Ahnentafel #1084 - Thomas Fitch

Aerial view of St. Mary the Virgin Church in Bocking, England

Thomas Fitch

Born: between 1574 & 1583 probably in Braintree, Essex, England

Died: ca. 1632 England

Buried:  Unknown

Married: August 8, 1611, Annie Reve, Church of St. Mary, Bocking, Essex

Occupation: clothier - the Bocking-Braintree area of Essex was a center for the cloth industry from Saxon times forward. As early as 1303, Bocking had a fulling mill for treating woven cloth.  In the late fifteenth century, Essex possessed a considerable woolen industry making broadcloths, a wool fabric, tightly woven in a plain or twill pattern and having a sheen. By 1556 there were three fulling mills in Bocking. By the late 16th and early 17th century the broadcloth industry had been replaced by the manufacture of worsted.  This is made from long-staple wool that has been combed and then firmly twisted into yarn. Work would have been done in people's homes. The raw wool combed, spun into yarn, the yarn then woven into cloth and the cloth taken to the mill for fulling. 

Clothiers bought the wool, parceled it out to workers, collected the woven cloth, ran it through fulling mills and dyed it. 

Records:

1605 - May 12 - Suffolk County, England - Thomas is mentioned in his father George's will:

Thomas, the oldest son will receive the Edwardstone estate in twelve years. The delay was probably so the younger children could be provided for from the estate until they became of age. If Thomas does not take care of his siblings the estate is to be sold, divided amongst the younger children and the surplus given to Thomas. 

1606 - October 10 - Margaretting, England - Thomas is mentioned in his cousin Thomas Fitch's will.  

The entire estate was left to four Thomas Fitch's.  1) nephew Thomas, son of Robert & Ellen (Carver) Fitch, 2) his grand nephew Thomas Fitch son of Thomas (#1), 3) cousin Thomas Fitch (of this sketch) in the event that the first two died and 4) cousin Thomas Fitch son of Richard Fitch.  At the end of the day, our Thomas got nothing out of this deal. 

1608 - Chelmsford, Essex - Thomas appears in an assault and battery case, perhaps as a juror: 

Session held on 7 July 6 James I - Examinations taken before Sir Edward Boteler, knight and Richard Franck, esquire. 4 July. Gaol Delivery of Colchester Castle, before Sir Thomas Walmesly, knight. Justice of Common Pleas, and Sir John Croke, knight. Justice of the king's Bench, held at Chelmsford on Monday the 4th day of July, by the oath of John Barron . . . Thomas Fitch . . . and Rober Allen, gentlemen who say on their oath that the bill annexed to this schedule is true. 

Indictments of 2 June. Henry Roberts of Bocking, clothier, for assaulting & beating Katherine, wife of Stephen Reary of the same, clothier, so hat she despaired of her life. Endorsed, fine assessed at 10s and to the within-named Katherine 10s.  Witnesses: Susan Ansell, Stephen Reary, Mary Bennett. 

 1614 - September 23 - Thomas swore out an indictment against Mary Godwyn for stealing a pillow-beere worth 11 pence from his house.  A pillow-beere is a pillow case. On Oct. 6 Mary Goodwyn appeared before the General Sessions at Chelmsford where she confessed and was sentenced to be whipped.  

1623/24 - January 23 - Braintree, Essex - Thomas probated Moses Wall's estate for which he had been named executor. Moses Wall called him his friend in the will. 

1628 - October 30 - Hundred of Hinckford, Essex - Thomas served on a grand jury:

Names of such as we have nominated to have the view of the accounts for several sums disbursed and to be paid for several employments for the county, delivered up by us the Grand Jurors . . . Tho. Fitch. 

1629 - May - Maldon, Essex - 200 to 300 people marched from Braintree and Bocking on Maldon and seized supplies of corn from a house, a ship and a warehouse.  This was due to severe unemployment and lack of food.  It is not likely that Thomas Fitch participated, but it impacted his father-in-law.  

1630 - September 27 - Essex - Thomas Fitch purchased 130 acres of land from Annie's cousin William Brock of Thelnetham, Suffolk for ￡660.  He purchased 1 messuage, 1 garden, 1 orchard, 66 acres of land, 12 acres of meadow, 46 acres of pasture, 12 acres of woods and 4/6 rents in Great & Little Birch, Copford and Stanway. 

A messuage was the portion of land intended to be occupied, or actually occupied, as a site for a dwelling-house and its appurtenances. 

1632 - Dec. 11 - Bocking, Essex - Thomas wrote his will:

Thomas Fitch of Bockinge, Essex, clothier, 11 December 1632, proved 12 February 1632.  to the poor of Bocking three pounds.  To my eldest son, Thomas, that chief messuage wherein I now dwell in Bocking and the messuage adjoining, now in the occupation of the said Thomas, and all the lands tenements &c which I purchased of William Collin in Bocking, and the lands tenements in Bockingwhich I lately purchased of Edward Peppen gent and his wife and John Amptill and his wife and the barn in Bocking by Panfield Lane which I lately purchased of Thomas Trotter, upon condition that he pay my sister Stracy twenty shillings yearly during her natural life.  To my son and his heirs the messuage in Bocking late of Richard Usher deceased and which I lately purchased of Paul Usher and Peter Kirby and Ursula Bond, widow, and the little garden or orchard in Bocking now in the occupation of Richard Skinner or his assigns, and the tenement in the occupatioin of Thomas Laye in Bocking by Panfield Lane and the great orchard adjoining which I purchased of Mr. Thomas Trotter, to enter upon the same at his age of one and twenty years.  To my son John two hunded pounds at one and twenty.

Item, I give to my sonne James one hundred pounds to be paid him when he shalbe a batchelor of Art of two yeares standinge in the university of Cambridge, for I desire he should be bredd up a scholler, And I also give him and my minde is that he shall have thirtie pounds a year paid him by my Executrix out of my lands and tents. from the tyme of his admission to be a scholler in Cambridge until he be or have tyme there to be a master of arts.  To my sons Nathaniel and Jeremy, to either of them a moiety and half part of the farm messuage, Lands and tenements, both free and copy, lyin gand being in Birch or elsewhere in Essex, which I lately purchased of William Brock, gent., to be equally divided between them, and they to enter upon the same at their several ages of one and twenty.  My executrix shall lay out six hundred and fifty pounds within one year after my decease and shall purchase with the same as much lands and tenements within the County of Essex as the same will buy in a frugal and good manner, to be assured to the use of my two younger sons Samuel and Joseph.  And my wife Anne shall have the lands and tenements in Birch, which I have given to Nathaniel and Jeremy, and the lands &c to be purchased for Samuel and Joseph until these four sons shall severally accomplish their ages of sixteen years &c. To my three daughters Mary, Anna and Sara three hundred pounds apiece, whereof two hundred pounds apiece to be paid at their several ages of eighteen, and the other hundred at one and twenty.  To my loving friends Mr. Hooker, Mr. Nathaniel Rogers, Mr. Daniel Rogers and Mr. Collns twenty shillings apiece as a token of my love.  To son Thomas my great oil cistern of lead, so as he give and deliver to my son John the little cistern of lead for oil which I late bought and gave to Thomas.  To my brother John Malden and my sister his wife twenty shillings apiece.  To Henry Stracy my kinsman five pounds.  To my brothers John Reeve and William Stacy (Stracy?) forty shillings apiece and to my brother Jeremy Reeve twenty shillings as a token of my love.  The residue to my wife whom I make sole executrix, she to enter upon a bond of two thousand pounds to my said brothers John Reeve and William Stacy (Stracy?) with condition to prove this will within two months after my decease and to payall the legacies and perform all things contained therein.  My said brothers to be supervisors.

W. Lyngwood one of the witnesses.

1623/33 - Feb. 12 - Bocking, Essex - Thomas Fitch's will was admitted to probate.

Children:

Thomas b. 1612, d. 1704 md. 1632 Anne Stacie

• Thomas b. 1630, d. 1684 md. ca. 1662 Ruth Clark
• Sarah b. 1663 md. John Ford
• Thomas b. 1665, d. 1731 md. 1) Sarah (--?--) 2) Rhoda (--?--) 3) Rachel (--?--)
• Thomas b. 1725, d. 1795
• Jonathan b. 1727, d. 1793
• Ebenezer b. 1729, d. 1762 md. Lydia Mills
• Hannah b. 1731, d. 1744
• Mary b. 1733 md. (--?--) Thatcher
• Timothy b. 1735, d. 1802 md. Esther Platt
• Hezekiah md. 1767 Jerusha Burr
• Elizabeth b. 1739 md. Andrew Rowland
• Esther b. 1741, d. 1771 never married
• Giles b. 1745, d. 1747
• Mary b. 1668 md. Daniel Terrill
• Samuel b. 1681 probably died young
• John b. 1633, d. ca. 1760 md. 1674 Rebecca Lindall
• John b. 1677 md. Lydia Bushnell
• John
• Rebecca b. 1679
• Nathaniel b. 1682
• Lindall md. Mary Bartlett
• Mary md. 1711 Ebenezer Gregory
• Mary b. 1643, d. 1730 md. Matthew Sherwood
• Ann md. John Thompson
• Sarah md. ca. 1672 John Burr

John d. ca. 1666 of the Black Plague

James 

Nathaniel b. 1623, d. 1649 never married

Jeremy b. 1625

Samuel b. 1626, d. 1659 md. Susannah (--?--) Whiting

• Samuel md. 1) Sarah Bryan, 2) Mary Griswold
• Sarah md. Zachariah Whitman
• Samuel b. 1739, d. 1814 md. Hannah Rossiter
• daughter
• daughter
• Thomas b. 1772, d. 1846
• Samuel b. 1776, d. 1847
• Thomas b. 1652, d. 1704 md. 1) Abigail Goodrich, 2) Sarah Boardman
• Thomas b. 1681, died young
• Sybil b. 1684, d. 1684 1 month old
• Abigail md. 1696 Abraham Kimberley
• Sybil (2nd) md. 1704 Joseph Hurlburt
• Martha d. 1713 never married
• Samuel b. before 1697, d. after 1713

Joseph b. ca. 1630 d. ca. 1727 md. Mary Stone

• Mary b. ca. 1658 md. ca. 1680 John Colt
• John Colt d. ca. 1718 never married
• Mary Colt md. (--?--) Comstock
• Sarah Colt md. John Ayers
• Benjamin Colt b. 1698 md. Miriam Harris
• Jabez Colt b. 1703 
• Samuel Colt b. ca. 1705 md. Abigail Marvin
• Esther Colt md. 1730 Daniel Sterling
• Joseph b. ca. 1660, d. 1740 md. Ann (--?--)
• Joseph b. ca. 1697, d. 1697/98
• Joseph (2nd) bapt. 1699, d. before 1708
• John bapt. 1701
• Joseph (3rd) b. ca. 1708, d. 1789 md. 1) 1729 Sarah Shailer 2) Abigail Church
• Susannah b. ca. 1715 md. Ebenezer Church
• Lydia b. ca. 1662, d. before 1695 md. Samuel Olmsted - no known children
• daughter b. ca. 1664, d. 1738 md. 1684 Samuel Burnham - uncertain
• daughter b. ca. 1666, d. 1740 md. ca. 1683 Robert Stedman
• Robert Stedman d. 1721
• Robert Stedman md. 1) 1744 Prudence Atherton 2) Miriam (--?--)
• Experience Stedman md. 1746 Jacob Griswold
• Joseph Stedman bapt. 1686, d. after 1750 md. 1709 Sarah Taylor 
• Sarah Stedman b. 1710, d. 1710 1 month old
• Sarah Stedman (2nd) b. 1711
• Mary Stedman b. 1714
• Joseph Stedman b. 1715/16 md. Abigail Rockwell
• Stephen Stedman b. 1718
• Ebenezer Stedman b. 1721 
• Phineas Stedman b. 1723
• son Stedman bapt. 1688
• John Stedman d. 1731/32 md. 1719 Experience Hutchinson 
• Experience Stedman b. 1720, d. before 1727
• Hannah Stedman b. 1721
• Experience Stedman (2nd) b. 1727/28 md. 1746 Ephraim Griswold
• Mary Stedman md. 1715 Josiah Thomas
• Thankful Stedman md. 1715 Samuel Hutchinson
• Nathaniel b. ca. 1668, d. 1742 md. 1) 1718 Abigail Buttolph & 2) Susannah (Hills) Kilborn - no known children
• Sarah b. ca. 1670, d. after 1731 md. 1) 1689 John Stoughton md. 2) (--?--) Drake
• Joseph Stoughton b. 1691
• Elizabeth Stoughton b. 1692, d. 1760 md. 1) Joseph Mather & 2) John Cady
• Sarah Stoughton b. 1695, d. after 1713/14
• Rebecca Stoughton b. 1698
• Ann Stoughton b. 1699
• Nathaniel Stoughton b. 1702 md. Martha Ellsworth
• Hannah Stoughton b. 1705 md. 1738 Giles Ellsworth
• Mary Stoughton b. 1708
• Martha Stoughton b. 1711, d. young
• Rachel Stoughton b. 1711 md. Nathaniel Strong
• Samuel b. ca. 1680, d. after 1754 md. 1754 Mary Rowell/Rowley - he was over 70 and she nearly 80 and neither had been married before - no children
• Anna b. ca. 1682, d. after 1726 md. 1703 Benjamin Loomis

Elizabeth bapt. 1615 nothing further known

Mary b. 1629 nothing further known

Anna b. 1630 nothing further known

Sara b. 1631 nothing further known