Thomas Ruggles Genealogy

THOMAS RUGGLES of Nasing, Essex, England, and of Roxbury, Mass., was son of Thomas³ (Nicholas², Thomas¹), of Sudbury, Suffolk, Eng. He was born in Sudbury in 1584. He married in Nasing Nov. 1, 1620, Mary Curtis. She was the sister of William Curtis, of Nasing, who came to Roxbury with his family in 1632. She was born about 1586, as she died according to Roxbury church records 14th Feb. 1694, aged 88; possibly she was only 85, as by the Nasing records a Mary Curtis was baptized 1689.

Thomas and Mary came to Roxbury in 1637 with two of their children, Sarah and Samuel. In the records of the First Church of Roxbury, John Eliot's, which at the first in point of time contains many entries by his band, and spaces left for additional remarks after many names to be filled out as occasion called for or allowed, among others are:

Thomas Ruggles he came to N. E. in the yeare 1637, he was Eld^r broth^r to John Ruggles; children of a Godly fath^r he joyned to the Church soone after his coming being as well knowne as his broth^r his first born sone dyed in England his second son John was brought over a servant by Phillip Eliot; & he brought two oth^r children w^h him: Sarah & Samuel: he had a great sicknesse the yeare after his coming, but the Lord recovered him in mercy.

Mary the wife of Thomas Ruggles. she joyned to the Church w^h her husband & approved her selfe a Godly Christian, by a holy, & blamelesse convation being convted, not long before theire coming from England.

Of Mary Curtis, "the sister of William," the wife of Thomas Ruggles, the records of Nasing available do not make clear who her parents were. The marriage of Thomas and Mary is clearly recorded, and also that of William Curtis and Sarah Eliot; by these marriage relations the close friendship shown by Philip Eliot towards Thomas and his family' s explained, as Sarah Eliot was a sister of Philip and Rev. John Eliot. Of the Curtis family, to which Mary belonged, nothing more can be said at this time.

In the church records we read, by whose hand is not clear, "Month 9 day 15, 1644, Thomas Ruggles, a godly broth, of the church dyed, he dyed of a consumption." " John Grave, a godly broth, of the church dyed the Month 9 day t5, 1644. These two brake the knot first of the Nasing Christians. I meane they first dyed of those Christians y= came fro ye towne in England." The wills of Thomas Ruggles, John Grave and of John Grave, Jr., are recorded in this order in immediate succession, in the public records.

It is probable that Mary married again after Thomas's death, and one "goodman" Route is mentioned as her second husband; but what individual was referred to does not appear; but whether single or married she lived thirty years after Thomas Ruggles's death.

The children of Thomas and Mary were:

1. THOMAS, b. about 1621-2; d. in England.
2. JOHN, bapt. Jan. 6, 1624-5 in Nasing, Eng. d. in Roxbury, Sept. 16, 1658. He married Abigail Craft.
3. SARAH, bapt. in Nasing, Feb. 16, 1627-8; d. Feb. 9, 1688-9. She married March 17, 1646, William Lyon, Sen., of Roxbury. He came from England in the "Hopewell," 1635, aged 14, under the care of Elder Isaac Heath, who had his family with him. William Lyon died 21st May, 1692, four years after his wife Sarah. Their children were six sons and one daughter. William Lyon while living and his sons after him were interested in the Woodstock and Pomfret purchase, and some of them removed there.
4. SAMUEL.

Thomas Ruggles died in 1641, seven years after his coming here ; and as "he had a great sicknesse the yeare after his coming," he could not have gained much of a footing on this soil for the future prosperity of his children. According to the custom of the time he left a will, written but a few days before his death, and a few selections will show how his land, in part, was situated and to whom he gave it; and these will be a means of describing his situation, somewhat, as to his neighbors.

To John, his eldest son, he gave a "lot which lyeth beyond the Great Pond (Jamaica) which was his last division . . . containing sixteen acres more or less."

To son Samuel "I give my lot butting upon the lot of Philip Eliot, east; Arthur Gary on the north; of seven acres more or less; also my land at Dedham containing 12 acres more or less.'" These were given to John and Samuel, subject to the provision of certain supplies for his wife's comfort while she lived. To his daughter Sarah he gave three pounds * * * * * * "all the rest of my land and house I give to my wife during the time of her natural life, and after her death, the land and house to be divided, my son John to enter upon one half and Samuel and Sarah the other." The household articles to be divided equally among the three. This will was witnessed by Philip Eliot and John Ruggles the brother of Thomas.

In 1646, the records describing the real estates of the men of Roxbury, their measurements and situations, were destroyed by fire, whereupon the town voted to make a new "transcript," and chose a committee to "do their best endeavour to set down each man's land given them by the town, or that may belong to them other ways, and make return unto the town, within three months.''-17th 11m 1652. The committee were:-John Johnson, William Parke, Isack Morrill, Ed: Dennison and Griffin Craft The result was the locations of the land of S7 persons were given, and as now printed, a paragraph is given to each in the Book of Possessions. But at the commencement of these are a few entries "in different handwriting" and style, which seem to show them to be a part of the original records not destroyed by the fire. Among these entries is a section or paragraph on page [i] given, among four others, to a description of Thomas Ruggles' lands. The whole page is here given, in the quaint style of its language and spelling.

[1]. The First day of the Fowerth moneth Comonly Called June 1639, this booke was bought (by the Seaven men then imployed in the Towne affairs) for the entrying of the Towne Lands and other weighty businesses being fully Agreed upon which may concerne the Inhabitants of then Towne of Rocksbury and payed, for the booke Fewer Shillings.

"Edward Bugbie 8 Accres for a great Lott, lying upon the hill bejond the great Pond upon the lands of Phillip Elliott abutting."

" Jasper Gunn 5 Accres, &c., &c

Arthor Gary seaven Accres and a halfe for a great Lott, at the great Pond lying next to Edward Bugbie towards the Dedham path one end of it abutting to the railes of Phillip Elliott and also fower accres and a halfe at muddy river abutting to John Perry his highway to his meade."

Thomas Ruggles seaven Accres and a halfe for a Lott, abutting upon Arthor Gary and one end to Phillip Elliott's railes, thether side to the Comon Dedham path going through the same, and Fowr accres and a halfe at Muddy River in two p'ts, three Accres want [*] pole betweene two p'cells of ground given to Thomas Griggis and one Accre and a halfe and 7 poles abutting to Arthor Gary and Robert Prentice."

The above were dated 1639, two years after Thomas' coming here.

Under the Committees Report:

[27.] *5. Philip Eliot his house, Barne and home lott three accres more or lesse, upon Stoney riuer east, . . . and thirty-three accres more or lesse, upon the great pond North, upon M'. John Elliot east, upon a highway south, and upon the head of Thomas Ruggles heirs west. . .

[52.] *30. John Ruggles Junior the soon of Thomas Ruggles deceased; his dwelling house with outhousing, orchyard and backside being about three accres more or lesse, upon Samuell Ruggles west, upon John Pieropoynt south, upon the high way North, and upon Wm. Lyon east and fifteen accres more or lesse lately- the land of William Curtiss called hurtlebury hill, abutting upon John totman west, upon William Curtiss south, upon William Curtis and Robert Seauer east, and upon a highway north, and in the thousand accres neare Deddam eight accres, and two accres meadow and upland more or lesse lately the land of William Curtiss abutting upon stoney riuer south, and upon Daniell Ainsworth north . and halfe of foure accres more or lesse, lately the land of Philip Elliot being part meadow and part upland abutting upon stoney ricer south and upon John Weld north. And eighteen acres of land more or lesse bought of Jeames Morgan, being the twelfe lott, lying in the third deuission . . .

[53.] *31. Samuell Ruggles, two accres and three roodes more or lesse upon the pond hill lately the land of William Lion, abutting upon the land of William Gary east and north, and upon Abraham Newell junior west, and upon the land lately Lorrence Whittamoores south, and a quarter of the orchyard adjoyning to the house of William Lion, abutting upon saved house and the orchyard of William Lion north, and east, and upon Samuel Finch west, and upon the highway south; and an accre of errable land giuen to him by his father Thomas Ruggles deceased being in the home lott, abutting upon John Ruggles east, upon John Pieropoynt west and south, and upon the highway north, and three accres and three roods of land giuen to him by his sayd Father, lying beyond the great pond, abutting upon the land of Arthur Gary north, upon the heires of John Perry south, and upon William Lion west and east, and in the thousand accres neare Deddam twelue accres giuen to him by his father; and the halfe of foure accres more or lesse, of upland and meadow lately the land of Phillip Elliot abutting upon stoney riuer south, and upon the land of John Weld north.

Widdow Ruggles lately the wife of Thomas Ruggles deceased, foure accres of land more or lesse lying neare muddy Riuer giuen unto her by her sayd husband abutting upon Robert Prentiss east, upon the land of the heires of Thomas Griggs south and west, and upon the highway north, and an accre and a halfe lying in the home lott giuen her by her afooresayd husband, abutting upon the land of John Dane east, upon John Pieropoynt south, and upon her sonne John Ruggles west and North.

[98.] *77. William Lion (whom. Sarah daughter of Thomas Ruggles). The house he dwells in with the orchard and yard containing by estimation three roods more or lesse he paying unto his Mother in law thirty shillings p yeare as by lease to his sayd mother in law bearing date the sixteenth of Febru : 1647. Also Samuell Ruggles is to haue part of the lands, its now staked out. this apeares by a deed from John Ruggles for halfe the sayd house and land. . And one accre and a halfe of land neare . the meeting house lately the land of Gowen Anderson. And fine accres more or lesse being part of eight accres lately the land of Samuell Ruggles, abutting upon Samuell Ruggles east, upon John Ruggles north, and upon John Griggs south. And one accre and three roodes more or lesse lying near the meeting house, butting upon the Widdow Ruggles land southwest. upon John Ruggles west, upon the highway north, the sayd William Lyon to maintaine a sufficient fence for euer betweene the land of the sayd John Ruggles, and this land; sold by the sayd John Ruggles unto the sayd William Lyon. And foure accres more or lesse, late the land of Phillipp Eliot part of his lott called the pond plaine, abutting upon the same land of the said Phillip Eliot towards the east and south, upon Samuell Rugles towards the west and upon Arthur Gary North-west.

Here it may be said, these small parcels of land situated in widely different positions and distances from each other, characterized the possessions of nearly all of the townsmen at this early period; the exceptions were the few who had means to buy larger. measures of land at first, and to soon purchase and add adjoining lots at early dates.

A great indistinctness in the bounderies of these lands follows from the want of references to names of streets or roads.