| 8. | Browne Thomas was born in Lavenham, Suffolk County, England; was christened on 10 Jan 1605 in St.Peter & St.Paul Church, Lavenham, Suffolk County, England (son of Browne Thomas and Sarah, son of Browne Edmund and Woder Anne); died on 03 Nov 1688 in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., MA; was buried in First Parish Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., MA. Notes:
Thomas Browne was born to Sarah Browne, who died in childbirth, and probably Thomas Browne. He was raised as a "son" by uncle, Edmund and Ann Woder Browne; came over on the "Confidence" in 1637 with his "brothers", Rev. Edmund and William, arriving in Ludlow, MA. They were preceded by two uncles, Richard and Abraham, who came over with the Winthrop fleet in 1630 and settled in Watertown. They were all from Lavenham, Suffolk county, England.
It was probably by the efforts of Abraham and Richard that persuaded Thomas, Edmund and William to join them for Richard in 1634 had been granted 600 acres of land in Watertown. Their cousin, John also came earlier, having first landed in Boston from London on 16 Sept. 1632 on the "Lion". He too, came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony of Puritans to join Reverand Winthrop and his followers, settling in Watertown.
Thomas and his brothers, Edmund and William arrived in Ludlow,MA in 1637. They probably went to Watertown for a brief period. By 1638 Thomas and his brothers petitioned the General Court for permission to settle a new town, which they named Sudbury. The General Court gave the authority to begin the plantation on 6 September 1638.
Rev. Edmund, a graduate of Cambridge University, became the first minister of Sudbury. He stayed on in Sudbury, marrying but died childless in 1677. He was highly regarded in the town as a religious leader even though some of the leaders in the town did not always agree with his views.
Thomas was a husbandman and a planter. He was admitted a freeman of the Bay Colony on March 14, 1638, and was a proprietor in Sudbury in 1640. His 34-1/2 acres of land were on Bridal Point Highway and later received another 29 acres. At the same time, his brother, William had received 8 acres.
The General Court on October 7, 1640, granted Thomas 200 acres of land in Sudbury in payment for the 25 pounds which was put into a joint stock by his aunt, Mrs. Harvey who authorized his application. His brother, Captain William Browne made a similar application and was granted 200 acres laid out for him in Sudbury.
Thomas married Bridget, perhaps Bateman, around 1639/40 and started their family in Sudbury.
Thomas soon grew tired of the religious arguments the town was embroiled in and departed for Concord in 1640. In Concord, he became a large landowner after he purchased land on 20 May, 1655, 9 January 1661 and 3 April 1671. All the Brownes were farmers and large landowners. Some of the lands belonging to Thomas were still in the family as late as 1896.
After his wife, Bridget died in 1681, he moved to Cambridge, Middlesex County, MA. He died there in 1688 and is buried in The First Parish Cemetery.
In the history of New England, Thomas was always known as Thomas Browne of Concord. He was a trooper of a Middlesex Company in the King Philip's War. (Colonial Wars Lineage Book, p. 71) He also was a town officer, probably of Concord in 1660, 1663 and 1668. On May 18, 1666, he was admitted to the church and was named a member of a committee to divide certain Concord properties on March 26, 1675. On November 20, 1680, "Late of Concord, now of Cambridge", he deeded his Concord lands to his son, Thomas Browne, Jr. and acknowledged the deed before Randolph, Dec.6, 1687. He filed on March 11, 1681/82, a list of properties which he had given to his son, Boaz Browne before the latter's marriage. John Gove, his daughter, Mary's second husband, was one of the witnesses. Son, Jabez Browne remained in Sudbury until the founding of Stow at which time he joined with his brother,Boaz and others.
Thomas's daughter, Mary did not conduct herself properly causing Thomas to write two letters to the Governor in December, 1670. He himself at one time was fined with others on February 9, 1658 for a nominal offense.
The Browne brothers were from a wealthy family of Brownes going back to John Browne of Stamford, County of Lincolnshire, England in the 1330's. One of John's descendents, Christopher was of Swan Hall of Hawkedon, County of Suffolk.
Thomas's Uncle Abraham was the son of Richard Browne of Swan Hall, Hawkedon,Suffolk County, England. He migrated to America in 1630 with his wife, Lydia and several children.
Thomas's adopted father, Edmund was born in Summerton, County of Suffolk, England in 1576.
The final "e" in Browne was dropped two generations after Thomas, beginning with Thomas, son of Jabez.
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From "The Wives of Boaz Brown" NEHGR V140 Brown:
"Thomas Browne, husbandman and planter, was one of the founders of Sudbury, MA in 1638. He removed to Concord in 1640 and resided there until his wife Bridget died in 1680, at which time he removed to Cambridge, MA where he d. in 1688."
From "From Concord, MA to the Wilderness: The Brown Family Letters,
1792-1852" Brown-Groover, NEHGR V131 1977:
"The founding father of this family was Thomas Browne (1601-1688), a native of Lavenham, Suffolk Co., England, who had settled, with his wife Bridget, in Concord by the year 1640. Thomas was not the first of his family to emigrate to America, having been preceeded by two uncles, Abraham and Richard Browne, who crossed with the Winthrop fleet in 1630, and by a cousin, John Browne, who came c. 1632 on the Lion. They were all from Lavenham, and all settled in Watertown. The exact circumstances of Thomas's emigration are not known, but it is probably that he, accompanied by the Reverend Edmund Browne, 5 years his junior, arrived in 1637, joining their relatives in Watertown. In 1638, the settled in the newly established town of Sudbury, where Edmund, a graduate of the University of Cambridge, became the first pastor and both were assigned land. Although generally reguarded as brothers, they were more likely cousins. It is known that they had different fathers, each bearing the same name as his father. Since Thomas's mother Sara died in childbirth, it is not unreasonable to assume that he and his cousin Edmund, grew up as "brothers." In 1640 Thomas decided to make his permanent home in the nearby town of Concord."
THE PIONEERS OF MASSACHUSETTS, Ancestry Charles Henry Pope Thomas, husbandman, planter, Sudbury, one of the petitioners to whom the Gen. Court gave authority to begin that plantation 6 Sept. 1638. Rem. to Concord; bought land 20 (3) 1655, 9 June, 1661, 3 (2) 1671,--" of Concord." Dau. Mary m. first William Woodhead, of Chelmsford, whose conduct made it necessary for Mr. Browne to write two letters to the governor in Dec. 1670; he deposed at that time, aged about 61 years; his son Thomas, Jr, deposed at the same time, aged about 19 years. [Mdx. files.] Mary m. second, John Gove of Cambridge. Thomas B., Sen. was a member of a committee to divide certain Concord property 26 March, 1675; [Mdx. Deeds]; but 20 Nov. 1680,--" late of Concord, now of Cambridge," --he deeded his Concord lands to his son Thomas, Jr., and acknowledged the deed before Randolph Dec. 6, 1687. He filed on March 11, 1681-2, a list of lands which he had given to his son Boaz before the latter's marriage; John Gore was one of thewitnesses.
The son Jabez, who remained in Sudbury until the founding of Stow, in which he joined with Boaz and others, deposed 6 (2)1669, aged about 25 years; he died in 1692; his widow and son Thomas had a letter from Gove, who called her "my sister Brown," and offered to sign their administration bond, Sept. 29, 1692.
GenMassachusetts-L Archives From: Subject: BROWN, Thomas Sr. b. 1605 ENG d. 1688 Cambridge, Middlesex, MA Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 16:22:50 EDT Surname: BROWN, Thomas son of Edward Brown & Anne Woder. b. 1605 > Cambridge, (Mrs.) Bridget BROWN was born about 1609 in of, Suffolk, England. was buried 5 Jan 1681 in Concord, Middlesex, MA. Amer. Comp. 7:836; Savage 1:265; Early MA Marr.; Concord V.S. p. 1; B.T. 1934; MA V.S. Chelmsford MARRIAGE: New England Marriages: Prior to 1700 (C. A. Torrey) p. 109 Bridget married (1) Thomas BROWN [Sr.], son of Edward BROWN and Anne WODER about 1640 in Concord, Middlesex, MA. Thomas was born 10 Jan 1605 in of Lavenham, Suffolk, England. He died 3 Nov 1688 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA. Amer. Comp. 7:836; Savage 1:265; Early MA Marr.; Concord V.S. p.1; B.T. 1934; MA Vit. St. Chelmsford.; Lavenham Par. Reg. (Suffolk , England) MARRIAGE: New England Marriages: Prior to 1700 (C. A. Torrey) p. 109 IMMIGRATION: 3 June 1635 "JAMES" of London. William Cooper,Master, three hundred tons. She sailed from Southampton April 5 and arrived June 3 with passengers and cattle. Winthrop calls her master 'Mr. Graves' and says that he 'had come every year for these seven years.' [Winthrop: Journal 1:152] [Charles Edward Banks, "THE PLANTERS OF THE COMMONWEALTH: 1620-1640 Passengers and Ships", Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc., Batlimore (1972) 974.w2p, pg.137] Servant to Thomas ANTRUM OCCUPATION: Weavers's assistant
Thomas married Bateman? Bridget about 1640 in England or MA. Bridget was born about 1609 in Hawkedon, Suffolk County, England; died on 05 Mar 1681 in Concord, Middlesex Co., MA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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