Sergeant Thomas Spencer, Hartford Founder

Compiled by Timothy Lester Jacobs, SDFH Genealogist

THOMAS¹ SPENCER, SGT., HARTFORD FOUNDER (GERARD^A) was baptized 29 Mar 1607 in Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England, and died 11 Sep 1687 in Hartford, CT. He married (1) ANN DERIFALL bef. 1639. She was born 1610 in England, and died bef. Sep 1645 in Hartford, CT. He married (2) SARAH BEARDING 11 Sep 1645 in Hartford, CT, daughter of HARTFORD FOUNDER NATHANIEL BEARDING. She was born abt. 1624 in England, and died bef. 1674 in Hartford, CT.

Sgt. Thomas Spencer was one of four brothers who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony: Thomas arriving in 1633 and first living in Cambridge; William arriving in 1631 and first living in Cambridge, who also removed to Hartford; Jared (or Gerard) arriving in 1634, first living in Cambridge, then removing to Lynn in 1636, then to Hartford in 1660, and finally to Haddam, CT; and Michael arriving in 1634, first living in Cambridge, then removing to Lynn about 1637 where he remained until his death.

Thomas Spencer was made freeman in Cambridge 14 May 1634, and removed to Hartford in 1636, and served in the Pequot War in 1637. In the Hartford land inventory in February 1639/40, he held 13 parcels: his home lot in 1639 was on the East side of Main Street, he had one acre and two roods in the West Field, three roods in the Soldier’s Field, four acres in the North Meadow, one acre and two roods on the east side of the Great River, another one acre and one rood on the east side of the Great River, four acres on the east side of the Great River which he bought of his brother William, three acres and two roods in the Cow Pasture, five acres and 20 perches also in the cow pasture, five acres in the Little Oxpasture, and another four acres and two roods in the Little Oxpasture. He later acquired two additional acres in the Little Oxpasture on 24 February 1653, 4 acres on the east side of the Great River on the same day, and received in 1671 a grant of 60 acres for his service in the Pequot War.

He served on the petit jury in 1650, 1651, 1652, 1655, 1659, 1661, and 1662, was the sergeant of the train band in 1650, was chimney viewer in the same year, was appointed constable on 4 March 1657/58, and was surveyor of highways in 1672. His will, dated 9 September 1686 was proved 26 October 1687.

Genealogy: “The American Genealogist”, Vol. 27, article “The Four Spencer Brothers, Their Ancestors and Descendants”, by Donald Lines Jacobus (Having Mr. Jacobus as author, this genealogy is highly reliable, but does not extend very far in terms of descendants.)