Person:Thomas Savage (7)

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Thomas Savage (1608 – 14 February 1682) was a soldier and merchant in colonial New England who attained the rank of major during King Philip's War.

Savage settled in Boston as a tailor and merchant. He served a number of terms as Deputy to the Massachusetts Bay General Court and as Town Meeting moderator. He took the side of his mother-in-law, Anne Hutchinson, in the controversy her preaching generated, and was forced to leave the colony. He went to Rhode Island, where he was among the founders of Portsmouth. He was eventually permitted to return to Boston, and he was a captain in the militia by 1651.

Estate

In his will, dated 28 June 1675 and proved 23 February 1681[/2], “Thomas Savage of Boston Senior” bequeathed to “my dear wife Mary Savage … during her natural life the use of my new house at Hog Island, with the new garden and orchard on the west side with the westermost barn, and so all the land from the said house over the hill to the creek, northward and southward to the sea, with the use of forty acres of marsh adjoining to the lesser island with five cows and two oxen, and eight swine and seventy sheep, also I give her for her own proper use to be disposed of as she please my best bed saving one with all the furniture of blankets and three pair of sheets, also a Negro maid and one silver tankard”; to “my daughter Hannah Gillam one hundred & eighty pounds and to each of her three children fifty pounds per piece”; to “my son Thomas Savage one hundred & fifty pounds and to each of his three children fifty pounds per piece”; to “my daughter Mary Thacher one hundred & fifty pounds & to each of her four children fifty pounds per piece”; to “Thomas Savage the son of my son Habiah Savage deceased … one hundred & fifty pounds and to each of his two daughters fifty pounds per piece”; to “Hannah Savage the widow of my son Habija fifty pounds”; to “my son Ephraim Savage one hundred & fifty pounds and to his 3 child [sic] fifty pounds”; to “my daughter Higginson all my land situate in Salem Town or two hundred pounds … and unto Mary Higginson her daughter fifty pounds”; to “my daughter Dinnice one hundred pounds”; to “my son Ebenezar three hundred pounds”; to “my son Benj[amin] three hundred pounds”; “my son Thomas Savage and my son Ephraim Savage and my son Perez Savage and my son Ebenezer Savage” to be executors; “my well beloved friends Mr. John Hull and Mr. Isaac Addington to be overseers” who are to receive “five pounds per piece”; to “my son Perez three hundred & fifty pounds”; “in case my beloved wife do not accept of what is above said I leave her to take her thirds as the law directs and resign up what is abovesaid”; “my seal ring to my son Thomas and my stone ring to my son Ephraim”; “my sword with the silver hilt unto my son Perez and plain ring to daughter Gillam” [SPR 6:370].

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Thomas Savage, in Anderson, Robert Charles; George F. Sanborn; and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635. (Boston, Massachusetts: NEHGS, 1999-2011)
   VI:177-189.

   ORIGIN: Unknown.
   MIGRATION: 1635 on the Planter (on 2 April 1635, “Tho[mas] Savage, a tailor,” aged 27, was enrolled at London as a passenger for New England on the Planter [Hotten 45]).
   OCCUPATION: Tailor [Hotten 45; BChR 20]. Merchant [Lechford 69, 355, 361-62; Aspinwall 173, 174, 233, 276, 281, 282, 333, 367, 375-76; SCC 101, 174, 471-72; SLR 1:97, 296, 2;16, 108, 211, 4:70, 7:320; EQC 1:258].
   CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: On 3 January 1635/6, "Thomas Savidge, tailor," was admitted to Boston church [BChR 20].
   FREEMAN: 25 May 1636 (twelfth in a sequence of twenty Boston men) [MBCR 1:372].
   BIRTH: About 1607 (aged 27 on 2 April 1635 [Hotten 45]; deposed 26 November 1664 “aged about fifty-seven years” [EQC 3:210]; deposed 1 July 1674 “aged sixty-seven years” [EQC 5:376]).
   DEATH: On “Tuesday, 14 [February 1681/2], past midnight, or Wednesday morn, the day the General Court was to sit upon adjournment, Major Tho[mas] Savage dyeth suddenly, very suddenly, having been well at the wedding on Tuesday, and supped well at home afterward, and slept well till midnight or past” [Sewall 52]. His tombstone, in the King’s Chapel burying yard, includes a heraldic device, and the inscription “Here lieth interred the body of Major Thomas Savage age 75 years deceased the 15 of February 1681/2” [Heraldic Journal 2:22; King’s Chapel 32, 297-301]. The heraldic device may also be seen in a surviving portrait of Thomas Savage, “attributed to Thomas Smith, 1679” [CSMP 63, Figure 10, between pages 156 and 157]. On 19 February 1681/2, Rev. Samuel Willard preached the funeral sermon, which was published in 1684: The Righteous Man’s Death, A Presage of Evil Approaching: A Sermon Occasioned by the Death of Major Thomas Savage Esq., Preached Febr. 19. 1681 [Sibley 2:28].

2.   Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
   4:26.

   {Thomas was the ancestor of the author}
   SAVAGE... THOMAS, Boston, merch. s. of William of Taunton, Co. Somerset, blacksmith, where the name prevails in the parish reg. for the whole reign of Elizabeth had been apprent. at Merchant Tailors, London, as the comp. rec. prove, in the 18th yr. of James, 9 Jan. 1621, came in the Planter from London, Apr. 1635, aged 27, was adm. of the ch. Jan. and freem. 25 May foll. ar. co. 1637. He m. a. 1637, Faith, d. of William Hutchinson, and for receiv. the revelat. of her mo[ther] or entertain. the opin. of Rev. John Wheelwright, he was disarm. Nov. of that yr. and driv. to unite with Gov. Coddington and others in purch. of R. I. where in 1638 he sett. but for short time. Ret. to B. he had Habijah, bef. ment. b. 1, bapt. 12 Aug. 1638, H. C. 1659; Thomas, bapt. 17 May 1640, tho. by stupid town rec. copy (orig. long lost,) not b. bef. 28 of that mo.; Hannah, 28 June, bapt. 2 July 1643; Ephraim, bapt. 27, a. six days old, says ch. rec. (when the copy of town rec. makes him b. 2 July) 1645, H. C. 1662; Mary, bapt. 6 June 1647; Dyonisia, 30 Dec. 1649, one day old, the two last not on town book; Perez, b. 17, bapt 22 Feb. 1652, idly call. a d. on rec. of the ch. The mo. d. 20 Feb. the same week, and he m. 15 Sept. foll. Mary, d. of Rev. Zechariah Symmes of Charlestown, had eleven more ch. Sarah, b. 25, bapt. 26 June foll.; Richard, bapt. 27 Aug. 1654, not found among the bs. yet rec. as d. 22 Sept. of next yr. on town list; Samuel, b. 16, bapt. 25 Nov. 1656, d. Aug. foll.; Samuel, again, 22 Aug. 1657, d. very soon; Zechariah, bapt. 4 July 1658, not found on town's list; Ebenezer, 22, bapt. 27 May 1660; John, 15, bapt. 18 Aug. 1661; Benjamin, bapt. 12 Oct. 1662, but not found on town's list; Arthur, 26, bapt. 28 Feb. 1664; Elizabeth b. 8 Nov. 1667, d. very soon; and Elizabeth again, 24, bapt. 28 Feb. 1669; and I believe, no descend. has equal. that num. of ch. He was capt. of ar. co. 1651, and some later yrs. rep. 1654, and sev. yrs. more for B. beside var. yrs. for Hingham and Andover, speaker, 1659, 60, 71, 7, and 8, had ch. command of the forces in Philip's war at its opening, and serv. with reput. E. and W. chos. Assist. 1680, to his d. 14 Feb. 1682. His will, of 28 June 1675, the day of march. to Philip's war, was so well arrang. that in the resid. of his life no change was suggest. and it was pro. 9 Mar. 1682. The sermon on his d. by Williard, of O. S. ch. was print. and a copy was held by John Farmer of Concord, until he prefer. with his usual liberality, to bestow it on me. His wid. m. Anthony Stoddard; and four of the ds. (three by the first w.) were m. the eldest, Hannah, 21 Oct. 1660, to Benjamin Gillam, and next, to Giles Sylvester; Mary, to Thomas Thacher, s. of the Rev. Thomas, first min. of the O. S. or 3d ch. in the format. of wh. and bring. the pastor from Weymouth to B. her f. was much engag. and she, as his wid. outliv. him more than forty-four yrs. d. 22 July 1730; Dyonisia m. Samuel Ravenscroft, and Sarah m. 9 Oct. 1672, John Higginson of Salem.

3.   London Apprenticeship Abstracts, 1442-1850.

   James Savage his descendant in Genealogical Dictionary of New England claimed Thomas Savage was son of William of Taunton, Somerset and was apprenticed in London. He wrote "William of Taunton, Co. Somerset, blacksmith, where the name prevails in the parish reg. for the whole reign of Elizabeth had been apprent. at Merchant Tailors, London, as the comp. rec. prove, in the 18th yr. of James, 9 Jan. 1621," Genealogists have claimed no such record exists. However, this indenture record backs up his claim:
   
   Livery company: Waxchandler; Savage Thomas, son of William Savage (Yeoman), Compton, Somerset, yeoman, to John Baylie, 10 Oct 1621 B, Waxchandlers' Company.
   
   https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=ORIGINS/LONDONAPPRENTICE/36326/88993
   
   Possibly coincidence is a John Bailey arrived by 1636 was a weaver many years older than the subject of this profile. Compton is 21 miles from Taunton making the identification very likely. William Savidge (as it is spelled in Somerset) married 31 May 1602 at Chewton Mendip, Somerset, England to Agnes Blackman. The marriage date fits the fact that Thomas Saver was born c1607 matching the identification of James Savage. This William Savidge called yeoman and blacksmith moved to Taunton with his wife. He died there before 28 Oct 1615 when his widow Agnes married second at Taunton, Sumerset Cunnant or Gunnant Budd (I looked at an image of the original record could be a C or G). She was buried 6 Apr 1638 in Taunton and Gunnant Budd married at Taunton 1 Dec 1638 to Elizabeth Bennet. William Savidge probably had a first wife before Agnus. Recorded in Taunton is an Austice or Anstice Savidge baptized 23 Apr 1592 to father William Savidge. She married there 24 Sep 1614 to Simon Quash and would have been half sibling to the immigrant Thomas Savage. If this is the case William would have been born say 1571, In this period three other "Savidges" show up in Taunton records born in the 1560's and possibly siblings to William: Robert, John and Richard. Robert born say 1560 had son John bp 1581. John bp 18 APR 1562 Taunton (no father listed) possibly died 1608 (probate) had children: Thomas, Em, Tamsin and John baptized Taunton between 1589 and 1604. Richard baptized 19 Dec 1563 Taunton (no father listed) died 1624 (probate). All records in Taunton, Somerset. The index to wills in Taunton give several hints to the name Savage (spelled Savidge):
   
   https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/28555/dvm_LocHist012309-00007-1?backurl=&ssrc=
   
   and should all be looked up here:
   https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/346690?availability=Family%20History%20Library
   
   I also ordered a copy of Somerset wills extracted by A. J. Monday ; edited by Mary Siraut just in case it contains any of the wills in question. It appears to have four Savage wills and I will report back once I get my hands on it.
   
   It is noteworthy that the name Savidge has a history in this county of Somerset. in 1408 a Roger Glove gave to Sir William Savidge in his will. And in the will of Mary Estcourt in 1643 in Somerset she gives to the Savages of Tedbury, Somerset. In 1540 a Hugh Savage is made a bequest by Alice Pycke.
   
   Best regards,
   
   Roland Henry Baker, III
   roland@netxlabs.com

Founders of Portsmouth, Rhode Island

On March 7, 1638, a group of religious dissenters signed the Portsmouth Compact. They had been disarmed by leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. William Coddington, Anne Hutchinson, and John Clarke conferred with Roger Williams in Providence, who suggested that they buy land from the Native Americans on Aquidneck Island. They formed the settlement of Pocasset, later Portsmouth, on Aquidneck, later called Rhode Island. Portsmouth and Newport later united with Providence and Warwick in 1654 as the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Text of the Compact: The 7th Day of the First Month, 1638. We whose names are underwritten do hereby solemnly in the presence of Jehovah incorporate ourselves into a Bodie Politick and as He shall help, will submit our persons, lives and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and to all those perfect and most absolute laws of His given in His Holy Word of truth, to be guided and judged thereby. Signers: William Coddington - John Clarke - William Hutchinson, Jr. [husband of Anne Hutchinson]- John Coggeshall - William Aspinwall - Samuel Wilbore - John Porter - John Sanford - Edward Hutchinson, Jr. Esq. - Thomas Savage - William Dyre [husband of Boston martyr Mary Dyer] - William Freeborne - Philip Sherman - John Walker - Richard Carder - William Baulston - Edward Hutchinson, Sr. - Henry Bull - Randall Holden Current Location: Newport County, Rhode Island   Parent Towns: Boston   Daughter Towns: Newport