thrale & thrall family history

William Thrall

Male 1605 - 1679  (73 years)


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  • Name William Thrall 
    Birth 8 Aug 1605  Sandridge, Hertfordshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Gender Male 
    Occupation Stonemason  [3
    Will 11 Dec 1678  Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    The will of WILLIAM THRALL (1605-1679) was dated 11 December 1678 and was taken by Christopher Sanders and Jacob Drake. It is from Invt. L158-09-06. Court Record. Page 18 — 4 December, 1679: Will & Invt. proven. Connecticut Probate Records Vol. IV p. 370.

    "I William Thrall of Windsor do give and bequeath my Outward Estate, my House Barn & all my Lands of one sort or other, Upland or Meadow, to my son Timothy Thrall, to be his & his heirs forever, yt with this Proviso, that upon his possession thereof he stand bound to discharge the Legacies as followeth:

    First: that he pay to Daughter Phillip Hosford the sum of L45, to be paid within 3 years after my decease.

    Second: that he pay to Samuel Cross, & also to her that was Mary Cross, both which live with me, 5 Shillings apeice.

    Third: That he pay to Mr. Benjamin Woodbridge 20 shillings.

    It is my Will & I do give to my gr. child Sarah Hosford the little House I have begun to build on John Hosford's Land.

    For my Household Goods, what is in the possession of my son Timothy Thrall I do bestow on him, & what part of my Household Goods is in the possession of John Shepherd I do give to my daughter Phillip Thrall. A cow of mine in John Hosford's Hands I do give to Daughter Phillip Hosford, & the Cattle or Stock in my son Timothy Thrall's Hands I give to him.

    I ordain my son Timothy Thrall Executor.

    Also I desire Mr. Benjamin Woodbridge and Abraham Phelps to be my Overseers.

    Witness: Job Drake, Mary Woodbridge.

    William X Thrall. 
    Death 3 Aug 1679  Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Notes 
    • William Thrall is the founder of the Thrall family in the United States. He was born in 1605 in Sandridge, Hertfordshire, England and came to the Colonies on the "Mary and John" in the year 1630. The "Mary and John" was a vessel of four hundred tons captained by a man named Squeb and the vessel sailed with 180 passengers.

      William was part of a company of Puritans under the leadership of Rev. John Wareham of Exeter and Rev. John Meverick, both ministers of the Church of England Setting sail from Plymouth, England on 20 March, they first came ashore on 30 May 1630. They disembarked with what goods they had, to some high land in the salt meadow, now a part of the city of Boston. They named the place Dorchester, which was selected by the captain of the "Mary and John" as he came from Dorchester, England. Page 277 of Prince's Chronology of New England records "May 30, Lord's Day. Mr. Wareham and his church, and their goods, were put ashore at Nantasket Point. The went immediately to Charlestown, and from thence to Mattepan, and began a town and named it Dorchester, and the native Indians were kind to them."

      Revs. Wareham and Meverick and their group stayed in Dorchester less than five years, as a number of their menfolk had discovered more fertile land below the first falls of the Connecticut River, at the junction of the Farmington River just above Hartford. Part of the Colony went by boat and the remainder travelled across the one hundred miles of virgin forest, to establish the town of Windsor. Windsor was unofficially known as Thrallville in the early years.

      The first we know of William Thrall is that he is listed with the following men who were among the thirty men who went from Windsor to join in the fight against the Pequod Indians in May 1637. Capt. John Mason, Sgt. Benedict Alvord, Thomas Barber, Thomas Buckland, George Chappel, John Dyer, James Eggleston, Nathaniel Gillet, Thomas Gridley, Thomas Styles, Sgt. Thomas Stares, Richard Osborn, Thomas Parsons, William Thrall. The Indian village in this case was so completely destroyed that for many years, the settlers had no further trouble with the Indians. Some years later, the participants were given land grants. To quote from Dr. Styles records with regard to the first Indian war in New England, "The danger was imminent, and so complete the victory that it caused universal rejoicing throughout New England, and a grant of land was given each soldier and officer, and to this day the memory of an ancestor who was in the Pequod fight, is an honorable heirloom in every Connecticut family".

      William Thrall is mentioned many times in the early records. His lot shows up in the first plot of Windsor, between the lots of Nicholas Palmer and Thomas Bascomb, and ran from the road to the Farmington River. In 1646, William sold this lot to Nicholas Palmer and moved to Simon Hoyte's place, north of the village. Robert Wilson bought a half interest with William in the Hoyte's 80 acres, but sold his half to Thrall in 1654. This 80 acres has been part of the holdings of the Thrall family ever since, thanks to William Thrall's will.

      We know very little about the wife of William Thrall. She is referred to in the Old Windsor records as Goode Thrall, but "Goode" was an expression applied to women with families and it is simply an abbreviation of "Goodwife". Whether she came over to New England on the "Mary and John" with her husband or they met in Dorchester, has never been established The record of her death simply states, "Goode Thrall, wife of William, died 30 July 1676".

      Page 5 of Walter G Thrall's 1862 Genealogy gives a most likely incorrect death date of August 3, 1678.

      Join the hunt for William Thrall's English ancestors at http://www.thrale.com/hunt_william_thralls_ancestors
    Person ID I5  US Thrall family
    Last Modified 18 Jan 2024 

    Family ID F427  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Elizabeth Goode,   b. 1609   d. 30 Jul 1676, Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 67 years) 
    Marriage 1638  Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
    +1. Phillury Thrall,   b. 25 Oct 1639, Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 8 Jul 1683, Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 43 years)
    +2. Timothy Thrall,   b. 25 Jul 1641, Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Jun 1697, Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 55 years)
     3. David Thrall,   b. Between 1643 and 1650, Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 7 Dec 1722 (Age ~ 79 years)
    Family ID F5  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 16 Feb 2004 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 8 Aug 1605 - Sandridge, Hertfordshire, England Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 1638 - Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsWill - The will of WILLIAM THRALL (1605-1679) was dated 11 December 1678 and was taken by Christopher Sanders and Jacob Drake. It is from Invt. L158-09-06. Court Record. Page 18 — 4 December, 1679: Will & Invt. proven. Connecticut Probate Records Vol. IV p. 370. "I William Thrall of Windsor do give and bequeath my Outward Estate, my House Barn & all my Lands of one sort or other, Upland or Meadow, to my son Timothy Thrall, to be his & his heirs forever, yt with this Proviso, that upon his possession thereof he stand bound to discharge the Legacies as followeth: First: that he pay to Daughter Phillip Hosford the sum of L45, to be paid within 3 years after my decease. Second: that he pay to Samuel Cross, & also to her that was Mary Cross, both which live with me, 5 Shillings apeice. Third: That he pay to Mr. Benjamin Woodbridge 20 shillings. It is my Will & I do give to my gr. child Sarah Hosford the little House I have begun to build on John Hosford's Land. For my Household Goods, what is in the possession of my son Timothy Thrall I do bestow on him, & what part of my Household Goods is in the possession of John Shepherd I do give to my daughter Phillip Thrall. A cow of mine in John Hosford's Hands I do give to Daughter Phillip Hosford, & the Cattle or Stock in my son Timothy Thrall's Hands I give to him. I ordain my son Timothy Thrall Executor. Also I desire Mr. Benjamin Woodbridge and Abraham Phelps to be my Overseers. Witness: Job Drake, Mary Woodbridge. William X Thrall. - 11 Dec 1678 - Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 3 Aug 1679 - Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Sources 
    1. [S5] Compiled by D Stephen Thrall., Thrall Genealogy 1630-1965, (Grant Leslie Thrall 1976), 1 (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S4] Internet, http://www.gulbangi.com/d0000/g0000099.html#I3288 (Reliability: 3).

    3. [S4] Internet, http://www.my-ged.com/db/page/davidson/11242 (Reliability: 3).