Thomas BRUSH

Notes:

Name:
"Connecticut Ancestry": Thomas Brush was first noted in Southold, Long Island, New York in a record of 8 October 1655 when he was mentioned in an affidavit, but is thought to have been there earlier, perhaps about 1650 or 1651. His English origin has not yet been determined. He was born say about 1630, most likely in England, and died at Huntington, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York probably shortly afteer 26 april 1670 when a document shows his signature, and certainly before June 1677 when his estate was settled. The person named Thomas Brush who appears as a party to Huntington records after 1670 was most likely his son by that name, no longer needing to use the suffix "jr." to differentiate him from his father.

Some researchers have claimed that he was a son of one John Brush of Southold, but I have not been able to find any primary source documentation that would support this claim, and it is considered very speculative.

Probably about 1650/51 and possibly in Southold, he is presumed to have married REBECCA CONKLIN, daughter of John Conklin and Elizabeth Alseabrook. The Conlkin (or Concklyne) family had come to Long Island from Salem, Massachusetts, but no records of Thomas Brush have been found in that earlier place. Richard Brush, possibly the brother of Thomas Brush and closely associated with his family on Long Island, is known to have been in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1658, and later the two had adjoining lands in Huntington. It would not be unexpected to find the origins of Thomas Brush, Richard Brush, and John Conklin in the same community(ies) in England.

The Huntington
town Meeting of 15 October 1660 voted that "goodman (Thomas) Brush shall keepe the ordinary so long as hee do...(etc)." He therefore appears to have been Huntington's first innkeeper.

Thomas Brush retuned briefly to Southold, where he purchases some land in 1661, and was made a freeman of the Connecticut Colony on 9 October 1662. On 11 April 1663, Thomas Brush and John Tucker, Gent., both of Southold, sold the property at Southold where Brush had been living to Thomas Mapes. rebecca, wife of Thomas Brush, gave her approval to the sale, and this record is apparently the only mention of the given name of his wife. He had certainly returned to Huntington by 1 June 1663, when the town named him to a select committee of four men to survey and record the boundaries and owners of all of the existing land holdings in Huntington, and to distribute additional lands within the town boundaries at their discretion - a very important responsibility.

The estate of Thomas Brush was administered by his son thomas and on 11 August (6th month) 1677 the daughter rebecca Brush made receipt "of my brother Thomas administrator one oure fathers estate my full proportion of yt estate to Content(,) it being to ye value of fifty pounds & thirteen shillins & fower pence." her brother John Brush received an identical amount and made a similar receipt on the same date. rebecca signed with her X mark and John made his own signature. Jonas Wood and Joseph Whitman witnessed both receipts.

There does not seem to be any further mention of a widow Rebecca (Conklin) Brush, and she may have died around the same time as her husband. One reference gives a date for her death of 9 April 1670, but without reference to any original source. There is also no record of any second marriage for her, even though there were several minor children. At any rate, her father John Conklin was appointed overseer of those minor children, and they were taken back into their grandfather's home.

Family/Spouse: Rebecca CONKLIN. Rebecca (daughter of John CONKLIN and Elizabeth ALSEABROOK) was born in 1626; died on Poss. bef. 1677. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Thomas BRUSH was born about 1651/52 in Poss. Huntington, Suffolk Co., Long Island, New York; died on 16 Apr 1698 in Huntington, Long Island.
2. John BRUSH was born in 1654 in Poss. Huntington, Suffolk Co., Long Island, New York; died about 1740.
3. Rebecca BRUSH was born in abt. 1656 in Poss. Huntington, Suffolk Co., Long Island, New York.
4. Edward BRUSH was born in 1658/59 in Poss. Huntington, Suffolk Co., Long Island, New York; died before Mar 1729/30.
5. Jacob BRUSH was born before 1667 in Huntington, Long Island, New York; died between 23 Jun 1724 and 30 Apr 1728 in Huntington, Long Island, New York.

John married ? UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]