Thomas Beale (bef. 1598 - 1661)

Born before 25 Mar 1598 in Biddenden, Kent, England

Husband of Sarah (Unknown) Beale — married after 1620 in England

Died 7 Sep 1661 after age 63 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, New England

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Thomas Beale migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 1, p. 214) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Birth

Thomas Beale was baptized in Biddenden, Kent, England, 25 March 1599, son of Thomas and Joan (Beale) Beale.^[1] In his will dated 24 Aug 1661, he called himself age 63.^[2]

Marriage

Thomas married Sarah ____ probably between 1620 and 1630 in England before they migrated to New England.^[3][4] Probate records indicate that they had no surviving children,^[2] nor were there any recorded.^[4][5][3]

New England

Thomas arrived in Cambridge in 1634,^[5] and received his first grant of land 4 August 1634.^[6] He and Sarah were members of The First Church of Cambridge in 1636,^[7][8] and he was made a freeman on December 8 of that year.^[5][9][10]

In 1637, a group of Newtowne/Cambridge residents, with Rev. Thomas Hooker, left Newtowne to found Hartford. Thomas Beale had land sequestered to him there, but evidently never took possession of the one acre+ lot, for it was part of John Marsh's land in 1639.^[11][5] It is interesting to note that Savage in his Genealogical Dictionary mentions Thomas of Cambridge, but does not make the connection to Hartford and does not include a separate Thomas of Hartford. Anderson in the Great Migration series does not mention Hartford either. Thomas Beale's name is on the founder's monument in Hartford, but other than having land assigned, made no mark there.

In Newtowne/Cambridge, Thomas held several public offices including selectman, constable, fenceviewer, hogreeve, Lotlayer, and Clerk of the market.^[12]

-Land owned by Thomas in Cambridge

-Three acres in Westend Field - granted 4 August 1634^[13][14]

-Share in the undivided meadow - granted 20 August 1635.^[15]

-A lot in town - granted by the Cambridge selectmen 8 Feb 1635/6,^[16][17] on which Thomas built a house.^[18]

-Two acres at Wigwam Neck bought of Captain Patricke.^[19][18]

-Three acres of upland in the new lots next to Manotomie given by the town^[19][18]

-Five acres of marsh on the west side of the Charles River sold to Edmond Angier by 1639^[20]

-Two lots on the south side of the Charles River, four acres in the lower division, four acres in the upper division Land^[18][21]

-Three and a half acres bordered on the common south granted in 1645.^[22]

Death

Thomas Beale died the 7th of the 7th month (September) 1661, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.^[5][2]

Will: Thomas Beal of Cambridge, County of Middlesex, in New England, aged sixty three years. He left his entire estate to his "deare and loving wife, Sarah Beale, during her lifetime or widowhood. At her marriage or death bequests were made to the Reverend President of the College, Mr Chauncey fifty shillings, to the Reverend Pastor of the church of Cambridge Mr Mitchell fifty shillings. He also mentions his kinsman Richard Post and his sister Sarah Wenn. His sister Sarah was also given clothing that she thought would suit her husband (after Thomas died) and his great Bible (after Sarah died.) His will was dated 24 Aug 1661. An inventory was taken which, after debts were paid, was about £177.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ "Genealogical Research in England: Beale" New England Historical and Genealogical Record. 66:344(starts) see pp 347, 349 350. Boston:NEHGS,1912. This article contains an entire pedigree for Thomas.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org) #1423 Thomas Beal. 1661.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} C.A. Torrey. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. pp. 55
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} R.C. Anderson, Great Migration. Page 216
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4} L. B. Barbour, Families of Early Hartford, Connecticut, pp.44
6. ↑ Records Town Cambridge: Page 9
7. ↑ W. Newell A discourse on the Cambridge church-gathering in 1636.
8. ↑ S.P. Sharples, Cambridge Church Records, Page 8.
9. ↑ To become a freeman each person was legally required to be a respectable member of some Congregational church. This regulation was so modified by royal order in 1664 as to allow individuals to be made freemen who could obtain certificates of their being correct in doctrine and conduct from clergymen acquainted with them. Persons were made freemen by the General Court of the colony and also by the Quarterly Courts of the counties. None but freemen could hold office or vote.
10. ↑ Shurtleff, Records of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Volume. 1. p. 372
11. ↑ Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society: Vol. 14 Original Distribution of The Lands in Hartford Among the Settlers 1639 p. 348
12. ↑ Cambridge Town Records : Page 121 Selectman 51, 70, 101; Constable 93; Hogreeve 61, 92; fenceviewer 73, 90; Lotlayer 75; clerk 77 link at Archive
13. ↑ Cambridge Town Records : Page 9
14. ↑ The Register Book: Page 16
15. ↑ Cambridge Town Records : Page 13
16. ↑ Cambridge Town Records : pp 16, 18
17. ↑ The Register Book: pp 16, 63
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3} The Register Book: 1645 Land Inventory p. 102
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} The Register Book: Page 63
20. ↑ The Register Book: Page 50
21. ↑ The Register Book: Page 332
22. ↑ The Register Book: Page 127

• Anderson, Robert Charles. Great Migration 1634-1635, A-B has been the major source used for this profile, but his citations have been checked and cited instead.

Bibliography

• Anderson, Robert Charles, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume 1, A-B, Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999. pp 214-217. American Ancestors (subscription)
• Barbour, Lucius Barnes, 1982, Families of Early Hartford, Connecticut, Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., Baltimore, Maryland and Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Inc., Glastonbury, Connecticut pp.44
• Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society (The Connecticut Historical Society and the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut, Hartford 1860-1928) Vol. 14 Original Distribution of The Lands in Hartford Among the Settlers 1639. p. 348
• Newell, William, 1989, A discourse on the Cambridge church-gathering in 1636. J. Munroe and Co., Boston, Massachusetts pp.56, footnote on p 58
• Sharples, Stephen Paschall (editor) [[Space:Records of the Church of Christ at Cambridge in New England, 1632-1830|Records of the Church of Christ at Cambridge in New England, 1632-1830, comprising the ministerial records of baptisms, marriages, deaths, admission to covenant and communion, dismissals and church proceedings;] The first part of this work (p. 1-293) was originally printed in the Genealogical quarterly magazine, v. 4-5 (Apr. 1903-Jan. 1905) and its successor the Genealogical magazine, v. 1 (Apr. 1905-Mar. 1906). Publisher Boston, E. Putnam, 1906 p. 8
• The Records of the Town of Cambridge (formerly Newtowne) Massachusetts, 1630-1703 (Cambridge, Mass., 1901)
• The Register Book of the Lands and Houses in the "New towne" and the town of Cambridge (Cambridge, Mass., 1896) Link at Archive
• Shurtleff, Nathaniel. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England (William White, Boston, 1853-) Shurtleff: Vol. 1. p. 372
• Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford
• Torrey, Clarence A., 2004, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., Baltimore, Maryland pp. 55