Thomas Tharp

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previously name in the tree was blank and this section contained the following:

This represents an unknown number of individuals between Thomas Thorpe of Woodbridge and Benjamin Tharp of Virginia. The connection is proven by DNA evidence. See Benjamin Tharp, Benjamin H Tharp

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http://www.thorpedna.org/

The Thorpe surname originated in England almost a thousand years ago and most likely has Norse roots. A number of Thorpe families emigrated to the United States in the 1600-1700's from England and today thousands of families can claim descendant from these early American settlers.

http://www.thorpedna.org/THORPE-part.html

THOMAS THORPE (1631) OF WOODBRIDGE, NEW JERSEY:

Thomas Thorpe is the progenitor of the Thorpe clan of Woodbridge, New Jersey, though his earliest appearances are in Massachusetts and Long Island, New York. He was born about 1631, and is said by early historians to be from Ipswich, Massachusetts. Yet no research up to this date has revealed his birthplace or parentage. There has been speculation that Thomas is the son of John and Alice (Chandler) Thorp of the Plymouth Colony, but no evidence of this connection has ever been found.

Thomas married Rebecca Milward (abt 1640) on March 27, 1656 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a soldier in King Phillips war and was in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, in 1677. While all the children of Thomas and Rebecca Thorpe were born in Long Island, this family relocated to Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey sometime after 1675. Thomas is considered one of the earliest settlers in the Woodbridge area, where he inherited a large amount of land from his father-in-law, Daniel Pierce. Thomas was very active in the Woodbridge community, serving as Constable (1690), Grand Juror (1692), and Deputy of the General Assembly (1693-4). Thomas Thorpe died about 1693 and his will was was proved December 24, 1694.

Thomas and Rebecca Thorpe had the following children: Thomas (1657-1689), William (1659), Daniel (1661), Zebulon (1663), George (1665), Joseph (1667), Benjamin (1669), Ann (1671). While Zebulon Thorpe relocated to Yarmouth, Massachusetts, most of these children and their descendants remained in Woodbridge or the general vicinity for generations.

In the late 1700's, some of the descendants of Thomas Thorpe, including Reuben Thorpe (1755) and his brothers, relocated to Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Reuben owned land in Perry County, Ohio, where some of his children later settled (most using the surname "Tharp"), while others remained in Fayette County (using the surname "Thorpe"). Reuben's brother, Benjamin Thorpe (abt 1759), removed briefly to Fayette County, Pennsylvania, but later settled in nearby Greene County, Pennsylvania, where some of his descendants remain to this day.

also see:

http://www.thorpedna.org/thorpereport4.pdf