Re: Thomas Wellman of Lyon and the "Boat" he came on.
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In reply to:
Thomas Wellman of Lyon and the "Boat" he came on.
Anne Browning 4/08/06
Nobody knows for sure what boat he came over on. some believe he is the same Thomas Wellman who sailed from the port of London on the ship Hopewell to Barbadoes in 1634.Since there are no records of any Thomas Wellman living in Barbadoes it is thought that this was just a stop in a long trip.If they are the same person then his parents are Thomas Wellman and Elizabeth Caslen of St. Martins-in-the-Field (near london).The problem with this is our Thomas Wellman was said to be from an area that was considered part of Wales. Anyway there were a number of people by the name of Thomas Wellman living in Somerset county, which could be considered part of Wales at the time.If he was form this county he would of left from Bristol, and there are little records kept from this port. It is almost certain that he left for religous freedom (he was a Puritan)and for this he may of left in defiance without taking the oath of supremacy and allegiance required at the time. I really recomend the book Descendants Of Thomas Wellman by Joshua Wyman Wellman (1918).It presents a lot of the historical evidence and you can make your own conclusions.