Thomas Benedict

   Ancestral File Number: 8GZ6-5W.

  General Notes:

Thomas Benedict and his step-sister, Mary Bridgham, she who was later to become his wife. Together they left England in 1637 and came to Salem, MA Bay Colony and left us with a large mystery, actually a number of enigmatic questions. We shall try to answer questions such as: Who really were their parents? When did their households merge? What are some of the other relationships that we should investigate? It is of interest to know how long Thomas and Mary lived under one roof before deciding to go off on their great adventure. Recall that Mary was perhaps six or seven years younger than Thomas, and he was under 21 years old when they left England. So, did they leave England in association with others they already knew or to whom they were related? And, prior to their leavetaking, were they already acquainted with Rev. John Youngs of Southwold, or Thomas Paine (Payne) of Wrentham, the weaver, both of whom are known to have sailed on the "Mary and Anne"? Could Thomazine "Goche" or "Gooch" have actually been Thomas's paternal grandmother, as has been suggested, (and perhaps even Thomas's namesake)? And, if so, was she related to William "Gooch" or "Goose," owner and captain of the ship "Mary and Anne," who was also, by coincidence(?), the brother-in-law of Thomas Paine? This Captain Gooch appears to have had a close connection, too, to the Youngs family, for by May 1638 he had sold his ship to Joseph Youngs, brother of Rev. John Youngs, for the return trip to England, carrying beaver pelts from Plymouth. The implication here is that Thomas Benedict's family may have been much more extended than we realize.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~benedicttopics/04f-gen4.html

Will: Probated in Norwalk, Connecticut 1689-1690

  Noted events in his life were:

• death. will 28 Feb 1689

Thomas married Mary Bridgham, daughter of Thomas Bridgham and Mary Hurd, about 1639 in Southhold Long Island, New York. (Mary Bridgham was born in 1621 in Nottinghamshire, England and died in 1719 in Ridgefield, Fairfield, Connecticut.)

  Marriage Notes:

Born in Stratton St Michael, Norfolk, England; son of William Benedict and Elizabeth Stephin or Stephanson 17 Nov 1617

Married to Mary Bridgham, probably at Salem by Rev. John Youngs, probable mentor for Thomas and Mary Benedict 1639 or 1640

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~benedicttopics/04a-thom_benedict_chrono.html