Descendants of Thomas Follansbee

Our Follansbee lineage commences with immigrant Thomas Follansbee who was born in 1637 per disposition made in November 1678 when he stated he was 41 years old when he took his Oath of Allegiance at Newbury, Ma. He was born in England and maybe of Stepney, London. He died in 1713+ and maybe as late as 1726. He married, as his first wife, prior to 1660, at Portsmouth, NH or maybe England, Mary (–) who was born in 1639 in England and died, assuming that she was the mother of all of Thomas’s children, 10 April 1680+ in Newbury,Ma. Thomas married, as his second wife, on 10 April 1680+ at Newbury, Sarah (–) who died 06 November 1683 at Newbury. Thomas, married as his third wife, on 04 April 1713 at Newbury, Jane Moseman of Boston. The thirty year hiatus between his second and third marriage gives pause for thought. The ancestries of Mary (–), Sarah (-), and Jane Moseman are unknown.

Thomas Follansbee immigrated to New England maybe in 1648 and settled in the Portsmouth, NH area. The early years of our Thomas Follansbee are really unknown. The 1648 immigration date is based upon the research of Farrell C. Stewart of Billings, Montana per “Second Boat”, Volume 3-3, pg 38. There are no known records of Thomas Follansbee in New England prior to the late 166x period. For some time, Thomas was living in Newcastle, Great Island which is off shore of Portsmouth, NH. Thomas was a joiner by trade and did a lot of the finish work on the Portsmouth church and the school house. He was a signer of Corbet’s Petition to the Royal Commissioners in July 1665 re agitation against too much control from Massachuset relative to local affairs; he was on the Coroner’s Jury, 18 May 1669, concerning the death of Hercules Taylor, a seaman, on the ship “Grace of Bristol”, who was drunk in a canoe which upset and he was drowned. On 19 August 1667, Thomas Follansbee was granted one acre of land on Great Island, “provided that he build”. In Portsmouth, he was on the list of subscribers for the Minister’s support to be taken on 17 March 1670. In 1671, he with his family moved from Newcastle, Great Island to Portsmouth and in 1677 he moved to Newbury, Ma. where remained the rest of his life.

Thomas and Mary (–) Follansbee had seven children, i.e., five daughters and two sons. Daughter Rebecca was probably born in Portsmouth, NH Daughters Ann, Mary, and Jane were born in all probability at Newcastle, Great Island, NH Son Francis and daughter Jane were born in Newbury, Ma and son Thomas was born in Portsmouth, NH. Daughter Ann was born in 1668 and died 18 April 1708. Ann married, on 10 November 1684 at Newbury, Moses Chase. Daughter Mary was born in 1667 and first married, on 01 December 1686, Robert Pike of Newbury, Ma. who died in 1690. Mary married, as her second husband in 1691, William Hooke of Salisbury, Ma. Daughter Hannah was born 10 April 1680 with no further information. Daughter Jane was born in 1670+/- and married John Hubbard of Kingston, NH in 1686. Daughter Rebecca who was born in 1660 to come. Son Capt. Thomas was born in 1674 and died in 1755. He first married, on 19 June 1694, Abigail (Rolfe) Bond who died prior to 18 February 1735 at which time Thomas married, as his second wife, Mary Bancroft of Reading, Ma. Son Francis was born 22 October 1677 with no further information.

References: PH7:273; PH13:40,44,46,236; PH17:V2:178; PH19:569; PH222:V7:156; FH29:676; FH44:37; 2^nd Boat:V3-3:98;

Rebecca Follansbee, the first born child of Thomas and Mary (--) Follansbee was born in 1660, maybe in the Portsmouth, NH area, and died on 27 December 1711 at Newbury, Ma. She married, on 22 November 1677 at Newbury, Ma., Thomas Chase who was born 25 July 1654 and died 25 February 1733, both at Newbury Ma. He was the son of Aquila and Ann Wheeler Chase of Hampton, NH and Newbury, Ma.

References: PH7:147; PH13:236; PH17:V2:178; PH19:569; FH29:676; FH44:37; NEHGR: V1:69.