Thomas Holbrook (abt. 1589 - bef. 1677)

Born about 1589 in Glastonbury, Somerset, England [uncertain]

Husband of Jane (Powyes) Holbrook — married 12 Sep 1616 in St. John's, Glastonbury, Somerset, England

Descendants

Died before 10 Mar 1677 before about age 88 in Weymouth, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Thomas Holbrook migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 3, p. 350) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Thomas Holbrook was born in England.

English Birth, Childhood

Thomas Holbrook (Holbrooke) was born in Glastonbury, Somerset County, England, in about 1589. The estimate of his birth year is derived largely, but not exclusively, from a deposition he gave 2 Nov 1666, when he said he was 77. ^[1] Plugging that deposition date into an online calculator yields a range of possible birth dates of 03 Nov 1588 to 02 Nov 1589. Against that assumed birth year, however, is his reported age (34) when he embarked for the New World, 20 Mar 1635. ^[2] which yields a birth range of 1600-04-20 to 1601-03-20. That latter account of his age appears flawed, however, and not just because the standard for a ships log is typically less reliable than a sworn deposition. The ship log also makes less sense. For instance, if the ship's log were correct, it would mean that, at his marriage, 12 Sep 1616^[1], he would have been about 15-16, whereas the average age for a groom at the time was about 28. See Wikipedia contributors, "Western European marriage pattern," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, (accessed June 27, 2021).

(Some say he was born within Glastonbury, in a place called "Eversley.^[1]) He was, it seems, the son of William Holbrook.^[1] As for his mother, some suggest she may be a woman named, Edith, but evidence for that is thus far unknown.

Marriage in England

Thomas married, at St. John the Baptist Church, Glastonbury, 12 Sep 1616, Jane Powyes.^[3] Davis, in this source, spells Jane's last name as Powys. "They lived in Glastonbury until some time after February, 1630/1, when they moved to Broadway," also in Somerset County,^[1] about 15 miles or so southwest of Glastonbury. Their known children were (first five born at Glastonbury):^[1][4]

1. John Holbrook, baptized at Glastonbury, April 6, 1618; married (1) Sarah _____ by 1643, (2) Elizabeth Stream by 1645, (3) Mary (Jacob) Otis (date unknown)
2. William Holbrook, baptized at Glastonbury, June 12, 1620; married (1) Elizabeth Pitts by 1655, married (2) Abigail (Wright) (Sharp) Clapp about 1696
3. Thomas Holbrook Jr., born about 1624; married by about 1651, Joan Kingman
4. Anne (Holbrook) Reynolds, born, about 1630; married by an unknown date, John Reynolds
5. Elizabeth (Holbrook) Hatch, born about 1634; married May 6, 1650 at Scituate, Walter Hatch
6. Jane (Holbrook) Drake, born about 1637; married Thomas Drake about 1657

Immigration to Massachusetts

In "the spring of 1635," Joseph Hull, of Crewkerne, Somerset County, "gathered ... over one hundred persons from the country-side about Crewkerne," about 10 miles southeast of Broadway, and, 20 Mar 1635, "they sailed from the nearby port of Weymouth," aboard the Marygould, arriving in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, 7 Jun 1635.^[1] Thomas, Jane and their children were among the emigrants.^[1] The passenger list didn't include their children William, probably an oversight, or Jane, who probably had not yet been born.^[2] "Thomas Holbrook, his wife Jane, their sons John, aged 11 years, Thomas, aged 10 years, and daughters, Anne, aged 5 years, and Elizabeth, aged 1 year, sailed from Weymouth on or near 20 Mar. 1634–35 with Rev. Joseph Hull's Company..., and that they came ashore at Dorchester, 7 June, 1635." ^[5][4] "The reason that the early ships departed from Weymouth is that the start of emigration was organised by a local minister, the Reverend John White of St. Peters, Dorchester. He along with fellow residents of the Dorset County town founded the Massachusetts Bay Company.")^[6] "[A]fter remaining at Dorchester for about a fortnight," Thomas "went with his family to the place later called Weymouth, where Mr. Hull and the company had preceded him, and built a house there."^[1] "He was a member of the commission to lay out the way from Braintree to Dorchester in 1640."^[7]

Thomas Holbrook was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay colony in May, 1645, and was a selectman of Weymouth in 1645, 1646, 1651, 1652 and 1654. He was one of the original grantees of the town of Rehoboth, to which he presumably contemplated moving, but forfeited his claims in January, 1645. On December 14, 1663, Weymouth granted him ten acres in the first division of land and thirty acres in the second division.^[8]

Death

“Being sick and weak,” Thomas made a will 31 Dec 1668.^[5][1]"To his wife Jane he left his whole estate for life, requesting his sons John, William and Thomas to be helpful to her and to give their mother their best advice as she was ancient and weak in body. Upon her death all of the estate was to be divided among his children, there being six of them, three sons and three daughters, a double portion to go to the eldest son John Holbrook, and the remainder to Thomas Holbrook, William Holbrook, Anne Rennolds, Elizabeth Hatch and Jane Drake equally. To my grandson John Holbrook the eldest, my sword. To my grandson Peter Holbrook, my gun and my gray mare colt. To my grandson William Holbrook, my musket. Executrix: my wife Jane Holbrook and, at her decease, my son John Holbrook."^[1][5] On 31 Dec 1673, he amended his will with a codicil stating "that his grandson Peter Holbrook had served him and his wife in their old age for about eight years and was to have his dwelling house in Weymouth with the orchard and the arable land."^[1][7][5]

Thomas and Jane's daughter, Elizabeth, died 5 Aug 1674, in Weymouth. Thomas then died in Weymouth, apparently "shortly before" 10 Mar 1677, on which date the inventory of his estate was taken. "He died shortly before March 10, 1676/7, when the inventory of his estate calls him lately deceased." ^[1][7][5] His will "was proved April 24, 1677." ^[1][7][5] He was survived by his wife, Jane, who died in Weymouth, 24 Apr 1677, and by five of their six children (listed here in order of their deaths): Jane, who died in Weymouth, 5 Aug 1684; Thomas, who died in Braintree before 23 Jul 1697; William, who died in Scituate, 3 Jul 1699; Anne, who apparently died 3 Jul 1699, too; John, who died in Weymouth, 23 Nov 1699.

Research Notes

It's reported by many sources that the subject of this profile was born in "Eversley," in Glastonbury. But where, exactly, is this "Eversley"?

In earlier versions of this profile, it was reported that the subject was born "1594 Broadway, Somerset, England," "March 1599 Broadway, Somerset, England" and "1 March 1599 Glastonbury, Somerset, England." The best evidence (discussed in the current Biography, above), however, it seems most probable that he was born in about 1589. Earlier versions of this profile also suggest he was baptized in 1594, but the evidence for that isn't reported.

A biography published in 1923 conflates the subject of this profile with his son by the same name. "There is a statement that his wife was Jane Kingman, born near 1600, but no authentic record of this fact, has been found by the compiler."^[5] His son, Thomas, married a Joanna Kingman.

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 1.12 1.13} Davis, Walter Goodwin. 1945. The Ancestry of Joseph Neal, 1769-c.1835, of Litchfield, Maine. Portland, Me.: The Southworth-Anthoensen Press. Pages 128-30. via HathiTrust
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Hotten, John Camden. 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. London: Empire State Book Co. Pages 283-286, via Hathitrust
3. ↑ Parish register of St. John the Baptist, Glastonbury, Somersetshire, England, "Thoma Holbrook duxit in uxorem Jane Powyes." Ancestry Shared Image
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Anderson, Robert Charles, Great Migration 1634-1635, G-H. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume III, G-H, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2003. pages 351-355 via American Ancestors $Subscription
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6} Chamberlain, George Walter. 1923. History of Weymouth, Massachusetts. Boston: Weymouth Historical Society. Vol. 3. “Genealogy of Weymouth Families.” Pages 267-268. via Hathitrust
6. ↑ "Emigrant Ships Departing Weymouth" Weymouth-Dorset co Accessed online, 27 Jun 2021 link.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3} Swift, Katharine Whitin. 1955. The Whitin Family: Historical Notes. Whitinsville, Mass.: E. K. Swift. Page 61. via Hathitrust.
8. ↑ Davis, page 129

• Vital Records of Weymouth, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1910).
• Sprague, Waldo Chamberlain. Genealogies of the Families of Braintree, MA. 1640-1850 (2001)
• Cutter, William. Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts (Lewis Historical Pub. Co., Massachusetts, 1910) Page 250.
• Coombs, Jan Gregoire. Coombs Family History (Janet Pulvermacher, Middleton, Wisconsin, 2013) Page 19.
• Sanborn, Victor Channing. Four Boston Families. Holbrook, Yendell, Vail, Whitman, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1904) Vol. 58, Page 305
• Davis, W. Goodwin. (1945). The ancestry of Joseph Neal, 1769-c.1835, of Litchfield, Maine. Portland, Me.: The Southworth-Anthoensen Press. Pages 128-130 [Note: Andersen in the Great Migration Series states this is the best published account of this family].