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DANIEL THURSTON (d. 1693)

ANNE PELL, daughter of Joseph Pell

Daniel Thurston died on 19 January 1692/3, probably in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. [1][2] He married Anne Pell on 20 October 1655 in Newbury. [3] Anne was the daughter of Joseph Pell. [2]

Daniel probably died after June 1692, when his son Daniel is referred to as Daniel, Jr. , and January 1693/4, when he is known as Daniel.

The Hannah who died on 8 November 1701 in Newbury is probably Anne. [3]

In his will of 10 December 1646, Francis Lightfoot left bequests to his brother Pell and to Hannah Pell. [4]

In 1653 the General Court, in an attempt to restrain Baptists with Quaker leanings, made it a misdemeanor to preach on Sunday if one was not an ordained minister. The Court regarded its decisions and final and infallible and when Lieutenant Robert Pike objected he was disfranchised and fined. Petitions were drawn up to protest this and the Court formed a committee to ascertain the petitioners' motives. Fifteen men, including Daniel Thurston, Jr. of Newbury [who must have been very young], refused to give a reason. The objectionable act was withdrawn. [5][6][7, 1; 366–8]

Daniel was on the grand jury at the court held at Ipswich on 27 September 1659. [7, 2; 168] He was one of 39 men from Newbury who signed a 1666 petition in favor of conciliatory measures toward the king. [6] On 30 January 1670/1 Daniel was one of 11 men told to construct a pew in the southeast corner of the meeting house for the use of their wives and daughters. [6] He took the oath of allegiance in 1678 in Newbury. He was said to be 40 years old at the time. [7, 7; 156–7][6] He acted as attorney to James Davis, Sr. of Haverhill at the 8 April 1679 court at Salisbury. [7, 7; 190] He was on the jury of inquest on 28 May 1683 to examine the sudden death of Richard Jakwesh.[7, 9; 270]

Daniel of Newbury wrote his will on 17 January 1692/3. He left his son Daniel half his land in Newbury, excluding a piece called the Rate Lot. He also left him the other half of his land on condition that he care for his mother during his widowhood and pay his siblings Sarah, Joseph, Steven, and Abigail each 30 pounds. He left his son James the Rate Lot and a house. He left his son Joseph a pair of looms with tackling, a cow and a gun. He left his son Steven a pair of looms. He left his daughter Hannah five shillings in addition to what he had already given her. He gave his daughter Sarah five pounds worth of household goods. All other movables were to go to Daniel. If there was anything left over it was to be divided equally between Joseph, Steven, Sarah, and Abigail. He named his friends Henry and John Poore his overseers. Inventory was taken on 31 January 1692/3 and it included books. [1]

Children of Daniel Thurston and Anne Pell: Births recorded in Newbury [3]

i. Daniel Thurston was born on 2 July 1657. He died on 3 November 1657 in Newbury. [3]

ii. Hannah Thurston was born on 20 or 30 January 1658. She died after 17 January 1692/3. She married Benjamin Pearson on 20 January 1679 in Rowley. [8]

iii. Unnamed daughter Thurston was born on 22 November 1660. She died on 16 December 1660 in Newbury. [3]

iv. Daniel Thurston was born on 18 December 1661. He died on 16 February 1737. He married Mary Dresser.

v. Sarah Thurston was born on 8 January 1663. She died after 17 January 1692/3.

vi. Steven Thurston was born on 25 October 1665. He apparently died young.

vii. Joseph Thurston was born on 14 September 1667. He married first Mehitable Kimball after 21 November 1695 (intention) in Newbury. [3] He married second Elizabeth Woodberry of Ipswich on 25 August 1707 in Rowley. [8] Elizabeth was the daughter of John Woodbury of Beverly. [2]

viii. Anne Thurston was born on 6 September 1669. She died on 27 September 1669 in Newbury. [3]

ix. James Thurston was born on 24 September 1670. James of Newbury married Mary Pearson on 24 January 1693-4 in Rowley. [8] Mary was the daughter of Samuel and Mary (Poore) Pearson of Rowley. [2]

James and Mary went to Exeter, New Hampshire. [2]

x. Steven Thurston was born on 25 October 1672. He apparently died young.

xi. Steven Thurston was born on 5 February 1673/[4?] He was baptized on 2 June 1678 in Newbury. [3] He married first Mary Knight on 14 October 1706 in Newbury. [3] He married second Sarah ___. [2]

xii. Abigail Thurston was born on 17 March 1677/8. She married Joseph Chase on 8 November 1699 in Newbury. [3] Joseph, the son of Aquila and Esther Chase of Newbury, was born on 25 March 1677. [2]

Joseph and Abigail moved to Littleton, Massachusetts. [2]

Endnotes:

1. "Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638–1881," database with images, AmericanAncestors.org, case 27615.

2. Nora Emma Snow, The Snow-Estes Ancestry (Hillburn, NY: Snow, 1939), 122–5.

3. Vital Records of Newbury, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, vol. 1, vol. 2 (Salem: Essex Institute, 1911).

4. Editors, "Will of Francis Lightfoot," Essex Antiquarian 2 (1898), 101.

5. No author, "Robert Pike," Essex Antiquarian 4 (1900): 113–7.

6. John J. Currier, History of Newbury, Mass., 1635–1902 (Boston : Damrell & Upham, 1902), 162–5.

7. George Francis Dow, ed., and Harriet S. Tapley, trans., Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, 9 vols., digitized books, Salem Witch Trials: Documentary Archive and Transcription Project (http://salem.lib.virginia.edu).

8. Vital Records of Rowley, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, vol. 1, vol. 2 (Salem: Essex Institute, 1928, 1931).

9. George Francis Dow, The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts, vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3 (Salem: Essex Institute, 1916, 1917, 1920), 2: 30.

© A. Buiter 2014

01-Dec-2023 9:25 AM