BackGround: London Temple, London, England.
Up Dated 13 December 2007
Ahnentafel Chart for Helen J. (MARSHALL) McCOOK
Thomas was christened 23 April 1608, in Chew Magna, Somersetshire, England and married 23 April 1634 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, Grace PALMER the daughter of Walter PALMER and _____ _______. She was christened 9 May 1612 in Yetminster, Dorsetshire, England and died 12 October 1690, in Stonington, New London, Connecticut. Thomas died 23 Oct 1690 in Stonington, New London, Connecticut.
CHEW MAGNA, (or Bishop's Chew), a parish in the hundred of Chew, in the county of Somerset, 7 miles S. of Bristol. The parish is watered by a branch of the Avon, and includes the tythings of Bishop-Sutton, Knowle, Knighton-Sutton, North Elm, and Stone. This village was formerly a borough, and had an extensive woollen manufactory. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Bath and Wells, value with the curacy of Holy Trinity annexed, £634, in the patronage of the bishop and others in turn. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, was restored in 1860. It is an ancient stone edifice, with several monuments, stained-glass windows, and a register commencing in 1562. There is a chapel of ease at Bishop-Sutton, and a district church in the peculiar of Dundry, the living of which is a perpetual curacy in the gift of the vicar. The Wesleyans and Baptists have places of worship. There is a school for boys, with a small endowment. The value of the charities is about £35 per annum. Sutton Court, the beautiful residence of Sir E. Strachey, has been lately restored. It is very ancient, a portion of the building being of the period of Edward III. It was here that Bishop Hosper, and John Locke, the philosopher, were frequent guests of their friend, John Strachey. There are other fine residences, amongst which may be mentioned The Firs and Chew Court. At Bishop-Sutton are several coalpits. Here is a reservoir belonging to the Bristol Water Company."
He emigrated perhaps in 1629 on the Lyon's Whelp as Banks 9 states or maybe a couple of years later on the Arabella as many older writings claim, all apparently without any real proof.
There is a (dedicated 31 August 1899) located in the Wequetequock Cemetery with one side dedicated to Thomas. In 1653 he bought some land from Cary Latham and moved from the Wequetequock area to the west side of the mouth of Quiambaug Cove near Mystic, CT and began one of the few diaries to survive from this period. This diary covers the period from 1653 through 1684 and was published as a book in 1899.
The first clear reference to Thomas is in Charlestown, Massachusetts where in 1632 he became a founding member of the church. He married Grace PALMER on 23 April 1634 in Massachusetts. She was born about 1612, the daughter of Walter Palmer of Charlestown. Their first child, John, was born in Charlestown, and then in 1636 they moved to Hingham, MA where more children were born. In 1645, they joined John Winthrop Jr. and company in the settlement of New London, CT. On 15 Oct 1652 Thomas sold his home lot in New London located at the head of Close Cove and settled in Stonington, CT with William Chesebrough, Thomas Stanton, and his father-in-law, Walter Palmer. The Stonington Historical Society has more information on the settling of the town.
He was among those who began the church at Stonington in June 1674.
He is the Thomas Miner who wrote back to England about 1683/4 and received a essay which explores the Miner versus Minor spelling of the name and traces the Miner ancestry back to the 1300s. The information in this document including the coat of arms it presents are believed to be false. After receiving this document, Thomas and his descendants generally used the Miner spelling of the name although some retained the Minor spelling especially his son John of Woodbury, CT.
He died in Stonington, CT on 23 October 1690, and his wife died there on 31 December 1690. Both are buried at Stonington in the Wequetequock Cemetery under a prone, inscribed granite slab which reads "HERE LYES THE BODY OF LIUTENANT THOMAS MINOR AGED 83 -- DEPARTED 1690"
.He embarked for the Colonies aboard the Lyon's Whelp, sailing from Gravesend, EN on 25 Apr 1629, and arrived at Salem, MA in the middle of July 1629.
Very shortly after his arrival in Salem (then called Pequot harbor),there was a serious outbreak of Typhus, and Thomas moved on to Watertown. His stay there was brief also; from Watertown, Thomas moved on to Charlestown where in 1632 he became a founder of the First Church, his name appearing 34th on the roll. Two years later was granted four acres of land at the line of Newtown (now Cambridge), and by 1637 owned a 10 acre plot.
On 4 March 1633/34, Thomas was made a freeman, and on 23 April 1632 he married Grace Palmer, daughter of Walter Palmer of Charlestown. Two years leter in 1636 the young couple moved once again settling in Hingham, MA, where they remained until 1645.
In 1645 Thomas joined John Winthrop Jr.'s colony of Massachusetts Puritains in the settlement of New London, Conn.
Thomas Miner was appointed military sergent; and was one of the first deputies to the General Court from his area, in 1650 and 1651. In May of 1649 by Colonial appointment he served as a magistrate, or justice, in the Town of New London and thereafter when he resided in Stonington he held these same positions representing that Town.
In 1652 Thomas Miner took up a tract of land east of and adjoining the Wequetequock Cove, on which he erected a house in the area which became known as Stonington.
Grace and Thomas Minor apparently removed to Stonington after the birth of their 9th child, Samuel, who was born 4 mar 1653/3 in New London; their 10th and last child, Hannahr, was born 15 Sept 1655 in Stonington.
By the arrival there in 1653 of Grace's father, Walter Palmer, the town was firmly established and thus the foursome, William Chesebrough, Thomas Stanton, Thomas Minor and Walter Palmer, became forever known as the "founders of Stonington".
Thomas Miner was captain of the Stonington Militia in 1665 and a lieutenant in the Narragansett Campaign of King Phillip's War in 1675-76 and took part in the "Swamp Fight" near Kingstown, RI. In Stonington he received grants of acreage which were given to those who had performed distinguished public service; his land there totalled at least 150 acres.
He was Chief Military officer of the Mystic Trainband in July 1665. He previously had been granted 200 acres of land in Pequot (New London) by the Court. He was selected Commissioner in dealings with the Indians and settlers inasmuch as he had mastered the language of the Indians so he could act as interpreter in dealings between them and the white settlers.
Thomas Minor died at Stonington, CT, on 23 Oct 1690. He is buried in the Wequetequock Cemetery. Lying on his grave there is a long granit rock with an inscription reading;
"Here lyeth the body of Lieutenant Thomas Minor aged 83 years. Departed 1690."
Nearby stands a monument commemorating his services to Stonington and that of his associates Chesebrough, Stanton and Palmer. Grace, wife of Thomas, died 31 December 1690.
To get to Wequetequock Cemetery take Route 1, east from Stonington or west from Pawcatuck. When you reach the head of the cove, at the stop light, turn on to Greenhaven Road, then take an immediate right onto Palmer Road. The cemetery is on your left.
CHILDREN of Thomas MINER/MINOR and Grace PALMER:
1. JOHN b: 30 Aug 1636; Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts.
md: 19 Oct 1658; , New London, Connecticu.
Elizabeth BOOTH
d: 17 Sep 1719; Woodbury, Litchfield, Connecticut.
2 CLEMENT chr: 4 Mar 1637; Hingham, Norfolk, Massachusetts.
md: 26 Nov 1662; Hingham, Norfolk, Massachusetts.
Frances BURCHAM
d: 8 Oct 1700; New London, New London, Connecticut.
3. Thomas Jr. chr: 10 May 1640; Hingham, Norfolk, Massachusetts.
d: Apr 1662; Narragansett, Washington, Rhode Island.
4. EPHRAIM b: 27 Apr 1642; Hingham, Norfolk, Massachusetts.
md: 20 Jun 1666; New London, New London, Connecticut.
Hannah AVERY
d: 26 May 1724; Stonington, New London, Connecticut.
5.JOSEPH chr: 25 Aug 1644; Hingham, Norfolk, Massachusett.
md: 23 Oct 1668; New London, New London, Connecticut.
Mary AVERY
md: 7 Dec 1709; Stonington, New London, Connecticut.
Bridget CHESEBOROUGH
d: 1 Feb 1711; Stonington, New London, Connecticut.
6. JUDAH b: 1646; , , .
7. MANASSEH b: 23 Apr 1647; New London, New London, Connecticut.
md: ; , , .
Lydia MOORE
d: 12 Aug 1720; Stonington, New London, Connecticut.
8. ANN b: 28 Apr 1649; New London, New London, Connecticut.
d: 13 Aug 1652; New London, New London, Connecticut.
9. MARIA b: 5 May 1651; New London, New London, Connecticut.
d: 24 Jan 1665; Stonington, New London, Connecticut.
10. EUNICE b: 5 May 1651; New London, New London, Connecticut.
11. SAMUEL b: 4 Mar 1651; New London, New London, Connecticut.
md: 15 Dec 1681; , New London, Connecticut.
Maria LORD
d: 1682;
12. ELIZABETH b: 1653; Stonington, New London, Connecticut.
+ 13. HANNAH b: 15 Sep 1655; Stonington, New London, Connecticut.
md: 22 Oct 1677; Stonington, New London, Connecticut.
Thomas AVERY
d: 1692; Montville, New London, Connecticut.
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