Thomas Moore Sr. (abt. 1573 - 1636)

Born about 1573 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Ann (Unknown) Moore — married 1598 in England

Descendants

Died 11 Jul 1636 at about age 63 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Jay Byrne [send private message] and Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message]

Thomas Moore Sr. migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 231) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Disambiguation

Please don't confuse this profile of Thomas Moore of Salem, Massachusetts with the profile of Thomas Moore of Hampshire and Windsor, Connecticut Here.

Biography

Uncertain Origin

This profile originally asserted a birth location of "Southwell, Newark and Sherwood District, Nottinghamshire, England". The most common origin for Thomas Moore put forward is based on the work by Belknap^[1] asserting "Southwold, Suffolk, England" with, as he admitted, no primary English sources. The theory is put forth on the wife of this profile, Ann (Unknown) Moore (currently mis-named Ann (Grafton) Moore) that Belknap may have confused Southwold, Suffolk, England with Southold, Suffolk County New York where Thomas Jr. later lived. This may be true but in any case, nobody has yet discovered where Thomas originated or when he was born. For that reason his birth place has been set to "England".

Regarding his age, IF (and it IS NOT PROVEN BY PRIMARY RECORDS) he is the father of the Mary who married first Edmund Henfield and then Joseph Grafton at St. Nicholas Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England in 1631^[2] then, since Mary was first married about 1622 (based on births of Henfield children) she was born say by 1600 and was his first known child. Say Thomas was married in 1598. WikiTree standards are to set a male at age 25 at first known marriage lacking any other data. This makes his birth year "about 1573".

Almost nothing is known about Thomas Moore of Salem himself. The only apparent record giving his name found so far in New England is in early Salem Land Grants, cited by Belknap:^[1]

In the first list of grants, Dec 26, 1636 to July 12, 1637 is the entry, 'Tho: Mores widdow 10 acres'

We only know about his widow Ann and two of their children: Mary Moore and Thomas Moore, Jr from Salem deeds, church and court records. These records only reveal the identity of two children Mary of Salem who married Joseph Grafton .^[1] (again noting that there is no actual record of Mary's last name at birth, "Moore" is based on Belknap's extensive analysis and research of Massachusetts land deeds but NOT based on records and research from England) and Thomas Moore, Jr who married first Martha Youngs and second Katherine. ^[3] No births, marriages or deaths are recorded in Salem Vital Records. However, we know that the widow Ann had a family of five. ^[1][4] so there were possibly three other unidentified children living in 1636 in Salem besides Thomas and Mary assuming Mary was living with her mother and included in this count and that Thomas had his own household based on his separate grant of land. ^[1]

There is absolutely no evidence that Thomas Moore’s wife Ann’s maiden name was Scarlett, Grafton or Carte. Her maiden name and origins are unknown. We simply know her first name was Ann. Her daughter’s husband was Joseph Graton and in some cases researchers have confused his surname Graton with her maiden name. A familysearch ancestral file shows Ann married to a Mr. Scarlett but it is completely unsourced. The name Ann Scarlett probably originated from the will of Ann Scarlet dated 2d 1st mo., 1639 who was the sister of Joseph Grafton ^[1][5].

In 1928, Henry Wyckoff Belknap wrote “The Grafton Family of Salem” in the Historical Collections of the Essex Institute: Vol LXIV published by The Essex Institute. He asserted that Thomas Moore, Sr of Salem came from Southwold, Suffolk, England. ^[1] However, he provided no source for this claim. We have no record of what ship he came on or what year he arrived. We have no record of his parents. We do know that his son Thomas Moore Jr moved to Southold, Suffolk, New York. It is possible that the author simply confused Southold, Suffolk, New York with Southwell, Suffolk, England. In recent years his birthplace has even been listed as Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England on the Internet and there is absolutely not basis for this claim. However we do know that his stepson’s family originated in Southwold so it is possible they share a common origin. ^[1]

Elston believes that Thomas Moore of Salem is the same Thomas Moore who was sent by John Mason of Salem to settle in the Province of New Hampshire. ^[6] However, this is not proven. It could have been the Thomas Moore of Connecticut or another Thomas Moore.

Thomas Moore of Salem died before 11 July 1636 we know this because his *widow* Ann and his son Thomas Jr joined the church of Salem on that date. We do not know where he died. ^[7]

We can extract a few clues about his family from the following records:

• ”11th 5th mo. 1636 Thomas Moore soone to widow Moore & his wife are received for Inhabitants and may haue one fishing lot on the neck.” (from Salem Town Records) ^[1] From this we can clearly deduce that Thomas Moore, Sr had died by 11 Jul 1636.
• "Tho: Mores widdow 10 acres." “att Jeffrys Creek" (Manchester). The 3d of 1st mo. 1637 the "Widoo Moore desireth a howseloote (vpon) neere vnto the Winter Iland among the ffishermanns lotts.” ^[1][8]
• June 25th 1638 “Joseph Graftons mother in law forgotten in the devision shall have her halfe acrs of marsh land.” ^[1]
• “25th of 10th mo. 1637 she had 5 in her family and was therefore entitled to 3/4 of an acre.” ^[4]
• 30th of the 7th mo. 1644 in Salem Town Records: ”The Widow Moore the midwiefe . . . shall . . . haue so much of the wett marsh or swampe as lyes before (her) ground.” ^[1]
• “Hana alias Ann more, widow, having sold a house, land and orchard adjoining, containing about an acre and a quarter, lying in Salem between the land of Mr. Joseph Grafton, sr. and Nathaniell Grafton, came into court and declared that she sold the premises for her necessary use, and the court allowed it.” (Quarterly Court Records, June 1668)^[9]
• We know that his widow Ann died after 17 Aug 1668 when she executed a deed: “On August 17, 1668, Anne More of Salem, widow, executed another deed to John Turner, mariner, for a messuage [dwelling house with outbuildings and land assigned to its use] or tenement at Salem, a dwelling house, with all the ground adjoining containing one acre and three-forths, partly an orchard and part arable, lyng on the south by the highway that ran between the premises and the south harbor, and westerly with the house and land of Joseph Grafton, senior, northerly with the land of Edward Wollen, and easterly with the land and house of Nathaniel Grafton formerly bot of Ann More. The whole including that sold to N. Grafton, containing about two acres.” ^[10] However, no death date appears in vital records nor are probate records available in Essex county. Tradition is that her son Thomas helped build the house located at the foot of Turner Street. ^[1]
• “His [Joseph Grafton's] first wife was Mary, daughter of Thomas and Ann Moore of Southwold, England, whose mother was certainly living here, for: ‘goodwife Grafton requesteth a pcell of land for hir mother at ye ende of hir husbands lott & it is granted to be laid out at ye discretion of the sureiors.’” 28 Aug 1637. ^[1] (again this is not based on "records", it is Belknap's assertion based on land transactions. Joseph Grafton had an un-named mother-in-law in Salem, Joseph Grafton had a wife Mary who he married as "Widow Henfield" at Great Yarmouth St. Nicholas, Norfolk and widow Anne Moore lived next to Joseph Grafton and she sold land to his son Nathaniel. Does all this equal "Joseph Grafton's wife Mary was daughter of Thomas & Anne Moore"? Maybe.)
• “In the list of land grants 1636-7 he had forty acres and a little later thirty more of "ffreemans land" and he was "pmissed planted ground" July 12 1637. He certainly owned all the land on both sides of the present Hardy Street, from Essex Street to the harbor and back of the harbor and on the eastern side of a large lot, owned before 1661 by a Mr. More, which was conveyed by his wife Ann or Hanna, March 10, 1664/5 to Joseph's son Nathaniel Grafton, while behind this, still to the eastward, was another lot which belonged to Joseph Grafton, Sr. . . In the division of marsh and meadows, in the lists made, it is believed by Conant, he is set down as having seven in the family and therefore had one accre allotted to him. Before 1650 he sold land in South Field to James Smith of Marblehead. . .” ^[1]

The following list of children of Thomas MOORE and Ann has been circulating the Internet but it is also completely unsourced:

1. Mary Moore, born 1600 in Of Southwold, Suffolk, England; died Nov 1674 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts; married Joseph Grafton; born 1596 in Of Southwold, Suffolk, England; died 24 Jun 1682 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts.
2. Margaret Moore, born 1602 in Southwell, Nottingham, England.
3. Joseph Moore, born 1604 in Southwell, Nottingham, England.
4. Thomas(1) Moore, born 1605; died 1615.
5. Thomas(2) MOORE1, born 20 May 1616 in Oultown, Suffolk, England; died 27 Jun 1691 in Southold, Long Island, NY; married Martha Sarah Yonges 11 Jul 1636 in Salem, Essex, MA; born 01 Jul 1613 in Reyden, Southwold, Suffolk, England; died 27 Jun 1671 in Southold, Suffolk, Long Island, NY.
6. Richard Elvin Moore, born 1617 in Southwold, Suffolk, England; died 1647.
7. John Moore, born 1619 in Of Southwell, Nottingham, England; died 17 Sep 1657 in Long Island, New York; married Margaret Howell.
8. Ann Moore, born 1621 in Of Southwell, Nottingham, England.

The only two children that are proven by the records above are Mary Moore and Thomas Moore (again, Mary is not proved by records as a daughter of Thomas Moore, she is asserted by Belknap through analysis of land transcations between widow Anne Moore and her son Thomas and Joseph Grafton & his son Nathaniel). Some of these children are claimed to be from Southwell which seems extremely unlikely as Southwell is nowhere near Southwold. Richard’s middle name “Elvin” may be conflated with the maiden name of Thomas Moore, Jr’s mother-in-law. This list of children is very suspicious and probably wrong other than the two mentioned above.

When was Thomas Moore of Salem born? His daughter Mary Moore married Joseph Grafton ^[1] (asserted by Grafton through circumstantial evidence and analysis, Moore may be true but is NOT proved by primary sources). They had a daughter Priscilla (Grafton) Gardner ^[11] of Salem married to John Gardner on 20 Feb 1653 in Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts. ^[12] Based on this fact we might estimate that Priscilla Grafton was perhaps born about 1626 and therefore her mother Mary Moore was probably born between 1600 and 1608. That would mean that Thomas Moore was probably born before 1588 and possibly earlier. That’s a very rough estimate but it is the best I can come up with at this point. We might assume that Ann was about the same age.

Son Thomas Moore Jr married Martha Youngs in Salem. ^[3][13] Thomas, Jr. was in Salem until at least 1650 before moving to Southold, Long Island, where Rev John Youngs was located. ^[3] He must have moved to Southhold, Long Island, New York in about 1651 when his daughter, Elizabeth married Richard Clark. ^[3] Daughter Mary Moore married Joseph Grafton and died in Salem. ^[1][14]

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 1.14 1.15 1.16} “The Grafton family of Salem” Reprinted from the historical collections of the Essex Institute, volume LXIV, by Henry Wyckoff Belknap. p 1 -4. Essex Institute. Salem, Massachusetts. 1928. The Grafton family of Salem
2. ↑ Mary Henfeild in 1631 Norfolk Banns And Marriages Great Yarmouth, St Nicholas with St Peter, St John, St Andrew, St James, St Paul & St Luke, Norfolk, England $subscription required
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} “Long island genealogies. Families of Albertson, Andrews, Bedell, Birdsall ... Willets, Williams, Willis, Wright, and other families. Being kindred descendants of Thomas Powell, of Bethpage, L. I. 1688.” Compiled by Mary Powell Bunker. p 250. Munsell's sons. Albany New York. 1895. link At Harvard link "Thomas1 Moore b. in England before 1600, d. at Salem, Mass., 1636, wife Ann, dau Mary2 m. Joseph Grafton of Salem… Thomas2 Moore, shipbuilder, at Salem in 1676, m. Martha Youngs b. 1613, dau. of Rev. Christopher Youngs (Vicar of Reyden, Suffolk Co. Eng. he d. 1640) and Margaret Elvin, dau. of Richard who d. in Boston 1647," 17 Feb. 1636-7, XX for Yong was received for inhabitant of Salem…. THOMAS2 MOORE came to Southold, L. I. in 1650, wife Martha and 8 children followed in 1651, he d. June 27, 1691, 2d wife Catharine survived him, no children by her.”
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Roger Conant's list, which probably refers to the division of "the Marsh & meadow lands" (See Belknap).
5. ↑ Historical Collections of the Essex Institute
6. ↑ “Descent from seventy-nine early immigrant heads of families” by James S Elston. Chedwato Service. Burlington, Vt. 1962. Page images at HathiTrust
7. ↑ Historical Society Register, Vol 1, No. 1, Jun 1975
8. ↑ List of grants, December 26, 1636, to July 12, 1637 (see Belknap).
9. ↑ “The Moore Family of Southold, Long Island,”by Charles B. More. New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. Apr 1884. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924061993295;view=1up;seq=82
10. ↑ February 9, 1668 (12 mo. 9), Salem, Lib 3 of Deeds, p. 49.
11. ↑ “The Annals of Salem: From Its First Settlement,” by Joseph Barlow Felt. W. & S. B. Ives, Salem, Mass. 1827. link
12. ↑ U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Torrey
13. ↑ “Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England,“ by James Savage link "THOMAS, Salem 1636, prob. s. of Thomas, to whose wid. Ann, a midwife, was next yr. gr. of ld. made, by w. Martha had Thomas, and Martha, both apt. 21 Oct. 1639, soon aft. the parents were rec. of the ch.; Benjamin, 2 Aug. 1640; Nathaniel, 3 July 1642; Hannah, 9 Dec. 1644; Eliz. 31. Jan. 1647; Jonathan, 3 June 1649; and Mary, 15 Dec. 1650; was freem. 27 Dec. 1642, and in few yrs. rem."
14. ↑ “The Pioneers of Massachusetts A Descriptive List drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns and Churches and other Contemporaneous Documents” by Charles Henry Pope. Boston, Mass. 1900.

See Also:

• “The Grafton family of Salem” Reprinted from the historical collections of the Essex Institute, volume LXIV, by Henry Wyckoff Belknap. p 1 -4. Essex Institute. Salem, Massachusetts. 1928. The Grafton family of Salem
• “Long island genealogies. Families of Albertson, Andrews, Bedell, Birdsall ... Willets, Williams, Willis, Wright, and other families. Being kindred descendants of Thomas Powell, of Bethpage, L. I. 1688.” Compiled by Mary Powell Bunker. p 250. Munsell's sons. Albany New York. 1895. link At Harvard link "Thomas1 Moore b. in England before 1600, d. at Salem, Mass., 1636, wife Ann, dau Mary2 m. Joseph Grafton of Salem… Thomas2 Moore, shipbuilder, at Salem in 1676, m. Martha Youngs b. 1613, dau. of Rev. Christopher Youngs (Vicar of Reyden, Suffolk Co. Eng. he d. 1640) and Margaret Elvin, dau. of Richard who d. in Boston 1647," 17 Feb. 1636-7, XX for Yong was received for inhabitant of Salem…. THOMAS2 MOORE came to Southold, L. I. in 1650, wife Martha and 8 children followed in 1651, he d. June 27, 1691, 2d wife Catharine survived him, no children by her.”
• Roger Conant's list, which probably refers to the division of "the Marsh & meadow lands" (See Belknap).
• Historical Collections of the Essex Institute
• “Descent from seventy-nine early immigrant heads of families” by James S Elston. Chedwato Service. Burlington, Vt. 1962. Page images at HathiTrust
• Historical Society Register, Vol 1, No. 1, Jun 1975
• List of grants, December 26, 1636, to July 12, 1637 (see Belknap).
• “The Moore Family of Southold, Long Island,”by Charles B. More. New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. Apr 1884.
• February 9, 1668 (12 mo. 9), Salem, Lib 3 of Deeds, p. 49.
• “The Annals of Salem: From Its First Settlement,” by Joseph Barlow Felt. W. & S. B. Ives, Salem, Mass. 1827. link
• U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 Torrey
• “The Pioneers of Massachusetts A Descriptive List drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns and Churches and other Contemporaneous Documents” by Charles Henry Pope. Boston, Mass. 1900.
• “Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England,“ by James Savage link "THOMAS, Salem 1636, prob. s. of Thomas, to whose wid. Ann, a midwife, was next yr. gr. of ld. made, by w. Martha had Thomas, and Martha, both apt. 21 Oct. 1639, soon aft. the parents were rec. of the ch.; Benjamin, 2 Aug. 1640; Nathaniel, 3 July 1642; Hannah, 9 Dec. 1644; Eliz. 31. Jan. 1647; Jonathan, 3 June 1649; and Mary, 15 Dec. 1650; was freem. 27 Dec. 1642, and in few yrs. rem."
• An American Family History
• COLDHAM, PETER WILSON, compiler Lord Mayor's Court of London: Depositions Relating to Americans, 1641-1736. (National Genealogical Society Publications, 44.) Washington, D.C.: National Genealogical Society, 1980. 119p.
• COLKET, MEREDITH B., JR. Founders of Early American Families: Emigrants from Europe, 1607-1657. Cleveland: General Court of the Order of Founders and Patriots of America, 1975. 366p. Page: 199
• Bill Putman, "The Moore Family PDF."
• Michael Cooley's Genealogy Pages
• Stark/Smith/Austin/Boarman by Louis L Stark
• CROUCH GREGORY MOORE STEWART STONESIFER
• FindAGrave
• “Town records of Salem Massachusetts 1634-1659:” Second Series, Vol 1. The Essex Institute. Salem, Massachusetts. 1868. link
• "Ancestors of Frank Herbert Davol and his wife Phebe Downing Willits," by Joseph C Frost. F. H. Hitchcock. New York. 1925.
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126492952/thomas-moore