Lt. Thomas Minor - Co-founder of Stonington and Much More
Family Connection - 9th Great Grandfather of Roy Ellsworth Stricker
Thomas Minor was born in Chew Magna, Somerset, England, on April 23, 1608. His father was Clement Minor, his mother's name is unknown.
In 1629, at the age of 21, he emigrated to Salem, Massachusetts aboard the ship "Lyon's Whelp".
An epidemic of typhus broke out in Salem, so he relocated first to Watertown, then to Charlestown. He was made Freeman in Charlestown in 1633. He was one of the founding members of the church in Charlestown. On April 23, 1634, he married Grace Palmer (b.1613), daughter of Walter Palmer. Thomas and Grace had eleven children:
John b. 1635 d. 1719
Clement b. 1637 d. 1700
Thomas b. 1640 d. 1662
Ephraim b. 1642 d. 1724
Joseph b. 1644 d. 1712
Judah b. abt. 1646 d. unknown
Manassah b. 1647 d. 1728
Ann b. 1649 d. 1652
Mary b. 1651 d. 1660
Samuel b. 1652 d. 1682
Hannah b. 1655 d. 1692
In 1636, Thomas and his family moved to Hingham Massachusetts.
In 1645, Thomas and family joined John Winthrop's Puritans in settling a new town called Pequot, now known as New London, Connecticut. Thomas was named assistant to John Winthrop with the power to decide any differences between inhabitants valued at less than forty shillings. Thomas was also appointed "Military Sergeant in the Towne of Pequot". This gave him the authority to create and train the "Train Band", or town militia.
Thomas was appointed to serve as Magistrate (judge) for Pequot in 1649. He was also one of the first two deputies to General Court, the legislature, in 1650.
In 1652, Thomas joined his father-in-law Walter Palmer, William Cheeseborough, and Thomas Stanton to found a new town, Pawcatuck, now Stonington Connecticut.
Early Map of Stonington, showing location of both Walter Palmer's and Thomas Minor's holdings.
From 1658 until 1662, Thomas Minor was part of a dispute about whether Stonington was part of Massachusetts Bay Colony or Connecticut Colony. In 1662, it was ruled to be part of Connecticut.
In Oct. 1664 and May 1665, Thomas Minor was appointed Magistrate for the town of Stonington. He served as deputy to Connecticut General Court form Stonington nine times between 1665 and 1689. He was also named Commissioner in charge of dealings with the Native Americans, since he had learned their language and could interpret between the Native Americans and the townspeople.
In 1666 Thomas was granted 150 acres of land from the colony to reward him for his public service.
King Phillips War broke out in 1675-1676. Thomas was named a Lieutenant in the Narraganset Campaign. He took part in the Great Swamp Fight near Kingston, Rhode Island, when he was 67 years old.
In July 1685, he was named Chief Military Officer of the local "Train Band" (local militia).
Thomas Minor died on October 23, 1690. He was buried in Wequequock Cemetery in Stonington alongside his wife Grace, who died on December 31, 1690.
Gravestone for Thomas Minor
The Stonington Founders Monument, shown at the beginning of this post, has one side dedicated to Thomas Minor.
If anyone was wondering about the level of detail in this blog post - here's the explanation. Thomas Minor kept a diary, and it was published in the 19th century by his descendants.
Thomas Minor > Clement Minor > Joseph Miner > Joseph Miner > Ezekiel Miner > John Miner > Phebe Miner > Elenora Moses > George Josiah Newland > William Henry Newland > Gertrude Myra Newland > Roy Ellsworth Stricker
Thomas Minor is in green in the top tree. The center person of the top tree, Clement Miner, is in the second ring from outside at the bottom in the green section of the second tree. The center person of the middle tree, Phebe Minor, is in the second ring from outside, yellow section of the bottom tree.
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