The book on
Paine Ancestry (published 1912) has a Chapter on Thomas whose grandson, Samuel, son of George, married Elizabeth (Brown) Grafton, as her second husband; Thomas is, then, an ancestor of the author. We earlier showed descendants of Samuel (
Hardin & Hall) when we started to look at the
generations.
The book has a nice arrangement. It covers the Paine genealogy up to one person; as well, the collateral families are handled. For each, there is a lineage chart and some text. The book has
nice words about Thomas, calling him "practically, a governor" as an example.
 |
Paine sisters
conjecture |
It brings up an interesting point, too. Where was Thomas, and Margaret, from 1626 (when Conant and the
old planters - mind you, Thomas is not on that list -- went over to Naumkeag) to his 1636 entry into the church? The next year, Thomas became a freeman.
The book suggests that perhaps the Gardners went back to England and then returned later. If that were the case, there would have been ship records, perhaps. We're talking about a ten year gap.
Earlier, we
proposed that Thomas deigned to join the church and register with the state when it was of benefit to his kids. When Conant, and crew, went over to Naumkeag, they left the
house. Someone had to keep it up, as later Endicott had it moved over to the Salem area.
Cape Ann and Salem are close enough that regular trips back and forth are a great possibility. There were plantings sufficient in Cape Ann to sustain the group. It was [not] producing enough to ship back to England that was the problem. So, one could figure that farming work continued in the Cape Ann area.
As said before. Thomas was self-sufficient long before Emerson characterized the trait. And, he was educated. And, as mentioned in the
Mary (Gardner) Coffin post, Richard, son of Thomas and Margaret, was said to be of considerable education. That, no doubt, came via his parents.
Another thing that happened in 1636 was
John Tylly being killed in a conflict with the Pequot. Was that a factor? People gather in times of trouble. In 1637, after becoming a freeman, Thomas was on the General Court (
Felt, pg 110) with William Hathorne.
There are many scenarios that we could offer with regard to Thomas' absence from the records for that ten year period. We could also search out anything that has already been written.
I think that this type of inquiry is legitimate for Thomas' descendants to look into. Even if it turns out to be a puzzlement, gathering all of the stories, categorized like this, would be of interest to future generations. As well, it would further
Dr. Frank A.'s work which doesn't explicitly talk about the moving to Naumkeag. However, Dr. Frank does say that Thomas was mentioned in a London meeting in 1629 (
Felt, pg 126).
Remarks:
03/21/2022 -- Article on
John Tilley shows that he returned to England, married, and came back. As said (see 07/12/2015 below) earlier, why would Thomas and Margaret leave lovely Cape Ann?
01/12/2019 -- Add image from the book of the Paine sisters. Also, that allows a thumbnail.
01/04/2019 -- This topic will be followed more regularly this year (
344th of 29 December 1674). We will initiate a discussion on WikiTree (see link in sidebar) in support of the research.
08/12/2018 -- Thomas, with others on Gardner Hill, was
left where he was. Stones were moved over to Harmony Grove Cemetery. A few of those withstood the move, say that for Seeth. Most did not and are piled somewhere. At the burial site, though, the road was cut through. So, the remains? Well, moved to God only knows. Or, if the burial was away from the road, it is beneath some structure. Lots to think about. Reflect on. How to proceed into this mire?
07/12/2015 -- Of course, when Roger brought his people to Salem, Thomas was not there. Why? He and Margaret kept the
Cape Ann house. Of course, when John Endicott came over, he saw Mr. Gardner in his nice house. John said, that is mine. Take it over to Salem. So, by splitting his time (Salem is not that far), Thomas had an idyllic time with his wife and kids; too, he had time to get himself and his family settled in the new realm.
03/28/2014 -- See
Vol. IV, No. 1 for a discussion of the movement from Cape Ann to Salem.
09/09/2013 -- Forgot to update this earlier. But, the post related to
Gardner's Beacon, Vol. II, No. 6, discusses that
Thomas had no shadow over him as was feared by some
old planters (would Dr. Frank, today, still want to include Thomas in the group?).
05/01/2012 -- If Thomas and Margaret had gone back to England,
son John would have told the tale. Methinks that they might have shuffled back and forth, perhaps keeping the
Cape Ann house in order until Endicott had it moved.
02/13/2012 -- Thomas was
around here, in 1641.
02/03/2012 -- The period in question here is from the Cape Ann time to 1637 Salem. After 1656, we could answer this way, in part: Thomas was visiting
Joseph and Ann in their house.
01/28/2011 -- There are several things to figure out. Dr. Frank mentions that a Margaret Gardner joined the church in Salem in 1639 (see Felt). Pope says that this Margaret was of Ipswich and married to Edmund Gardner. The Great Migration write-up says that Thomas' first wife may have died at the birth of Seeth in 1636.
01/27/2012 -- In reporting the death of Thomas' son, Thomas, the Annals (
Felt, pg 246) seem to have some dates mixed up, though it does mention Margaret as the first wife. The
Great Migration does not.
Modified: 03/21/2022
There are many years to cover, but let's take one bit of data from Dr. Frank A.'s book. Dr. Frank (pg 10) says that Thomas, in 1641, would have lived on the north side of Essex Street between Beckford and Flint (see Bing map -- bird's eye view). To quote: This square was called in the Town Records in the second month of that year, "the field where Mr. Gardner is."
