Bliss Geneology from Martin Family History Document pg 23 Thomas Bliss Birth: ABT 1590, County Gloucester, England Birth: Thomas Bliss is ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,7th Great Grandfather of Humphrey Bogart ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,9th Great Grandfather of actor Robert Ryan ,,,,,,,,,,,,,8th Great Grandfather of Susan Ker Weld……better known as the actress Tuesday Weld ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,5th Great Grandfather of John Pierpont Morgan ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,8th Great Grandfather of Shirley Temple ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,7th Great Grandfather of John Foster Dulles ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,9th Great Grandfather of inventor Rachel Fuller Brown ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,9th Great Grandfather of Hugh Hefner—Playboy Mogul ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,5th Great Grandfather of Cornelius Bliss…21st United States Secretary of the Interior ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,7th Great Grandfather of Edgar Lee Masters…he was an American poet, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of Spoon River Anthology, The New Star Chamber and Other Essays, Songs and Satires, The Great Valley, The Serpent in the Wilderness An Obscure Tale, The Spleen, Mark Twain: A Portrait, Lincoln: The Man, and Illinois Poems. In all, Masters published twelve plays, twenty-one books of poetry, six novels and six biographies, including those of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Vachel Lindsay, and Walt Whitman.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,8th Great Grandfather of U.S. Senator from California…..Alan MacGregor Cranston ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,8th Great Grandfather of John Calvin Coolidge….30th Preisdent of the U.S. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,10th Great Grandfather of George Herbert Bush the 41st President of the U.S. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,7th Great Grandfather of James Grover Thurber….James was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his contributions (both cartoons and short stories) to The New Yorker magazine.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 6th Great Grandfather of Lizze"Lillie" Plummer Bliss…..art collector and founder of the Museum of Modern Art,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 4t… Immigration: Immigration Moved to Hartford, Connecticut Comment: Thomas made little impression on the public life of Hartford. He held no public office (though belonging at the time of his arrival to the age-group most liable to civic responsibilities). He had not been among the first comers, and hence held no regular rights of proprietorship. He pleaded but one minor court case, and was himself presented once only for being absent from military training: "March the 4th, 1646. Tho: Blisse for not trayneing, is fyned 2s. 6d." From this account he was probably then under 60 years old, but from the apparent ages of his older children, he was at least over 50. Thomas died either very late in 1650 or early in 1651 at Hartford. He was possessed of 58 acres of land and the house lot was on a highway west of the present Lafayette Street in Hartford. His estate was inventoried at a meager 86 pounds, 12 shillings and 8 pence on February 14, 1650/51, but since four older children were already married, it is likely that their portions of the estate had already been distributed. Thomas had not written a will, but instead recited it orally to his wife, with his daughter, Mary Parsons, as a witness. As recorded and witnessed by John Pynchon and Henry Smith at the time of his estate’s inventory, his will was as follows: feb: 14th 1650/51. mary parsons of Springfeild the daughter of Thomas Bliss late of Hartford deceased, doth testifie, that when her father lay on his death bed Shee heard her mother Aske him, how hee would dispose of his estate, hee Answered hee would giue it to her, who should haue it elce, her mother asked him if hee would not dispose of it to his Children, her father Answered againe no, her mother Should haue it, this Shee Shall bee ready to testifie if Called therevnto. wittness John Pincheon Hen: Smith. The Inventory of the goods Chattells and Cattles of Thomas Bliss of Hartford deceased taken by Joseph mygatt and Nathaniell warde this 14th febr. 1650/51. Comment: Bliss Geneology from Martin Family History Document pg 23 Comment: This is the front side of the Founders Memorial in the church yard of Hooker’s Church along with the Gold Street Cemetery. This monument was erected in 1986 to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the founding of the city of Hartford, Connecticut. Photo by Henry Turner. Comment: Thomas, a farmer, was born most probably in Gloucestershire, England about 1590. The particular location of his birth within Gloucestershire is not known, however numerous Bliss records are traced to the Painswick area which has been termed "Bliss Country" by other researchers. He resided in Rodborough, Gloucestershire at one time, and a son Nathaniel was born there. However, there were very few Blisses resident at Rodborough at that time and in fact no Bliss testators lived there during Thomas’ stay. It was not the place of his birth nor the place of his ancestors. The reason for his presence was one Margaret Hulins (or Hulings) of Rodborough whom he married in about 1617. The particulars of the family’s arrival in New England are not known, though tradition has preserved a date of 1635. Evidently they lived first at Mount Wollaston (then a part of Boston, now belonging to Braintee), and subsequently removed to Hartford, Connecticut. However, there is nothing to prove these statements. It does, however, appear that Thomas was in America at the time of his father-in-law’s death. In February of 1640 he had his land entered into the Hartford records and on one parcel "his dwelling house now standeth." This would indicate that he had been a resident of Hartford for some time, and for lack of any earlier evidence of his presence in America, his arrival in New England was probably in 1638, early enough for the construction of a dwelling house and late enough to not tempt the reality of John Hulins’ will, which makes no reference to his daughter residing anywhere but Rodborough. There is, of course, the possibility that Margaret Bliss joined her husband after her father’s will had been written. Evidence of Thomas’s presence at Hartford prior to 1640 is found in the following excerpt from the Hartford Book of Distributions: Febr: Anno dom: 1639 Severall Parcells of land in Hertford vpon the River of Conecticott belonging to Thomas Blisse sen & to his heires forever. … Comment: About Bliss, Thomas Cousin of Thomas Bliss of Preson Parva and Rehoboth and George Bliss of Preston Parva and Newport, was probably from Painswick, Glouschester, England. Thomas emigrated with his cousins about 1638, for he owned land in Hartford on the Connecticut River by 1639. By the time of his death in1651, he owned 58 acres of land and a house lot on the road west of Lafayette Street in Hartford. His fore-fathers were almost certainly from Wales, descendants of the Celts who escaped the Saxon Hordes by surviving in the hillcountry of Wales.——-according to Gerald Lawrence Bliss The Bliss Family in Hartford, Connecticut Thomas Bliss, cousin of Thomas Bliss of Preston Parva and Rehoboth and George Bliss of Preston Parva and Newport, was probably from Painswick, Glos. Born about 1590, Thomas married Margaret Hulins of Rodborough at St. Nicholas in Gloucester on October 18, 1621. Thomas may have emigrated with his cousins about 1638, for he owned land in Hartford on the Connecticut River by 1639. By the time of his death in 1650 or 1651, he owned 58 acres of land and a house lot on a road west of Lafayette Street in Hartford. Margaret Bliss died in 1684. [Source: Genealogy of the Bliss Family in America by Aaron Tyler Bliss] From James Savage`s book, A Genealogical Dictionary of The First Settlers of New England, Before 1692 Volume #1, Pgs 198 – 209: THOMAS, Hartford, was an early, but not orig. sett. of whose com. from Eng. nothing is kn. but his first resid. was in that pt. [[vol. 1, p. 202]] of Boston, Massachusetts call. the mount, afterwards Braintree, now Quincy. In 1639 or 40 he is first ment. in Conn. at the same time with Thomas, jr. wh. may be the freem. of 18 May 1642 in Mass., there left by his f. whose d. is early heard of, tho. exact date is not gain. His wid. Margaret was very resolute and capable, and after two or three yrs. rem. with all her ch. exc. Thomas, and Ann, to Springfield, there d. 28 Aug. 1684. She had nine ch. and it has been ab… Comment: Other Thomas was one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut Occupation: Occupation Clothier Marriage: Oct 18, 1617 England Death: Mar 1651, Hartford, Connecticut Burial: Burial Norwich, New London, Connecticut Mar 1651, Hartford, Connecticut Burial: Palmer River Churchyard Cemetery Also known as: Rehoboth Historic Cemetery #14 Lake Street Rehoboth Bristol County Massachusetts USA Family members Parents: John Bliss Alice Bliss (born Smith) Wife: Margaret Bliss (born Hurlings) Siblings: George Bliss Agnes Harding (born Bliss) Elizabeth Bliss Joane Payne (born Bliss) - 1640 Constance Bliss Children: Thomas Bliss Nathaniel Bliss Lawrence Bliss John Bliss l Elizabeth Morgan (born Bliss) Sarah Bliss Ann Chapman (born Bliss) Mary Parsons (born Bliss) 1625 – ? Hannah Wright (born Bliss) Hester Terry (born Bliss) Samuel Bliss Other - uploaded by Debra Ryon Weathers
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 01:20:51 +0000