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Thomas Follansbee, Sr. |
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Mary |
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Thomas
Follansbee, Sr. ★ was born in England approximately 1637 DO18, CU7 or perhaps about
1640 CU14. His surname has been spelled a myriad of ways: Follinsby, Follensby,
and Follonsby are some of the more common variations noted in records which
pertain directly to Thomas Follansbee CU14, NO10, TI1. He married Mary CH2, CU14 and was the father
of Rebecca Follansbee CH2, SA8, CU14. He may have been
the Thomas “Follensby” who wed Mary Bradford on October 25, 1659 at St. Andrew
Holborn Church in London LO1. This record stated, “Thomas, Follensby, of
Bartholmew, ye Lesse, and of Mary Bradford of: Aldersgate weare Marryed
the 25th of October 1659 Anno domini 1659” LO1. The clerk wrote
“ffollensby”, as was typical for the time LO1, but the use of a
double “ff” was simply the manner in which a capital “F” was formed. Before
they wed, this particular Thomas and Mary resided quite near to each other.
Aldersgate Street is less than one mile northwest of Bartholomew Lane, and St.
Andrew Holborn Church is west of both streets. Baptism records for any children
of this Thomas and Mary Follensby were not noticed in the St. Andrew Birth
Registry.
He
was in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the years 1665 and 1671 CU14, CH2. As “Thom:
ffallingsby”, he was among thirty-two men of Portsmouth and Strawberry Bank who
signed a petition in July 1665 which protested against the injustices committed
by Mr. Joshua Moody, who was the minister, and five merchants, who were Richard
and John Cutt, Elias Styleman, Nathaniel Fryer, and Bryan Pendleton HA7. Select portions of
this petition have been transcribed HA7:
The Peticon of part of the
inhabitants of Portesmouth and Strawberry Bank, Humbly sheweth
That
whereas yor peticoners for severall years last past have bin kept under the
Govrnmt of the Massachusets by an
usurped power whose laws are derogatory to the laws of England under which
power five or six of the ritchest men of this parish have ruled swaied and
ordered all offices both civill & military at their pleasures, none of yor Honors
peticonrs… durst make any opposition for feare of great fines or long
imprisonment and for want of estates could not peticon home to his Matie for relief… the contrary party… have kept us under hard
servitude, and denyed us in our publique meeting the Common prayer Sacramts and decent buriall of the dead contrary to the Laws of England…
also denied us the benefit of freemen… have always kept themselves in offices
for the manageing of the gifts of lands & setling them… have engrosed the
greatest part of the lands within the precincts & limits of this plantation
into theire owne hands and other honest men that have been here a considerable
time have no lands at all given them, and some that have had lands given &
laid out to them, the said contrary party have desowned the grants, and laid it
out to others.
He
was granted one acre of land on Great Island on August 19, 1667 “provided he
build” NO10. Great Island, which is now called New
Castle, New Hampshire, is three miles east of Portsmouth. The County Court at
Portsmouth recorded that Thomas “follingsly” had been bound to good behavior by
the Court of Associates, and so when he appeared at the County Court on June
30, 1668, the court cleared him of his bond because “he hath been of good
behavor” HA10. Thomas and eleven other men were on
the Coroner’s Jury in New Castle on May 18, 1669 regarding the death of
Hercules Taylor, a seaman who had been employed on The Grace of Bristol; the jurors determined that he became
intoxicated while in a canoe, and he drowned after the craft tipped over NO10. Thomas allegedly
relocated from the Great Island to Portsmouth in 1671, and an unsubstantiated
report asserted that he leased Abraham Corbett’s house which was situated near
the meeting house, but Henry Dering leased the same house “under a better
title”, and in the middle of winter, without warning, the sheriff evicted
Thomas and his family NO10. “Tho: ffolonsby” was listed in a rate of
men of Portsmouth men for the maintenance of Mr. Moody; he was scheduled to pay
ten pence on March 17, 1671 at the meeting house TI1.
Thomas
was a joiner CH2, NO10, and he probably assisted in the finished
woodworking of the Portsmouth schoolhouse and church NO10, because Richard
Martyn, who was the treasurer for Portsmouth, recorded in his account book that
he paid “folinsby & Jno Denet” four shillings and two pence for their work
on the meeting house in the year “1672: 73” HA2. In 1676, Richard
Martyn noted that he paid ten shillings to “ffollinsbie on schooles” HA2. This entry likely
meant that he paid “ffollinsbie” for his work on one or more schools, because
the entries directly above and below this were payments to John Denet and
Alexander Denet for their work on the meeting house (“John Denet for worke on
ye meeting house… Alex: Denet for worke on ye meeting house”) HA2.
He
settled in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts by the year 1677 CU14, CH2,
NO10.
On December 7, 1677, Thomas “Follingsby” and his wife, Mary, sold a narrow
strip of land with an incomplete house (just the house frame had been built),
which was adjacent to the lot owned by William Morse, to John Tucker for
fourteen pounds CU8. Thomas “Follinsby” was forty-one years old in 1678,
when he swore the oath of allegiance to the King of England DO18, CU7. He was very likely
the “Tho: Holinsbee” who was recorded in “An Invoyes of August, ’88. Newbury”
as being in possession of two acres of ploughland, one horse, and one cow, but
no house CU7. Thomas Follinsby was assigned an extremely narrow share
of six feet of the bank of the Merrimack River on March 9, 1707/8 PR11. The record of this
division of commons stated PR11:
Whereas, at a Legal Meeting of the proprieter[s] of ye Com[m]ons of
the Town of Newbury January 19th 1703/4
Lt. Coll: Thomas Noyes Esqr, Majr. Daniel Davison Esqr, Capt Stephen Greenleaf, and Capt Henry
Som[m]erby were by vote Chosen to divide the Bank against Merrimack=River to ye Proprieter[s] of
Newbury by ye same rule as ye Six thousand acres in ye upper woods was, only ye Rate proportion and frehold proportion of every proprieter be laid
together – ye sd Gentlemen having finished ye sd work and
presented it to ye Town at ye Meeting on March 9th 1707/8 The Town did yn by yr Vote ordr ye Recording of it which is as followeth – Viz:
The Number of ye River Lots Begining near Mr Peirces farme and ending att Mr
Woodmans Lane
On
November 2, 1711, he sold his homestead on the plain in Newbury, Massachusetts
to his son-in-law, Thomas Chase, for fifty-six pounds CH2.
William
Richard Cutter believed that Thomas may have married Sarah as a second wife
after the death of Mary CU14, although a marriage record between Sarah
and Thomas has not been located. Sara Follinsby died on November 6, 1683 in Newbury, Essex
County, Massachusetts VI28, MA26
but her death record did not state the Sarah’s age at the time of her death or
her relationship to any other person. Thomas did marry Jane Mossman (or Mosemore) CU14. The marriage
intentions of “Mr. Thomas Follansbee sen. of Newbury” and “Mrs. Jane Mosemore
of Boston” were published on April 3 or 4, 1713 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts VI6, MA26.
Thomas may have been
alive in 1721 CU14, but his grandson and namesake, Thomas
Follansbee, who was the son of his son, Thomas Follansbee, was called “Thomas
Follansbee jun.” in the record of his marriage to Hannah March on January 5,
1715/6 MA26, which may indicate that Thomas
Follansbee, the subject of this biographical sketch, had already died.
Confusion would have resulted if the record books referred to two different men
with the name of “Thomas Follansbee, Jr.”, who were both father and son.
Mary ★ may
have been Mary Bradford of Aldersgate in London, England LO1. Mary was the mother of Rebecca CH2, CU1, NO10, Anne, Mary, Thomas, Francis, and Hannah.
Rebecca Follansbee was born in
approximately 1660, perhaps in England CH2, CU14.
Anne Follinsby married Moses Chase on November 10,
1684 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts VI6. Moses and Ann (or Anne) Chace (or
Chase) were the parents of nine children whose births were recorded in Newbury,
Essex County, Massachusetts VI28.
These were Moses Chase and Daniel Chace, twins who were born on September 20,
1685, another son named Moses Chace, born on January 20, 1687/8, Samuel Chace,
born on May 13, 1690, Elizabeth Chace, born on September 25, 1693, Stephen
Chace, born on August 29, 1696 or 1697, Hanah Chace, born on September 13,
1699, Joseph Chase, born on September 9, 1705, and Bennoni, born on April 5,
1705 VI28. Ann Chace, the wife of Ensign Moses
Chace, died at age forty on April 18, 1708 VI6.
Ensign Moses Chase died at age eighty on September 6, 1743 VI6.
Mary Follansbee was born about 1667; she first married
Robert Pike and second married William Hooke CU14, NO10. Mary Follinsby married Robert Pike of Salisbury on December 1,
1686 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts VI6. Mary and Robert Pike, Jr. were the
parents of two children whose births were recorded in Salisbury, Essex County,
Massachusetts, who were Robert, born on September 3, 1687, and Sarah, born on
February 3, 1689 VI36. Mary and William Hooke (or Hook), Jr.
were the parents of six children whose births were recorded in Salisbury, Essex
County, Massachusetts VI36. These were Elizabeth Hooke, born on February 14,
1692/3, Mary Hooke, born on January 31, 1694/5, Ann Hooke, born on March 16,
1696/7, Jacob Hook, born in November 1698, Josiah Hook, born on March 15,
1700/1, and Fransis Hook, born on March 22, 1705/6 VI36. Mary Hooke, the daughter of William
and Mary, died on November 24, 1697 and Ann Hooke, the daughter of William and
Mary, died on December 7, 1697 in Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts VI36. Mary Hook, the wife of William, died
on October 25, 1736 in Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts VI36.
Thomas Follansbee was born in about 1671 or 1674 CU14, NO10. Thomas Folinsbee, Jr. and Abigael were the parents of Mary
Folinsbee, born on April 4 or 24, 1695 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts VI28. Thomas Folinsbe, Jr. and Abigael were
the parents of Thomas Folinsbe, born on March 28, 1697 in Newbury, Essex
County, Massachusetts VI28.Thomas
Folinsbee, Jr. and Abigael were the parents of Francis, born on June 13, 1699
in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts VI28. Thomas Folinsbe, Jr. and Abigael were the parents of William,
born on March 14, 1700/1 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts VI28. Abigail Follansbee, the wife of
Thomas, died at age seventy-four on October 24, 1734 in Newbury, Essex County,
Massachusetts VI28. Thomas Follansbee was called the son
of Thomas and Sarah when he died at age eighty-one on June 10, 1755 in Newbury,
Essex County, Massachusetts VI28. It
is unclear if Thomas’ mother was named Sarah, but Mary, the wife of Thomas
Follansbee, Sr. was still alive when Thomas Follansbee, Jr. was born (she was
alive in 1677 CU8).
Francis
Follinsby, the son of Thomas, was born on October 22 or 23, 1677 in
Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts VI28, MA26, CU14.
Hannah Follinsby, the
daughter of Thomas, was born on April 10, 1680 in Newbury, Essex
County, Massachusetts VI28, MA26, CU14.
Allegedly, Mary
heard Rachel Webster “cry murder” at around midnight in an unspecified date in
1673, and she “rose up and went to the window and asked said Webster why [she
was] out of her house at that time of night” NO10. Mary was alive on December 7, 1677 when
she and Thomas sold land to John Tucker CU8 but she was likely
deceased by April 4, 1713 when Thomas Follansbee, Sr. declared his intent to
marry Mrs. Jane Mosemore MA26.