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Thomas Coleman (abt. 1598 - bef. 1674)

Thomas Coleman
Born about in Evesham, Worcestershire, Englandmap [uncertain]
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married about 1644 [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died before before about age 76 in Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusettsmap
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Profile last modified | Created 8 Jul 2011
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The Puritan Great Migration.
Thomas Coleman migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 74)
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Contents

Disambiguation

This is not the Thomas Coleman (abt.1600-aft.1682) who married Susanna Raulines, widow Mary Johnson, and Margery Fowler, and lived in Newbury and Wethersfield, and died at Nantucket.

Biography

Thomas married twice. He married an unknown wife and had four children by 1638.[1]

He married second the widow Frances Wells before 1638, likely at Evesham, Worcestershire, England, where they both lived at the time.[1] They had one daughter, Deborah, and she had three children from her first marriage, Thomas Wells,, Mary Wells and John Wells.

Immigration

In 1639 the Coleman family immigrated to New England, settling first in Wethersfield, Connecticut[1] In 1660, they removed to Hadley, Massachusetts.[1]

At Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay

Thomas Coleman was an early settler of Wethersfield, Connecticut. In 1654 he was chosen as Selectman, Deputy to General Court, 25 sessions, and Deputy from Wethersfield, Connecticut.[1]

He was a first settler at Hadley, Massachusetts in 1660.

He died in Hadley the end of Sept 1674. His will was dated 29 Sept. and he was buried on 1 Oct. 1674. Frances survived Thomas and died at Hadley probably in March 1678. Her will was proved the 26th of March.[1]

The will of Thomas Coleman sr. [sic], of Hadley, was dated 29 Sept 1674, names his wife Frances, his own children including Deborah. He also makes provision for his step-son Thomas Wells and Thomas' son John Wells. This provision is for interest in property in Evesham, Worcestershire, England. It is for this reason that people state Evesham as the home of Thomas. However, Jacobus points out that the interest is not given to a child of his, but to his wife's child, so the property may have been hers or belonged to her husband Thomas Wells. {? why is he called senior}[1]

The will of "widdow ffrances Coleman" was undated but proved 26 March 1678. She gave:

to my daughter Mary Wells, £6
to my son Jno Wells, £6
to my daughter Gilburt, £6
to my grandchildren Jonathan & Jno, each 10s;
to my son Jno Wells (his son) [sic] and to my grandson Thomas Wells a two and twentie shilling peice of gold to be equally divided between them;
to ye daughters of my son Jno Sarah & Mary 10s. each
to my daughter Mary Wells that peice of stuffe or serge I formerlie lent her husband;
to my son John Wells his wife my best red petticoate & soe much of my other cloathes as shall make that coate equal or equivalent to yt peice of Stuffe or searge yt I gave to my daughter Mary Wells;
to my daughter Deboro my greene apron & two other aprons & some of my weareing Lining as alsoe my muffe as alsoe Penestone to make her a pettecoate;
And the rest of ye Penestone I give to my son John Wells;
to my daughter Deboro one iron pott;
to my son John Wells my grate Bible;
to my daughter Deboro yt peice of searge in ye chest as also woolen yarn yt is in ye house.
to my daughter Mary Wells my grate cheste;
to ye wife of my son Jno Wells and to my daughter Mary Wells all the rest of my cloathes both woolen and lyning that is not before mentioned equally between them;
ye rest of my estate yt is not mentioned I give & bequeath to my son John Wells & to my daughter Deboro to be divided equally between ym -- Jno shall have a double part wth the rest of my estate.
my beloved son Jonathan Gilburd executor. Signed by mark. {Hampshire County Probate}

Children

Children of Thomas and his first unknown wife:[1]

  1. John Coleman
  2. Esther Coleman[2]
  3. Sarah Coleman, b c. 1642, not listed in will of Thomas Coleman, but listed by Jacobus in Hale, House, and related families as specifically the daughter of this Thomas Coleman.[3] see also [4]
  4. Noah Coleman

Child of Thomas and his second wife, Frances (Albright) Welles Coleman:[1]

Frances had three children by her first husband, Thomas Wells. These became Thomas Coleman's step-children:[1][5]

  • Mary Welles, b abt. 1627, d 3 July 1700 Hartford; m 1650 as his 2nd to Jonathan Gilbert;
  • Thomas Welles, b c. 1629, d 1676 Hadley; m 1651 to Mary (poss. Beardsley) who m 2nd to Samuel Belding of Hatfield.
  • John Welles, b c. 1635, d ; m 1658-9 to Sarah Curtis

Research Notes

Was he of Evesham A prior version of this profile included "Thomas Coleman was probably born at Evesham, Worcestershire, England, about 1598."

Misconceptions.There is a widespread misconception that "a Hugh Welles came in the "Globe" 1635, with wife Frances, and four children Thomas, Hugh, Mary and John; also that he settled in Wethersfield and died about 1645. This Frances married Thomas Coleman and went to Hadley."[6]

Jacobus states that this Hugh cannot be found anywhere (because all incorrect). There is only the one Hugh Wells at Wethersfield, who is sometimes assumed to have been the son of Hugh and Frances (but was not).[1]

Hugh Wells, born about 1625, origin unknown, died in Wethersfield 22 Dec 1678, aged about 53. He was a carpenter who married on 19 Aug 1647, in Hartford, CT, to Mary Ruscoe, the daughter of William and Rebecca Rusco of Hartford (see NEHGR 71:113-5 for Rusco family). More information available on both Hugh and Mary's profiles.

Information about the Welles children:[1]

  • Mary Wells. Named in her mother's (Frances) will "daughter Gilburt," naming also Mary's husband Jonathan Gilburd. Jonathan Gilbert was Marshall of the Connecticut Colony. He married first 29 Jan 1645/6, Mary White (died about Dec. 1649). He had eight children by his second wife also Mary, the first child born 25 July 1651. The second wife was Mary Wells. Mary was born about 1627. Her gravestone, Mrs. Gilbert, in Hartford says she died 3 July 1700 in her 74th year.
  • Thomas Wells. Purchased a house from his step-father Thomas Coleman. He married about 1651. His children recorded in Wethersfield: Thomas, b. 10 Jan 1652; Mary, b. 1 Oct. 1653; Sarah, b 5 May 1655; and John, b. 14 Jan. 1656/7. These four are by wife called Mary. A fifth child Jonathan was not recorded. Nine more children were born after the move to Hadley. Thomas died at Hadley between 30 Sept 1676 and 14 Dec 1676. His widow Mary remarried 25 June 1678, Samuel Belding of Hatfield, and died 20 Sept 1691. Jacobus believes this Mary, wife of Thomas Wells and Samuel Belding to be a daughter of William Beardsley of Stratford. Thomas' brother John witnessed William's will. Also the estate of Capt. John Beardsley (son of William) was distributed to his siblings or their heirs, names Mary Wells, deceased as on of the siblings. She was actually Belding at the time, but her heirs were Wellses.
  • John Wells. Of Stratford, Connecticut. Married Sarah Curtis (born Stratford 10 Oct 1642, d/o Capt William Curtis) proved by a deed dated 15 Apr 1662. John had two children recorded in Stratford: Sarah, b 28 Sept 1659 and Mary, b 29 Aug 1661. Child Abigail did not get recorded. After the 1662 deed the family went to Hatfield and had six more children (see Judd - Hist. of Hadley, appen. p 150). John, John's first son, was born 15 Sept 1670 and referred to as "my son John Wells his son" in his grandmother Frances will. He was the only son at the time of the will. Grandmother Frances also mentions John's elder dtrs. Sarah and Mary.

Sources

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Jacobus, Donald Lines and W. Herbert Wood, (1952) "Widow Frances Wells and Hugh Wells of Wethersfield." The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS (Vol 28, Pages 227-35) [This article refers to Thos. Coleman of Wethersfield, Connecticut and Hadley, Massachusetts].
  2. "Genealogies of Hadley, Massachusetts", page 24, but not listed in will of Thomas Coleman.
  3. Jacobus, Donald Lines, and Edgar Francis Waterman, (1952) Hale, House, and related families, mainly of the Connecticut River Valley. Hartford: Connecticut Historical Society, HathiTrust.org (Page 766).
  4. "Genealogies of Hadley, Massachusetts", page 24
  5. Jacobus estimates birth dates for the three children: Mary b. about 1627, married 1650; Thomas perhaps b 1629, but possibly before Mary, say 1625; married 1651; John, b. perhaps about 1635, or earlier, married 1658-9.
  6. First stated by George Sheldon in NEHGR 44:208, repeated in Stiles' History of Wethersfield 2:780 and by Jacobus in Families of Old Fairfield 1:217, 659

See also:

  • Richardson, Douglas, (Jan 1992) Excerpts from "The Widow Frances (Albright) Welles." The American Genealogist [sic] [New England Historical and Genealogical Register.] Boston, NEHGS randmwaddell.net via Wayback Machine (NEHGR Vol 146, Pages 28-35) [This article refers to Thos. Coleman of Wethersfield, Connecticut and Hadley, Massachusetts including Thomas Coleman's Will, giving name of wife].






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Comments: 6

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Coleman-12821 and Coleman-939 do not represent the same person because: errors in birth dates not reconcilled
posted by William Gilbert
Hi Dan,

It would ease the merge clean up if you reviewed the two profiles to clear some of the duplication on this profile, especially passages that contain abbreviations.

Thank you for supporting WikiTree. --Gene

posted on Coleman-12821 (merged) by GeneJ X
Coleman-12821 and Coleman-939 appear to represent the same person because: same pereson
posted by William Gilbert
Brian, please see the new G2G question on the identity of Thomas Coleman and his wives, Help sort out two Thomas Coleman and five wives.

Your collaboration on this is needed.

K Malatesta please see the new G2G question on the identity of Thomas Coleman and his wives, Help sort out two Thomas Coleman and five wives.

Your collaboration on this is needed.

C  >  Coleman  >  Thomas Coleman

Categories: Puritan Great Migration