Thomas Willett: Difference between revisions

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 (1900-51900–5). "Willett, Thomas". ''Dictionary of National Biography''. New York: Macmillan. '''LXI''': 292.]</ref> describes him as the fourth son of the English clergyman [[Andrew Willet]]. The germ of this description may have come from the pedigree of Willett's descendants published in 1848,<ref>[https://archive.org/details/newenglandhisto11unkngoog/page/n390/mode/1up?view=theater "The Willet Family".]

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. 158-9158–159.]</ref>

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. 99-10099–100.]</ref> This list includes Thomas Willett along with the family of his future father-in-law, John Browne, including Willett's future wife, Mary. However, an examination of the original source material by [[Samuel Gardner Drake]], published in 1860,<ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hn4ns5&view=1up&seq=68 Drake, Samuel Gardner (1860). ''Result of some researches among the British archives for information relative to the founders of New England''. Boston: Office of the New Eng. Hist. and Gen. Register. p. 12.]</ref> indicates that the original record for the ship sailing to England on that date listed only a few names of the passengers, including only a "Tobie" Willet and a "Jo:" Browne (but no other Brownes). This and the indication<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/25080004?refreqid=excelsior%3A8ca5d524f7738c2efdbb579cc7e192b0&seq=80#metadata_info_tab_contents ''State Papers, Colonial''], '''VI''': 40, Public Record Office, London; as transcribed in ''Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society'' Third. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society. '''45''' (February 1912): 493-8493–498.</ref> that only the depositions of Willett and others accompanied Ashley back to England for his trial are contrary to Banks' passenger list.

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, Jr.), Colonial Society of Massachusetts '''I''': Transactions (1892-18941892–1894), (April 1894), (58): 358-60358–360.]</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/newenglandhisto11unkngoog/page/n390/mode/1up?view=theater "The Willet Family".] ''New England Historical and Genealogical Register''. Boston: Samuel G. Drake. '''II''' (October 1848): 376. 1848.</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/johnbrownegentle00brow/page/27/mode/1up Brown, pp. 27–28.]</ref><ref>[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54940423/mary-willett Find a Grave Memorial: Mary Willett]</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/genealogicaldict00aust/page/428/mode/1up Austin, p. 428]</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 (1900-51900–5). "Willett, Thomas". ''Dictionary of National Biography''. New York: Macmillan. '''LXI''': 292.]</ref> states that he was born in England in 1605. Willett's will, dated April 26, 1671, says he was then "being going in the sixty-fourth year of my age"<ref>[https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor1907wate/page/159/mode/1up Burgess, p. 159 (Will of Thomas Willett).]</ref> (i.e., he was 63 years old, born between April 27, 1607, and April 27, 1608, prior to the migration to the Netherlands later in 1608<ref>Bradford (for year 1608), pp. 11-511–15.</ref><ref>Bunker, pp. 188-201188–201.</ref> which included those who later became the Leyden congregation). His original gravestone also stated that he died "in the 64th year of his age" in 1674<ref>[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8890542/thomas-willett Find a Grave Memorial: Thomas Willett, Sr.]</ref> (i.e., he was born in 1610 or 1611)<ref>[https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor1907wate/page/158/mode/1up Burgess, p. 159.]</ref> and this is in agreement with the range given in Dexter's listing for the Willet family in Holland.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/englandhollandof00dextuoft/page/639/mode/1up Dexter, p. 639.]</ref> The respective merits of these opinions are discussed by Burgess.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor1907wate/page/158/mode/1up Burgess, pp. 158-9158–159.]</ref> Willet died August 4, 1674, and was buried in the [[Little Neck Cemetery]] at Bullock's Cove, Riverside area of East Providence, Rhode Island.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/johnbrownegentle00brow/page/26/mode/1up Brown, p. 26.]</ref>

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, 1586-19081586–1908.'' Rochester, N.Y.: Margaret Huntington Hooker. pp. 10-210–12, 18-918–19, and 22-322–23.]</ref>

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''': 254-5254–255.]</ref><ref>Burrows and Wallace, p. 101.</ref> According to Hillman<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=jNcUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA120 Hillman, E. Haviland. "Ancestry of Colonel Marius Willett". ''The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record''. '''XLVII''' (April 1916): 120.]</ref> it is probable that this Major Thomas Willett was actually a member of another Willett family which had settled on Long Island. They were possibly cousins<ref>[http://longislandgenealogy.com/Surname_Pages/willets.htm The Willets family of Long Island]</ref><ref>[https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~marshall/esmd211.htm Willett Family of Long Island]</ref> of the Thomas Willett who is the subject of this article.

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. 315-6315–316.</ref> (this probably was the slave later ordered freed by the colony's court<ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo05newp/page/216/mode/1up Shurtleff, '''V''' (November 1, 1676): 216.]</ref>). This incident also exasperated the Plymouth colonists; special punishments were eventually meted out to Hezekiah's killers.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/johnbrownegentle00brow/page/27/mode/1up Brown, pp. 27-827–28.]</ref>

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.68-70, and68–70, 80-180–81.</ref> which included Thomas Willett's son, Andrew.<ref>Austin, p. 428.</ref> Some confusion exists in the records distinguishing between the Boston Neck area of Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts.

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 (1900-51900–5). "Willett, Thomas". ''Dictionary of National Biography''. New York: Macmillan. '''LXI''': 292.]</ref> assuming that Willett's son, Samuel, settled on Long Island where he became Sheriff of Queens County and Marinus' grandfather. This claim has been refuted by E. Haviland Hillman in an article published in ''The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record'', Volume 47 at 119, published in April 1916.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=jNcUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA119 Hillman, E. Haviland. "Ancestry of Colonel Marius Willett". ''The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record''. '''XLVII''' (April 1916): 119-23119–123.]</ref>

The descendants of Thomas Willett were numerous. The 'Dorothy Q.' of the poem of [[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.|Oliver Wendell Holmes]] was Thomas Willett's great-granddaughter, and the great-grandmother of Holmes.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofnati61stepuoft/page/292/mode/1up Stephen, Leslie, Sir (1900-51900–5). "Willett, Thomas". ''Dictionary of National Biography''. New York: Macmillan. '''LXI''': 292.]</ref> Another of Thomas Willett's descendants is American musician Parthenon Willett Miller Huxley. {{citation needed|date=July 2017}}