John Minor, founder and author of “An Ancestral Narrative”, wrote that in 1629 when Thomas, 21, departed England, “there was little to excite a young man about his future there.” Most men had no financial security – they farmed land or worked in shops controlled by a few wealthy landlords. Wages were barely sufficient to feed and clothe their large families. Housing was cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Life was controlled by two authorities, the government, and the church.
Thomas, the youngest of eight, had no hope of any inheritance. He was listed as a planter on the records of The Lyon’s Whelp which left the Thames, Gravesend, England on April 25, 1629, along with five other ships – George Bonaventure, Four Sisters, Lyon, the Mayflower, and the Talbot.
The Expedition’s leader was Reverend Francis Higginson and sailed on the Talbot with his family. He documented the trip before his death in 1630. The Lyon’s Whelp was not a large ship, displacing 120 tons as compared to the 200 tons displacement of the Mayflower. It made several stops, picked up passengers and provisions along the coast on their voyage to Lands’ End. Where Thomas Minor boarded the Lyon’s Whelp is unknown, but final departure was May 13, 1629.
After spending 47 days on a crowded ship, subject to rough seas, poor sanitation, and limited provisions, they arrived at the landing of Salem on June 29, 1629. There were no organized towns and no constructed buildings. These early settlers relied on each other and trade with the natives to survive.
From Salem, Thomas moved on to the area known as Watertown (Boston), then to Charlestown. The formation of the First Church in Charlestown in 1632 lists Thomas Minor as a founder, along with Abraham Palmer (Walter Palmer’s brother) and Grace Palmer.
In 1633 Thomas became a freeman, indicating that he was no longer under any legal constraints. This possibly could explain how he was able to afford the voyage to the new world. On April 23, 1634, Thomas married Grace Palmer and their first child, John, was baptized in 1636.
They then moved to Hingham, MA where Clement, Thomas, Ephraim, and Joseph were born. Manassah, Ann, Marie, Samuel and Hannah soon followed. Thomas and family moved to the New London area and helped establish the town. Finally, they moved and helped establish Stonington, CT. He settled permanently as a farmer, learned to speak the local native language and translated for missionaries with the Indians.
Thomas and Grace both died in 1690 and are buried in Wequetequock cemetery in Stonington, Connecticut.
