Thomas Leighton (abt. 1604 - 1672)

Born about 1604 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Joanna (Silsby) Clement — married before 1643 in Scotland [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 22 Jan 1672 at about age 68 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire

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Thomas Leighton migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 206) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Disputed Origins

According to John Scales, Thomas was probably born in Edinboro, Scotland, son of Alexander Leighton. ^[1]

However, the Leighton Genealogy concludes that his parents are unknown:^[2]

"So far, the ancestry of Thomas Leighton of Dover has not been determined...In a letter dated Sept 2, 1899 found among the Cornman Papers, John Scales, the historian of New Hampshire and of Dover stated: 'Thomas Leighton Sr. was the son of Dr. Alexander Leighton, the distinguished theologian and Professor in the University of Edinborough, Scotland...He sent his son Thomas to New England with the party that came over with Captain Wiggin'.
"Despite the improbability of this ancestry many genealogies have confidently shown Thomas of Dover as son of Dr. Alexander Leighton (1568-1649). The Scottish divine and physician had four sons and two daughters but no Thomas among them (citing Dictionary of National Biography 11:880-883). We should note, moreover, that Thomas of Dover signed all documents with his mark; it is not likely that Alexander Leighton would have had an illiterate son."

A previous version of this profile attached Thomas Leighton's parents as Robert Leighton and Anne Devereaux, for which there are no sources. They have been detached.

Please use G2G to discuss science for his origins.

Biography

Thomas was born about 1604,^[3] in England.^[2]

He arrived in Salem, Massachusetts on October 10, 1633. ^[1]

He moved to Dover Point. ^[1]

He married about 1630 Joanna Hannah Silsby. ^[3]

Known children of Thomas and Joanna, all born at Dover were:^[2][3]

1. Thomas Leighton, b say 1642
2. Mary Leighton, b say 1644; m Thomas Roberts, Jr.
3. Elizabeth Leighton, b say 1646; m Philip Cromwell
4. Sarah Leighton, b in 1648; unmarried in 1671

Possible dupes that need merging:

Child: Elizabeth Leighton

He died on January 22, 1672^[1] in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Scales, John. History of Strafford County New Hampshire and Representative Citizens. Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., 1914. p. 546ff.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Leighton, Perley, M; Cornman, Julia Leighton, A Leighton genealogy : descendants of Thomas Leighton of Dover, New Hampshire, published 1989. Reference pages 12, 17-21
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Everett Schermerhorn Stackpole, History of the town of Durham, New Hampshire : (Oyster River Plantation) with genealogical notes, p. 259.
4. ↑ "Early Records of New Hampshire Families" Collections of the Dover, N.H., Historical Society, by Dover Historical Society (N.H.) Reference Volume 1, page 117, "Thomas Layton"

See also:

• History of Dover, New Hampshire: containing historical, genealogical and industrial data of its early settlers, their struggle Author: Scales, John, Volume I.
• History of the town of Durham, New Hampshire (Oyster River Plantation): with genealogical notes, Author: Stackpole, Everett Schermerhorn
• Leighton genealogy: an account of the descendants of Capt. William Leighton, of Kittery, Maine, Jordan, Tristram Frost; 1989, p 17
• FamilySearch MM9.2.1/M7XD-2C3 NOTE Ancestral file Family trees, no sources shown
• Find A Grave: Memorial #46404607
• 18) Sinnett, Charles Nelson, Rev, 1908. Richard Pinkham of Old Dover New Hampshire, and His Descendants, East and West, Rumford Printing Company, Concord, NH, 334 pp. p 15 https://archive.org/details/richardpinkhamof00sinn/page/n333