Person:William Thorne (4)

He was buried in Quaker Cemetery, Flushing, NY. He is believed to be buried in the Friends Cemetery in Flushing. He was Puritan and Anabaptist. William was a Puritan, with Anabaptists leanings. He arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony between 1635 and 1638. He was one of 17 English families to establish Flushing Long Island in 1645 and Gravesend in 1643. 3rd signer of Remonstrance of Flushing (precursor to the Bill of Rights). Religious activist. Considered the Progenitor of the Thorne Family of America. Possibly arrived on Confidence (1635) age/EST 18 years, with Peter Thorne, believed by some to have been a close relative, though there is nothing to substantiate this position.

The genealogical material contained in this record regarding William Thorne of England, Lynn, Mass and Long Island New York covering the first 6 generations down to John 6 Thorne and Mary Birdsall of Newburgh, New York is derived from the archives of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Record. The individual responsible for much of the work must be recognized. He was Thorn Dickinson. He was a Thorne descendant, who never married, was an engineer by profession and a grand lover of his Thorne birthright. The man who oversaw this publication on the family of William Thorne is named Harry Macy, an imminent Long Island genealogist. I spoke personally with him in June of 1992. He said it was the most singularly extensive family project they have undertaken to date. It was of particular difficulty as William's descendents seem to have largely ignored their family history. Thus the info was retrieved from many family histories with whom the Thornes have married, as well as all the other usual sources. Macy feels that the info is accurate and reliable.

It is generally believed he came from Dorsetshire, however, there is no evidence to support that. There was another William Thorne, who for a short time, became embroiled in a legal matter in New York. In a statement to the court, this William Thorne declared that he was from Dorset in old England. This William has been proven to be another Thorne. The info regarding our William Thorne and Dorset must stem from this instance. While there are those who feel he may have arrived aboard the English ship THE CONFIDENCE. In fact, there is no William Thorne of record on any ship arriving in Boston during the years of 1635-1638. Many of these early English arrivals travelled under false names as they were fleeing the evils of Charles I and his Star Court. While other ships were limited to a set number of passengers per family. In cases of the latter they would travel with friends or family under their family names.

On 2 May 1638 He was made a FREEMAN of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which indicated that he was a landowner and a man of at least modest means. It also gave him the right to vote, which was limited solely to landowners. At this time there were about 10,000 people in the colony only 400 plus had the right to vote. One of these was our William. He was a man of tremendous political and religious convictions, which led him to be at odds, with the status quo from the outset. That trait seems to have come down to us from him through these many generations. Many of his offspring were to later become Quakers and as such the family has played an active role in founding of what was eventually to become a very powerful and diverse nation.

The information on Jonathan 7 Thorne and his parents comes from Quaker records at the Haviland Library in Manhattan and Shirley Anson's compilation of the Quaker records of the Marlboro Monthly Meeting. Family documents tell us of Jonathan and Cornelia (Jones) Thorne but not of his parents. At Jonathan's 2nd marriage to Charity C. Rider, He testifies in the recording of that marriage that his parent's were John and Mary Thorne of Newburgh New York. The information on the births and the marriages are not only from family sources but Daniel Oliver Thorne (last grandchild of Francis and Laurinda Thorne) has the pages from his Grandfather's journal showing the family from Jonathan and Cornelia Thorne to their Grandchildren.

Further information can be found at: http://thorn.pair.com/thorn/thornlineage/wt_remon.htm

1. ↑ Edmund West, comp. Family Data Collection - Marriages. (Name: Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2001;).

   Online publication - Edmund West, comp.. Family Data Collection - Marriages [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2001.

2.   Bunker, Mary Powell. Long Island Genealogies. (Albany, New York, United States: Joel Munsell's Sons, 1895)
   105.