Rev Thomas Hooker

M, #561, b. 1586, d. 7 July 1647
Father*Thomas Hooker (b.ca.1553)1 b. c 1553, d. 1635
Mother*(__________) (__________) (d.1631)1
ChartsPedigree for Tony Hooker
Descendant Chart for Thomas Hooker
Birth*1586 Rev Thomas Hooker was born in 1586 at Marefield (parish of Tilton), Leicestershire, England.2,3,4 
Education He was educated at Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, England; "educated at Market Bosworth grammar school."5 
Education27 March 1604 He was a Sizar, where he matriculated on 27 March 1604 at Queens College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.5 
Education1608 He was educated at Emanuel College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, where he got his B.A.2,5 
Education*1611 He was educated at Emanuel College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, where he got his M.A. in 1611, and entering upon a divinity course, he was elected a Fellow of the College (on Sir Wolstan Dixie's foundation). He left the College before completing the first course and receiving the degree of B.D.2,5,6 
Residence* Heat his first leaving of the university, he sojourned in the house of Francis Drake, a gentleman of great note, not far from London (he also preached in the area). Mr Drake's wife was under the impression that she had committed the unpardonable sin, and Hooker succeeded in conforting her after Usher and John Dod had failed (citing Trodden down strengh, by the God of Strength, or Mrs Drake revived. Related by her friend Hart Onhi, London 1647) at London, England.6,5 
ReligRectorLecturer*circa 1620 He became a rector of Escher, Surrey, England, circa 1620.5 
Marriage*3 April 1621 He married Susanna Garbrand on 3 April 1621 at Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England; "1621 Thomas Hooker & Susan Garbrand Mar 3 of Apr."7,8
Event-Misc18 April 1625 Rev Thomas Hooker was at the death bed of the daughter of Francis Drake on 18 April 1625 at Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England.9 
ReligRectorLecturer1626 He was a lecturer "for a season" at Chelmsford, Essex, England, around 1626.10,11 
Residence He opened a school in his own house, about five miles from Chelmsford at Little Baddow, Essex, England.12,13,14 
MovedTo*1630 He moved to Delft, Holland, in 1630.15,16 
MovedTocirca 1632 He moved to Rotterdam, Holland, circa 1632 when, after 2 years service in Delft, he was called to Rotterdam.6 
Emigration*July 1633 He emigrated in July 1633 from "The Downs", Kent, England, on The Griffin.2,17 
Immigration*4 September 1633 He immigrated on 4 September 1633 to Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts."... having been 8 weeks from the Downs ... In this ship came Mr Cotton, Mr Hooker."18 
ReligRectorLecturer11 October 1633 He was chosen Pastor L 11 October 1633.19 
Event-Misc13 March 1633/34 He spent a few years in the household of Francis Drake of Esher county of Surry and made such an impression that in his will of 13 Mar 1633/4 Drake made a bequest "Item: I give unto Johanna Hooker whoe now is in New England thirty pounds to be paide unter her at the day of her marriage." the daughter of Thomas Hooker. This Francis Drake was cousin of the John Drake who made a brief appeaance in New England in the early 1600s and who also received a bequest in his will on 13 March 1633/34.20 
Will*7 July 1647 He left a will on 7 July 1647 at Hartford Co., Connecticut; Hooker, Thomas, Hartford. Invt. £1136-15-00. Taken 21st April, 1644 (sic), by Nathaniel Ward & Edward Stebbing. Will dated 7 July, 1647.
     
I, Thomas Hooker, of Hartford, uppon Connecticutt, in New England, being weakened in my body through the tender visitation of the Lord, but of sound & prfect memory, doe dispose of that outward estate I have been betrusted withall by him, in maner following: I doe give unto my sonne Jno. Hooker, my housing and Lands in Hartford aforesaid, both that wch is on the west and also that wch is on the east syde of ye River, to be in joyed by him and his heires for ever, after the death of my wife Susannah Hooker, provided he be then att. the age of one & twenty yeares.
     It being my will that my sayd deare wiefe shall injoy and possess my sayd Howsing & Lande during her naturall life, and yf she dy before my sonne Jno come to the aforesaid age of one & twenty yeares, that the same, bee improved by the overseers of this my will for the maintenence and education of my children not( ) disposed of, according to their best discretion. I doe also give unto my sonne Jno my Library of printed books and manuscripts, under the limittations and provisoes hereafter expressed. It is my will that my sonne Jno. deliver to my sonne Samuel Soe many of my books as shall be valued by the overseers of this my will to be worth fifty pounds sterling, or that he pay him the summe of fifty pounds Sterling to buy such books as may be useful to him in thee way of his studdyes, att such tyme as the overseers of this my will shall Judge meett. But if my sonne Jno. doe not goe on to the prfecting of his Studdyes, or shall not give up himselfe to the service of the Lord in the worke of the ministry, my will is that my Sonne Samuel enjoy and possesse the whole Library and manuscripts to his proper use forever; onely, it is my will that whatever manuscripts shall be Judged meett to be printed, the disposal! thereof and advantage that may come thereby I leave wholy to my executrix ; and in case she depart this life before the same be Judged of and Settled, then to my overseers to be improved by them in their best discretion, for the good of myne, according to the trust reposed in them. And however I doe not forbid my sonne Jno from seeking and takeing a wife in England, yett I doe forbid him from marrying and tarying there. I doe give unto my sonne Samuel, in case the whole Library come not to him, as is before expressed, the summe of Seventy pounds, to be payd unto him by my Executrix att such tyme and in such maner as shall be judged meetest by the overseers of my will. I doe also give unto my daughter Sarah Hooker, the summe of one hundred pounds Sterling, to be payd unto her by my Executrix when she shall marry or come to the age of one and twenty years, wch shall first happen; the disposall and further education of her and the rest, I leave to my wife, advising them to attend her counsell in the feare of the Lord. I doe give unto the two children of my daughter Joanna Sheperd, deceased, and the child of my daughter Mary Newton, to each of them the summe of tenn pounds, to be payd unto them by my son John within one year after he shall come to the possession and injoyment of my Houseing & Lands in Hartford, or my Son Samuell, if by the decease of Jno he come to injoy the same. I doe make my beloved wiefe Susannah Hooker, Executrix of this my Last will and Testament, and (my just debts being payd) doe give and bequeath unto her all my estate and goodes, moveable and immoveable, not formerly bequeathed by this my last will. And I desire my beloved friends, Mr. Edward Hopkins and Mr. William Goodwyn, to affoard their best assistence to my wife, and doe constitute and appoint them the overseers of this my will.
     And itt haveing pleased the Lord now to visitt my wife with a sickness, and know not how itt may please his Matie to dispose of her, my mind &will is, that in case she depart this life before she dispose of the estate bequeathed her, my aforesaid beloved friends, Mr. Edward Hopkins and Mr. William Goodwyn, shall take charge both of the education and dispose of my children (to whose love and faithfullness I comend them) and of the estate left & bequeathed to my wiefe, and doe comitt itt to their best judgement and discretion to manage the sayd estate for ye best good of mine, and to bestow itt uppon any or all of them in such a proportion as shall be most suitable to their owne apprehensions. Being willing onely to intimate my desire that they wch deserve best may have most, but nott to Lymett them, but leave them to the full scope and bredth of their owne Judgement; in the dispose whereof, they may have respect of ye forementioned children of my two daughters, if they see meete. It being my full will that what trust I have comitted to my wife, either in matter of estate or such manuscript as shall be judged fitt to be printed, in case she live not to order the same herselfe, be wholly transferred and past over from her to them for ye ende before specifyed. And for mortality sake I doe putt power into the hands of the forementioned Beloved friends to constitute and appoint such other faithfull men as they shall judge meet (in case they be deprived of life or libberty to attend the same in their owne persons), to manage, dispose, and per forme the estate and trust comitted to them in as full maner as I have comitted it to them for the same ende. THOS. HOOKER
     This was declared to be the last will and testament of Mr. Thomas Hooker, the seventh day of July, 1647, in the presence of Henry Smith, Sam. Stone, John White.21,22
 
Death*7 July 1647 He died on 7 July 1647 at Hartford, Hartford Co., Connecticut.2 
Event-Misc* In the modern day, Rev Thomas Hooker is now called “the Father of Connecticut”, framing a written constitution in order to establish a government for the commonwealth.23 
Biography1702 He had a biographical essay written by his friend Cotton Mather in 1702.6 

Family

Susanna Garbrand
Marriage*3 April 1621 He married Susanna Garbrand on 3 April 1621 at Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England; "1621 Thomas Hooker & Susan Garbrand Mar 3 of Apr."7,8
Children
Last Edited12 May 2018

Citations

  1. [S26] American Ancestry of Samuel Tompkins & Martha Alphena (Todd) Schureman and Their Descendants (information on Thomas Hooker ancestry), Frances Ida Shureman Judd.
  2. [S18] The Descendants of Rev Thomas Hooker, Hartford, Connecticut, 1586-1908, Edward Hooker, #1 pg 3.
  3. [S21] Magnalia Christi Americana or the Ecclesiastical History of New England - appendix on Thomas Hooker, Cotton Mather, "This our Hooker was born at Marfield, in Leicestershire, about the year 1586, of parents that were neither unable, nor unwilling to bestow upon him a liberal education."
  4. [S22] Dictionary of National Biography Vol.9, Leslie Stephen & Sidney Lee, pg.1189 "HOOKER, THOMAS (1586 ?-1647), minister at Hartford, Connecticut, son of Thomas Hooker (d. 1685),was born at Markfield,near Leicester, probably on 7 July 1686."
  5. [S22] Dictionary of National Biography Vol.9, Leslie Stephen & Sidney Lee, pg.1189.
  6. [S21] Magnalia Christi Americana or the Ecclesiastical History of New England - appendix on Thomas Hooker, Cotton Mather.
  7. [S22] Dictionary of National Biography Vol.9, Leslie Stephen & Sidney Lee, pg.1189 "Hooker married Susanna, Mrs Drake's waiting-woman."
  8. [S25] Marriage record of Thomas Hooker and Susannah Garbrand in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England (Marriages at Amersham 1561-1812 ), Church of England Parish Record.
  9. [S32] Thomas Hooker, 1586-1647, Frank Shuffelton, "In the years just before 1625 he [Rev Thomas Hooker] was undoubtedly becoming restive under the burden of acute disputations with Mrs. Drake —not a misogynist, he later complained that "women that are weake in their reasons, are wonderfully refractory in their wills" and after the improvement in her spiritual condition he would have felt more free to expand the scale of his activities. Mrs. Drake died at her parents' home in Amersham on April 18, 1625, and although it is not clear whether or not Hooker was still rector at Esher, he did attend at her deathbed. Early in 1625 he probably began to look about for a new position. Although he was quite satisfied to remain within the wide circle of the Anglican Church, provided his own method of preaching God's word were tolerated, his opinions upon church organization were at odds with those of the Establishment."
  10. [S22] Dictionary of National Biography Vol.9, Leslie Stephen & Sidney Lee, pg.1189 "he accepted a lectureship at Chelmsford, Essex."
  11. [S21] Magnalia Christi Americana or the Ecclesiastical History of New England - appendix on Thomas Hooker, Cotton Mather, lecturer "for a season" "when he had been about 4 years there."
  12. [S22] Dictionary of National Biography Vol.9, Leslie Stephen & Sidney Lee, pg.1189 "Meanwhile Hooker had opened a school at Little Baddow, about five miles from Chelmsford, with John Eliot for his assistant."
  13. [S21] Magnalia Christi Americana or the Ecclesiastical History of New England - appendix on Thomas Hooker, Cotton Mather, "Hereupon, at the request of several eminent persons, he kept a school in his own hired house, having one Mr. John Eliot for his usher, at little Baddow,not far from Chelmsford ; where he managed his charge with such discretion, with such authority, and such efficacy, that able to do more with a word, or a look, than most other men could have done by a severe discipline, he did very great service to the church of God, in the education of such, as afterwards proved themselves not a little serviceable I have in my hands, a manuscript, written by the hands of our blessed Eliot, wherein he gives a very great account of the little academy then maintained in the house of Mr.Hooker."
  14. [S32] Thomas Hooker, 1586-1647, Frank Shuffelton, pg.128 "At this time Hooker was living at Cuckoos Farm in Little Baddow, a hamlet near Chelmsford, with his wife and children —he had three daughters and an infant son, named after his brother John.He kept a grammar school there..."
  15. [S22] Dictionary of National Biography Vol.9, Leslie Stephen & Sidney Lee, pg.1189 "but eventually, on being cited in 1630 to appear before the high commission court, he deemed it prudent to withdraw to Holland."
  16. [S21] Magnalia Christi Americana or the Ecclesiastical History of New England - appendix on Thomas Hooker, Cotton Mather, "Spiritual court sitting at Chelmsford about 1630 silenced him. When day for appearance came, he went to Holland, via Amsterdam went to Delft."
  17. [S21] Magnalia Christi Americana or the Ecclesiastical History of New England - appendix on Thomas Hooker, Cotton Mather, Returned to England to further voyage to America boarding "at the Downs in the year 1633."
  18. [S23] Winthrop's Journal "History of New England", edited by James Kenall Hosmer John Winthrop, pg 105+.
  19. [S24] Great Migration Begins (on American Ancestors) aka Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to N.E. 1620-1633, Vols. I-III, Robert Anderson, v. 2 pg 982+.
  20. [S33] Will (7 May 1634) and probate (17 May 1634) of Francis Drake of Esher, Surray, England, The National Archives, England Kew, Prerogative Court of Canterbury and Related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers, Class: PROB 11 and Piece: 165 found on Ancestry by going to http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=5111 and searching on his name.
  21. [S34] Society of the Descendants of The Founders of Hartford website, page on Thomas Hooker.
  22. [S36] A Digest of the early Connecticut probate records, Charles William Manwaring, v.1 pg.16.
  23. [S20] Wikipedia entry, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hooker