Thomas Wood (abt. 1666 - 1729)

Born about 1666 in Little Compton,Newport,Rhode Island

Ancestors

Husband of Content (Thurston) Wood — married 1690 in Gloucester, New Jersey

Descendants

Died 10 May 1729 at about age 63 in Little Compton,Newport,Rhode Island

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Biography

Thomas Wood, son of John (2) and Mary (Peabody), is thus entered in Little Compton vital records: “Thomas Wood 1666; died May 10, 1729” which so give us the year of his birth beside the date of his death. The same town records state that he married Content _______ in 1690; but do not give the bride’s family name. E. D. Preston felt quite sure she was Content Thurston and this seems probable and would mean that two Content Thurstons married two of the Little Compton Woods. Thomas's wife was the Content Thurston born in Jun 1667 to Edward and Elizabeth (Mott) Thurston. This Content’s brother Jonathan acted as witness for Thomas in 1695, as we shall see below; and Jonathan’s little daughter Content was in 1715 to marry Thomas Wood’s younger brother Henry; two families very much intermarried.

Thomas Wood was a Quaker, and it would seem a very active one. Mrs. Ewers’ Wood (Bertha Clark) genealogy, form which we have quoted so much, shows that the Newport Monthly Meeting comprised the weekly meetings of Newport, Portsmouth, Jamestown, Wickapimsit and Little Compton; and that year after year Thomas Wood was chosen twice a year to represent Little Compton at the Newport Monthly Meeting.

Thomas Wood’s will was written 22 Aug 1728 and proved 20 May 1729. Since it does not mention his wife Content, she had evidently pre-deceased him. He appoints his son Thomas as executor; names his other sons William and John; his daughters Elizabeth Phiney, Content Shaw, Rebecca Shaw, Mary Sisson, Desire Wood and Deliverance Wood; and granddaughter Content Sisson "when she shall be twelve years of age." Those who gave administration bonds were Lieut. John Wood and William Wilbur.

The inventory, taken by John Palmer, John Church and Thomas Brownell, amounted in all to £1903-7-6. Of this, “the Dwelling house and outhousing with about one hundred Acres of Land wee suppose may be worth, with four thousand of Singles Lying by the Corner ye sd Dwelling house £1500.”

Children of Thomas and Content Wood

1. Elizabeth Wood, born 22 May 1692, was married to Thomas Tibbetts 13 Nov 1716, by Benjamin Church, Justice. Thomas Tibbetts died 17 Aug 1724; and on “Mar 12 or 17, 1726/7” “Samuel Finney married Elizabeth Tibbetts, widow of Thomas, by John Greene, Justice”; Samuel Phinney
2. Content Wood, born 15 June 1694, is known from her father’s will to have married a Shaw. Without documentary proof, we feel sure he was the William Shaw of Little Compton born 7 Nov 1690, whose brother Anthony Shaw and sister Hannah Shaw married, respectively, a sister and a brother of Content. William, Anthony, and Hannah were children of Israel Shaw and Mercy Ruth Tallman of Little Compton .
3. Rebecca Wood, born 17 Apr 1696; married at Little Compton 14 Aug 1718, Anthony Shaw, born 29 Jan 1694, brother of William, above .
4. Thomas Wood, born 26 Dec 1697. He administered his father’s estate, his own estate being administered only a few months later. His will was written 20 August 1729, and proved 16 Sept 1729. He left his property to his brother-in-law, Anthony Shaw, and his wife, my sister, Content Wood, and to sisters, Desire Wood and Deliverance Wood, and to his brother, John Wood, whom he named as executor. His inventory amounted to £366-13-6. Thomas died the day he wrote his will .
5. William Wood, born 7 Jan 1699/00. He married first, 16 July 1719, Hannah Shaw, born 7 Mar 1699, sister of William and Anthony above. Deeds at Newport, Fall River, and Taunton show him in several land deals in Newport and Tiverton; and Newport Superior Court records show that William Wood of Little Compton in September 1725 sued Benjamin Sawdey of Newport and won. His wife, Hannah Shaw, died in 1734. On 29 Sept 1737, he married again at Dartmouth, Patience Ellis Wing, born 1 Aug 1699, daughter of Freeman Ellis and Mercy Ellis. Patience was the widow of Edward Wing, born 10 Sept 1687, son of Daniel Wing, and Deborah Dillingham Wing, whom she had married as his third wife in October 1728. William removed to Dartmouth after marrying Patience. On 13 Mar 1741/2, William Wood, glazier, of Dartmouth, and wife, Patience sold land that was hers when she was the widow of Edward Wing. William’s will was written at Dartmouth 14 May 1773; a codicil added 14 Jan 1778; and both proved 6 July 1778. The will mentions wife, Patience; makes son, Zerviah, executor; mentions next son, John, and daughter, Rebecca Eldredge (these two the children of Patience); then daughters, Hannah Mendall, Zilpha West, Anstis Wing, and granddaughter, Mary Allen; and daughters, Content Wing and Drusilla Howland. John and Zilpha died before their father, who in his codicil provides for John’s widow, Sarah, and her oldest three children, and for Zilpha West’s children.
6. Mary Wood, born 6 Jan 1701/2; married Feb 1723, Jonathan Sisson, born about 1699, son of James Sisson and Lydia Hathaway Sisson of Dartmouth.
7. Desire Wood, born 17 Aug 1704; married 9 Apr 1732, John Irish , born 22 Feb 1708. Son of [[Irish-310|David Irish and Martha Nelson Irish.
8. John Wood, born 16 Apr 1707; married May 1730, Mary Burgess, born 18 Sep 1712, daughter of Thomas Burgess, III and Martha Wilbor Burgess; children, the last one born 28 Aug 1740. He married second, on 7 Feb 1745, Sarah Huddlestone, who died 10 Dec 1747; one child. He married third, at Dartmouth 16 Jan 1752/3, Jerusha Taber, born 27 Aug 1715, daughter of Jacob Taber and Sarah West Taber. John Wood died in 1789.
9. Deliverance Wood, born 4 May 1711; married on 2 June 1735, Henry Cuthbert, born 14 May 1708, son of Benjamin William Cuthbert and Mary Head Cuthbert.

Land Transaction

On 14 Nov 1695 Thomas bought of his father the two fifty-acre lots described in the following deed: “To all persons to whom these presents shall come John Wood of Newport on Rhod Island – send Greetting Know yee that I ye sd John Wood for + in consideration of a Certain sum of Current Silver money of New England unto me secured to be payd before the sealing + Delivery of these Have granted – Unto the said Thomas Wood his heires + Assignes for Ever two Certaine lotts or parcells of land Each Containeing fifty acres a piece more or less being in Number as they were layd out one the sixth lott + the other the seventh lott Lying + being within the Township of Little Compton + County of Bristoll in New England aforesd being Bounded as followeth westward with a High way Northward + Eastward by the land of william Southward + south or Southerly by the lands of James Peckham”, etc.

Sign: 14 Nov 1695 John (mark) Wood (S), Mary (mark) Wood (S)

Witnesses: Jonathan Thurston, John Wood, Elias Williams

Acknowledgement: The above named John Wood & Mary his now wife did both of them acknowledge this Instrument above written to be their Act & Deed this Twenty Eighth day of June 1699 Before Joseph Church one of his Majesties Justices for the County of Bristoll

Acknowledgement: The abovesd John Wood and Mary Wood Appeared in Newport and Acknowledged the within written to be their Act & Deed the day & year abovesd Before me James Barker Assist:t

Received: 23 Oct 1702, BCD 3:457-458 [FHL Film No. 465,798 (Image 244-245)]

(https://dartmouthhas.org/uploads/1/0/0/2/100287044/bristol_county_deeds_vol_3__1699-1702_.pdf)

User ID

ID: 4C80A5AF50A4F64BA60F4F1F604105F10F80

Sources

• PRESTON, Eugene D., "The descendants of John Wood of Portsmouth, R. I." (Colorado Springs, CO: typewritten manuscript held by the NYPL, 1916)

• CLARK, Bertha W., "John Wood of Portsmouth and his Early Descendants on the Mainland", (Crete, Ill, 1966)

• Bristol Co. Prob. Rec. 6:235-6

• RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project:They Came To Milton ID:I7625 (Dale Burdick )

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Scott Ledbetter for creating WikiTree profile Wood-8138 through the import of Ledbetter01.ged on Jun 8, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Scott and others.

Thanks to Dale Burdick for starting this profile.

Correction history

16 November 2016 (EST)Lee-5956 Removed INCORRECT Parents Robert Woods and Mary Peabody .