Thomas Bray (abt. 1604 - 1691)

Born about 1604 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Mary (Wilson) Bray — married 3 May 1646 in Gloucester, (Cape Ann), Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 30 Nov 1691 at about age 87 in Gloucester, Essex. Massachusetts Bay Colony [uncertain]

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

Disputed Origins

Thomas Bray had been shown with parents, Thomas Bray I and Elizabeth (Allyne) Bray, without sources on either this profile or either "parent". They have been detached as his parents. Please do not add them back without reliable sources posted to the profile.

Biography

Thomas Bray deposed in 1658 that he was about 54 years old. Place of birth and parents are unknown, ^[1]

Thomas was married to Mary (Marie) Wilson 3 (3) 1646 (May 3, 1646), probably in Gloucester, Essex County, Massachusetts. Her background is unknown;^[1] Many on-line genealogies have Mary as the daughter of Rev. John & Elizabeth (Mansfield) Wilson of Boston, however, their daughter Mary clearly married Rev. Samuel Danforth and later Joseph Rock, NOT Thomas Bray.

Thomas was a ship’s carpenter probably from the west of England. The genealogist, William Bray, thought he was most likely from Plymouth, Devon, however, no evidence found to date backs this up. He came to the Plymouth Colony before 1640 possibly with the group led by Rev. Richard Blinman who later settled on Cape Ann and founded the town of Gloucester.^[2]

Thomas was in court in Yarmouth on 7 Dec. 1641:

Thomas Bray of Yarmouth, "a single person," and Anne, the wife of Francis Linceford, were charged with "having comitted the act of adultery and uncleanesse, and having divers tymes layne in one bed together in the absence of her husband, wch has been confessed by both parties." They were found guilty and sentenced to be severely whipped immediately at the public post in Plymouth and again at Yarmouth, where the offense was committed. In addition as long as they were resident in the colony they were to wear the letters "AD", for Adulterer, on a conspicuous part of their upper garments. If they were found anywhere in the colony without the letters, they would be whipped on each such occasion.^[3]

Thomas moved to Cape Ann in 1642 and settled near the Gloucester meeting house. It is possible that Thomas moved to Cape Ann as much to start life over as to follow the Rev. Blinman. In Sept. 1647 he was granted three acres of marsh “lying on the South Side of Little River and Between a cove of marsh of obadiah Bruen and William Evens”.^[4] In 1647 he bought six acres in Gloucester at the head of Little River “running southeast from the house and lying next to Thomas Jones on the one side and Mr. Richard Blinman on the other”.^[5] In 1651 he bought a quarter acre in the bottom on the north side of Cow-Island Marsh “for a house to be sett on”. There is a Bray St. and Bray Hill in Gloucester and he descendants continue to live in the area.

Thomas died in Gloucester November 30, 1691, His will, dated November 20, 1672, was probated March 29, 1692. ^[1][6]

Will

"The Last will and testament of Thomas Bray Senior made the for and twentieth day of November in the yeare… 1672… I doe make my wife mary Bray my sole and full executrix of all my goods cattel howsing orchards and Lands duringe her life and after her death this my estate to be disposed of thus.

Item I doe give and beqeath unto John Bray my oldest Sonn this my dwelling house and Lande with the severall appurtenances belonging to it as is expressed here that is to say the Lande lying next to that whitch formerly was Edmund Clarks and orchard and gardens with the severall parcells of Lands lying uppon the hill above the howse as allso the meddow ground att Biscoe Iland out of whitch when he comes to Injoy this land and marsh he is to pay unto his tow sisters mary and unto mary Ringe ten pounds within one yeare and within one yeare after ten pounde unto his systor Sarai

I doe allso give unto my Sonn Nathaniel Bray that pcell of Lande that was formerly Edmund Clarcks and that pcell of marsh that lyeth att the littell river out of whitch he is to pay unto his brother Thomas Bray ten pounds within one year after he comes unto it

I doe allso give unto my Sonn Thomas Bray six akers of Land lyinge att Longe Cov And if the sayed Thomas Bray doe not like to make use of it him selfe that then he is to sell the same six akers of Lande unto his tow brothers but if he like to make use of his Lande him selfe that then his tow brothers shall afford hime Liberty to cutt thatch so much as conveniently they can spare

Item I doe give unto my daughter mary Ringe 3 sonns twenty shillings a piece which my Sonn Nathaniel is to pay att the end of two years

I doe give unto my tow younger daughters Hannah bray and hester Bray to have their portions out of the stock after the decease of their mother according as my wife shall see good but is to pay ten pounds a piece out of the stocke or land
The mark OO of Thomas Senior
In psence of us
Thomas Millet Senior
Thomas Millet junior
John millet
proved 29 Mar. 1692

The enventory of the esteate of Thomas bray deceased who died the last of November in the year 1691 is as foloeth

1. Housing and lands upland and medoes...92-00-00
2 Cattell oxen and other Cattell .....................20-00-00
3 sheepe............................................................03-15-00
4 swine..............................................................01-15-00
5 books..............................................................00-10-00
6 beeds and beeding.......................................06-00-00
7 Iron pots and kitels and pewter..................04-10-00
8 housoll lumber..............................................03-00-00
9 working touls.................................................00-10-00
10 new cloth and woillen yaren......................01-05-00

Apprised by us this the 28 of desember 1691
James stevens
Timythy somes
Thomas millet"^[7]

The estate was worth £133.5s… a respectable sum for the time.

On 12 May 1712 John Roberts who married with Hannah, Daughter of said Thomas Bray, Decd., Mary Ring, widow of John Ring, deceased, Sarah Sawyer, widow of James Sawyer, deceased, Thomas Bray, Sr., yeoman, and Philip Stanwood who married Esther, daughter of said Thomas Bray, deceased- all of Gloucester, quitclaimed to “our brothers John Bray & Nathaniel Bray both of said Gloucester… the two Eldest Sons… all right that they might have in the housing lands or other estate in Gloucester wch our father ye Said Thomas Bray Deceas’d Dyed Seized or Possessed off”. The deed was signed by the above family members and witnessed by John Newman, John Ring, and Abraham Sawyer.^[4]

Children

All children born in Gloucester^[1]

1. Mary- b. 16 Jan. 1647, m. 18 Nov. 1664 Gloucester, John Ring of Ipswich
2. Thomas- b. 31 Mar. 1649, d. 12 Aug. 1653 Gloucester
3. . Sarah- m. James Sawyer
4. Thomas- b. 16 May 1653, d.s.p.
5. John- b. 14 May 1654, m. 10 Nov. 1679 Gloucester, Margaret Lambert (b. 28 Jan. 1725 Gloucester), d.s.p. 25 Sept. 1714 Gloucester
6. Nathaniel- b. 21 June 1656, m. 22 Jan. 1684 Martha Wadin, d. 2 May 1728 Gloucester
7. Thomas- b. 19 Jan. 1658/9, m. 23 Dec. 1686 Ipswich, Mary Emerson, will 10 Apr. 1732- 11 Apr. 1743
8. Hannah- b. 21 Mar. 1661/2, m. 4 Feb. 1677 Gloucester, John Roberts
9. Esther- b. 13 Apr. 1664, m. 30 Oct. 1683 Gloucester, Philip Stanwood

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} The pioneers of Massachusetts, a descriptive list, drawn from records of the colonies, towns and churches and other contemporaneous documents by Pope, Charles Henry, 1841-1918 Publication date 1900 Publisher Boston, C.H. Pope page 66
2. ↑ Penobscot Pioneers...Bray-Philip Howard Gray, Penobscot Press, Camden 1992- p. 39
3. ↑ Seven Generations of Brays of Massachusetts, Maine, Wisconsin and Minnesota- Wm Bray, Smith-Bates Printing Co., Klamath Falls, 1956- pp. 1-4
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Descendants of Edward Small of New England- Lora Underhill, The Riverside Press, Cambridge, 1910- Vol. II, p. 993
5. ↑ Seven Generations of Brays of Massachusetts, Maine, Wisconsin and Minnesota- Wm Bray, Smith-Bates Printing Co., Klamath Falls, 1956- pp. 1-4
6. ↑ Savage, James; 'Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New Englamd"; Volume 1, page 239
7. ↑ Essex County Registry of Probate- Docket No. 3168

• Vital Records of Gloucester, Mass.
• Descendants of Thomas Bray of Gloucester- Essex Antiquarian- Vol. XI, p. 101 (1907)
• Genealogy of the Burbank Family and the Families of Bray, Wellcome, Sedgley and Welch- The Knowlton & McLeary Company, Farmington, ME, 1928- pp. 391-2 https://archive.org/details/genealogyofburba00sedg_0/page/390/mode/2up?q=David+Bray
• History of the Town of Gloucester- John Babson, Proctor Bros., Gloucester, 1860- p. 63
• Notes and Additions to the History of Gloucester- John Babson, Gloucester, 1876- pp. 9-10
• Pope, Charles Henry: "Pioneers of Massachusetts"; page 66 (Bray) - Marriage and death.
• New England Marriages prior to 1700; page 94 - Marriage,
• "Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q28D-YTLJ : 10 March 2021), Tho T Bray and Marie Wilson, 3 Mar 1646; citing Essex, Massachusetts, United States, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 864,859.
• Savage, James: "Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England"; Volume I, page 240 (Bray) - Marriage and death.