Thomas Brayton, Jr.

Thomas married Mary Phillips 17 Jan 1731/32. Mary died 18 Dec 1771, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

1. Thomas Brayton was born 17 Feb 1732/33, Portsmouth, RI.
2. Rebecca Brayton was born 16 Mar 1734/35, Portsmouth, RI.
3. David Brayton was born 31 May 1737, Portsmouth, RI; died 23 May 1820.
4. William Brayton was born 24 Jan 1738/39, Portsmouth, RI.
5. Gideon Brayton was born 26 May 1742, Portsmouth, RI.
6. Jonathan Brayton was born 9 Oct 1745, Coventry, RI.

Notes:

In Memory of
Thomas Brayton
died March ye 10
1728 In ye 47th year
of his age

I have read that he owned property in East Greenwich at what is now Tarbox Corner, the intersection of Middle Rd. and Carrs Pond Rd. This property was given to his son Gideon and later bought by our ancestor Pasco Whitford in 1751.

Thomas married Mary Freeborn 23 Aug 1704, Portsmouth, RI. Mary (daughter of Gideon Freeborn and Mary Boomer) was born 24 Aug 1679; died Abt Jun 1761, East Greenwich, RI; was buried , Historical Cemetery 52, East Greenwich, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Mary's will, dated 27 July 1756, mentions sons Thomas, Gideon, & Francis; daughters Mary Gifford & Hannah Straight; and the following grandchildren: David, Elizabeth, & Mary Gifford; Thomas, William, Henry, John, & Job Straight; Thomas, Daniel, Benjamin, & George Brayton -- sons of Francis; Thomas, Gideon, Joseph, & John Brayton -- sons of Gideon; David, son of Thomas; also grandson Freeborn Brayton.

In Memory of
Mary ye wife of
Thomas Brayton
who died June ye 9th
1761 In ye 82d year
of her age

Notes:

BRAYTON Thomas, of Francis, and Mary, and Mary Freeborn. of Gideon and Mary; m. by Giles Slocum. Asst., Aug. 23, 1704.

Notes:

Francis Brayton was admitted as a freeman of Portsmouth, RI, on 30 April 1672.

The will of Francis Brayton, dated 6 Jan 1715/16 and proved (probated) 10 F eb 1718/19, at Portsmouth, RI, appoints his wife Mary and son Francis co-executors, and Jacob Mott, William Anthony, and Preserved Fish, as overseers.

For more information on this family see "Brayton Family History," by Clifford Ross Brayton, Jr., pub.1978 (at RI Historical Society Library, Hiope St., Providence, RI).

Francis married Mary Fish 18 Mar 1670/71, Portsmouth, RI. Mary (daughter of Thomas FISH and Mary Unknown) was born 1652, Portsmouth, RI; died Abt 4 Apr 1747, Portsmouth, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

BRAYTON Francis, of Francis, and Mary Fish, of Thomas; m. by William Baulston. Asst., March 18, 1671.

Gideon married Mary Boomer 3 Jun 1678. Mary (daughter of Matthew BOOMER, Sr.) was born Abt 1640; died 1716, Portsmouth, Newport Co., RI. [Group Sheet]

Francis — Mary Unknown. Mary died Abt 1692. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

See will dated 9 Feb 1686/87 in "RI Genealogical Register."

There is some question about the maiden name of Thomas's wife. It has been suggested that she may have been Mary Ayers. (see notes below)

From "The Fish Family in England and America," p. 33:
"Meetinge Jan. 19, 1651, 2 acres of lande adjoining to Thomas Fish were ordered layd out to Henry Eves in lieu of land given to said Henry by the Towne formerly"

"Meetinge March 20 1660, Thomas Fish received a deed of house and land from Henry and Ann Ayres, in consideration of fencing two acres said Henry and Ann to enjoy said land for their lives without paying rent."

"Meetinge September 12 1680, Voted: John Biggs is appointed to speke to Thomas Fish that he lay out that acre of land to this townes commons which was lent to Henry eves" (Ayers/Eyers).

(source: "The Fish Family in England and America, Genealogical and Biographical Records and Sketches," by Lester Warren Fish, c 1948)

Thomas married Mary Unknown 1645, Portsmouth, RI. Mary was born 1625; died 1699, Portsmouth, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Her place of birth is given in some genealogies as Portsmouth, but that is impossible, since the settlement was not begun until the middle 1930s. The Portsmouth Compact, dated 1638, does have a Phillip Shearman as one of the signers. However, his daughter named Mary was born later.

Other possibilities -- Mary Sherman, May 1624 - 1673/1699 ?, daughter of Samuel Sherman 20 Oct 1601 - Oct 1644 & Hester Burgess 1604 - 14 Aug 1646. Or, someone else has suggested she may have been Mary Soule, a daughter of George Soule.

Dr. Kenneth Parker's notes indicate Thomas Fish's wife was Mary AYERS (no source documentation given; Dr. Parker has passed away). See the following note.

"I believe that this lady was Mary Ayers whose father was Henry Ayres. She was born 1615?? and died 1699 in Portsmouth, RI. Mary Ayres married Thomas Fish in 1647 in Portsmouth. He was the son of Robert Fish and Alice Fish. I got this from RootsWeb.com by a David E. Crandall, Jr. [dcrandall.jr@prodigy.net]. A note on this RootsWeb.com site says: A notation in an issue of "Second Boat" lists her maiden name as Ayres, daughter of Henry. Submission was by Mary P. Lavery, 7 Paris Ave., Corinth, NY 12822. TORREY lists her name as [?Sherman]. The FISH genealogy very tentatively assigns her maiden name as SOULE. (RIGENWEB mailing list posting from Arlene Clarke Haddock).

See notes for her husband, Thomas Fish.

See her Portsmouth will dated 9 September 1697, proved 9 Aug 1699, which mentions sons John Fish, Robert Fish, Thomas Fish (dec.), and Daniel Fish; daughters Mehittable Tripp, Mary Brayton, and Alike (Alice?) Knowles; grandchildren Preserved Fish and Mehitable Fish, of Thomas (dec.); grandchildren Thomas Fish, Comfort Fish, and Ruth Fish, of Daniel; granddaughter Mary Fish, of John; grandson Robert Fish of Robert.

William — Mary Wilson. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Matthew's wife may have been Eleanor Peckham (source: http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr08/rr08_282.html#P15147)

For additional notes on the Boomer family, see: http://www.keithminnion.com/boomer_page.html

The "History of Fall River," p. 10, has Matthew Boomer as the first settler, in 1676. According to this book, the Freeman's Purchase was the first land purchased from the natives in the Fall River area. The deed, dated 2 Apr 1659, was signed by Wamsutta & Weetamoe. It included most of what is now Fall River and Freetown. There were 26 purchasers. "Matthew Boomer was probably the first settler in this tract, having bought a part of the fourth lot in March 1676, and erected a dwelling near the corner of North Main and Brownell streets soon after."

The following notes are from [ http://www.harrold.org/familytree/webtree2/145.htm ]:

The following is from "Additions and Corrections to Austin's Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island Matthew Boomer," published in the American Genealogist, April, 1984.
- Before court (servant of Edmond Nedum/Needham in Lynn, MA) 5/9/1647 and 12/26/1649 for striking his master with a pitchfork and lying - author cites Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex Co, MA; Salem 1911; 1:133, 184.
- Moved to Newport RI by 1655. Appears in list of Freemen of Newport - author cites John R. Bartlett, Records of the Colony of RI and Providence Plantations in New England; Providence RI 1856 rpt. New York 1968; 1:300.
- House burned by Indians during the late war. On 2/26/1676 Henry Stevens stated that he sold the 10 acres to Matthew Boomer about 18 years ago - author cites RI Land Evidences (RILE), Volume 1, 1648-1696; Providence RI 1921, rpt Baltimore 1970; pp. 95, 96 - probably burnt after he moved to MA.
- Sold the 10 acres to George Browne of Newport on 2/26/1676.
- Frequently in RI and Plymouth Colony courts as member of Petty Jury on 10/24/1666, but usually as a defendant - author cites RI Court Records: Records of the Court of Trials of the Colony of Providence Plantations, 1662-1670 2 vols.; Providence, 1922.
- Was sued by Nicholas Easton for damages 10/21/1668, charged with committing a riot.
- Wife charged with committing a felony.
- Jury found not guilty in all cases.
- He seems to have moved back to MA by 1675; a record in New Plymouth states, on 6/1/1675 "John Arthur, Mathew Boomer and John Leyton being sumoned to the court to answare for theire residing in the govment without order, and not attending the publicke worship of God, liveing lonely and in a heathenish way from good societie, this Court ordereth that they for the future shall frequent the publicke worship of [God], and live otherwise orderly, or that they depart the govment." (Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England, [Boston 1856, rpt. New York 1968].
- On 3/6/1676/7 Henry Brightman of Portsmouth sold one half of a lot lying on the east side of "Tanton River in the collony of New-Plymouth" to Matthew Boomer of Newport. Matthew sold the half lot to John Reade of Newport on 6/22/1677 - author cites RILE, pp. 121-122.
- Matthew and his son Matthew are on the 10/17/1688 tax list for Freetown, MA. The 6/25/1690 list gives only one Matthew Boomer - author cites Richard L. Bowen, Early Rehoboth , Rehoboth MA 1945, 1:86-88.
- On 1/5/1692, ack. 11/20/1694, "Matthew Bommer Sr. of Freetown sold to Matthew Bommer Jr. of Freetown one freeman's lot in Freetown where said Matthew Bommer Junr. now dweleth" - Bristol Co. LR 1:301. LDS gives father as Joshua, of Essex, born about 1578, married about 1609 in Essex. LDS shows Matthew's marriage and death in MA - could be right. Matthew moved from Lynn, MA to Newport, RI, then to Freetown, MA.