Thomas Ensign Sr. (1599 - bef. 1664)

Born 1599 in Rye, Sussex, England

Ancestors

Husband of Hannah (Wyborne) Ensign — married 27 Apr 1629 in Cranbrook, Kent, England

Descendants

Died before 17 Feb 1664 before age 65 in Scituate, Plymouth Colony

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Thomas Ensign Sr. migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 107) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Thomas was born say 1604, son of Thomas Ensign (of Rye, Sussex, England),^[1] or possibly was baptized in Rye, Sussex, on 15 Apr 1599, the son of Thomas Engzinge ^[2]

On 27 Apr 1629 Thomas married Hannah/Anne Wybourne at Biddenden, where a number of their children are recorded as being baptized, the last in 1636.^[1]

Thomas, probably with his wife and children, came to New England sometime after April 3, 1636. Presumably his wife Hannah died and daughter Hannah were born about the same time in 1638 possibly at Scituate, as on 17 Jan 1638[/9], Thomas Ensign of Scituate married secondly Elizabeth Wilder.^[1][3][4] His daughter Hannah (not to be confused with his daughter Hannah from his second wife) was then baptized at Hingham July 6, 1640.^[5]

Thomas Ensign purchased from William Betts of Scituate four acres of upland on Feburary 8, 1638/9.^[6] Thomas Hatherly sold "First Cliff" for £28 to Thomas Ensign on January 22, 1640/1^[7] Thomas Ensign sold 80 acres of upland and 6 acres of marsh to Walter Hatch in November 24, 1647.^[8]

On October 3, 1653, Thomas Ensign and Richard Sealis were sent as deacons "with the consent of Mr. Hatherly and all the Rest of the bretheren" to consult with Charles Chauncy regarding a grievance concerning his claims to property.^[9] The "bretheren of the church in Scittuate" resigned their right of 80 acres to Chales Chauncy on July 31, 1654.^[10]

Thomas Ensign purchased 33 acres of upland and 20 acres of marsh from Timothy Hatherly on June 20, 1654.^[11]

“Thomas Ensign purchased the third cliff of Mr Hatherly 1640, also Mr James Cudworth’s house, and five acres adjoining the bridge, on the north, at the Harbour, 1642. He was one of the Conihassett partners, 1646.”^[12]

Thomas Ensigne of Scituate wrote his will July 16, 1663. He mentions his wife Elizabeth, son John Ensigne, daughter Hannah, daughter Sarah, daughter Hannah her son Thomas Shepherd, and Sarah Underwood "my wifes sisters daughter"^[13] His inventory was taken Feburary 17, 1663/4, and was valued at £71-09-0,^[14] and his estate was probated June 9, 1664 in General Court, Plymouth Colony.^[13]

His widow Elizabeth was living 1 Nov. 1676 to execute her son John's will, and dead by 19 Nov 1686.^[1]

Family

Children by first wife Hannah/Anne Wybourne:^[1]

• Hannah Ensign bp. Biddenden, co. Kent, England, 11 Sept 1631; bur. there 5 Nov 1631.
• Thomas Ensign bp. Biddenden, 4 Nov 1632; bur there 15 Jan 1632/3
• Thomas Ensign bp. Biddenden, 26 Mar 1634.
• John Ensign bp. Biddenden, 3 Apr 1636; prob died young, perhaps in Scituate.
• Hannah Ensign b. probably in Scituate ca 1638; bp. Hingham, Massachusetts on 6 July 1640; married Thomas Shepard; d. 14 Mar 1697/8

Children by second wife Elizabeth Wilder, order of daughters not positive:^[1]

• John Ensign b. say 1642
• Sarah Ensign b. say 1650; m. (1) Joseph Wade (2) Thomas Mann
• Hannah Ensign b. say 1652; m. Thomas Wade.

NOTE Thomas had two daughters named Hannah, who grew to adulthood and married – one by his first wife Hannah Wiborne, the other by his second wife Elizabeth Wilder.

Research Notes

His first wife Hannah may have been the daughter of John Wybourne (1568-1616/7) & Martha Keene, in Cranbrook, Kent, Eng. Hannah died in 1639 in Biddenden, Kent. Buried on 20 Jan 1638/9 in Biddenden, Kent.^{[citation needed]}

His second wife Elizabeth was daughter of Thomas Wilder (ca 1584-23 Oct 1634) & Martha Higgs (ca 1590-20 Apr 1652), in prob. Scituate, MA. Born ca 1621 in Shiplake, Oxford, Eng. Elizabeth died bet. 1 Nov 1676 and 19 Nov 1686 in prob. Marshfield, MA.^{[citation needed]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Bowman, Robert E. "Ensigns Revisited." The American Genealogist 73:241-255, 1998.
2. ↑ Sussex Family History Group website, baptisms for Rye, Sussex
3. ↑ History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts, vol. 3, p. 312
4. ↑ Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England; printed by order of the legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by New Plymouth Colony, by Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff and David Pulsifer Vol. 1 (1855) Court Orders 1633-1640 p. 108
5. ↑ History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts, vol. 2, p. 213
6. ↑ Bangs, vol. 1, pp. 132, citing Plymouth Colony Deeds, p. 194
7. ↑ Bangs, vol. 1, pp. 135, citing Plymouth Colony Deeds, p. 70
8. ↑ Bangs, vol. 1, pp. 139, citing Plymouth Colony Deeds, III (1): 53
9. ↑ Bangs, vol. 1, pp. 149, citing Plymouth Colony Deeds, II (1): 89
10. ↑ Bangs, vol. 1, pp. 151, citing Plymouth Colony Deeds, II (1): 125
11. ↑ Bangs, vol. 1, pp. 151, citing Plymouth Colony Deeds, II (1): 152
12. ↑ Deane, Samuel. History of Scituate, Massachusetts, From it First Settlement to 1831. (Boston: James Loring, 1831), pp. 266-267
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Plymouth Colony Wills, vol. 2, pt. 2, p. 19
14. ↑ Plymouth Colony Wills, vol. 2, pt. 2, p. 18

• History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts (The Town of Hingham, Massachusetts, 1893)
• Bangs, Jeremy Dupertuis. The Seventeenth-century town records of Scituate, Massachusetts. (Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, c1997-)
• Plymouth Colony Records, Wills. Digital images. FamilySearch, DGS film 007051111 ("Wills, vols. 1-4, 1633-1686.")