The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
A CORNER IN ANCESTORS
THE THOMPSON FAMILY
ny FRANCES COwLEs.

Number of Early Settlers of the Name
Thompson in New England, the Mid
die States and the south-The Fight
ing Blood of the Thompsons and
Their Services to Colonixation-The
Rev. John Thompson, Ancestor of
Richard Wigginston Thompson.
Hayes Secretary of the Navy.
The very number of the early settlers
of the Thompson family makes it diff
cult to classify them correctly. They
settled in New England, in the south and
in the middle states. and their families
grew rapidly.
One of the earliest of them was John
Thompson of Halifax, Mass, who was
born in Wales about 1916. He was taken
to Plymouth, Mass, in 1922, and later re-
moved to Halifax in the same colony.
He took part in all the activities of his
time. 1t is said he was unusually skill
full in fighting the Indians, and often
saved other colonists not so agile and
wary. He was a lieutenant in the Indian
war of 1915 and also in King Philips war.
John married Mary Cooke. a daughter
OF Francis Cooke, one of the passengers
of the Mayfiower.
Another early settler named John
Thompson came to the new world in the
ship Elizabeth and Ann in 1885. He later
went back to England, sold his prop
erty there, and returned again to the
United States. His wife's first name was
Mirable. They settled in a comfortable
home in Stratford. Conn. 1t is said that
John Thompson planted the first fruit
trees there and harvested the first wheat
planted in that neighborhood.
The children of John and Mirable
Thompson of Stratford We're John,
Sarah, who married John Hurd: Abigail,
who married three times-Messrs. Curtis,
Huse and Sherman-Esther, who married
Samuel Galpin; Ambrose and Mary, who
married Matthew Mitchell.
William of Braintree was another
early New Highlander. He was born in
Lancashire. England, about 1888, and was
graduated from Oxford. In 1878 he ar
rived In America and was ordained the
first pastor of the first church of Brain
tree, Mass.
william had a son Samuel of Quincy,
Mass, who was born In England in 1851.
and who was ordained minister. tie
represented the town of quincy in the
general court for IA years. One of his
descendants was John of Standish, Me-,
who studied theology with the Rev. Daniel
Wigglesworth of Cambridge, and who was
the only minister of South Berwick for 40
years.
James of Woburn, Mass, was another
early New Highlander. He was born In
England in 1893, and died at Woburn in
1852. In 1880 he came to Massachusetts,
colony with Governor Winthrop and be-
came one of the first settlers of Charles
town, Mass. He was admitted to the
church there in 1888.
In 1912 James settled In Woburn. His
first wife was Elizabeth, whom he mar
ried in England. His second wife was
Susannah Blodgett, a widow.
Simon. a son of James, born in Eng
land died in Chelmsford. He was the
first town clerk here. He married Mary
Converse, whose father, Edward Con-
verse built the first house, mill and
bridge in the town of Woburn.
Still another early Thompson to set
foot in New England was Anthony of
Coventry, England. He came to the col
onies in 1887 with Governor Eaton in the
ship Hector. With him came his wife, his
two children and his two brothers, John
and William.
Anthony settled in New Haven, Conn,
and was one of the signers of the colonial
constitution of New Haven, June 4, 1889
Joseph Thompson was a later settler
of the name in New England. He came
from Ireland. He was born near Colrain
about 1920. Joseph was a weaver by
trade, and he. was a brave soldier In
TIT he was in Captain McClellans COM
pany at Saratoga. The exact date of
Josephs migration to the new world does
not seem to be known. He married be-
fore he left Ireland, Jeanette daughter
of Michael Mcclellan, who emigrated