M. (1) 13 Dec 1610 in Dorset, England
Wife: Joan Waye
M. (2) 19 Jun 1616 in Bridport, England
Wife: Elizabeth Chard
M. (3) 7 Nov 1644 in Windsor, Connecticut
Wife: Ann
D. 28 Nov 1676 in Northampton, Massachusetts
Thomas Ford was in his thirties when he was among the earliest settlers of the Massachusetts Bay colony. And his longevity spanned a migration in stages to two other regions of New England.
Thomas was thought to have been born in Bridport, England, which is in Dorset, in about 1590; the names of his parents are unknown. He first appeared in records on December 13, 1610 in the village of Powerstock, where he married a woman named Joan Waye. Their marriage was brief because she passed away in May 1615, and Thomas took a second wife, Elizabeth Chard, on June 19, 1616. Between 1617 and 1629, they had five children, two of whom died as infants. Elizabeth also had a son from a first marriage named Aaron Cooke who became a part of Thomas’ household.
Thomas was thought to have been born in Bridport, England, which is in Dorset, in about 1590; the names of his parents are unknown. He first appeared in records on December 13, 1610 in the village of Powerstock, where he married a woman named Joan Waye. Their marriage was brief because she passed away in May 1615, and Thomas took a second wife, Elizabeth Chard, on June 19, 1616. Between 1617 and 1629, they had five children, two of whom died as infants. Elizabeth also had a son from a first marriage named Aaron Cooke who became a part of Thomas’ household.
Thomas' signature.
By 1623, Thomas lived in Dorchester, England, a larger town in Dorset. He was a member of Holy Trinity Church, whose pastor was Reverend John White, a leader in the Puritan movement. Reverend White was credited with being the key person promoting Puritan resettlement in America. Thomas was said to be present at a gathering of 25 of Reverend White’s followers on October 15, 1629. The meeting was to discuss a scheme to use fur trading in New England to support a Puritan colony, something which was apparently never carried out. But they did move ahead with their effort to relocate there. Oddly, Reverend White never made the migration himself.
The first ship sent over was the Mary and John, and Thomas and his family were on board. It’s thought that the men on this voyage were specially chosen as having the skills to set up a new community. The ship left Plymouth, England on March 20, 1630 on a trip that took over two months. They landed on a sandbar just outside of Boston harbor called Nantasket Point. The captain of the ship was supposed to take the passengers further inland, but he made them disembark and left them there. It was a huge undertaking to move themselves and their possessions to where they could safely build a town.
The place they ended up became Dorchester, Massachusetts. As the town was formalized, Thomas was listed as a freeman on May 18, 1631, which meant he was recognized as a church member, and therefore eligible to vote. In colonial New England towns, men were expected to perform various civic duties, and within a couple of years, Thomas was chosen as selectman (member of the town council). In one of Dorchester’s first town meetings on January 6, 1634, he and his son-in-law Roger Clap were assigned to collect money from town members in order to build a fort.
Thomas decided not to remain in Dorchester. In 1635, some of his fellow colonists had slight differences with the leaders of the Massachusetts colony, and they got permission to begin a new settlement along the Connecticut River. By 1637, Thomas relocated to the new settlement, possibly in a second wave of migration. That year he was one of four men who purchased a large tract of tribal land, and this formed the town of Windsor, Connecticut. Because of Thomas’ involvement in the deal, his name is inscribed on the Founders Monument erected in Windsor in 1930.
As with Dorchester, Thomas served the community of Windsor, this time as a representative to the General Court in Hartford. Thomas' wife Elizabeth died on April 18, 1643, and he married a third wife, Ann, on November 7, 1644. The couple had a daughter together, although her date of birth is unknown. Ann had been married before, and in 1645, Thomas moved to Hartford and established a tavern in the house of her former husband. His time as a barkeep was brief, and he sold the tavern in 1652. By 1655, Thomas was a constable back in Windsor.
The last place where Thomas moved was up the Connecticut River to the newly settled town of Northampton, Massachusetts. He purchased land as early as 1660, and moved there with Ann in about 1670. She died on May 5, 1676, and Thomas followed later that year on November 28th. They were both buried at Bridge Street Cemetery in Northampton. Through his daughters, it's been said Thomas left more descendants than any other Puritan immigrant.
1650s map of Windsor, Connecticut showing location of Thomas' home.
Thomas had a long list of famous descendants, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First Lady Lucy Hayes, Princess Diana, Prince William, Nathan Hale, Bess Truman, Wilbur & Orville Wright, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Glenn Close, Dorothy Gish, Lillian Gish, Kate Upton, Ben Affleck, Sarah Palin, Pete Seeger, Amy Grant, Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, David Hyde Pierce, Brooke Shields, Mike Huckabee, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Children by Elizabeth Chard:
1. Joanna Ford — B. 8 Jun 1617, Bridport, England; D. Jun 1695, Boston, Massachusetts; M. Roger Clap (1609-1691), 6 Nov 1633, Dorchester, Massachusetts
3. Thomas Ford — B. about Sep 1623, Dorchester, England; D. Oct 1623, Dorchester, England
4. Hepzibah Ford — B. 15 May 1625, Dorchester, England; D. 11 Apr 1683, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. (1) Richard Lyman (~1617-1662), 1640, Windsor, Connecticut; (2) John Marsh, 7 Oct 1664, Northampton, Massachusetts
5. Hannah Ford — B. about Jan 1629, Dorchester, England; D. Mar 1629, Dorchester, England
Child by Ann Scott:
1. Ann Ford — B. (probably) Connecticut; D. 6 Jan 1690, Springfield, Massachusetts; M. (1) Thomas Newberry (1657-1688), 12 Mar 1677, Windsor, Connecticut; (2) Joseph Leonard, 16 Jan 1689
Sources:
The history of the descendants of Elder John Strong, of Northampton, Mass., Benjamin Woodbridge Dwight, 1871
The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Robert Charles Anderson, 1995
The Memoirs of Roger Clap, 1731
WikiTree
Famous Kin (website)
