Thomas Oldham, I

The Oldhams of this line were christened and buried at the All Saint's Parish in Derby, Derbyshire, England. The parish is affiliated with the Church of England and was built circa 1350 and is considered the smallest Anglican church in England. The original church was founded by King Edmund I around 943 A.D. but no traces of the structure currently exist.

The town of Derby itself began as a Roman fort c. 50-80 A.D., west of the river Derwent, know as Fort Derventis. The last Roman soldiers left in 407 A.D. Danes founded the town of Derby in 873, after they invaded England and built a fortified structure at the location. The name Derby is derived from the Danish word "deor," meaning "deer settlement." In 917, the natives Saxons captured Derby and it would become a part of the Kingdom of England.

The plague or "the Black Death" occurred over hundreds of years and were results of infested rats coming over on boats returning from the Orient. The plagues swept over Europe and England, Derby was not immune. According to church records, " the plague began in Derby October 1592, in the house of William Sowter, bookseller." William Sowter is the brother of Thomas Sowter, the father of Thomas and Phillippa, who married William Oldham. Plague struck the town of Derby again in 1636 and I believe that it is no coincidence that William Oldham and his son, Thomas both died from its results that same year.

Thomas Oldham

• Birth: 1590 - Derby, Derbyshire, , England
• Death: June 26 1636 - Derby, Derbyshire, , England
• Parents: William Oldham, Philippa Sowter
• Wife: Elizabeth Oldham
• Children: Sarah Oldham, Joseph Oldham, John Oldham, Jethro Oldham, Ann Oldham, Rebekah Oldham, Thomas A T P Oldham

In 1623, Captain John “Mad Jack” Oldham, his sister Lucretia, and his brother Thomas's pregnant wife, Elizabeth Rhodes, boarded the Anne and set sail to Plymouth, Massachusetts.