Thomas Trowbridge

Thomas Trowbridge
Birthdate: February 8, 1598
Birthplace: Taunton, Somersetshire, England
Death: Died February 7, 1672 in Taunton, Somerset, England
Place of Burial: St Mary Magdalen, Taunton, Somerset, England
Immediate Family:
Son of John Trowbridge and Agnes Trowbridge
Husband of Elizabeth Trowbridge and Frances Trowbridge
Father of Elizabeth Trowbridge; John 2 Trowbridge; Thomas Trowbridge; William Trowbridge and Deacon James Trowbridge
Brother of Elizabeth Hurley (Huxley); John Trowbridge; Prudence Mace; Agnes Wither; William Trowbridge and 4 others
Occupation: 1634 To Dorchester Purchased "Trowbridge Homestead" from Deputy Gov. Danforth in 1675., arrived in New England about 1636. Purchased "Trowbridge Homestead" from Deputy Gov. Danforth in 1675.
www.geni.com/people/Thomas-Trowbridge

Thomas Trowbridge (abt. 1598 - abt. 1673)
Capt Thomas Trowbridge
Born about February 8, 1598 in Taunton Somerset, England
Son of John Trowbridge and Agnes (Prowse) Trowbridge
Brother of Elizabeth (Trowbridge) Hurley, John Trowbridge, Prudence (Trowbridge) Mace, Agnes (Trowbridge) Wither, William Trowbridge, James Trowbridge, Joan Trowbridge and Tracy (Trowbridge) Seaman
Husband of Elizabeth (Marshall) Trowbridge — married March 26, 1627 in Exeter, Deveonshire, England
Father of Elizabeth Trowbridge, John Trowbridge, Thomas Trowbridge Jr, William Trowbridge, James McGrew Trowbridge and Mary (Trowbridge) Collins
Died about February 7, 1673 in Taunton, Somerset, England
Profile managers: Ann Johnson private message [send private message], Bob Fields private message [send private message], David Robinson private message [send private message], and Nancy Lahr private message [send private message]
Last modified 3 June 2015.

Thomas Trowbridge ... [1] Parents: John Trowbridge (____ - 1649) Agnes Prowse Trowbridge (____ - 1622) Children: William Trowbridge (1633 - 1690)* James Trowbridge (1636 - 1717)* Burial: St. Mary Magdalene Church, Taunton, Somerset, England

Thomas Trowbridge removed from Taunton, England where he was born, to Exeter in Devon and establishd himself there as a mercer. He married an Exeter girl in 1627. "In the Exeter records, his marriage license appears as follows: '26 March 1627 Mr. Thomas Trobridge and Elizabeth daughter of Mrs. Alce Marshall widow married, Jeremy Short parson.'" [2]

The ancestry of Thomas Trowbridge can be traced back to Hugh Capet, King of France, died 996 and his wife, Adelaide of Poitou, and to Charelagme, through Thomas's mother, Agnes Prowse.[3] Of their direct male descendants, 56 fought in American Revolution, 41 in 1812, 152 in Civil War. Thomas's own descendants include Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Ernest Hemingway, Cindy Crawford, and US President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Thomas was one of the early settlers of Dorchester, MA, and of New Haven, CT, a merchant engaged in the Barbados trade from Jan. 1637 to 1639. He came from Taunton, Somerset, where his father had established a charity for poor widows which was still being administered in the mid-19th century. He was at Dorchester in 1636, where his wife became a member of the church in 1638. Their son James was baptized there in 1637 or 1638. They are referred to in Dorchester records as "Mr. & Mrs." a distinction confined at that time to persons of gentility. He was likely a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company there, the name 'Thomas Strawbridge, 1638' likely a misspelling of his name. Finding the political and religious climate intolerant, he moved his family to New Haven, Connecticut Colony, 1639-1641 and appears in the census of 1641. His estate is given at 500 pounds, a large sum for the time, and his household consisted of 5 persons (he, his wife and 3 surviving sons. Records seem to indicate that his wife had died by the end of 1643, possibly in 1641.

He returned to England about 1641-1644 and left his 3 sons in charge of Sgt. Thomas Jeffries who came from the vicinity of Taunton, England and appears in probate records at New Haven, CT and was at Dorchester 1634 and New Haven 1637 or 1638. Thomas sailed for England leaving his houses, goods, lots and estates and chattel in trust with his steward, Henry Gibbons, who kept possession of Thomas's estates at New Haven for many years. It appears that Thomas never returned to New England.

He was a Captain in Colonel Blake's Taunton Regiment, in the English Civil War, on the side of the Parliamentary forces known as the "Roundheads" against King Charles I of England. He was in the siege of Taunton, July 1644 to July 1645, one of the Parliamentary strongholds, before the royalist forces were forced to leave to battle Oliver Cromwell.[4]

Some sources say that he married his first cousin, Frances Godsall, widow Shattuck, daughter of his aunt Dorothie Trowbridge Godsall in England in February, 1640. There was another Thomas Trowbridge mentioned in the 1620 will of Thomas Trowbridge, the Elder, as a nephew. It is logical to assume that this latter Thomas was probably the man who married Frances in 1640, he being possibly an elderly man and she a middle aged widow.

Henry Gibbons appeared to be an unfaithful servant who seized Thomas' property and deserted the three boys. Town records show where the boys were declared wards of the Colony in November, 1641 and the court placed them under the care of a nearby neighbor, Sergeant Thomas Jeffreys and his wife, who took them into their home to rear and educate until "such time as their father shall come over or send to take order concerning them." Thomas regularly corresponded from England to the authorities in New Haven to bring Gibbons to an account for his breach of trust, but Gibbons kept the property for many years. In 1662, when his sons became of age, Thomas gave them power of attorney to regain his property from Gibbons, making his property over to them jointly and severally, and they sued Gibbons for possession. They were successful in reclaiming their father's estate in 1680. The suit was finally settled by Gibbons making a deed of property to Thomas, Jr. to take effect after the death of Gibbons. Gibbons died without any children in 1686.[5]

"To all Christian people in whom this present writing shall come greeting: Know ye that I Thomas Trowbridge of Taunton in ye county of Somerset. Gent doe hereby make ordaine, constitute and depute and in my place and stead put my three sons Thomas Trowbridge and William Trowbridge of New Haven, and James Trowbridge of Dorchester in ye Bay in New England in ye ports of America beyond ye seas, to be my true and lawfull attornies, jointly, and severally for me and to my name to aske, sue for, and chattles whatsover, which I left in trust in New England aftersaid with Henry Gibbons, sometimes my servant, or doe otherwise belongs unto me and upon detaining thereof or of any particular parcell therof, to are or any particular parcell theroff, to arrest, attach, call to an account, sue implead and imprison ye said Henry Gibbons, and all and every other person and persons whatsover in whose lands, custody, or possession of my estate, houses, lotts, goods, eattel and chattels whatsoever are or have or hath beene in any way or course of law or equity. And ye same suit or suits to persecute and issue to judegement, sentence and final execution, until recovery shall be had off my said estate, houses, lotts, goods, cattle and chattels whatsoever with all costs and deamages to be had for detaining the same. And upon receipt htereof or of so much thereof as my said attourneys or any or eyther of them shall agree for and accept by way of composition, the said person of persons soe by my said atturnies or any or eyther of them said atturneyes or any or eyther of them sued or imprisoned, out of prison to release and discharge and also to make seale and deliver acquittances releases or other sufficient discharge to and for the same or any part therof, and I doe hereby given and grant unto my said attornies, jointly and severally, my full and whole power and authoirty in and around the premises and by the aforesaid or any other lawful waies and means whatever to get in and recover my said estate, houses, lotts, goods, cattle and chattles whatsover in as full and ample manner in every respect to all intents considerations and purposes as allowing and confirming whatsover my said atturnies or any or either of them sall lawfully doe or cause to be done in ye premises by virtue of these presents, and I do alsoe hereby order and appoint that all and whatsover of my said este, houses lott goods cattle or chattels whatsover shall be recovered and received by my said attornies or any or either of them shall be kept and enjoyed by my three sons Thomas William and James equally divided etween them to their own use and behoff without any account to be rendered unto me for ye same. In whitness thereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale, the nineteenth day of Jan. in ye fourteenth year of ye reign of King Charles the second et Anno gr. deus 1663."

Thom. Trowbridge, [Seale] Sealed and delivered in ye presence of Henry Chase Notary Publick. Robert Chase, John Chambers
The above written is a true record of the originel composed therewith and recorded ye 26th day of Feb., 1683.
By John Nash, recorder [6][7]

Thomas, Sr. died at Taunton, England 1672, apparently never having returned to New England.

"The Ancestry of Lorenzo Ackley & his wife Emma Arabella Bosworth," N.G. Parke & D.L. Jacobus, 1960, pg. 136 speculates that Thomas may have been born about April, 1598, although provides no basis for the speculation. A baptism record has not been found. He was the eldest son and the date is a reasonable possibility. [8]

Featured on TLC show "Who Do You Think You Are", 8/27/2013, see http://www.wikitree.com/g2g/39676/who-do-you-think-you-are-thomas-trowbridge.

Thomas was born in 1598. Thomas Trowbridge ... He passed away in 1672. [9]

Thomas was born about 1597. Thomas Trowbridge ... He passed away about 1673. [10]

Do you have information about Trowbridge? Please contribute to his biography. Everything on WikiTree is a collaborative work-in-progress.

Marriage 1 Elizabeth Marshall b: 24 Mar 1603 in St Mary Arches, Exeter, Devon, England c: 24 Mar 1603 in St Mary Arches, Exeter, Devonshire, England

Marriage 2: 26 Mar 1627 in St. Mary Arches, Exeter, Devon Co., Eng

Residence

Place: Connecticut, USA
Source: #S25
Death

Date: ABT 7 Feb 1672/73
Place: Taunton, Somerset, England
Burial
Date: 7 Feb 1672/73
Place: Taunton, Somerset, England

Sources
↑ Entered by Nancy Lahr, Sep 18, 2012
↑ William Richard Cutter, "Genealogical & Family History of the State of Connecticut," Vol. I, (Orig. publ. NY, 1911; repr. by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1997), pg. 210.
↑ Ancestors of American Presidents, pp. 191-192
↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Taunton
↑ "THE TROWBRIDGE ANCESTRY IN ENGLAND" by Donald Lines Jacobus, "THE AMERICAN GENEALOGIST", 18:3, pps. 129-137
↑ New Haven Land Records, vol 1, p. 202
↑ http://www.oocities.org/trowbridgemountain/thomastrowbridge2.html
↑ Created by: goroke Record added: Jun 16, 2011 Find A Grave Memorial# 71496973
↑ Entered by Ann Johnson, Feb 12, 2013
↑ Entered by Charles Seamon, Apr 30, 2013

See also:
http://www.geni.com/people/Thomas-Trowbridge/6000000002883042507 Contains extensive primary source references.
https://sites.google.com/site/webstergriggsfamilies/williams/trowbridge
http://archive.org/stream/trowbridgefamily00chap/trowbridgefamily00chap_djvu.txt "The Trowbridge family, or, Descendants of Thomas Trowbridge, one of the first settlers of New Haven, Conn."
Ancestral File #: 228Z-F8 246G-42.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=71496973
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=horrocks&id=I63481
http://www.whitsett-wall.com/Documents/Trowbridge%20Family%20History.pdf

Source S25
Author: Gary Boyd Roberts
Title: Notable Kin, Volume One
Publication: Name: Name: Carl Boyer, 3rd; Location: Santa Clarita, California; Date: 1998;;
Repository: #R1
NOTEPublished in cooperation with the New England Historic genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts
Repository R1
Name: Fitzpatrick Home Library

Footnotes

Acknowledgments

Created through the import of DR fam 9.ged on 14 September 2010. Thanks to Ann Johnson for starting this profile. Thanks to Charles Seamon for starting this profile. Nancy Lahr, firsthand knowledge. Created through the import of fitzmaster032511.ged on 27 March 2011.
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Trowbridge-9