Edward Thurston (abt. 1617 - 1707)

Born about 1617 in England

Husband of Elizabeth (Mott) Thurston — married Jun 1647 in Newport, Rhode Island

Descendants

Died 1 Mar 1707 at about age 90 in Newport, Rhode Island, Rhode Island

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Origins Found 2017

Leslie Mahler, "The English Origin of Edward Thurston of Thornbury, Gloucestershire and Newport, Rhode Island," in The American Genealogist, 89 (July 2017):189-

"His parentage has now been found in the wills for the Consistory Court of Gloucestershire...

"Edward Thurston of Thornebury in the County of Glouc[ester] Baker," made 1 Oct 161, proved 13 Aug 1662, includes a bequest "unto my sonne Edward Thurstone whoe nowe doth or lately did inhabite in new England the full sume of forty poundes of lawfull money in England."

This father and baker Edward was born about 1596; he was buried in 1662; he was a Quaker. His wife appears to have pre-deceased him; she is not named in his will.

Unsourced Parents

Adam Thurston and Ellen Wood - Unsourced Questionable Parents, have been removed.

Biography

"Edward Thurston, another Quaker, of the time whose coming to this country we have no record, but which must have been prior to 1647, because his marriage occurred in June of that year, took the precaution to settle in the more tolerant and liberal state of Rhode Island, where Quakers as well as Baptists could enjoy more freedom to worship God, according to the dictates of their own consciences.^[1]

The first record of Edward Thurston is his marriage to Elizabeth Mott in Newport (Newport Friends Records), the third marriage on the list.^[2]

He was on the list of Freemen in Newport in 1655 and served regularly as a legislator, being a Commissioner, an Assistant and a Deputy variously between 1663 and 1690.^[3][4][5]

Edward was one of the Quakers of Rhode Island who signed an address to the King on 26 August 1686, stating they were "loyal and peaceable people, and cannot in conscience bear arms, nor learn war any more," asking "that they may be excused, being willing to pay all just rates and duties for carrying on the Commonwealth's affairs, and for supporting the government with others, according to estate and strength."^[6]

Edward died 1 Mar 1707, and was buried at the Coddington Graveyard, according to the vital records compiled by Arnold^[2] His gravestone says he died 28 Feb 1706^[7] If he died in the night between 28 Feb and 1 Mar 1706/07 both are correct.

Edward Thurston died testate, having written a will on 11 January 1704, which was proved 12 March 1707. The will named a grandson, Edward, son of his son Edward; sons Jonathan, Daniel, Samuel and Thomas; a granddaughter, Elizabeth, daughter of Jonathan; sons-in-law Weston Clarke and Ebenezer Slocum. The will is very difficult to read due to its poor condition.^[8]

Children of Edward and Elizabeth^[9]

Note: This is the same list as given in Austins's Rhode Island Genealogical Dictionary^[8], but there are some differences between this list and the list in Arnold's Vital Records^[2] [given in backets] The Family Search indexes have some differences, also, mainly Sarah/Samuel is indexed as Rebecca and Elizabeth was born 12 Nov 1649. Films of the originals can be checked at an LDS library.

1. Sarah born March 10, 1648 [Samuel 10 Mar 1646/7]
2. Elizabeth born Feb. 1650 [Feb 1649/50]
3. Edward born April 1, 1652
4. Eleanor/Ellen born March 1655 married George Havens, 1674 [no Eleanor]
5. Mary born Feb. 1657 [Feb 1656/7]
6. Jonathan born Jan. 4, 1659
7. Daniel born April 1661
8. Rebecca born April 1662 m. 1. Peter Easton, m. 2. Weston Clarke [no Rebecca]
9. John b. Dec. 1664 died Oct. 22, 1690, his wife Elizabeth died Oct. 7, 1690 aged 21.
10. Content born June 1667
11. Samuel born Aug 24, 1669
12. Thomas born Oct. 8, 1671

Sources

1. ↑ Thurston, Brown. Thurston genealogies. Second Edition. Portland, ME : Brown Thurston, 1892 p. xii
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Arnold, James N. Vital Records of Rhode Island, 1636-1850. First Series. Births, Marriages and Deaths. Vol VII. Friends and Ministers. (Providence, R.I.: Narrangansett Historical Pub. Co., 1895). marriages p. 35; deaths p 123/4; births p. 77
3. ↑ Bartlett, John Russell (ed.). Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England. Volume I 1636-1663 (Providence : A. C. Greene and Brothers, state printers, 1856) freeman p. 301; Commissioner p. 504;
4. ↑ Bartlett, John Russell (ed.) Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England. Vol. 2 1664-1677 Providence : A. C. Greene and Brothers, state printers [etc.], 1857. Deputy pp 200, 417, 465, 508, 516, 522; Assistant p. 528
5. ↑ Bartlett, John Russell (ed.) Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England. Vol III 1678 to 1706 Providence: Knowles, Anthony and Co. 1858. Deputy pp 84, 97, 106, 121, 150, 167, 185; Assistant pp 187, 259, 270, 271, 572 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo03rhod_0
6. ↑ Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations p. 195
7. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #23403268
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Austin, John Osborne. Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island: Comprising Three Generations of Settlers Who Came Before 1690 : With Many Families Carried to the Fourth Generation. (Albany: J. Munsell Sons, 1887) pp. 201 (Thurston), 344 (Mott)
9. ↑ #S1050: p. 9,10

• Thurston, Charles Myrick. Descendants of Edward Thurston, the First of the Name in the Colony of Rhode Island, 1819-1878. New York: Trow & Smith Book Manufacturing Co., 1868. Thurston at Ancestry.com.
• Wilbour, Benjamin Franklin. Little Compton Families, vol. II. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2003. (This is drawn from the Thurston Genealogies by Brown Thurston and adds no new information.)
• Boyer, Carl 3rd. Ancestral Lines, Third Edition. Santa Clarita, California: 1998): Repository: Carlsbad Georgina Cole Library (1250 Carlsbad Village Dr., Carlsbad, Calif.)
• Thurston, Charles Myrick. Genealogy of Charles Myrick Thurston and of His Wife. Trow & Smith Book Manufacturing Company, 1865, Page 6
• Paine, Lyman May . My Ancestors: In Memory of John Paine & Mary Ann May of E. Woodstock, Conn. Private Publisher, 1914.