Thomas Parsons (abt. 1663 - abt. 1721)

Born about 1663 in England

Ancestors

Husband of Jane (Culling) Parsons — married 29 Jul 1685 in Ilchester, Somerset, England

Descendants

Died about 1721 at about age 58 in Frankford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jim Parsons [send private message]

Biography

Thomas Parsons, son of John and Florence Parsons, of Middlezoy, Somersetshire, was born about 1663. Like his father he was a member of the Society of Friends, and in 1685 suffered imprisonment with others at Ilchester County, Somerset for being present at a Conventicle held at Gregory-Stoke, where the Quarterly Meeting of Friends of Somersethire was usually held. He was married in 1685 to Jeane or Jane Culling, daughter of John Culling of Babcary Parish Somersetshire, the consent to their marriage being given by Ilchester Meeting of Friends July 29, 1685, He seems to have made immediate preparations to go with other members of his family to Pennsylvania, and was in Philadelphia April 8, 1686, when he and his wife witness a marriage at the Friends Meeting House. His family was one of those who lived in a cave on the bank of the Delaware near the foot of Arch Street. He and his brother John were both carpenters and joiners. They owned one of the first wind mills ¡§upon the Bank before the front Lott of Joseph Growden¡¨ which they sold to Richard Townsend, who February 22, 1689-90, obtained a grant of ¡§one hundred foot of bank before the Proprietor¡¦s son¡¦s lott that lies on the south side of said Growden¡¦s Lott to sitt the mill upon..¡¨ Thomas Parsons lived for a time on lots he owned at Third and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia, but subsequently removed to Bucks County, where both he and his brother John had land grants with allotments of Liberty Lots in Philadelphia. His wife Jane died in Bucks County and he married second in June 1704, Mary Hinds at Falls Monthly Meeting. Soon after his second marriage he settled in Oxford Township, near Frankfort, Philadelphia, where he owned and operated a mill for a number of years, selling it to Jacob and Isaac Leech in January 1720. He also owned 500 acres of land in Salem County, New Jersey, and 800 acres on Duck Creeks in Kent County, Delaware. He died in Oxford Township, June 1721.

In 1699, Thomas' brother John wrote his will, which names his "brother Thomas and his children John, Thomas, James and Sarah." John died in 1705.^[1]

Children

1. John, living in 1699
2. Thomas, living in 1699
3. James, living in 1699
4. Sarah, living in 1699

Notes

Children

John- maried Ann Powell in England- 1685- will probated in 1705.

Thomas-

Jane-given name Johanna- married william Tyler

Research Notes

There was a John Parsons who died in 1759 at Penns Neck. If Thomas's brother, John, had no children, then possibly the one who died in 1759 was one of Thomas's grandchildren^[2].

Sources

1. ↑ Wright, F. Edward, and Historical Society of Pennsylvania, eds. Abstracts of Philadelphia County Wills: 1682-1726. (Westminster, Md: Family Line Publications, 1995), page 87. Citing C. 3.
2. ↑ H. Stanley Craig, Salem County Genealogical Data, Vol 1, first print apx 1930, reprinted 1980, p 188.

http://www.wvgenweb.org/jackson/famhstry/Synopsis_Parsons.html

https://0-www.ancestrylibrary.com.mwrlibrary.armybiznet.com/family-tree/person/tree/1773746/person/6960253197/facts