A little on the Major Families in Our Family Tree

Some Major Families in Our Family Tree

Thurston ENG>MA>ME
- This family came to the Boston/Newbury area of Massachussetts sometime between 1635-1650 or so. The exact origins of this family are cloaked in mystery to this day. The originial progenator of the Family was a Daniel Thurston born in 1635 and who bequeathed his estate to his Kinsman another Daniel Thurston in his will. The relationship between the 2 has never been fully proven but most think that the two might have been uncle and nephew. At one point Daniel "Jr" was thought to have possibly been Daniel "Sr"'s son, but the wording of kinsman in relationship to other wills in that era has ruled this possiblity out. Daniel "Jr.", born in 1661, married Anne Pell and went on to have several children who have provided several lines of descent to this day, infact the thurstons in this line still exist to this day in north eastern Massachussetts, South Eastern and South Central Maine. My husband is decended through Joseph Thurston who was one of Daniel's sons. His line moved to Maine sometime after the American Revolution and the family remains there to this day. This entire family provided several patriots for the American Cause and played an intergral part in the fight for liberty. Some were soldiers, others seamen, and a few were high ranking officers or Captains of ships. The book by Brown Thurston written in 1880 (with a second edition in 1892) titled "Thurston Genealogies 1635-1880" is an excellent source for information on this family. The book even includes information on Thurston lines that are not related in a provable way to this line, as there were several Thurston families in New England before 1700.