Thomas Olney Sr. (1600 - 1682)

Born 6 Jun 1600 in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England

Husband of Marie (Ashton) Olney — married 16 Sep 1629 in St Albans Abbey, Hertfordshire, England

Descendants

Died 16 Jun 1682 at age 82 in Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island

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Thomas Olney Sr. migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 5, p. 302) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

This profile is part of the Olney Name Study.

He may have been the child who was born on 06 Jun 1600^{[citation needed]} in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England to unknown parents.^[1] We know nothing of his early life in the Parish of St.Albans, about 13 miles from Hertford, the seat of one of the most ancient monasteries and long celebrated in English history as the center of spiritual influence.

Thomas Olney married on 16 Sep 1629 at St.Albans Abbey to Mary Ashton ^{[2] [3]} and their children included Thomas, Jr., Epenetus, Nebediah, Discovered, Stephen, Mary, James and Lydia.^[3]

On 02 April 1635 he received a "Permit to emigrate to New England"^[4] and left on the ship "Planter" from London, England. He arrived in Boston, Massachusetts on 07 June 1635 and first settled in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts. Thomas Olney was the ancestor of the Olneys in America.

He was appointed a surveyor in January 1636/36 and granted forty acres of land at Jeffrey Creek (now known as Manchester) near Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts. Also in 1636 he was made freeman.

He was evidently a man of stern and decided opinions, who did not hesitate to advance his views among his neighbors. Of him, in his occupation as surveyor, it is said, "as he entered upon the surrounding lands with his field book, chain and compass, and mystic words, with the peculiar dignity of official characters of that day, he may well have inspired the Indians with profound awe, and led them to feel that no Indian could henceforth dwell upon that part of their tribal property again."

He early associated with those who accepted the peculiar views of Roger Williams and with a number of others, he was excluded from the Colony on 12 March 1637/38. Previous to this, they went seeking some place where they might live outside the jurisdiction of Massachusetts Colony. In company with Williams, he had visited Narragansett Bay. They decided upon the west side of the Seekonk River. Accordingly they formed a new settlement at the head of the bay which they named Providence, in grateful remembrance of their deliverance from their enemies. They purchased their rights from the Indians and thus became the "Original Thirteen Proprietors of Providence", Rhode Island.

In 1638 he was chosen first Treasurer.

In July 1639 he and his wife and their companions were excluded from the church at Salem, "because they wholly refused to hear the church, denying it, and were re-baptized".

He was one of the founders of the First Baptist Church in Providence and at one time the acting pastor or minister.

About 1653 he was the leader in a schism in the church upon the question of the "laying on of hands".

His prominence in the Colony is shown by the various duties he was called to perform ...

1647 chosen commissioner to form a Town Government.

1648 chosen assistant for Providence and held the office almost continuously until 1663.

1655 chosen a judge of the Justices Court with Roger Williams and Thomas Harris.

1656 chosen to treat with Massachusetts Bay about the Pawtuxet lands.

1663 among the grantees of the Royal Charter of Charles II.

1663 chosen an assistant under the new Charter.

He was the possessor of a large real and personal estate and occupied one of the better houses in the Plantations. His homestead was located on North Main street, a short distance south of the State House, and what is now known as Arsenal Lane led through his land. The place of his burial was in the family ground at the rear of his dwelling. ^[5]

His will was dated the 21st March, 1679, proved the 17th October, 1682 in Providence, gave to his eldest son Thomas all his lands and house, and mentions other children.^[6]

All that remained of the earlier members of the family was probably removed to the burial ground on Olney street, from whence a second removal took place to make room for the church now occupying the spot. ^[7]

The Olney family burial ground (now historical cemetery #6), where many Olneys lie at rest, is located on Smithfield Road in North Providence. ^[8] Wilbur-403 17 April 2018

Research Notes

Disputed Parents: There are no sources for the parents of Thomas Olney and Mary Small who may be an echo of this Thomas and Mary Small who was incorrectly named by Austin's "Genealogical Dictionary".
Disputed Spouse: Note that an 'incorrect listing stated Mary Small was the wife of Thomas Olney.^[9] Newer research has found a marriage for Thomas to Mary Ashton, in the right place and time. ^[3]

During the Revolutionary War for independence, four of Thomas' descendants performed notable war service for their country and left honorable records ...

- Stephen Olney who became a Captain;

- Jeremiah Olney who attained the rank of Colonel;

- Coggeshall Olney, who became a Major.

- Christopher Olney who became a Major and had Olneyville in Providence named in his honour.

Sources

1. ↑ Olney, James H. A Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas Olney, an Original Proprietor of Providence, R. I., who Came from England in 1635. Providence: E. L. Freeman & Son, 1889. Pages 11-13.
2. ↑ Brigg, William (transcriber). "The parish registers of St.Albans Abbey 1558-1689" published by Harpenden in 1897; Digital Copy Archive.org Births - pp: Mary 148.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Smith, Dean Crawford; "The Ancestry of Emily Jane Angell 1844-1910" NEHGS of Boston, MA in 1992. Pages 437-49. Borrow on Archive.org.
4. ↑ Immigration: "Britain, Registers Of Licences To Pass Beyond The Seas 1573-1677"
   Archive: The National Archives; Reference: E 157/20; Folio: 116
   FindMyPast Image - FindMyPast Transcription (accessed 13 December 2023)
   Last name: Olney; First name(s): Thomas; Destination: New England; Regional destination: The Americas; Occupation: Shoemaker; Departure date: 02 Apr 1634; Piece year range: 1634-1635; Birth year: 1599; Country: Great Britain; Departure port: London; Ship name: Planter; Age: 35; Piece description: Register of passengers leaving the port of London for New England and other colonies, and register of licences of persons to pass beyond the seas.
5. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #37297800 for Thomas Olney, Sr. (1600–1682)
6. ↑ Brigg, William. The Herts Genealogist and Antiquary (Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England, 1897) Vol. 2, Page 376-7.
7. ↑ "Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas Olney, an Orginal Proprietor of Providence, Rhode Island who came from England in 1635" by James H. Olney in 1889
8. ↑ "Stephen Olney, Hero of the Revolution" by John Williams Haley. This article comes from "The Old Stone Bank History of Rhode Island" v3 p142-145 published in 1939 by the Providence Institution for Savings. Transcribed by Beth Hurd for non-commercial use only. Quahog.org
9. ↑ Austin, John Osborne; "Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island" (1887) p352

See also:

• Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society (Massachusetts Historical Society). Series 3, Volume 8, p. 253. Thomas Olney's "permit to emigrate." The transcriber, James Savage, states that his source was "a MS. volume in folio at the at the Augmentation Office (so called)... in Rolls Court, Westminster Hall," which he viewed sometime "during the summer months of 1842."
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. I, pp. 64-66. William Arnold transfers land to Thomas Olney [Sr.], 1642.
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. II, p. 7. William Arnold transfers land to Thomas Olney [Sr.], 1642. (This appears to be an earlier entry recording the same transaction as the one referred to in Vol. I, pp. 64-66).
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. I, pp. 103-105. Thomas Olney, Sr. transfers land to William Arnold, 1642.
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. II, p. 1. Thomas "Ollnea" granted 6 acres, 1642.
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. II, p. 9. Thomas Olney [Sr.?] purchases 6 acres from "Stukly Westcot," 1649.
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. II, p. 31. Thomas Olney Sr. recorded to have paid "all [his] purchase money" and have received "quittance." Undated but probably ca. 1658.
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. I, pp. 62-63. Thomas Olney, Sr. purchases land from Roger Mowry, 1658/1659.
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. I, pp. 97-98. Thomas Olney Sr. sells land to William Carpenter, 1659.
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. II, p. 32. Thomas Olney Sr. purchases land from Richard Waterman, 1659.
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. II, p. 145. Thomas Olney [Sr?]. permitted to exchange his 80 acre grant, 1661.
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. I, p. 34. Thomas Olney Sr. granted 60 acres of land near that of his son, Epenetus Olney, 1667.
• The Early Records of the Town of Providence, 1636-1750 (1892-) Vol. VI, pp. 63-68. Will of Thomas Olney, Sr., 21 March 1679.
• Austin, John Osborne. Ancestry of Thirty-Three Rhode Islanders (J. Munsell's Sons, 1889)
• Austin, John Osborne. The Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island (1887)
• Hurst, Judith A., Sayles Country (Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1986)
• Oakes, Rensselaer. Genealogical and Family History of the County of Jefferson, New York (Higginson Book Company, Jefferson County, NY, 1905)
• Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1862) Vol III, p. 313.
• Great Migration 1634-1635 M-P (online database at AmericanAncestors.org by New England Historic Genealogical Society in 2010) Originally published as "The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England 1634-1635" v5 M-P by Robert Charles Anderson & New England Historic Genealogical Society of Boston, MA in 2007; p302-308; link for subscribers