Thomas Hardy (1667 - 1771)

Born 29 Jun 1667 in Bradford, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Died 11 Mar 1771 at age 103 in Bradford, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Thomas Hardy was born 29 June 1667, in Bradford, Massachusetts. He was the son of Thomas Hardy II (abt.1635-bef.1716) and Mercy (Tenney) Hardy (1644-1716). ^[1][2]

Research Notes

In Vital Records of Bradford, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849, there are birth records for what appear to be not one but two children of Thomas born on 2 April 1675:

p. 64: Hardey: 'Daniel, s. Thomas, Apr. 2, 1675.'
p. 76: Hardy: 'Thomas, s. Thomas, Apr. 2, 1675. CT. R.'

Blodgette (Early Settlers of Rowley, p. 132) treats them as twins, having the Thomas who was born 29 June 1667 "d. soon."

A footnote found in "The Hardy Family of Bradford"^[3] explains this conflict/discrepancy: 'The "Thomas", b. April 2, 1675, on the court records, at Salem, should undoubtedly read Daniel, like the town records. The court records have only Thomas, and the town records only Daniel, born on that date, with no indication of twins on either record.'

Sources

1. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DZMM-W63Z : 9 November 2020), Thomas Hardy, 2 Apr 1675; citing Birth, Bradford, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009706.
2. ↑ Topsfield Historical Society. Vital Records of Bradford, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849. Topsfield, MA: 1907. Page 76.
3. ↑ Hoyt, David W. "The Hardy Family of Bradford." The Essex Institute Historical Collections, Vol. XLVII. Salem, MA: The Essex Institute, 1911. Page 169: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uva.x000375540?urlappend=%3Bseq=195%3Bownerid=27021597765031640-201.