Deacon Thomas LORING

- 1661

• Name	Thomas LORING  [1]
  	Deacon Thomas Loring, founder of the American family, was born at Axminster, Devonshire, England. So much his grandson, Rev. Israel Loring, learned from his father and left on record. But neither the name of his father, mother or any ancestor has come down to us. As we have seen on previous pages, the parish registers of Axminster are sadly defective and wills thus far examined fail to show the origin of the pioneer. Ir is matter of great satisfaction that the fragmentary records exhibit the man as one of the wardens of the parish, and so dispel any notion that he came here in any quarrel with the mother church as so many of the colonists did; from a life of fellowship with the congregation where he had lived he came to a new country and joined with the Congregational church, the only organization of Christian people here, so continuing in brotherly love with good people everywhere. Thomas Loring married, inEngland, Jane Newton; her grandson, already quoted from, says "she was a woman of a lively spirit,...skilled in the practise of physick," which shows that she was above the average in the community and useful to her neighbors. Her ancestry is thus far unknown to her descendants. There were other persons of the name in Axminster, as the registers show, but no token of relationship. Mr. Loring came here, Rev. Israel affirms, "December 23, 1634," and joined the church colony at Hingham, which had come from Hingham, Norfolkshire, under the lead of an Independent minister, Rev. Robert Peck. Admitted "freeman" or citizen of the colony March 3, 1635/6, he was already established on a home lot near what is now the corner of Town andShip Streets. He became the proprietor of other lots at later times. He was a farmer. As the fish that abounded along the shore furnished a large part of the food of the inhabitants, and were also "set" with the corn to enrich the soil, Deacon Loring and his neighbors, by permission of the town in 1637, built a weir to catch this floating wealth; and the stream is called today Weir River. He was an innkeeper, too, perhaps the first in the plantation, licensed by the General Court along with some from other towns in march, 1637. To show how careful the people were to have proper persons to entertain man and beast, especially when intoxicating drinks were sold in the inns, an extract fro the records of the General Court may be given: William Clark, who lived on the border of Salem and Lynn, kept public house. After his death his widow applied for renewal of the license; the court licensed her to "keep the inn and sell wine, if she provide a fit man that is godly for the business." Such sentiment surrounding "the business" makes it in a sense a compliment to an ancestor that he was entrusted with the hostelry. The church chose him one of its deacons and he was respected and influential in the town. From some cause fire robbed him of his dwelling, March 15, 1645/6, and he did not choose to rebuild. Instead, however, he bought property in the adjoining plantation of Hull, and took a prominent place there; was constable (which then meant court officer, tax collector, etc., and demanded a good business education as well as efficiency). He joined with some of his neighbors and others in taking stock in a new plantation, "Sickonke," afterward called Seakonk and Rehoboth; but he did not remove to the place or continue his ownership of land there. He bought "for a valuable consideration," May 30, 1660, of Thomas Chaffee "all that my housse Housing orchard & two home lotts, lying in the town of Hull, Conteigning fower acres more or lesse as they were measured lying North East & South west John Loring on the South east William Chamberlaine on the North west the Towne streete on the South west & Ducke Lane on the North East with my lott of meadow by Streights River & my two lotts at Sagamore hill and my tow lotts at Stawbery hill as they stand recorded to be butted & bounded in the Towne booke of Hull aforesaid except on the island called Peddocks Island." This extensive property was the subject of careful appraisal and division by the sons after their father's decease. Deacon Loring died April 4, 1661, leaving no will. Administration was granted to his widow Jane and eldest son Thomas, April 18, following, and the required inventory was presented June 27, 1661, [1]
  Prefix	Deacon
  Birth	Axminster, Devonshire, England   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	4 Apr 1661  [1]
  Person ID	I103083	Main Tree
  Last Modified	1 Sep 2021

  
  

  Family	Jane NEWTON,   b. England d. 25 Aug 1672
  Marriage	England   [1]
  Children	+ 1. Thomas LORING, Jr.,   c. 5 Mar 1625/6, Axminster, Devonshire, England d. 1678 (Age ~ 51 years)  [Birth] + 2. John LORING,   b. 22 Dec 1630, Axminster, Devonshire, England d. 19 Sep 1714 (Age 83 years)  [Birth]   3. Isaac LORING,   c. 20 Jan 1639/40   d. 9 Feb 1639/40 (Age ~ 0 years)  [Birth]   4. Isaac LORING,   c. 9 Jan 1641/2   d. 2 Mar 1644/5 (Age ~ 3 years)  [Birth] + 5. Josiah LORING,   c. 9 Jan 1641/2, Hingham, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts d. 14 Feb 1712/3 (Age ~ 71 years)  [Birth] + 6. Benjamin LORING,   c. 24 Nov 1644, Hingham, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts d. 10 Mar 1715/6 (Age ~ 71 years)  [Birth]
  Family ID	F42981	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	1 Sep 2021

  
  

• Event Map

  Marriage - - England  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S12717] Charles henry Pope/Katharine Peabody Loring, LORING Genealogy.