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Thomas Fitch (1590–1632/3)
Anne Reeve (d. 1686)
Thomas, the son of George Fitch and Joan Thurgood, was born in 1590. [1] He was baptized in 1598. [1] He died between 11 December 1632 and 12 February 1632/3. He married Anna Reve of Bocking on 8 August 1611 in Saint Mary's church in Bocking. [1][2]
Anne Reeve, was the daughter of John Reeve and Mary Brock. [1] Anne Reeve (Mrs. Ann Fitch) died on 20 January 1686 in Windsor, Connecticut. [3]
Anne is mentioned in her father's will of 1620. [1]
On 27 September 1630 William Brock of Thelnetham, Suffolk, gentleman, transferred land to Thomas Fitch of Bocking, clothier. [4]
Thomas Fitch, clothier of Bocking, made his will on 11 December 1632; it was proved on 12 February 1632/3. He left his eldest son, Thomas, the chief messuage where he lived in Bocking, the adjoining messuage, all of the lands and tenements in Bocking that he purchased from Edward Peppen and John Amptill, and the barn in Bocking he bought from Thomas Trotter, on the condition he pay his sister Stracy and annuity of twenty shillings. He left his son John, when he turned 21, the messuage in Bocking he bought from Paul Usher, Peter Kirby, and Ursula Bond, the little garden or orchard in Bocking occupied by Richard Skinner, the tenement in Bocking occupied by Thomas Laye, the "great orchard" adjoining that he bought from Mr. Thomas Trotter, and 200 pounds, when he turned 21. He left his son James 100 pounds when he became a B.A. of two years standing at the University of Cambridge "for I desire he should be bredd up a scholler." James was also to have 30 pounds a year from the time of his admission to Cambridge until he received his M.A. Thomas left his sons Nathaniel and Jeremy a moiety and half of the farm messuage, lands, and tenements in Birch or elsewhere in Essex, which he bought from William Brock, gentleman, when they turned 21. His executor was to use 650 pounds from his estate to buy land in co. Essex for his younger sons Samuel and Joseph. His wife Anne was to have the lands and tenements left to Nathaniel, Jeremy, Samuel and Joseph, until they turned 16. He left his three daughters Mary, Anna, and Sara, 300 pounds each; 200 pounds to be paid at 18 and 100 at 21. He left his son Thomas his great oil cistern of lead in return for Thomas giving his little cistern to his brother John. He left his brother John Malden and his wife, the testator's sister, each 20 shillings. He left his kinsman Henry Stracy five pounds. He left his brothers John Reeve and William Stacy (Stracy?) 40 shillings each and his brother Jeremy Reeve 20 shillings. He left the residue to his wife, who was his sole executrix. [5]
Anne was sole executrix to her son Nathaniel's will in 1649. [1]
James went to New England before the rest of his family. Anne accompanied her sons Thomas, Samuel and Joseph to New England and they appear in Connecticut not long before 1650. Samuel was engaged as a school teacher in Hartford and Joseph and his mother accompanied him there. Anne Reeve was living in Hartford, Connecticut with her son Joseph in 1669. [1]
Children of Thomas Fitch and Anne Reeve:
i. Captain Thomas Fitch was born on 14 October 1612. [1] He died in 1704 in Connecticut. [6] He married Ann Stacie on 1 November 1632 in St. Mary, Bocking. [2][7] Ann was the daughter of William and Anne (or Agnes) (Garrold) Stacey. [8] See Fiske [8] for a discussion of her ancestors.
Thomas settled in Norwalk, Fairfield, Connecticut and received a grant there in 1652. [6] He bought a house lot there from Edward Church in 1654. [6]
Mr. Thomas Fitch of Norwalk was chosen by the town as their clerk of the train band and recorder of lands. This was confirmed by the General Court in Hartford on 26 February 1656. He was made a freeman at the 24 May 1657 court. He was chosen ensign of the train band in Norwalk on 11 May 1665. [9] Thomas Fitch, Sr. was on an 11 October 1669 list of freemen in Norwalk. At the time he was a selectman there. [9]
Thomas was a appointed a commissioner for Norwalk for the following year fourteen times between 13 May 1669 and 11 May 1693. He was appointed commissioner for Norwalk and Danbury on 8 May 1690 and commissioner for Danbury on 12 May 1692. [9] He was a deputy from Norwalk seven times between 8 May 1673 and 10 May 1694. [9] On 14 October 1675 Thomas was nominated as an Assistant at the next election court. [9] Thomas was appointed the Justice of the Peace for Norwalk on 9 May 1689.
On 8 October 1668 Mr. Thomas Fitch was appointed to a committee to go to Rye and hear the inhabitants' differences over land and other matters and to report back. [9] On 12 May 1670 the court granted a committee of settlers to buy land at what is now New Milford. Thomas Fitch was appointed to a committee for the well-ordered planting of the land. On 12 May 1673 he was appointed to a committee to allocate land between Stratford and Momoreanoke River to the various plantations there. [9] Mr. Fitch was appointed to sign bills for Norwalk on 25 November 1675. [9] On 9 May 1678 Thomas was appointed to a committee to lay out the bounds between Standford and Norwalk. [9] On 8 May 1684 Thomas was on a committee to order the planting of a town above Norwalk or Fairfield. [9] On 6 October 1687 Thomas signed a petition for a plantation to be named Swamfield; this was granted on 6 October, with the name changed to Danbury. [9]
Thomas was appointed captain of the Fairfield county military company on 7 August 1673. [9] On 18 February 1678 the court ordered Mr. Thomas Fitch, captain, to come with horses and recruits. [9]
Selleck refers to Thomas as the wealthiest man in the plantation. [6]
Thomas's son Thomas was the grandfather of Governor Thomas Fitch of Connecticut. [6]
ii. John Fitch
was probably born between about 1614 and 1620. It said to have died of the plague in 1666. [10]
It has been claimed that this John Fitch went to New England, and that he may be the John Fitch who lived in Windsor. Fitch [1], however, argues that the will of his cousin Reeve proves that John Fitch remained in England.
iii. Reverend James Fitch was born about 1622. He died on 18 or 19 November 1702 in Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut. He married first Abigail Whitfield. He married second Priscilla Mason.
iv. Nathaniel Fitch was born on 26 December 1623. [1] He died between 15 Aug 1648, when he signed his will, and 8 May 1649, when it was proved. [1
He named his brothers Samuel and Joseph in his will. [1]
Nathaniel was of Prittlewell, co. Essex. [10, p. 141-2]
v. Jeremy Fitch was born on 5 August 1625. [1]
There is a 3 November 1652 prenuptial agreement for Jeremy Fitch, stapler and citizen of London, and Hannah Letten of Dunton, spinster. It mentions Jeremy Reeve of Dunton and John Fitch of Braintree, gentleman. It was witnessed by John Reeve and John Harris. [11]
On 9 December 1659 Jeremy Fitch of St. Botolph without Bishopsgate, Middlesex, leather seller, and Hanna his wife, sold land mentioned in their prenuptial agreement to John Reeve of Bocking, gentleman. [12]
vi. Samuel Fitch was born on 9 November 1626. [1] He died in 1659. [13] He married Susanna, the widow of William Whiting, in 1651. [13][6] Susanna married third Alexander Bryan of Milford. [6]
Samuel went to New England and was engaged to keep school in Hartford from 1 January 1649/50. [13] He was made a freeman at the 15 May 1651 court at Hartford. On 11 July 1654 the General Court in Hartford appointed Samuel to a committee to draw up letters to send to the Corporation, General Monck and Mr. Hopkins and to provide for the Commissioners. [9]
He was a deputy in 1654 and 1655. [13]
vii. Captain Joseph Fitch was born about 1630. [13][14] He was certainly living on 17 November 1719, age about 90. He probably died shortly before 30 October 1727, age 97, in East (now South) Windsor. [13] He married Mary, the daughter of Reverend Samuel Stone. [13]
In his will, Reverend Samuel Stone refers to "my sonne Joseph Fitch." [13]
Joseph went to New England. He owned land in Norwalk in 1650/1. [13] He moved to Northampton, Massachusetts. [13] He purchased a home in Hartford in 1660. [13] He lived in Podunk, which is currently in South Windsor and East Hartford. [14]
Joseph was a freeman in 1662. [13] He was on a 13 May 1669 list of freemen in Windsor. [9]
Mr. Joseph Fitch was a deputy from Windsor 18 times between 8 May 1664 and 1 September 1693. [9]
Joseph was one of three men of Windsor who on 9 September 1672 petitioned the court to enlarge the town of Windsor. This was granted on 10 October 1672. [9]
Joseph purchased land from the colony on 8 December 1662 at Podunk in Windsor. He became involved in lawsuits with his neighbors and asked the court to lay out his land. This was granted on 10 May 1677. [9]
On 29 February 1675 Joshua Uncas, son of Uncas, Sachem of Moheag, made his will, leaving land to James Fitch, Jr. and Joseph Fitch. [15]
On 28 December 1675 Mr. Joseph Fitch was appointed commander of 60 dragoons raised in Hartford County. He was referred to as Captain Joseph Fitch on 9 May 1689. [9] On 29 August 1689 Joseph was confirmed the captain of the Windsor trainband. On 11 April 1690, the court seeing the necessity of preventing Albany from being taken by the French, decided to sent two foot companies there, one to be commanded by Joseph. On 8 May 1690 the court ordered Joseph and his company to be ready to march from Hartford a week from Monday. [9]
vii. Mary Fitch was born in March 1629. [1]
viii. Anna Fitch born on 6 August 1630. [1]
ix. Sarah Fitch born on 24 July 1631. [1]
References:
1. Roscoe Conkling Fitch, History of the Fitch Family A.D. 1400-1930, (Haverhill, MA: Record Pub. Co., 1930).
2. James Junius Goodwin, The First Register of Saint Mary's church, Bocking, Essex, England. Baptisms, 1561-1605; Marriages, 1593-1639; Burials, 1558-1628 (n.p.: printed for the author, 1903).
3. "Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630–1870," database with images, AmericanAncestors.org > Windsor, image 100 (Fitch).
4. "William Brock of Thelnetham, Suffolk, gentleman to Thomas FITCH of Bocking, clothier," feoffment, D/DU/161/172, Essex Records Office.
5. Henry F. Waters, "Genealogical Gleanings in England," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 46, (1892): 323-324.
6. Charles M. Selleck, Norwalk (Norwalk: printed for the author, 1896).
7. "Essex, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538–1812," database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61698) , entry for Thomas Fitch, Jr.
8. William Wyman Fiske, "Clark and Stacy Origins of Three Immigrants to Ipswich, Massachusetts: Simon and Elizabeth (Clarke) Stacy and her sister Susanna (Clarke) Whipple," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 160 (2006): 17–29.
9. J. Hammond Trumble, The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, vol. 1 (Hartford: Brown & Parsons, 1850; vol. 2 (Hartford: F.A. Brown, 1852), vol. 3 (Case, Lockwood, & Co., 1859).; Charles J. Hoadley, The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, vols. 4–12 (Hartford: Press of the Case, Lockwood and Brainard Co., 1868–1890).
10. Richard Coleman Witters, Ancestral Roots and Descendants of Charles Robert Looney and LaVanch Margaret Cool (n.p.: Xlibris Co., c. 2009).
11. "Prenuptual Settlement, Reference," D/DU 161/478, Essex Record Office.
12. "Demise," D/DU 161/183, Essex Record Office.
13. Hower W. Brainard, "Captain Joseph Fitch," The American Genealogist 14 (1937): 87–96.
14. Gale Ion Harris, "The Children of Capt. Joseph and Mary (Stone) Fitch of Hartford and Windsor, Connecticut," The American Genealogist 68 (1993), 1–10, 95–105.
15. "Will of Joshua Uncas," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 13 (1859): 235–6.
07-Apr-2023