Thomas Gardner (1615 - 1689)

Born 1615 in England

Husband of Lucy (Smith) Gardner — married 4 Jul 1641 in Roxbury, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 15 Jul 1689 at about age 74 in Brookline, Massachusetts

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Note: Distinct from, but a contemporary of, Thomas Gardner of Salem, MA (25 miles away). Do not merge Gardner family of Roxbury to Gardner family of Salem.

Biography

Thomas Gardner, son of Thomas Gardner of Roxbury, was born in England. His birth year is a guess based on his marriage to Lucy Smith on Jul. 4, 1641 in Roxbury. They had the following children; Andrew, Thomas, Abigail, Mary, Peter, Abigail (2nd), Lucy, Joanna, Joshua and Caleb. Thomas resided in Roxbury. He died on Jul. 15, 1689 in Brookline, although his death was recorded in Roxbury. His wife Lucy died on Nov. 6, 1687.^[1]

He was living in Brookline in 1641 and was made a freeman 6 May 1646.^[2]

Thomas became a member of the Roxbury Church in 1650 and paid an annual tax of thirteen shillings for the support of a Roxbury school as no school was kept then in Muddy River.^[3]

In 1672 when the people of Roxbury decided to build "a nue Metting-hous," and permit the people of "Mudi-river" to share in its privileges if they would bear one fifth of the expense, the list of Brookline taxpayers for this object was headed by Thomas Gardner, who paid ten pounds, that being the largest amount paid by any man in the place. The amount raised was 104 pounds, 13 shillings. His brother Andrew paid 5 pounds.^[4][5]

Thomas Gardner died in 1689 in Brookline, however his death is recorded in the Vital Records of Roxbury. He left a will providing for his sons Thomas and Joshua, and his four daughters who survived. His daughter Mary had married Thomas Boylston, one of the earliest of an old Brookline family.^[6]

Children

Extracted from Vital Records of Roxbury to 1849 -- mother's name not always provided.

1. Abigail, d. 28 Aug 1649 of fever
2. Abigail, bp Dec 6 1652
3. Peter s/o Thos bur 24 Aug 1653
4. Lucia / Lucie, bp 11 Feb 1654/5
5. Joanna bp 25 Jan 1656/7 - she was listed as a member of the church 11 Feb 1676/7.^[7]
6. Joshua bp 8 May 1659; candidate for the Joshua who married Mary Weld 22 Mar 1681/2
7. Caleb bp 13 Apr 1662

Legacy

Thomas is an ancestor of two US Presidents, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and the ancestor of US Vice President Charles Dawes.

Sources

1. ↑ Paige, Lucius Robinson. History of Cambridge, Massachusetts. 1630-1877: Volume 2, page 557
2. ↑ History of the First Church of Roxbury (p. 56)
3. ↑ Woods, Harriet F. Historical Sketches of Brookline, Mass. Boston. 1874; page 284
4. ↑ Woods, Harriet F. Historical Sketches of Brookline, Mass. Boston. 1874; page 285.
5. ↑ History of the First Church of Roxbury, p 69
6. ↑ Woods, Harriet F. Historical Sketches of Brookline, Mass. Boston. 1874; page 285.
7. ↑ History of the First Church of Roxbury (p. 120)

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71927920/thomas-gardner: accessed 24 September 2023), memorial page for Thomas Gardner Jr. (1616–15 Jul 1689), Find A Grave: Memorial #71927920; Burial Details Unknown; Maintained by Bushnell (contributor 47234417).
• Coombs, Jan Gregoire. Coombs Family History (Janet Pulvermacher, Middleton, Wisconsin, 2013) Page 7
• Dexter, Franklin Bowditch. Extracts From The Itineraries and Other Miscellanies of Ezra Stiles (Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, Conn., 1916) Page 56.
• Vital Records of Roxbury, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (The Essex Institute, Salem, Mass., 1926) Vol. 2, Page 161.