M. (1) 1 Apr 1662 in Dedham, Massachusetts
Wife: Rebecca Paine
M. (2) 20 May 1686 in Billerica, Massachusetts
Wife: Sarah Kendall
D. 14 Jan 1690 in Billerica, Massachusetts
When violence threatened his colonial community, Thomas Patten's house was designated as a safe place where people could gather. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in October 1636 to William and Mary Patten, the third of their six children, and the first to be born in America. Thomas’ family seemed to have humble roots in England, and his father wasn’t among Cambridge’s prominent men.
In 1652, Thomas’ father acquired 80 acres in a new settlement called Shawshin, and he gave the land over to Thomas after he came of age two years later. Shawshin was soon renamed Billerica and laid out as a New England town. Thomas built his house on Long Street, described as being south of the common near the house of Francis Richardson. Over the years, he came to own considerable land in Billerica, and an interest in a sawmill in the nearby community of Pattenville.
Thomas got married on April 1, 1662 to Rebecca Paine, with the wedding taking place in her hometown of Dedham, Massachusetts. Between 1664 and 1680, they had seven children, but Rebecca passed away 11 days after giving birth to their youngest child. On May 20, 1686, Thomas took a second wife, Sarah Dunton, a widow from Reading whose maiden name was Kendall. They had two children, including a son named Kendall, a tribute to Sarah’s father who had no sons to pass along his name.
Thomas does not seem to have taken an active part in the public affairs of Billerica, with his name only appearing in records regarding military duty. In 1664, he was fined thirteen shillings for not showing up to do required militia drills. But during King Philip’s War in 1675, when Billerica was under the threat of attack, Thomas did comply with an order to make his home into a “garrison house.”
What did this mean exactly? In early colonial New England, towns that were on the frontier were vulnerable to raids by warring tribes. If a town hadn’t built a stockade to protect it, they were forced to assign certain houses as places for people to gather in case of attack. Thomas’ home was selected either because of its location or design (a more solid house was preferred as a garrison). The order named five militia men who were assigned to his house, and Thomas was made "overseer,” meaning that it was his duty to "regulate the work of the garrison and determine what should be done for fortifying it.” Luckily, the plan was never used because Billerica was spared from attack.
A typical garrison house in 1675 Massachusetts.
Not long after his youngest son was born, Thomas died in Billerica on January 14, 1690. He left a will written just hours before he died, and the inventory of his property showed a value of £308. It’s interesting that he mentioned that his wife Sarah had loaned him £3 when she married him, and he made sure to pay her back in the will. Sarah lived for many years as a widow, and passed away in 1734.
Children by Rebecca Paine:
1. Mary Patten – B. 21 Aug 1664, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Benjamin Cromwell, 5 Mar 1703
2. Thomas Patten – B. 22 Mar 1666, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 14 Sep 1752, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Hannah Foster (1669-1742), 21 Dec 1699, Billerica, Massachusetts
3. Nathaniel Patten – B. 14 Sep 1668, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 2 Apr 1718, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Hannah Ross (1679-1756), 6 Dec 1695, Billerica, Massachusetts
4. William Patten – B. 12 May 1671, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 5 Oct 1730, Cambridge, Massachusetts; M. (1) Mary _______ (~1668-1716); (2) Elizabeth ______, 1717, Billerica, Massachusetts
5. Rebecca Patten – B. 29 Jan 1675, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 13 Feb 1750, Cambridge, Massachusetts; M. Joseph Davis (1669-1747), 18 Jun 1691, Billerica, Massachusetts
6. Sarah Patten – B. 18 Jun 1677, Billerica, Massachusetts
7. Elizabeth Patten – B. 8 May 1680, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. James Wright (1677-1735), 7 May 1701, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Children by Sarah Kendall:
1. Mehitable Patten – B. 28 Feb 1687, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 13 Jan 1743, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. William French (1687-1746), about 1712
2. Kendall Patten – B. 20 Apr 1689, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 14 Dec 1770, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; M. (1) Abigail ______ (?-1718); (2) Abigail Kittredge (1700-?)
Sources:
Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Vol. 1, William Richard Cutter and William Frederick Adams, 1910
The history of Peter Parker and Sarah Ruggles of Roxbury, Massachusetts and their ancestors and descendants, John William Linzee, 1918
Patten Genealogy, Thomas Baldwin, 1908
WikiTree
King Philip’s War (Wikipedia article)
