THOMAS HOLBROOK [#358 & #382], b. abt. 1589, d. Weymouth, MA before 10 Mar 1677, m. Glastonbury, Somersetshire, England 12 Sep 1616 JANE POWYS.
Thomas Holbrook was an early and respected resident of Weymouth. He and his family arrived there in 1635, and he was a Selectman there in 1641, '45, '46, '52, and '54. He became a freeman in May, 1645. Thomas was one of the grantees of the town of Rehoboth in 1643 but forfeited his share in 1645 because he did not settle there. In 1649 he was appointed a member of a commission to lay out a highway from Weymouth to Dorchester. Ten acres were granted to him in the First Division and thirty acres in the Second Division, Dec. 14, 1663.[1]
Thomas Holbrook, aged 77 years or thereabouts, deposed that he came to New England with Mr. Hull's company in 1635, and that they came ashore at Dorchester June 7, 1635; that they went to Dorchester and the Company went to a place now called Weymouth; and that after remaining at Dorchester about a fortnight, he went with his family to the now Weymouth and built a house there (sworn to in court Nov. 2, 1666).[2] A subsequently discovered record verifies this information. The record is a passenger list dated "Waymouth ye 20th of 1635" and refers to Weymouth, England. Among the 106 passengers are Thomas Holbrook, 34, of Broadway, Jane Holbrook, 34, his wife, and children John, 11, Thomas, 10, Anne, 5, and Elizabeth, 1. These two documents certainly refer to the same man, yet there is an age discrepancy between them. By one account, Thomas would have been born about 1589, while the other puts his birth around 1600. While both could be inaccurate, the passenger list is more likely incorrect in regard to the ages. The son John Holbrook, listed as 11 years old in 1635, was made a freeman in 1640, and the minimum age for freemanship was 21. John's gravestone provides the best proof of the age error, giving his death date and age - Nov. 23, 1699, age 82. This information is also important, as we'll see, in locating the Holbrook's in England.
In Weymouth Thomas lived next door to his sister Rebecca and her husband Clement Weaver. The Weaver's were in Weymouth by June 2, 1640 when Clement was fined for drunkeness.[3/17:89] Thomas and Clement were in partnership in many land and other business dealings.[3/17:88]
The search for Thomas' place of origin has been helped with the passenger list reference to Broadway, which is in Somersetshire. Nearby Broadway is the town of Glastonbury, where a Thomas Holbrook married on Sept. 12, 1616 to Jane Powys according to the records of the Church of St. John the Baptist. The baptism of the couple's son John is also recorded in the same church on April 6, 1618. The names and date of John's baptism match up quite well with the data on the Weymouth, MA family, and it can be stated with a high degree of certainty that this is the family of our ancestor. The surname of Powys is probably derived from the town of Powys.
Thomas made his will Dec. 31, 1668, in which were mentioned his wife Jane, his sons John, William, and Thomas, and daughters, Anne Reynolds, Elizabeth Hatch, and Jane Drake, and his grand children John Holbrook, Peter Holbrook, and William Holbrook. He stated that his grandson Peter Holbrook had served him and his wife in their old age for about 8 years, for which he was to have his dwelling house in Weymouth with the orchard and arable land. This will he confirmed Dec. 31, 1673, and it was proved April 24, 1677. Inventory of the estate was taken March 10, 1677.[1/268]
See the section on overseas ancestors for Thomas' family. Thomas was followed to Weymouth by his sister Rebecca, born about 1575, and her husband, Clement Weaver. John Holbrook, who is believed to have been in Dorchester, MA before 1626, is thought to the the brother of Thomas.[3:17/85]
REF: [1] History of Weymouth - George Walter Chamberlain, 1923
[2] Suffolk Court Files, Microfilm reel #4, Vol. 8, file 815,
page 38
[3] Passengers of the Mary and John 1630 - The Mary and John
Society, numerous volumes
Children:
1. John, bap. Glastonbury, Somersetshire, Eng. 6 Apr 1618, d. Weymouth, MA 23 Nov 1699, m(1) Sarah ____, d. 14 Jan 1643-4, m(2) Elizabeth Stream, b. abt. 1624, d. 25 Jun 1688, m(3) Mary White 2. Thomas, b. Eng. abt. 1624, d. bef. 19 Aug 1697, m. Joanna Kingman 3. William, b. Eng. abt. 1627, d. Scituate, MA 3 Jul 1699, m(1) Elizabeth ____, m(2) Abigail (Wright) (Sharp) Clapp 4. Anne, b. Eng. abt. 1629, m. John Reynolds of Weymouth 5. Elizabeth, b. Eng. abt. 1633, m. 6 May 1650 Walter Hatch 6. Jane, d. after 15 Jan 1676, m. abt. 1656 Thomas Drake, d. Weymouth, MA 1692
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