Thomas Loring
Encyclopedia
Thomas Loring was an early settler of Hingham
and Hull
, Massachusetts
. He was present at some of the key moments in the earliest history of Hingham, Massachusetts. But later "[t]he large Loring families were prominent in the town [of Hull], and remained into the 20th century." As early as 1893 he was recognized as "the progenitor of the families bearing this surname by birth in eastern Mass., and prob. throughout New Eng." His descendants include individuals on both sides of the American Revolution
, the US Civil War
, and today live across North America, Spain, England and Australia.
, Devonshire
, England
. ...
"Thomas Loring married, in England, Jane Newton; her grandson ... says "she was a woman of a lively spirit ... skilled in the practise of physick"....
) ... "December 23, 1634," and joined the church colony at Hingham
.... Admitted "freeman" or citizen of the colony March 3, 1635-6, he was already established on a home lot near what is now [1917] the corner of Town and Ship Streets. He became the proprietor of other lots at later times.
to catch this floating wealth; and the stream is called today Weir River. He was an innkeeper, too, perhaps the first in the plantation
, licensed by the General Court
along with some other towns in March, 1637. ...
"The church chose him one of its deacon
s ....
Loring was one of those named in an 1828 inscription on the former "Great Rock" above Hingham which celebrated early settlers:
"When wild in wood the naked savage ran,
Lazell, Low, Loring, Lane, Lewis, Lincoln,
Hersey, Leavitt
, Jacobs, King, Jones and Sprague,
Stemmed the wild torrent of a barbarous age,
And were the first invaders of this country,
From the Island of Great Britain
, in 1635."
"He joined with some of his neighbours and others in taking stock in a new plantation, "Sickonke", afterwards called Seakonk and Rehoboth; but he did not remove to the place or continue his ownership of land there.
"On 10 April 1656, Nauhawton of Puncepaug in Dorchester sold the same 'neck of land called Nantascot, but now called the Town of Hull to Thomas Loring...and the rest of the inhabitants of the town...'"
"This extensive property was the subject of careful appraisal and division by the sons after their father's decease.
, including Loyalist
Commodore Joshua Loring
, and on both sides of the American Civil war including confederate general William W. Loring
. Joshua's descendants included an apothecary to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Dr. John Nigel Loring. Descendants and double cousins Edward Greeley Loring
and Charles Greeley Loring were on opposite sides of litigation over the fugitive slave act. A branch of the family were successful merchants in Spain
and included an aviation pioneer Jorge Loring Martinez
, and the Marquis de Casa Loring whose present-day incumbent is a 9th great granddaughter of Thomas Loring.
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
and Hull
Hull, Massachusetts
Hull is a peninsula town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,293 at the 2010 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Plymouth County and the fourth smallest in the state...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He was present at some of the key moments in the earliest history of Hingham, Massachusetts. But later "[t]he large Loring families were prominent in the town [of Hull], and remained into the 20th century." As early as 1893 he was recognized as "the progenitor of the families bearing this surname by birth in eastern Mass., and prob. throughout New Eng." His descendants include individuals on both sides of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, the US Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
, and today live across North America, Spain, England and Australia.
Birth and family
"Deacon Thomas Loring was born in AxminsterAxminster
Axminster is a market town and civil parish on the eastern border of Devon in England. The town is built on a hill overlooking the River Axe which heads towards the English Channel at Axmouth, and is in the East Devon local government district. It has a population of 5,626. The market is still...
, Devonshire
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. ...
"Thomas Loring married, in England, Jane Newton; her grandson ... says "she was a woman of a lively spirit ... skilled in the practise of physick"....
Immigration to Massachusetts Bay and settlement in Hingham
"Mr. Loring came here (New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
) ... "December 23, 1634," and joined the church colony at Hingham
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
.... Admitted "freeman" or citizen of the colony March 3, 1635-6, he was already established on a home lot near what is now [1917] the corner of Town and Ship Streets. He became the proprietor of other lots at later times.
Farming, Weir, Innkeeper
"He was a farmer. As the fish that abounded along the shore furnished a large part of the food of the inhabitants, and were also "set" with the corn to enrich the soil, Deacon Loring and his neighbours, by permission of the town in 1637, built a weirWeir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
to catch this floating wealth; and the stream is called today Weir River. He was an innkeeper, too, perhaps the first in the plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
, licensed by the General Court
General Court
The General Court is the shorthand name for the:* General Court * New Hampshire General Court* Massachusetts General CourtThis term also formally applied to the:* Vermont General Assembly, formerly the Vermont General Court...
along with some other towns in March, 1637. ...
"The church chose him one of its deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
s ....
Significant role in the early history of Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham "... reached full maturity when on 12 March 1637/8 Thomas Loring was 'allowed to sell wine & strong water'" as part of his role as innkeeper. "Our first solid evidence that the church had been formed is the list of freemen of 3 March 1635/6 , where we find a grouping of eleven men who were known to be residents of Hingham: [including]...Thomas Loring...[MBCR 1:371] . The church was founded, then, no later than 3 March 1635/6..."Loring was one of those named in an 1828 inscription on the former "Great Rock" above Hingham which celebrated early settlers:
"When wild in wood the naked savage ran,
Lazell, Low, Loring, Lane, Lewis, Lincoln,
Hersey, Leavitt
John Leavitt
Deacon John Leavitt was a tailor, public officeholder, and founding deacon of Old Ship Church in Hingham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, the only remaining 17th-century Puritan meeting house in America and the oldest church in continuous ecclesiastical use in the United States...
, Jacobs, King, Jones and Sprague,
Stemmed the wild torrent of a barbarous age,
And were the first invaders of this country,
From the Island of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, in 1635."
Move to Hull, Massachusetts
"From some cause fire robbed him of his dwelling, March 15, 1645-6, and he chose not to rebuild. Instead, however, he bought property in the adjoining plantation of Hull, and took a prominent place there; was constable (which then meant court officer, tax collector, etc., and demanded a good business education as well as efficiency)."He joined with some of his neighbours and others in taking stock in a new plantation, "Sickonke", afterwards called Seakonk and Rehoboth; but he did not remove to the place or continue his ownership of land there.
"On 10 April 1656, Nauhawton of Puncepaug in Dorchester sold the same 'neck of land called Nantascot, but now called the Town of Hull to Thomas Loring...and the rest of the inhabitants of the town...'"
Estate
"He bought "for a valuable consideration," May 30, 1660, of Thomas Chaffee "all that my house Housing orchard & two home lotts, lying in the town of Hull, Conteigning fower acres more or lesse as they were measured lying North East & South west John Loring on the Sout east William Chamberlaine on the North west the Towne streete on the South west & Ducke Lane on the North East with my lott of of meadow by Streights River & my two lotts at Sagamore hill and my two lotts at Strawbery hill as they stand recorded to be butted & bounded in the Towne book of Hull aforesaid except one Cowes Comon formerly sold to William Chamberlaine with all my right interest & priviledges in all the Islands belonging to the towne of Hull aforesaid except on the island called Peddocks Island.""This extensive property was the subject of careful appraisal and division by the sons after their father's decease.
House still standing
"When his son John married in 1657 Thomas bought for him the land of Ralph Greene on Further Hill, between Thomas Chaffee and Thomas Collier, where, on Town (now Spring ) Street, the landmark ancient cape-style home is still standing."Decease
"Deacon Loring died April 4, 1661, leaving no will. ... the required inventory was presented June 27, 1661. The document ... shows [his] style of life ....Descendants
The Loring family "is the only one of the original [Hull] families to represent Hull in both the Revolutionary and the Civil Wars." Thomas' descendants were found on both sides of the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, including Loyalist
Loyalist
In general, a loyalist is someone who maintains loyalty to an established government, political party, or sovereign, especially during war or revolutionary change. In modern English usage, the most common application is to loyalty to the British Crown....
Commodore Joshua Loring
Joshua Loring
Joshua Loring was an 18th century colonial American naval officer in British service. During the French and Indian War, he served as a commodore in the Great Lakes region and was active during much of the Ontario and Quebec campaigns.-Biography:Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Loring was apprenticed...
, and on both sides of the American Civil war including confederate general William W. Loring
William W. Loring
William Wing Loring was a soldier from North Carolina who served in the armies of the United States, the Confederacy, and Egypt.-Early life:...
. Joshua's descendants included an apothecary to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Dr. John Nigel Loring. Descendants and double cousins Edward Greeley Loring
Edward G. Loring
Edward Greely Loring was a Massachusetts judge who ignited controversy in Massachusetts and the North by ordering escaped slaves Thomas Sims and Anthony Burns to be returned to slavery under the federal Fugitive Slave Law of 1850...
and Charles Greeley Loring were on opposite sides of litigation over the fugitive slave act. A branch of the family were successful merchants in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and included an aviation pioneer Jorge Loring Martinez
Jorge Loring Martinez
Jorge Loring Martinez was a Spanish engineer and entrepreneur, pioneer of civil aviation in that country, and considered by the Spanish Patent Office one of their great inventors...
, and the Marquis de Casa Loring whose present-day incumbent is a 9th great granddaughter of Thomas Loring.