Hi Poppy,
I've finished transcribing Tendring 1683-1837 (marriages) -1854 (baptisms) -1873 (burials) for freeREG so I'm able to answer your questions!
Firstly, the children of Thomas Newcomb senr and Sarah:
The daughter Sarah mentioned in Thomas' will - she married James Allen in Tendring 20 Jun 1743 by licence. I got a copy of the licence, which included their marital statuses (James was a widow, Sarah a spinster) and their ages (James was abt 44, Sarah abt 28) and mentioned that Sarah was Thomas' daughter. It looks like Sarah was James' third wife. She and James had seven children (Thomas 1744, John 1745-8, Sarah 1746-1819 (she married Ralph Bull in Great Oakley in 1764 and lived at Great Oakley Hall - he was a farmer), William 1748-1748, William 1749, Rebecca 1750, Hannah 1752). The Allen family had moved to Great Oakley from Tendring by 1749, and James was buried there 5th Jun 1751. I can't find a will for him.
Sarah then married Moses Gill on 16 Jul 1754 (I've started transcribing Thorpe-le-Soken and the marriage of a Moses Gill there in the late 1600s says that he's French, so I'm assuming Sarah's second husband with the same name is a relative and was a Huguenot). Hence why she's Sarah Gill on her father's will written in 1759. Moses died in 1768 and in his will he mentions the daughter he had with Sarah - Mary Gill. As far as I remember, Moses owned Great Oakley Hall and Sarah inherited it, then left it to her son Thomas (b. 1744). He died unmarried in 1777 and left the Hall to his sister, Sarah, who had married Ralph Bull.
Sarah left a will as well (I have these at home and will transcribe them) and died on 20 Sep 1775 in Great Oakley.
From all this, I think that Sarah was born about 1715 (going on her age provided on her marriage licence) which would make her older than Thomas jnr (who was the first of Thomas snr & Sarah senr's children baptised in Tendring) so I would imagine that she was born outside Tendring, before the Newcombs moved there. Where that was though, currently remains a mystery!
There's a lot less information about the other children of Thomas & Sarah senior and because the burial register for Tendring only gives names and no relatives or ages it's a bit of a puzzle, but by comparing those to Thomas senior's will, I think I may have just about got it straight!
So after Sarah Newcomb/Allen/Gill b abt 1715, we have:
Thomas jnr 1717-? (sometime between 1751 and 1759), married Sarah Bacon, children born in Tolleshunt Knights etc.
John, baptised 4 Jan 1719. Can't see a marriage for him in Tendring, he's not mentioned in his father's will and there's a burial in Tendring 17 Oct 1741 which I suspect is him.
Joseph, baptised 25 Dec 1722. I think he married Anne Kirkham 23 Oct 1760. His occupation is in the register, given as blacksmith. 26 Feb 1763 he takes Thomas Newcomb as his apprentice - I think this is his nephew, Thomas Newcomb the 3rd, mentioned in his grandfather's will as he's left money for him to be apprenticed (Thomas 3rd would have been about 15 at the time, which sounds about right). There's a burial in Tendring in April 1812 for Joseph Newcomb senr aged 85 - I think this is Joseph with the age slightly wrong (he had two children, a Joseph (married Hannah Squirrel and had 10 children) and an Anne).
Samuel, baptised 21 Aug 1724. There's a burial in Tendring 24 Sep 1724 for "Samuel Newcomb, an infant". I can't find a baptism for the Samuel mentioned in Thomas' will, though.
Mary, baptised 15 Sep 1725 (dob given: 16 Jul 1725). Presumably the same Mary Newcomb buried in Tendring 20 Sep 1732.
William, baptised 12 Jan 1729. There's a burial in Tendring for William Newcomb, infant 28 Feb 1729.
Rebecca, baptised 17 Jun 1730, presumably the same Rebecca buried in Tendring, 22 May 1737.
William, baptised 9 Apr 1732. I assume he's the William from the will. I can't find a marriage for him in Tendring, and there's a William Newcomb buried in Tendring 4 Jun 1769, which I assume is him.
And that's that!
