Thomas Minor/Miner is a colonial ancestor of many people. However, his ancestry is incorrectly listed in many records. Sarah Pope, as the wife of Clement Miner/Minor and the mother of Thomas Minor/Miner, is included in the "Herauldical Essay Upon the Surname of Miner" found to be fraudulent.
Between 1683 and 1684, Thomas wrote back to England from his Stonington, Connecticut home in search of answers to how his family name was historically spelled (Miner versus Minor) and who his ancestors were. In an early example of fraudulent family history, the response he received, "An Herauldical Essay Upon the Surname of Miner," now in possession of the Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut, included a detailed pedigree and family coat of arms. The Essay, which has been accepted by Minor/Miner family researchers for 300 years, was proven to be mostly false in a 1984 study published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Ref: Miner, John A. and Miner, Robert F. "The Curious Pedigree of Lt. Thomas Minor." [1] New England Historical and Genealogical Register. New England Historic Genealogical Society. July 1984, pg 182-185.
