Thomas Follansbee, Sr. and Mary

Their child:		Individuals in this page:		Their parents:
		Thomas Follansbee, Sr.	{	No parents conclusively identified
Rebecca Follansbee	{	&
		Mary	{	No parents conclusively identified

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, y^e Lesse, and of Mary Bradford of: Aldersgate weare Marryed the 25^th 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 yo^r peticoners for severall years last past have bin kept under the Gov^rnm^t 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 yo^r Hono^rs peticonrs… durst make any opposition for feare of great fines or long imprisonment and for want of estates could not peticon home to his Ma^tie for relief… the contrary party… have kept us under hard servitude, and denyed us in our publique meeting the Common prayer Sacram^ts 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 behavo^r” ^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 propriet^er[s] of y^e Com[m]ons of the Town of Newbury January 19^th 1703/4

L^t. Coll: Thomas Noyes Esq^r, Maj^r. Daniel Davison Esq^r, Cap^t Stephen Greenleaf, and Cap^t Henry Som[m]erby were by vote Chosen to divide the Bank against Merrimack=River to y^e Propriet^er[s] of Newbury by y^e same rule as y^e Six thousand acres in y^e upper woods was, only y^e Rate proportion and frehold proportion of every propriet^er be laid together – y^e sd Gentlemen having finished y^e sd work and presented it to y^e Town at y^e Meeting on March 9^th 1707/8 The Town did yⁿ by y^r Vote ord^r y^e Recording of it which is as followeth – Viz:

The Number of y^e Riv^er 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.