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THOMAS TOBEY (say 1624–1710/4)

MARTHA KNOTT (d. after 1673), daughter of George Knott and Martha Unknown

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Thomas Tobey was born say 1624 (based on his marriage). He died on 19 January 1710 or on 9 January 1713/4 (according to a note on his inventory). [1] He married Martha, the daughter of George Knott, on 18 November 1650 in Sandwich. [1] He married second Hannah (Swift) Fish about 1692. [2]

Martha was living on 27 October 1673.

Thomas Tobey was not Martha's first suiter. On 4 October 1648 the court ordered Thomas Dunham to stay away from Martha Knott until it could better descern his "pretended contract" with her, or upon the clearing up of matters the Governor gave him leave. [3]

Martha is called the wife of Thomas Tobey in her mother's will of 27 October 1673. Thomas was named the executor. [4]

Thomas first shows up in the Plymouth Colony records in Sandwich in 1644. At a Sandwich town meeting on 6 (7) 1644, townsmen volunteered to pay (in corn) for repairing the church meetinghouse. Thomas Tupper collected ten shillings (worth) from Edmund Freeman and Thomas Dexter, nine shillings from Thomas Gibbs, Sr., Ezra Perry and Jacob Burge, seven shillings from Thomas Tobey, Sr. and six from William Bassett. [5]

Thomas was of middling social stature; he is never addressed as Mr. He appears to have been a diplomat: he was entrusted with important offices and avoided controversy. His substantial land acquisitions made him a relatively affluent man.

On 18 May 1658 Thomas was chosen constable. [3] He was on the Grand Enquest on 7 June 1670. [6] Thomas Tobey, Sr. was on the Town Council during King Philip's War on 29 February 1675/6. [6] Thomas was often trusted with matters related to taxation. On 20 February 1667 he was one of six men appointed to be raters for the year. [3] On 5 June 1667 and 3 June 1668 he was chosen to be receiver of the excise in Sandwich. [7] On 14 August 1679 he was a appointed a rater. [3]

Thomas was one of six men appointed by the town on 7 November 1652 to be in charge of the fish [whales] cut up by the Indians in Sandwich. [3] He was one of those who signed a 1655 letter to Mr. Leveridge, asking him to be the minister in Sandwich. [3] On 29 May 1655 Thomas Tobey contributed five shillings to the building of a public meetinghouse. [3] On 11 July 1657 he agreed to contribute one pound a year to paying the minister. [3] On 22 May 1658 he was appointed to pay 15 shillings to an Indian who killed a wolf. [3] On 12 June 1662 he was appointed by the court to take invoice of the liquor, powder, shot and lead brought into the colony. [7] On 15 May 1668 Thomas was one of two people chosen to rent out the town meadows. [3] On 3 May 1670 He was one of three men appointed to try and agree with Mr. Dexter about the grinding of the town's corn. [3]

Thomas apparently had some surveying skills. On 13 10 1659 he was one of four men chosen to meet with the Barnstable men to run the line between Sandwich and Barnstable. [3] On 18 (3) 1660 he was chosen surveyor of highways. [3] On 3 May 1670 he was chosen one of two men to lay out land for James Skiffe. [3] On 9 August 1673 he was one of three men chosen to lay out land for John Smith. [3]

The Court granted Thomas 50 or 60 acres in Sandwich on 7 July 1681. [8]

Thomas Tobey of Sandwich wrote his will on 24 March 1709/10; it was proved on 9 April 1714. On that date Samuel took oath of his father's inventory. Thomas mentioned his sons John, Samuel, Gershom, Jonathan and Nathan; Sarah, the daughter of his deceased son Ephraim and her mother Hannah; and his wife Hannah. He made it a condition of the inheritance of his sons Samuel and Nathan that they maintain their uncle George Knott. Inventory on the estate of Thomas Tupper, who it is noted died on 9 January 1713/4, amounted to 1, 060 pounds and 17 shillings. [9]

It is not clear how Thomas accumulated his land. In his will he refers to 20 acres "given to me by Quackatosett Indian sachem." It is also not clear what his profession was: his inventory included only land, an ox, two cows and a calf, and personal items.

Children of Thomas Tobey and Martha Knott:

ii. John Tobey was born about 1654/5. [2] John Tobey, Sr. died on 26 December 1738 in Sandwich. [5] He married Jane Unknown. [2]

Jane is sometimes said to be Jane Loring, but the only Jane Loring in the vicinity and of remotely the right age—Jane, the daughter of Josiah, born 9 August 1663—married Samuel Gifford. [10]

iii. Nathan Tobey was born in 1656/7. [2] He died between 26 November 1721, when he wrote his will, and 5 April 1722, when it was proved. [11] He married first Mary, the daughter of John And Deborah (Hillier) Sargeant of Barnstable. [12] She died before 4 February 1694/5. He married second Sarah Fallowell about 1696. [11]

A 4 February 1694/5 document from the settlement of Mary's father's estate refers to a distribution to Seth and Deborah Tobey, the children of Nathan and Mary Tobey. [12]

iv. Ephraim Tobey was born in 1658/9. [2] He died before 29 September 1693. He married Hannah Unknown. She died before 20 May 1714. [2]

Ephraim died intestate; inventory was taken on his estate on 29 September 1693 and his widow Hannah was named administratrix. [2]

v. Jonathan Tobey was born about 1662/4. He died on 22 July 1741 in Sandwich. He married Remember Perry.

vi. Samuel Tobey was born in 1664/6. [2] He died on 22 September 1737 in Sandwich. [5] He married his stepsister Abiah Fish about 1695/6. [2]

vii. Gershom Tobey was born about 1670. [2] He was living on 24 March 1709/10. He married his stepsister Mehitable Fish on 29 April 1697. [2]

References:

1. 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: 5 (marriage of Thomas and Martha), 21 (birth of Thomas, Jr.), 30 (Thomas's death).

2. Mrs. John E. Barclay, "Hannah (Swift) Tobey, daughter of William² Swift, and the Family of Ambrose² Fish, of Sandwich, Mass.," The American Genealogist 35 (1959): 40–43.

3. Sandwich and Bourne Colony and Town Records, Library of Cape Cod History and Genealogy (Yarmouthport: C.W. Swift, 1912), no page numbers.

4. "Plymouth Colony Wills and Inventories," Mayflower Descendant 25 (1923): 89–90.

5. Frederick Freeman, The History of Cape Cod: The Annals of 13 Towns of Barnstable County, vol. 2 (Boston: George C. Rand & Avery, 1862), 99 (deaths of Samuel and John).

6. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 5, Court Orders, 1668–1678 (Boston: William White, 1855).

7. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 4, Court Orders, 1661–1668 (Boston: William White, 1855).

8. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, vol. 6, Court Orders, 16781–1691 (Boston: William White, 1855).

9. “Barnstable, MA: Probate Records, 1685–1789,” database with images,  AmericanAncestors, vol. 3: 229–32.

10. Charles Henry Pope, Loring Genealogy (Cambridge: Murray and Emery, 1917), 13–20.

11. Rufus Babcock, Tobey (Tobie, Toby) Genealogy : Thomas, of Sandwich and James, of Kittery and Their Descendants (Boston: Charles H. Pope, 1905), 26–28.

12. "John Sargeant's Will," Mayflower Descendant 24 (1922): 9–14.

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Last revised: 25-Feb-2024