Person:Thomas Grant (9)

Conflicting information b, 1637 UK or Inverness Scotland

The following information is taken from "Ten Generations of Grants" by Myron Scott:

"The American family of Thomas Grant of Rehoboth was born out of the English Civil War. Thomas was one of a small army of Scotsmen who crossed the Scots border with Charles II in August 1651 in a final attempt by Charles to regain his throne by armed force. The army worked its way to the south of England, a few miles west of London at Worcester. There it was overwhelmed by the superior numbers, three to one, of Cromwell's forces in September, 1651. More than ten thousand Scots were taken prisoner in that battle (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1969, Chicago, Ill., vol 23, p 671). Two months later, 272 of these prisoners were sent to Boston on the ship John and Sarah, consigned to Thomas Kemble of Charlestown, Mass., as bound servants."

"The shipping list of this shipment of Scots prisoners was recorded at Boston 5-13-1652 (Suffolk deeds, vol 1, pp 5, 6). It recites that the ship John and Sarah cleared Gravesend, England, 11-11-1651. Many of the prisoners were sold to the new iron works complex near Boston. This was the first iron works in America and was located at Braintree, Saugus and Lynn, Mass. The prisoners were sold as servants bound to serve for six, seven, or eight years for 20 or 30 pounds per man. Some signed servant's agreements to work for individuals (Mass. Hist. Soc. Proc., vol LXI. p 15, 23, 28).

Some went to Taunton, Mass., just east of Rehoboth to serve in the iron works at Raynham, near Taunton. Taunton and Raynham were known by their Indian name of Cohannet. Raynham was said to have been the original home of King Philip who led a bloody Indian war in New England in 1675-76. Raynham is also known as the site of the second iron works in America (Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., vol III, p 166, 170). The Old Colony Iron works were at the village of East Taunton, Mass. An iron works known as Iron Rust was on the west side of Abbots Run near Robin Hollow, Providence Co., R.I. It was built under license of King Charles II to Messrs. Hatch and Wilmouth (Richard M. Bayles, Hist. of Providence Co., R.I., 1891, vol II, p 143). Thomas Grant would seem to have been placed near the scene of these iron works at Braintree, Taunton, Raynham, and Providence by the several records of Thomas in the Rehoboth town meetings. Some of the settlers in Rehoboth and Seacuncke came from Braintree, Mass. (Richard LeBaron Bowen, Early Rehoboth, 4 vols, 1945-1950, vol 2, p 1-27).

The shipping list recorded in vol I of Suffolk deeds shows that the privilege was given to the men in charge of the passengers on the ship of putting in at Barbados, W.I., on the way over to sell or 'turne best to account' the services of their prisoners of war listed. Thomas seems to have escaped the Barbados market and to have arrived at Boston 5-13-1652. His service may have been first purchased by the iron works there and later by William Buckland, the constable at Rehoboth. About 16 years later, he appears in Rehoboth, Mass. (Rehoboth Town Meeting, vol 1, p 178), as having drawn a lot of meadowland in Rehoboth North Purchase 5-26-1668. Later, he was of record in several other Rehoboth town records until his decease in June 1690."

1. ↑ Ancestry.com. One World Tree (sm). (Name: Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., n.d.;).

   Online publication - Ancestry.com. OneWorldTree [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc.

2. ↑ Ten Generations of Grants
   5.

   _FOOT: Ten Generations of Grants, 5. Myron Scott, 1971

3. ↑ Ten Generations of Grants
   5.

   _FOOT: Ten Generations of Grants, 5. Myron Scott. 1971

4. ↑ Ancestry.com. One World Tree (sm). (Name: Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., n.d.;).

   Online publication - Ancestry.com. OneWorldTree [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc.