Thomas STANLEY

Male 1597 - 1663  (~ 65 years)


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  • Name Thomas STANLEY  [1
    • He probably arrived in May, 1634, (Love's Colonial History of Hartford, p. 2), though he is generally said to have come from London in the ship "Planter", 1635 and registered at the Custom House as 16; but this evidently refers to someone else of the same name, for he was much older. He and his brother Timothy were made Freemen of Massachusetts, March 4, 1634/5. His wife was born in 1609 and he was Deputy to the General Court from Lynn, Sep. 2, 1635, when the removal to Connecticut was decided upon. Moreover, he came with his brothers, John and Timothy who did not come in the "Planter." At Hartford he was Constable in the years 1644, 48 and 53. He joined the first party for the settlement of Hartford, known as the "Adventurers," who went the year before the main body of Mr. Hooker's congregation. He had been chosen Constable at Lynn and was fined 10 shillings at a Court held in Salem, for not being present June 27, 1636. He was an original proprietor at Hartford and his home lot in 1639 was on what is now Main Street just north of Little River, extending to the present Center Church. He removed to Hadley in 1659 and it has been said he was Townsman there but his name is not included in the list of Hadley's Selectmen. [1]
    • Though a young man at this time, Mr. Stanley soon took an important position in the affairs of the town. He was a juryman in 1639 and 1643, and a constable in 1644, 1647, 1648, and 1653. This office was then one of the most responsible in the settlement, combining the duties of the modern sheriff and policeman, and being charged in general with preserving the order and decorum of the place. it devolved on him to summon the courts, General and Particular, to their sessions, and the freemen to their elections, to execute the decrees of the courts and the laws, to enforce order in public worship, to arrest and confine offenders, to administer the frequent whippings which were ordered in punishment of petty crimes, inflicting so many lashes "well laid on," a duty requiring a steady nerve and a strong arm.

      In the year 1659, Thomas Stanley and his family, with some others, removed from Hartford, and commenced a new settlement at Hadley, Mass.

      Though Thomas Stanley and his family removed from Hartford, he did not dispose of his house and lands there. At his death he left them to his only son, Nathaniel, who after the de3cease of his mother, returned and made his home there. They remained in the line of his descendants until they were bequeathed by his grandson William to the second church in1726. He died January 31, 1663, and was buried at Hadley. His will which is on record in Northampton, gives us interesting particulars as to his home and his family. [2]
    Christening 20 Oct 1597  Ashford, Kent, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Male 
    Fact Son of John Stanley and Susan Lancock Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Death 31 Jan 1663  [1, 2
    Person ID I83171  Main Tree
    Last Modified 12 Aug 2020 

    Father John STANLEY 
    Relationship Birth 
    Mother Susan LANCOCK 
    Relationship Birth 
    Family ID F33990  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Benedicta TRITTON,   b. 30 Jul 1609, Parish Reg., Ashford, Kent, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Jan 1664/5 (Age 55 years) 
    Marriage 3 Aug 1630  [1
    Children 
     1. Thomas STANLEY,   c. 18 Sep 1631   bur. 29 Mar 1632 (Age ~ 0 years)  [Birth]
    +2. Mary STANLEY,   c. 2 Feb 1633/4   d. 13 Sep 1688, Windsor, Hartford Co., Connecticut Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 54 years)  [Birth]
    +3. Sarah STANLEY   d. 1718  [Birth]
    +4. Hannah STANLEY,   b. 02 Jun 1635, Hartford, Hartford Co., Connecticut Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 18 Dec 1708, Hadley, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 73 years)  [Birth]
    +5. Nathaniel STANLEY,   b. Abt 1638, Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 14 Nov 1712 (Age 74 years)  [Birth]
    Family ID F33989  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 10 Aug 2020 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsChristening - 20 Oct 1597 - Ashford, Kent, England Link to Google Earth
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  • Sources 
    1. [S3597] Ernest Flagg, "Genealogical Notes on the Founding of New England" My Ancestors Part in that Undertaking.

    2. [S11481] Israel P. Warren, D.D., The Stanley Families of American as Descended from John, Timothy, and Thomas Stanley of Rartford, Ct. 1636.