William Thorne Sr. (abt. 1606 - aft. 1657)

Born about 1606 in England

Husband of Susannah (Booth) Thorne — married about 1630 in England

Descendants

Died after 27 Dec 1657 after about age 51 in Flushing, Long Island, Queens, New York

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William Thorne Sr. migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 334) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

William Thorne Sr. was a New Netherland settler. Join: New Netherland Settlers Project Discuss: new_netherland

Merge Notice

Please do not attempt to merge William Thorn (born of unknown parents in 1620 in England, died 1699 in Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts) (both dates marked as certain) with this William Thorne, Sr., (born 1606 in England, died before 1664 in Flushing, Long Island, Queens, New York) both of whom previously appeared as the spouse of Susannah Booth Hallett, born 1612

Biography

William Thorne Sr. immigrated to New England between 1621 and 1640 and later departed for Long Island.

William Thorn migrated from England in 1637 residing first in Lynn, Massachusetts Bay Colony then moving to Long Island, settling first in Gravesend, then Flushing and finally in Jamaica, New York.^[1] His eventual residence in New York qualifies him for "Beyond New England" status in the Puritan Great Migration project. He may have been a Quaker late in life, as he was a signatory of the "Flushing Remonstrance" of 1657 (see "Colonial Life"). However, not all of the signatories WERE Quakers so William's religion is not certain.

Birth & Baptism

William Thorn(e) may have been born around 1605 in England (his original nationality proven by his son's appearance on a list of English settlers of Flushing, Long Island who lived amongst the Dutch there, see "Death & Estate"). His parentage is not known. One baptism previously singled out was 10 Jun 1604 at Alvingham, Lincolnshire, England to John Thorne but several christenings of children of the same name are easily found around England at this time on familysearch.org and other sources.^[2]

The FIndAGrave memorial for William states a birth date and location (7 Mar 1617 at Moreton, Essex, England) which is not supported by any apparent source (see "References").

His birth is sometimes quoted as 1617 or 1617, likely to make him 21 by the time he was a freeman of Lynn. However, this status typically indicated an older man who owned property and was a member of the church with some standing in society so likely he was considerably more than 21 in 1638.

Immigration

Thorne was in Lynn by early 1638 as he was made a freeman there, implying that he had property and was a member of church so likely had been there for at least a year and likely more (see "Colonial Life"). No direct immigration record or primary source of his departure or arrival in New England has been found.

Marriage & Children

No record of Thorn's marriage has been found yet other than in auto-aggregated collections of unsourced user submissions such as the ancestry.com "Family Data Collection" or "International Genealogical Index". The birth years of his children are guesses so they are no real help in determining his age.

His wife is called Susannah Booth, of unknown origins on wikitree. The work of Arthur Eaton cited here^[3] proved that her first name was Susannah, but said her last name was unknown.

In a followup 1965 NYGBR article her last name is stated as "Booth" and her origin (and their date and place of marriage) are specifically stated as "unknown".^[4] Her last name of "Booth" is derived from genealogical work done by two genealogists (John Ross Delafield and his father Maturin Livingston Delafield) who claimed to have had an account of William Hallett stating that his alimony payment (to his ex-wife Susan, widow of William Thorn) was to be paid to "Susannah Both". No such name has been found subsequently in any original document, but Dickinson holds the Delafields in high regard and gives credence to this statement of Susannah's original surname.

Her first name (and marriage first to Thorn, then to Hallett) however is well established by these June 1669 New York court records from the legal separation of Susanna Hallett and her husband William noting a subsequent alimony suit where Susannah Hallet's son, Joseph Thorne took an active part.^[4]

Torrey in "New England Marriages to 1700" sheds no additional light on the marriage of William Thorn and Susannah and makes no claim to her last name.^[5]

These children are assigned to the couple but it should be noted that primary sources for dates and locations of birth do not appear on their profiles in general. Arthur Eaton's 1888 article on this family provided much detail about them^[6] He only had one son "William"; another was attached at one point but has been removed.

1. William Thorne Jr. 1632 (not actually known)- about 1688 (Eaton states that he did have four sons, one named William who married a Winifred^[6]
2. Joseph Thorne b. Abt 1642, Flushing, N.Y. d. 3 May 1727, Woodbridge, N.J.
3. John Thorn b. Abt 1643, d. 1709, m. Mary Parsell (spelling varies), wrote his will 1709
4. Susannah Thorne b. Abt 1645, d. UNKNOWN m. John Lockerson or Ockerson^[6]
5. Samuel Thorne b. Abt 1648 (Eaton says born between about 1655 and 1670), d. UNKNOWN, will recorded 1732

A previous version of this family included an additional son, Denton Thorne, who has been removed (Denton was actually a grandson of this William through his son William).

Colonial Life

Along with 41 other men, William Thorne was made a freeman of Massachusetts Bay Colony on May 2, 1638.^[7]

_____ Thorn is on the list of those who are on the distribution of land at Lynn in 1638 - he received "30 acres & tenn."^[8] presumably it was this man although the first name was not specified.

At Salem in 1641, William Thorne was on a member of a jury regarding a passageway for a shallop by Captain Trask's mill.^[9]

In December 1645 or early 1646 William may have been on of the original patent holders at Gravesend, Long Island received by Lady Moody.^[3] However, HIS NAME DOES NOT APPEAR on the patent (only Lady Moody and two others do) nor does he appear in the few remaining pages of the Gravesend original town minutes (many destroyed by fire). It is LIKELY that he was there and received a lot of land but it is NOT PROVEN.^[4]

William was at Flushing, Long Island, Nieuw Nederland, by 10 Oct 1645. The original patent of that town was granted to him and seventeen others by the Dutch governor, Honorable William Kieft.^[10] He may have actually been there as early as 1642; as the "History of Flushing" states that he had come 3 years before (the 1645 patent) and had settled at "Thome's Neck". But, it must be noted that this 1642 arrival was supposedly found on a page of John Bowne's journal WHICH IS NOW MISSING so while interesting, cannot be proven.^[4]

On 28 Feb 1642/43 "Goodman Thorne" was found guilty in a Salem, Essex court for refusing to serve in the Military Watch. The court record read "Divers of Lynn gone to Long Island and not warned." (the phrase "not warned" apparently meant the summons was not served)^[11] A Thorne family web site says that he had already left the area of Salem by that time, which matches with the "History of Flushing" stating that he was in Thome's Neck in the area of Flushing, New York by about 1642.

However, the mystery deepens as the record also contains this phrase"

William [but his name was John] Thorne for refusing to Watch in the military watch being Lawfully Commanded. Gone to Long Iland^[4]

Apparently the correction "but his name was John" was written later in a different hand; the 1965 authors believe this may be disregarded as they found no record of a contemporaneous John Thorne of Lynn or on Long Island immediately afterward. They do note that there was a John Thorne, carpenter of Salem in the 1640 who died there in 1646.

William was one of the signers of the 27 Dec 1657 Flushing Remonstrance. ^[12] This document was a 1657 petition to Peter Styuvesant, Director General of New Netherland requesting an exemption to his ban on Quaker Worship.

Death & Estate

The date and location of William's death are unknown. He supposedly appeared as "Goodman Thorn" in an account written by John Bowne 31 Jan 1657/58, so about one month after signing the "Remonstrance". Some unsourced sites give his death as 1664 but this seems to be based on his lack of appearance on an apparent document in that year offering Connecticut citizenship to English residents amongst the Long Island Dutch and therefore assuming that he was dead by that date. Certainly possible, but it can only be said with certainty that he was dead after the 1657 signing of the "Remonstrance".

This paragraph of the original biography is kept intact, but a primary source for this offer of freemanship has not yet been found. It seems very plausible but is as-yet only secondarily sourced.

On May 12, 1664, ...the principles English residents among the Dutch on Long Island were offered citizenship by the Connecticut Assembly, a change of allegiance which never took place. The only Thorne on the Assembly's list is John Thorne of Flushing, without a doubt the second son of William, who is shown to have been in New York City in 1663. John Thorne seems to have been considered the head of the Long Island family, It is, therefore, to be supposed that William Thorne died not later than 1664."^[13]

It is possible, but apparently not proven, that William & Susanna were buried with friends and neighbors at the burying ground of the Friend's Meeting House at Flushing but note that they WERE NOT PROVEN QUAKERS (see "Was William Thorn a Quaker?" below).

No will or probate has yet been found for William or Susannah.

Research Notes

In his article "William Thorne and Some of His Descendants" from Oct 1888, Rev. Arthur W. H. Eaton first wrote about this William Thorne^[6] followed by another article in Jan 1922.^[3]

Eaton, who noted his primary sources, originally thought that William's wife might have been "Sarah"; by 1922 he had proved her name as Susannah. He listed several other Thornes of New England but admits there is no proven relationship amongst them. He also stated that he (Eaton) did not known Thorn's origins and mentioned a 16 Apr 1640 will of Dorothy Rogers of Dedham, Essex, England listing "god child William Thorne" along with three "Peek" (or Peck) family who are also believed to have emigrated to New England. This article is well worth reading although it does not definitively prove other family relationships. The second part of the article appears in NYGBR Vol. 20 pg. 77^[14]

Dickinson in his 1965 followup to Eaton^[4] opines that William did not likely move to the area of Flushing immediately after 1643, given the amount of Indian massacres which went on there, quoting a letter of 24 Oct 1643 stating that all English settlements there except one had been burned and the inhabitants murdered. The one surviving house was apparently Lady Deborah Moody who founded Gravesend early in 1643. It is important to note that WIlliam Thorne DID NOT APPEAR on the Gravesend patent, or in the few remaining pages of the Gravesend town minutes. Other men from Lynn did, and it is LIKELY that Thorne was granted a lot along with others, but it is NOT PROVEN.

Was William Thorn a Quaker?

William's religious practice is also not proven. As mentioned earlier, not all signers of the "Flushing Remonstrance" were Quakers. His fine in the 1642/43 court for not reporting for military watch is sometimes given as a proof of Quaker pacifism as they were not generally in New England by that date but may have indicated he was an adherent of Ann Hutchinson who was opposed to the military chaplain of the church of Boston and had persuaded the men of the church to disobey a draft for the Pequot War.^[4] Further note that he apparently did not appear in any list of Friends (Quakers) and despite some internet (unsourced) statements to the contrary, it is NOT PROVEN that he is buried in the Friend's burying ground of Flushing.

Sources

1. ↑ Robert Charles Anderson. "The Great Migration Directory, Immigrants to New England 1620-1640." New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA (2015). p. 334.
2. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQ5Z-DB6 : 20 March 2020), William Thorne, 1605.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. New York, NY: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1870-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) "William Thorne of Flushing, Long Island and His Wife Susannah" by Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton. Vol. 53, p. 18. Jan 1922 subscribers$
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6} Dickinson, Thorn. "Genealogies of Long Island Families Vol 2: Early History of the Thorn Family of Long Island," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record pg. 153 $subscription
5. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. $subscription
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. New York, NY: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1870-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) Vol 19 pg. 153
7. ↑ "Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay" Nathaniel B. Shurtleff. Press of William White, Boston (1853). Vol 1. pg. 374
8. ↑ "Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts" The Essex Institute, Salem, Mass (1912 Vol 2. pg. 270
9. ↑ "Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts" The Essex Institute, Salem, Mass (1911)Vol. 1, p. 28.
10. ↑ History of the town of Flushing, Long Island, New York by Waller, Henry D. Publication date 1975 Publisher Harrison, N.Y. : Harbor Hill Books pg. 16
11. ↑ Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex, Massachusetts Vol 1 (1636-1655) pg. 50
12. ↑ Documents relative to the colonial history of the state of New York by Brodhead, John Romeyn &c...Publication date 1853 Vol 14 old series, Vol 3 new series Page 403.
13. ↑ Unknown source, page 164.
14. ↑ The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. New York, NY: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1870-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB437/i/13083/78/0

See also:

• Find A Grave: Memorial #180247601
• 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. unsourced "before 1638" immigration to New England claim on ancestry.com
• Long Island Genealogy Data Base, entry for William Thorne b 1617] Person ID 100531 http://longislandsurnames.com/getperson.php?personID=I00531&tree=Willets
• Genealogical and Biographical Directory to Persons in New Netherland, From 1613 to 1674. Volumes I-IV. Created by David M. Riker, chairman of the Genealogy Committee of the Holland Society of New York, p1415
• O'Callaghan, E.B., Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New-York (Weed, Parsons, Albany, 1853-1887)
• NJGS. "Thorn, Thorne: Thorne, William." njgsbc.org. Accessed 06 Jul 2016. PDF See: Bergen County Families. As of Feb 2021, website says PDFs are not available online while they review their posting policy.
• Harris, Edward Doubleday, Genealogical Charts Showing the Male Line of Descent from Adam Mott of Hempstead, Long Island, N.Y.: also charts showing descent from other early settlers in America bearing the name Mott. Microfilm (FHL US/CAN Film 231 Item 3) of manuscript (77 p., made in 1918) at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, New York. Chart 48, 52.
• Willett, Albert James, Jr., The Willett Families of North America, Volume I. Easley: Southern Historical Press, Inc., 1985. pg. 248-251
• Frost, Josephine C., Underhill Genealogy: Descendants of Capt. John Underhill, Volume II. Privately published, 1932. pg. 1-50 does not seem to bear directly on the Thorn family.
• Hicks, Benjamin D., "Willis Family of Long Island," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol 15 (1884): 170-176; Vol 16 (1885): 44-45. these references do not seem to bear directly on the Thorn family.

• Flushing Remonstrance Wikipedia