Cornet Thomas Dewey

Cornet Thomas Dewey, whose ancestry is unknown (or not traced here), was born about 1613.¹ He died at Windsor, Connecticut, 27 May 1648.^1,2

Thomas married, as her 2nd husband, Frances (…) at Windsor 22 March 1639.^1,3,4

The emigrant ancestor of a large and influential family, in early manhood seems to have become a dissenter and emigrated to America from Sandwich, Kent, England, as one of the early settlers, under Governor Winthrop and Rev. John Warham.

There were twelve other vessels which arrived after the Mary and John, up to as late as July 6 1630. Some think Thomas came in the Lyon, which arrived at Salem in February from Bristol, Eng; others that he came in the Griffin, Cap. John Haynes, which arrived September 4, 1633, as notice the following from the Records of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay in New England, page 153:

The oldest allotment of land upon the Dorchester Records was made of salt marsh, April 3, 1633, among twenty-one persons, divided into four classes according to their interest in the stock. A £50 share entitled the holder to an immediate dividend of two hundred acres and a town house-lot, and fifty acres for each memnber of the family besides -- non-stockholders to have fifty acres for the head of the family, and such quantity of land, according to their charge and quality, as the Governor and Council shall see fit.

The first Court of Assistants was held Aug. 23, 1630, at Charleston; Dorchester, Boston, and Watertown, received authority of the Court, Sept. 7, 1630, to use those names.

The principal part of the first settlers having no political rights, under the original Massachusetts Charter, which had been drafted for a trading company, the Court immediately made arrangements for extending the privileges of Freemanship to all suitable persons. On the first application for this right (October 19, 1630), among one hundred and eight persons, twenty-four belonged to Dorchester.

Besides the right of suffrage, freemen enjoyed advantages in the division of lands; and before the representative system commenced, they were all members of the General Court. The principal qualification for this privilege seems to have been Church Membership. The character and morals of all persons offering for emigration was strictly scrutinized, and such arriving without proper testimonials were not received.

The following is Wood's description of Dorchester in 1633.
The following is Josselyn's description of the town:
"
The first Dorchester Record Book, commenced Jany. 16, 1633, and continued to 1720. As some few pages are missing, it is impossible to give the first division of lands. There is no mention made of payment for lands, to the plantation, by any individual. In November, 1634, it was ordered "no man shall sell his house or lot to any man without the plantation, whom they shall dislike of."

The following list of grantees of Dorchester lands appear in the Town Records previous to January, 1636, comprise the first settlers.

As a specimen of the way the lands were granted and located at this early we present the following from old Dorchester Records:
"Dec. 1st, 1634. It is ordered that Rodger Clapp, John Hulls, Geo. Phillips, William Hubbard, Stephen French, John Haydon, shall have 8 acres apiece in Roxbury bounds, betwixt the two market Trees. to begin at end which they shall agree off; to go in 40 Rod from the bounds of the fresh Marshes are to be excepted from these lots. Mr. Hathorne to have 12 acres, Nicholas Upsall to ----, Thomas Duee to have 8 acres with them, Richard Callecott to have 14 acres. Mr. Richards, Richard Callecott, Thom. Holcomb, Thom. Duee are to cast their lotts together next to those above named.
"Its ordered that all these shall fence in the lotts agaynst the next spring or to leave them such as will so doe."
"July 5th, 1635. It is granted that Thomas Duee shall have 2 acres of mowing ground, neere the Fresh Marsh, which he hath formerly mowen, in satisfaction for an acre of ground, which he left in common at his house."
The name of Thomas Dewey does not appear among the first twenty-four freemen of Dorchester, but he was enrolled May 14, 1634, by taking, as follows:

"The Oath of a Freeman."
"I, Thomas Dewey, buing by God's Providence an inhabitant and Freeman within the jurisdiction of this commonwealth. do fully acknowledge myself to be subject to the Government thereof; and therefore do here swear by the great and dreadful name of the ever living God, that I will be true and faithful to the same, and will accordingly yield assistance and support there unto, with my person and estate, as in equity I am bound; and will also truly endeaver to maintain and preserve all the liberties and privileges thereof, submitting myself to the wholesome Lawes and orders made and established by the same, and further, that I will not plot or practice any evil against it, or consent to any that shall so do, but will truely discover and reveal the same to lawful authority now here established for the speedy preventing thereof. Moreover I do solemnly bind myself in the sight of God. that when I shall be called to give my voice touching any such matter of this State in which Freemen are to deal I will give my vote and suffrage as I shall judge in mine own Conscience may best conduce and tend to the public weal of the body without respect to persons or favor to any man. So help me God in the Lord Jesus Christ."

On his removal to Windsor, he sold his lands at Dorchester, as evidence the following:
"The 12th of August, 1635. These are to testify to all whom it may concern, that I Thomas Holcombe have sould and give full possession vnto Richard Joanes of Dorchester 4 acres of ground with my houses and all things thereto p'tayning, and 9 acres of ground of my great lott on Roxbury bounds, and 6 acres of meadow ground on the side of Napouset River and 3 acres on the other side of the River: __
"I, Thomas Duee of Dorch; do likewise fully confirme vnto Richard Joanes of Dorch; and give him full possession of 4 acres of ground with my house and all thereto belonging, also 8 acres of ground of my great lott, also 10 acres of Medow on the side Napouset, and 4 acres of medow on the other, and 2 acres of medow in the Fresh Marsh.
T. D.
"The mark of Thos. Duee."

The following records are interesting as showing the condition of affairs at this early day.
The first Court in Connecticut was holden at Newtown (Hartford), April 26, 1636.
At "A Corte held att Dorchester (Windsor) June 7, 1636."
"It is ordered that every souldier in each plantacon shall haue in his howse in a readines before th 'end of August next twoe pounde of powder & yt they shall shew it to the Constable whenever he shall call them vnto it vppon the penalty of Xs. for every failure wch is presentlie to be le(vied) by the saide Constable wthout (resistance) as alsoe 20 bul(letts) of leade in the like readines vppon the same penalty and in the same manner to be levied." At the same time it was ordered that a watch should be constantly kept; that ammunition should be always on hand; that each inhabitant should be armed, and train one day a month. Windsor hat a that time within her bounds ten different tribes of Indians. And there were twenty thousand Indians in Connecticut at that time. As these infant settlements were so filled and surrounded with savages, the people conceived themselves in danger when they lay down and when they rose up, when they went out and when they came in. The courts were holden in each town by rotation, according to its turn.
There were about two hundred and fifty men in the three towns, Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford, at the close of this year, 1636.

At "A Corte at New Towne 21 Febr. 1637."
"It is ordered that the plantacon nowe called Newtowne shal be called & named by the name of Harteford Towne, likewise the plantacon now called Watertowne shalbe called & named Wythersfield. And yt the plantacon called Dorchester shalbee called Windsor."
"It is ordered yt noe yonge man yt is neither maried nor hath any servaunte, & be noe publicke officer, shall keepe howse by himself, without consent of the Towne where he liues first had, vnder paine of 20s. pr weeke."
"It is ordered yt noe Mr of a Family shall giue habitacon or interteinment to any yonge man to soiourne in his family, but by the allowance of the inhabitants of the saide Towne where he dwelles vnder the penalty of 20s. pr weeke."
"The Corte, in May 1637, ordered that there shalbe offensiue warr agt the Pequoitt, and that Windsor shall furnish 30 men and provisions. under Capt. John Mason and Lieut. Rob'te Seely."
"At a General Meeting, April, 11th, 1639, of the Freemen for the Election of a Governor and Magistrates, according to the orders for the year, Jno. Haynes, Esqr, was chosen the first Governor of Connecticutt."
Thomas Dewey was one of the settlers of Windsor, where the first record of the division of lands was undoubtedly a simple designation of lots by figures. The General Court, however, in September, 1639, enacted, that every town in the colony should choose a town clerk or register, "who shall, before the General Court in April next, record every man's house and land already granted and measured out to him, with the bounds and quantity of the same" and "the like to be done for all lands hereafter granted and measured to any, and all bargains or mortgages of lands whatsoever shall be accounted of no value until they be recorded." (Col. Rec.v, Vol. I, p. 37.)
To this order the first volume of Windsor Land Records owes its origin, and the earliest entry on its pages is under the of October 10, 1640. In addition to these Land Records we have "A Book of records of Town Ways in Windsor," compiled by Matthew Grant in August, 1654; and to these we are solely indebted for all that we know about the locale of Ancient Windsor. Although we cannot point out the "exact spot" whereon each house stood, ye we are reasonable confident that we have correctly located each man's house-lot.⁶

The following is the list of the names of the settlers of Windsor, which appear on the records of the town in 1640:
Henry Wolcott, Esq. John Hillyer. Eltweld Pomeroy. Edward Griswold. Humphrey Pinney. Thomas Buckland. Elias Parkman. Daniel Clark. Lieut. Walter Filer. Stephen Terry. Capt. John Mason. Roger Ludlow, Esq. George Phelps. William Phelps. Thomas Barber. William Hosford. John Bissel. Deacon John Moore. Isaac Sheldon. Thomas Stoughton. Peter Tilton. Matthew Grant. Bray Rosseter. Matthew Allen. John Taylor. Thomas Ford. John Whitefield. Nicolas Palmer. Aaron Cook. Thomas Holcomb. Deacon Wm. Gaylord. Robert Watson. Owen Tudor. Messrs. ____ Newberry. Thomas Dibble. THOMAS DEWEY. Samuel Phelps. William Hurlburt. Joseph Loomis. Nathan Gillett. Richard Oldage. John Loomis.Henry Stiles. John Porter. Abraham Randall. Nicolas Denslow. Return Strong. Rev. Ephraim Huit. Roger Williams. William Hayden. William Hill. Bigot Eglestone. Thomas Thornton. Richard Vore. Thomas Bascom. George Phelps. James Marshall. Rev. John Wareham.

Thomas Dewey was granted land February 28, 1640, or it was recorded then in vol. I, p. 80 of Windsor Records, vix.:
"Thomas Dewey hath Granted from the Plantation, a homelot, 7 acres, more or les; the breadth, by the meadow range, 23 rod, and from thence, up to the foot of the hill, it keeps the same breadth, but after by that it comes to the street, it is but 10 rod in breadth; the length from the street down to the meadow on the north side, 58 rod and a half; bounded north by Aaron Cook, south by a way that goes into the meadow.
2. In the Great Meadow 4 acres and a quarter, the breadth, 14 rod and half, the length 47 rod; bounded east by Mical Try, south and west by a highway, north by Eltwood Pomeroy.
3. Over the Great River (Connecticut) for a planting lot, in breadth 18 rod, in length from the river bank back east 3 miles; bounded south by Benjamin Newberry, north by George Phelps.
4. In the Northwest Field, 13 acres, and a half, the breadth 18 rod, more or less, the length from the way betwixt it and the lots back to the west, 120 rod; bounded north by Stephen Terry, south by Nicolas Denslow.
5. Also one parcel of land, 16 acres, more or less, bounded east by the homelots, 64 rod; north by Thomas Stoughton, 36 rod; west by the half lots, 44 rod; south by George Phelps, 57 rods."

To these lots he added more by purchase and exchange.
His homelot was the first one north of the fort or palisade and extended from the main street of Windsor east to Connecticut River.⁷

He appears as juror of the Particular Court, in 1642, 43, 44, and 45.
"It is not true as stated in History of Ancient Windsor, that he was several times Deputy; a mistake, probably arising from a careless reading of jurors as Deputies, both being printed in the same form. He is not given once as Deputy." (Miss Charlott Goldthwaite, Hartford, Conn., author of several family histories.)
The above corrects such long established authorities as Stile's History of Ancient Windsor, Savages' Genealogical Dictionary, and other accounts which give Thomas Dewey of Windsor as a deputy and Cornet.
See printed Colonial Records of Conn., vol. I; also on page 23 under date March 5, 1644 appears: "The arbitration upon the sute of Thomas Dewye pl. agt. Tho. Ford deft. is fownd. good and Tho. Ford is to pay the 36s. awarded therein and charges of the Courte."⁷

Thomas Dewey died intestate and the following is the inventory and settlement of his estate taken from the records of Connecticut:

MAY THE 19th, 1648.

An Inuentory of Thos. Dewys Estate.
Imp. R. S. L. S. D.
One howse and barne Wth the home lott, in quantity about
one acre & quarter, to the foot of the hill. 40 0 0
Ite: one p'cell of meadow adioyneing thereunto, about 7 acres 20 0 0
Ite: another p'cell in the great meadow 4 acres & one quarter 13 0 0
Ite: another p'cell in the great meadow 3 acres & one quarter 10 0 0
Ite: another p'cell in the great meadow about 5 acres, 8 rodde &
halfe 15 0 0
Ite: two p'cells of vpland about 29 ac. & halfe 20 0 0
Ite: one yoake of oxen 15 0 0
Ite: two mares & a colt 18 10 0
Ite: two cowes and on young beast 12 0 0
Ite: one soue & two piggs, 1 0 0; Ite: 2 stocks of bees, 2 10 0 3 10 0
Ite: 5 acres of corne vppon the grond 5 0 0
Ite: 7 other acres of corne vppon the grond 5 0 0
Ite: in bedding, bedsteed and lyning 9 10 0
Ite: his weareing cloathes, 5 10 0; Ite: pewter, 1 8 0 6 18 0
Ite: a chest, a boxe, a cubberd 0 11 0
Ite: one fowleing peece, suord, pouder & bullits 1 15 0
Ite: Wedges, & betle rings, 0 4 0; Ite: axes, spads & other
tools, 1 10 0 1 14 0
Ite: pots kettells of brass & iron 7 0 0
Ite: hempe & flax, 1l; Ite: a saddle & pillion, 1l 4s 2 4 0
Ite: meal, trow, tables, payles & small things 2 1 0
Ite: a table board, 0 6 0; Ite: a syth, 0 5 0 0 11 0
Ite: part in a sawe & shott mold 6 6 0
Ite: a cart, plowe, harowe, howes and other things 3 10 0
_____________
Som 213

The distribution of the estate was by the Courte the 17th October 1648, as appeares by the Records of that Courte and provision made for the childrens portions at ye Courte the 6th of June 1650, fol. 9.
David Wilton.
Robert Winchel.

Syxe children, 4 boyes, 2 gerlls; one gerl Mary Clark 12 yeare old; one sone Thomas Dewye 8 yeare, Josiah Dewey 7 yeare old, Annah Dewey, 5 yeare old, Isreall Dewey 3 yeare old, Jydidiah Dewey 3 quarters of a yeare old.
In vol. 1, p. 168, Records of the Particular Court: The distribution of the estate of Thomas Dewey of Wyndsor, deceased, was by this Courte as followth:

To his Relict 60l 60 0 0
To his eldest sonne by name Thomas Dewy 30 0 0
And to the other five children 20l a peece 100 0 0
____________
190 0 0

The daughters portion of 20l to bee paid her at the age of 18 yeares, and the severall sonns portions to bee pd. to them at the age of 21 yeares; the Relict giving in suffitient security to the children before her marriage againe for theire severall portions.

At the Particular Court held June 6 1650 -- It is agreed and concluded betwixt this Courte i the behalfe of the children of Thomas Dewey and Geo: Phelps of Wyndsor that the whole of the land both beadow and upland mentioned in the said Deweys Invento: amounting to the sum of 781, shall bee sequestred for the childrenCornet Thomas Dewey severall portions so farr as it goes and the remainder being 52l he Ingages himselfe to give in to the Courte sufficient security for the payment thereof according to the will of the Courte. The howse and peece of land belonging to it valued at 40l the said Phelps accepts uppon his wives parte of the estate.
At the Regular Court at Hartford, June 4, 1663, at the request of George Phelps and his wife Frances, the Court doth appoint Lieut. Fyler, Robert Winchel, and Matthew Grant to judge of the difference of the land of Thomas Dewey, deceased, for an equal division amongst the children of said Dewey. (Vol. 3, p. 2, Col. Rec. of Conn.)
The persons above named, and appointed by the Court have considered the division of the land that ws Thomas Dewey, deceased's, and have agreed that Thomas Dewey's eldest sone should have a parcel of meadow in the Great Meadow, as so it lies, for 5 acres and a quarter, more or less; bounded north by land of Job Drake, south by Samuel Marshel, east by Henry Clark, west by a high way; in length 47 rod and three quarters, in breadth 17 rod and a half.
Also he hath one acre and 53 rod of meadow as it bounds north by the meadow in the present use of Stephen Terry, south by Matthew Grant, east by Josiah Dewey, west by that which at present is in the improvement of George Phelps; breadth 14 rod and a half, length 14 rod 11 foot.
Also he hath a quarter part, or 4 acres and a half, in a parcel of swamp land, as it is to be divided betwixt him and his three brothers, Josiah, Israel, and Jedediah.
Thomas Stoughton of Windsor, in the County of Hartford, hath purchased two parcels of swamp and wood land, that formerly was Thomas Dewey, deceased's, and now pertained to his four sons, Thomas, Josiah, Israel, and Jedediah, as part of their legacy, which parcels of land they jointly sold, their right and propriety therein to Thomas Stoughton; one parcel is 17 acres and a quarter, more or less, and one acre added from George Phillips by an agreement between their father, Thomas Dewey, and George Phillips; George Phillips set out to their father one acre of land and their father engaged (iun lieu thereof) to make and maintain, all the dividing fence between their land forever; this land bounds easterly by the land that men had added to their home lots, about 64 rods, northerly it bounds by the land of Thomas Stoughton, 36 rod, westerly by a way betwixt it and mens half lots, 44 rods, more or less, southerly by the land of George Phillips, 57 rod. (Vol 1, p. 30, Windsor Records.)
Israel and Jedediah Dewey, sons of Thomas Dewey, deceased, have bequeathed to them by the Court, as part of their legacy out of their father's estate, a parcel of meadow land in the Great Meadow 14, 2 acres and a half, more or less, as it bounds north by the meadow of Elizabeth Terry, widow, south by Matthew Grant, east by John Strong, west by a high way. (Vol. 1, p. 80, Windsor Records.)
Also they have jointly between them and not divided a parcel of meadow and swamp land, 5 acres, more or less, as it bounds north by the pasture of John Maudsly, south by land for a high way, to go from the bank to the meadow, next to the pasture of Matthew Grant, east by the meadow high way, west it bounds in the swamp by the land of George Phelps, his orchard, and partly by the way down the bank.
Josiah Dewey, of Northampton, son of Thomas Dewey of Windsor, deceased, has bequeathed to him by the Court, as part of his legacy, out of his father's estate, a parcel of meadow land, here in Windsor, in the Great Meadow, 3 acres and a quarter, which his father bought of Thomas Staires, in breadth 14 rod 15 foot, in length 36 rod and a quarter, and is now bounded by the meadow land of Stephen Terry north, south by Walter Gaylord, east by Aaron Cook, west by another parcel, which is one acre and a quarter; in breadth 14 rod and a half, in length 13 rod and 14 foot, now bounded north as afore said, south by Matthew Grant, west by his brother, Thomas Dewey.
Also he hath a quarter part, or 4 acres, of swamp land, as it is to be divided betwixt himn and his three brothers, Thomas, Israel, and Jedediah.
This entered:
Sept 21, 1663. John Strong (married Mary Clark) hath by purchase of his brother Josiah Dewey, 3 acres and a quarter as it was formerly set out to Thomas Staires; in breadth 14 rod and 15 foot, in length 36 rod and a quarter, bounded north by the meadow of Stephen Terry, south by Walter Gaylord, east by Aaron Cook. Also adjoining to it on the west one acre and a quarter more; in breadth 14 rod and a half, in length 13 rod and 14 foot, now bounded north as before, out by Matthew Grant. Also by purchase of his brother Thomas Dewey, adjoining to the west end of the former, one acre and a quarter, and 13 rod; in breadth 14 rod and a half, in length 14 rod and 12 foot, bounded north by Stephen Terry, south by Matthew Grant, west by Meadow now in the improvement of George Phelps.
Now, Feb 3, 1676, after long delay is entered for record to Mr. Chancy, the pasture that was Thomas Dewey, Senior's; after his decease it was given to his two sons, Israel and Jedediah, equally to be divided between them. Israel sold his part to Return Strong, and Jedediah sold his part to Lieut. Fyler in the year '69; in the year'70 he was to assign it up to Mr. Chancy, and did, and was paid for it by Mr. Chancy, 24 pounds and 15 shillings, and in 1672 Return Strong was sold and made over to him, by his grandfather Thomas Ford, meadow land in ye Great Meadow, and his grandfather engaged him to let Mr. Chancy to have his part of the pasture he bought of Israel Dewey, and abated him 20 pounds of his pay for his meadow, and now Return causes Mr. Chancy to remit him the paying of the 5 pounds which Mr. Warham appointed him to pay to Mr. Chancy, and now Return Strong makes over his whole right and interest that he ever had in his part of the pasture he bought of Israel Dewey, to Mr. Nathaniel Chancy, his heirs and assigns forever, the whole pasture of both parts goes in ye account of 5 acres and something upward, besides the high way, as it bounds northeryly by the pasture lands of John Maudsly and toward ye eastern end by meadow of John Hosford, and southerly with the land for a way to go into the meadow, by the pasture land of Matthew Grant, easterly by a meadow high way that lies without the pasture fence, westerly it bounds the greatest part of the breadth by the hose land Mr. Chancy bought of George Phelps, goeth in part by the high way, between it and the town house land. (Vol. 1, p. 5, Windsor Records.)⁸