See also

Family of Thomas + FOX and Rebecca + WHEATE

Husband: Thomas + FOX (1608-1693)
Wife: Rebecca + WHEATE (1619-1647)
Children: Richard + FOX (1641-1707)
Marriage 1640 Concord, Middlesex, MA, US1,2,3

Husband: Thomas + FOX

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Thomas + FOX

Name: Thomas + FOX
Sex: Male
Father: -
Mother: -
Birth 1608 London, Middlesex, England
Immigration 1635 (age 26-27)4
Boston, Suffolk, MA, US
Death 25 Apr 1693 (age 84-85) Cambridge, Middlesex, MA, US5
Burial Old Burying Grounds
Cambridge, Middlesex, MA, US

Wife: Rebecca + WHEATE

Name: Rebecca + WHEATE
Sex: Female
Father: John + WHEATE (1598- )
Mother: -
Birth 24 Oct 1619 Southampton, Hampshire, England
Death 11 May 1647 (age 27) Concord, Middlesex, MA, US6

Child 1: Richard + FOX

Name: Richard + FOX
Sex: Male
Spouse: Beriah + SMITH (1657-1727)
Birth 1641 Wethersfield, Hartford, CT, US
Death 19 Mar 1707 (age 65-66) Glastonbury, Hartford, CT, US

Note on Husband: Thomas + FOX

Thomas Fox was born circa 1608 His birthdate is estimated from an age of "in his 85th year" at his death.2 He married as his first wife Rebecca (?) before 1647.3 Thomas Fox married as his second wife Ellen (?) on 24 May 1650.4,5,2 Thomas Fox married as his third wife Elizabeth (?) on 24 April 1683.4 Thomas Fox married as his fourth wife Rebecca (?) on 16 December 1685 in Cambridge, Massachusetts Bay Colony.4,2 Thomas Fox died on 25 April 1693 in Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay.2,4 "He emigrated from England in the fleet that brought Governor Winthrop to America. In the fleet were 4 ships, the Arabella, Talbot, Jewell and Ambrose. The latter two belonged to a Mr. Cradock. He financed the passage of Thomas to America in 1630 for the pledge of service to Mr. Cradock for a number of years. This was a widespread custom at that time, with the usual period of service at 7 years. Thomas worked on the Cradock Plantation in Mystik (later Medford)."6 F. F. Harrop recorded the following as "copied from father's notebook""Thomas...came to the country probably in 1630 in the fleet which brought Governor Winthrop. There were four ships "Arabella, Jewell, Ambrose and Talbot, two of these vessels belonged to Mr. Cradock and brought his men who settled on the Mystic and founded Medford. These ships sailed from the Isle of Wight April 8, 1630. Governor Cradock never came to this country, but his men were under the care of Governor Winthrop who selected the location for Mr. Cradock's plantation. It throve so rapidly that on the 28th of September (only three months afterwards) Medford was taxed three pounds for support of military teacher. Thomas Fox was one of Gov. Cradock's men and served his time on Mr. Cradock's plantation at Medford. It was a custom for adventurous poor men to bind themselves to a master in consideration of their passage money being advanced, and possibly other advantages, for a certain period of years (usually seven)."7 .8 He became a freeman in 1638 in Concord, Massachusetts Bay Colony.9,4 He was known as Thomas Fox of Cambridge.6

 

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Immigrated to the United States about 1634 Became a Freeman at Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1637/8

One of the Original Proprietors of Cambridge, Massachusetts

 

 

He was “Known as ‘Thomas of Cambridge’ to distinguish him from Thomas Fox of Concord. He was admitted a freeman March, 1637/8, when he was living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He probably came over in 1634 or 1635 and it is said that he was from London and that he was the son of Dr. Thomas Fox, a physician in that city. A tradition that has some claim for belief states that the immigrated in anger and disgust because of injustice done to him in a law suit which he believed was decided against him because he was a grandson of John Fox, the author. This suit concerned a lease for three lives on seventeen houses in London. As this occurred in the reign of Charles I, when the Puritans found little favor from men in authority, it is quite probable that Fox had good reason to think the decision unjust.

 

“He was one of the original proprietors of Cambridge, the called New Town, and dealt extensively in real estate, was executor and administrator of many estates, a selectman in 1658 and repeatedly afterwards. He was an esteemed and enterprising citizen, and was referred to in the church records as a beloved brother of the church. The house at Cambridge where he lived, later called the Holmes House, stood on the north side by the college grounds. In the early days of the colony, the place belonged to Mrs. Ellen Green and became by her second marriage the property of her husband, Mr. Fox. Their grandson, Jabez Fox, the merchant tailor, made extensive additions and repairs to the house in 1707, bequeathing it at his death to his son, Thomas Fox of Woodstock, who sold it to his uncle, Rev. John Fox of Woburn. It eventually came to be owned by Harvard College. General Ward made the house his headquarters while in command of the American forces that invested Boston, and was there at the time of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Dr. Holmes, while chaplain of the college, resided there, and his son Oliver Wendell Holmes, the poet, was born there.”

 

 

--Steve Donahue

Sources

1William M. Clemens, "American Marriages before 1699" (Pompton Lakes, NJ Biblio Co, 1926).
2"US and International Marriage Records, 1550-1900" (on-line, Yates Publishing, Provo, UT).
3"US New England Marriages prior to 1700".
4"Passenger and Immigrations Lists Index 1500-1900".
5"MA Town and Vital Records 1620-1988 Record".
6"MA Town Death Records".