Thomas Wood Sr. (1632 - bef. 1687)

Born Apr 1632 in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Ann (Unknown) Wood — married 7 Jun 1654 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died before 12 Sep 1687 before age 55 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Thomas Wood Sr. migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

This profile is part of the Wood Name Study.

Biography

Thomas Wood is an ancestor of Herbert Hoover and President Millard Fillmore^[1]

Thomas Wood was born in April 1632 in Market Harborough in southern Leicestershire, England (christened on the 29th of that month as the "Sone of Edward Wood," see p. 137 of the Market Harborough Parish Register). His parents Edward and Ruth (Lee) Wood had come to Market Harborough from Nuneaton in northeastern Warwickshire in about 1628. The christening date corresponds well with the age of 41 that Thomas gave at a deposition in New England in 1674. ^{[2][3] [4]}

The family had some status in Market Harborough as Edward Wood was a church warden of the parish in 1631. (His clear, bold signature appears on page 136 of the register.)

Thomas Wood emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony with his parents and siblings in 1639. No passenger list mentioning any of the family has survived. (A reconstructed list of "arrivals" in Massachusetts assigns a date of 1654 to him, but that is merely the date of his first appearance on a public record in Massachusetts.) It must be assumed that he spent his first three years in Massachusetts helping with the family's bakery in Charlestown (now part of Boston). His mother died on 29 - 6th month (August), 1642. His father and youngest sister, Tabitha, both died just three months later, on 27 - 9th month (November).^[5]

The extant records of Edward Wood's estate suggest the Court's concern for the children, but the details of their disposition of the family members and of the property are unclear.

1. Perhaps the oldest son (Obadiah) kept the bakery going for a time even though he was only 17 years old at the time of his parents' deaths. He certainly followed his father's trade, as within a decade we find Obadiah operating his own bakery in Ipswich, Mass. ^[6] The first record of him in Ipswich lists him as joint owner of a triangular piece of land with Richard Schofield. ^[6] Notably, Richard Schofield had been christened in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the home town of Michael Hopkinson, whose daughter Ann is thought to have become the wife of Thomas Wood. At a minimum, it is easy to imagine that Thomas Wood would have known his brother's partner Richard Schofield in Ipswich, and that the partner would have been acquainted with his Halifax homie Michael Hopkinson in adjacent Rowley during the period of Thomas' courtship of Ann (Hopkinson) Wood.
2. Thomas' youngest surviving sister, Ruth, was taken in and raised by the Ralph Mousall family after the deaths of Edward Wood & Ruth (Lee) Wood. The reference in Mr. Mousall's will to her as his "daughter" has caused careless genealogists to assume that Ralph Mousall meant “granddaughter” meaning Mousall would have been the father of little Ruth’s mother, also named Ruth. This has caused Edward’s Wood’s wife, Ruth, to be incorrectly identified as Ruth Mousal/Mowsall in the Millennium File and many online trees. Millennium files are not considered reliable sources since they rarely give documentation for their claims.^[7] The finding of the actual marriage record at St. Nicolas, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England definitively debunks this Mousall theory as it reads: "1619 - Edward Wodd & Luth [Ruth] Lee both of this p[ari]sh mar[rid]d ye second day [of February].”^[8]
3. Thomas' younger brother Josiah remained in Charlestown.^[9]
4. Thomas Wood evidently lived with his oldest sister Elizabeth and learned the carpenter's trade from her husband, Solomon Phipps. Thomas seems to have found work in the building trade in the vicinity of Ipswich and the newer community of Rowley, for it was the latter community that recorded his marriage in 1654.^{[citation needed]} However, Charlestown may have remained his primary residence as he was granted a lot there "near the mill of Founell, to be three poles wide" no later than 1654. That date corresponds approximately with Thomas Wood's coming of age. ^[10] The reference to "the mill of Founell" is to a tidal mill set up by John Fownell (also "Funnell" or "Furnell") of Cambridge, whose only son John, a close contemporary of Thomas Wood, died on 1 April 1654. Perhaps John Fownell designated Thomas Wood to take what would have been the inheritance of John Fownell Jr. had he lived; as John Fownell Sr. had, like Thomas Wood, been an orphan.

Thomas' marriage record does not disclose his wife's maiden name; only stating that Thomas & Ann Wood [were] married June 7, 1654. ^[11]

She was not the daughter of William Hunt of Concord & Marlborough, Mass., as some have supposed, but may well have been a relative. Notably, William's son Samuel Hunt and John Todd stood as sureties for the bond that Mary (____) Grant was required to post in connection with the probate of her husband's estate in 1696. This is significant because Thomas Wood called John Todd a "brother" (meaning brother in law) in a deposition, supporting the perception that Samuel Hunt had the same status; all the more so because (unlike John Todd) Samuel Hunt was not a neighbor or even a resident of Essex County, so the only normal reason for him to stand as bondsman would be a family relationship. In addition, the given name Samuel figures prominently among the names of Thomas & Ann Wood's descendants even though there is no known antecedent for it on Thomas' side.

As to the origin and parentage of Thomas' wife Ann (______) Wood, see the comment dated January 17, 2022 by Barry Wood and the related G2G discussion. The assertion that she was born on May 17, 1635 in Rowley, Massachusetts is obviously bogus because Rowley had not yet been settled at that time. The unsourced birth date of 17 May 1635 is least in the right general timeframe, as it would make her 19 years old on her wedding date. She died on 29 Dec 1714 in Rowley.

On 14 December 1655, Thomas received payment from the estate of Hugh Smith for the making of a coffin. On 1 April 1658 he was a witness to a bond of Joseph Jewett of Rowley to John Hall of Newbury.

Thomas had a grant of land in Rowley and remained there the rest of his life. In the earliest tax list, Thomas' taxes were listed at 7 shillings and 3 pence.

In 1661, the town resurveyed the rights of commonage for its inhabitants because of the number of land parcels that had changed hands since Rowley had been founded in 1639. In the original distribution the number of "gates" was assigned according to the acreage owned: the greater the acreage, the more"gates". In the resurvey, Thomas Wood is shown to have one gate.

Thomas' first appearance in the town records of Rowley following his marriage (other than the records of his children's births) is dated 4 October 1661, when he was one of six men engaged by the town to build a pen to catch wolves. On 25 March 1662 he, with Obadiah Wood of Ipswich, was "made free," meaning that he became entitled to vote in town meetings. ^[12]

He was accused before the Rowley Church, 28 Aug 1667, of having the deed to his land written so as to include sixty rods of a meadowland claimed by Rev. Samuel Phillips, the minister of Rowley, and of pulling down the fence. We know nothing of the background of this matter from Thomas' point of view; he may have had a bona fide claim to the land in his mind based on representations made to him a decade or more earlier. However, he must have realized that there was no upside for him in pursuing a fight with the town's minister. The situation ended with Thomas confessing his "sin" in church and the Rev. Phillips receiving clear title to the property in question.

In 1667 and 1671 he was selected a "pinder" - a person in charge of impounding stray cattle. In 1677, Thomas was shown to be a freeholder of two lots.

He prospered in his trade as a homebuilder, and came to own the largest house in Rowley. Unfortunately, he lost this home to a fire in 1675, though the loss of the structure was not the worst part of the fire. ^[13]

The town appointed Thomas Wood and ten others as tithing men in 1680.^{[citation needed]} His obligation was to keep a watch on ten families, this job being akin to a "religious policeman". He had to take notice of who attended services, find out why those who didn't attend weren't there, and keep order at the church service. His sign of "office" was a long black staff. Thomas was among the recipients of land when the Hog Island marshes were divided.

Thomas was buried 12 September 1687 in Rowley. A death date of 9 September has been asserted for him, though we find no contemporary source for it. It is probably at least close to correct, as under the customs of the times the interval between death and burial in times of warm weather would not have been greater than three days, if that much.

His will was dated 21 Jul 1687. It was proved 7 Nov. 1687 in - for reasons that are obscure - Suffolk County Court rather than in Essex County. (Possibly Thomas still had property in Charlestown such that probate in the capital jurisdiction was deemed appropriate.)

Thomas’ will mentions his wife Anne; sons John (eldest), Thomas, Josiah, Samuel, Solomon, Ebenezer & James; daughters Mary Chute, Ann Plummer & Ruth Jewett; and brother Obediah Wood of Ipswich. He named his son Thomas (his oldest son still resident in Rowley) and & his wife executors of the will. ^[14][15]

"The last will and testament of Thomas Wood Senr. of Rowley, in the County of Essex in New England made the twenty-first day of July one thousand six hundred eighty and seven:

I Thomas Wood of Rowley, in the county of Essex in New England being at present weake in body but perfect in Understanding and memory Doe make this my Last will and Testament in form and manner as followeth Imprimis:

I commit my Soule unto the hands of God hoping for a Joyful reasurection through Jesus ·Christ my Gracious Redeemer And my will is that my Body be Decently buried and that the Charges thereof In the first place be paid out of my estate And then that my honest & Due Debts Unto all men be paid out of my estate and the rest of my estate wch God hath given me I Dispose of itt as followeth Imprimis:

I doe give unto my beloved wife Anne during her Naturall Life Provideth that shee marrye not againe my house Barne and Orchard where I doe now dwell that is on both sides of the way And my Lott that is neere unto Symons Brooke lyelng betweene Land of Phillipp Nellson Senr. and Land Laid out to the Towne of Rowley and all my Land att Planting Hill called the name of Parrotts Lott and my five acres Lyeing att the farme Commonly Called Mr. Dumers farme; wch I purchased of Mr. Nehemiah Jewett; and all my Marsh att Hogg Island that was granted to me by the Town of Rowley; as right of my Gates And alsoe that Marsh that I purchased of Samuel Sticknee And alsoe the freehold that doe belong to the house; where I now doe Live Also I doe give her during the time that shee continues my Widow all my Stock And also all my Right in the Land that I doe hire of the Town of Rowley by Lease from the said Town for her to Improve During my time in itt Excepting That parcell of Meadow that doth Lye att Hawke Meadow; wch by Lease from the Town doth belong to me This parcell I Doe except Shee not being to have the Improve-ment of itt During the time of the Townes Lease to me. And also she is to have my Cart Ploughs; and all my Tackling and furniture belonging to Husbandry Also I doe give unto my Said wife all my household goods within Doores; She is in the first place to have the Choice of two bedds with all furniture belonging to them and all the rest of the goods within Doores

Item I doe give unto my Eldest Sonne John Wood the whole farme att Bradforth wch I purchased of Phillipp Nellson Senr. of Rowley; with this Provisoe that bee doth pay Thirty pounds of itt; fifteen pounds whereof my will is that he doth pay unto his Brother Josiah Wood in Come or neate Cattle Sometime within two years after my Decease; And my will is that Tenn pounds more of this Thirty hee doth pay unto his Brother Samuell the year after he is to pay the ffifteen pounds to his brother Josiah; And the other five pounds my will is that he pay to my Daughter Chute of Ipswich The year after hee is to pay the Ten pounds to his Brother Samuell

Item I doe give unto my Second Sonne Thomas Wood the house that hee now dwelleth in; wch I built And the Eight Acres of Land belonging to itt. Item I doe give him upon these two Provisoes following the Three Acres of Land that Doth Lye next to the foresaid Eight acres as men do goe to Rowley Mill or to Bradforth ffirst that hee doe pay Twenty pounds for itt; Tenn pounds whereof is to be paid in money to be paid to such as I doe Owe money unto; and that as soone as itt is called for; and Three pounds ffive shillings hee is to pay in Molasses att Twelve Pence a Gallon unto Jethro Wheeler when itt is due to him and Six pounds ffifteen Shillings hee is to pay to Mr. John Wainright of Ipswich in good Merchants pay some time within One year after my Decease::

The other Provisoe is that the bargain that I have made with my Brother Obediah Wood of Ipswich for to build him a house; that hee [Thomas Wood Jr.] perform the bargain yt. I made and for to receive the pay for itt and that he is to have all the timber that I have got home for the said house and all the boards that is doe lye upon my Brother Obediah land for the finishing of the said house and he is not allow anything for the said Timber or boards if he perform the Covenant that I made with my Brother Obediah Wood::

Also I doe give unto my Sonne Thomas my brass sword and Bandyleers and a boulting plaine and a Rabbitting plaine.

Item I doe give unto my Sonns Josiah & Samuell to be Equally Divided betweene them the Eighty Acres of upLand and Meadow that I bought of Mr. Dumer. To my Sonne Josiah I give also the Bed that I lie on with the Boulster and the Rugg and blanket that is upon the Bed that hee doth Lye on And also my best haire Camblett Coate and a paire Serge Breeches and a broad Axe and a musquette.

And to my Sonne Samuell the bed and boulster that is upon the Trunell Bed with the Rugg and Blanket that doth belong to itt and my best Searge Jackett and a broad Axe and a Musquett and an Inch Auger and an Inch and a half Auger and a paire of Mortising Chisels to each of them and one Joynor One Rabiting Plaine and One Boulting plaine and One Casement Plaine and one reavete and one Joyners Chissell these Plaines to have them equally between them and to use them both alike::

Alsoe I doe give unto each of them a Bible and my will is that my Sons Josiah and Samuell doe finish Mr. Wainrigh's warehouse haveing the help of their Brother Solomon as much as cann be.

Item I doe give to my Sonne Solomon the Lott that was laid out to me att Clay Brooke; and the salt Marsh that I purchased of John Sawyer and John Bayley [?)] lying at Hogg Island and hee to have the improvement of One halfe of Meadow at Hawke meadow wch I have hired of the Town as long as my Lease doth last; and the Other halfe of the Meadow att Hawke meadow my two sons Josiah and Samuell to have the Improvement of it as long as my Lease is from the Town doth last. Item I doe give unto my said Sonne Solomon the mare that he bought [of] Goodwife West. And all the rest of my Carpentry Tools that I have not given away to my Sonns I leave Improvement of them to him till he doth Mar[r]y; and then they are to be Left to my two youngest two Sonns Ebenezer and James Alsoe I doe give unto him a musquett and a bible::

Item I doe give unto my two youngest Sonns Ebenezer and James when they come to the age of One and Twenty yeares all the fore mentioned parcells of Land and meadow with house and Barns that I have before given to my wife During her naturall Life; my true meaning is that if my two youngest Sonns live to the age of One and Twenty yeares then they are each of them to have the said Lands soe given to her to be equally Divided betwixt them and they are to mainteyne their mother as long as shee doth Live my widdow and my will further is that both my Sonns Solomon doth Live with his mother untill he doth come to the age of One and Twenty yeares And also both my sons Ebenezer and James and if any of these three Solomon Ebenezer or James doe Dye before they come to the Age of One and Twenty yeares then the portion or portion of the Deced to be Divided amongst the Surviving of those three and that equally.

And my will is that my Debts be paid out of yt estate that I doe leave to my wife and my two youngest Sonns: except it be that twenty pounds that my Sonne Thomas is to pay::

And to my three Daughters Mary Chute Anne Plummcr and Ruth Jewett having formally given to them three score pounds apiece as doth appear by my booke, I doe now give unto them now more five pounds apiece And have ordered my Sonne John Wood to pay five pounds And to my Daughter Mary Chute as I have before Ordered him in this my Last will. And my will further is that my wife att her decease do give five pounds to my Daughter Anne Plommer and five pounds to my Daughter Ruth Jewitt out of the household goods that I have given her and the rest of the household goods I leave them to her Disposing to any of my children to be given by her as shee shall thinke best and I doe make my Sonne Thomas Wood Executor and my wife Executrix with him Joyntly to Joyne in the Execution and performance of this my last will and Testament Desiring them that they will in all these mentioned particulars may well and truly be Formed In witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and Seal This Twenty first day of July in the yeare Our Lord 1687."

Signed Thomas Wood Senr. with his Seale.

The will is followed by an inventory of his estate which was valued at about 3,000 pounds.

Thomas Wood's wife, Ann, died Dec. 29, 1714. ^[16]

Children

All the children were born in Rowley.^{[4] [17]}

1. Mary b. 15 Mar 1655
2. John b. 2 Nov 1656
3. Thomas b. 10 Aug 1658
4. Ann b. 8 Aug 1660
5. Ruth b. 21 July 1662
6. Elizabeth b. 5 Sep 1664 (twin)
7. Josiah b. 5 Sep 1664 (twin)
8. Samuel b. 26 Dec 1666
9. Solomon b. 17 May 1669
10. Ebenezer b. 29 Dec 1671
11. James b. 22 Jun 1674

Research Notes

1. ) Because Thomas Wood in a deposition called John Todd "brother," some have assumed that Thomas' wife Ann was born Ann "Todd," but that is erroneous. The will of Mary Grant, widow of John Grant of Rowley, dated 2 Feb., proved 16 Feb 1697/98, discloses that Ann, wife of Thomas Wood, and Susanna, wife of John Todd, were sisters of the testator.
2. ) There is an SAR application that references Ann Todd as Thomas' wife. It lists his death date as 12 October 1687 which would be after his burial date listed in other sources. ^[18]
3. ) It should be noted that sources like Findagrave, Millennium Files, American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI), Family Data Collection, US and International Marriage Records, DAR and SAR records often found in the "Hints" on Ancestry are not considered valid sources as most are not based on documented evidence. While documentation can be found in some of these records, documentation is not required. Researchers should be very careful when using them.

Sources

1. ↑ Roberts, Gary Boyd; Ancestors of American Presidents, Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009, page 39.
2. ↑ John Sumner Wood, The Wood Family Index (Garrett & Massie, Germantown, Maryland, 1966) (578 pages) - Person - Thomas (1), p. 523, states "age 41 in 1674", bro of Obadiah and Josiah of Charlestown and Rowley MA (Vols. 21,24 Essex Institute Hist. Coll.)Comm. Biogr. Record Tolland and Windham Co. CT p. 986
3. ↑ Comm. Biogr. Record Tolland and Windham Co. CT p. 986
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Smith, Dean Crawford. Space:The Ancestry of Eva Belle Kempton, 1878-1908 (Boston, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 2004), Part III, p. 478.
5. ↑ Wyman, Thomas B., The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown (1871), p. 1044 - but note that Wyman blundered in his identification of Thomas Wood's wife Ruth as the daughter of Ralph Mousall, and in the marriage he erroneously assigned to Thomas and Ruth's daughter Ruth (Wood) Upham. - BW
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Gen.com profile on Obadiah Wood, https://www.geni.com/people/Obadiah-Wood-of-Ipswich/6000000004630664260.
7. ↑ Heritage Consulting. The Millennium File. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Heritage Consulting.
8. ↑ Ancestry.com. Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Warwickshire Anglican Registers. Warwick, England: Warwickshire County Record Office.
9. ↑ Josiah [1] (born 1634), married Lydia Bacon of Charlestown in 1657. They appear to have remained in Charlestown the rest of their lives. Their children were named Josiah [2] (born August 10, 1658; baptized July 8, 1662; died March 9, 1740), Lydia (born May 6, 1662; died September 17, 1681), Samuel (born September 12, 1671), Joseph (baptized October 27, 1674), and Ruth (baptized April 4, 1676). Lydia died November 25, 1674. Josiah (Sr.) died September 24, 1691.
10. ↑ Wyman, Thomas B., The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown (1871), p. 1044
11. ↑ Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).
12. ↑ Janet I. Delorey, "The English Origins and Descendants of the Fourth Generation of Edward Wood of Charlestown, MA." in The Genealogist, vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 1988, p. 90.
13. ↑ In the Diary of Hon. Samuel Sewall (Vol. 1, p. 10) is the following: "1675 July 31, at midnight, Tho. Wood, carpenter, of Rowley, had his house and goods burnt, and vae malum, a daughter of about 10 years of age, who directed her brother so that he got out, was herself consumed to ashes."
14. ↑ Suffolk Probate 10:168
15. ↑ Blodgette, George Brainard, Early Settlers of Rowley, Massachusetts Revised, Edited and Published by Jewett, Amos Everett. Newcomb & Gauss Co., Printers, Salem, Massachusetts, USA, 1933. Reprinted by the New England History Press, Somersworth, New Hampshire. 1981. Pgs. 411-2. [Note that Blodgette erred in assigning Daniel Wood of Boxford to this family. - BW]
16. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 24 March 2016), memorial page for Thomas Wood (1633–1687), Find A Grave Memorial no. 38803101 [implied source is the Rowley town records. link
17. ↑ Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook)
18. ↑ Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls. Volume: 343

See Also:

• Savage, Genealogical Dictionary, Vol. 4 p. 629
• History of Rowley, MA, p. 461
• Wood Genealogy, pp 7, 9
• Pope, Pioneers of Massachusetts, pg. 510: citing NEHGS Reg. III, 81.
• Wood Family Genealogy Page (unsourced)
• Eliva Wood, The ancestry and descendants of Ebenezer Wood of West Gouldsborough, Maine, 1930. Pg 1. link
• Frank R. Holmes, compiler, Directory of the Ancestral Heads of New England Families, 1620-1700, New York, 1923. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co, Baltimore, 1964.

Acknowledgments:

• WikiTree profile Wood-6463 created through the import of 00zfc5_802469u520m0l20m6i7fpd.ged on Nov 3, 2012 by Tamara Stevens.
• WikiTree profile Wood-4023 created through the import of HERMANSON_RICHARDSON.ged on Sep 13, 2011 by John Hermanson.