ROBERTS, Governor Thomas
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Name ROBERTS, Thomas [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] Title Governor Birth 1600 Woolaston, Gloucestershire, England [9]
Gender Male Birth 1600 Woolaston, Gloucestershire, England [11]
Arrival 1623 New Hampshire, USA [7]
Residence Between 1623 and 1923 Strafford, New Hampshire, USA [3]
Residence Between 1635 and 1717 New Hampshire, USA [5]
Residence 1640 Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA [10]
Probate 27 Sep 1673 New Hampshire, USA [6]
Death 27 Sep 1673 Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA [6, 8, 9]
Death 23 Sep 1674 Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA [11]
Differentiator Immigrant; The Great Migration; signed the Dover Combination; last Colonial Governor of the Dover Colony before it became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Great Migration Believed to have emigrated in 1623 with Edward Hilton Web Address https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Roberts-504 Name Governor Thomas Roberts [11] Religion Governor Roberts was a regular member of the orthodox Church (Puritan) for many years, but was inclined to be liberal in his views, so when Quaker missionaries came to Dover he favored giving them a fair hearing instead of whipping them as ordered by the Massachusetts General Court. Later in life, Governor Roberts embraced the Quaker teachings Residence USA [2]
Burial Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA [11]
Person ID I4516 My Genealogy Last Modified 15 Jul 2024
Father Living Relationship natural Mother Living Relationship natural Family ID F12177 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family HILTON, Rebecca, b. 1602, Monkwearmouth, Durham, England d. 27 Sep 1674, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA
(Age 72 years)
Marriage 1627 Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA [4, 8]
Married 1627 Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA Children 1. ROBERTS, Sergeant Thomas III, b. 1633, Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA d. 1703, Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA
(Age 70 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
▻ LEIGHTON, Mary m. Abt 16602. ROBERTS, Ester Hester, b. 1626, Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA d. 6 Dec 1687, Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA
(Age 61 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
3. ROBERTS, Anna, b. 1627, Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA d. 1648, Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA
(Age 21 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
4. ROBERTS, Sarah, b. 1643, Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA d. Oct 1692, Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts, USA
(Age 49 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
5. ROBERTS, Elizabeth, b. 1637, Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA d. 1701, Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA
(Age 64 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
▻ HEARD, Benjamin m. 16736. ROBERTS, John, b. 25 Mar 1629 d. 21 Jan 1695 (Age 65 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] ▻ NUTTER, Abigail m. 1650Family ID F1225 Group Sheet | Family Chart Last Modified 15 Jul 2024
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Event Map = Link to Google Earth
Pin Legend : Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
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Photos
Documents The Roberts Farm The Bound Oak
External Links WikiTree: Thomas Roberts (1600-1673)
Thomas Roberts arrived in New England with Edward Hilton in 1623. Although there is no record, tradition says he married Rebecca Hilton in 1627, the sister of Edward and William Hilton. Thomas served as the last Colonial Governor of the Dover Colony before it became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. After his marriage, Thomas Roberts lived in a house at the Point near the Hiltons. It was not until the following decade after his farm had been partially cleared of timber that Roberts started building a home on his farm at Dover Neck. Governor Roberts was a regular member of the orthodox Church (Puritan) for many years, but was inclined to be liberal in his views, so when Quaker missionaries came to Dover he favored giving them a fair hearing instead of whipping them as ordered by the Massachusetts General Court. Later in life, Governor Roberts embraced the Quaker teachings.We are descended from Thomas and Rebecca through the Wright (Tucker) line.
Albums The Dover Combination (2)
The Dover Combination, signed in 1640, was an important agreement in the early colonial history of America. It was signed by the settlers of Dover, which is now in New Hampshire.Great Migration (119)
The "Great Migration," as defined by the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), encompasses the English Puritan migration to New England from 1620 to 1640. This movement primarily involved English Puritans who relocated in family units, driven by a quest for religious freedom and the aspiration to establish a Puritan commonwealth. These migrants originated from various regions of England and settled in areas that now form Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, including the Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
An individual's inclusion in the Great Migration Study Project requires evidence of migration to New England within the specified period of 1620 to 1640. The project's objective is to compile biographical and genealogical profiles of all immigrants who arrived in New England during these two decades. The NEHGS has produced extensive volumes and directories, providing details about the lives of these immigrants. This collection presents research on many ancestors who were part of this significant historical migration.
You may be shocked by how many there are. Even I was at first. However, most of these Great Migration ancestors are my 9th and 10th great-grandparents, and in some cases 11th and 12th, and with the number of great-grandparents doubling with each generation, the possibilities quickly become immense. We have a total of 1024 sets of 9th great-grandparents and 2048 sets of 10th great-grandparents. This makes finding so many Great Migration ancestors more understandable.Founding Families of Dover (1)
Dover, New Hampshire, holds the distinction of being the oldest permanent settlement in the state and the seventh oldest in the United States, established in 1623 by William and Edward Hilton at Pomeroy Cove on Dover Point. Originally known as Bristol, the area saw a second settlement at Dover Neck in 1633. Briefly an independent colony named Northam, it was officially named Dover in 1637, potentially after Robert Dover, an English lawyer known for his resistance to Puritanism.
The early township encompassed what are now Durham, Madbury, Newington, Lee, Somersworth, and Rollinsford. Nicknamed "the Garrison City" due to its garrisoned homes built from abundant trees for protection, Dover thrived despite challenges. The town utilized the Cocheco River for industrial purposes as early as 1642, starting with a sawmill, and later developing an extensive shipbuilding industry in the 1700s. By 1830, Dover had evolved into a prominent cotton goods manufacturer, with the Dover Cotton Factory established in 1814 marking the beginning of its textile industry.
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Notes - Thomas Roberts served as the last Colonial Governor of the Dover Colony before it became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
At the March, 1640 elections, Thomas Roberts was chosen Governor or President of the Country in place of Gov. John Underhill. He held that office until Dover (then Northam) came under Massachusetts rule in 1642. I have seen this written everywhere. Thomas was not a Governor in any sense of the word as we know it today. In March or April of 1640 he was elected "President of the Court" of the Bristol Company, the owners of Dover. This position has been described as little more than head of a group of selectmen. When the Dover Combination was signed on 22 Oct. 1640, there were only about 40 men in Dover. So, as the colony grew in size other men stepped up into leadership roles. Thomas held various minor offices, but never again assumed a leadership position. This is not said to belittle him as he was quite successful, but to style him as Governor seems a bit much, not to mention Governor of New Hampshire, which he most certainly was not.
He was said to have come with the Hiltons. Signed the Dover Combination: 1640
Sewell's Hisory of the Quakers says he rebuked his sons for being cruel to the Quakers. - The Great Migration Directory:
Roberts, Thomas: London; 1640; Dover [NHPP 1:128, 10:701, 40:4; Lydia Harmon Anc 25; GDMNH 589; Wentworth 1:503]
NHPP - NH Provincial Papers
Lydia Harmon: The Ancestry of Lydia Harmon, 1755-1836 (Walter Goodwin Davis)
The Wentworth Genealogy: English and American, 3 volumes
GDMNH: Geneaologic Dictionary of Maine and NH
- Thomas Roberts served as the last Colonial Governor of the Dover Colony before it became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
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Sources - [S1744] Noyes, Libby and Davis, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, (Name: New England Historic Genealogical Society;), Pg 589, entries for Thomas Roberts (11), Sergt. Thomas Roberts (12), and John Roberts (5).
- [S1913] Ancestry.com, Descendants of Edward Small of New England : and the allied families with tracings of English ancestry, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT; Date: 2005;).
Descendants of Edward Small of New England : and the allied families with tracings of English ancestry - [S1763] Ancestry.com, History of Dover, New Hampshire : containing historical, genealogical and industrial data of its early settlers, their struggle, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT; Date: 2005;).
History of Dover, New Hampshire : containing historical, genealogical and industrial data of its early settlers, their struggle - [S1684] Yates Publishing, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2004;), Source number: 94.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: CH2.
- [S1749] Ancestry.com, New Hampshire Probate Records, 1635-1753, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2003;).
New Hampshire Probate Records, 1635-1753 - [S1705] Ancestry.com, New Hampshire, Wills and Probate Records, 1643-1982, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2015;), Author: New Hampshire (Colony); Probate Place: New Hampshire.
New Hampshire, Wills and Probate Records, 1643-1982 - [S1691] Ancestry.com, U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Place: New Hampshire; Year: 1623; Page Number: 548.
- [S1678] Ancestry.com, U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;), Genealogical Publishing Co.; Baltimore, MD, USA; Volume Title: New England Marriages Prior to 1700.
U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 - [S1706] Heritage Consulting, Millennium File, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2003;).
- [S1745] Ancestry.com, New Hampshire, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 1999;).
- [S70] Ancestry.com, U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;).
- [S1744] Noyes, Libby and Davis, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, (Name: New England Historic Genealogical Society;), Pg 589, entries for Thomas Roberts (11), Sergt. Thomas Roberts (12), and John Roberts (5).