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Thomas French (bef. 1584 - bef. 1639)

Thomas French
Born before in Assington, Suffolk, Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Son of and
Brother of , , and
Husband of — married 5 Sep 1608 (to before 5 Nov 1639) in Assington, Suffolk, Englandmap
Descendants descendants
Father of , , , , , , , , and
Died before at about age 55 in Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colonymap
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Profile last modified | Created 13 Sep 2010
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The Puritan Great Migration.
Thomas French migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 122)
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Contents

Biography

Flag of Suffolk (adopted 2017)
Thomas French was born in Suffolk, England.

Thomas French, son of Jacob, was baptized on 11 Oct 1584 at Bures St. Mary in Suffolk[1]

He married Susan Riddlesdale on 5 Sep 1608 in Assington, Suffolk, England.[2][1]

He and his family, “French, Thomas of Assington, Suffolk; French, Mrs. Susan Riddlesdale; French, Thomas Jr.; French, Alice; French, Dorcas; French, Susan; French, Anne; French, John; French, Mary,” emigrated to New England in 1630.[3][4][5][6]

He died before 5 Nov 1639 in Ipswich, MA.[1][7]

Children

  1. Thomas French (1608 - 1680), bp. 27 Nov 1608 in Assington, d. 8 Aug 1680 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts Bay, m. Mary (Uknown) French, ca. 1631. Mary d. 6 May 1681.
  2. Alice (French) Howlett (1609 - 1666), bp. 9 Apr 1610 in Assington, d. 26 Jun 1666 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts Bay, m. Thomas Howlett of Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts Bay, in 1634.
  3. Amy/Amee French,[8] born ca 1612; married by about 1638, John Gage.
  4. Dorcas (French) Crafts (1614 - 1697), bp. 9 Jul 1614 in Assington, d. 30 Dec 1697 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay.
  5. Susan French (1616 - 1616), bp. 2 Apr 1616 in Assington.
  6. Ann French (1617 - 1689), bp. 15 Mar 1617/18 in Assington.
  7. Margaret French (1620 - 1635), bp. 12 Mar 1619/20 in Assington, d. 25 Nov 1635 in Assington.
  8. John French (1622 - 1697), bp. 26 May 1622 in Assington, m. Freedom Kingsley in 1654, d. 1 Feb 1696/97 in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay.
  9. Mary (French) Smith (1625 - 1697), bp. 6 Jan 1624/5 in Assington, d. 1 Feb 1677 at Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts Bay, m. George Smith in 1644.

Research Notes

Linzee attempts to correlate varying arrival dates of Thomas French and his family by their entries in the records of the First Church of Boston.[9] However, the Winthrop Fleet Passenger Lists appear to show the entire family arriving at the same time in 1630.

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Threlfell, John Brooks. "John Wyatt of Ipswich, Massachusetts and his wife Mary (_____) Riddlesdale." New England Historical and Genealogical Register. 143:213. Boston: NEHGS, 1989. $subscription
  2. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/rd/21174/581/426886471
  3. ↑ https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Winthrop_Fleet
  4. ↑ The Winthrop Fleet Passenger List
  5. ↑ Charles Edward Banks, The planters of the Commonwealth : a study of the emigrants and emigration in colonial times: to which are added lists of passengers to Boston and to the Bay Colony ; the ships which brought them ; their English homes and the places of their settlement in Massachusetts, 1620-1640 (Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961), p.73; digital images, InternetArchive.
  6. ↑ David W. Hoyt, The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury Massachusetts (Providence, Rhode Island: Snow & Farnum, 1887), p. 166; digital images, InternetArchive.
  7. ↑ Nathaniel Shurtleff, Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England (Boston: William White, 1853), pp. 278/9; digital images, InternetArchive'.
  8. ↑ Melinde Lutz Byrne and John Edward Hardy, "Three French Daughters and Their Husbands ... Amy (French) Gage, Susan (French) Kingsbury, and Anne (French) Hardy," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 175 (2021):105-119, in particular, p. 118; digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors.
  9. ↑ John William Linzee, The History of Peter Parker and Sarah Ruggles of Roxbury, Mass. and Their Ancestors and Descendants (Boston, MA: priv. print, 1918) , p. 416; digital images, InternetArchive.

See also:

Acknowledgements

  • Genealogy worksheets compiled by Ralph Pryor during his 40 years of research, traveling extensively in the military and in retirement. In the collection of Greg Rose, grandson.




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Comments: 14

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GeneJ X
In anticipation that the pending merge of Susannah (Gage) Kingsbury into Thomas' daughter, Susan French, have updated Susan's profile.

She has always been considered an early immigrant. Regardless of the merge outcome, Thomas French's daughter, Susan French should be PGM.

posted by GeneJ X
GeneJ X
Profile of Thomas French reports a son, Richard French, reporting birth and death at Assington on 8 Dec 1625. No such record of a baptism or burial appears for a Richard in the parish register for 1625.

This son is not reported in the credible published sources about the family. This includes that this child is not reported in the Spring 2021 article by Melinde Lutz Byrne and John Edward Hardy.

See Melinde Lutz Byrne and John Edward Hardy, "Three French Daughters and Their Husbands ... Amy (French) Gage, Susan (French) Kingsbury, and Anne (French) Hardy," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 175 (2021):105-119, genealogical summary on pp. 117-119; digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors.

Should this child be detached, with comments on his profile that he was severed from these parents?

posted by GeneJ X
GeneJ X
Attached as a daughter, Joan (French) Bridges, does not seem to belong in this family. She is most likely not a real person.

Her profile is based on a confused, errant FindAGrave memorial about PGM John Bridge. Lengthy comment about this on her profile page.

Until very recently, she was attached as the spouse of Bridge-2078, but that relationship has been severed.

What shall we do with the profile of dear likely-not-a-real-person-Jane.

Thank you.--Gene

posted by GeneJ X
edited by GeneJ X
Hill-11959 S (Hill) Willson
This could be a good question to post to G2G where it will get more viewers. Depending on answers (or not) we can add uncertain existence to her profile. I would recommend adding the England tag to the G2G post.
posted by S (Hill) Willson
Ashley-1950 Chase Ashley
See new article about Thomas and his children at The New England Historical and Genealogical Register 175 (Spring 2021):104–119
posted by Chase Ashley
Smith-32867 Jillaine Smith
Shall we add Amy Unknown-490343 as a daughter, changing her LNAB to a French, based on this article?
posted by Jillaine Smith
Hill-11959 S (Hill) Willson
I've reached out to the other PM for Amy (Unknown) Gage to get his input on us making the change.
posted by S (Hill) Willson
Dobson-4309 Mike Dobson
I do not think there is conclusive proof he was among the Winthrop Fleet. There are no known complete records of the passengers as Banks freely admits in the preface to his 1930 publication listing possible passengers. The Anderson entry attached to the PGM banner is that of son Thomas. There is no entry for this Thomas. The French Family Association and Threlfall have him arriving 1637/38. The first record for him in New England is owning land in Reedy Marsh in 1638. The deeds refer to him as Thomas French the elder. The death of daughter Margaret in Assington 1635 also precludes his arrival on the Winthrop Fleet.
posted by Mike Dobson
edited by Mike Dobson
Smith-32867 Jillaine Smith
Thank you, Clyde!
posted by Jillaine Smith
Perkins-11750 Clyde Perkins
I plan to improve this profile as noted, "into a single, easy-to-read narrative, removing duplication, long quotes, and long extracts that could be summarized and linked to." Any comments?
posted by Clyde Perkins
Sharon (Gott) Griffin
I have the same people, different dates, Susan Riddlesdale 1558-1658 Thomas French 1584-1639 His father is John and mother is Dorcas Black and 4 more generations back. I willnot be able to give this tree to Wikki Tree xince my offers are ignored but am willing to help others.
posted by Sharon (Gott) Griffin
B-404 Anne B
Anyone know who this Alice Morton person is? If not she should be merged into Susanna's profile. Objections?
posted by Anne B
B-404 Anne B
Sarah French was buried at the Parish of Assington 11 Nov 1615. There is no indication as to her age or parentage.

other burials 1 Aug 1613 Susan Ffrench d/o Sarah French, 11 Nov 1615 Sarah Ffrench 22 Jan 1620 Sarah Ffrench the daughter of John Ffrench

So this Sarah French is just as likely to be the mother of Susan (maybe wife of John), as a dtr of Thomas. Other children of Thomas & Susan were registered so I believe Sarah is not a child at all

Disconnect OK? Objections?

posted by Anne B
B-404 Anne B
Disconnecting: Edward (born 10 years before they were married, Margaret born in the wrong place (a different Margaret), Thomas who is different Thomas, Objections??
posted by Anne B

Rejected matches › Thomas French Gent. (bef.1565-1613) › Thomas French Gent. (bef.1565-1613) › John French (abt.1610-1646) › Thomas French › Thomas French (abt.1865-) › Thomas French › Thomas D. French › Thomas French (1574-1639) › Thomas French (abt.1590-1639)

Featured German connections: Thomas is 16 degrees from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 18 degrees from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 23 degrees from Lucas Cranach, 17 degrees from Stefanie Graf, 17 degrees from Wilhelm Grimm, 21 degrees from Fanny Hensel, 24 degrees from Theodor Heuss, 14 degrees from Alexander Mack, 31 degrees from Carl Miele, 17 degrees from Nathan Rothschild and 19 degrees from Ferdinand von Zeppelin on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.

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Categories: English Immigrants to America | Ipswich, Massachusetts | Assington, Suffolk | Puritan Great Migration