Thomas Goodman Bonney (IMMIGRANT)
1604–1689
BIRTH 1 MAY 1604 • St James Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England, Dover, Kent, England
DEATH 2 JAN 1689 • Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
8th great-grandfather
Descendants of THOMAS BONNEY (1604-1694) of Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts
Generation No. 1
1. THOMAS1 BONNEY was born Abt. 1604 in England, and died May 1, 1693 in Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts. He married (1) MARY TERRY Abt. 1643 in Massachusetts, daughter of JOHN TERRY and MARY WHITE. She was born Abt. 1610 in England, and died Bef. 1649 in Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts.
He married (2) MARY HUNT Abt. 1649 in probably in Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts, daughter of EDMUND HUNT. She was born Abt. 1630, and died Aft. 1693 in Massachusetts.
Mary Elizabeth Hunt
1630–1693
BIRTH 1630 • Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
DEATH 1 MAY 1693 • Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA
8th great-grandmother
When Mary Elizabeth Hunt was born in 1630 in Pembroke, Massachusetts, her father, Edmund/Edmond, was 27, and her mother, Dorcas, was 20. She married Thomas Goodman Bonney in 1640 in England. They had nine children in 41 years. She died on May 1, 1693, in Duxbury, Massachusetts, at the age of 63.
| ‘Goodman’ Thomas Bonney | |
| Birthdate: | circa 1604 |
| Birthplace: | England (United Kingdom) |
| Death: | May 10, 1693 (84-93) Duxbury, Plymouth Colony |
| Place of Burial: | Plymouth, Plymouth Colony, Province of Massachusetts Bay, (now Massachusetts, USA) |
|---|---|
| Immediate Family: | Husband of Mary Bonney Father of Thomas Bonney, Jr.; Mary Mitchell; Sarah Cole; Hannah Bonney; James Bonney; John Bonney; William Bonney and Joseph Bonney « less |
| Occupation: | Shoemaker |
| Additional Info: | Came to America on the Hercules, sailing from Sandwich England in 1634 |
| Immigration Year: | 1634 – on the “Hercules” |
| Office: | 1643 – Constable at Duxbury |
Notes for THOMAS BONNEY:
Thomas Bonney, a shoemaker, came to New England on the ship “Hercules” from Sandwich, England in March 1634. He settled first at Charlestown, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts where he was a proprietor in 1635. He sold his house and land there in 1637 to Robert Cutler and moved to Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts where he became a freeman on March 5, 1638/9 and a proprietor on August 31, 1640. In 1640 he owned land northwest of North Hill and thirty acres at Namasakeeset. The name was later changed to Pembroke and subsequently changed to Hanson.
Thomas’s first wife was Mary Terry. Following her death, Thomas married Mary Hunt, the daughter of Edmund Hunt. In 1643, Thomas was listed as able to bear arms (16-60 years old) in Duxbury along with his future father-in-law, Edmund Hunt and his son’s future father-in-law, Henry Sampson. He was also listed as a constable at Duxbury between 1643 and 1644, a town officer in Court in 1645, and as a surveyor of highways in 1652. He was a shoemaker by trade. His will was dated January 2, 1688/9 and was probated on May 1, 1693. He bequeath to his wife, Mary, and son, Thomas, his estate to be divided between the children after the death of their mother.
While there has been some question as to which Thomas Bonney married Dorcus Sampson, daughter of Henry Sampson, Perez Bonney’s chronicle of his predecessors and his own posterity — from his grandfather down to his own grandchildren is generally accepted as being correct. In it he states:
“I, the subscriber, Perez Bonney, the son of John Bonney, of Pembrook, having a mind to write an account of my predecessor, according to the best information that ever I had, I shall begin with my grandfather, Thomas Bonney, who came from Dover, in England, and was born about the year 1604, and married Mary Terry, but she died, and then he married Mary Hunt, being as I have been told about 50 years old by whom he had: Thomas 2nd, who married Dorcas Sampson; Mary, who married John Mitchell; Sarah, who married Nathaniel Cole; Hannah, unknown; John who married Elizabeth Bishop; William, who married Ann May; Joseph, who married Margaret Phillips; and James, who married Abigail Bishop. My grandfather was by trade or occupation a cordwainer and settled in Duxborough. … And so I have gone through with my design at present.
Pembrook, Jan. 23d, 1758. Perez Bonney.”
Because there is no record of any Terry family in the Plymouth Colony at the time, it is possible that Thomas Bonney’s marriage to Mary Terry may have occurred at Charlestown, prior to the time he moved to Duxbury.
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WILL OF THOMAS BONNEY – dated January 2, 1688/89 – Duxbury, Massachusetts:
Upon the 2 Day of january in the Year of our Lord 1688/89 I, Thomas Boney Senr. Shoomaker Living in Duxburrough being of sound mind & in good and perfect rememberance (praised be the Lord for it) Make & ordaine this my last Will & Testament In manner & form following that is to say first I commend my Soule unto Allmighty God, my maker & redeemer, & my bodie to be desently buried & funerall charges defraied together with all my just & lawfull debts.
Item I bequeath unto my beloved wife Mary Boney all my housses & Landes in Duxburrough as also all my cattell & all my household state for her proper use & behoofe During her naturall Life & if anny thing remaine of the moveables My Will is that they be desposed of by her a Mongst my children as she thenkes fit. I give to my Sonne Thomas Boney all My housses & Lands in Duxburrough after his Mothers Deceas.
I do hereby also Make my Beloved Wife Mary Boney soule Exequitrix & Administratrix of this my Last will & Testament In the fift year of the Raine of King James the second.
Sighned & sealed in the pesene of us witnesses.
THOMAS BONEY his Marke (Seal)
Samuel Hunt
Rhodolphus Thacher
Mr. Rhodolphus Thatcher and Samuel Hunt the witness as above named appeared on ye first day of May 1694 and made oath that they were present and saw and heard Thomas Boney the Testator above named sign seal & deliver ye above written to be his last will and testament and that to the Best of their Judgement he was of depossing mind and memory when he did ye same. Before me
William Bradford
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THE 1643 LIST OF FREEMEN OF DUXBORROW INCLUDES:
Edmond Hunt
Willm Brewster
Love Brewster
John Farneseed
Thom Bonney
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THE 1657 LIST OF FREEMEN OF DUXBORROW INCLUDES:
Thomas Bonney
Thomas Bonney [this may indicate that Thomas Bonney Jr. was already 17 years old, the age required to register for the military]
Edmond Hunt
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SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO THOMAS BONNEY FROM PLYMOUTH COLONY RECORDS INCLUDE:
March 3, 1645/6 – Court of Assistants meeting held at Plymouth Colony:
1. Wee do psent Thomas Bonney, of the towne of Duxborrow, for uncivill carriages and lacivious actions toward weomen and maydes. Released.
Whereas an action of slaunder and defamacon was this Court comenced by Mr John Farnyseede, and Elizabeth, his wyfe, against Thomas Bonney, by the arbitration and mediation of frends, it was upon the said Bonneys acknowledgement withdrawne, weh was shewed in Court, and ordered to be recorded as followth viz:
Know all men by these pnts, that whereas Thomas Bonney hath said that Mris Farniseede did justle him in her house, and that hee tooke it as a temptation of him unto lust, the said Thomas Bonney doth freely and humbly acknowledg, unto the glory of God and unto his own shame, that it was his owne base heart that caused him to make that construction thereof, hee acknowledging that he had no sufficient reason so to conceive, but that evell suspition arose from the corruption of his own heart; and although the said Thomas Bonney did further accuse her in comeing bare legged unto him, speaking unto him, Thomas Bonney, will you mend my shooes? shee utterly denyeth that ever shee came to him in any such manner, the said Thomas Bonney dareing not say but that hee might be mistaken therein; and whatever interpretation Thomas Bonney did make thereof, the said Thomas Bonney acknowledgeth it to arise from his owne base, lustfull heart, and doth wholly condemme himself fro speakeing or thinking any evell of her, the said
Thomas Bonney not dareing to say or think any of her but that shee is very honest, modest, and chaste weoman, both in heart, worde, and deede, and doth therefore earnestly beseech the Lord to for give him his many and great sinns therein, & doth humbly entreate Mris Farnyseede, her husband, pents, and frends to forgive him these so greate wrongs & injuries done by him herein, pmiseing to acknowledg these his wronges (donn unto her) in or before the congregacon whenever it shalbe required of the said Mrs Farnyseede, her husband, or friends; and also the said
Thomas Bonney doth hereby testifye, that if ever hereafter hee shall in any measure speake any thing to any pson or psons tending to her disgrace oe defamacon, that then it shalbe lawfull for the husband of the said Mris Fernyseede to psecute his action of slaunder and defamacon, notwthstanding this his acknowledgment; the said Thomas Bonney also pmiseing to put into the hand of the deacon of the church of Duxborrow five shillings, for to be by the said deacon distributed unto the poore. In witnesse whereof the said Thomas Bonney hath suscribed his hand this second day of March, 1645.
Thomas Boni
Witnes, John Willis.
[Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England – Edited by Nathaniel Shurtleff and David Pulsifer – Vol. 2, pages 96 & 97]
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August 4, 1646 – Court of Assistants meeting held at Plymouth Colony:
In the case betwixte Thomas Bonney, compl, and John Willis and Mr John Farneseede, defend, for damage don in the corne and garden of ye said compl, weh damage was awarded to vij by such as viewed the same, the Court, having heard the allegations of all the said pties, doe determine, that the said vij shalbe equally borne betwixte them, vizt: ijs iiij a peece; yt is 2s 4d Bonny, 2s 4d John Willis, & 2s 4d John Farneside, & Thomas Bonney to pay ye charge of ye Courte.
[Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England – Edited by Nathaniel Shurtleff – Vol. 2, page 107]
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May 5, 1656:
Roger Glasse complained against Thomas Bonney, in the action of the case, to the damage of thirty shillings for denying to pay him for the carrying of som thinges for him into the bay.
The jurry find for the plaintife, and give him sixteen shillings besides the bushell and halfe of aples received, and the charges for the suite.
[Records of the Colony of New Plymouth – Judicial Acts 1636-1692 – page 65]
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October 1, 1661- Court of Assistants meeting held in Plymouth Colony:
Thomas Bonney was charged by Christopher Wadsworth with wounding his mare.
[Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England – Edited by Nathaniel Shurtleff – Vol. 4, page 7]
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A GENEALOGICAL DICTIONARY OF THE FIRST SETTLERS OF NEW ENGLAND, BEFORE 1692 – Vol. 1 – Savage, James – 1860-62:
BONNEY, THOMAS, Charlestown, shoemaker, came in the Hercules, 1635, from Sandwich, in Kent, rem. early was one of the proprs. of Bridgewater 1645, but liv. at Duxbury, where he m. Dorcas, d. of Henry Sampson (as noted above, this appears to be incorrect), had one or more s. prob. and Mary, wh. m. 14 Dec. 1675, John Mitchell.
Children of THOMAS BONNEY and MARY HUNT are:
2.i. THOMAS2 BONNEY II, b. Abt. 1650, Massachusetts; d. Bet. July 29 – August 19, 1735, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts.3.ii. MARY BONNEY, b. Abt. 1655, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; d. May 13, 1677, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts.4.iii. SARAH BONNEY, b. 1657. iv. HANNAH BONNEY, b. Abt. 1660; d. Aft. 1685. Notes for HANNAH BONNEY:
October 27, 1685 – General Court meeting held at Plymouth Colony:
John Michell being profered by the Court the benifitt of a jury, but he has rather submitt himselfe to the judgement of the Courtt.
The Court then gave him this judgmentt: John Michell, convict for fornication with Hannah Bony, for lasciuious carriages and speeches att sundry times, is sentanced to be severely whipt, & to give bond with surtyes for for his good behavior till March Court next, to stand committed till sentence be performed. [Which accordingly was don.]
[Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England – Edited by Nathaniel Shurtleff – Vol. 6, page 176]
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October 27, 1685 – General Court meeting held at Plymouth Colony:
Hannah Bonny convict for fornication with John Michell, & also with Nimrod, negro, & haveing a bastard child by sd Nimrod, is sentanced to be well whipt. [Which accordingly was don.]
Nimrod, negro, convict for fornication with Hannah Bonny, is sentanced to be severely whipt, & that sd Nimrod pay 18 pence pr weeke to said Bonny towards the maintainance of sd child for a year, if it live soe long; & if he, or his master in his behalfe, neglect to pay the same, the sd negro to be putt out to seruice by the Deputy Goverr soe long time, or from time to time, soe as to procure the same. [Which accordingly was whipt.]
[Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England – Edited by Nathaniel Shurtleff – Vol. 6, page 177]
Notes: John Mitchell was the grandson of Mayflower passenger, Francis Cooke, and Hannah Bonney’s brother-in-law, the husband of her sister, Mary Bonney, who died May 13, 1677. In the October 27, 1681 inventory of the estate of Dr. Samuel Seabury, husband of Martha Pabodie the daughter of William Pabodie and Elizabeth Alden, taken at Duxbury, “The Negro slave Nimrod was valued at 27 pounds and 1 Negro Man 7 yeers; his wife and three children were not valued.” (Plymouth Colony Probate Records – Vol. 4, page 93)
5.v. JOHN BONNEY, b. February 25, 1663/64, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; d. November 16, 1745, (age 81) Pembroke, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts.6.vi. WILLIAM BONNEY, b. 1667, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; d. 1746.7.vii. JOSEPH BONNEY, b. Abt. 1669, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; d. 1720, Pembroke, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts.8.viii. JAMES BONNEY, b. Abt. 1672, Duxbury, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; d. January 24, 1723/24, Pembroke, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts.
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Thomas is the son of Thomas Bonney and Joyce (Hudson) Bonney. Husband of :
1> Mary Elizabeth (Terry) Bonney
and
2> Mary (Hunt) Bonney
Info found on line
Thomas lived in Dover England, at some time before his immigration. Was a Shoemaker by trade. He arrived in America on the ship “Hercules” about 1635. He located in the Plymouth area of Massechusetts.
Reference: Southeastern Massachusetts Geneologies & Biographies, Vol2, pg839) Thomas Bonney came to America from Sandwich (Kent) England, on the “Hercules” which arrive in Charlestown, Massechusetts in 1635, piloted by John Whitney. A passenger list for the ship lists him as Bunney, Thomas from Sandwich. By occupation he was a shoemaker and a man respected by all. He settled in Duxbury, Massechusetts. He was appointed constable in 1643, an office only given to a man of high integrity. He owned land in Duxbury and was one of the principle proprietors of Bridgewater, Massechusetts in 1645. He took the oath of fidelity in Duxbury in 1657. He was also known as “Goodman” Bonney.
On March 3, 1645/46 he was presented for uncivil carriages lascivious actions towards women & Maids, but was released; on the same day he made a public apology to John Farnyseede and his wife Elizabeth for saying that Mrs. Farnyseede tried to temp “him into lust” and he admitted that it was his own “based heart” that made him misinterpret her actions. On August 4, 1646, he complained against John Willis and John Farnyseede for damaging his garden and he was awarded seven shillings damages. On October 1, 1661, he was charged by Christopher Wasdsworth with wounding his mare.
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Duxbury in Brief: A Historical Sketch
SETTLEMENT
The area now known as Duxbury was inhabited by Native Americans as early as 12,000 to 9,000 B.C. By the time European settlers arrived here, the region was inhabited by the Wampanoags who called this place Mattakeesett, meaning “place of many fish.” Here the Native Americans cleared land for crops, hunted game both small and large, and fished along the many brooks.
In 1620, the English settlers known as the Pilgrims established their colony in Plymouth. Some families came to establish a new religious community, others for the opportunity to own land and improve their lives. It was a small group whose number increased slowly at first. Per the terms of their contract with financial backers in London, they were required to live together in a tight community for seven years. At the end of that term, in 1627, land along the coast was allotted to settlers for farming. Each man was given twenty acres for himself and an additional twenty for each person in his family. Thus, the coastline from Plymouth to Marshfield was parceled out and many settlers began moving away from Plymouth.
At first, those who settled in Duxbury came to work their new farms just in the warmer months and returned to Plymouth during the winter. It was not long, however, before they began to build homes on their land, and soon requested permission from the colony to be set off as a separate community with their own church. Duxbury, which originally included land that is now Pembroke and Bridgewater, was incorporated in 1637.
Some of the most influential men in the colony received grants in Duxbury and became its first leaders. Captain Myles Standish, the military leader of the colony, lived in “the Nook,” an area now known as Standish Shore. Elder William Brewster was for many years the religious leader of the colony. He probably led services in Duxbury until it received its own minister in 1637. John Alden was another important settler, Assistant Governor of the colony for fifty years. His house, now a museum on Alden Street, was the site of many important meetings of the colony’s leaders. The graves of many of Duxbury’s first settlers can be found in the Old Burying Ground on Chestnut Street, next to the site of original Meeting House.
Duxbury was primarily a farming community throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. It’s quiet history in the 18th century was interrupted only by the Revolutionary War. In the years leading up to the war, the community was solidly rebellious and had little tolerance for loyalists. Research has shown that a large majority of able bodied men in Duxbury served the revolutionary cause at some point during the war. Duxbury men served during the seige of Boston in 1776. They joined militia companies to meet threats of invasion in Rhode Island. Duxbury fishermen served on board privateers. One Duxbury vessel was even captured by the British off Duxbury Beach.
THE MARITIME ERA
The most remarkable period in Duxbury’s history, the shipbuilding era, began immediately after the Revolution. Following the Treaty of Paris, the newborn nation was granted fishing rights on the Grand Banks. Several families took advantage of the new opportunity and began to build large fishing schooners. Soon, as foreign nations began to ease trade restrictions, Duxbury mariners found that they could trade all over the world. The schooners built in the 1790s gave way to larger brigs and eventually three-masted ships. The builders of fishing vessels soon became owners of merchant fleets, and Duxbury prospered.
By the 1840s, Duxbury boasted about 20 shipyards and was the largest producer of sailing vessels on the South Shore. With an average of ten vessels built every year between 1790-1830, the accomplishments of the Duxbury shipbuilding families rank among the more significant in Massachusetts maritime history.
There are few physical traces of this remarkable industry remaining today. The town is fortunate, however, in that an unusual number of federal period houses have survived. Along Washington Street, St. George Street, and Powder Point Avenue, one can view the homes of Duxbury shipwrights, sailors, master mariners and merchants. Many of the homes are in a remarkable state of preservation.
There were four shipbuilding families that stood out from the rest—the Westons, the Drews, the Winsors, and the Spragues. These families were responsible for producing at least 180 vessels which traded in ports around the world. Although no true innovations in shipbuilding were made in Duxbury, it’s ships were known worldwide for their fine construction.
The largest industry in Duxbury was owned by Ezra Weston, who came to be known as “King Caesar” due to his success and influence. A man with a driving ambition, Weston began building small vessels in 1764 and soon became famous for his successful merchant fleet. His son, Ezra II, who inherited his father’s kingly sobriquet, would bring the industry to its height. By 1840, the younger King Caesar had constructed the largest vessel built in New England up to that time. The ship Hope was an astounding 880 tons. Lloyd’s of London recognized Weston as the owner of the largest fleet in America, and this judgement was confirmed by Daniel Webster in a speech in 1841. His empire, a fore-runner of vertical integration, dominated the town. His lumber was grown and hauled from his own land in west Duxbury. The canvas for his sails was produced at a Weston-owned mill. His ships were provisioned by his own farms and herds.
The shipbuilding era in Duxbury ended as quickly as it began. By the 1850s sailing vessels were made obsolete by other modes of transportation such as steamships and railroads. While other Massachusetts towns grew, Duxbury went into a long economic decline.
SUMMER VISITORS
By the 1870s, Duxbury’s rural character and unspoiled bay began to attract summer visitors. Duxbury soon gained a reputation as an idyllic summer resort. With the completion of the Duxbury and Cohasset railroad line, large numbers of city-folk from Boston could pay their $1.50 for a round trip ticket and enjoy Duxbury’s refreshing environment. Boarding houses sprang up everywhere. The Miles Standish Hotel on the Nook soon became enormously popular, and a small settlement of summer cottages appeared nearby along what is now Marshall Street. The Myles Standish monument, completed in 1898, was a result of this tourist influx.
This pattern continued in Duxbury well into the 20th century. It was not until the construction of Route 3 that transportation to Boston became expedient and the town’s population exploded with the arrival of thousands of year-round residents.
