Thomas Bancroft (d. Enfield, 1684)

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Thomas Bancroft (d. Enfield, 1684)
Posted by: Hal Langworthy	Date: August 10, 1999 at 16:57:42
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A number of interesting articles have appeared in The American Genealogist (TAG) about the family of Thomas Bancroft, who died in Enfield, in 1684. At the end of one of these articles, Donald Lines Jacobus, one of the very best of the ‘modern’ genealogists and the former editor of TAG, wrote; “So many false and improbable statements have appeared in print concerning the early Bancrofts that a careful appraisal of these claims in light of what the records actually prove (and they fail to prove very much) was long overdue ...”

I thought it might be useful to summarize the probable ancestors and family of Thomas Bancroft as described in these articles, which are found in Vol 37, p154 (1961), Vol 42, p.210 (1966), and Vol 67, p.112 (1992):

* Thomas Bancroft, of Swarkeston, Derby, England, died ca 1626. His will mentions his wife Rebecca and five children: John, Ralph, Thomas, Dorothy and Elizabeth (NEH&GR, Vol 56, p.86)

* John Bancroft apparently decided to emigrate to New England with his family and sold his holdings at Swarkeston, but died at nearby Kings Newton, Derby, England, before May 12, 1635 when his will was proved. Thus he did not come to New England in the James. John’s wife, who is named in his will, was Anne not Jane.
(The confusion seems to have been introduced by the early assumption (Savage?) that John Barcroft, whose wife was named Jane and who did come over on the James, was actually John Bancroft. However it seems that these were two different individuals; John and Jane Barcroft appear to have gotten in crosswise with the Puritans and may have moved to Virginia.)

* The widow Anne Bancroft, with her seven children, probably came to New England with the influential Nathaniel Sowther, a witness to John’s will and an overseer of his estate. She moved with her family from Massachusetts to Southampton, Long Island, NY; some of the family, including her children John, Thomas and Anna/Hannah, later moved to the Connecticut Valley. John married Hannah Dupper in 1650, and Anna married John Griffin in 1647. Thomas married (1) Margaret Wright, (2) Hannah, perhaps the daughter of Samuel Gardner, and died in Enfield in1684.

* Lt. Thomas Bancroft of Dedham and Lynn, Massachusetts may well have been related to this family, but was probably not a son of John and Anne.

I would be very interested in comments, criticisms, objections or whatever to the above summary. And in particular, if anyone has newer or better information, I’d encourage you to post it here so that we can all learn more about our Bancroft ancestors.

http://genforum.genealogy.com/bancroft/messages/198.html
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