Thomas Paine (1613 - 1686)

Born 18 Jan 1613 in Wrentham, Suffolk, England

Ancestors

Husband of Rebecka (Ware) Paine — married 1640 in Dedham, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 2 Aug 1686 at age 73 in Dedham, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay

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

Merging Note

This Thomas Paine is not the son nor the husband of Mary Snow. He should not be merged with Paine-84.Brown-8212 23:31, 30 March 2014 (EDT)

Biography

Thomas Paine/Payne, eldest son of Thomas Paine and Elizabeth Bloomfield, was born 18 Jan 1612/13, probably at Wrentham, Suffolk, England.^[1]

In 1637 [age 24] he immigrated with his parents and siblings to Salem, Massachusetts, sailing from Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, on his father's ship the Mary Anne, arriving 20 Jun 1637 in Salem,^[2] one of the older towns in the new colony.

The family settled in Salem. His father died there a little over a year later, having appointed Thomas his executor in his will written 10 Apr 1638.^[3]

He was a weaver by trade and later a husbandman, tools for both are mentioned in his will. An old family record, mentioned in 1851, says he was a skilled linen weaver.^[4]

In 1640 Thomas married Rebecca Ware, the servant of Rev. John Phillips of Dedham, Massachusetts,^[5] some 40 miles southwest of Salem. On 17 Oct 1640 Rev. Phillips, writing from Roxbury, sent a short letter to Gov. John Winthrop regarding the marriage between his servant Rebecca Ware and Thomas Paine of Salem saying their contract was published thrice in the several towns “may it please you to accomplish their marriage." ^[6] Rev. Phillips came from the Wrentham area, so the couple most likely knew each other before emigrating. Her age and parents are not known.

They settled in Dedham [Suffolk County in 1643]. He is first mentioned in the Dedham records 28 Nov 1640 in connection to the Great Island,^[7] a peninsula formed by a bend in the Charles River just north of the town center. A later record indicates he lived there.^[8] Also living on the Island was Robert Ware, presumably Rebecca’s kin, who may also have been a weaver. From the inventory of Thomas' estate, we know that near his home, he built a barn and a shop for his loom and weaving implements and planted a garden and an orchard.

As the town lands were divided and distributed he acquired numerous tracts of upland, meadow and swamp.

Thomas died 3 August 1686 [age 73].^[9] He had signed his will with his mark a week earlier, on July 26. [For the full will see.^[10] ] To summarize, he left to Rebecca the east end of the house, the garden, half of the fruit in the orchard, sufficient firewood laid at her door, use of a horse at any time, a cow of her choice to be kept by the executor and replaced when old, one of the swine, all the "household stuff," and £3.10 yearly to be 10 shillings in money and the balance 3/4 in merchandizeable Indian corn and 1/4 in English corn; if this was not sufficient the executors were to add to it. He left to son-in-law Thomas Patten of Billerica MA, on account of his deceased wife Rebecca, land in Billerica which he had already given him and moveables; to daughter Elizabeth Hunting [age 38] £15 and about 2 acres each in Fowl Meadow, Clapboard Trees, and the cedar swamp in South Plain; to sons Thomas [age 42] and John [age 40], who were to be executors, "all the houses and lands not already disposed of equally divided," Thomas to divide, John to choose first; John was also to receive the weaving and husbandry tools. He appointed Richard Ellis, Thomas Battle and Thomas Aldridge overseers. The sons signed their approval to the will on the reverse side the same day it was written.^[11]

Rebecca apparently died a few years later. She was probably in her late 60s. She is said to have left a will written March 3, 1687/8.^[12]

Son Thomas Jr. lived on the homestead many years; it then passed to his only surviving child Mary, wife of Josiah Smith.

Children

Born and married in Dedham.^[13]

1. Rebecca Paine, b. Sep 19 1642, m. Apr 1 1662 Thomas Patten of Billerica MA.
2. Thomas Paine, b. Mar 29 1644, m.1 Apr 25 1671 Rebecca Peck, m.2 ___?, m.3 Aug 20 1689 Mary Lamson. Settled on the homestead.
3. John Paine, b. Apr 27 1646, m.1 Feb 7 1676/7 Mary Day, m.2 Mary Ruggles. Lived in Needham MA.
4. Elizabeth Paine, b. 6 Mar 1648, m. Apr 18 1671 John Hunting Jr. Lived in Dedham MA.

Research Notes

Thomas is said to have come to New England at the age of ten and to have lost the sight of an eye by an arrow. Whether this story is about this Thomas Paine, or the Thomas Paine of Eastham is uncertain, but the Thomas of this profile was 25 or 26 years old when he arrived in New England.

Sources

1. ↑ Payne, Nathaniel Emmons. Thomas Payne of Salem and His Descendants (1928), p.15. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89069611663&view=1up&seq=39&skin=default&size=125
2. ↑ 10-15 May 1637. Examinations of passengers to New England on the Mary Anne of Yarmouth, Mr. William Goose : Work, research and compilation was done by Anne Stevens of packrat-pro. Accessed 27 May 2018.
3. ↑ Payne, p.16. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89069611663&view=1up&seq=40&skin=default&size=125
4. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 5, p.332. https://books.google.com/books?id=MQe21xly7AsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=Thomas%20Paine&f=false
5. ↑ Payne, p.23 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89069611663&view=1up&seq=51&skin=default&size=125
6. ↑ "Winthrop Papers, 1638-1644" The Massachusetts Historical Society (1944) Vol. 4. p. 293. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31158002884053&view=1up&seq=345
7. ↑ Early Records of the Town of Dedham, ed. by Don G. Hill Vo. 3, p.73. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101072332958&view=1up&seq=93
8. ↑ Early Records, Vol. 3, p.98. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101072332958&view=1up&seq=118
9. ↑ Early Records of the Town of Dedham, Edited by Don Gleason Hill, Vol. 1, p.20: Thomas Payne deceased ye 3d: 6m.’ https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101013827207&view=1up&seq=36
10. ↑ Payne, p.27. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89069611663&view=1up&seq=55&skin=default&size=125
11. ↑ Suffolk Co. Probate Bk.11, p.28: will dated Jul 26 1686; proved Sep 23 1686; Bk.9, p.301: inventory.
12. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 5, p.332. https://books.google.com/books?id=MQe21xly7AsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=Thomas%20Paine&f=false
13. ↑ Early Records, Vol.1. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101013827207&view=1up&seq=7&size=150

• Deloria Hurst page, discusses different identities of Thomas Paines of Massachusetts.
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