Thomas Minor
- Born: 23 Apr 1608, Chew Magna, Somersetshire, England 75,591
- Christened: 23 Apr 1608, Chew Magna, Somersetshire, England 75,591
- Marriage: Grace Palmer on 23 Apr 1634 in Charleston, Massachusetts 75,446,582,591
- Died: 23 Oct 1690, Stonington, New London, Connecticut at age 82 75,582,591
- Buried: Stonington in the Wequetequock Cemetery, New London, Connecticut,582,591
 Another spelling for Minor can be Miner.
 Noted events in his life were:
• Immigration. 4,592
From Ter-Centenary Anniversary of the Minor-Miner Family in America, by W.R. Mack, June 1930: "Thomas Minor, then a young man of 22 years, immigrated to this country in the 'Arbella.'" He came as a passenger with Governor Winthrop, Sir Richard Saltonstall and other assistants of the Massachusetts Bay Company. They set sail from England on the 12 Apr 1630, with a fleet of fourteen boats full of about 1500 men, women and children. They arrived on 14 Jun 1630.
The Miner family : Clement of New London, 1638 : Clement of Northfield, 1765, 591 by John A. Miner, page 17:
On 8 Apr 1630, Thomas Minor left Yarmouth, some miles from his ancestral home, on the Arbella. Because this ship carried Governor John Wintrhop. as well as the first Charter of Massachusetts, there is signfigant information about this voyage. On board the Arebellas was some three hundred fifty tons. It was captained by Peter Milbourne and manned by fifty-two seamen. The Arebella first left Yarmouth on 29 Mar 1639, then sailed down the English Channel for eight days, stopping often on it journey. Finally, 8 Apr 1630, the Ambrose, the Jewel, the Talbot and the Flagship, Arebella all set sail for New England.
The journey was extremely hazardous as documented by Governor Winthrop in his journal. It finally found its way into Pequot Harbor, now Salem Massachusetts on 12 Jun 1630.
• Dates & Events: 73
Thomas lived in Salem adn Charlestown Massachusetts. In 1632 he became a founder of the First Church. He moved to Hingham, Massachusetts, then in 1645, he joined John Winthrop Jr. in a the settlement of New Longdon, Conneticut. He sold his home lot in New London, and moved to Stonington, Conneticut.
He started to keep a diary which is one of the few diaries that survive from that time period. His covers the period from 1653 through 1684.
• Grave Stone: 73 ,582
A long stone of rough granite in the burial ground at Wickutequack bears the following inscription:
"Here lyeth the body of Livtenant
Thomas Miner, aged eighty-three years.
Departed 1690"
• He served in the military. 75
Sergeant, New London Train Band, May 1649
Chief Military Officer, Mystic Train Band, July 1665
Lieutenant in King Philip's War, February and April 1676; Captain, August 1676 • Dates & Events. 505
Thomas Minor was the son of Clement Minor, was born 23 Apr 1608, and came to New England in 1630, and married Grace, daughter of Walter Palmer, 23 Apr 1634. Thomas Minor came with John Winthrop's company, to Pequot, and settle there about 1646-1647. He died at Stonington, 23 Oct 1690 at age 83 years old. Grace, his wife died the same year. He was a leading man in the settlements in the eastern part of the state.
~History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut, p. 642
• Background Information. 582
Thomas Minor married Grace, a daughter of Walter Palmer, and the names of his children were recorded in New London. His boy was named Manasseh, born 28 Apr 1647, who is given the distinction as the first born male at the settlement of New London. He had two daughters who died in infancy. A son Samual, born 4 Mar 1652, and Hannah, born 15 Sep 1655. He also had several son who were born before the other children who were born in New London. They were John, Joseph, Thomas, Clement and Ephraim.
• Background Information. 591
From Ter-Centenary Anniversary of the Minor-Miner Family in America, by W.R. Mack, June 1930:
Thomas took an active and prominent part in the affairs of the new settlement. He was elected as on of the townsmen in 1646. In 1650 he was elected, along with Jonathan Brewster, as deputies to Genral Court at Hartford from Pequot, which became New London, Connecticut. They were the first representatives for New London. Thomas Minor was again elected deputry in 1651, and was appointed to the General Court, as Military Sergeant from New London. Not only was his son, Manassah, the first male child to be born in New London, but his daughter Ann Minor was the first registered death in Pequot. She was born 28 Apr 1649 and died 13 Aug 1652.
Thomas Minor sold his property in New London and moved to Mystic, Connecticut to live on a farm he purchased from Cary Latham. He built a home there, and spent the remained of his days there. He died 23 Oct 1690 at the age of 83 years. His wife, Grace died the same year and they both were buried at Wequetequock, the ancient burial ground of Stonington.
• Background Information. 592
The Miner family : Clement of New London, 1638 : Clement of Northfield, 1765, by John A. Miner, pages 17-19:
Shortly after Thomas arrived in Salem, he left in the face of a serious outbreak of Typhus Fever, and moved to Watertown, Massachusetts. He didn't stay there long, since he moved to Charlestown in 1632, where he became the founder of the First Church. His name was 34th on the roll. He was granted, in 1634, four acres of land at the Newtown line and in 1637, he owned a ten-acre lot.
After marrying Grace Palmer at Rehoboth, Massachusetts, he moved in 136, this time to Hingham where he remained until 1645. He joined John Winthrop Jr.'s colony of Massachusetts Puritans who settled New London, connecticut. He lived there for a short period of time, and it appears that Thomas was a close companion of John Winthrop, Junior, from the many references Thomas wrote of him in his own diary.
Some of the dates and events not listed in other sources and from this publication are:
Thomas assisted in the organization of Wiketaquoc Cove, built a house there, and acted twice as Commissioner to deal with the Indians.
Thomas, along with his son Clement, were granted land in 1657, "from Stony Brook easterly 108 pole joining his former grand, thence north one mile and 60 pole, thences east 108 pole to his son's Clement's grant."
At New London, he acted as Deputy in the Connecticut General Court for the sessions of Sep 1650, and May & Sep 1651. He served in Stonington as Deputy in May & Oct, 1665; Oct, 1667; Oct. 1670; Oct 1642; May 1677; May & Oct 1679; May, 1689 and Oct 1689.
In May 1649, he was appointed to serve as a magistrate in the town of New London, and again in Stonighton in Oct 1664 and May 1665. In May 1666, Thomas recived a colonial of 100 acres another 50 acres in 1667 for performing distinguished public service.
Thomas married Grace Palmer, daughter of Walter Palmer and Ann Elizabeth Carter, on 23 Apr 1634 in Charleston, Massachusetts.75,446,582 (Grace Palmer was born on 9 May 1612 in England,72 died on 31 Oct 1690 in Stonington, Connecticut 72 and was buried in Wequetequock burying ground, Connecticut, Bristish American Colonies 72.)
Noted events in their marriage were:
• Alt. Marriage Location: Rehoboth, Plymouth, Massachusetts. 72
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