Person:John Thompson (249)

The Thompson Family of New Haven

"The New Haven family of Thompson was founded by three brothers, William, Anthony, and John. An attempt has been made to connect them with the Thompson family of Lenham, co. Kent, England. This Lenham myth has been set forth as a certainty in the History of Goshen (by A. G. Hibbard, 1897), in the Mark-Platt Ancestry (by E.J. Lines, 1902, pp. 46-50), and in several other accounts, and so far as known has never been refuted. Henry Thompson of Royton in Lenham married Dorothy Honywood, and died 20 Oct. 1648, leaving, with other issue, sons John, William, and Anthony. The coincidence of names would seem promising, and it is not strange that somebody hastily conjectured their identity with the emigrants, but investigation overthrows, the theory. According to William Berry's Pedigrees of the Families in the County of Kent (published in 1830, pp. 15-17), Anthony Thompson of Lenham was baptized 30 Aug. 1612, and died in England 13 Feb. 1682, leaving as heiress an only daughter. Moreover, John Thompson of Lenham was born in 1604, too early for John of New Haven, who was probably the youngest of the emigrant brothers. The Lenham brothers had three cousins, sons of Thomas Thompson of Pethem, co. Kent, likewise named John, William, and Anthony; but this John was a knight, and died in 1649 without issue. Furthermore, the evidence of chronology tends to show that the emigrants could not descend from Henry of Lenham or Thomas of Pethem in the following generation. At all events, the accepted pedigree must be abandoned."^[2]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Thompson, in Jacobus, Donald Lines. Families of Ancient New Haven. (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1974)
   7:1749.

   "John (Thompson), bro. of Wm. & Anthony, d 14 Dec 1674 (New Haven Vital Records)."

2. ↑ Jacobus, Donald Lines. Notes on Thompson Families of Connecticut. New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Jul 1912)
   66:198-200.

   "John¹ Thompson, called 'Senior' to distinguish him from his nephew the 'Mariner,' married, 25 Feb. 1650, Ellen Harrison, probably a sister of the Thomas Harrison who married the widow of John Thompson of East Haven. He died 14 Dec. 1674, and on 9 June 1675 'Ellin ye relict' presented the inventory of his estate, which was distributed to herself, to Samuel Lines in right of Mary his wife, to Abraham Bradlye in right of Hanna his wife, to Elizabeth, and to 'the younger daughter' (County Court Records, vol. 1, p. 86).