on the other hand: (from Jim Fina, 1999: "Nowhere, in any of the older histories of New England or Long Island, is any proof offered that Thomas Burnet of Southampton, came from Yorkshire--it seems to be based, not on research, but purely on conjecture. Nowhere does it mention his family, or who his father in Yorkshire might have been--just that he's supposed to have come from that part of England. Actually, Thomas Burnet, as later research shows, came from Braintree, Essex England. He removed to Lynn, MA, where he lived a short time, before relocating to Southampton, Long Island, NY. There, in 1643, he took a lot, according to Southampton Town Records. He remained there until his death in 1684. He was married to Mary Cooper [NOTE: Disprroven], and together they raised their 11 children, the first born in 1645. The noted genealogist Eugene Bouton, in doing research on Matthias Burnet, hired a professional genealogist, a Mr. M.L. Hawley, who, in a letter dated February 1, 1932, reported that he had discovered the origins of this Long Island Burnet family. He stated that they were descended from Dr. Thomas Burnet of Braintree, Essex, England. In my own researching, I discovered that Dr. Thomas Burnet had a son named Thomas, born in 1612, the oldest of three children. In addition, the research of William Burnet Austin, also stated that Thomas Burnet of Southampton was the son of Dr. Thomas Burnet of Braintree, Essex, England. Dr. Thomas Burnet is, in turn, the son of Alexander Burnet, 11th of Leys and his wife Katherine Arbuthnot of Fiddes. This same Arbuthnot family connection, as it turns out, provides a direct line of descent from most of the lines of Kings of Europe and Asia. Many early records also stated that Thomas Burnet of Southampton was related to Gilbert Burnet, Bishop of Salsbury, and his son, Governor William Burnet, Colonial Governor of NJ, NY, and MA. Since Bishop Burnet was a member of the Burnet of Leys family, this also makes our Thomas Burnet a descendant of the Burnets of Leys. In researching the book "The Family of Burnett of Leys, With Collateral Branches," by George Burnett, LL.D., Lyon King of Arms, 1901, there are 15 Thomas Burnet(t)s listed. All but one can be accounted for--Thomas Burnet, the son of Dr. Thomas Burnet of Braintree. Also, in the same book, the connection is made between Bishop Gilbert Burnet and the same Thomas Burnet, who is by all indications, our Thomas Burnet of Southampton. The book shows they were first cousins, once removed."

(www.familysearch.org/Biographical

He died about 1684 in Southampton, NY. According to his will, he was father of 6 children "I give unto my six children, John, Joel, Lott, Hester, Merrium, Priscilla, each of them 5 shillings apiece, to be paid to them by my executrix." Entire Will can be found at http://www.paulburnett.com/genealog.htm

Research Notes

this section was copied and pasted in its entirety from an old outdated Geni.com page, as I have sourced below. The only source referenced on the original Geni.com page is an old personal website, no longer in service. I have reformatted the text for readability, but cannot verify any of the data contained in this profile. - P Rich 09:44, 8 February 2017 (EST)

Geni.com Bio

Emigration: 10 Apr. 1639
Boston, Massachusetts
10 May Settled in Lynn, Massachusetts
Resided in Southampton, Suffolk, NY

Mary Pearson/Pierson was NOT the wife of Thomas Burnet. His wife is Mary UNKNOWN. (Cooper has not been proven, either.) Mary Pearson happens to be my 9th great aunt on a totally unrelated line. She married a Thomas BURNAP, not our Thomas BURNET. Thomas Burnap was the son of Robert and Ann/Agnes (Miller) Burnap and he married has "Thomas Burnitt" on 3 Dec 1663, Marlboro, MA to Mary Pearson, dau. of John Pearson & Maudlin (____). Because his marriage has him listed as "Burnitt", he's often been confused with our Thomas BURNET...who, according to all the research I've done the past 30 years, never set foot in Massachusetts...he was strictly in New York. Mary Pearson was named in her father's will...."I give unto My Daughter Marey Burnap...." (filed in Essex Co., MA).

We know for sure that her first name was Mary, but while it possibly COULD be Mary Cooper, there is no solid proof. The point is, Mary Pearson married Thomas Burnap who is NOT the same person as Thomas Burnet.

Timeline

• 1612
  Birth of Thomas
  Yorkshire, England
• 1645
  Age 33
  Marriage of Thomas to Mary Burnett
  Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts NOTE: No records found in Lynn in support of this marriage
• 1647
  Age 35
  Birth of John Burnett (Sr)
  Suffolk, Long Island, New York
• 1648
  Age 36
  Birth of Joel Burnett
  Southampton, Suffolk, NY
• 1653
  Age 41
  Birth of Esther Leamyng
  Southampton, Long Island, Suffolk Co., NY (probably)
• '1655'
  Age 43
  Birth of Aaron Burnett, Sr
  Suffolk, Lewis, NY
• 1656
  Age 44
  Birth of Merrium Fithian
  Suffolk, Long Island, New York
• October 20, 1657
  Age 45
  Birth of Lot Burnett
  Suffolk, Livingston, NY
• 1657
  Age 45
  Birth of Priscilla (Burnett) Fithian
  Southampton, Long Island, New York
• 1662
  Age 50
  Birth of Dan Burnett
  Southampton, Suffolk, NY
• 1669
  Age 57
  Birth of Lois Collins
  Southampton, Long Island, New York
• 1670
  Age 58
  Birth of Mordecai Burnett
  Suffolk, Long Island, New York
• 1674
  Age 62
  Birth of Matthias Burnett
  Suffolk, Long Island, New York
• December 1684
  Age 72
  Death of Thomas
  Southampton, Suffolk Co., New York

Thomas was born about 1615. He passed away before 1684.

Comments on Thomas Burnet (Burnet-422) by WMB (Burnett-4123), December 2018.

Thomas Burnet was resident of South Hampton by 1643. My family history notes indicate that sometime after 1640 Thomas Burnet moved from Lynn, Massachusetts, to Southampton, Long Island, soon after the town was established by purchase of land from the Indians. He was granted a lot in Southampton, Long Island, on October 15, 1643. There are no known records from Lynn documenting his immigration. Lynn was founded as part of the Puritan migration and first settled by Europeans in 1629. Lynn is the 5th oldest colonial settlement in the Commonwealth. It was incorporated as Saugus in 1631. An early Lynn colonist, Thomas Halsey, left Lynn to settle the East End of Long Island, where he and several others founded the Town of Southampton, New York. While it is a matter of speculation, It may well be that Thomas Burnet was part of the group leaving Lynn for Long Island.

Thomas Burnet’s will dated March 16, 1679-80, can be found in "The Records of the Court of Sessions of Suffolk County Clerk's Office in the Province of New York, 1670-1686" Transcribed by Thomas W. Cooper. Volume 1, Page 161. From the will and other documentation of the time, it is reasonable to assume that he was a Long Island resident once he moved from his original site of immigration.

Some genealogical researchers (See Burnett-2664) have argued that Thomas Burnet was a son of a "Thomas Burnett" who was physician in London and whose lineage ties to Alexander Burnet of Leys. As of the writing of this note, I have not found any convincing argument that the physician's son, Thomas Burnett, who was born in 1612 at Braintree, Essex, England is the Thomas Burnet who is my 8th great-grandfather. While the connection may be reasonable, I am not comfortable accepting the it until I have some more convincing support or documentation.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Howell, George Rogers, The early history of Southampton, L. I., New York : with genealogies, published 1887. Reference page 206
2. ↑ Belknap, Henry Wyckoff, The Burnap-Burnett genealogy, published 1925. Reference page 31
3. ↑ http://www.paulburnett.com/genealog.htm
4. ↑ Volume I of the Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New York, published by the Lewis Historical Publishing Company, page 319.

• http://www.paulburnett.com/genealog.htm
• Burnett (LL. D), George. "The Family of Burnett of Leys with Collateral Branches". Aberdeen, 1901. Printed for University and edited by Colonel James Allardyce, LL.D. Available at https://archive.org/details/familyofburnetto00burnuoft and https://archive.org/details/familyofburnetto00burn
• www.garlic.com/~pburnett/genealog.htm
• Find A Grave: Memorial #156525564
• (p 206) Burnett, Lewis Compton. "The early history of Southampton, L. I., New York." 1903
• Geni.com
• SUFFOLK COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE SUFFOLK COUNTY SESSIONS, VOL. I, PAGE 161
• Rootsweb (references cited to be verified/validated)
• Burnett, Claire. Descendants of Thomas Burnett, MA. https://web.archive.org/web/20131228182332/http://brookhavensouthhaven.org/history/burnett/DescendantsOfThomasBurnett.pdf (dated 2008, archived 28 Dec 2013, visited 30 Aug 2023, original link dead)
• Schneider, Jim S., Burnet - Ferguson - Schneider, published 2013. Reference pages 39-60, especially 57-60 Includes reasoning behind the author's conclusion that Thomas Burnet married Mary Cooper. Includes source citations for many key elements. There is not, however, clear, cut and dried evidence supporting their marriage.
• Burnett Family Records maintained by Walter Mucklow Burnett (Burnett-4123). See letter from Douglass Burnett to Guy Duval, President of the Long Island Historical Society, August 5 1947.