Thomas Farnham (1631 - 1685)

Born 10 Apr 1631 in St Nicholas, Rochester, Kent, England

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Sibborn) Farnham — married 8 Jul 1660 in Andover, Essex, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 11 Jan 1685 at age 53 in Andover, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Thomas Farnham immigrated to New England as a child during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).

Thomas Farnham, son of Ralph and Alice was bpt. St. Nicholas, Rochester, Kent, 10 April 1631;^[1] died Andover 11 Jan 1685^[1] m. Andover 8 July 1660 Elizabeth Sibborn (Seborne)^[1]

His name appears as Farnham, Farnum and even ffarnam (marriage record).

Emigration

Embarked, at age 4, with his family, 13 July 1635, from London to New England on the James, ^[2]

Immigration

Arriving SEP 1635, in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.^[3]

Marriage

Thomas, and Elizabeth Sibborns were married July 8, 1660 in Andover, Essex, Massachusetts.^[4][5] Sibborns is sometimes recorded as Gibbons. [where?] Elizabeth wife of Thomas died in Andover 26 August 1683.^[6]

Anderson, in his Great Migration profile of Thomas' father, Ralph, says this about Thomas' wife:^[7]

"(probably "Elizabeth Seborne the daughter of our sister Mary Seborne the wife of John Seborne," baptized at Boston 11 August 1644 [BChR 295]."

This claim is also made by Russell C. Farnham^[8] but using the 21 Oct 1642 Boston Birth record.

However, neither of these authors carefully considered that it's not clear if the 11 Aug 1644 record is a birth, baptism or a death. There was a previous record, clearly identified as a birth, for Elizabeth Searvorne, daughter of John and Mary, 21 Oct 1642 (p 13); there was also a birth or baptism for a daughter Mary on 7 Sept 1644; this daughter Mary died 7 days later (p 19). On this same page is the record "Elizabeth of John and Mary Seborne" 11 Aug 1644. The entry does not indicate birth or death (births and deaths are both listed on this same page); but could not be a birth if she had a sister born a month later; so this record for Elizabeth must be a death record, and therefore cannot be Thomas Farnham's wife.

Children b. in Andover to Thomas & Elisabeth Sibborn

1. Elizabeth Farnum b. 19 Feb 1661^[9]
2. Mary Farnam b. 24 Mar 1666^[9]
3. Debora Farnum, b. 17 May 1668^[9]
4. Thomas Farnum,b. 15 Jun 1672, Andover^[9] died 6 Oct 1672.^[5]
5. Mehittabell Farnum, b. 25 Feb 1673^[9] m. Peter Johnson^[10]
6. Tabitha Farnum b. 17 Oct 1678.^[9]
7. Martha Farnum b. 15 April 1680, Andover^[9]
8. Abigail Farnum b. 29 Dec 1682^[9]

• Several secondary sources place an Ebenezer (no birth date) b. between Debora and Thomas. There is no Ebenezer mentioned in the will of Thomas.

Death

Sergt. Thomas Farnum died in Andover 11 January 1685^[6][5]

Find A Grave Memorial

Memorial# 63283889^[11]

Burial: Unknown

Will

Thomas was a tailor. His will was dated 2 Dec 1685, shortly before his death. In his will he made bequests to each of his daughters, Elizabeth, Mary, Deborah, Mehittabel, Tabitha and Martha. An inventory was taken 30 March 1686.^[12]

Chalkboard

Note: Further research is required to locate primary documents to satisfy Wikitree source standards for this info from MyHeritage.

Thomas Farnum 1631 - 1685

Birth: Apr 10 1631 St. Nicholas Rochester, Kent, England

Marriage: Elizabeth SIBBORN July 8 1660 Andover Ma

Death: Jan 11 1685 Andover, Essex, Massachusetts

Burial: June 1686 Andover, Essex Co, Mass

Parents: Ralph Farnham 1603 - 1692 Alice Farnham 1597 - ?

Wife: Elizabeth Sibborn 1642 - 1683

Siblings:

1. Alice "Farnham" 1607 - ?
2. Mary Poore (born Farnham) 1628 - 1714
3. Ralph Farnum 1633 - 1692
4. Ephraim Farnum 1635 - 1723
5. Sarah Farnum 1638 - 1728
6. John Farnum 1640 - 1723'

Children:

1. Elizabeth "Peters" Johnson (Farnham) 1661 - 1716
2. Deborah Farnham 1666 - ?
3. Ebenezer Farnham 1670 - 1685
4. Mehitable "Farnum" Johnson (born Farnham) 1673 - ?
5. Martha Farnham 1680 - 1705
6. x Thomas Farnham, Jr. 1672 - 1672
7. Tabitha "Farnham" Frye 1678 - 1755
8. Abigail Farnham 1682 - ?

^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Farnham, Russell C. "The English Origin of Ralph Farnham of Ipswich, Massachusetts." The American Genealogist 69:32.
2. ↑ Hotten, John Camden (editor). The Original Lists of Persons of Quality: Emigrants, Religious Exiles, Political Rebels, Serving Men Sold for a Term of Years, Apprentices, Children Stolen, Maidens Pressed, and Others, who Went from Great Britain to the American Plantations, 1600-1700. London: John Camden Hotten, 1874 (p. 108)
3. ↑ The Planters of the Commonwealth: A Study of the Emigrants and Emigration in Colonial times 1620-1640 by Charles Edward Banks, Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc, Copyright 1930, 2006. p.153
4. ↑ Original: "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8979-W787?cc=2061550&wc=Q4DH-MNT%3A353349401%2C353664501%2C1006149502 : 13 July 2016), Essex > County wide > County court births, marriages, deaths 1654-1795 > image 149 of 610; town clerk offices, Massachusetts.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Topsfield Historical Society, Vital Records of Andover, Massachusetts to the end of the Year 1849 Volume II Marriages and Deaths (Topsfield, Massachusetts 1912)(Free e-book. Available at Google Play) p. 120 p. 432 See Sources - RWK (Space:Sources_-_RWK) for other sources.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Boltwood, Lucius Manlius. Deaths in The Town of Andover, MS., from 1650 to 1700, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1848) Vol. 2, Page 378.
7. ↑ Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Vol II, C-F, p 494
8. ↑ "English Origins of Ralph Farnham of Ipswich, Massachusetts," in The American Genealogist, 69 (1994):36
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7} Vital Records Of Andover Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849. Vol. I Births. Topsfield, Mass.: The Topsfield Historical Society, 1912. p. 141
10. ↑ The Descendents of John Johnson, compiled by William Johnson, 1892. Internet Archive
11. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Farnum&GSfn=Thomas&GSob=n&GRid=63283889&df=all&
12. ↑ Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.) Case # 9254
13. ↑ MyHeritage

• Andover Townsman Historical Series "Farnham Girls" Article # 7 Published December 6, 1896

• https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-1-403069771-1-504088/thomas-farnum-in-myheritage-family-trees?s=216760841

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Michelle Bairfield for creating WikiTree profile Farnum-211 through the import of Strain Family Tree(1).ged on Oct 7, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Michelle and others.