Person:Thomas Wetmore (18)

Immigration, Watertown(?), Wethersfield and Hartford

The author of The Wetmore Family of America, published in 1861, tells us on page 11,^[1](noting that his source was a genealogical record of the Wetmore family, made by Judge William Wetmore of Boston, in 1792, for the use of the Rev. Robert Griffeth Wetmore) that Thomas was born in England in 1615, came to America in 1635 when he was 20 years old and settled at Hartford. According to tradition embarked from Bristol, the major port in the west of England. As we frequently fail to note, he also tells us that "the first mention we find of his name in the Colonial records is in the Wethersfield Town records in 1639-40.

Thomas' will, written in July, 1681, gives his age as about 66, which appears to confirm the birth date. Wethersfield deeds are incomplete or nonexistant prior to 1641, but there is no record of Thomas either buying or selling land there. The record of a sale in Wethersfield by John Whitmore locates his property as adjoining that of Thomas Whetmore or Whitmore,^[5] and thus confirms his residence there. Thomas does not appear to have owned land in Hartford, and his residence there is based on the recording of his marriage to Sarah Hall and the birth of the first of their children in that place.

The History of Ancient Wethersfield^[6] includes Thomas Whitmore as one of the settlers who arrived in Wethersfield from Watertown in 1635 or 1636, and cites Bond's History of Watertown, Mass.^[7] as a source. I have searched Bond and cannot find his name.

If Thomas did arrive as early as 1635, it is quite possible that he was a member of the household of an older man, and as Thomas was neither a freeman nor a land owner, his name does not appear on earlier records.

Middletown

Thomas was one of the first settlers of Middletown, originally called Mattabeseck. A brief history of Middletown can be found on the web pages of the Society of Middetown First Settlers Descendants. The profile below, written by the Middletown genealogist, Frank Farnsworth Starr,^[8] provides a brief summary of his life there:

• On the Hartford town records is entered the marriage of "Thomas Whittmore and Sarah hallles the eleuenth of Desember one Thousand six hundreth forty & fiue."
• He was made a freman at the General Court in May , 1653 and before the following November had become a rsident of Middletown.
• In March, 1652-3 he was sworn as a Constable for Mattabeseck and again ten years later. He also held the offices of Townsman, Grand Levy man, Rate maker and Pounder.
• He represented the town at the General Court in 1654 and 55.
• In October, 1654, he with ten others, were appointed a committee by the General Court "to press men and necessaryes," for the expedition against the Narragansett Indians.
• In 1668, the General Court abated "Thomas Whittmore his rate that Waspayable this yeare to the country, for his service in ferrying Assistts & Deputies over the River."
• His five acre home lot was on the East side of Main street, between Green and Ferry streets.
• He married three times and died December 11, 1681, "aged about sixty and six years."
• He had seventeen children.

It is also worth noting that Thomas was one of ten men who "signed the covenant" and organized the First Church of Middletown in November, 1668.^[9]

The Lands of Thomas Wetmore, Sr in Middletown

Transcript:The Lands of Thomas Wetmore in Middletown, Connecticut

Will & Inventory

The transcript of Thomas Wetmore's will in The Wetmore Family of America,^[1] or the abstract in Manwaring,^[3] are excellent sources for most genealogical purposes. Photographs of the original pages (89-91) from the probate records, and a transcript of these pages, are included for several reasons. First, it is interesting to see the originals. (NB: These are not the original wiil rather a transcript of this in the probate record book.) Second, it is clear that Wetmore's transcription of "Whitmore" as the spelling of the surname is inaccurate. Finally this publication of the inventory of Thomas Wetmore's estate is not a part of either of these other sources. Through the inventory we gain some insight into the circumstances under which the family lived. For example, it appears from the inventory that his home contained only two rooms, the parlor and the chamber. The parlor (probably a first floor room) contained "the best bed" and "the trundle bed." The "chamber" (probably the second story) contained "the second bed" and "the third bed." At the time of the inventory there were twelve unmarried children of Thomas and another three of this third wife, Catherine, who probably did not have homes of their own. Seventeen people in four beds and two room? (We must note that in addition to the dwelling house, valued at 60£, the estate included a barn (30£) and "an old house," valued at 5£. Presumably some of the older boys did not sleep at the dwelling house.

Media:Will_Transcript.pdf to read the pdf file.

Page 89

Page 90

Page 91

Wetmore DNA Testing and Possible Relationship to John Whitmore of Stamford

For almost 200 years genealogists have been discussing and debating the possible relationships among three New England patriarchs, Thomas Whittemoe of Malden, Maaa., Thomas Wetmore of Middletown, Conn. and Francis Whitmore of Cambridge, Mass. Claims have also been made that any and all of these are connected to John Whitmore of Wethersfield and Stamford.

Y-DNA testing of male line descendants of the first three of these men (no male line descendants of John Whitmore of Stamford are known, unless he was the father of one of these) has proven that there is no close male line relationship. It is possible that John was the father or either Thomas Wetmore of Middletown, or of Francis Whitmore of Cambridge, but not both. John may have been related to Thomas Whittemore of Malden, but if so could not have been the father of either of the other two. Results were published in New England Ancestors in the fall of 2009.^[10] Additional testing since then has continued to confirm these results.

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Wetmore, James Carnahan. The Wetmore Family of America, and its Collateral Branches: with Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical Notices. (Albany, N. Y.: Munsell & Rowland, 1861)
   11.

   Image:Page 11.pdf

2. ↑ Middletown (CT) Vital Records, in Connecticut, United States. The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records.

   WETMORE:
   Thomas Sr, died Dec 11, 1681

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Manwaring, Charles William, A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records
   Vol 1, pa 518.
4.   Births, Marriages, &c. in Middletown, CT, in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
   Vol. 14:136, Jul. 1860.

   Full list of births and marriages for this family "copied from the Records of Middletown, Ct., Vol. I."

   
5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 W[hitmore], W[illiam] H., "Gleanings", in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
   13:301, 1859.

   From the Records of Deeds, Wethersfield, vol 1, p. 121, "1641, 5 d. 2d. mo. The lands of John Whitmore lying in Wethersfield on Conecticut River. One pece, whereon his house and barne standeth, con. 12 acres more or less. The ebds abyt against the common or landing place and ... west; ... and the lands of Thomas Whetmore, Francis norton ... south."

6. ↑ Adams, Sherman W. (Sherman Wolcott); Henry R. (Henry Reed) Stiles; and John C Willard. The history of ancient Wethersfield. (Somersworth, New Hampshire: New Hampshire Publishing Company, c1974-1975)
   29.
7. ↑ Bond, Henry, M.D., and Horatio Gates Jones. Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, including Waltham and Weston (1860): To which is Appended the Early History of the Town. With Illustrations, Maps and Notes. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1860).
8. ↑ Starr, Frank Farnsworth, "The Settlers of Mattabeseck", in The Penny Press (Middletown, Conn.)
   Thursday, October 11, 1900.
9. ↑ A Brief History of the First Church of Christ In Middletown, Connectcut (Middletown, 1920).
10. ↑ Whitmore, Harold B., "Y-DNA Testsof the Descendants of Three New England Patriarchs, Thomas Whittemore of Malden, Mass., Thomas Wetmore of Middletown, Conn., and Francis Whitmore of Cambridge, Mass.", in New England Ancestors. (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
    10.4:47-49, Fall 2009.