Thomas Gardner, "Old Planter"

Not the same as Thomas Gardner, of Roxbury

Marriage of Thomas and Margaret Dr. Frank A. wrote the following over 100 years ago: Various writers, including Rev. Joseph B. Felt, have stated that her maiden name was Fryer (or Friar), but the writer has thus far failed to find the authority for this statement.

Today, we can announce that the "authority" may have been discovered. That is, Rev. Felt may have been correct; even though, we do not know how (from whom?, etc.) he got the information (early 1800s) for his assertion.

Where was this authority found? In the records of the Sherborne parish. Attached is an image from the record of April 1617 that shows Thomas Gardiner and Margaret Frier marrying on the 28th. Not only do the records show this, they have the following: the birth records of Thomas, Richard, George, and John; Wills of interest; and more, We have Margaret's parents: Walter Friar and Grace Mullins. And, there is a record that may show Thomas' parents: Thomas Gardner and Christine Saule.

https://thomasgardnerofsalem.blogspot.com/2014/09/thomas-and-margar...

_ Thomas Gardner of Salem was born say 1592 in "a west county" of England and died 29 December 1674, in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was buried in the old burial ground called Gardner Hill near present day Boston Street and Grove, in Salem, Massachusetts. His parents are not known.

disputed ancestry

Thomas Gardner's origins are not clearly known. Anderson says only "the West counties"

Source: Anderson, Robert Charles (1995). The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633. New England Historic Genealogical Society. ISBN 9780880820448. Page 731

---

A birthdate is seen as 3/4/1591 in Sherbourne, Dorset, but cannot say that was "this" Thomas Gardner.

"tradition" suggested parents: Thomas Gardner (d 1633) and Elizabeth White (1582 - 1682) Thomas Gardner Sr. may have been a descendant of Owen Tudor whose grand-daughter married a Gardner (ca 1450s, England). [Note: that piece is disproved] Elizabeth White was the sister of Rev. John White who was instrumental in the Dorchester Company. They also came to Massachusetts.

Comment: this does not seem possible, the two Thomas Gardiner / Gardner's were near contemporaries

Family

Married:

1. in England to a woman (1st wife of Thomas Gardner) whose name is not known. She died before 1639. She was the mother of all his children: six sons (Thomas, George, John, Samuel, Joseph, and Richard) and three daughters (Sarah, Seeth, and Miriam. (source: Anderson, The Great Migration Begins).
2. by 1639 secondly to Margaret (_____) ; her last name is not known but sometimes given as Fryer. After Margaret's death Thomas married:
3. thirdly to Demaris Sibley Shattuck (1597- 28 Sep 1674). She was the widow of ?? Shattuck and her maiden name is not known.

Children of Thomas Gardner and his first wife include:

1. George Gardner, b. England, m. Hannah Shattuck [1] joined the Salem Church in 1637; selectman 1662. Hannah was presumably the "Hannah Gardner" who joined the Salem Church in 1639.[4]
2. John Gardner, b. about 1624, poss. in Naumkeag (Salem, Essex Co, MA), and d. 6 May 1706 on Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA[1]. He joined the Salem Church in 1643[4] He married Priscilla Grafton 20 Feb 1653/54 on Nantucket.[1]
3. Sarah Gardner , born about 1627, died 5 Apr 1686 at Beverly, Essex Co., MA. She married Benjamin Balch about 1650 as his first wife. He was the son of John Balch and Margery Lovett. Ch: Samuel, Benjamin, John, Joseph, Freeborn, Sarah, Abigail, Ruth, Mary, Jonathan, David.[1][6] Benjamin married (2) Abigail Clarke on 5 Feb 1688/9 in Marblehead (she d. 1 Jan 1690), and married (3) Grace Mallett on 15 Mar 1691/2.[6]
4. Samuel Gardner married Mary White[1] "born ab. 1627, freeman 1675, representative, 1681 and 1682."[5] Joined Salem Church in 1649.. selectman in 1676-77, and "Capt. Samuel Gardner" selectman "1697".[4]
5. Joseph Gardner died on 19 Dec 1675. He married Anne Downing bef. Aug. 1656. She was born about 1634 and died on 19 Apr. 1713 age 79. She was the daughter of Emanuel Downing.[1][2] # Joseph and Ann had no children. Anne Downing Gardner married (2) Governor Simon Bradstreet. He was at that time a man in his late 70's. They had no children.
6. Seeth Gardner was b. 25 Oct 1636 at Salem, Essex Co., MA and was baptized on 25 Dec. 1636 in Salem. She died on 17 Apr.1707 in Salem. Savage indicated she married Joseph Grafton, however another source states that she married (1) Joshua Conant and (2) John Grafton on 1 Oct. 1659 in Salem.[1]
7. Miriam Gardner was born in about 1632, Salem and died in about 1664 in Salem, she married John Hill.[1][Vitals not sourced so regard as tentative dates only]
8. Richard Gardner b. England, d. 23 Jan. 1688/89 Nantucket, Nantucket Co., Ma.; m. Sarah Shattuck in 1652 Salem, Essex Co., MA. She was born in about 1631 to 1632 and died in 1724 on Nantucket Island. Her father has been given variously as Samuel Shattuck, John Shattuck and unknown. Her mother was DAMARIS (_____).
9. Thomas Gardner Jr. [4][5], joined the Salem Church in in 1637; selectman 1682; with his brother John was the most heavily involved in the family shipping interests. The family had "financial interest" in the Ketches 'Mary' and 'Expectation' about 1689.[4]

Gravesite

An old burial ground, called Gardner Hill, was situated a little west of Harmony Grove. When the area of Boston Street and Grove was developed in the 1840s, one hundred fifty graves were moved from Gardner Hill to the Harmony Grove cemetery, including that of Thomas Gardner (1592-1674) who came to the area, from Cape Ann, with Roger Conant in 1626.

References for Gravesite

• Harmony Grove Cemetery on Wikipedia, Salem, Massachusetts
• Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem, Massachusetts
• Old Burying Point (Charter Street Cemetery), Salem, Massachusetts
• Gardner, Frank A MD [1907 Thomas Gardner Planter and Some of his Descendants Essex Institute, Salem, MA]

Conflated with a different Thomas Gardner?

Thomas Gardner, of Little Bourton ?

Thomas Gardner, planter, (born say 1592 died 29 December 1674) was an Overseer of the "old planters" party of the Dorchester Company who landed in 1624 on the ship Charity or the ship Zouch Phoenix at Cape Ann, to form a colony at what is now known as Gloucester. Gardner is considered by some as the first Governor of Massachusetts, due to his being in authority in the first settlement that became the Massachusetts Bay Colony (which later subsumed the Plymouth Colony).
The Gardner family history dates back to early colonial America when Thomas Gardner sailed from England to Cape Ann in 1623, only three years after the arrival of the Mayflower. He was dispatched from Weymouth, England, by the Dorchester Company and was appointed as the overseer of the Plantation at Cape Ann. Unfortunately, this area proved to be unsuited for farming due to the predominantly rocky and unfertile soil. Those that remained did so to the hazard of their lives and most died in the first three years. In 1626, the survivors of the colony under the direction of Roger Conant relocated to the mouth of the Naumkeag River and founded present day Salem. Yet the title of Massachusetts first governor belongs to Thomas Gardner because he was the first man of authority over what developed into the Massachusetts Bay Colony. from "The Gardners of Massachusetts: An American Legacy." By Anthony Taylor Dunn.

The Dorchester Company

from: The Massachusetts Bay Company and Its Predecessors

While it is well known that the Massachusetts Bay Company, under the leadership of John Winthrop, ultimately settled Massachusetts Bay in 1630, it is less well understood that the Massachusetts Bay Company's claim on New England was preceded by those of two other joint stock companies. The first of these belonged to an association of "Adventurers" known as the Dorchester Company, organized by the Anglican minister John White. Although it succeeded in launching a settlement on Cape Ann in 1623, the Dorchester Company went out of existence in 1626. The company's claim was transferred to a new organization, the New England Company for a Plantation in Massachusetts Bay (better known as the New England Company), led by John Endecott. Endecott would ultimately found the town of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1628. Endecott's shares and those of fifty-six other New England Company investors would ultimately be absorbed into those of the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1629.

Links

• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~parisho/g/gardner.html
• http://familypedia.wikia.com/wiki/Thomas_Gardner_%281592-1674%29
• http://troutwind.tripod.com/gardner.html
• http://www.jphs.org/people/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Gardner_%28planter%29
• http://thomasgardnersociety.org/default.aspx
• Thomas Gardner, planter (Cape Ann, 1623-1626, Salem, 1626-1674) and some of his descendants : giving Essex County, Massachusetts, and northern New England lines to the eighth generation and Nantucket lines through the fourth generation by Frank A. Gardner, Salem, Mass. 1907

Notes

THOMAS GARDNER, was born in England about 1592. His place of birth has been given as being Sherborne, Co. Dorset, Eng. however Anderson ascribes his origin simply as the West Country of England. He died on 29 Dec 1674 in Salem, Essex Co., MA.

There is a great deal of confusion concerning the wives of Thomas Gardner. Most older sources assign only two wives with the first, the mother of his children, given as Margaret Fryer. However Robert Charles Anderson in his highly respected "The Great Migration Begins" assigns three wives to Thomas as follows: the name of his first wife, the mother of all of his children is unknown. She came with him to New England, (while Anderson doesn't say when it probably wasn't when Thomas first arrived at the Cape Ann Colony, but later, after he had removed to Naumkeag (Salem)). Wife #1 died, probably in Salem, before 1639. Thomas married (2) Margaret (_____) by 1639; and after her death married (3) the wid. Damaris (_____) Shattuck.[6]

Thomas arrived first on Cape Ann in 1624, as part of the Cape Anne Colony, and removed to Naumkeag (Salem) in 1626. He was an innkeeper in Salem and was apparently literate as he signed his name to several petitions and inventories.[6] Tradition holds that Thomas was the Governor of the Cape Anne Colony, at least for a time.

Farmer confused Thomas with his son Thomas Jr. and mistakenly stated that he came from Scotland. He says of him in part, "an overseer of the plantation at Gloucester 1624, and removed thence Salem, was admitted freeman 1636, representative 1637.." "united. with the Church 1639, freeman 1641, was a selectmen, and d. 1674. His last wife was Damaris Shattuck"[5/117]

" In ordinary affairs Roger Conant next to Endecott, was perhaps still the most important,,and held a more important position in the community than any of the other old Planters, though John Woodbury, Thomas Gardner and Peter Palfrey were sent as deputies to the General Court"[4]

Thomas was a selectman in 1636.[4]:

"In 1640 Mr. Hathorne, Robert Moulton and Thomas Gardner furnished bulls to go with the Salem Herd at 20 shillings a season."[4]
"In 1658 Thomas Gardner was on a jury to hear complaints of a disorderly meeting at which two Quaker missionaries were present. Most of the people present were women. The Shattuck family was represented. Samuel Shattuck was fined and imprisoned. He was whipped in Boston where he was imprisoned."[4]
Joseph was involved in the civic affairs of Salem, holding a number of positions. He joined the Salem Church in 1649. He was also a large landowner, owning most of the land between St. Peter's St. and Brown St. in Salem.(4)
In May, 1672, he was appointed Lieutenant in the Company of Salem Foot, under command of Capt. William Price.[1][3] Three years later in May the Salem Militia was increased to two companies and Joseph Gardner was appointed Captain of the 1st Co. of Salem Foot. During King Phillip's War he was appointed on 3 Nov. 1675 to command a company of men which was subsequently raised at Salem, Marblehead, Topsfield, Andover, Gloucester, Beverly and Lynn.[4] They mustered at Dedham Plain on 10 Dec. following with a total force of 95 then proceeded to Wickford. During the march they were involved in a number of incidents with groups of hostile Indians losing several men. He was killed storming a breech in the Narragansett's stockaid at Swamp Fort Dec. 19, 1675[5], And the manner of his death was described in Church's History of the War.

"Mr. Church spying Capt. Gardiner of Salem amidst the Wigwams at the east end of the Fort, made towards him; but on a sudden while they were looking each other in the face, Capt. Gardiner settled down, Mr. Church stepped to him, seeing the blood run down his cheek lifted his cap and calling him by name, he looked up in his face but spake not a word, being mortally Shot through the head."[7]

Additional Notes

• Thomas Gardner, Jr. born March 4, 1590/1591 known to be in England, but questionable as to where. Most sources list Dorsetshire, England. Thought to have come to America on the ship Zouch Phoenix in 1624. First married to Unknown, by whom he had eleven children: second married to Margaret, who may have been Margaret Fryer/Fiar/frier; third married to the Widow Damaris Shattuck. Thomas, Jr., according to town records died December 29, 1674 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts.
• Thomas served as Governor of Cape Ann Colony at sometime according to Daggett & Skiffe & Butler History of Martha's Vineyard vol.3
• Thomas Gardner and John Tilley were the chief rulers of the Cape Ann Colony during the time which preceded the appointment of Roger Conant as Governer
• "The Gardner Family of Maine" by Stanly Israel Gardner (privately published, 1986) which begins with Thomas Gardner coming to MA from england in 1624 on the Zouch Phenix. He came to Cape Ann which is now Ipswich, MA to Oversee a fishing and farming settlement that did not succeed. The project was abandoned in 1626 so he moved to Salem where he became and original founder. He and a few others bought Nantucket Island. The house he gave his wife is now the Museum on Nantucket Island.

  ---

Lived in that part of Salem which is now Peabody. Married first probably Margeret Fryer, second widow Damaris Shattuck. [Perley Hist of Salem I:68]

Left will dated Dec 7 1668, mentions wife Damaris, six sons- Thomas, George, John, Samuel, Jospeh and Richard. Daughters Sarah Balch, Seeth Grafton, Miriam Hall, all by his first wife Margaret Frier. Two of his sons m daughters of their stepmother. Damaris had by Mr. Shattuck several children, all probably born England.

Samuel.

Damaris, m in Boston Sept 30 1653, Samuel Page or Pope.

Mary, m Hams, lived in Boston

Hannah, m George Gardner. Moved to Nantucket

Sarah, m in 1652 Richard Gardner and had Richard, Deborah, James, Damaris, Hope and Levi. He and his wife were excommunicated from Salem church for attending Quaker meetings; they removed in 1665 to Nantucket, where their two youngest children were born. [Shattcuk, Lem p 361f]

Write up in Great Migration Begins, Vol. II., pp. 731-737.

See Write-up Perley's History of Salem, Vol I, p. 68.

_______

THOMAS GARDNER was born about 1592; lived in that part of Salem which is now Peabody; married, first, probably Margaret Fryer; second, widow Damaris Shattuck; she died Nov.28, 1674; he died Dec.29, 1674; children: 1. Thomas; 2. George; 3. Richard; 4. John, born in 1624; 5. Samuel, born in 1627; 6. Joseph; captain of the foot company; married Ann Downing; killed in the Narragansett fight with the Indians Dec. 19, 1675; no children; she married, second, Gov. Simon Bradstreet

Note: as an Innkeeper (Thomas Gardner, Sr., was repeatedly licensed during the 1660s to retail strong drink, but in June 1667 the license was amended to allow him to sell only to "strangers" and not to townsmen [EQC 3:339, 431, 4:36, 37, 161, 269, 397]).

Came from Dorset, England, was in Sherbourne Town 1624, governor of Cape Ann Colony, came on the ship Zouch Phoenix in 1624. Some information on children other than Richard Gardner, are from the book "The Triumphant Capt. John, by Will Gardner, 1958. The descendants of Richard are from Starbuck's History of Nantucket, available from Mitchell's Book Corner 54 Main St, Nantucket, MA 02554, price $75. A book on the Swain Family for $20, and a book on the Starbuck Family for $29.95. The book on the Coffin Family was available from the Nantucket Historical Assoc. for $20, currently out of print. Also many other books about Nantucket are available from Mitchell's Book Corner that will be of much interest, a most important book it Hinchmans "Early settlers of Nantucket" for $35.

DON CORDELL 1221 HERZEL AVE. LANCASTER, California 93535

Thomas Gardner 1591-1674 Governor of Cape Ann Colony 1623 Deputy 1637, Daggett & Skiffe & Butler History of Martha's Vineyard Vol.3

Thomas Gardner and John Tilley were the chief rulers of the Cape Ann Colony during the time which preceded the appointment of Roger Conant as Governor.

Source: Thomas Gardner Planter and Some of His Descendants, compiled and arranged by Frank A Gardner, MD, 1731, Essex Institute, Salem, Mass

Thomas Gardner married twice. We know this from the fact that in his will he mentions his wife as the mother-widow of his sons. The Margaret Gardner, who united with the first Church in 1639, is supposed to have been his wife. Various writers, including Rev. Joseph B. It, have stated that her maiden name was Fryer (or Frier), but the writer has thus far failed to find the authority for this statement.

Rev. Charles Henry Pope, in his "Pioneers of Massachusetts" suggests that the Margaret who united with the Salem Church in 1639, may have been the wife of Edmund Gardner of Ipswich.

While Edmund's wife may have been named Margaret, it seems improbable that she was the one above mentioned as uniting with the Salem church, for the following reasons: Edmund is mentioned in the Ipswich Town Records as early as 1635, and very frequently thereafter. The Ipswich church was organized in 1634 and the wife of a man so prominent in local affairs would, in all probability, have united with the "home church."

His second wife was Damaris Shattuck, a widow, who was admitted to the church in Salem in 1641. She had several children by her first husband, one of whom, Sarah, married Richard Gardner son of Thomas. She, like most of her Shattuck relations, evidently favored the Friends, as she was called into court many times for being "present at a Quaker meeting," and for absence from her own church. In the 9th Mo. 1667, and the 4th Mo. In the year following, "Old Mrs. Gardner was fined 5 shillings for absence from public worship. She had no children by Thomas Gardner. The date of her death is given in the Salem Town Records, as 28, 9, 1674.

Thomas Gardner died the 29th 10th Mo. 1674, and was buried in the Gardiner burying ground, a hillock described as lot III. MIGRATION: 1624 FIRST RESIDENCE: Cape Ann REMOVES: Salem 1626 OCCUPATION: Innkeeper (Thomas Gardner, Sr., was repeatedly licensed during the 1660s to retail strong drink, but in June 1667 the license was amended to allow him to sell only to "strangers" and not to townsmen ). CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: In list of Salem church members compiled in late 1636 . FREEMAN: 17 May 1637 . EDUCATION: Signed his name to several petitions and inventories. OFFICES: Deputy for Salem to the General Court, 26 September 1637 . Essex grand jury, 25 February 1641, 27 January 1643/4, July 1644 . Petit jury, failed to appear and fined 29 June 1641 ; appeared 27 January 1642/3, 28 January 1646, 28 January 1647/8, 26 January 1648/9, 26 June 1649, 24 June 1651 (foreman), 29 June 1652, 28 June 1653, 6 March 1653/4, 13 June 1655, 27 November 1655, 30 June 1657, 29 June 1658 . Jury, 27 August 1636, 27 June 1637 (foreman), 27 September 1639, 29 January 1640 . Coroner's jury on Ralph Elwood, August 1644 . Salem selectman, 1635, 1637, 1642-6, 1650, 1655-6 . Salem constable, 1639 . Salem fenceviewer, 1636 . Overseer or surveyor for Salem highways 1637/8, 1639, 1642, 1643, 1649, 1655-8 . Salem rater, 1639/40 .

He came to America in 1624. He lived in Salem, Massachusetts with his wife Margaret who was mother to their ten children: Sarah, Miriam, Seth, Grafton, Thomas, George, Samuel, Joseph, John, and Richard.

GEDCOM Note

Category: Salem, Massachusetts

Pending Information on Origins

See this article: http://thomasgardnerofsalem.blogspot.com/2014/09/thomas-and-margare... which explains that information found in 2014 that may explain that Margaret Friar was the first wife of Thomas Gardner and the mother of all of his children, and that he only had oneother wife, Demaris ____ (widow Shattock). Pending further information from the Thomas Gardner Society, all of Thomas' children will be left attached to Margaret, not to an unknown first wife, which was the conclusion of Robert Charles Anderson in "The Great Migration Begins" page 735. The Thomas Gardner of Salem article indicates that Margaret's parents were Walter Friar and Grace Mullins and also states "...there is a record that may show Thomas' parents: Thomas Gardner and Christine Saule."

Origins

There is no documented proof of his origins or parentage, including noproof that he was the son of Thomas Gardner and Elizabeth White.
:"Banks states without authority that Gardner might have come from Hurst, Martock parish, Somersetshire [Topo Dict 143], and other origins have been claimed. An origin in the West County is certain, but the name is common and none of the suggestions made to date has a firm foundation. :::"George McCracken suggested that the unusual name of the Gardner's last child, Seeth, was an indication that in previous generations there had been a marriage to someone with that surname [TAG 30:157] More recent research<ref>Sherborne, Dorset, Thomas Gardner Society</ref> has discovered the marriage of Thomas Gardiner and Margaret Frier on April28, 1617 in Sherborne, Dorset, followed by baptisms of sons Thomas and George-- known to be the two oldest sons of the later Salem couple. There is a 1591 Sherborne baptism of a Thomas Gardiner that would fit this Thomas and a 1598 baptism of Margaret Frier; unfortunately neither baptism lists the parents. That said, there is a Sherborne marriage record for a Walter Frier and Grace Mullins in the right time frame tobe Margaret's parents.: Question: Can we confirm that this Sherborne family (Thomas and Margaret with sons Thomas and George) disappear from Sherborne records after 1624, known migration year of the Salem, Massachusetts family?

Biography

From Great Migration Begins (pp 731-737)
He was born about 1592 (deposed age 68 on 26 Nov 1661) [EQC 2:320], origins unknown. He married first by 1614 ___ ___; she probably died in Salem in 1636, perhaps at the birth of the youngest child. He arrived in 1624, initially residing in Cape Ann, removing to Salem by 1626. He married 2 (probably) by 1639 Margaret ____, who joined the church at Salem 24 Mar 1639/40 [SChR 8]. See TAG 30:156 for discussion of yet-to-be-confirmed claims she was Margaret Friar. He married (3) Damaris (_____) Shattuck. She was "widow Shattock" whenshe joined the Salem Church 2 Jul 1641 [SChR 11]; she died Salem 28 November 1674, one month before her husband. (See TAG 30:165-68 for discussion of this woman and her many connections to the Pope and Gardnerfamilies.) He was an innkeeper, repeatedly licensed during the 1660s to retail strong drink, but in June 1667, the license was amended to allow him to sell only to "strangers" and not to townsmen. [EQC 3:339, 431, 4:36, 37, 161, 269, 397]. He served as deputy for Salem to the General Court 26 Sep 1637 [MBCR 1:204]. He served on several juries in the 1640s and 1650s. He was alsoSalem selectman, constable, fenceviewer, highway surveyor, and rater in Salem. :"The wife of Thomas Gardner Sr" was fined for frequent absence from the public ordinances on Lord's days, along with a number of other Quakers, November Term 1660 [EQC 2:265]. This was merely the beginning of a long string of such fines and official harassment that eventually convinced several of the sons to move with their families away from Salem. Thomas Gardner Sr. is never named as having absented himself from public worship, and history is silent on his opinion on the matter."<ref>GMB, pp 735-736</ref>

He died in Salem 29 Dec 1674, "husband of Damaris."

Last Will & Testament

• Thomas made his will on 7 Dec 1668. It was proved 29 Mar 1675 [EQC 6:31]. Inventory was taken 4 Jan 1675 (see below for details).
• His will reads (spelling is as shown in will):
• "Weighing the uncertainty of man's life I doe therefore in the time of my health, make this my last will as followeth:
• First, I leave unto my wife Damaris, all that estate shee brought with her according to dower agreement: likewise I give unto her eight pounds, by the year during her life, to be pd her by my six sonns out of that estate I shall leave with them, which eight pounds I give on thiscondition, that shee give up to them her right to the third pt of my housing and lands during her life.
• 2---I give to my daughter Sara Balch: fifteene pounds.
• 3---I give to my daughter Seeth Grafton fifteene pounds.
• 4---I give to my daughter Miriam Hills two daughters, Miriam Hill and Susanna Hill to each of them five pounds to be pd to them, when theyshall accomplish the age of eighteen yeares, or at theire marriage.
• I give unto my sons George & John Gardner that pt of my salt meddow,lying on the west side of Capt. George Corwin's meddow, which I valueat twenty pounds.
• I give unto my sonns Samuell and Joseph Gardner, the other pt of my salt meddow lying on the east side of Capt. Corwin's meddow, wch I do likewise value at twenty pounds.
• My will is further that my houseing with the rest of my lands & goods & estate with the meddow before mentioned, shall be divided into seaven equall pts: which I doe give to my six sons, as followeth: first Igive to my son Thomas two pts of ye seaven, he paying to his mother in law forty-six shillings by the yeare, during her life.
• 2nd. I give to my son George Gardner one pt of the seven, he paying to his mother in law 23 shill. by the yeare during her life.
• 3rd. I give to my son Richard ..." (as above; also John, Samuel and Joseph have similar bequests in the order named).
• "I doe appoynt my sons George and Samuell to be the executors of this my will & doe desire my loveing friends Mr. Joseph Grafton Sen and Deacon Horne to be my overseers to see this my will performed."
• Signed: Thomas Gardner The 7:10:68
• Wit: Robert Pease, Samuell Goldthrite.
• "On the 29 March 1675: Robert Pease & Samuell Goldthrite came before the worshipfull Edward King Esq. and Maj. Hathorne Esq. & Hilliard Veren clearke of the court at Salem, being present & gave oath that the above written was assigned to & declared the last will and testament ofye sd Tho: Gardner & that there is no latter will of his that they know of. Attest Hilliard Veren clerk."

Synopsis:* to my wife Damaris [still living at time he wrote the will, althoughshe died one month before he did]

• my six sons
• my daughter Sara Balch
• my daughter Seeth Grafton
• my daughter Mirian Hills (and her daughters Miriam and Susanna Hill)
• sons George and John Gardner
• sons Samuel and Joseph Gardner
• my son Thomas

Estate

An inventory of the goods & estate of Thomas Gardner was taken 4 Jan1675 by Hilliard Veren, Sr. and John Pickering and totalled £274 16s., including real estate valued at £201: "an old dwelling house with about 10 acres of land adjoining with the orchard, fences &c.," £31; ten acres of ground in the Northfield, £27; about 100 acres of uplandand meadow, £100; about 20 acres of land lying in the woods, £3; and about 2 3/4 acres of salt marsh lying above the mill," £40. The inventory also included "2 old barrels of guns" valued at 5s.

• Following Thomas Gardner's probate, at the November 1677 term of Essex court his sons George ("now of Hartford, Connecticut") and Samuel sued John Pudney of Salem, husbandman, over a farm let to Pudney by lease dated 1 March 1672 and described as Gardner's now dwelling house inSalem, with all his land in Northfield, about 20 acres, also his 10 acres of meadow ... for seven years from Apr. 15, 1672 at £11 per year, and two barrels of cider, said Gardner furnishing the cask, of which£4 were to be paid in wood at 8s. per cord, 40s. in butter and cheese, with one firkin of butter, 40s. in pork, and the remainder in corn.Said Pudney was not to remove any muck, and Gardner reserved the right to take the meadow near Needham's if he so desired.
• On 2 September 1678 Lt. George Gardner, late of Salem & now of Hartford, merchant, and Samuel Gardner of Salem, mariner, joint executors of the last will of Mr. Thomas Gardner deceased, sold to John Swinnerton of Salem, physician, "all that part of the estate that said Gardner died possessed of and which the said executors have power to sell," including a dwelling house and ten acres in the North Field, another tenacres in the North Field, about an acre of upland by the Strongwater Brook, a farm containing one hundred acres of upland and meadow, and twenty acres of upland and meadow.
• Thomas' son, Samuel, presented the will to the clerk of court and itwas proven on 29 Mar 1675.
• Samuel and Lieut. George Gardner, the executors, sold to Job Swinnerton, physician, 19 Jul 1678, the following: "10 acres of land with housing in north field by land of John Pease. 10 acres of land in north field by land of Robert Stone. 1 acre of land by 'Strong water brooke, adjoining to ye medow formerly of ye sd Thomas Gardner deceased,' called 'ye salt meddow.' 100 acre farm more or less in town of Salem by land of Anthony Needham. 20 acres in Salem by land of Widow Pope. 'alsoe all debts dues or demands owing or in anywise belonging to ye estate of ye sr. Tho. Gardner deceased." (Ref. Essex Registry of Deeds, book 5, leaf 3.)
• All of the above property with exception of the ten acre lot in the north field by land of Robert Stone was bought back by Samuel on 22 July 1678, with Thomas Gardner Sen'r his brother being one of the witnesses.

(Source: County Court records, Case no. 54, March 1675)

Children

Anderson claims that all Thomas' children were by a first, unnamed wife, and NOT of Margaret:
:"In the Salem land grant of 1637 Thomas Gardner received acreage for a household of seven. His sons Thomas and George were already old enough to receive grants of their own and be considered separate households. Seven younger children of Thomas Sr were still under age and presumably residing at home, which would make a household of eight. One or more of the children could have been serving in another family, but this accounting raises the possibility that Thomas did not have a wife living in 1637. This hypothesis is supported by the admission to church membership of a Margaret Gardner on 24 Mar 1639/40; had she been with Thomas Gardner since his arrival in New England, we would expect that he would appear in the list of church members compiled in late 1636 atthe reorganization of the church. Consequently, we propose that Thomas Gardner had three wives, the first of them of unknown name, who diedat the birth of the youngest child Seeth, whose baptism is one of thefirst recorded in late 1636.<ref>GMB, p 735</ref>

1. Thomas, b abt 1614 (adult in 1637); eldest son with a double share in his father's will; m1 by 1643 Hannah Hapscott[?]; m2 Elizabeth Horne, dau of John Horne; died 1682.# George, b abt 1616 (adult in 1637); made free 27 Dec 1642; m1 by 1644 Hannah ____; m2 by 1654 Elizabeth (Freestone) Turner, bp Horncastle,Lincolnshire, 17 Oct 1619, dau of Richard and Margery (Freestone) Freestone, and widow of Robert Turner, shoemaker, of Boston; m3 after 1663 Elizabeth (Allen) Stone, widow of Rev. Samuel Stone. (For the identity of these three wives, Anderson followed the work of George E. McCracken [TAG 30:158-66].) Died 20 Aug 1679 in Kingston, Rhode Island.# John, b abt 1624 (d Nantucket 6 Jul 1706, aged 82); m 20 Feb 1653/4 Priscilla Grafton [NanVR, citing "William C. Folger genealogical records in the possession of the Nantucket Historical Association"; this marriage probably took place in Salem.] Known as Captain John Gardner. He died May 1706 in Nantucket and is buried in the old burial ground on "Forefather's Hill." The original gravestone is still in existence,the only original gravestone of any of the early settlers. At present, it is kept in the old Coffin House (horseshoe house). A granite stone stands in its place at the grave, upon which is inscribed: "Here lyes buried ye body of John Gardner, Esq., age 82, who died May 1706. This stone erected in 1881 replaces one removed for preservation, which marked this spot for 175 years." His will was dated 2 December 1705 and probated on 2 October 1706.# Sarah, b abt 1627; abt 1650 as first of his three wives Benjamin Balch, son of John Balch. Sarah died 15 Apr 1686 in Massachusetts.# Samuel, b abt 1629 (aged 50 in 1680); m1 bef 1658 Mary White, dau ofJohn and Elizabeth (____) White; m2 Salem 2 Aug 1680 Elizabeth _____ Paine.# Joseph, b abt 1630 (age 16 in 1645/6); m Ann Downing,, dau of Emmanuel Downing; she m2 6 Jun 1676 Simon Bradstreet. Samuel died c Oct 1689 in Essex, Massachusetts.# Richard, b abt 1621; d 23 first month (March) 1688 in Nantucket. [Anderson claims born 1636 having died 1724 age 92, BUT Anderson did not examine the sources cited in his source; it was Richard's wife who died in 1724; Nantucket VR clearly lists a 1688 death for Richard and a 1724 death for his wife.] He married about 1652 (probably in Salem) Sarah Shattuck, daughter of his stepmother Damaris (_____) (Shattuck) Gardner. [TAG 30:168]# Miriam, b abt 1636; m by 1657 as his first wife John Hill; he m2 Salem 26 Aug 1664 Lydia Buffum. Miriam died before Aug 1664.# Seeth, bp Salem 25 Dec 1636 [SChR 16]; m1 Joshua Conant, son of Roger Conant; m2 1 Dec 1659 John Grafton, son of Joseph Grafton. She died17 Apr 1707. Thomas II Gardner. <ref>Source: #S222 Record for Thomas Gardner Link: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=9840&h=743559&indiv=try</ref>Gardner*. <ref>Source: #S1 Database online. Record for Margaret Friar*</ref> Found multiple versions of name. Using Thomas II Gardner.

Born 1592 Sherborne, Dorset, England. Map: Latitude: N50.9471. Longitude: W2.5259. <ref>Source: #S27 http://troutwind.tripod.com/gardner.html THOMAS GARDNER, was born in England about 1592. His place of birth has been given as being Sherborne, Co. Dorset, Eng. however Anderson ascribes his origin simply as the West Country of England.He died on 29 Dec 1674 in Salem, Essex Co., MA. There is a great deal of confusion concerning the wives of Thomas Gardner. Most oldersources assign only two wives with the first, the mother of his children, given as Margaret Fryer. However Robert Charles Anderson in his highly respected "The Great Migration Begins" assigns three wives to Thomas as follows: the name of his first wife, the mother of all of his children is unknown. She came with him to New England, (while Andersondoesn't say when it probably wasn't when Thomas first arrived at the Cape Ann Colony, but later, after he had removed to Naumkeag (Salem)).Wife #1 died, probably in Salem, before 1639. Thomas married (2) Margaret (_____) by 1639; and after her death married (3) the wid. Damaris (_____) Shattuck.[6] Thomas arrived first on Cape Ann in 1624,as part of the Cape Anne Colony, and removed to Naumkeag (Salem) in 1626. He was an innkeeper in Salem and was apparently literate as he signed his name to several petitions and inventories.[6] Tradition holdsthat Thomas was the Governor of the Cape Anne Colony, at least for a time. Farmer confused Thomas with his son Thomas Jr. and mistakenly stated that he came from Scotland. He says of him in part, "an overseer of the plantation at Gloucester 1624, and removed thence Salem, was admitted freeman 1636, representative 1637.." "united. with the Church 1639, freeman 1641, was a selectmen, and d. 1674. His last wife was Damaris Shattuck"[5/117] " In ordinary affairs Roger Conant next to Endecott, was perhaps still the most important,,and held a moreimportant position in the community than any of the other old Planters, though John Woodbury, Thomas Gardner and Peter Palfrey were sent asdeputies to the General Court"[4] Thomas was a selectman in 1636.[4] "In 1640 Mr. Hathorne, Robert Moulton and Thomas Gardner furnished bulls to go with the Salem Herd at 20 shillings a season."[4]"In 1658 Thomas Gardner was on a jury to hear complaints of a disorderly meeting at which two Quaker missionaries were present. Most of the people present were women. The Shattuck family was represented.Samuel Shattuck was fined and imprisoned. He was whipped in Boston where he was imprisoned."[4] CHILDREN: 1. George Gardner, b.England, m. Hannah Shattuck [1] joined the Salem Church in 1637; selectman 1662. Hannah was presumably the "Hannah Gardner" who joined the Salem Church in 1639.[4] 2. John Gardner, b. about 1624, poss. in Naumkeag (Salem, Essex Co, MA), and d. 6 May 1706 on Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA[1]. He joined the Salem Church in 1643[4] He married Priscilla Grafton 20 Feb 1653/54 on Nantucket.[1] 3. Sarah Gardner, born about 1627, died 5 Apr 1686 at Beverly, Essex Co., MA. She married Benjamin Balch about 1650 as his first wife. He was the son of John Balch and Margery Lovett. Ch: Samuel, Benjamin, John, Joseph, Freeborn, Sarah, Abigail, Ruth, Mary, Jonathan, David.[1][6] Benjamin married (2) Abigail Clarke on 5 Feb 1688/9 in Marblehead (she d. 1 Jan 1690), and married (3) Grace Mallett on 15 Mar 1691/2.[6] 4. Samuel Gardner married Mary White[1] "born ab. 1627, freeman 1675, representative, 1681 and 1682."[5] Joined Salem Church in 1649.. selectman in 1676-77, and "Capt. Samuel Gardner" selectman "1697".[4] 5. Joseph Gardner died on 19 Dec 1675. He married Anne Downing bef. Aug. 1656.She was born about 1634 and died on 19 Apr. 1713 age 79. She was the daughter of Emanuel Downing.[1][2] Joseph and Ann had no children. Anne Downing Gardner married (2) Governor Simon Bradstreet. He was at that time a man in his late 70's. They had no children. Joseph was involved in the civic affairs of Salem, holding a number of positions.He joined the Salem Church in 1649. He was also a large landowner, owning most of the land between St. Peter's St. and Brown St. in Salem.(4) In May, 1672, he was appointed Lieutenant in the Company of Salem Foot, under command of Capt. William Price.[1][3] Three years later in May the Salem Militia was increased to two companies and Joseph Gardner was appointed Captain of the 1st Co. of Salem Foot. During King Phillip's War he was appointed on 3 Nov. 1675 to command a company of men which was subsequently raised at Salem, Marblehead, Topsfield, Andover, Gloucester, Beverly and Lynn.[4] They mustered at Dedham Plainon 10 Dec. following with a total force of 95 then proceeded to Wickford. During the march they were involved in a number of incidents withgroups of hostile Indians losing several men. He was killed storming a breech in the Narragansett's stockaid at Swamp Fort Dec. 19, 1675[5], And the manner of his death was described in Church's History of theWar. "Mr. Church spying Capt. Gardiner of Salem amidst the Wigwams at the east end of the Fort, made towards him; but on a sudden while they were looking each other in the face, Capt. Gardiner settled down, Mr. Church stepped to him, seeing the blood run down his cheek lifted his cap and calling him by name, he looked up in his face but spake not a word, being mortally Shot through the head."[7] 6. Seeth Gardner was b. 25 Oct 1636 at Salem, Essex Co., MA and was baptized on 25 Dec. 1636 in Salem. She died on 17 Apr.1707 in Salem. Savage indicated she married Joseph Grafton, however, another source states that she married (1) Joshua Conant and (2) John Grafton on 1 Oct. 1659 in Salem.[1] 7. Miriam Gardner was born in about 1632, Salem anddied in about 1664 in Salem, she married John Hill.[1][Vitals not sourced so regard as tentative dates only] 8. RICHARD GARDNER 9. Thomas Gardner Jr. [4][5], joined the Salem Church in 1637; selectman 1682; with his brother John was the most heavily involved in the family shipping interests. The family had "financial interest" in the Ketches 'Mary' and 'Expectation' about 1689.[4] James Savage, "A Genealogical Dictionary of New England" V.2 p. 228-230 New England Historic and Genealogical Register, v.38, p. 199 Mass. ColonyRecords, V5 p.517 James Duncan Phillips, "Salem In the 17th Century" John Farmer, "Register Of The First Settlers Of New England", p. 117</ref><ref>Source: #S27 http://troutwind.tripod.com/gardner.html THOMAS GARDNER, was born in England about 1592. His place of birth has been given as being Sherborne, Co. Dorset, Eng. however Anderson ascribes his origin simply as the West Country of England. He died on 29 Dec 1674 in Salem, Essex Co., MA. There is a great deal ofconfusion concerning the wives of Thomas Gardner. Most older sources assign only two wives with the first, the mother of his children, given as Margaret Fryer. However Robert Charles Anderson in his highly respected "The Great Migration Begins" assigns three wives to Thomas as follows: the name of his first wife, the mother of all of his children is unknown. She came with him to New England, (while Anderson doesn't say when it probably wasn't when Thomas first arrived at the Cape Ann Colony, but later, after he had removed to Naumkeag (Salem)). Wife #1 died, probably in Salem, before 1639. Thomas married (2) Margaret (_____) by 1639; and after her death married (3) the wid. Damaris (_____)Shattuck.[6] Thomas arrived first on Cape Ann in 1624, as part of the Cape Anne Colony, and removed to Naumkeag (Salem) in 1626. He was aninnkeeper in Salem and was apparently literate as he signed his name to several petitions and inventories.[6] Tradition holds that Thomas was the Governor of the Cape Anne Colony, at least for a time. Farmer confused Thomas with his son Thomas Jr. and mistakenly stated that he came from Scotland. He says of him in part, "an overseer of the plantation at Gloucester 1624, and removed thence Salem, was admitted freeman 1636, representative 1637.." "united. with the Church 1639, freeman 1641, was a selectmen, and d. 1674. His last wife was Damaris Shattuck"[5/117] " In ordinary affairs Roger Conant next to Endecott, was perhaps still the most important,,and held a more important position in the community than any of the other old Planters, though John Woodbury,Thomas Gardner and Peter Palfrey were sent as deputies to the GeneralCourt"[4] Thomas was a selectman in 1636.[4] "In 1640 Mr. Hathorne,Robert Moulton and Thomas Gardner furnished bulls to go with the Salem Herd at 20 shillings a season."[4] "In 1658 Thomas Gardner was on ajury to hear complaints of a disorderly meeting at which two Quaker missionaries were present. Most of the people present were women. The Shattuck family was represented. Samuel Shattuck was fined and imprisoned. He was whipped in Boston where he was imprisoned."[4] CHILDREN: 1. George Gardner, b. England, m. Hannah Shattuck [1] joined the SalemChurch in 1637; selectman 1662. Hannah was presumably the "Hannah Gardner" who joined the Salem Church in 1639.[4] 2. John Gardner, b. about 1624, poss. in Naumkeag (Salem, Essex Co, MA), and d. 6 May 1706 on Nantucket, Nantucket Co., MA[1]. He joined the Salem Church in 1643[4] He married Priscilla Grafton 20 Feb 1653/54 on Nantucket.[1] 3. Sarah Gardner , born about 1627, died 5 Apr 1686 at Beverly, Essex Co., MA. She married Benjamin Balch about 1650 as his first wife. He was the son of John Balch and Margery Lovett. Ch: Samuel, Benjamin, John, Joseph, Freeborn, Sarah, Abigail, Ruth, Mary, Jonathan, David.[1][6] Benjamin married (2) Abigail Clarke on 5 Feb 1688/9 in Marblehead (she d.1 Jan 1690), and married (3) Grace Mallett on 15 Mar 1691/2.[6] 4. Samuel Gardner married Mary White[1] "born ab. 1627, freeman 1675, representative, 1681 and 1682."[5] Joined Salem Church in 1649.. selectmanin 1676-77, and "Capt. Samuel Gardner" selectman "1697".[4] 5. Joseph Gardner died on 19 Dec 1675. He married Anne Downing bef. Aug. 1656. She was born about 1634 and died on 19 Apr. 1713 age 79. She was thedaughter of Emanuel Downing.[1][2] Joseph and Ann had no children. Anne Downing Gardner married (2) Governor Simon Bradstreet. He was at that time a man in his late 70's. They had no children. Joseph was involved in the civic affairs of Salem, holding a number of positions. He joined the Salem Church in 1649. He was also a large landowner, owningmost of the land between St. Peter's St. and Brown St. in Salem.(4) In May, 1672, he was appointed Lieutenant in the Company of Salem Foot, under command of Capt. William Price.[1][3] Three years later in Maythe Salem Militia was increased to two companies and Joseph Gardner was appointed Captain of the 1st Co. of Salem Foot. During King Phillip's War he was appointed on 3 Nov. 1675 to command a company of men which was subsequently raised at Salem, Marblehead, Topsfield, Andover, Gloucester, Beverly and Lynn.[4] They mustered at Dedham Plain on 10 Dec. following with a total force of 95 then proceeded to Wickford. During the march they were involved in a number of incidents with groups of hostile Indians losing several men. He was killed storming a breach in the Narragansett's stockaid at Swamp Fort Dec. 19, 1675[5], And themanner of his death was described in Church's History of the War. "Mr. Church spying Capt. Gardiner of Salem amidst the Wigwams at the east end of the Fort, made towards him; but on a sudden while they were looking each other in the face, Capt. Gardiner settled down, Mr. Church stepped to him, seeing the blood run down his cheek lifted his capand calling him by name, he looked up in his face but spake not a word, being mortally Shot through the head."[7] 6. Seeth Gardner was b.25 Oct 1636 at Salem, Essex Co., MA and was baptized on 25 Dec. 1636 in Salem. She died on 17 Apr.1707 in Salem. Savage indicated she married Joseph Grafton, however another source states that she married (1) Joshua Conant and (2) John Grafton on 1 Oct. 1659 in Salem.[1] 7. Miriam Gardner was born in about 1632, Salem and died in about 1664 in Salem, she married John Hill.[1][Vitals not sourced so regard as tentative dates only] 8. RICHARD GARDNER 9. Thomas Gardner Jr. [4][5], joined the Salem Church in in 1637; selectman 1682; with his brother Johnwas the most heavily involved in the family shipping interests. The family had "financial interest" in the Ketches 'Mary' and 'Expectation'about 1689.[4] James Savage, "A Genealogical Dictionary of New England" V.2 p. 228-230 New England Historic and Genealogical Register, v.38, p. 199 Mass. Colony Records, V5 p.517 James Duncan Phillips, "Salem In the 17th Century" John Farmer, "Register Of The First SettlersOf New England", p. 117</ref> 1592Lymington, Hampshire, Southampton, England. <ref>Source: #S1 Database online. Record for Margaret Friar*</ref> Found multiple copies of birth date. Using 1592

Died 29 DEC 1674. Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, USA. Map: Latitude: N42.5195. Longitude: W70.8967. <ref>Source: #S222 Record for Thomas Gardner Link: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=9840&h=743559&indiv=try</ref>

Residence 1627 Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, USA. Map: Latitude: N42.5195. Longitude: W70.8967.

Occupation: Innkeeper. 1627 Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, USA. Map: Latitude: N42.5195. Longitude: W70.8967. Source: Source: Representative to General Court. 1637<ref>Source: #S1 Database online. Record for Margaret Friar*</ref> Governor of the Cape Anne Colony. Source:

Buried Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, USA. Map: Latitude: N42.5195. Longitude: W70.8967. <ref>Source: #S1 Database online. Record for Margaret Friar*</ref><ref>Source: #S1 Database online. Record for Margaret Friar*</ref><ref>Source: #S222 Record for Thomas Gardner Link: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=9840&h=743559&indiv=try</ref>

Event: The Charity. Ship 1624 Cape Ann(e) Colony, Massachusetts, USA. II. Suffix

Immigration: 1624 Cape Ann(e) Colony, Massachusetts, USA. Source: Source:

Caste: Selectman in 1636. Source: Source:

Marriage Husband . Wife . Child: . Marriage 1615 Hampshire, England. Map: Latitude: N51.0437. Longitude: W1.277. <ref>Source: #S1 Database online. Record for Margaret Friar*</ref>

Sources

1. Gardner, Frank Augustine. Thomas Gardner, Planter (Cape Ann, 1623-1626; Salem, 1626-1674) and Some of Descendants: Salem, Massachusetts, Essex Institute, 1907# Gardner, Benjamin Hard. Genealogy of the Gardner Family, publ. 1953 in Aiken, South Carolina.
2. Essex, Massachusetts probate records, book 301, leaves 62-63.
3. Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins, pp 731-734.# Edward Norris Wentworth, Jr, The Genalogy of Edward Norris Wentworth Junior, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA; June 1928
4. Family Bible of Glen McTaggart

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