Thomas Blanchard, of Charlestown

• Evidence needed to support Pierre-Jean Blanchard & Martha Blanchard As parents.
• Not the brother of Joseph Blanchard, of Boston. DNA of descendants does not match.

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THOMAS BLANCHARD-1600 to May 21, 1654

Biography

The first wife's name was Elizabeth (?) and some records show that he was married by 1618. Thomas then second married Agnes BENT (BARNES)in 1637. Thomas third married Mary SHRIMPTON,.d:bef.Apr.,3,1676, of Noddles Island (Charlestown).
Thomas was born in France (probably Lorraine) and went to England, undoubtedly during the French Huguenot migration. He had 4 sons born in England and 1 son, Brent,born at sea. His 1st wife passed away and Thomas married Agnes BENT who was a widow with one son, *Richard BARNES, Jr. They all,with Agnes' mother, sailed from London on June 23, 1639 on the the ship Jonathan. During the voyage, Agnes, her mother, and the baby **Brent,all passed away. Thomas and his 4 living sons eventually arrived at the harbor in Boston, MA. (Possibly they sailed on April 12th, and arrived on June 23rd.)dt
In 1620 he married (1st) [SIC: 2nd] Agnes Bent Barnes. In 1639, with his wife and children, he sailed in the ship "Jonathan" for Boston. His wife died during the voyage. He landed 23 June 1639 in New England. He lived for a time in Braintree and Malden, and in February 1651 purchased land and a house on the Mystic side of Charlestown, where he resided until his death 21 May 1654. In 1640 he took as his (2nd) wife Mary
After arriving in New England ,he married Mary ______ who survived him. He made is will 05/22/1654 and it was provedd 06/20/1654. (N.E. H.G.S. Register 17 156: 32 407---411.)

Family

https://commonheroes3.wordpress.com/11th-generation/blanchard-thoma...

THOMAS BLANCHARD died 21 May 1654 in Charlestown, MA. He married (1) ELIZABETH 1617 in England. She died 1636. He married (2) AGNES (BENT) BARNES 15 May 1637 in St. Edmonds, Salisbury, Wilts (Wiltshire), England, daughter of ? BENT and ANNE GOSLING. She was born Bef. 16 July 1602, and died 28 April 1639 on passage to America. He married (3) MARY (poss. SHRIMPTON) Aft. 1639. She died Abt. 1676.

Children of THOMAS BLANCHARD and ELIZABETH are:

• i. GEORGE BLANCHARD, b. Abt. 1622, England; d. 18 March 1699/00, Malden, MA; m. (1) UNKNOWN, 1653; m. (2) MARY.
• ii. THOMAS BLANCHARD, b. Abt. October 1623, England; d. February 1650/51, Charlestown, MA; m. ANNA ROLFE.
• iii. MARY BLANCHARD, b. Abt. January 1625/26.
• iv. STEPHEN BLANCHARD, b. Abt. June 1628.
• v. SAMUEL BLANCHARD, b. 6 August 1629, England; d. 22 April 1707, Andover, MA; m. (1) MARY, 3 January 1654/55; d. 20 February 1669/70; m. (2) HANNAH DAGGETT, 24 June 1673.
• vi. NATHANIEL BLANCHARD, b. Abt. July 1632.
• vii. DAVID BLANCHARD, b. Abt. February 1633/34.

Child of THOMAS BLANCHARD and AGNES BENT is:

• viii. child BLANCHARD, b. 1639, on passage to America; d. at sea in 1639

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Disputed Origins

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Blanchard-53

Thomas Blanchard was previously attached to parents Pierre Blanchard and Martha Blanchard (possibly Baker), and was supposedly born in Cotentin, Basse-Normandie, France. The story is that they were Huguenots who fled France and settled in England. There is not a single source yet found for this linkage.

A search of the Hampshire records find multiple Blanchard families living in and around Goodworth Clatford well back into the 1500's. To ignore these well established families and claim that his parents were instead completely unsourced, unknown French Hugenots, seems like flying in the face of reason.

https://blanchardfamilyhistory.org/content.php?id=2

For many years, Thomas Blanchard, of Charlestown was the dead end of the Blanchard line. No one had been able to find out who his parents were or where he came from. His origin is still apparently a matter of dispute, but several researchers claim they have identified a father for Thomas Blanchard. They say the father was Pierre Jean Blanchard, born in Calentine, Penins, Normandy, France, in 1555, and died sometime after 1610 possibly in Yorkshire, England. However, another researcher said he had not seen a shred of evidence that the immigrant Thomas Blanchard was from France, son of a Pierre. A different source claims that Thomas was a descendant of Alain Blanchard of Rouen, France, 1418. Alain Blanchard was a brave patriot, and he was put to death after the surrender of Rouen to British.

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Will

https://blanchardfamilyhistory.org/content.php?id=2

On May 22, 1652, Thomas made out a last will and testament. The text of that document survives, and it is interesting reading:

• “I, Thomas Blanchard, of Charlestowne, being weake in body, but through mercy in Sound memory, do make this my last will & testament.
• Vnto my wife, Mary Blanchard, and my sonne, Nathaniell, the Vse of the new End of my dwelling house, and the dairy house dureing the life of my wife;
• also, vnto my wife, eight Cowes, whereof three or fower are called and knowne by the name of her Cowes, also I give vnto my wife, free Sumer feed and winter Stower or food for the said eight Cowes, or so many other Cowes to be kept and prvided for, by my Executors in all Respects in matter of food among their owne Cowes.
• I give vnto my wife, fifty bushels of Corne a yeare, dureing her life, to be payd by my Executors yearely, at or before the first of the 2d mo. in wheate, Rie, pease, barly and Indian, in Equall prportions;
• also, I give my wife one of the beds I now ly on, with all things apprteyning there vnto, as also one third part of all other my househould stuffe (excepting the bedding) to be sett out, or apportoned by my overseers.
• I give my wife, my old mare, the aforesaid Cowes, househould stuffe & mare to her and vnto and her heyres for ever. I do dispose and betrust Biniaman Tompson, vnto and with my wife to prvide for, and bring vp in learning (at her owne pleasure) so as to fit him for the vniversity, in case his parents please to leave him with her, & shee live to that time.
• I give vnto my Sonne, Samuel, besides all former giftes now in his hands, the Sume of four score poundes, whereof thirty pounds to be payd in cattle, vpon valluacon of my overseers, at or before the first of the 9th month next after my decease, and ten pounds in Corne, at or before the first of the second month following, and ten pounds a yeare, in cattle or Corne, at or before the first of the 10th month, for the space of fower yeares following.
• I give vnto my Sonnes, George & Nathaniell, all my farme, houseing and appurtenances after my decease, vnto them & their heyres forever, excepting as before expressed to the Vse of my wife.
• I give vnto my Grand Child, Joseph Blanchard, my two teate heiffer, to be kept for his vse by my Son, George, his father.
• I give vnto my Reverend & welbeloved Friend, Mr Mathews, one Cow, and to the Church of Mauldon one Cow, and to Jno Barrit, 40s.
• I give vnto my sonne, Nathaniell, my Colt to Run with the dame vntill the first of the 10th mo. next;
• also, I Give vnto Nathaniell, my six workeing oxen, but Bucke & Sparke to be none of the six, & to George, my horse.
• All other my estate of what kind soever not before disposed of, I give vnto my Sonnes, George and Nathaniell (my debts and Funrall Charges first discounted) who I do make Joint executors vnto this my last will & testament.
• I appoynt my welbeloved Friends, Mr Edward Collines, & Mr Joseph Hills my overseers, to whom as a Remembrance of my love, I give 10s a peece, beside what my Executors shall allow for their paines on their occasions: who also I do appoynt & impower to approportion the land and estate hereby disposed of an need shalbe, and to Settle all other things that may be of doubtful vnderstanding, as to them shall seem Just, and equall, for the establishment and prservacon of peace, love and vnity amoung all my relacons.
• the marke of
• Tho: X Blanchard
• & a seale.

Thomas died May 21, 1654, at Charlestown. One source claims his age at the time of his death was 54, so that would have made his birth year 1600. It is not known where he is buried. His third wife, Mary, survived him. She was living on Noddle’s Island as of 1663. After Thomas’s death, his house and lands were divided between two of his sons, George and Nathanial. In 1657 Nathanial sold one half of his land to his brother, Samuel.

Merging Conflicts:

1) along with current birth location, we also have options for: Cape Hague,Normandy,,France Penton, Hants, England For now I'm going to leave the main profile location, unless there is a source for the merged profiles locations (Sam Willsea)

Thomas Blanchard, married in England to Agnes Bent, was a direct descendant of Alain Blanchard, who was put to death in 1418 by the British at the capture of Rouen, France.

The Blanchard family were enobled in Laoraine, France, in 1609 and granted a coat of arms.

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References

• Askew Tribe II family tree, Ancestry.com, managed by Robert Chester (Eskew) Henderson
• https://commonheroes3.wordpress.com/11th-generation/blanchard-thoma... cites
• Blanchard, (Blanchard Family History website: http://blanchardfamilyhistory.org, 4 May 2016), “Electronic.”
• Corey, Deloraine Pendre, The History of Malden, Massachusetts, 1633-1785, Malden, MA, 1899.
• Maxfield, Chuck, Some of the Descendants of Thomas Blanchard of Charlestown, Massachusetts, (Chuck Maxfield’s Genealogy Page at: http://maxfield5.tripod.com/blanchard1.html), “Electronic.”
• “Passengers and Vessels that Have Arrived in America,” New England Historic Genealogical Society Register, Vol. 32, October 1878.
• Shepard, Gerald Faulkner, compiler, Jacobus, Donald Lines, ed., Shepard Families of New England, Vol. 1, (New Haven Colony Historical Society, New Haven, CT, 1971).
• Wyman, Thomas Bellows, Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1629-1818, (New England History Press, Somersworth, NH, 1982, originally published in 1892).
• https://www.wyman.org/getperson.php?personID=I11937&tree=Wyman
• http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~blanch-l/thomjosb.html
• Helen Schavett Ullmann, Some Notes on John Bent of Sudbury, Massachusetts, NEHGR, 153 (1999):219-220. < AmericanAncestors >; (document attached). Was Martha, wife of John Bent, of the Blanchard family? Helen Schavett Ullmann says no in 1999: "John1 Bent of Sudbury, Massachusetts, was married during a period for which there is a gap in the Weyhill [parish] registers. The surname of his wife Martha is unknown. Some have claimed that she was a Blanchard, but this seems to have been based on a misinterpretation of documents in which Thomas Blanchard is identified as John's brother-in-law. Blanchard was married to John's sister Agnes. Given that John and Martha accompanied Peter Noyes to America and that they named a son Peter, it seems possible that Martha was connected with the Noyes family."
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Blanchard-53
• https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/blanchard/about/background
• http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~blanch-l/bldna.html There is an oft-repeated assertion that two early Massachusetts immigrants Thomas and Joseph Blanchard were brothers, and another claim that a grandson of Joseph migrated to North Carolina to found a Blanchard line there. Neither claim has been substantiated. In the past, such stories have remained indefinitely in a kind of genealogical limbo, since lack of evidence is not evidence of a lack. The fact that there is no known record of the birth or baptism of either Thomas or Joseph Blanchard, nor even any indication of Joseph's original home, means that conventional genealogy must remain silent on the questions of whether and how these two men might be related. DNA testing offers a new approach to family history research.
  • Group 1 (Thomas1 Blanchard, c1590-1654, Mass.)
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Blanchard-181

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References

• "Descendants of Richard Gardner of Woburn, of the Name of Gardner. Boston" which was privately printed in, 1858. image
• https://blanchardfamilyhistory.org/content.php?id=2