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'''Thomas Willett''' ({{circa|1607}}{{snd}}August 29, 1674) was a [[Plymouth Colony]] fur trader, [[merchant]], land purchaser and developer, [[Captain (land)|Captain]] of the Plymouth Colony militia, [[Magistrate]] of the colony, and was the 1st and 3rd [[Mayor of New York City|Mayor of New York]], prior to the consolidation of the five boroughs into the [[New York City|City of New York]] in 1898.
==Career==
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The early years of the [[Plymouth Colony]] were marked by severe economic crises and challenges.<ref>Bradford.</ref> Incremental progress was made as the colonists learned the native Americans' method of raising corn and beans, cattle were imported from England and multiplied, and some trade in [[wampum]] and other goods was established. However, the major contribution to placing the colony on a firm financial basis and finally paying its debt to its financial "Adventurers" in London was made by exporting furs, primarily of beaver to be used in making hats.<ref>Bunker.</ref>
The first record of Willett's long career is probably that of [[William Bradford (governor)|William Bradford]] regarding the establishment of a second main trading post for the Plymouth Colony on the Penobscot River in what is now Maine in 1629. The Plymouth Colony was reluctantly joining in this effort, initiated by [[Isaac Allerton]], in order to protect their established trading post on the Kennebunk River. Willett is thought to be the "honest young man" recently arrived with the second and last major group from [[John Robinson (pastor)|John Robinson's]] [[Leiden|Leyden]] congregation<ref>Bradford (for year 1629), pp.
In 1631, the trading post was robbed of just about anything of value by the French while the "master of the house" was away meeting a supply ship.<ref>Bradford (for year 1631), p. 246.</ref> Willett was in charge of the trading post when the French again robbed it in 1635 and evicted the English; a subsequent effort to recapture it using a ship commanded by a Captain Girling was futile, and the colony gave up the Penobscot post permanently.<ref>Bradford (for year 1635), pp.
Willett remained active in the colony's remaining fur trading efforts, including being appointed to a committee in 1637 to advise the governor concerning the decline in the trade,<ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp/page/n83/mode/1up Shurtleff, '''I''' (June 7, 1637): 62.]</ref> and in 1649 and again in 1656, with others, taking over the remaining trading post on the Kennebunk River.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp/page/144/mode/1up Shurtleff, '''II''' (June 8, 1649):
===Landowner in Plymouth===
Willett was "Admitted to the freedom of this society" (i.e., recognized as a full citizen, or "freeman") in [[Calendar (New Style) Act 1750|1633/4]]<ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp/page/n42/mode/1up Shurtleff, '''I''' (January 1, 1633/4): 21.]</ref> and married Mary Browne on July 6, 1636.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp/page/n64/mode/1up Shurtleff, '''I''' (July 6, 1636): 43.]</ref> He received several grants of land from the colony in [[Calendar (New Style) Act 1750|1638/9]] and 1640<ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp/page/n132/mode/1up Shurtleff, '''I''' (February 4, 1638/9):
===Merchant and Land Development===
Willett's initial beginning as a merchant in addition to the continuing involvement in the fur trade may have come in 1641/2 when he furnished a sixteenth portion of the construction cost to build a
Willett's abilities in the native languages led to his becoming a trusted translator and to establishing friendships among the native Americans, particularly with the principal leaders of the [[Pokanoket]]s,<ref>Philbrick,
Willett became a part owner with other prominent men, including his father-in-law and a son-in-law, John Saffin, of a large development consortium, the [[Atherton Trading Company|Atherton Company]], leading to interests in properties in a number of the early New England towns.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/profitsinwildern00mart/mode/2up?q=willett Martin, pp. 70 and 80.] (restricted access available online)</ref> Willett was appointed with others to settle a dispute between the colonies of Plymouth and Rhode Island over ownership of [[Hog Island (Rhode Island)|Hog Island]] in Narragansett Bay in 1658/9.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0304newp/page/n170/mode/1up?q=hog Shurleff (March 1, 1658/9): '''III''': 157.]</ref>
Willett's trade with [[New Nederland]] led to further involvement with that colony. In 1650 he was entrusted, along with the English secretary to [[Peter Stuyvesant]], to represent New Nederland in settling its border with the English colony of [[Connecticut Colony|Connecticut]]<ref>[https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor1907wate/page/162/mode/1up Burgess, p. 162.]</ref> (this link shows the 1650 boundary established, along with those of later surveys,<ref>[[:File:Ctcolony.png|Connecticut historical survey map]]</ref> see also [[New Haven Colony]]).
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===Return to Plymouth and legacy===
One of the greatest services Willett provided to the colony for many years, along with his father-in-law John Browne, was maintenance of good relations<ref>Philbrick, pp. 197,
After his first term as New York mayor, Willett apparently spent time in Rehoboth in early 1667 where he was appointed Captain of the town's militia<ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0304newp/page/145/mode/1up Shurtleff, '''IV''' (April 2, 1667): 145.]</ref> and was the principal in the establishment of the Township of Swansea.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/historyofswansea00wrig/page/47/mode/1up Wright, pp.
After having lost his first wife, Willett married Joanna Boyse in September 1671.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/peterpruddenstor00prud/page/56/mode/1up Prudden, Lillian Eliza (1901). ''Peter Prudden: a story of his life and New Haven and Milford, Conn.'' New Haven, Conn.: Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor. p. 56.]</ref>
Willett was a given a "halbert" ([[halberd]]) in December
Willett left a large estate as evidenced by the inventory compiled for probate.<ref>[http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/P231.htm THE INVENTORY OF THOMAS WILLETT.] ''The Plymouth Colony Archive Project''.</ref> When the Dutch recaptured New York in 1673, Willet's holdings along with those of the other English landowners there were confiscated; he died shortly thereafter and these holdings were never restored.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor1907wate/page/164/mode/1up Burgess, p. 164.]</ref> Even with these losses, Willett died one of the wealthiest men in the colony as can be seen from the lengthy inventory. Although no record appears to exist indicating that Willett participated in the slave trade, the inventory of his estate indicates ownership of eight negro slaves when he died. The Plymouth court later decided to grant freedom after two years additional service to one of Willett's slaves who had been taken prisoner during King Philip's war and later returned to Willett's heirs.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo05newp/page/216/mode/1up Shurtleff, '''V''' (November 1, 1676): 216.]</ref> Willett's will left the bulk of his estate to be divided among his sons (including Samuel Hooker, married to his daughter, Mary), along with more minor bequests to his unmarried daughters, grandchildren, an old servant, schools, churches, and the pastor, John Myles.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor1907wate/page/159/mode/1up Burgess, p. 159.]</ref> Willett's will was made in April of 1671, prior to his second marriage.
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===Ancestry and Transport===
[[File:Coat of Arms of Thomas Willett.svg|175px|thumb|left|Coat of Arms of Thomas Willett]]
The origins of Thomas Willett are not known for certain and are subject to some debate. The most commonly encountered description of his early life from the ''[[Dictionary of National Biography]]''<ref>[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofnati61stepuoft/page/292/mode/1up Stephen, Leslie, Sir (
''New England Historical and Genealogical Register''. Boston: Samuel G. Drake. '''II''' (October 1848):
376. 1848.</ref> which offered the theory that this Thomas may have descended from Andrew Willet because the Willett name is rare. A differing opinion exists in Dexter's compilation of the Leyden congregation in the appendix of his work, ''England and Holland of the Pilgrims''.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/englandhollandof00dextuoft/page/639/mode/1up Dexter, p. 639.]</ref> This indicates that Willett was the son of Thomas and Alice Willet of the Leyden congregation. The respective merits of these opinions are discussed by Burgess.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor1907wate/page/158/mode/1up Burgess, pp.
There is general agreement that Willett came over to the Plymouth Colony with the second wave of the Leyden congregation in 1629. There is disagreement however over whether or not he went back to England shortly thereafter for the trial of Edward Ashley who was accused of trading weapons and ammunition to native Americans. The evidence that this might have been the case is based upon a listing of passengers on the ship Lyon which sailed from London on June 22, 1632, with William Pierce as Master as given by Charles Edward Banks in his ''Planters of the Commonwealth''.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/plantersofcommon00bank/page/99/mode/1up Banks, Charles Edward (1930). ''Planters of the Commonwealth''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. pp.
===Family in the Plymouth Colony and Descendants===
Willett's parents and siblings were evidently left behind when he emigrated to Plymouth in 1629. His family life thereafter centered around that of his wife's family. Willett married Mary, daughter of John Browne (Sr.),<ref>[https://archive.org/details/johnbrownegentle00brow/page/n4/mode/1up Brown, George Tilden (1919). ''John Browne, Gentleman of Plymouth.'' Providence: Remington Press.]</ref> a leading citizen of the Plymouth Colony, and Browne's wife, Dorothy, in 1636. He moved with the Brown(e) family from Plymouth westward, originally to the Taunton area by the 1650s, and later to the eastern shores of [[Narragansett Bay]] to Wannamoisett, near present-day Barrington, Rhode Island. Willett had substantial business dealings with Browne (Sr.) and later increasingly, especially between 1656 and 1660 when Browne (Sr.) is believed to have been in England,<ref>[https://archive.org/details/johnbrownegentle00brow/page/19/mode/1up Brown, p. 19.]</ref> with Browne's two sons, John (Jr.) and James. Another family connection was with Willett's early co-worker in the fur trade, [[John Howland]]. Howland's daughter, Lydia, married James Browne and Howland's widow, [[Elizabeth Tilley|Elizabeth]], was living with James and Lydia Broowne's family when she died. Both John Browne (Sr.) and John Browne (Jr.) died in 1662, the son ten days before the father.
The children of Thomas and Mary Willet, as compiled from several sources, were:<ref>[https://www.colonialsociety.org/node/58#paper-p358 Saffin, John. ''Personal Manuscript.'' (As reported by Abner C. Goodell
*Mary, b. November 10, 1637, d. June 24,1712, married Rev. Samuel Hooker (son of [[Thomas Hooker|Rev. Thomas Hooker]]) in 1658, remarried Rev. Thomas Buckingham in 1703.
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*Rebecca, b. December 2, 1644, d. April 2, 1652.
*Thomas, b. October 1, 1646, d. before 1671(?).
*Hester, b. July 6, 1648, d. July 26, 1737,
*James, b. November 24, 1649, married Elizabeth Hunt (daughter of Peter Hunt) in 1673, remarried Grace Frinck in 1677.
*Hezekiah, b. June 20, 1651, d. July 26, 1651.
*Hezekiah, b. November 16, 1653, d. July 1, 1676, married Ann (or Hannah) Browne (daughter of John Brown (Jr.)) in 1675.
*David, b. November 1, 1654, d. before 1671(?).
*Andrew, b. October 5, 1656, d. April 6, 1712, married Ann Coddington in 1682
*Samuel, b. October 27, 1658.
(?) Sons John, Thomas, and David are not mentioned in Willett's will which calls James the "eldest son".<ref>[https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor1907wate/page/159/mode/1up Burgess, p. 159 (Will of Thomas Willett).]</ref>
There is disagreement over Thomas Willett's date and place of birth. The ''Dictionary of National Biography''<ref>[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofnati61stepuoft/page/292/mode/1up Stephen, Leslie, Sir (
Mary Willett, the first wife of Thomas, died on January 8, 1669, at about 55 years old<ref>[https://archive.org/details/johnbrownegentle00brow/page/26/mode/1up Brown, p. 26.]</ref> making her birthdate about 1614, almost certainly in England. Her grave is next to that of Thomas Willett. Little mention is found of her in the records; what is there includes her marriage to Thomas on July 6, 1636,<ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp/page/n64/mode/1up Shurtleff, '''I''' (July 6, 1636): 43.]</ref> and she is also mentioned in connection with her father's will which was hastily written while he was ill in the short period between his son's death and his own. The will of John Browne (Sr.) made scant reference to his daughter, Mary, no significant bequest to her, and none at all to her offspring. Browne's objective may have been to leave his property to the relatively more needy members of his family rather than to those of Mary's branch, as she was married to one of the wealthiest men in the colony. However this might have been, Browne's intent could have been better expressed and the result was an unusual mention in the colony's records regarding Mary Willett's good relationship with her father.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/johnbrownegentle00brow/page/22/mode/1up Brown, p. 22.]</ref>
Joanna Prudden, widow of Rev. [[Peter Prudden]] and second wife of Thomas Willett, married Willett in Milford, Connecticut, on September 20, 1671.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/peterpruddenstor00prud/page/56/mode/1up?q=willett Prudden, Lillian Eliza (1901). ''Peter Prudden: a story of his life and New Haven and Milford, Conn.'' New Haven, Conn.: Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor. p. 56.]</ref> After Willett's death in 1674, she soon returned to Milford and remarried again, this time to Rev. John Bishop.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/peterpruddenstor00prud/page/58/mode/1up?q=willett Prudden, Lillian Eliza (1901). ''Peter Prudden: a story of his life and New Haven and Milford, Conn.'' New Haven, Conn.: Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor. p. 58.]</ref> She was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, England, in 1616 and died on November 8, 1681, in Stamford, Connecticut
Mary Willett, eldest daughter of Capt. Thomas Willett and his wife Mary, married in 1658 Rev. Samuel Hooker, son of Rev. [[Thomas Hooker]], Puritan divine and founder of [[Hartford, Connecticut]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=r17mNhtcPRwC&q=willet&pg=PA231 Hooker, Edward, and Margaret Huntington Hooker (ed.) (1908). ''The Descendants of Rev. Thomas Hooker,
There is some thought that Willett's son, Thomas Willett (Jr.), was the major in the militia of [[Queens County, New York|Queens County]] who was a councilor under Governors [[Sir Edmund Andros]] and [[Henry Sloughter]].<ref>[https://archive.org/details/hudsonmohawkgene00reyn/page/254/mode/1up Reynolds, Cuyler (ed.) (1911). ''Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs''. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. '''I''':
Hezekiah Willett was killed during King Philip's War in spite of the special consideration which was supposed to be extended to the Browne/Willett family by Philip's followers. This was a source of great sorrow to Philip as reported by the servant captured when Hezekiah was killed<ref>Philbrick, pp.
Andrew Willett spent most of his adult life near what is now Kingston, Rhode Island.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/genealogicaldict00aust/page/428/mode/1up Austin, p. 428.]</ref> He married Ann Coddington, daughter of William Coddington, a governor of Rhode Island. Thomas Willett's interests in the Atherton Company led to ownership of land in this area of Rhode Island, then known as the "Boston Neck", along with other company shareholders who over time banded together as merchants,<ref>Martin, pp.
Some have claimed that one of Willett's great-grandsons was [[Marinus Willett]], who also served as Mayor of New York from 1807 to 1808,<ref>[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofnati61stepuoft/page/292/mode/1up Stephen, Leslie, Sir (
The descendants of Thomas Willett were numerous. The 'Dorothy Q.' of the poem of [[Oliver Wendell Holmes
The [[Fire Department of New York]] operated a [[fireboat]] named [[Thomas Willett (fireboat)|''Thomas Willett'']] from 1908 to 1959.<ref name=Marine1FdnyHistory>
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*Brown, George Tilden (1919). [https://archive.org/details/johnbrownegentle00brow/page/n4/mode/1up ''John Browne, Gentleman of Plymouth.''] Providence: Remington Press.
*Baylies, Francis (1866), Drake, Samuel Gardner (ed.). [https://archive.org/details/historicalmemoir01bayl/page/n6/mode/1up ''An historical memoir of the colony of New Plymouth.''] Boston: Wiggin & Lunt.
*Bicknell, Thomas Williams (1908). [https://archive.org/details/sowamswithancien00bick/page/n8/mode/1up ''Sowams; with ancient records of Sowams and parts adjacent
*Bradford, William (1952), Morison, Samuel Eliot (ed.). ''Of Plymouth Plantation: Sixteen Twenty to Sixteen Forty-Seven.'' New York: Alfred A. Knopf (2002 printing).
*Burgess, George Canning (1907). [https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor1907wate/page/157/mode/1up "Thomas Willett of Leyden and Plymouth, First Mayor of New York."] ''New England Historical and Genealogical Register'', '''LXI''':
*Burrows, Edwin and Wallace, Mike (1999). ''Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898.'' New York: Oxford.
*Bunker, Nick (2010). ''Making Haste from Babylon: The Mayflower Pilgrims and their World.'' New York: Vintage Books. {{ISBN
*Dexter, Henry Martyn and Dexter, Morton (1905). [https://archive.org/details/englandhollandof00dextuoft/page/n10/mode/1up ''The England and Holland of the Pilgrims.''] Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and company.
*Martin, John Frederick (1991). [https://archive.org/details/profitsinwildern00mart ''Profits in the Wilderness: Entrepreneurship and the Founding of New England Towns in the Seventeenth Century.''] Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. {{ISBN
*Philbrick, Nathaniel (2006). ''Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War.'' New York: Penguin. {{ISBN
*Shurtleff, Nathaniel Bradstreet (ed.) (1855-6). ''Records of the colony of New Plymouth in New England : printed by order of the legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts''. Boston: William White.[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp/page/n5/mode/2up Volumes I and II]; [https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0304newp/page/n5/mode/2up Volumes III and IV]; [https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo05newp/page/n5/mode/2up Volume V]. (Note: Volumes
*Winthrop, John (1908), Hosmer, James Kendall (ed.). [https://archive.org/details/winthropsjournal00wint/page/n11/mode/2up?q=willett ''History of New England:
*Wright, Otis Olney (ed.) (1917). [https://archive.org/details/historyofswansea00wrig/page/n3/mode/2up ''History of Swansea, Massachusetts,
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