Thomas Walter, a mariner, English, first appears in the records of Salem, MA,
in 1679. Thomas married Hannah Gray, although no record of their marriage
exsists. Hannah was born in Salem, MA, the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth
Gray. Hannah married first 28 Dec 1671 to Allen Chard. Nothing is known of Mr.
Chard, where he came from or when he died. Thomas and Hannah moved to
Falmouth, Maine in 1682, where in 1683 he and John Edwards bought 100 acres of
land from Richard Seacomb and 12 acres from Leonard Slew. This land in
Falmouth was on the Purpooduck side of the river in Casco Bay. They remained
in Falmouth six (6) years before returning to Salem. The reason for there
return to Salem was due to the establishment of Fort Loyall by Gov. Danforth
which was a great irritation to the French, who wanted to absorb the Province
of Maine. Inorder to do this the French had to incite the Indians to attack
the frontier settlements. Safley back in Salem, Thomas and Hannah had all five
(5) of their children baptized. In 1692 the Walter family was living in
Charlestown. Thomas' seafaring activities are indicated by his having been
brought before the York court for loading his sloop on Sunday; and in 1723, by
which time he was living in Boston, he made a deposition concerning having
hired a sloop to go to Arrowsic in 1716. In his will of 1724 he left his land
in Casco Bay to his son William.