Thomas Hicks (1640 - abt. 1741)

Born 1640 in Newport, Rhode Island

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Butler) Hicks — married before 1660 in Hempstead, Queens County, New York

Husband of Mary (Doughty) Hicks — married 6 Jul 1677 in Hempstead, Queens County, New York

Descendants

Died about 1741 at about age 101 in Long Island City, Queens, New York

Problems/Questions Profile managers: New Netherland Settlers WikiTree [send private message], Bruce Ross [send private message], Coltrane Henderson [send private message], and Dana Stanke [send private message]

Thomas Hicks was a New Netherland settler. Join: New Netherland Settlers Project Discuss: new_netherland

Note: this profile is project protected due to considerable misinformation found regarding Thomas, his parentage and his offspring. Please consult with the project before changes to the narrative or familial connections.

Biography

Researcher Herbert Poole places the birth of Thomas in Weymouth, Massachusetts Colony^[2] while others place it in Newport, Rhode Island. Most place his birth in 1640 despite the fact this gives a longevity of just over a century at a time when this was highly unusual.

It is believed Thomas, likely the only son of John Hicks who was son of immigrant Robert Hicks, was in what is now Flushing, Queens Long Island by 1642, shortly after his father arrived.^[3] In 1645 Thomas' father John Hicks was among the first English immigrant patent grantees by New Netherland Governor William Kieft there on 10 Oct. 1645.^{[citation needed]} John appeared as representative from Flushing to the Conventions of November and December 1653, which were called in New Amsterdam by Governor Stuyvesant^[3], and soon after John moved the family to Hempstead, Long Island.

Historians Savage, Bunker and Stevenson, state the marriage of Thomas Hicks to his first wife Mary (Butler) Washburn was after 1658 and Torrey simply states it was before 1660.^[4] Mary's first husband John Washburn died 30 Aug 1658. The parentage of Mary is not settled among the various authorities. Herbert Poole believed her to be of Flushing though states, "I don't know which is correct."^[2]

Children with Mary (Butler) Washburn

Note: There is general agreement on two children with Mary. Thomas' will does not directly mention the children of his first marriage, however, Thomas is mentioned indirectly as father of named grandson Thomas. Some ascribe additional children to this marriage, see Research Notes.

• Thomas - b ca 1667
• Jacob - b 1669

In 1666, Thomas bought a 4000 acre patent from Governor Nicholls in the area of Little Neck where he lived many years. First wife Mary is said to have died in 1676.^[5]

Thomas married a second time 6 Jul 1676 (some sources 1677) to Mary Doughty (b 1658, daughter of Elias and Sarah Doughty) of Flushing, Long Island.

Children with Mary Doughty

Note: dates of birth are unknown for some and they are given in the order in which they appear in father Thomas' will.

• John (perhaps the John Hicks whose will is dated 12 Nov 1727)
• Joseph
• Isaac - Bunker's Long Island Genealogies estimates his birth 1678^[6]
• Benjamin
• William - Bunker estimates the birth 1680^[6]
• Stephen
• Phebe - Bunker estimates the birth 1682^[6]
• Elizabeth (no reference to her has been found outside her father's will)
• Charity - one source places her as daughter of the first marriage but this would not be in keeping with the will. Benjamin Doughty Hicks states she never married.
• Mary - married Jacob Rushmore (Rushmore appears as Bushlar in the will)

Undocumented but Seen

• Sarah - Note: Sarah is not named in her father's will though some genealogies claim she is a daughter and married Thomas Rushmore. No proof she was a daughter of Thomas has ever been found.

Deaths of Mary and Thomas

Mary Doughty Hicks died in 1713.

Thomas' date of death is unknown. He is believed to have lived to the age of 100, dying before 28 Jan 1741/42 (the date his will was proved) In Little Neck or Flushing, Queens, Long Island, New York. In Jan 1742/43 a newspaper carried the following, "Sometime ago died in Queen's County, Col. Thomas Hicks, aged above Ninety Years, who left behind him of his own Offspring above 300 Children, Grand Children, great Grand Children, and great great Grand Children."^[7]

Will

Note: as stated elsewhere, the only child of his first marriage mentioned is Thomas (who is deceased) and that is in context of naming his grandson.

Abstract:^[8]

In the name of God, Amen. I, Thomas Hicks, of Flushing, in Queens County, Gent., being in good health. I leave to my grand son, Thomas Hicks, the eldest son and heir of my son Thomas Hicks, deceased, the sum of 5 shillings. I leave to my son Isaac "my Great History Book which is called Speeds Chronicle of England." I leave to my son Benjamin, my silver Tankard. I leave to my son Stephen, all my houses, lands, and meadows, in the bounds of Flushing or Queens County, except my right on the Great Plain in Hempstead; Also a bed and furniture and the remainder of my books, and two Hatchells, and my wearing apparell. I leave to my 6 sons, John, Joseph, Isaac, Benjamin, William, and Stephen, all my right on the Great Plain in Hempstead. To my daughter, Phebe Simmons, £100. To my daughter Charity, £250. To my daughter, Mary Bushlar, £100. I leave to my grand daughter, Mary Hicks, daughter of my son William Hicks, my silver tumbler. All the rest of my personal property to my 4 daughters, Phebe, Elizabeth, Charity, and Mary, and to my grand daughter, Sarah Everitt. My Indian and negro slaves, and my live stock, are to remain for my son Stephen. My sons Benjamin and Stephen are to be serviceable to my daughter Charity in her affairs. I make my son Stephen executor. Dated May 15, 1727. Witnesses, Cornelius Van Wyck, John Washburn, T. Whitehead.

Civil Documents

Civil documents related to Thomas Hicks are collected and arranged in the Wolfe Genealogy with full citations and may be found here.

Research Notes

A considerable amount of the following originally appeared in the biographical narrative for Thomas. It has been left here as a research aid but should not be reintroduced to the Thomas biography.

John Hicks was born in London about 1606, and emigrated to America (along with his father) about 1635.^[3] Robert's wife Margaret brought four children to Plymouth on the Anne ; Samuel, Ephraim, Lydia and Phebe. ^[9] John had stayed behind to finish his schooling and he joined them later. (A later son, Ephraim, would be born in Plymouth.)

By 1645 John Hicks was in Flushing, Queens, and was among the first English immigrant patent grantees by Governor William Kieft there on 10 Oct. 1645. He appeared as representative from Flushing to the Conventions of November and December 1653, which were called in New Amsterdam by Governor Stuyvesant.^[3]

John's brother Stephen Hicks followed John to Long Island, and later John's children joined him there as well.

Soon after this date John Hicks removed to nearby Hempstead... As a divorcee, he married second, Rachel, widow of Josias Starr, by whom he had no children.^[3]

Children with Mary Butler Washburn seen but undocumented:

1. Thomas Hicks Born: About 1660, Flushing, Queens County, New York
2. John Hicks Born: About 1661
3. Phebe Hicks Born: About 1662
4. Mary Hicks Born: About 1664, Hempstead, Long Island, New York
5. Jacob Hicks Born: 1669, Hempstead, Long Island, New York
6. Sarah Hicks Born: About 1674. Note that Sarah is claimed instead as the daughter of Mary Doughty. The timeline will need study.
7. Elizabeth Hicks Born: About 1676.

John Hicks died in May 1672 leaving only one son, Thomas.

this is the same Thomas Hicks who married Mary Doughty and commonly found in sources, but no child Sarah is listed among his twelve children. But Sara appears elswehere, by a different wife. Mix-216 18:40, 16 February 2015 (EST)

Sources

1. ↑ Queens Co. Land Records, p. 245 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/20744/images/dvm_LocHist006824-01174-0?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=1060
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Hicks Family History compiled by Herbert Armstrong Poole between 1905-1965, transcribed A Maitland 1998, accessed 14 Jan 2023, primary source is the manuscript The Hicks Genealogy by Benjamin Doughty Hicks, only extant copy in the library of Long Island Historical Society, other sources as listed at link.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Cornell, Thomas Clapp."The Hicks Family", in Adam and Anne Mott: their ancestors and their descendants pp 371-372: ‎1890
4. ↑ Torrey, New England Marriages to 1700. Online database. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008, 2015. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/rd/21175/750/426890190. Citing: Mott (,6) 372; TAG 9:19; Seaman 82; Stevenson 59; Shotwell 237, 280; McCormick-Hamilton 184; Weymouth
5. ↑ Colonial families of Long Island, New York and Connecticut : being the ancestry & kindred of Herbert Furman Seversmith ...Pg 1328
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Bunker, Mary Powell, Long Island genealogies, Albany, J Munsell's Sons, 1895
7. ↑ New-York Gazette, or Weekly Post-Boy, published as The New-York Gazette Revived in the Weekly Post-Boy;16 January 1742/43, issue 313, p. 2. Note: original source seems to have erroneously entered the year as 1748/49/
8. ↑ William S. Pelletreau, Abstracts of Wills on file in the Surrogate's office: city of New York, Vol. 3, 1730-1744 (New York: The New York Historical Society, 1895), p352,
9. ↑ Louis E. DeForest, Moore & Allied families (1938), p 297. https://archive.org/details/moorealliedfamil00defo.

See Also:

• http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bobwolfe/gen/person/g5434.htm

Acknowledgments

• This person was created through the import of 2011-5-20.ged on 21 May 2011.
• Thanks to Ang Saxberg for this profile.
• Profile reorganized, updated, corrected 15 Jan 2023 by T Stanton