M. (1) 5 Dec 1660
Wife: Mary Hewett
M. (2) 10 Oct 1671 in Northampton, Massachusetts
Wife: Rachel Holton
D. 3 Oct 1689 in Northampton, Massachusetts
In 17th-century New England, military attacks took place on foot or on water, but rarely on horseback. Thomas Strong was a member of the first ever cavalry in Connecticut, and his service may have brought him to the battlefield during King Philip’s War.
Thomas was born in about 1636 to John Strong and Abigail Ford, the oldest of their 16 children. He spent his first couple of years in Hingham before the family relocated to Taunton, Massachusetts. When he was about 10-years-old, they then moved to Windsor, Connecticut.
During the years when Thomas came of age, Connecticut was a remote place, and the Puritan settlers had an uneasy relationship with the Indians who lived around them. Also a threat were the Dutch who controlled what is now New York, and who laid claim to parts of Connecticut. The Puritan leaders thought it would be wise to raise a military force trained to defend their towns on horseback, and in 1658, the Connecticut Cavalry was formed. Thomas was enlisted as a private; the entire force consisted of 37 men, 17 of whom were from Windsor.
Thomas married his first wife Mary Hewitt on December 5, 1660. The year before that, Thomas’ parents and some of his siblings had gone upriver to Northampton, Massachusetts, and Thomas would settle there as well, but it isn’t clear what year he moved. His name first appeared in Northampton records as one of several men assigned to build a mill in 1666. Thomas had five children with Mary, but she died on February 20, 1671, and he married Rachel Holton on October 10th of that year. They had 11 children, with the youngest being born several months after his death.
Thomas was a farmer, but he seems to have continued his participation in the military all the way into King Philip’s War in 1676. Even though he was living in Northampton by that time, he was listed on a list of Windsor cavalry troops. His unit may have participated in the Second Battle of Nipsachuck, one of the last fights in the war in the southern New England area. It's believed that the battle included a cavalry charge, which was an unusual military tactic for that time and place.
During the years when Thomas came of age, Connecticut was a remote place, and the Puritan settlers had an uneasy relationship with the Indians who lived around them. Also a threat were the Dutch who controlled what is now New York, and who laid claim to parts of Connecticut. The Puritan leaders thought it would be wise to raise a military force trained to defend their towns on horseback, and in 1658, the Connecticut Cavalry was formed. Thomas was enlisted as a private; the entire force consisted of 37 men, 17 of whom were from Windsor.
Thomas married his first wife Mary Hewitt on December 5, 1660. The year before that, Thomas’ parents and some of his siblings had gone upriver to Northampton, Massachusetts, and Thomas would settle there as well, but it isn’t clear what year he moved. His name first appeared in Northampton records as one of several men assigned to build a mill in 1666. Thomas had five children with Mary, but she died on February 20, 1671, and he married Rachel Holton on October 10th of that year. They had 11 children, with the youngest being born several months after his death.
Thomas was a farmer, but he seems to have continued his participation in the military all the way into King Philip’s War in 1676. Even though he was living in Northampton by that time, he was listed on a list of Windsor cavalry troops. His unit may have participated in the Second Battle of Nipsachuck, one of the last fights in the war in the southern New England area. It's believed that the battle included a cavalry charge, which was an unusual military tactic for that time and place.
Site of the Second Battle of Nipsachuck (Source: Swampyank, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Thomas died in Northampton on October 3, 1689. His estate was valued at over £379, and in his will, he ordered that his oldest son by his first wife provide for his second wife. Most of his children were still under age at the time of his death.
Descendants of Thomas include Princess Diana, Prince William, Nathan Hale, Glenn Close and Brooke Shields.
Children by Mary Hewett:
1. Thomas Strong — B. 6 Nov 1661; D. 1708, Durham, Massachusetts; M. Mary Stebbins (1666-1705), 17 Nov 1683, Northampton, Massachusetts
2. Maria Strong — B. 31 Aug 1663, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 18 May 1751, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. Samuel Judd (~1652-1721)
3. John Strong — B. 9 Mar 1665, Windsor, Connecticut; D. 21 May 1699, Deerfield, Massachusetts
4. Hewet Strong — B. 2 Dec 1666; D. 29 Sep 1689
5. Asahel Strong — B. 14 Nov 1668, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 8 Oct 1739, Farmington, Connecticut; M. Margaret Hart (?-1735), 11 Jun 1689
Children by Rachel Holton:
1. Joseph Strong — B. about Dec 1672, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 23 Dec 1763, Coventry, Connecticut; M. Sarah Allen (1672-1724), 1694, Northampton, Massachusetts
2. Benjamin Strong — B. about 1674, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 27 Aug 1755; M. Ann Bradley
3. Adino Strong — B. 25 Jan 1676, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 31 Dec 1749, Woodbury, Connecticut; M. Eunice Johnson (1678-1763), about 1702
4. Waitstill Strong — B. 1677, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 13 Nov 1762, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. (1) Sarah Janes (1689-~1707), 19 Dec 1701, Northampton, Massachusetts; (2) Mindwell Bartlett (1682-1741), 7 Mar 1708, Northampton, Massachusetts
5. Rachel Strong — B. 15 Jul 1680; M. (1) Nathan Dudley; (2) Miles Dudley (1676-1753), 23 Jan 1706, Northampton, Massachusetts
6. Selah Strong — B. 22 Dec 1680; D. 8 Apr 1732, Brookhaven, New York; M. Abigail Terry (1680-1761), 23 Jun 1702
7. Benjah Strong — B. 24 Sep 1682
8. Ephraim Strong — B. 1 Jan 1685; D. Milford, Connecticut; M. Mary Briscoe (1675-1719), 10 May 1712, Milford, Connecticut
9. Elnathan Strong — B. 20 Aug 1686, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 22 May 1727, Woodbury, Connecticut; M. Patience Jenner (1692-1773), 17 Apr 1712, Woodbury, Connecticut
10. Ruth Strong — B. about 4 Feb 1687; D. 18 Sep 1743, Guilford, Connecticut; M. William Dudley (1684-1761), 10 Oct 1712
11. Submit Strong — B. about Feb 1690
Sources:
The History of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut, Henry Reed Stiles, 1859
History of Northampton, Massachusetts, From Its Settlement in 1654, Volume 1, James Russell Trumbull, Seth Pomeroy, 1898
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