I am looking for a connection between Captain John Thomas and Sir Rhys ap Thomas, K. G.
The family comes from Caernarvon.
John Thomas was born about 1670 in England and died on 4 Oct 1714 in Braintree, Massachusetts.
His father was Andrew Thomas of Caernarvon, who was a descendant of Sir Rhys ap Thomas. If anyone can find Andrew Thomases of that period, especially known descendants of Sir Rhys, that would be great.
Here's where I found this information:
"[This information is from Vol. II, pp. 755-757 of Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs, edited by Cuyler Reynolds (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911). It is in SCPL's Reference collection at R 929.1 R45. Some of the formatting of the original, especially in lists of descendants, may have been altered slightly for ease of reading.]
This is an ancient and honorable name in England, and is of frequent mention both in military and civil records. The American ancestor of Frank Warner Thomas of Troy, New York, is captain John Thomas, of Braintree, Massachusetts, son of
Andrew Thomas, of Carmaethan, Wales, a descendant of Sir Rys ap Thomas, created Knight of the Garter in 1507, and one of the four knights who accompanied the king to the Field of the Cloth of Gold and a nephew of Captain John Thomas, who was a valiant and honorable captain in the Royal Navy in 1656. Captain John Thomas (later the emigrant) in 1688 was selected as the messenger to carry to Holland, from the Lords and Bishops of England, their invitation to William of Orange to come over and expel James II from the English throne. This was a most hazardous undertaking and required the greatest secrecy and caution. Sewing the letters underneath the lining of his coat, he took passage, but before reaching his destination his vessel was compelled to heave-to, and submit to being searched by an English man-of-war. He escaped detection and safely delivered his letters and messages to William. When William invaded England, Captain John Thomas was commander of the vessel that conveyed the Prince and Princess of Orange to the English shore. For this and other valuable services he was given by the King a paper grant of thirty thousand pounds and four oil paintings of the King and Queen, Prince George and Princess, afterward Queen Anne. The portrait of the King has descended through seven generations in the male line to Frank Warner Thomas, of Troy; that of the Queen was destroyed during the revolution, while those of the Prince and Princess are the property of Linus C. Bird, of Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, a descendant through the female line. Captain John was a mariner and commanded vessels that sailed the world over, it being his boast that there were few seaports in the whole world he had not entered with his ship. For some reason unexplained he was compelled to leave England prior to 1694. He is first heard from in New England in 1694, and the first mention is in the diary of Judge Samuel Lewell, who names him in that year. He settled in Braintree, where he married. In 1714 he received a summons to return to England, which he felt it imperative to obey. Having a large amount of gold in the house he determined to bury it for greater security during his absence, reserving only enough for his own and family expenses. On the night of October 4, 1714, with his treasure and a spade, he left the house, later returning with his clothes soiled and his spade showing evidences of recent use. He entered the living room of his home, sat down in his accustomed chair without speaking, and when his wife approached him a little later he was dead. The buried treasure was never found. Letters of administration were granted on his estate November 10, 1714. The inventory showed property valued at twelve hundred and one pounds nine shillings, a very large amount for that early day. He married, at Weymouth, Massachusetts, Lydia, born at Weymouth, 1678, daughter of Deacon Abiah Whitman. Her will was probated in Suffolk county May 15, 1757, surviving her husband forty-three years."
From:
http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/families/hmgfm/thomas-1.htmlNicholas J. Bridgewater
