William Thrall (abt. 1605 - 1679)

Born about 1605 in England

Husband of Elizabeth (Unknown) Thrall — married 1637 in Windsor, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 3 Aug 1679 at about age 74 in Windsor, Connecticut

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William Thrall migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 335) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

This profile represents William Thrall, early immigrant to Windsor, Connecticut.^[1]

Uncertain Origins

This profile originally claimed, without a verified source, that his father was named William Thrall supposedly of Netherbury, Dorset (with no sources on the profile) . A baptismal record of August 8, 1605 in Sandridge, Hertsfordshire, England (150 miles from Netherbury) was asserted as a record of this immigrant William. A record in Sandridge of christening of William Thrale, son of Raphe on 18 Oct 1607 IS found^[2] but there is apparently no proof yet that this, or any other particular William Thrall baptism found to-date in England, was proven to be William the immigrant to Connecticut (see comments section). Very likely the 1607 William Thrale was the man of the same name at the same location whose will was apparently probated in 1661 (also found at findmypast.co.uk). Certainly the names Thrale/Thrall (Ralph, William Thomas etc) appear in Sandridge land and court deeds in the 1500s and 1600s showing the family's presence for generations.^[3]

He became a member, in 1630, of the Congregational church formed in Plymouth, England, under the ministry of Rev. John Wareham.^[4]

The Puritan Great Migration Project, umbrella project for William Thrall's profile, gives preference to the scholarly work of Robert Charles Anderson in his Great Migration series and all other works, as listed in the sources here under The Great Migration Directory. Cutter offers no sources for claiming that William Thrall was associated with Rev Warham in England, or that William Thrall was in Dorchester, Massachusetts prior to his claiming land in Windsor in 1637, or that he went to Windsor with Warham's congregation in 1636.^[4] There are no records for William Thrall in Dorchester in the comprehensive survey done by Frank Thistlethwaite (1989)^[1] however, William Thrall is named on page 274 as having 20 acres, listed among First Grants from the Plantation - registered by the end of 1641.^[1] (Rev. Warham arrived in Windsor by July 1636, see page 109.^[1])

Immigrated to Windsor, Connecticut

Robert Charles Anderson, in his Great Migration Directory (2015), has William Thrall's immigration date (or earliest known record in New England) as by 1640.^[5] The date may be an error in the Directory, because Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, a source cited for Thrall in the Directory, gives 1637 for the date that William Thrall was granted "a lot thirteen rods wide".^[6]

"William Thrall, of Sandridge, Hertfordshire, was older, a quarryman and stonemason" and fought in the Pequot war.^[1]

William Thrall came to Windsor before the Pequot War (1637), in which he was a soldier from Windsor. In 1646, he and Robert Wilson bought Hoyte's Meadow, which was far outside the town. Because of the distance, he was exempted from the duty of "watch and ward", so he could be home nights with his family.

He took an active part in the Pequot war,

William Thrall purchased land in Windsor in 1646, where he settled with his family. As this location was distant from any neighbors and exposed to attacks from the Indians, he was exempted from the duties of “watch and ward,” to which all able-bodied men of the settlement were liable. This location has ever since been occupied by his descendants, who have maintained the reputation of the family for thrift, industry, public spirit and all that constitutes good citizenship.

Marriage and Children

The maiden name of William Thrall's wife has not yet been found. Her death was recorded as "Old Goode Thrall d. July 30, 1676."^[6] According to Torrey's "New England Marriages to 1700" he married an unknown woman by 1639 at Windsor, the uncertain "Goode" name may have been based on the entry in Windsor vital records stating “Old Goode Thrall,” died July 30, 1676. ^[7]Torrey said this:

THRALL, William (1606-1679) & ____ [GOODE]? (-1676); by 1639; Windsor, CT^[8]

Children of William Thrall born in Windsor and listed explicitly in his will of 1678 were:

1. Timothy b. 25 Jul 1641^[9]
2. Phillippa who married John Hosford 5 Nov 1657 implying a birth date of 1649 or earlier.^[10] (familysearch indexes this as "Phillip" but the marriage is clearly to John Hosford and she is called Phillipa Hosford in William's will)

Geni.com attributes a son David as of September 2021 but with no sources so this should be researched further.^[11]

Death & Estate

William Thrall left a will, dated December 11, 1678.^[12] His son Timothy and his daughter Phillipi Hosford are the only children he names in his will.^[12] He names his granddaughter Sarah Hosford, and gives to her "the little house I have begun to build on John Hosford's Land".^[12]

William Thrall died at Windsor, Connecticut, August 3, 1679.^[13][12]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Dorset Pilgrims: The Story of West Country Pilgrims Who Went to New England in the 17th Century p. 131, 141, 203. 204
2. ↑ William Thrale in 1607 England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975 Sandridge, Hertfordshire, England $subscription
3. ↑ UK National Archives: Search results for thrale sandridge https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_srt=3&_q=thrale+sandridge
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Historic Homes and Places and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, by William Richard Cutter, (1908), Vol 4, page 1414
5. ↑ The Great Migration Directory, Robert Charles Anderson, (2015), page 335
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, by Mary Walton Ferris (1931), Vol II, pp 792-4
7. ↑ "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPSL-SLBK : 21 September 2019), Old Goode Thrall, ; citing Death, , Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008143424.
8. ↑ 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. Vol. 3 p. 1514
9. ↑ "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP74-FLJD : 21 September 2019), Timothy Thrall, ; citing Birth, , Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008143424.
10. ↑ "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPSL-SL1Z : 21 September 2019), Phillip Thrall, ; citing Marriage, , Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008143424.
11. ↑ Geni.com entry for William Thrall Geni.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3} "A Digest of the early Connecticut probate records 1635 - 1700", by Charles William Manwaring, (1904). Vol. 1 p. 370
13. ↑ "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP3W-6HVW : 21 September 2019), William Thrall, ; citing Death, , Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008143424.

See Also

• Memorial: "Find a Grave", database with images, Find A Grave: Memorial #74934355 (accessed 25 March 2023), Memorial page for William Thrall (8 Aug 1605-3 Aug 1679), citing Palisado Cemetery, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA (plot: Founder's Monument); Maintained by Lorraine Anderson (contributor 46820770). (contains unsourced biography that conflicts with the notes in this profile).