Person:Thomas Law (13)

Missing Generation?

Source:Jenkins, Philomene. Waters - Law and Allied Families, p. 65, lists among the children of John Law and Lydia Draper: Thomas Law, b. 10 Sep 1663, m. Sarah ---; settled in Acton, Mass. John and Lydia do have a son Thomas whose birth is recorded in 1663 in Concord.

There are births in Concord for a family of Thomas and Sarah Law, the earliest in 1711/12, and the last in 1727, notably including Susannah b. 1723. It seems unlikely a man born in 1663 would be the father of these children. The gravestone of Thomas in Acton, lies next to that of his daughter Susannah, who d. 1754 at age 30. Thomas died in 1760, the gravestone giving an age that corresponds to a birth in 1682. This is clearly not the Thomas that was born in 1663.

Survey of Deeds

1. Vol. 15, p. 563

5 May 1710: Thomas Law of Concord husbandman for a valuable sum of money to Natha'll Jones of Concrd Taylor a small messuage in Concord of the New Grat of Village of s'd Town containing 2 acres meadow on the Great Brook common called Laws Brook; also 10 acres of upland adjoining where I have built a Dwelling house; aslo three rods square behind that dwelling that my hon'rd ffather died possessed of, given me in a deed of gift by my s'd Father dated 4 Mar 1704.

2. Vol. 22, p. 571

8 Dec 1723: Nathaniel Jones of Concord Taylor "for divers good Causes" quitclaim to Thomas Law of Concord Husbandman, my whole Right which I now have in a small messuage in Concord's New Grant of 2 acres of meadow lying on Laws Brook; also 10 acres upland adjoining; also 3 rods square which the said Tho's Law his father dyed possessed of as described in deed of gift to the s'd Tho's Law from his father Law by virtue of a deed of sale which I Nath'll Jones had given to me by the s'd Tho's Law dated 5 May 1710.

3. Vol. 32, p. 160

4. (or 14) Nov 1729: Thomas Law of Concord Yeoman for £20 to Joseph Wright Yeoman and Elnathan Jones Trader both of Concord [description faded, sixty-first right to land in Concord]. Acknowledged 25 Nov 1729.

4.Vol. 34, p. 395

12 Jan 1713/14: Stephen Law of Concord Yeoman for good causes and consideration confirm to my Brother Thomas Law of the same town husbandman all my Estate both Real and Personal of all sort and kinds whatever to be of no power until the decease of me the said Stephen Law and if I the said Stephen Law shall marry and Leave issue that then the Estate abovementioned shall be to them and also if my Mother Lydia Law shall out live me then Thomas Law shall get the estate and take the whole and sole care of her and provide for her, and if the said Stephen shall marry and leave a widow without children then this shall not [bar?] her from the estate.

5. Vol. 43, p. 302

2 Apr 1740: Thomas Law of Acton Yeoman for £300 to Titus Law of Acton Husbandman parcels in Action: 23 acres with dwelling house; also 8 acres with a barn; also 9 acres of meadow.

[Followed by deed of same date where Deborah Law widow of Stephen Law Deceased sells all land of her husband in Acton to Titus Law.]

6.Vol. 56, p. 435

14 Oct 1719: Thomas Law of Concord Yeoman for £73 to Eleazer Brown of Concord yeoman my lot in Rutland. Acknowledged 8 Apr 1757.

Deeds 1, 2, and 4 appear to be the son of John Law and Lydia Draper. Deeds 5 and 6 appear to be the Thomas Law who married Sarah (and had a son Titus) and died in 1760. Deed 3 is does not appear to be clearly one or the other.

Deeds 1 and 2 describe a transaction where Thomas received land from his father in 1704 (that deed not found) but in 1710 his father is described as deceased. This is consistent with John Law's death in early 1708. 1704 would be soon after a person b. 1682 achieved legal age. The deed with brother Stephen mentions their mother Lydia suggesting they are both children of John and Lydia Law (and incidentally helps provide an estimated date of marriage for Stephen and Deborah, none being listed in Torrey). The deed to Titus is probably the husband of Sarah as Titus was their son, and deed 6, being acknowledged in 1757, was probably the man who d. 1760, and not the man born in 1663.

Hypothesis (Speculative)

There is no probate of a Thomas Law found in Middlesex probate records.

There is no conclusive indication from the deeds that there were two Thomas Laws in Concord, i.e., no Sr. or Jr. designations. It is possible that the ones giving occupation of yeoman may be Sarah's husband while husbandman may be the 1663 Thomas. But this does not seem conclusive, as yeoman, land owner, is a generic title that one may simply acquire later in life because they own more and more property. No wife signs any of the deeds.

If there were two Thomas Laws, the question becomes who is the father of the younger one? John and Lydia had a son John who d. 1690 but was never known to be married. He is strictly speaking the only son old enough to be of legal age in 1682. If John and Lydia's son Thomas didn't marry Sarah, could the younger Thomas be his child? Clearly a son of John and Lydia's named Thomas is executing deeds in the early 1700. Who was the mother of this younger Thomas? Additionally, it is odd that a man born 1663 would not make some appearance in the records prior to 1704 when his father gives him land.

Probably the most likely scenario is that the Thomas Law born in 1663 died young, and John and Lydia had another son named Thomas, born in 1682, two years after his brother Samuel. 1704 is just about when one would expect a man born in 1682 to make his appearance. Also, a marriage to Sarah about 1711 is fairly typical for a man born 1682. This would make all these deeds the acts of a single person, and the absence of earlier records of Thomas Law explained. The will of Thomas's father, John Law, named him last among the sons, typically indicating he was the youngest. The probable reason why Stephen would deed his land and turn over care of his mother to Thomas, would be that Thomas is the youngest member of the family, and one most likely to outlive his mother (she lived to be 94, dying 1732-3, less than ten months before Stephen died). Thomas and Sarah named children John, Lydia and Stephen.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Acton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. Vital records of Acton, Massachusetts, to the year 1850. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1923)
   p. 284.

   LAW, Thomas, [died] Apr. 16, 1760, a. 77 y. 10 m., [on stone beside that of Susanah] GR1.
   [Note: birth is about Jun 1682.]