Thomas Edson (abt. 1498 - aft. 1541)

Born about 1498 in Adderbury, Oxfordshire, England [uncertain]

Husband of Julian (Bustard) Edson — married about 1524 in Adderbury, Oxfordshire, England [uncertain]

Died after 20 May 1541 after about age 43 in Adderbury, Oxfordshire, England [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Chase Ashley [send private message]

Biography

Edson or Eton/Eaton?

There is considerable doubt as to whether the surname of the man who married Julian Bustard of Adderbury was "Edson" or "Eton/Eaton."

Jarvis Bonesteel Edson in his 1903 "Edsons in England and America" claimed that the man who married Julian Bustard of Adderbury was a "Thomas Edson." His claim was based on (i) the 1871 edition of the "Visitations of the County of Oxford," which indeed clearly shows his last name as "Edson",^[1][2] and (ii) a copy of John Bustard's 1534 will which, according to Jarvis, spelled his last name as "Edon", but with a cross through the "d", indicating that a letter had been omitted (in this case an "s").^[3]

Carroll Andrew Edson, however, in her 1969 ""Edson Family History and Genealogy" reviewed Jarvis's work and concluded that the husband of Julian Bustard was a "Thomas Eton" and not an ancestor of any line of "Edsons." In support of her conclusion, Carroll stated that (i) "the Herald's College states that Juliana [sic] married Thomas Eton," (ii) the will of John Bustard that Jarvis reviewed is in a document that "is not, by genealogical standards, considered reliable," (iii) "Other copies [of the will of John Bustard], considered more reliable, clearly name the husband of Juliana [sic] Bustard as Thomas Eaton," and (iv) "various other documents and circumstances indicate that [the proposition that Julian Bustard married Thomas Eton not Edson] is correct." Unfortunately, Carroll Andrew Edson provided no source citations for her assertions, so they are difficult to verify.^[4]

One piece of evidence in support of "Eton/Eaton" (and against "Edson") is a record included in the 1826 "Reports of the Commissions for Inquiring Concerning Chariities" of the grant of "a meadow, with appurtenances, in Adderbury West, called Crowton Hook, given by deed of feoffment, dated 20th May, 32 Henry 8 [1541], by Thomas Eaton and others, surviving feoffees, to the said Anthony Bustard [Thomas's brother-in-law]."^[5]

Date of Birth

The date of birth of Thomas Edson/Eton/Eaton of Adderbury is uncertain. Based on the fact that (1) his mother-in-law, Elizabeth (Fox) Bustard, died in 1517,^[1][2] (2) his father-in-law, John Bustard, died in 1534,^[1][2] (3) his sister-in-law Mary, wife of Anthony Bustard, died in 1586,^[1][2] (4) his brother-in-law Anthony Bustard died in 1568,^[6] (5) his brother-in-law Edward Frere, husband of Anne Bustard, younger sister of Thomas's wife, was born by 1518, married by 1539 and died in 1565,^[7] and (6) Thomas had a daughter who received a bequest in his father-in-laws' will in 1534, Thomas was probably born sometime in 1490-1505, with about 1498 being a reasonable midpoint estimate. Jarvis Bonesteel Edson in his "Edsons in England and America" estimated Thomas's date of birth as about 1480,^[8][9] but it is unclear what he based that estimate on and, from the established dates listed above, it seems about 20 years too early.

Parentage

The parentage of Thomas Edson/Eton/Eaton of Adderbury is unknown. Some family trees show that he was the son of a Henry Edson. No reliable evidence, however, has been found to support that proposition. Jarvis Bonesteel Edson speculated that Henry Edson of Fillongley (who became a member of the chapel of Saint John the Baptist at Knoll in 1494^[10]) may have been Thomas of Adderbury's brother, based in part on the fact that Henry appears to have had a son named Thomas.^[10][11] It is reasonably clear, however, that Henry's son named Thomas was not Thomas Edson/Eton/Eatln of Adderbury because (1) Henry Edson was from Fillongley not Adderbury and (2) the wife of the Thomas Edson who was probably Henry Edson's son was named Alice not Julian.^[10]

Marriage

According to the Bustard of Adderbury pedigree in the "Visitations of the County of Oxford," Thomas Edson/Eton/Eaton of Adderbury married Julian Bustard, daughter of John Bustard and Elizabeth (Fox) Bustard.^[1][2] The proposition that he married a daughter of John Bustard is supported by (i) a bequest in John Bustard's will of 10 pounds sterling to "Thomas Ed'on and his wife"^[12] and (ii) the record of a grant of a meadow in Adderbury by Thomas Eaton to John Bustard's son Anthony Bustard.^[5]

Jarvis Bonesteel Edson,^[8] Carroll Andrew Edson^[4] and many family trees call Thomas Edon/Eton's wife "Juliana." However, the only record that mentions her name is the Bustard Pedigree in the "Visitations of Oxford," which calls her "Julian." A search of 16th Oxfordshire birth records on familysearch.org also indicates that "Julian" was a much more common girl's name at the time than "Juliana." It is therefore most likely that her proper name was "Julian," that Jarvis Bonesteel Edson changed it to "Juliana" to be consistent with the more common modern name, that Carroll Andrew Edson simply followed his lead, and that family genealogists relied on them.

Based on (1) Thomas's estimated date of birth (1490-1505) and (2) the fact that they had a daughter born, most likely in 1520-30, Thomas and Julian were probably married sometime in 1515-30, with about 1524 being a reasonable midpoint estimate.

Children

Thomas and Julian had a daughter named Margaret, as established by a bequest in John Bustard's 1534 will of 20 sheep to "Margaret Ed'on, daughter of said Thomas Ed'on."^[12] Based on her being mentioned in the will, she was born sometime before 1534, perhaps most likely, sometime in 1520-30.

Jarvis Bonesteel Edson stated that "The marriage of Thomas Edson and Juliana . . . was blessed, as is known, by the birth of two children--a son, Robert, and a daughter, Margaret."^[9] Unfortunately, while it is clear from John Bustard's will why it is known that they had a daughter named Margaret. It is entirely unclear why "it is known" that they had a son named Robert, as Jarvis' book contains absolutely no mention of him apart from the above-quoted sentence and does not list a son Robert among Thomas's children in the genealogy at the back of his book.^[8] It is probable that the reference to "Robert" was a (major) typographical error.

Later in his book, Jarvis Bonesteel Edson states that "Richard, the son of Thomas Edson of Adderbury, was at that time [1553] living at Fillongley"^[13] and still later, in the genealogy at the back of his book, he shows Richard Edson of Adderbury and Fillongley as the son of Thomas Edson of Adderbury.^[8] Nowhere, however, does Jarvis Bonesteel Edson present any evidence to support that parentage. As discussed in the profile for Richard Edson, it is unlikely that Richard was the son of Thomas Edson/Eton/Eaton of Adderbury and far more likely that he was the son of either Henry Edson of Fillongley or Henry's probable son Thomas Edson.

Some family trees also show that Thomas and Julian had a daughter named Agnes, who married a Henry Milton about 1530 in Oxfordshire. No reliable evidence has been found to support either (1) the proposition that Thomas and Julian had a daughter named Agnes or (2) the proposition that a Henry Milton married an Agnes Edson anytime about 1530.

Death

The date of death of Thomas Edson/Eton/Eaton of Adderbury is unknown. Jarvis Bonesteel Edson suggested that he may have died about 1540. Based on the record of a grant of a meadow in Adderbury by Thomas Eaton to Anthony Bustard on May 20, 1541,^[5] Thomas died sometime after that date.

^{[5] [4] [3] [10] [11] [8] [13] [7] [14] [9] [12] [2] [1] [6]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} "The Visitations of the County of Oxford Taken in the Years 1566, 1574 and 1634, Together with the Gatherints of Oxfordshire in 1574," William Henry Turner ed., London, 1871, pp 196-7
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} Jarvis Bonesteel Edson, "Edsons in England and America and Genealogy of the Edsons," The Knickerbocker Press, 1903, p 24
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Jarvis Bonesteel Edson, "Edsons in England and America and Genealogy of the Edsons," The Knickerbocker Press, 1903, pp 24-29
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Carroll Andrew Edson, "Edson Family History and Genealogy: Descendants of Samuel Edson of Salem and Bridgewater, Mass., Vol. 1," Ann Arbor, Mich., Lithographed by Edwards Bros., 1969, p 16
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} "Reports of the Commissioners for the Inquiring Concerning Charities, in the Hundreds of Banbury & Bloxham, and Also Some Places in the Hundreds of Wooton, Ploughly, Chadlington, & Bullington, Oxon; and a Few Places in Northamptonshire: from the Twelfth and Thirteenth Reports," 1826, p 67
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} "Adderbury," A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 9, Bloxham Hundred, originally published by Victoria History, London, 1969, pp 5-44
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} "Frere, Edward ( by 1518-65), of Oxford," historyofparliamentonline.org
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4} Jarvis Bonesteel Edson, "Edsons in England and America and Genealogy of the Edsons," The Knickerbocker Press, 1903, p 447
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Jarvis Bonesteel Edson, "Edsons in England and America and Genealogy of the Edsons," The Knickerbocker Press, 1903, p 35
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3} Jarvis Bonesteel Edson, "Edsons in England and America and Genealogy of the Edsons," The Knickerbocker Press, 1903, p 40
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Jarvis Bonesteel Edson, "Edsons in England and America and Genealogy of the Edsons," The Knickerbocker Press, 1903, p 41
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2} Jarvis Bonesteel Edson, "Edsons in England and America and Genealogy of the Edsons," The Knickerbocker Press, 1903, p 28
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Jarvis Bonesteel Edson, "Edsons in England and America and Genealogy of the Edsons," The Knickerbocker Press, 1903, p 43
14. ↑ Jarvis Bonesteel Edson, "Edsons in England and America and Genealogy of the Edsons," The Knickerbocker Press, 1903, p 25