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Facts and Events
"[Thomas] lived with the Rolfes, probably with John, who settled in Salisbury, until the time of his marriage sometime in 1646 when he was about 24 years of age. It is a tradition in the family that as a young man he was of gigantic size, weighing more than 300 pounds before he reached the age of 21. He received his grant of land and settled at first, on attaining his majority, or previously in Salisbury, on land which is now within limits of the town of Amesbury and bordering on the Powow river. He lived in Salisbury, until early in 1643, serving the town in various offices of trust and was sent as a deputy from the town to the General Court. He lived in Haverhill the remainder of his life where all his children were born, except his eldest daughter, Mary, born October 9, 1647. His commodious house, which has sheltered generation after generation of his descendants, and which, still standing, has acquired fame as the birthplace of his great-great-grandson, John Greenleaf Whittier, was erected in 1688 and was occupied by Thomas Whittier until his death in 1696. The scene of "Snowbound" is laid here."[11]
"About 1649, Thomas Whittier removed to Haverhill where he built a log hut, which was situated about a mile southeast of the present homestead, and where the remaining children were born. About 1688, he built a more commodious house near Job's Hill,on the road from Haverhill to Rock's Village, where he resided the remainder of his days. Five generations of the family lived here and the homestead remained in the possession of the family until about 1830, when John Whittier, the father of the poet, died and later the entire estate was sold to parties not connected with the Whittier family. John Whittier's widow and children removed to the adjoining town of Amesbury, partly that the mother might reside nearer the Quaker Meeting House where the family worshipped, a privilege which she enjoyed for almost thirty years. The homestead remained in strange hands for some sixty years, when it was purchased from Mr. George E. Elliott by Hon. James H. Carlton, November 19, 1892, who in turn transferred it in trust to the John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead Association, June 1, 1898." [11]
"Thomas Whittier was held in high esteem by the inhabitants of Haverhill and the records show that he served the town in many ways. He was chosen Selectman in 1656, 58, 1664, 65, 1677, 1680, 81 and 1687. He also acted as Moderator in 1668, 69, 1675, 79, 1682 and 1688. In 1669, he was chosen Constable, but refused to serve and was ordered to present someone to fill the position. In 1681, he was chosen, with Lieut Brown, to act as a Committee to repair the Meeting House and to make room for the women (just like a Whittier)."[11]
"Thomas Whittier was a contemporary of George Fox, the Quaker leader, and while not a member of that sect, he undoubtedly had great respect for their teachings. His youngest son, Joseph Whittier, married, May 24, 1694, Mary Peaslee, a granddaughter of Elder Joseph Peaslee, the Quaker Preacher. While Thomas Whittier died in 1696, his estate was not divided until 1734, when a deed of partition was made and signed by most of his descendants then living. His son Joseph being the only one of his children living at that time."[11]
References
- Whittier, Charles Collyer, and Earle O. Whittier. The descendants of Thomas Whittier and Ruth Green of Salisbury & Haverhill, Massachusetts. (Rutland, Vt.: The Tuttle Publishing Company, Inc., 1937)
p.419-20, 6 Thomas Whittier. - Http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~whithar/WC01/WC01 311.HTM.
Name Thomas Whittier
Birth abt 1620, Millchill, Wiltshire, England
Death 28 Nov 1696, Haverhill, Essex, MA10
Immigration 24 Apr 1638, Salisbury MA
Occupation Farmer
Father Richard Whittier (~1585-)
Mother Mary Rolfe (1582-)
Misc. Notes
May of arrived in the "Confidence" from Southampton in 1638 with John Rolfe and "kinsman" of Henry Rolfe.
Lived in Salisbury (Newbury ?) and Haverhill. He was given liberty to make three barrels of tar in Salisbury early in 1649. Coffin's History of Newbury states that he went from Newbury to Haverhill about 1650.10
According to Samuel T. Pickard [ Life and Letters of John G. Whittier], Thomas was born in England in 1620, arriving in Salisbury 24 April 1638 with his Uncles John and Henry Rolfe and another distant relative, Ruth Green. Settled in Salisbury [ later called Amesbury] on land bordering the Powow River. Deputy to the General Court from Salisbury. In 1647 he took up permanent residence in Haverhill. A large man, over 6 ft. and over 300 lb. A friend to the Native Americans, during the Indian wars he was never bothered. A friend of Christopher Hussey and a supporter of the religious freedom requested by the Quakers. There is no evidence that he joined The Friends Society. "Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury",states that John Sanders, Roger Easman, Wm. Cottle, Robert Ring, and Thomas Whittier arrived as servents of John Rolfe. Thomas freed Sep 1639. Sailed from Southhampton 24 Apr 1638 with his uncle Henry Rolfe, thus related to John Rolfe of Virginia. Thomas Whitier spelled his surname with one "t" and its ancient pronunciation was "Whitcher", which was adopted by some branches of the family, spelled according to its pronunciation.
Research
Appendix to Descendents of John Page, Appendix #22
Spouses
1 Ruth Greene
Death Jul 1710, Haverhill, Essex, MA10
Marriage 1646
Children Mary (1647-1698)
John (1649-1721)
Ruth (1651-1719)
Thomas (1653-1728)
Susanna (1656-1726)
Nathaniel (1658-1722)
Hannah (1660-)
Richard (1663-1724)
Elizabeth (1666-1729)
Joseph (1669-1739)
Last Modified 1 Jan 2001 Created 28 Nov 2004 by Reunion for Macintosh
Contents * Index * Surnames * Contact * Web Family Card
- Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
4:536.
- Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849. (Topsfield, Mass.: Topsfield Historical Society, 1910).
WHITTIER Thomas, h. Ruth, Nov. 28, 1696.
- ancestry.com. AIS Census Index Pre-1790.
Name: Whittier, Thoms Year: 1666
County: MASSACHUSETTS COLONY State: MA
Page: Location:
Record Type: FREEMAN LIST
Comments:
- Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s.
Name: Thomas Whittier Year: 1638 Place: Massachusetts Source Publication Code: 6799.25 Primary Immigrant: Whittier, Thomas Annotation: Most are date and port of arrival; some are date and place of settlement in Massachusetts. Name of ship, place of origin, occupation, and other genealogical data pertaining to will administration may also be provided. Source Bibliography: POPE, CHARLES HENRY. The Pioneers of Massachusetts, A Descriptive List, Drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns and Churches, and other Contemporaneous Documents. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1998. 550p. Page: 495
- The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
Volume 8, Page 224, 1854.
- The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
Volume 111, Page 241, 1957.
- The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
Volume 100, Page 60, 1946.
- The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
Volume 66, Pages 250-257, 1912.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Pamphlet from Charles C. Whittier (author of Descendants) sent to Cora May Whitcher, with letter from him.
- from Wiltshire, England
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