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Disambiguation
Please don't conflate this Thomas Moulton, Farmer with Thomas Moulton, Fisherman. These are two different men with two different livelihoods living in two different places. Thomas, a farmer from Scratby, Norfolk, England, settled first in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, then Hampton, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony and finally York, York, Massachusetts Bay Colony (as it known before it became a part of Maine). The other Thomas, a fisherman, whose origins are unknown, first settled in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony and later in Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Biography
Thomas Moulton (farmer), son of Robert Moulton and Mary Smyth, was born about 1608 in Scratby, Norfolk, England. Evidence of the location of the family's residence at the time of Thomas' birth was found in the following deposition made by his father, Robert, in 1606:
- Listed as a husbandman, he stated at that time he was 41 years old, that he had lived in Scratby for approximately ten years and prior to that in Ormesby where he was born. [1][2]
Thomas and his sister, Mary, were baptized on 16 June, 1608, at Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk, England, as Scratby had no parish church of its own and was part of the ecclesiastical district of Ormesby St. Margaret. [3][4]
After the death of their father (1633) and mother (1636)[5] several of Thomas' siblings (John (and his family), Elizabeth Skerry (and her family), Miriam and Ruth) sailed on the ship "Rose" of Yarmouth or on the "John and Dorethey" of Ipswich which traveled together. Also traveling on one of those ships was Thomas' 2nd cousin once removed (William Moulton).[6][7][8] They arrived in Boston on June 8, 1637. Even though Thomas' name does not appear on a list, the Winthrop Journal, dated 20 June 1637, stated: "Three ships arrived here [Boston] from Ipswich, with three hundred and fifty passengers." That leaves about 200 passengers that were not on the surviving lists.[1]
The fact that Thomas, along with his older brother John Moulton who arrived on 20 June 1637, "were admitted as inhabitants of Newbury in October 1637" provides further evidence to support Thomas' arrival in the summer of 1637.[9][1] On 31 March 1638/9, Thomas was made freeman in Newbury.[10][1]
At the General Court on September 6, 1638, Thomas Moulton (a married man), John Moulton, William Estow and Rev. Bachiler, were granted permission to begin a plantation at Winnacunnet.[11] Upon their settlement in the spring of 1639, Rev. Stephen Bachiler changed the name of the settlement to Hampton.[1] In December 1639, Thomas was granted 80 acres.[10] Thomas and John were assigned adjoining house lots and were neighbors until John's death in 1650.[12] He was chosen as selectman during the years 1644-1648 and 1652-1656.[4] On 12 May 1656, Thomas sold his homestead in Hampton.[10]
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Map of Gorges and Ferry Necks Showing Locations of Earliest Settlers |
- Witnesseth these psents,, that I Jon Allcocke of Yorke, do grant, bargan & sell, vnto Thomas Moulton of Hampton; my soole right & Interest, In a pcell of vpland Containing three scoore & teen Acers lijng togeather next Adjoyning to a pcell of Land of Arthur Bragdons vp the River of yorke, vpon which Land there is a small bujlding, three Acers of Land broaken vp & about 15 or sixteene Acres yrof more of lesse fenced in/ And the full quantity of Tenn Acers of Fresh Meddow, lijng at the head of the North west Branch of the aforesd River/being all my right I bought of Jno Parker, & wt other strippes of Meddow the Town gaue me. In Consideration that the sd Tho Moulton, shall pay or Cause to be payd vnto me the sd Jon Allcocke, or my assignes the some of Fiuety pounds, twenty ffiue pounds to be payd, at or before the Last of Octobr next ensuing, the one halfe to be Deliuerd In Mrchantable wheat at Boston, at Currant prises there: and the other halfe at yorke in Cattle at prise Current there, prizd by two Indifferent men, each of them Chusing one & the other Twenty Fiue pounds to be payd at or before the same tyme Twelue Moenth after in the same pay & manner as aforesd/ Vpon wch Considerations, I the sd Jon Allcocke & my assigns, do grant, ratify & Ingage my selfe to make good, all the Title of my aforesd Interest of Vpland & Marsh now sould to Tho Moulton & to his assignes fo euer/In witnesse of all & euery of the aforesd pmises, I haue here unto sett my hand & seale this 22th day of March 1655.[13]
In York, Thomas was one of the most distinguished men in town.[5] He held various positions -- constable in 1661; grand jury 1666-67; trial jury 1668; and selectman 1679-1680.[1] On 23 January 1657, Thomas sold the 70 acres he originally bought:
- Witness these Presnts that I Thomas Mowlton of Yorke, In Consideration of fourty two pounds wch I am to receiue of Allexandr Maxwell, as doth & may appear by a bond uvder his hand, do hereby make over sett ratify & confirm, my soole right & Interest of wtsoever Lands & Meddows, & all other priviledges yrto belonging, whither of Tymber or otherwise, wch I bought of John Allcocke according to ye tenor of this bill or bond about written, vnto the sd Alexander Maxell & his heirs & assigned for ever/witness my hand this three & twenteth day of January 1657.[14]
When Massachusetts claimed ownership of York in 1652, the personal holdings of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, founder of the Province of Maine, were divided. On July 4, 1659 Thomas Moulton was granted twenty acres of manor lands outside Sir Ferdinando Gorges’ manor, Manor of Point Christian (Gorges Point).[5] Thomas and Martha lived here until their deaths.
Marriage and Children
- Married: Although no marriage record has been found, Thomas married Martha (maiden name unknown) probably in Newbury by 1638 as evidenced by the fact he was listed as a married man on 6 September 1638 when he became a grantee in Hampton. There is no evidence to support a marriage date of 14 December 1638 as previously given on this profile and this contradicts other sources.
- Children of Thomas and Martha, all born in Hampton:
- Thomas, baptized 24 November 1639, no later records.[15]
- Daniel, baptized 13 February 1641/2.[15]
- Hannah, born 19 June 1645. The date of 19 June 1655 appears to be a transcription error since she married Samuel Tilton in 1662.
- Abigail Moulton, wife of Henry Simpson. This relationship is "without actual proof."[10]
- Jeremiah, Esq., born about 1650; married 1st Mary Young (Rowland), who died 3 June 1723; married 2nd, in following September, Mrs. Alice (Chadbourne) Donnell, who died 18 June 1744.[10]
- Mary, born 25 January 1651/2, married 1st Mainwaring Hilton, married 2nd Samuel Bragdon.[10]
- Joseph, born _____. Taken in the Indian attack of 25 January 1691/2 and died in captivity.
Death and Estate
- Estate: On 5 June 1684, Thomas and his wife Martha deeded their whole estate to their sons Jeremiah and Joseph conditioned on providing lifetime support for the parents:
- To all before whome these Presents may come/Bee It known ye I Thomas Mowlton Senjor of ye Towne of yorke In the prouince of Mayne, out of my natural affection I beare vnto my too Sons, Jeremiah & Joseph Mowlton, & other Causes also mee ye vnto moueing, do freely giue, grant, & by these Presents fully Confirme vnto my too sons fore mentioned & thejr heyres for euer, my whole farme, vidz All my land both arable & pasture Land, all my Meddows fresh, & sault, also all my out lands apprtajneing in any wise unto mee, as well as that. Which is Inclosed, together with my now dwelling house & all out houses, with all my moueables, with in doores & with out, & to declare my right & Title unto all the before granted Premisses, to bee iust & good & from the Date here of do Invest & possess : these my too sones with ye same for thejr own proper vsse & benefit for euer, all which is to bee equally diuided between my too sons & which is already done by them selues (the oarchard onely excepted) which haue before given to my sonn Joseph; All this to stand good, & abide firme for euer prouided there shall bee a Comfortable mantenance allowed to my self & beloued wife, dureing our naturall lifes; the Land and stocke before mentioned shall be Carefully Improued, from tyme to tyme at ye soole & equall Charge of these my too sons, the Land shall be tilled, all sorts of grajne, gathered in housed threshed out, & made fitt for vsse, & eight Cow kind with one Mare, shall be at the Constant Comand of my selfe & wife so long as Wee shall liue, these Cattle shall be prouided for both sumer & winter, with out any Cost of ours/ onely at the decease of my beloued wife, if shee out liue mee, shee may dispose of all her weareing Cloaths too platters, to whome shee pleaseth, & the bed ye now ly vpon, shall be my sonn Josephs; In witness wrof wee haue here unto set or hands & seales, this fifth day of June one thousand six hundred eight foure/1684[16]
- Died: Thomas died between 1699 and 1703. After the death of Thomas, Jeremiah cared for his mother until her death in 1711.[10]
Disputed Children
Robert Moulton, born 24 April 1644, has been removed as a child of Thomas and Martha. He is not mentioned in any of sources and no source has been found to support this relationship.
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Moulton, Joy Wade. "Some doubts about the English Background of the Moulton Family." New England Hist. and Gen. Register. 144: 260 Link at AmericanAncestors ($)
- ↑ Craig Partridge, "The English Origins of Daniel Kempster of Cambridge, Mass." in The American Genealogist (2007) Vol 82 p 150-52 (Thomas of York, ME was bp 16 Jun 1608 in Ormesby, Norfolk, both his parents firmly known and linked to Ormesby, wife Martha, he was in Hampton, NH by 1638, ME 1654, etc.)
- ↑ Free UK Genealogy, “St Margaret Church, Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk” database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5818c12fe93790eca3c4cdc4) : accessed 18 July, 2022), [data about Thomas Moulton 16 June, 1608].
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 William Haslet Jones, "The English Background of Some Early Settlers of Hampton, New Hampshire, From Ormesby st. Margaret, Norfolk: The Moulton Family," New England Historic Genealogical Register (Boston, MA: Vol. 141, Oct., 1987). Pages 313-329 328 -329.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Banks, Charles Edward, 1854-1931, and Angevine W Gowen. History of York, Maine, Successively Known As Bristol (1632), Agamentious (1641), Gorgeana (1642), And York (1652). Baltimore: Regional Pub. Co., 1967. Pages 224-225
- ↑ Hotten, John Camden, The Original Lists of Persons of Quality page 291
- ↑ Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2012. Annotation: From documents in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and the Public Record Office, London. Passengers to New England on the John and Dorothy and the Rose, pp. 21-23; passengers to New England on the Marey Anne, pp. 29-30; passengers to Holland not indexed. Full
- ↑ Jewson, Charles Boardman. Transcript of Three Registers of Passengers from Great Yarmouth to Holland and New England, 1637-1639. (Norfolk Record Society Publications, 25.) Norwich: Norfolk Record Society, 1954. 98p. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1964.
- ↑ "Heads of Families Who Settled in Newbury Previous to 1700." The Sons & Daughters of the First Settlers of Newbury, Massachusetts (https://www.sonsanddaughtersofnewbury.org/heads-of-families : accessed 18 July, 2022).
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire," Compiled by Sybil Noyes, Charles T. Libby, and Walter Goodwin Davis, Page 500, Reprint of original 5 section publication (Genealogical Publishing Co.: Baltimore, MD, 1979) p 55 and 500 ("20 Thomas, bp. at Great Ormesby, co. Norfolk. 16 July 1608, s. of Robert and Mary (Smith), came to Newb. 1637 and with the first settlers to Hampton, where he was gr. 80 a. in Dec. 1639 and liv. near the home of his older br. (7). See also (16). Freeman 31 Mar. 1638; selectm. 1644, 1652. Called of Hampt. in deeds to 12 May 1656 when he sold his ho. there, but owned in York in July 1654 and bot 70 a. with small bldg. adj. Arthur Bragdon in Mar. 1655; of York he sold this to Alex. Maxwell 23 Jan. 1657. Liv. on Gorges Neck until death. York gr. 1659, 1681; constable 1661; gr.j. 1666-7; tr.j. 1668; signed ptn. in favor of Peter Weare 1668; selectman 1679, 1680. Lists 391a, 392ab, 393ab, 25. His w. Martha, m. by 1638, signed with him 1650, 1653-4, and wit. with Rishworth 1661; List 393a. In 1684 they deeded whole est. to sons Jeremiah and Joseph for life supp.; he dead in 1703; she in 1711, s. Jeremiah having cared for her.
- ↑ Shurtleff, Nathaniel B. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Vol. 1 1628-1641. Massachusetts State Legislature, 1853. Page 236.
- ↑ Dow, Joseph, History of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire. Vol II., Salem, Mass., 1893. Page 861
- ↑ Maine: Early Wills and Deeds, 1640-1760. CD-ROM. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) AmAncestors$
- ↑ Maine: Early Wills and Deeds, 1640-1760. CD-ROM. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) AmAncestors$
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Bialobrzeski, A.W., Hampton Records Vol. 1 Microfilm; NHLLS#752; Scanned microfilm of Volume 1 of the Proprietors' Records of the Town of Hampton, NH, USA, founded 1638, on file at the office of the Hampton Town Clerk, 100 Winnacunnet Road, Hampton, NH 03842. Page 101-102
- ↑ Maine: Early Wills and Deeds, 1640-1760. CD-ROM. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) AmericanAncestors$
See also:
- Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Directory (Boston, MA: NEHGS, 2015) p 235; cites: NeTR 4; GDMNH 55, 500; HmTR 40; HampVR 1:3; MBCR 1:236, 375; TAG 82:150-52; NEHGR 141:313-16, 323-29, 144:245-63, 147:129-45, 163:165-69, 273-75.
- Wikipedia contributors, "Province of Massachusetts Bay," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Province_of_Massachusetts_Bay&oldid=1090152302 : accessed 18 July, 2022).
- Wikipedia contributors, "Ormesby St Margaret with Scratby," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ormesby_St_Margaret_with_Scratby&oldid=1047978349 (accessed 18 July, 2022).
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