Thomas Underwood (1620 - 1683)

Born 1620 in St. Stephens Parish, London, England

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Meeres) Underwood — married 1647 in Sussex, England

Descendants

Died 14 Aug 1683 at about age 63 in Middle Neck, Anne Arundel, Maryland

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Richard Douce [send private message]

Biography

Please see the Research Notes before the first Sources entry!

Thomas Underwood, who is mentioned by Robert C. Anderson in the Great Migration profile of Martin Underwood (no known relation),^[1] immigrated to Massachusetts and was found living at Hingham in 1636. His brother, Joseph Underwood, is found at Hingham in 1637.^[1]

Origin

Thomas was born c. 1620 in England.^[2]

Name

Name: Thomas /Underwood/^[3]

Birth

Birth:

Date: 1620

Place: England^[4]

Immigration

According to Gale Research, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Thomas arrived in Maryland in 1650.^[5]

Family

Thomas married Elizabeth _______, according to Lucien M. Underwood.^[6]

Marriage

Husband: Thomas Underwood

Relationship to Father: Natural

Relationship to Mother: Natural

Marriage:

Date: 1650

Place: Anne Arundel, MD, USA^[7][8]

Husband: John Underwood

Child: Thomas Underwood

Relationship to Father: Natural

Relationship to Mother: Natural

Marriage:

Date: 25 APR 1607

Place: Holy Trinity, Dorchester, Dorset, England^[9]

Residence

Thomas was found living in Anne Arundel County, Maryland in 1650.^[10][11] According to his own statement, he and his wife "came over in 1650."^[6] They settled on Ferry Creek.^[12]

Property

In 1664, Thomas received a patent for some fifty acres known as "Middle Neck" on Ferry Creek, on the north side of the Severn River.^[6] This property was assigned to Thomas by John Meares.^[6] On 8 August, 1664, he also received some one-hundred acres called the "Landing," formerly belonging to members of the family, and apparently inherited.^[6]

Death

Death:

Date: 1683

Place: Middle Neck, Anne Arundel, MD, USA^[13]

Research Notes

1. The information presented here appears to be the conflation of two individuals, one who immigrated to Massachusetts and another who immigrated to Maryland.

2. There is no documentary source indicating that Thomas was born in St. Stephens Parish, London. There are several Thomas Underwoods that were born in St. Sepulchre, London, which could possibly be the Thomas of this profile. The place of birth sources appear to be Ancestry trees. Baptism/christening records in London in the time period have a few that are the son of John, but not of John and a Rachel ( Mary, Martha, and Letticia, among others, but no Rachel).

3. The marriage record is based on the same source that is used for Thomas of Massachusetts.

4. Thomas Underwood, 1650 immigrant : his descendants & their families Statement of Responsibility: by Billie Redding Lewis Authors: Lewis, Billie Redding, 1923- (Main Author) Format: Books/Monographs Language: English Publication: Lake Wales, Florida : B.R. Lewis, c1993 Physical: 153 p. : ill., facsims., coat of arms, ports, maps Edition: [3rd ed.] Subject Class: 929.273 Un2 Notes: Includes bibliographical references.

Thomas Underwood (ca. 1626-1674) emigrated from England to Virginia in 1650. He settled in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. He and his wife, Elizabeth, are said to have been the first Underwoods in Maryland. He married Elizabeth ca. 1651. She was possibly the daughter of Thos. Meeres. Descendants and family members live in Virginia, Maryland, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Delaware and elsewhere.

Includes index. Includes Brinton, Harry/Harris, James and allied families.

Notes

Note N36# _UID: 2498238F403D704E8072BCD0AA4C39DE3484

# Note:

Thomas and his wife Elizabeth, by his own statement, came to America in 1650. He may have been the Thomas that is mentioned in certain Maryland records in 1658 as "a poor man with several children" whose names were not recorded. He appears to be the Thomas who on 6 Aug 1664 received of Lord Baltimore a grant of fifty acres of land known as 'Middle Neck', lying on the north side of the Severn River, near Ferry Creek. His claim was based on an assignment from John Meares. He further received a grant of one hundred acres called the 'Landing' in the same location, dated 8 Aug 1664.

He probably died shortly after receiving this grant, at least before1674, when John Meares will leaves a mare colt to "his oprhan servant Elizabeth Underwood". The will of Thomas makes bequests to poor Friends, making it likely that Thomas Underwood and his family were Quakers.

The Underwood Family in America states the "The Underwoods are of distinctly English descent and all lines of the name tract back sooner or later to an English ancestry."

There seems to have been no research done to date in England to establish and locate the English origins of the Underwood family.

At a very early date there were Underwoods in Norfolk (Bixley), Hertfordshire (Weston) and Hereford. Later there were many Underwood families in Buckinghamshire and in London.

Family names were developed in the Middle Ages as the spread of Christianity created so many Josephs, Marys, Johns, Thomases, Williams, and so forth that confusion resulted. Early surnames were taken from occupations, descriptions, residences, animals and similar sources.

The Underwood genealogy states "The name Underwood appears on the face of it to have arisen from some locality where the family lived and very probably originated independently in connection with different families who happened to live in similar surroundings".

It states that in old records in England the name is given and Underwode, Underode, Under-the-Rode and Under-the-wood, as well as Underwood.

At least a dozen different emigrants of the name came to the English colonies in America between 16360 and 1700. They settled in the New England colonies, and in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. Still others came over after 1700 chiefly from England, but some from Ireland.

Most histories of the family agree that the immigrant ancestor of our Underwood family (and the father of Samuel Underwood) was Thomas Underwood who came to America in 1650 and settled in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

On 6 August, 1664, the above Thomas Underwood received a patent from Lord Baltimore for 50 acres on the north side of the Severn River known as "Middle Neck". Later on 14 August 1683, his son, Samuel, sold Middle Neck and removed to New Castle County Delaware. Because of that connection, I (Pat Culver) believe that this Thomas Underwood was the immigrant ancestor of our Underwood family.

Thomas received a further grant of 100 acres called "The Landing" from Lord Baltimore in the same locality as the previous grant.

The Underwood genealogy refers to "a Thomas Underwood who is mentioned in certain Maryland records in 1658 as "a poor man with several children". Dr. Underwood who complied the genealogy thought that Samuel was probably descended from that Thomas. The editor of the Underwood genealogy thinks that Thomas Underwood was the same Thomas who was the founder of the Anne Arundel County, Maryland family, whom I assume was the Thomas Underwood who received the "Middle Neck" patent. Somehow, the editor of that genealogy concluded that our Samuel Underwood could not have been the son of that Thomas Underwood.

The Memorial composed by the Religious Society of Friends at the death of Alexander Underwood, son of Samuel, states that Alexander was born in the Province of Maryland in 1688 and removed to Delaware with his parents while young. That would seem to reaffirm the Maryland connection of our family.

Underwood Family Research by York County Historical Society, 29 Sept 1952 letter.

Pedigree Chart, Griest Family file, York County Historical Society.

Ancestors and Descendants, Israel Underwood Family by Robert L. Dewees

David Underwood, His Antecedents and Descendants by Elmer R Underwood and L Lyle Underwood.

Antecedents and Descendants of Levi Underwood by Dale C. Kellogg

The Underwood Family in America by Lucien Marcus Underwood.

The Ancestors and Descendants of Hugh Harry and Elizabeth Brinton by Robert Jesse Harry.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Martin Underwood Profile" Great Migration 1634-1635, T-Y. Page 149 (Online database accessed January 15, 2015. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012.)
2. ↑ Yates Publishing, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
3. ↑ Source: #S77 Data: Text: Ancestry.com. One World Tree (sm) [database online]. Provo, UT: MyFamily.com, Inc.
4. ↑ Source: #S77 Data: Text: Ancestry.com. One World Tree (sm) [database online]. Provo, UT: MyFamily.com, Inc.
5. ↑ Gale Research, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4} Lucien Marcus Underwood, compiler, The Underwood Families of America Volume 2 (Page 511) edited by Howard J. Banker, Lancaster, PA: New Era Printing Co., 1913
7. ↑ Source: #S77 Data: Text: Ancestry.com. One World Tree (sm) [database online]. Provo, UT: MyFamily.com, Inc.
8. ↑ Source: #S77 Data: Text: Ancestry.com. One World Tree (sm) [database online]. Provo, UT: MyFamily.com, Inc.
9. ↑ Source: #S77 Data: Text: Ancestry.com. One World Tree (sm) [database online]. Provo, UT: MyFamily.com, Inc.
10. ↑ Coldham, Peter Wilson, Settlers of Maryland, 1679-1783. Consolidated Edition by Ancestry.com, Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
11. ↑ Riley, Elihu S., A History of Anne Arundel County, in Maryland: Adapted for Use in the Schools of the County by Ancestry.com, Online publication - Provo, UT
12. ↑ Warfield, Joshua Dorsey, The Founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland. A Genealogical and Biographical Review from Wills, Deeds and Church Records (Page 29) Baltimore, MD, Kohn & Pollock, 1905, OpenLibrary.org accessed January 15, 2015
13. ↑ Source: #S77 Data: Text: Ancestry.com. One World Tree (sm) [database online]. Provo, UT: MyFamily.com, Inc.

• Family Search Christening
• Baltimore County Families, 1659-1759
• Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.
• Source: S77 Title: OneWorldTree Repository: #R1 NOTE Source Medium: Ancestry.com CONT
• Repository: R1 Name: www.ancestry.com Address: E-Mail Address: Phone Number:
• Source: S-1422747770 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.Ancestry Family Tree Ancestry Family Tree 36141749

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Underwood-716 created through the import of Callahan, Wiley, Plotner, Powell Family Tree - 2009.ged on Dec 2, 2011 by Ron Callahan.

• Underwood-2071 was created by Richard Douce through the import of WaltonEllisGrovesFamily_2014-12-06.ged on Dec 6, 2014.