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m. Abt 1680 - Rev. Thomas Poyer1685 - 1731/32
Facts and Events
| Name |
Rev. Thomas Poyer |
| Gender |
Male |
| Birth? |
25 Nov 1685 |
Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales |
| Education[1] |
6 Apr 1704 |
Oxford, Oxfordshire, EnglandMatriculated, aged 19, Brasenose College |
| Ordination[2] |
9 Jun 1706 |
Hartlebury, Worcestershire, EnglandAdmitted deacon by William Lloyd, bishop of Worcester, in the parish church of Hartlebury, to serve at Burton in Pembrokeshire |
| Ordination[2] |
21 Sep 1706 |
Breconshire, WalesOrdained priest by George Bull, bishop of St. David's, in the chapel of the Virgin Mary in Brecknock |
| Marriage |
Abt 1707 |
Burton, Pembrokeshire, WalesNot confirmed. Registers from 1700-1715 are missing but extracts appear to exist (see GENUKI) at National Library Wales and microfilm copies at Pembroke RO and should be checked.
to Frances _____ |
| Occupation[2] |
21 Feb 1709 |
Mahón, Baleares, Islas Baleares, SpainChaplain on the "Antelope", he borrowed 7 (sterling) while at Port Mahon on 21 Feb. |
| Occupation[2] |
27 Sep 1709 |
Entered the service of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts. |
| Employment[2] |
20 Nov 1709 |
Plymouth, Devon, EnglandGave sermon, Charles's Parish. |
| Employment[2] |
Dec 1709 |
Whitechapel, Middlesex, EnglandGave sermon. |
| Occupation[2] |
16 Dec 1709 |
Appointed to perform, at 50 (sterling) per year, all the offices of his sacred function at Jamaica, Long Island, New York Colony. |
| Ordination[2] |
23 Dec 1709 |
London, EnglandHenry, Bishop of London, signed his license and a certificate of his subscription of conformity |
| Emigration[2] |
30 Dec 1709 |
London, EnglandHe embarked with his wife and at least one child (Daniel), but the fleet was detained to April 10th. |
| Residence[2] |
1710 |
Jamaica, Queens, New York, United StatesResided with Samuel Clowes as the widow of his predecessor, Rev. Urquhart had leased the parsonage to her new son-in-law, a dissenter who married a daughter by her first marriage. |
| Emigration? |
10 Apr 1710 |
EnglandSecond embarkation aboard "The Herbert" |
| Immigration? |
10 Jul 1710 |
Montauk, Suffolk, New York, United States"The Herbert" shipwrecked off Montauk Point, 100 miles north of their destination. The Poyers lost most of their possessions. |
| Employment? |
18 Jul 1710 |
New York City, New York, United StatesInduction into the church by Rev. John Sharpe, chaplain of Her Majesty's forces in New York |
| Employment[3] |
23 Jul 1710 |
Jamaica, Queens, New York, United StatesBaptized Samuel Smith (Samuel and Hannah) and Ruth White (Peter and Abigail). |
| Employment[2] |
30 Jul 1710 |
Jamaica, Queens, New York, United StatesFirst sermon in Jamaica, at The Stone Church. |
| Residence? |
From 1711 to 1722 |
Jamaica, Queens, New York, United StatesLeased the place of widow Elizabeth Waters on the west side of the road to Flushing, as the parsonage was not returned to the church |
| Employment[2] |
From 1719 to 1722 |
Rye (town), Westchester, New York, United StatesPreached, in turn with other missionaries surrounding Rye for two years following the death of Rev. Christopher Bridge (and married the widow Bridge). |
| Marriage |
1720 |
Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United Statesto Elizabeth Foxcroft |
| Marriage |
1724 |
Jamaica, Queens, New York, United Statesto Sarah Oldfield |
| Death[2] |
15 Jan 1731/32 |
Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States |
| Burial? |
16 Jan 1731/32 |
Prospect Cemetery, Jamaica, Queens, New York, United StatesNorth side of the Village Burying Ground, no stone, with his widow laid in the same spot some time after 1743. |
| Other |
30 May 1732 |
Jamaica, Queens, New York, United StatesThe family house at Jamaica, with a lot of land adjoining, his household goods and books were sold at auction, leaving his widow and children in destitute circumstances.
with Sarah Oldfield |
Timeline
| Date
| Location
| Event
| Documented events of the life of Thomas Poyer
| 30 July 1710
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| The first sermon in Jamaica after his induction, preserved as of 1880. [2]
|
| 27 August 1710
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Baptized John Burrows (John and Freelove). [3]
|
| 5 November 1710
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Sermon on the gunpowder plot.[2]
|
| 17 February 1711
| New York City, New York colony
| Sermon.[2]
|
| 3 May 1711
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Wrote: "I thank God the Church of England here, under my care, increaseth beyond expectation; for among the Quakers (at Flushing) where Mr. Urquhart in all the time of his mission could never gather a congregation, I have seldom so few as fifty hearers. I have great hopes there will more come over to our church notwithstanding the many enemies and discouragements I meet withal. Not one penny of my salary due here has been paid me, but given to one Mr. George McNish, and Independent preacher." -- Doc. His., III, 222.[2]
|
| 21 May 1721
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| A Wednesday sermon in thanksgiving for deliverance from the New York Slave Revolt of 1712.[2]
|
| 21 September 1712
| New York City, New York colony
| Sermon in New York.[2]
|
| 5 February 1713
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Sermon on the death of Rebecca Woolsey, aged 93.[2]
|
| 17 February 1713
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| A Friday sermon preparatory to the Holy Eucharist.[2]
|
| 25 April 1714
| New York City, New York colony
| Sermon in Trinity Church, New York: "The Governor and his lady at church."[2]
|
| 13 June 1714
| New York City, New York colony
| Sermon in Trinity Church, New York: "The Governor and lady not at church because Mr. McKenzie preached in the chapel in the fort."[2]
|
| 7 April 1715
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Sermon in thanksgiving for the accession of King George to the throne.[2]
|
| 28 June 1716
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Sermon of thanksgiving for the overthrow of the enemies of Church and State in North Britain.[2]
|
| 4 August 1717
| Elizabethtown, New Jersey
| Sermon.[2]
|
| 20 January 1718
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Sermon on the martyrdom of King Charles the First.[2]
|
| 5 February 1719
| Rye, New York
| Sermon at Rye preparatory to the Holy Eucharist.[2]
|
| 10 May 1719
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Evening sermon for the funeral of his wife Frances.[2]
|
| 6 September 1719
| Burlington, New Jersey
| Sermon.[2]
|
| 12 September 1719
| Burlington, New Jersey?
| Funeral sermon for Dr. Roberts's mother-in-law, New Jersey.[2]
|
| 19 February 1720
| Rye, New York
| Read a brief for William Dobbs of New York.[2]
|
| 5 March 1720
| Rye, New York
| Sermon.[2]
|
| September 1720
| Boston, Massachusetts
| Sermon.[2]
|
| October 1720
| Kingston, Narraganaset
| Sermon.[2]
|
| 13 June 1722
| Rye, New York
| A Wednesday, he inducted Rev. Mr. Jenney.[2]
|
| 9 November 1722
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony?
| Wrote: "I was so ill as to have little hopes of recovery; indeed I have been in poor health for several years last past."[2]
|
| 27 November 1722
| Queen's Village, Lloyd's Neck
| Sermon.[2]
|
| 16 October 1724
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony?
| Wrote: "my life has been one continued scene of trouble; kept out of my allowance from the country for years, and some of it lost; a great deal of sickness I had myself and in my family, seldom all of us being in health at the same time; I have buried two wives and two children in less than five years; and am now eleven in family, the oldest (Daniel) a little over sixteen; my house rent £16 per year, and an expense every other Sunday of taking my children with me to Newtown and Flushing."[2]
|
| 9 January 1725
| Flushing, New York
| Read a brief for Helena Semiss of Flushing, burnt out.[2]
|
| 19 May 1728
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Read a brief for James Wilcocks of Goshen, burnt out.[2]
|
| 22 March 1729
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Read a brief for Richard Shaw of East Hampton, burnt out.[2]
|
| 7 June 1731
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| He was in custody of the sheriff for a judgement of £42 obtained against him by Henry Cuyler, merchant, of New York.[2]
|
| 16 June 1731
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| He wrote to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel that the infirmities of age bear very hard on him; he is almost unable to officiate and prays the Venerable Society to be permitted to quit his mission and return to his native land. The Venerable Society granted his request, and appointed Rev. Thomas Colgan assistant minister and catechist to the negroes in Trinity Church, New York, to succeed him; but meantime Mr. Poyer had entered into rest.[2]
|
| 13 December 1731
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Put off his harness (gave up preaching). Onderdonk hypothesized in 1880 that he was taken suddenly ill with smallpox, which was then prevalent in Jamaica.[2]
|
| 8 January 1732
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Dr. Evan Jones, a Quaker, was his family physician. He made out his will but was so ill he could write out his name in full.[2]
|
| 17 January 1732
| Jamaica, Queens, New York colony
| Buried (as is said) on the north side of the Village Burying Ground and no stone marks his grave or that of his widow (who died some time after 1743). "He bore the character of a good natured, honest man, and beneficent to his neighbors."[2]
|
1720 visited Boston and Kingston, Rhode Island, and returned with his second wife, the widow of the Rev. Christopher Bridge who had been rector at Rye, New York. They may have met when Poyer was one of several missionaries called in to minister to Rye in the two years subsequent to Bridge's death in May 1719.
Surviving records
It is not clear if any of his writing was published in his lifetime. However, manuscript copies of some sermons and the parish registers from his time, 1710-1731, at Grace Episcopal Church, Jamaica, Queens, New York, survive (the later in an MS copy of an 1860s MS copy made by Henry Onderdonk, who wrote Antiquities of the Parish Church of Jamaica, is available on the Internet Archive).
His daughter Sarah's daughter, Caty Van Nostrand, took "pious care of her grandfather's numerous papers, which ... enabled us to trace this outline of his services in the parish of Jamaica. Unhappily these papers, left in the custody of Parson Johnson, seem to be irretrievably lost."[2]
Will, 8 January 1732
In God's name, Amen. I, Thomas Poyer, Clerk, being sick and weak, but of sound mind and memory, make this my last will and testament.
I. I give my soul to God; my body to be christianly buried, in certain hopes of a reunion of my body and soul at the last day, and of eternal life through the sole merits of Christ my Saviour; and
II. My worldly estate, real and personal, I give to my dear wife Sarah and her heirs, who has hereby power to sell such part, as she pleases, of my real estate for payment of my debts, and the rest of my estate for the maintenance of herself and my children, and to be distributed amongst them at her discretion; and I appoint her Executrix.
Witness my hand and seal this 8th day of January, Anno Domini, 1731-2.
The mark of
T.P.
Thos. Poyer
L.S.
Signed, sealed, delivered and published by the within named Thomas Poyer, as his last will and testament, in presence of us,
SAMUEL CLOWES,
WM. OLDFIELD,
EVAN JONES.
Proved at Hempstead, 22 April 1732 before the Hon. George Clarke. Letters granted to Sarah Poyer, Executrix.
Image Gallery
References
- ↑ Foster, Joseph, and University of Oxford. Alumni Oxonienses: the members of the University of Oxford, 1500-1714: their parentage, birthplace, and year of birth, with a record of their degrees. (Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus Reprint, 1968).
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 2.44 2.45 2.46 2.47 p 28-, in Onderdonk, Henry. Antiquities of the parish church, Jamaica (including Newtown and Flushing): illustrated from letters of the missionaries and other authentic documents : with a continuation of the history of Grace Church to the present time. (Jamaica, N.Y.: C. Welling, 1880).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Frost, Josephine C. (Josephine C. Mayou Stillman); Henry Onderdonk; and Thomas Poyer. Records kept by Rev. Thomas Poyer, Rector of Episcopal churches at Jamaica, Newtown, and Flushing, Long Island. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1940)
1913.
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