David Thomas, of Middleboro

• Not a known son of Hon. William Thomas, of the Plymouth Colony
• Deborah Soule was not his daughter.

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Birth place seen as Llantwit juxta Neath, Glamorganshire, Wales

From Genealogies of the Teel Family of New England and of the Family of David Thomas of Middleboro, Massachusetts; together with the Ancestry of Frank Herbert Teel and of his wife Grace Carroll Thomas and a Register of descendants of Gershom Teel, Benjamin Swan, Horation Nelson Thomas and Prentice Howes Compiled by John Marshall Raymond. Westons' History of The Town of Middleboro And from the vital Statistics of Mass and RI"

We find that : 'David Thomas of Middleboro, the founder of the family covered in the following genealogy, ( Teel and Thomas) is thought to have been born in Wales about 1620. it is believed that he came to America in 1640 in the Sampson (Virkus, v. 6, p. 809), It certainly is a fact that at a session of the Quarterly Courts in Salem on 8 July 1649 David (also Davie) Thomas was a witness in a suit for defamation brought by John Bartoll against Alice, wife of John Peach, Jr. for having said that the plaintiff's wife, Parnell Bartoll, had committed adultery with the boatswain of the ship Sampson in the cabin of Parnell about 4 years ago (Quarterly Courts, v.1, p. 78'

However, a David Thomas, at 26, left England for the Barbadoes on the Dorsett on 3 Sep 1635, and another described as Davis Thomas, age 20, left on the Expedition on 20 Nov 1635 also for the Barbadoes (Hotten, pp. 80, 133; Thomas Book, pp 567-8). It is barely possible, although quite unlikely, that one of these was David, later of Middboro, and that he came to America by way of the Barbadoes.

In any event the first record of David Thomas in America is the entry of his being a witness in court in Salem in 1645 mentioned above. He apparently lived in that part of Salem which was about to become the Town of Marblehead, for he is named in the record of a meeting of people of that area held 22 Dec. 1648, at which the division of commonlands was settled. The apportionment reads: finding the comons but littell as we conceive to pasture not more than fifty head of cattell, or cows, accounting a horse or maire as two cows, two yearling cattell for one cowe, four goats or sheep to a cowe, a steer or bulock of two years ould as a cowe, the number of families in the plantation being 44, thus limited:-....David Thomas, 1/2 cow... (Roads, pp.18-20)

David Thomas left Marblehead sometime after 2 May 1649, when it became a separate town, probably shortly prior to June 1661, and removed to that part of Salem which later became Beverly. This appears from a determination of William Hathorne (see note 374 on Ancestry) who was arbitrator in an action brought by William Dodge against Roger Haskell. The determination was filed with the court on 29 Jun 1661 and the significant part states that Dodge should run a fence toward the rock, which is against the land now in the occupation of Daved Thomas (Quart Courts, v. 2, pp. 313-4). The precise location of the property of David is shown on a map of Beverly that was used in connectioon with its becoming a separate town in 1688 (Perley, v. 2, p 417). It was along the road which paralleled the Bass River on its north side, adjoining the property of William Dodge, and across the street from the lots of Henry Harrick and Andrew Elliot.

After he had moved to the Bass River area, David started to dispose of his Marblehead intetrests. By bill of sale dated 30 May 1664 (sic) for Bass River, sold to Richard Norman of Marblehead. (sic) David Thomas is recorded as one of the 114 householders in Marblehead in 1674 (Roads, p. 28)

Meanwhile he had become interested in Middleboro, and may have actually lived in Middleboro as early as 1668-70, for the birth of his son Edward on 5 Feb 1669 is the first entry in the town records of Middleboro. However, it is possible that the entry was made at a later date, in view of the Marblehead record showing him as having a house there in 1674. In any event, it is clear that by 1675 he had moved to Middleboro where he was a farmer (Weston, p 34; D. Thomas, p. 3). He settled southeast of the town proper, at the end of what is now Thomas Street, in an area that became known at Thomastown, and where a number of his descendants still live (Weston, p. 53)

Middleboro was purchased from the Indians at various times, the original purchase being the twenty-six Men's Purchase in 1662. While David was not an original purchaser at that time, he later bought into that purchase (Weston, p. 53; D. Thomas, p.1). He was, howerver, an original purchaser of the Sixteen Shilling Purchase of 1675, which was apportioned to the purchasers on 21 Nov 1679 (Weston, pp. 619-21). His son David was an original purchaser of the Eight Men's Purchase of 3 Jun 1696 (Weston, p. 626).

Because of the disruption of the Indian Wars (King Phillip Wars) in 1675 (sic) a readjustment of the property holdings had to be undertaken On 28 Jun 1677 those who had formerly lived in the town and those who owned kland there, numberin 68 persons, met and agreed to resettle the town. They called themselves proprietors of the town of Middleberry. The list shows David Thomas given 1 propriation. (Weston, pp. 550-2)

The foregoing account gives all the significant facts about the life of David Thomas that could be ascertained. On 3 Oct 1689 administration on his estate was granted to his widow Joanna (Haskell. Prob dau of Roger).

One further point should, perhaps, be noted. The Salem vital records disclose that on 28 Dec 1667 George Thomas married Mary Graves, bp 16 Apr 1648, dau of Richard (Perley, v.1, p. 427). George was born c. 1640 (Perley, v. 2, p. 396). George and Mary had the following children born in Salem:

Richard, b. 6 Dec 1668

George, b 14, May 1670

Mary, b. 3 Dec 1671, m. 2 Dec 1697 Samuell Golthrite

Elizabeth, b. 4 Jan 1672, M 20 Apr 1697 Isac Pease

Hana, b. 6 Jun 1674

Ruth, b. 8 Feb 1675

George was the right age to have been a son of David, although no connection between them is mentioned by any authority. George does not seem to be ascribed to any other Thomas family, however, so the possibility cannot be discarded, even though proof is lacking.

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• THOMAS, David
• b. 1620 Wales, Great Britian
• d. 22 MAY 1689 Middleborough, Plymouth, Mass.
• Family:
• Marriage: 1649 Salem, Essex, Mass.
• Spouse: Joanna,
• b. ABT 1620
• d. 1689 Middleborough, Plymouth, Mass.
• Children:
  • THOMAS, David b. 1650 d. FEB 1732/3 Middleborough, Plymouth, Mass.
  • THOMAS, Sarah
  • THOMAS, William
  • THOMAS, Joanna
  • THOMAS, Jeremiah
  • THOMAS, Edward
  • THOMAS, Mary b. 2 JAN 1680/1
• From: http://www.genealogyofnewengland.com/f_a9.htm#126 _____________________________
• David Thomas
• M, #76616, d. 1689
• David Thomas married Joanna before 1649 at Salem, Essex, MA. David Thomas died in 1689 at Middleborough, Plymouth, MA.
• Family Joanna d. a 1689
• Child
  • Joanna Thomas+ b. c 1657, d. 11 Apr 1718
• From: http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p2550.htm#... ________________________

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