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THOMAS BURGE (d. 1685)
DOROTHY UNKNOWN (d. 1687)
Thomas Burge died on 23 February 1685 in Sandwich. [MVRS]
Dorothy Burge died on 7 February 1686/7 in Sandwich. [MVRS]
Thomas Burges was granted ten acres on the Duxbury side on 3 July 1637. [NBS1]
A grant was made to Edmund Freeman and nine associates who had been residents of Saugus (Lynn) to have land for a settlement at what is now called Sandwich on 3 April 1637. Thomas was one of about 30 men who came with them as settlers. [HCC]
Thomas Burge received seven and a half acres of meadowland in Sandwich on 16 April 1640. [SBCR][NSB1]
Thomas was admitted a freeman on 2 June 1640. [NSB1]
Thomas was on grand jury on 2 June 1640. [NSB1]
He was on the committee for the town of Sandwich on 20 August 1644, 28 October 1645, 7 June 1648. [NBS2]
He was chosen constable for Sandwich on 4 June 1645. [NBS2]
He was one of the soldiers from Sandwich who rode out on an expedition against the Narragansetts on 23 Augut 1645. [NBS2]
On 3 March 1645/6 Thomas Burge was presented for a breach of the peace, but was discharged. [NBS2]
On 22 May 1651 the town of Sandwich ordered that four men, Goodman Tupper, Goodman Burge, Sr., Nathaniel Willis, and William Gifford, had the right to call a town meeting. [SBCR]
On 29 May 1655 Thomas Burge, Sr. contributed one pound to the building of a public meetinghouse. [SBCR] On 11 July 1657 Thomas Burge, Sr. agreed to contribute two pounds a year to paying the minister. [SBCR]
On 28 October 1658 Thomas Burge, Sr. was chosen one of seven men to lay out land and establish the true bounds. [SBCR] On 29 November 1659 he was one of five men chosen to make a rate of 13 pounds. [SBCR] On 13 (10) 1659 Thomas Burge and John Ellis agreed to onvey 17 barrels of whale oil to the custody of Richard Bourne. [SBCR] on 16 May 1662 Goodman Burge was chosen to be on the committee for the town and to be a surveyor of highways. [SBCR] On 15 May 1663 Goodman Burge, Sr. was chosen surveyor of highways. [SBCR] On 1 March 1666 Goodman Bourne and Goodman Burge were appointed to finish bounding mens' land. [SBCR] On 15 May 1668 Thomas Burge, Sr. was chosen to be on the committee for the town. [SBCR] On 18 March 1669 Richard Bourne and Thomas Burge, Sr. were appointed to lay out land for Benjamin Nye. [SBCR]On 22 5 1672 Thomas Burge, Sr. one one of four men chosen to settle differences between the town and Oneshatenket Sachem of Monemet and differences between the town and Barnstable. [SBCR] On 21 May 1678 he was chosen surveyer of highways. [SBRC]
On 13 9 1660 the town granted Thomoas Burge, Sr. an acre of land near his land. [SBCR] On 10 May 1670 the town sold Thomas Burge, Sr. a parcel of land which formerly belonged to Mr. Edmond Freeman. [SBRC]
Children of Thomas Burge:
i. Elizabeth Burge was born about 1629. She died on 26 September 1717 in Sandwich. She married Ezra Perry.
ii. Thomas Burge married Elizabeth Bassett on 8 November 1648. [MVRS]
On 29 May 1655 Thomas Burge, Jr. contributed ten shillings to the building of a public meetinghouse. [SBCR] On 11 July 1657 Thomas Burge, Jr. agreed to contribute one pound a year to paying the minister. [SBCR] On 13 9 1660 Thomas Burge, Jr. was chosen to repair and maintain the town pound. Also, on that day the town sold Thomas four acres for his brother Jacob for four shillings. [SBCR]
At the 7 May 1661 Court of Assistents Thomas, his father and his brother-in-law Ezra Perry posted bond for Thomas; ;the condition was that he was to appear at the next General Court and answer for an act of uncleanliness committed by him and in the interim he was not to "imbezell away his estate." [NBS3] He posted 100 pounds and his father and brother-in-law each posted 50 pounds. On 10 June 1661 [NBS3]
Thomas Burge, Junior, being bound ouer to the Court to answare for an act of vncleanes committed by him with Lydia Gaunt, hee was sentanced, according to the law, to bee seuerly whipt, which accordingly was enflicted whiles this Court was in being, and a second time to bee whipt att Sandwich, att the discretion of Mr Hinckley, on the first Munday in July next after the date heerof; and as conserning the capitall letters to bee worne according to the law, it is for the present respited vntill the Court shall descerne beter of his future walkeing.
Also on 10 June 1661, Thomas's wife "did urgently sollicite" the court for a divorce, the said Thomas "manifesting little dislike thereof," this was granted. [NBS3]
The Gaunt family were Quakers. [HCC]
iii. Joseph Burge was born about1639.
Joseph deposed that he was about 30 in May 1669. [SBCR]
On 16 July 1662 the town agreed with Thomas Tupper and Joseph Burge about repairing the pound and it agreed with Joseph about being a trooper. [SBCR] On 26 April 1669 Joseph was chosen "sayar" [surveyor?] [SBCR] On 10-5-1672 Joseph Burge was chosen constable. [SBCR]
iv. Jacob Burge married Mary Nye on 1 June 1660 in Sandwich. [MVRS]
On 16 May 1662 Jacob was chosen a grandjuryman. [SBCR] On 29 April Jacob was chosen surveyor of highways and was one of five men chosen to remove a fence erected by John Fuller without permission. [SBCR] On 21 3 1674 he was one of two men chosen to repair the town pound. [SBCR]
v. John Burge married Mary Worden on 8 December 1657 in Sandwich. [MVRS]
John, the son of Thomas Burge, moved to Yarmouth by 1657. [HCC]
References:
SBCR. Sandwich and Bourne Colony and Town Records, Library of Cape Cod History and Genealogy (Yarmouthport: C.W. Swift, 1912), no page numbers, book in bad shape.
MVRS. Caroline Lewis Cardell and Russell A. Lovell, Vital Records of Sandwich, Massachusetts: To the Year 1850, 2 vols. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1996), vol. 1: 4 (Thomas Jr.'s marriage), 10 (deaths of Thomas and Dorothy), 17 (marriages of John and Jacob).
NBS1. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 1, Court Orders, 1633–1640 (Boston: William White, 1855).
NBS3. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 3, Court Orders, 1651–1661 (Boston: William White, 1855).
HCC. Frederick Freeman, The History of Cape Cod: The Annals of 13 Towns of Barnstable County, vol. 2 (Boston: George C. Rand & Avery, 1862), 15–16, 53, 82.
Last revised: 31-May-2021