Summary, 2013

The blog got its start on September 25, 2010. There were 32 posts added this past year. Total post count is 114.

The image shows reader activity by post for the Past 30 days and for All time. Compare with last year's list.

Past 30 days                                All time

It's nice to see that some 2013 posts made it to the All time list and that there is not much overlap between the two lists. Of late, some 2011 posts seem to be of interest.

Recaps: 2018, 2017 (missing), 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.

Remarks:  Modified: 12/15/2018

12/15/2018 -- Added in link to recaps from the beginning.

Gardner's Beacon, Vol. III, No. 4

Two days ago, December 29th, was the passing date of Thomas Gardner of Salem. We need to have a yearly reminder set up for that day.

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Thomas and Margaret had nine children who grew up in Salem, MA. The early boys were born in England. John was born on Cape Ann in a pre-Conant and pre-Endicott Massachusetts.

All the children survived Thomas, except for Miriam who died early leaving young children. After Thomas' death, several of his children left Salem. Richard and John went to Nantucket. George became a citizen of Connecticut though he continued to own land in Massachusetts.

Thomas' last wife, Damaris, and her children were active Quakers. The Puritans did not like that belief system and responded with a heavy hand even though Charles II told the New England authorities to refrain from their persecution. Thomas' step-son, Samuel Shattuck, carried Charles II's message to Endicott who stayed his hand from awhile.

Unfortunately, Samuel's missive was too late for Mary Dyer and others.

We have only touched the surface here, only to the extent to start to see the Gardner involvement and influence. Expect that the topic will appear again.

We continue our "Annals" ways with this issue. It can be nice to see a timeline related to events. Also, we have a short list of Thomas' and Margaret's first-born grandchildren. We have two listed for Seeth since her first husband died young, during Thomas' life.

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See Vol. III, No. 4 of Gardner's Beacon for a look at the first generation of Thomas' descendants.

References:  see Sources (Current Issue)  

Remarks: Modified: 01/08/2014

Puritan entertainment

01/05/2014 -- anceSTORY Archives has a recent article on treatment of the Quakers.The image comes from an article written by Melissa Berry for the Newburyport News. One might title this, Puritan entertainment. No, they did not allow the usual pleasures; rather, inhuman (and inhumane) activities seemed to be their attraction. ... One thing that we can be strongly assured of [is this]: Thomas and his kin were not of those who tied women (in an unclad state or otherwise) to carts and dragged them through the streets (er, muddy cowpaths).

01/08/2014 -- We added Earlier Settlers of Nantucket to our Bibliography. It's interesting to see the Folger stories of the early Gardners. ... In another place, we saw both Richard and John being described as well-educated. From whence that education? The parents? If you say no, you're not very much insightful about human nature. A child's first teacher is the mother, then the father. So, if Richard and John were Quaker, well-educated, and good citizens of their community, the mother deserves a lot of credit. Now, who was she? In Hinchman's book, Margaret is noted as the mother. We'll have to look to see the source for that. If it does come down as family history, then one would think that the children would have known their mothers. In any case, Margaret, or whomever it was, needs to have recognition as being early-Quaker (definitely, before Fox made his splash upon history).

Where was he and is he?

One never knows what one will run across while browsing, and reading, at the NEHGS, or any like, site. I just ran across a map (The Essex Antiquarian - available via Google, pg 149) showing land owned by two cousins, Samuel Gardner and Abel Gardner, while looking at material for an entirely different search. The article was by Sidney Perley who was writing about Salem in 1700. Of course, Sidney is writing in 1900 or so, about 200 years after the fact.

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We, earlier, had looked at a couple of topics: Where is Thomas? and Where was Thomas? In answer to the first, we can say that he's interned somewhere near the Peabody boarder in the Harmony Grove cemetery. In answer to the second, we'll have to say it depends. But, we know that he spent some time in the area near where the Essex Institute is now.

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Lower part of Peabody,
Google (left), Perley (right)

The image shows a Perley map and a Google map side by side (somewhat oriented the same). I have marked three places on the maps for reference (Mill Pond, Burial Place, Gardner's Hill). It is about 3 miles (crow distance) from the Gardner's Hill to Mill Pond.

The Perley map is quite nice and would overlay very well if I could get a precise rotation (too, there have been a lot of changes in 100 years). Perley's writeup is based upon records and is the 9th in a series that ought to be part of the bibliography (right now, the only Perley document that we have sourced is based at The University of Virginia).

Both Samuel and Abel are grandsons (as such, they were first cousins) of Thomas and Margaret. Samuel is George's son. Abel is Samuel's son. Abel, and his wife, Sarah Porter, were buried near Thomas and were moved. The part owned by Abel had been owned by Thomas, originally.

Remarks:      Modified: 05/16/2019

03/28/2014 -- See Vol. IV, No. 1 for a discussion of the movement from Cape Ann to Salem.

03/12/2015 -- Dr. Frank's 1933 book (pg. 22) does not mention the move.

08/17/2015 -- Response to Wikipedia change that questions the move(?).

11/13/2018 -- With a new twist, as bodies and stones were also moved to the Trask site. Add in Sidney Perley's map of Gardner Hill.

05/16/2019 -- The map that compares Sidney's walk-about with Google is way off. That is because I was looking at landmarks and not paying attention to details, like distance. So, see this update: How close is close ? II. Here is the updated graphics.

Oh yes, we are now honing into the area. 

Thomas and the Quakers

Having been deep into research the past couple of months, I have had more than ample opportunity to get more familiar with Anderson's work (one example). In a sense, the Great Migration work is a nice compilation [strike that, it's a condensation] and index. Serious lookers still need to follow sources back to the origin, or one might say, the first principle.

Unfortunately, this need seems to be true for genealogical work, in general. It would be as if every theorem that one looks at needs to have its proof lineage known ad infinitum. But, we know that is not true, as we can take proofs at face value due to the process, and its verification style. Of course, people are working on ways to bolster the genealogy discipline (I heard a biologist argue that a lot of it is like gossip: this one said that about the other one and so forth). Going totally Gutenberg (as in a recoil from the Internet and technology) is not a step forward either. We'll get back to all of that later, as this post is not about genealogy. Rather, it's about interpretations and world views.

The NEHGS has both history and genealogy in its name.

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Methinks that the genealogists have a larger problem with viewpoints than do those working with the minute things (consider, if you would, the abundance of quantum interpretations). And, it has been shown by some research that conflict (which can escalate to warfare at the extreme - added here to nod to the Quaker tradition) is due to differences in interpretation. The main issue? Whose worldview is sufficient for the rest? The corollary: can there be peace in the valley when multiple viewpoints are allowed?

Aside: group versus the individual - ah, so much to discuss.

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Now, in regard to Thomas' relationships with the Quakers, there seems to be a pot boiling. I've read one talk (are there others?) in which a Friend include[d] Thomas in their Quaker ancestry. On the other hand, Lloyd de Witt Bockstruck, quoting Anderson, says that there is no evidence that Thomas was a Quaker (in actuality, Anderson says that history is silent - ah, a tabula raza situation - in which we have the duty and opportunity to fill in the pieces) .

Perhaps, Anderson ought to have said that there is mostly circumstantial evidence (which can be strong enough to get fingers pointed in the context of crimes) which would imply the need to get more information. The Great Migration book did not say that "no evidence" exists and mentioned the silence of history. Ah, we know that Thomas has been written out, so to speak. What we might be trying to do is speak for the guy, in our own words (tongues).

Let's look at a few things. Thomas married a Quaker. In fact, they got along quite well it seems. Several of his children were Quakers. George being driven off to CT left poor Ruth so that she could be grabbed by Hathorne (great-uncle, so it's a family thing). Thomas was peaceful, though no pipsqueak. He definitely did not follow the Puritan's dogmatic view.

In essence (not to Hofstadter's use of surface and essence), did Thomas exemplify the Quaker ideal? Mind you, before you answer, consider this: is Quakerism a way of life founded upon a certain viewpoint or is it being enclosed within some groupal framework that subsumes the self?

Remarks:      Modified: 07/12/2015

11/13/2013 -- Tabula raza? Well, let's say, blank slate. That was my first reaction four years ago when I saw two things: a dearth of material and controversy about what was there. Neither of those are bad things, but the void was obvious. And, the 400th ought to be the time to fill in some of the pieces. We can say the 300th belonged to Roger Conant. Next up will be Thomas and the others. But, for Thomas, the blank slate is multiple. Think of adding pieces of what is known (see 27 Nov 2012), for starters. What would go on different slates could be determined by strength, source, or what have you. Then, easily filled holes would be next. And, so forth, incrementally looking at the stuff. The fluidity, flexibility of cloud-oriented approaches would be great for this. ... Now, this type of thing just might suggest where to look for information. Funding? That is one factor of importance. Verification? Again, part of the solution mix. ... Did anyone say that it would be easy? The big difference now, versus when Dr. Frank was working (who, by the way, will be the backbone of the research work - as in, things would delta off of that - not Anderson), is that there is more material available (after all, 100+ years of people digging in), there are means for collaboration (again, after all, that was the motivation (primarily) for the Internet), there are fewer physical limitations (as in, research can be done against the large, and every growing, cloud'd source - as opposed to sink ;-), and more.

11/14/2013 - A collection of related material: Quaker DNA, NSDEQ (is that Thomas I (d 1674) or Thomas II (d 1682)?), Quakers: the Quiet Revolutionaries, ... William & Mary Barrett Dyer (blog),

11/21/2013 -- It may be that Anderson's work is a compilation, when not much is known about a person. Otherwise, a few pages cannot hold what we know of many (not without converting to some condensed type of language - to wit, English-Mathematics and other examples). ..., For heritage societies, in general, one might remind them of the 5th (4th, in some cases) Commandment. Genealogy is, in part, honoring the parents, transitively through generations. Some seem to have an exclusivity notion. Of course, one either is or is not descended from someone. However, the mere fact of the documentation (or that the documentation is possible) does not make the reality. People, in their own being, know their heritage (this, yes, has to do with memes as well as genes - open to discussion as required). ... Mind you, there have been pretenders in the past, after all, that is a human trait which has not been rooted out. Too, genealogists have been led astray many times, for various reasons. But, the fact of the matter is that strictly-supportable lines are the exception (for most people, Prince William does not have any holes show up until many generations out). Then, there are those with no documentation. The in-between is where the action is (and where genealogist make their money). However, given any line, one can generate strong conjectures (yes, even with DNA, we'll have to appeal to various interpolative schemes) such that someone can know themselves better. Now, does that mean that they can join a society? No, in some cases, perhaps, in others. Can such allow insights so that one can continue looking in other than the mode of complete enumeration or, worse, random casting about (though, serendipity, and being cognizant of patterns, can bring out useful information from such)?

Puritan entertainment

01/05/2014 -- anceSTORY Archives has a recent article on treatment of the Quakers. The image comes from an article written by Melissa Berry for the Newburyport News. One might title this, Puritan entertainment. No, they did not allow the usual pleasures; rather, inhuman (and inhumane) activities seemed to be their attraction. ... One thing that we can be strongly assured of [is this]: Thomas and his kin were not of those who tied women (in an unclad state or otherwise) to carts and dragged them through the streets (er, muddy cowpaths).

01/06/2014 -- The Beacon issue Vol. III, No. 4 deals with the subject and reminds us that the son of Damaris, step-son of Thomas, brought the writ from Charles II to Endicott (too late for Mary Dyer) telling him to lay off, so to speak. Much more can, and will be, said.

01/08/2014 -- We added Earlier Settlers of Nantucket to our Bibliography. It's interesting to see the Folger stories of the early Gardners. ... In another place, we saw both Richard and John being described as well-educated. From whence that education? The parents? If you say no, you're not very much insightful about human nature. A child's first teacher is the mother, then the father. So, if Richard and John were Quaker, well-educated, and good citizens of their community, the mother deserves a lot of credit. Now, who was she? In Hinchman's book, Margaret is noted as the mother. We'll have to look to see the source for that. If it does come down as family history, then one would think that the children would have known their mothers. In any case, Margaret, or whomever it was, needs to have recognition as being early-Quaker (definitely, before Fox made his splash upon history).

02/15/2014 -- Another thing to consider is that George Fox was born when Thomas was over here trying to adapt to the new world's requirements, as in helping his family and himself survive the elements (plus the machinations of the ilk that were their compatriots). So, later, even if the message of George may have resonated with Thomas (as it did with those around him), why would the old guy who had not succumbed to the pressures of the likes of Conant, Endicott, Winthrop, et al, want to bow to some young whippersnapper? Then, again, what is a Quaker? Given that George didn't suffer the same fate as Mary (think Endicott's madness), does that make him lessor of a Quaker? ... Bordering on silly? Yes.

09/01/2014 -- Gardner Research announced. "The Trials of the Wilson Family" published (TEG (2014) 34:155).

07/12/2015 -- Okay, turtle speed. But, we get there. Announcing a new project: Sherborne, Dorset. No doubt, it is about time. When finished with the data collection and analysis, we will present the strongest story (the prerogative of the family) that the facts, and abductive reasoning, will support. As such, we hope to demonstrate some very much needed research viewpoints.

George D. Phippen

We have had the opportunity to reference Phippen's work before: Old Planters, Beverly. We, definitely, need to consider his work more, so this is a start.

Phippen seems to suggest the two Thomas situation in his look at the "old planters" for the NEHGS. Perhaps, he was following Felt. Was Phippen's write up of Thomas the first extensive one? If so, we'll have to thank him somehow.

See Phippen's take on the "old planters" in Volume 1 (1859) of the Historical Collections (go to page 190 for his write up on Thomas Gardner). Notice that he has the second Thomas being the father of most of the kids that we think about (see image).

Aside: Recall that Dr. Frank mentioned that he did not find any support for this claim. However, it will have to be re-addressed with new look at the matter.

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As we get more of these together, we might have to use categories. For now, we'll just gather former posts. Here are two that show the two Thomas Gardners: See the mention of Jamaica Plains, Benjamin Peirce.

Remarks:      Modified: 10/13/2014

11/13/2013 --  Phippen would be part of the slate fill. 

10/13/2014 -- Tabula raza, and more, will be of concern.

Gardner's Beacon, Vol. III, No. 3

As we consider at the Dorchester Company, it is essential to have a timeline with which to look at the details. Then, we would need a good understanding of current events and culture. By the time of the Cape Ann venture, there had already been several attempts at establishing a colony. Those successful in the North were at Jamestown, Newfoundland and at Cape Cod (Plymouth, of course - more happenstance than not).

John Cabot was roaming the North American coast very early on, under the auspices of Henry VII. His exploration started not long after Columbus' discovery. About twenty years later, fifty ships were fishing along the coast of Newfoundland yearly from several countries (Portugal, Spain, France, England). During the 16th century, there were many attempts at forming a colony. And, the fishing continued. By 1578, there were three hundred plus ships in the area due to the plentiful fish.

But, by the time that Cuper's Cove (1610) was established, there had been no permanent settlement in the north. Humphrey Gilbert wanted try in 1583, but he was lost at sea before he could get things going.

We all know about Jamestown further south. Then, we had Plymouth with its early problems. Yet, it was example enough for Rev. John White. At the same time of Jamestown, we had a successful effort in Maine (Popham). But, there was talk of an attempt in the Cape Code area back in 1602, when Capt. Gosnold was poking around.

With all of those years of effort came a lot of experience. Ships would head out in spring with provisions and equipment. Part of the equipment were disassembled boats that would be put together at the fishing area and used during the summer. The return trip in autumn, hopefully, would be with a fully-loaded ship. The sale of that horde would pay nicely for the ship's master and the crew.

But, then, the thing would re-iterate in the next spring. That was one motivation for Rev. John, namely profit. He wasn't after a religious experience (did Puritans even have such?). The foreshortened time allowed Thomas and John to be successful speaks of something (other than pure short-sighted-ness). Well, there are stories of manna (free food) in the Bible. Other types of grand, un-managed expectations are not unknown to the observant (even to this day).

The change of Gardner to Conant was purely political, from what I can see so far. Conant's brothers were there with Rev. John.

Details about Gardner? Anyone know? Our take, somewhat. ... Pulling together the abundance of details that are of the period will help us build a picture; such a view would help identify where to look, perhaps; as well, it could allow reasonable conjectures about the guy.

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See Vol. III, No. 3 of Gardner's Beacon for a look at events around Thomas' time of arrival.

References:  see Sources (Current Issue)  

Remarks: Modified: 01/19/2015

11/06/2013 -- Reading Staloff's work will be interesting. It both grates and intrigues. The former comes from being a doer (versus a navel ponderer), somewhat by force (not born into the leisure class such that I could go astray as have the best and brightest - ah, the perdition the smart arses get us into). Any bit of progress comes from effective people (know how, can do, etc.). Granted, some have to be in leadership positions. Take the military, for example. Washington was out with his troops, albeit he had a tent and Martha to comfort him on occasion - he had shoes, to boot. Nowadays? We have a commander who shoots off lethal items from remote locations (via drones) without, seemingly, any regard for the human aspects. ... So, who would you want to be on a deserted island with (keep it clean)? An intellectual? ... Say, given Maslow's work, intellectuals, many of them, do not even know how to meet the needs of lower order. Now, for the latter, part, the intriguement (urban use, okay?). The book is partly readable on-line, enough material available to gestalt with. What a lot of ado (about nothing?). I wonder how many of this American thinking class contributed to the ugly American reality. ... We don't have any writings from Thomas, but we do know that he was effective in many ways. One of our tasks will be to describe the ways. However, he married a Quaker. That says a lot. Too, he seems to have steered clear of too much church involvement (ahead of his time, so to speak). He seems to have gotten along with Endicott. I wonder what his relationship was with Conant. He went to the General Court a couple of times. Most likely, that grated. I don't know how Thomas would have gotten along with Winthrop and his ilk. By the way, was Rev. John really related? ... So, who was this guy, Thomas? That is our quest, to answer that and other questions.

01/19/2015 -- Maine History Online: Popham, Gorges, Gosnold, et al.

Dorchester Company

This company (and Rev. John White) is the focus of the next issue of Gardner's Beacon. There is a lot to be said for the company as many have weighed in with their views. It might be interesting to collect some of these here, whether or not they mention Thomas.

Too, research, and summaries thereof, needs to take a broad scope, probably wider and deeper than that taken by the Great Migration project. Such work will take some time; priorities have not been set. Right now, the thing is to gather material (even those that are, might be, of lessor value). So, the bibliography will continue to grow (we'll have a section for material from websites). This time around, ought we have a Dorchester Company subsection? 

As well, most of the material that we use will be accessible on-line. Library work will occur as time permits. Or, I ought to mention, work will depend upon having access to material. From what I've seen, the Boston area is loaded with gems (need to spend some time there); perhaps, someone in that locale will contribute (as John Goff did earlier).

Some sites recently encountered are:

• answer.com - This site has a nice little overview with interesting sources. One thing mentioned is that several men were left to over-winter in 1623. When did Thomas arrive? Then, or the next spring? By the time that Roger arrived in 1625, the headcount was fifty persons or so. 
• Salem Focus - The site deals with Salem. The particular PDF presents a story, in the early chapters, about the Cape Ann/Salem crew that was written by Richard Scott. The author starts each chapter with a year-event tidbit. Nice, as these can help motivate the look back in annals format. Governor Roger figures heavily. Governor Thomas has a mention or two. John Balch and a few of the other "old planters" have roles, too. Up to Chapter 30 (covers the period of 1661-1674) deals with the early times. 
• Two books of interest: Vickers (1994) - Farmers and Fishermen: ..., Staloff (1998) - The Making of an American Thinking Class. In terms of the first, there is a nice discussion that helps to think about the motivation for the Cape Ann crew's configuration. The second? Ah, yes, the class that can do nothing but split hairs (for whom the farmers and the fishermen labor - how did this come about?). Ah, why there is a backbone series.   
• ...

We will be adding to this list as we find interesting things related to the theme of the issue.

Remarks:  Modified: 03/21/2022

03/21/2022 -- Further on the Company. John Tilley's father was an investor. 

08/29/2016 -- More on Cape Ann, 1623.

11/01/2013 -- When we get a few things collected for the Dorchester subsection of the bibliography, we'll put a notice here. 

11/06/2013 -- While working on the next Beacon, I ran across some books. The one by Staloff was timely; imagine, I was wondering why the backbone series? Has the talented set ever allowed the lessors to have some semblance of a good life? Oh, you say yes? Winthrop, et al, were against this from the beginning. The stalwart of what could be (or could have been)? Thomas Gardner, of course.

Rev. John White, further

As the time frame of the 400th look backs makes its way forward, there will be a lot of things to do in preparation for celebration. Too, though, there will be a lot to learn.

We could start by pulling together our view of the Dorchester company under whose auspices Thomas and Margaret made their transition to the New World. And, getting a proper focus of the company would require us to know a whole lot more about Rev. John White.

We have mentioned the Reverend in several posts, so far. These had him as a focus.

• White and Gardner family contributions (2011) -- John Goff uses the day of Thomas' passing (Dec. 29th) to write about the relationship between the families. This relationship was not brought out in the Great Migration series' look at Thomas. Too, one Dorchester writeup does not show Elizabeth White having a son named Thomas. Several questions will be proposed related to these early years, and we'll pay special attention to noting what is known (Example: How many wives?).   
• Gardner and Conant families (2013) --  We know that other relatives of Rev John came over. This post deals with one of those families (we will be listing others). Given the two families in focus in the post, we can see that a lot more is known about the pre-move life of Roger; how can we fill in information about Thomas?  
• 400th, again (2013) -- One of the churches that the Rev was associated with has a nice website with interesting details. See below for more on that.     

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As we saw with 400th post, information is starting to appear about the company and Rev. John White. Today, I noticed that they have the Rev as a great-grandfather of John Wesley who founded Methodism.

There is a biographical sketch of Susanna Wesley, John's mother, in a compilation of her writings that was published, by Oxford, in 1997.  Her mother is noted as Mary (?) White (d. 1693).

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The next Gardner's Beacon issue will start a closer look at the company started by Rev John.

Remarks:  Modified: 07/14/2018

10/30/2013 -- Note the addition of the Viewpoints category. These may split by topic, but there are all sorts of things to research and to document. Viewpoints? Yes, consider it like the multiple basic views of our underlying reality (yes, interpretations abound). Look, for any situation, we can befuddle things (fuzzify, if you would). Some things are more set (say the Royal births that were witnessed so that there would be no switching of infants -- thanks Dr. Lucy Worsley - see Tales from the Royal bedchambers) than are others. But, even as paternity issues can show, it doesn't take much to muddy the waters. So, genealogy is a matter of providing strong arguments backed up by, hopefully, inviolable bits of history (all inclusive, including administratively handled pieces). 

09/26/2014 -- Rev. John White, the Patriarch of Dorchester.

07/14/2018 -- Need to update pointers to the Dorchestor work (et al). It moved from ancestry. http://www.opcdorset.org/fordingtondorset/Files/DorchesterRevJohnWhite1575-1648.html Notice, in looking at his sister, Elizabeth, there is no son Thomas Gardner. Dorset County page on Rev. John White.

Resources and more

While reading through Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution (MS&S, a 17-volume compilation authorized in 1891 - see below for on-line access to all volumes), I was struck by several things. For one, how can we thank those who put together this wonderful resource? The page count is above 17,000 which represents the effort to identify the patriots in one area (Massachusetts). For instance, New Hampshire's patriots are not included, though Maine is well-represented.

Too, the Gardner listing (Volume 6) starts on page 258 with Aaron and ends with William on page 282 (not counting other spellings, such as Gardiner). Then, one has to wonder which of these are descendants of Thomas and Margaret (finding out can be put on the task list; the thing would be to start with those that Dr. Frank identified).

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I got to MS&S as I was looking for patriots who were identified in a tree but did not appear in the D.A.R. database (see below). D.A.R. adds patriots when a new application proves the pedigree and provides the service record. D.A.R. suggests that people who were born between 1710 and 1765, as a rule, might be eligible as patriots if they meet the requirements.

Given someone born mid-1900, that would be 8 to 9 generations back. Given that women can be patriots, too, there could be 256+ people on that person's tree who are possible D.A.R. patriots. Of course, various factors reduce that number to something like 30, or so, for the max (assuming that you can prove the lineage and afford the genealogical fees). The number is large enough to keep one busy for awhile (lifetime?). 

The D.A.R. effort at a database is nice in that it will provide proven lines and allow future researchers to do tree matches to fill in holes. The DB is available for search by the public at the following link.

      http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search/?Tab_ID=1

Searching with "Gardner" for 'Ancestor Last Name' brings up 162 hits. That's a good number as there are about 7 or so people per page, for 24 pages. Does that indicate that the Gardner descendants have been fairly active in applying to D.A.R., as a whole?

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Index to on-line volumes (thanks to archive.org - seventeen volumes)

       Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution

       v1 (A - Ber), v2 (Bes - Byx), v3 (C - Cor), v4 (Cos - Dry), v5 (Du - Foy),
       v6 (Fr - Gy), v7 (Ha - Hix), v8 (Hm - Jy), v9 (Ka - Lsu), v10 (Lua - Mop),
       v11 (Mor - Paz), v12 (Pea - Raz), v13 (Rea - Sey), v14 (Sha - Sth),
       v15 (Sti - Toz), v16 (Tra - Whe), v17 (Whi - Z)

Remarks:

06/05/2018 -- Referenced in Gardner's Beacon, Vol. VIII, No. 1 (June 2018).  

01/20/2021 -- Of late, we are appreciating D.A.R. as of the middle. That is, we're 250 years from the rebellion; we are 400 years from the early entry which goes back a little further. We are interested in establishing family threads from 1775 both ways. By family, we are talking the whole of the colonial experience, north and south. Of late, Ann performed the duties of Registrar for a DAR Chapter, while being Treasurer, too. It was a learning experience with regard to process, time required to do it right, possible modes of computational support, and more. John's suggestions with regard to a common database, which was held in the framework of the Hereditary Society Community's discussion, pertained to proving once for future reference. The Societies don't seem to like that idea. But, we will get back to this discussion soon, as 2020 did get everyone's attention about cloud'd work and its need (as well, as it's lack of maturity). Too, taking DAR as an example, if each generation of applicants proved the first four of their heritage, it would not be long before a substantial amount of applicants would only need to do a generation or two. At the other end, the Thomas Gardner Society is interested in increasing the coverage of the Patriots with respect to the number in MS&S who have no DAR reference. 

Modified: 01/20/2021

400th, again

Jamestown has already had their commemoration. Other look backs loom; preparations abound.

We have had the 400th (again) in mind, too, for awhile. There will be many beyond Plymouth, Cape Ann, Salem and their peers, as each of the towns of New England will celebrate their beginnings. Here is the long list from Wikipedia's write up on the Massachusetts Bay Colony: Timeline of settlement.

Aside: Anyone with the usual mix has 1000s of relatives, and towns, to celebrate, so let the good times roll and roll and ...

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Today, I ran across a site about Rev. John White. Rev. John was a main motivator behind what became Massachusetts.

Rev. John White
in context

Aside: We have mentioned Rev. John several times. Some thought that he was Thomas' uncle. Rev. John did not come to this side of the pond, but some of his relations did.

The site, sponsored by the Benefice of Dorchester, was set up for the 400th anniversary of Rev. John's appointment as Rector of Holy Trinity and St. Peter's churches. 

There is a sub-menu that points to different categories of information about Rev. John. I really liked the timeline page (image from that page). Notice the major categories which relate Rev. John's time with events in England and the World.

Aside: We need to do more of these plus-minus types of things as we talk about origins and motivations.

The site has a nice bibliography. Also, the site looks at more than Rev. John's involvement with the Dorchester Company.

Aside: It was nice to see the recognition of Rev. John's (in-law) 400th.

Remarks:   Modified: 10/17/2022

09/23/2013 -- Example of celebrations to come: 375th of the First Congregational Church of Hampton, NH.

11/13/2013 --  Phippen would be part of the slate fill.

06/06/2018 -- Need to prepare for 2023/4. Some, of literary inclinations, have looked back 200 years: American Jeremiad. But, we need to go back to the Cape Ann times and before.

12/30/2018 -- The 400ths will be one theme next year.

07/17/2019 -- Changed to using commemoration.

10/17/2022 -- Removed errant links, for one the "dorchesteranglican" one. 

Essex recollections

Note: See below, for Table:The Dane Family and Extended Kinship from TEG 19:221.

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With the turn toward fall that comes with September, all sorts of things loom on the calendar. For one, those festivals related to harvest, such as apple cider (ah, Johnny Appleseed ought to be remembered every year) and such. Too, Salem rises to public attention, again.

Would not Thomas (Beacon Vol. I, No. 4) want us to be interested in anything dealing with his town?

There was more than Salem Village involved with 1692. For instance, Andover was an important town, too, which we'll get to below.

The Dane Family and Extended Kinship
The Essex Genealogist.
(Online database. AmericanAncestors.org,
New England Historic Genealogical Society,
2011.)

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It might be nice to stop, recognize the Associated Daughters of Early American Witches and look at their accepted ancestor list (not considered complete). The ADEAW list was used for the "Imagine a meeting" post from 28 Oct 2012 (follow up post on 10 Feb 2013). That first post commented on, and showed examples of, the inter-relationship between ancestral families on one person's tree (it was not a complete listing and was presented only for discussion purposes).

---

Today, while searching on NEHGS (it's nice to find well-researched papers), I ran across a paper by Marjorie W. Otten (1999 - TEG 19:221) who was writing about the Ingalls/Dane families. Of course, Rev. Francis Dane (see list from 28 Oct 2012) was mentioned.

On looking at the article, I found an interesting little chart in which Marjorie enumerates those in Rev. Francis Dane's extended family who were accused of witchcraft (and, for the most part, imprisoned) during the time of the craze. Now, we know that Rev. Francis Dane was critical of the authorities. From the list, one might get some notion of why this was so. His cohort, Rev. John Wise (another person on the tree), was on the opposition side, too.

From what I've seen, Marjorie has studied, and written a lot, about the events of 1692. So, given her expertise and scholarly way, it was good to see a listing like this. Perhaps, we would learn something if we had this for all of the families who were there (say, think of an exercise to help fill in one's tree - or, get a new respect for those who were tormented).

Not only were families persecuted, so too, their associates and friend would have been deeply troubled.

Aside: Think of the six-degrees analysis associated with Kevin Bacon to get an idea of the magnitude of relationships that could be collected if transitivity were carried out beyond immediate ones.

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It's early, but, we'll have to consider the Salem Village theme, again, this year.

Remarks: Modified: 09/21/2021

09/04/2013 -- Again, the scene is built as follows. Those who came over are from the 10th to 15th generations back (for the most part) for someone alive now. By the time of 1692, lots of the earlier arrivals had passed on. So, that left the second generation (again, for the most part) as the elders. Now, taking a cohort mix (generational cut) round or about 1692 would give us someone on the current person's tree who would have about three generations living (including the level of their own cohorts). So, we would see siblings/cousins, parents/aunts/uncles, and the greats. In other words, it's a composite person that is built from that cohort mix (meaning, of course, that being on the tree implies ancestry) for which we can identify relationships blood (including 1/2 blood), in-law, and even friends. What Marjorie's chart does is to take someone who is in the mix and look at extended relationships. Now, consider what we would have if we did that for a large part of the composite mix. Would it not be an interesting view?

10/15/2013 -- The article was about the extended family of Rev. Francis Dane. The image can be updated for other families. Doing one of these would be a interesting exercise, say for a Dane descendant. That is, someone from about three generations ago who is a descendant of Rev. Francis' father, Dr. John.

10/20/2013 -- Added note at top, which is referenced from Wikipedia article on Francis Dane.

10/30/2013 -- I am in the process of reading Katherine Howe's book, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Dane, as in being related to Francis, of course. I wondered if there would be motivating material for a Beacon issue (we did have 1692 as a theme in 2011 and 2012). It is an interesting plot, especially the balancing of the characters, and their interactions, in two time periods is nice. The description that Katherine provides of little Dorcas Good in the underground cell surely depicts the poor, young thing's misery and shows Katherine's grasping of the horror. One wonders, from some of the modern views and comments, if people really understand the dire situation. Too, the main hypothesis might have some truth, in a slightly altered construction. You see, science has not shown as much light on human matters as some might think. But, then, for any knowledge that we have gained, we have also seen that the unknowns do not diminish. It's just that we get better able to cover (as in, remove from awareness) the holes in which lurk the demons.

04/ 29/2014 -- Aftermaths.

09/01/2014 -- Gardner Research announced. "The Trials of the Wilson Family" published (TEG (2014) 34:155).

05/16/2015 -- anceSTORY's article on Mary Perkins Bradbury.

10/10/2018 -- Pulling together the posts related to the witch trials for future discussion.

09/21/2021 -- This will be a regular theme: See Pressing day updated. 

Research and resources

Heather Rojo's comments about the recently-aired WDYTYA (Cindy Crawford) are interesting. Heather mentioned one person estimating that the show required 1000 hours of research, supposedly by experienced researchers who had access to information beyond the normal person's reach. That's about 1/2 a person-year, by the way, for those who have had any dealings with planning.

In terms of weekends, one would have to spend about 10 years or so (more or less, okay?) to get that amount of work done. I did read of one person devoting his life (and, I'm not talking cousin-in-law, Walter Goodwin Davis, who had an inheritance) to genealogy; he read the principle resources at many places and did transcriptions).

Aside: One has to wonder about those 1000 hours. How they were spent? How many hours were related to following false leads (which, by the way, are useful to the watchful researcher)?

From our view, Dr. Frank's work was priceless. How many hour hours did he spend? Quite a bit, no doubt. As another example, I can point to a D.A.R. genealogist who helps people with their applications (she spent over 100 hours, in one case). Then, William Reitwiesner is a prime example (wargs.com) of working outside of the limelight for decades. He liked his day job at the Library of Congress since it gave him ample time to do genealogical research.

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Shows like WDYTYA are nice in that viewers can think about their remote cousins (or ancestors). Also, it's good to see the experts in operation (in the background, mostly, in the later versions of the show - say, as compared to how it was for Brooke Shields' episode). And, it does get the interests up (modern/western views discount ancestors even though the basis for our biological being is thusly laid - too, ancestors are "closer than our shadow" (attributed to your's truly, unless there was precedence) -- it's a meme thing, folks).

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So, it ought to be evident that this type of thing takes work. It's nice when the results of such work is available to the next set of researchers. It is one of our goals to foster research and to provide verified information. Of course, this all presupposes some way of presentation that is accessible. NEHGS has done a good job. As a research member, one has access to many on-line (digitized) resources. Too, one can go to the library and grab books, many times.

And, one has to be thankful for organizations, such as D.A.R. Their verified trees are a great resource for future work, such as matching up trees to find missing siblings, etc. This is not true for ancestry.com, unfortunately (in general, let's say; there are plenty of folks there who have sourced their stuff). Actually, I always filter on rootsweb for hits that have sources just to see how much a solution set is reduced thereby. But, un-sourced can be useful, say, for hints on how to proceed. By the way, I have found familysearch.org to be very useful.

Aside: The tree being used has the living person as root point. Then, the ancestors are leafs. And, this view would have duplicates to account for the fan-in of inter-marriage (cousins marrying). So, hypothesize some leaf (say, one of those in a gateway list that Heather talked about), then one has to show reach-ability in the tree from the root to the leaf. In an ideal world, all of the nodes would be strong. The case is that some nodes may not have solid support, yet they are rationally supported. Case in point? If you have a gap, coming at it from both sides will allow one to see if there is a bridge and what is needed to support the bridge. The error in the book was where a gap was closed by collapsing a generation (or, rather, ignoring the absence of a generation which forced a fit of the ends).

Remarks:

09/04/2013 -- Topic carried over to truth engineering.

08/30/2013 -- With the post, I didn't fully cover the resources topic. But, I'll get back to that. I was browsing a book today that deals with the ancestry of Charles II. He's the hippy king, so to speak. Dr. Lucy Worsley (who has wonderful videos, by the way), says that things were shaken up more in 1660s (Charlie's time) than in 1960s (which might mean a thing or two to the boomer generation). Well, Charlie II's tree was full. However, by the eighth generation there were holes which carried further out. For most people, their chart would have large gaps. If someone knows of a tree that is almost fully filled (to 11 generations, let's say), please let me know.

08/29/2013 -- Having said all that, here is an exemplary site, again.

Modified: 09/04/2013

Benjamin Peirce

TL;DR -- We note the memoir of Benjamin Peirce which gives a little of his heritage on which he put Thomas Gardner as well as other New England families. We were familiar with the work of his son, Charles S. Peirce, and looked further at Benjamin who graduated from Harvard in 1829. Benjamin was later head of the mathematics department. Also, he was there when the inheritance from Count Rumford was processed and helped determine the decision on expenditure of the gift.  

---

We have Benjamin's son, Charles Sanders Peirce, the logician and pragmatist, on our descendants list. I had run across the work of Charles in my younger years in an academic environment and found his work to be useful throughout my working years. So, Charles had to be on the list when I ran across his name while doing descendants searches a while ago.

Memoir of Benjamin Peirce
Essex Institute Historical Collections

Today, while researching the Quaker involvement of the Gardners (note earlier John Goff article), I ran across this memoir by Charles' father, Benjamin Peirce. The memoir can be found in the Essex Institute Historical Collections. Benjamin Robert S. Rantoul read this memoir at the May 16, 1881 meeting. Here is a link to the digitized version (points to pg 172, where the charts start) of Memoir of Benjamin Peirce [1881, Essex Institute Historical Collections], at Google.

The image shows part of page 172 which deals with the earliest generations in colonial New England. I thought the whole chart to be interesting due the familiar families. But, the Gardner part of the tree is especially interesting.

I'm doing this post to add to the material related to the early Thomas Gardners (see last post). In fact, there may be several of these as we look at what is behind the different viewpoints and assess how to clarify the matter for future researchers.

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Aside: I recently ran into an error that is in a known book. This error has been propagated widely. Now, I have established the problem. From a brief search, some know of the problem; many others seem to not to have stumbled upon it. But, you know, those who have skirted the problem didn't leave any marker for later travelers. Why do we have to let people fall into the quicksand themselves? There ought to be some published errata that is available for access (perhaps it exists already somewhere). Of course, web-based presentation is implied here. I still rankle at the notion that Gutenberg's technology is the forever means for publication. It may be that people are saying that fluidity is only one state of matter; as in, we need to solidify things (which is what print does) now and then, even if it just allows a snapshot of a point-in-time state of knowledge.

Remarks: Modified: 12/29/2022

08/29/2013 -- WDYTYA episode has an estimate of 1000 person hours having been used for research.

07/15/2015 -- We have a project that is looking at Sherborne, Dorset (note references to records of a marriage of Thomas and Margaret plus baptism of the kids - also, note reference to abductive reasoning which Benjamin's son, Charles, helped establish) as place of origins. As one would expect, there have been many views on this subject over the past 350 years. One of these is expressed in the above image, from Benjamin's perspective. It has son, Thomas, as the one whose wife was Margaret Fryer (see Number of wives and John Farmer's view). ... Not only is Benjamin a descendant of Thomas through his first son, he is also a descendant of Seeth (see Table IV, pg 175). ... An analog of the required method might be paleoichnology (large tales from little data).

08/03/2017 -- Benjamin Peirce was instrumental in getting the Harvard school of science and engineering started when Jacob Bigelow resigned as the Rumford chair.

12/03/2017 - Benjamin died in 1880. The Memoir was read by Robert S. Rantoul. We will see him, again, as he was a contributor to Dr. Frank's The Massachusetts Magazine.

12/29/2022 -- Charles S. Peirce, Benjamin's son, was featured in a post about TGS, Inc. plans to focus on technology. Benjamin was at Harvard (Class of 1829) and is listed as one of the few mathematicians from the USA in the XVIII Century. Benjamin could not afford to go to Europe for further education and stayed in the area. Eventually, he got back to Harvard where he was head of the mathematics department. But, from our view, his life is even more interesting than earlier as this is the time of the western expansion driven, largely, from New England. It will be nice to have a Harvard tie in. 

A Thomas here and a Thomas there

This post continues our look at Gardner families and considers only the Thomas Gardners who arrived early.

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But, first, here are four posts dealing with the subject of Thomas of Salem. They are in order with the latest post first. However, the book that is the principle focus of each post has an inverse order (somewhat, this is the result of taking data items back to their source; if we can grab the complete view, then the correct telling of the story will come to fore).

• Thomas and Thomas (Jun 2013) - Felt suggests, from his review of the materials, that the Thomas of Salem came over with his father, who was also named Thomas.  Felt also notes that the older Thomas came from Scotland. 
• John Farmer (May 2013) - Farmer has two Thomas Gardners in Salem. The older one was the lead at Cape Ann, Farmer says. And, the son who was the husband of Damaris died in 1674. 
• Stories and Unwindings (Oct 2010) - One expects to find misinformation on the web; it's a different thing when such is published. But, first, one has to establish what is misinformation and what is not. Mention is made of Dr. Frank's books and one by William Folger about Nantucket settlers. Too, though, a 1999 article by the Jamaica Plain Historical Society mixes the Thomas Gardners. 
• Gardners and Gardners (Sep 2010) - Dr. Frank's book had a list of the early Gardner families in which there were two Thomas Gardners: Salem (1624), Roxbury (died 1638). Dr. Frank also mentions what he considers an error: that there were two Thomas Gardners (of Salem), the earlier of whom died in 1635 (see image on post from Dr. Frank's book; elsewhere, he used 1638, but are people talking two old Thomas Gardners?). 

Note: Statements, by earlier writers, that turn out to be less than correct ought not be suppressed. Rather, we need to bring these to fore so that the reasons for their incorrectness is accessible. The cloud/web seems to allow such methods with its large storage capacity. The problem? Given that the proper view is established, where does one put it? Where does a researcher go to find the most-supported view?

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Roxbury to Salem
Massachusetts

Now that we have reviewed what has been gathered so far, let's look at the early arrivals, and we can point to the two Thomas Gardners who are mentioned in Dr. Frank's list (Salem and Roxbury). Some researchers have suggested a relationship between these two families. Others seem to have their descendants mixed up. The map is included for those who may not be familiar with the area.

Note: The crow distance must be about 14 miles or so. Yet, the terrain would have slowed any movement. Perhaps, the fastest way would be to get down to Dorchester and take a boat to Salem. Nowadays, these two are on an arc, somewhat; one can take a highway in an almost circular path around Boston. That distance is 50 miles or so.

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What is the true picture? How can we find out? Well, data gathering, analysis, and discussion is one mode that we will continue to pursue.

For now, let's use the NEHGS-published Great Migration books. The format of this material that has been followed for all of the principle arrivers is Origin, Migration, First Residence, Return Trips, Occupation, Church Membership, Freeman, Offices, Education, Estate, Birth, Death, Marriage, Children, Associations, and Comments. People who are not handled separately are still mentioned along with a reference to source of the material. As we have said, this series' look at hundreds of people is exemplary in presenting only items that can be supported. That being said, there are other sources that might have enough weight to make a reasonable stab at filling in gaps (as long as they are not too big - formally, interpolation).

• Thomas Gardner of Salem (died 1674) is covered in the early volumes: 1620-1633, Vols. I-III, pg. 731 (6 pages). His children are as noted by Dr. Frank, albeit with a different placement for Richard. 
• Thomas Gardner of Roxbury (died 1638) is mentioned several places. He is noted as the father of Peter Gardner (died 1698): 1634-1635, Volume III, G-H, pg. 14 (4 pages). (Note: Thomas had several children, including Thomas Gardner of Muddy River who married Lucy Smith). 

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The next thing to look at will be all of the Thomas Gardners that were in the area up to about 1700. To get an idea of how many there were, we can look at Savage: Before 1692, Volume #2, Gardner-Garven. Just in this section, Savage mentions seven Thomas Gardners.

Of course, there are other works to consider.

Remarks:

01/18/2019 -- Added to the index at TGSoc.org.

03/11/2015 -- Sourced ahnentafels (published in TEG and The Gardner Annals): Thomas Gardner of Salem descendant (Benjamin Brown Gardner - grandfather of Dr. Frank) and Thomas Gardner of Roxbury descendant (Susan Charlotte Graves Gardner - aunt of Dr. Frank).

10/13/2014 -- Tabula raza, and more, will be of concern.

08/25/2013 -- On a site dealing with descendants of Alice Freeman, Abigail Gardner is on the list due to marrying John Wise. Hence, her father and grandfather are there, too. Thomas (before 1595 to 1638), father of Thomas and Peter. The site, by Chris Chester, is wonderful in its use of sources; too, I really like the format. We need to do something similar for the Thomas Gardners.

08/22/2013 -- Forgot to mention: nothing new under the sun.

08/21/2013 -- Other works would include contributions by researchers, such as we find from Heather Rojo: Nutfield Genealogy: Amanuensis Monday - A mystery from Rev. Bentley's diary. On-line is not bad, by definition, old genealogists (gosh, I'm 71 and know better than that).

Modified: 01/18/2019

Website and CMS

Earlier, we mentioned that we would be upgrading the website. Too, though, there are lots of tasks, administration and otherwise, that need to be considered.

We have a working demo that will be improving. At the same time, we're doing a CMS study since we want to make a decision that will hold up. Too, content management is how we're looking at CMS. It doesn't make one more creative. It can help one be more productive.

There are roles and tasks of all sorts of categories. Hopefully, getting organized will allow a better elucidation of the requirements. The 400th can be a focus point.

Aside: The Forum was from an older technology. Perhaps, some type of social media would work. The attempt was not a waste. There wasn't much legit interest, but hackers galore (see Remarks) were attracted.

See What's new, this date.

Remarks:

06/20/2016 -- Concrete5 example removed. Broken link in one library (at the ISP) mentioned by http://www.whoishostingthis.com/resources/php/.

09/04/2013 -- One thing about Concrete5 is that HTML is there, up close. So, one could think one is coding. Well, it's true in a way -- some prominent persons - young - basically have only coded web languages - say, PHP - whereas this old guy has performed in 50+ languages in an almost uncountable number of situations. I'm looking for something that is fairly straightforward (edit (using Sea Monkey's Composer), push up with FTP isn't too bad (using FileZilla - great little tool), and hope that I get things into the right directory.

07/13/2013 -- A little more familiar with the Joomla interface. However, most of the modules to date (subsumed under articles which are pages) have been of a type for handling HTML. From an old guy's viewpoint, their attachments that will fire (according to knobs and logic) when the page is active. Subroutine call, in other words. I'm having fun mapping the views of the newer folks against the common thread that I've seen throughout my career. I knocked Drupal earlier since it seemed to have a code focus. So, too, does Concrete5. But, then I see that most of what I've done to date with Joomla is the same. So, in the backend, they're all the same, albeit they use different terms for things (we'll get into this).

Modified: 06/20/2016

Gardner's Beacon, Vol. III, No. 2

All who came over the big pond had some type of yearning for freedom, after all it's arguably one sign of maturity for humans. The recent celebration of American Independence pertains to that common urge. But, the actuality was long coming, and issues related to this urge continue to this day. Some claimed freedom early, such as the crowd at Merry Mount. But, it was way too early for such a thing.

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As we add to the Annals collection, it looks as if a "History, Gardner viewpoint" would be a good theme for a series of papers and, even, books. That is, several authors have tried creative methods in writing about history. One example is a history written from the viewpoint of the common man in which events, usually ignored, come to fore.

Most history tells the tale of the winners. Or, you might say, those who controlled the message. But, we all know that reality deals with millions and billions of people. Are their lives of little substance (again, arguable from several sides)?

With Thomas and Margaret, we do not have the blank slate that some might think, not that there is a lot of information to use. That gap leaves much to fill in; doing so will allow a new look at what happened. We'll be more specific about this as we go along.

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One thing to cover will be goings-on of note in the "Mother Country." So, we itemize the changes in power over the time of Thomas and his immediate ancestors. Charles I, for instance, lost his head during Thomas' time. Felt's Annals is a good read in the context. Earlier, we noted that Thomas dared to marry a Quaker, without repercussions. George, on the other hand, had to flee to Connecticut. Well, looking at the Annals can remind us that Charles II wrote to those in power here and told them to lay off the Quakers, more or less.

Methinks that Thomas could handle the pressure. Endicott respected him.

---

Now, too, it looks like time to tell the Gardner story coming forward from those early times. Thomas and Margaret have descendants across the U.S. and the world. Some are interested in specific trees and relationships.

As well, the total of the information would add to the story. So, there is a lot to do (with no real end in sight).

1881 Expedition team (left)
Relief team (right)

An interesting little tale involves two cousins. Both were Thomas and Margaret descendants, but they met in the polar region. Greely led the expedition
team which was stranded for a couple of years. Coffin commanded one of the relief vessels that finally got the remainder of the expedition team rescued in 1844. Greely's team did hold the farthest north title for a few years, getting past 83 deg north.

Recently, photos have been added to the Wikipedia page about the expedition and the relief effort. Coffin and Greely are next to each other. Did they know of their cousin-hood?

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See Vol. III, No. 2 of Gardner's Beacon for a look at some events of Thomas' time. Too, read a little more about the cousins.

References:  see Sources (Current Issue)  


Remarks:

07/07/2013 --

Modified: 07/08/2013

Thomas and Thomas

Doing research for the next Beacon issue (Spirit of Independence - during Thomas' time) involved a re-look at Felt's work. That is, his Annals has some interesting remarks about interactions of the colonists, in the sense of Salem's crowd, with the old country. Of course, some of his remarks cover the general area, such as goings-on in Boston.

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The last post, here, dealt with Origins which is a continuing theme. Whence Thomas (and Margaret) is an open issue. Farmer mentioned Scotland; he published in 1829.

Felt on Thomas
and Thomas

Felt mentions Scotland and talks as if Thomas' father was here, too (see the image, pg 246). Curious.

Now, Felt was a little earlier, 1827, than Farmer. Was Farmer quoting Felt? But, he had sources of several sorts. He was looking at the records and talking to people. Felt's work would have been 150 years after Thomas' death.

We'll have to sort all this out. Right now, the idea is to gather. Think of it like using the brainstorming rules of thumb. Such as? Don't knock something during the collecting of ideas round. I'm doing that specifically due to the fact of all of the stuff that seems to have been done, disparate and disjoint as it seems to be.

With our access to technology, it's time to do a proper analysis. Too, ex post facto, there won't be book burning. No, anything shown to be without substance will be presented and its faults documented.

Aside: Perhaps, the one from Scotland is the senior Thomas. I have looked at material from Dorchester Company. The sister of John White, who married a Gardner, is not shown as having a Thomas. But, is this site the final authority?

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On several pages early on, Felt reports book burning. Too, there is a lot about interaction with the Friends. Note the Remarks (06/15/2013) in the Origins post where Damaris is mentioned. She may have been excommunicated. Charles II's caution about handling the Friends may have been timely. Thomas' and Damaris' marriage will be looked at, as research for the next Beacon issue will cover the same ground.

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John Goff has written about Felt.

Remarks:

10/13/2014 -- Tabula raza, and more, will be of concern.

11/13/2013 --  Phippen would be part of the slate fill.

08/25/2013 -- On a site dealing with descendants of Alice Freeman, Abigail Gardner is on the list due to marrying John Wise. Hence, her father and grandfather are there, too. Thomas (before 1595 to 1638), father of Thomas and Peter. The site, by Chris Chester, is wonderful in its use of sources; too, I really like the format. We need to do something similar for the Thomas Gardners.

08/22/2013 -- The start of a look at what was what in early Salem (and New England) as far as Gardners is concerned.

06/17/2013 -- In the Great Migration write-up, Thomas' origins are noted as unknown. The next Beacon issue will have a theme of the spirit of independence (early look).Also, Anderson, et al (in Great Migration) say that Banks has Thomas coming from Hurst, Martock (supposedly, Banks quoted no source).

Modified: 10/13/2014