Thomas Westbrook
Encyclopedia
Colonel Thomas Westbrook (1675-1743/1744) was a military figure in colonial America
. The City of Westbrook, Maine
is named after him. Thomas Westbrook's varied career included the role of senior New England
militia
officer in Maine
. He was active during the French and Indian Wars
. In addition to this senior militia role he was a scout
, a colonial councillor
, an innkeeper, a King's Mast
Agent, a mill owner, and a land speculator.
Born in 1675, he was the son of John Westbrook and Martha Walford of Portsmouth
, New Hampshire
. His siblings included Mary who married Nathan Knight, and whose family continues to own and operate the "Smiling Hill" farm.
Thomas married Mary Sherburne, daughter of the mariner John Sherburne and his wife Mary Cowell. The restored Sherburne house at Portsmouth, New Hampshire's Strawbery Banke
, has been identified as theirs. Their only child, Elizabeth, married Richard Waldron (Secretary)
of a prominent colonial New Hampshire family.
Though he had no sons, he was the namesake for several descendants all bearing the name "Thomas Westbrook Waldron". A great-great-grandson of this name, a US consul
who died in 1844 at Macau
, was commemorated in a 1 May 2009 Washington DC ceremony by Secretary of State
Clinton
. The names "Thomas Westbrook" or merely "Westbrook" as given names were in use among descendants well into the twentieth century.
"Thomas was the Administrator of his father's estate in 1697, [including a] ... 100 acre farm and contents ... in that year the farm was sold to Nathan Knight who wed Thomas's sister Mary Westbrook".
In his youth (1704) he applied for a commission as scout and "Indian fighter" and had three men to accompany him while scouting during Queen Anne's War
.
In 1716 the General Assembly of the Province made a grant to Thomas Westbrook, to keep the only public house at the Plains, in consideration that he should lay out six acres of land for the accommodation of drawing up the militia of the town." From at least 1720 he was the owner and proprietor.
He moved to Falmouth (near modern Portland
, Maine
) "as early as 1719" to enter the lucrative business of providing masts to the British navy as a private contractor. He was one of only a few European-descended residents there at that time.
, became the colonel in charge of the militia in the "East" (Maine
)
]
A focus during the Dummer's War
was the New England effort to apprehend Father Sebastien Rale
, a Jesuit priest
and French national who resided with and, the New Englanders thought, guided the natives to raid and kill or abduct New England colonists. The General Court of Massachusetts in December 1721 directed the militia to apprehend Rale and bring him to Boston
to answer these charges.
In January 1722 Colonel Westbrook led a group of militia that, unable to find Rale, seized a strongbox containing his correspondence with Marquis de Vaudreuil
, the French Governor in Quebec, and a hand written dictionary of the native Abenaki language. In the minds of New Englanders of the day, the letters proved French complicity in urging native American tribes to attack New England settlements, and they were conveyed to authorities in Boston. The dictionary is now in Harvard University
's Houghton Library The strongbox itself was retained by Westbrook and descended through his family and through the Massachusetts Historical Society
until his descendant the Catholic Reverend E.Q.S. Waldron willed it to the Maine Historical Society
. The strongbox was given to the Maine Historical Society on 20 May 1886 by Mr. William Goold on behalf of E.Q.S. Waldron. An expandable colour image is on the Mainememory.com website.
Westbrook was not present during an August 1724 raid which culminated in the death of Rasle and the slaughter of fleeing native villagers.
He was present at the December 15th, 1725 Falmouth peace treaty with the Indians, "Dummer's Treaty", which ended the hostilities, apparently his last act as a militia officer.
on a 69 acres (279,233.3 m²) property. It was likely at this home that Westbrook entertained Governor Belcher
and other guests.
whose stones still survive as markers of other historical sites, and a papermill. Native chief Polin travelled to the governor to protest Col. Westbrook's failure to provide a way for spawning fish to get past his mill.
to be a supporter of the Massachusetts government. He showed little interest in these duties and was fined for being absent.
(pictured at right) he became a land speculator of as much as 15,000 acres in the Falmouth area (near present-day Portland, Maine). The two partners prospered until, for reasons that are not entirely clear, Waldo "[who had] led him into large land speculations ... then struck upon him in an unfortunate time." "Waldo by unscrupulous or ruthless means divested Westbrook of his lands and much of his wealth by 1743..."
"In 1743, Waldo recovered judgement against him for ten thousand five hundred pounds, which he levied upon his property, and swept it nearly all away."
A copy of one of his later letters, desperately seeking a loan, survived and was transcribed near the end of Trask's Letters of Colonel Thomas Westbrook. Unlike most of his letters, this one was probably not dictated and captures Westbrook's choice of spelling as well as his desperation.
He died heavily in debt on 11 February 1743/1744 "of a broken heart caused by Waldo's Acts". He expired in a smaller cottage adjacent to his beloved Harrow House, which had been lost to his creditors. Despite his bankruptcy his estate was valued at seven thousand, three hundred and two pounds. In contrast, his probate inventory totalled £1052/14/5 and included a house, a pew in Rev Smith's meetinghouse, and books. His Globe Tavern later appears among the property owned by his grandson Thomas Westbrook Waldron
though the date of transfer of this property and of his son in law
's house is unknown.
, has been marked by the Daughters of Colonial Wars in Maine and is pictured on the Knight family farm's website.
in honour of the Colonel. "...[I]t was a member of the Knight family -the descendants of Westbrook['s sister] who were holding the secret of his burial place - who proposed naming the town after him."
Colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
. The City of Westbrook, Maine
Westbrook, Maine
Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States and a suburb of Portland. The population was 17,494 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.-History:...
is named after him. Thomas Westbrook's varied career included the role of senior New England
New 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...
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
officer in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. He was active during the French and Indian Wars
French and Indian Wars
The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts lasting 74 years in North America that represented colonial events related to the European dynastic wars...
. In addition to this senior militia role he was a scout
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
, a colonial councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
, an innkeeper, a King's Mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
Agent, a mill owner, and a land speculator.
Family
]Born in 1675, he was the son of John Westbrook and Martha Walford of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. His siblings included Mary who married Nathan Knight, and whose family continues to own and operate the "Smiling Hill" farm.
Thomas married Mary Sherburne, daughter of the mariner John Sherburne and his wife Mary Cowell. The restored Sherburne house at Portsmouth, New Hampshire's Strawbery Banke
Strawbery Banke
Strawbery Banke is an outdoor history museum located in the South End historic district of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is the oldest neighborhood in New Hampshire to be settled by Europeans, and the earliest neighborhood remaining in the present-day city of Portsmouth...
, has been identified as theirs. Their only child, Elizabeth, married Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron was a major opponent of the Wentworth oligarchy in colonial New Hampshire. He supported a continued political subordination of New Hampshire to Massachusetts and opposed moves to separation from this traditional senior partner...
of a prominent colonial New Hampshire family.
Though he had no sons, he was the namesake for several descendants all bearing the name "Thomas Westbrook Waldron". A great-great-grandson of this name, a US consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
who died in 1844 at Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, was commemorated in a 1 May 2009 Washington DC ceremony by Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
. The names "Thomas Westbrook" or merely "Westbrook" as given names were in use among descendants well into the twentieth century.
Early adulthood
]"Thomas was the Administrator of his father's estate in 1697, [including a] ... 100 acre farm and contents ... in that year the farm was sold to Nathan Knight who wed Thomas's sister Mary Westbrook".
In his youth (1704) he applied for a commission as scout and "Indian fighter" and had three men to accompany him while scouting during Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
.
In 1716 the General Assembly of the Province made a grant to Thomas Westbrook, to keep the only public house at the Plains, in consideration that he should lay out six acres of land for the accommodation of drawing up the militia of the town." From at least 1720 he was the owner and proprietor.
He moved to Falmouth (near modern Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
) "as early as 1719" to enter the lucrative business of providing masts to the British navy as a private contractor. He was one of only a few European-descended residents there at that time.
Captain and colonel
During the years 1721-3 Westbrook became a captain in the militia and, after the fall of Colonel Shadrack Walton from favour with Massachusett's acting Governor William DummerWilliam Dummer
William Dummer was Acting Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1723 to 1728.-Family:Dummer was born in Boston and died in Newbury, Massachusetts, the son of Jeremiah Dummer, the first American born silversmith, and Anna Atwater...
, became the colonel in charge of the militia in the "East" (Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
)
]
A focus during the Dummer's War
Dummer's War
Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...
was the New England effort to apprehend Father Sebastien Rale
Sébastien Rale
Sébastien Rale, , , was a Jesuit missionary and lexicographer who worked among the eastern Abenaki people, but became caught up in political and military struggles between New France, New England and the natives, which would claim his life during Dummer's War.-Early years:Born in Pontarlier, France,...
, a Jesuit priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and French national who resided with and, the New Englanders thought, guided the natives to raid and kill or abduct New England colonists. The General Court of Massachusetts in December 1721 directed the militia to apprehend Rale and bring him to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to answer these charges.
In January 1722 Colonel Westbrook led a group of militia that, unable to find Rale, seized a strongbox containing his correspondence with Marquis de Vaudreuil
Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil
Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil was a French politician, who was Governor-general of New France from 1703 to 1725....
, the French Governor in Quebec, and a hand written dictionary of the native Abenaki language. In the minds of New Englanders of the day, the letters proved French complicity in urging native American tribes to attack New England settlements, and they were conveyed to authorities in Boston. The dictionary is now in Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Houghton Library The strongbox itself was retained by Westbrook and descended through his family and through the Massachusetts Historical Society
Massachusetts Historical Society
The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history...
until his descendant the Catholic Reverend E.Q.S. Waldron willed it to the Maine Historical Society
Maine Historical Society
The Maine Historical Society is the official state historical society of Maine and is located in Portland.-History:The Maine Historical Society was founded in 1822 and is the third oldest state historical society after the Massachusetts Historical Society and New York Historical Society...
. The strongbox was given to the Maine Historical Society on 20 May 1886 by Mr. William Goold on behalf of E.Q.S. Waldron. An expandable colour image is on the Mainememory.com website.
Westbrook was not present during an August 1724 raid which culminated in the death of Rasle and the slaughter of fleeing native villagers.
King's Mast Agent
He was appointed as King's Mast Agent in 1727 and moved the "King's mast business" from Portsmouth to Falmouth. The mast agent was charged by the Crown with marking, protecting and providing trees which were suitable for ship's masts in the Royal Navy.Harrow House
Westbrook "became a citizen" of Falmouth in August 1727. He built his "splendid seat" of "Harrow House" with garrisons on the south side of Stroudwater RiverStroudwater River
The Stroudwater River is a river located mostly in Cumberland County, Maine. The river begins as a small stream at Duck Pond in Buxton and grows as it flows through Buxton, Gorham, Westbrook, and finally Portland before emptying into the Fore River near Portland's Stroudwater neighborhood...
on a 69 acres (279,233.3 m²) property. It was likely at this home that Westbrook entertained Governor Belcher
Jonathan Belcher
Jonathan Belcher was colonial governor of the British provinces of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.-Early life:Jonathan Belcher was born in Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay, in 1682...
and other guests.
Mills
He built two mills, a gristmillGristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
whose stones still survive as markers of other historical sites, and a papermill. Native chief Polin travelled to the governor to protest Col. Westbrook's failure to provide a way for spawning fish to get past his mill.
Councilor
As early as 1710 he was part of the King's Council appointed by the governor, and held his post (though often absent) until 1730 when he resigned voluntarily. In 1733 he was briefly in Boston as a representative to the council from Falmouth and courted by Governor Jonathan BelcherJonathan Belcher
Jonathan Belcher was colonial governor of the British provinces of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.-Early life:Jonathan Belcher was born in Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay, in 1682...
to be a supporter of the Massachusetts government. He showed little interest in these duties and was fined for being absent.
Prosperity and bankruptcy, death
With the young Brigadier General Samuel WaldoSamuel Waldo (merchant)
Brigadier-General Samuel Waldo was a wealthy merchant, land speculator, soldier and political figure in Massachusetts.He was born in Boston, the son of Jonathan Waldo and Hannah Mason. In 1722, he married Lucy Wainwright...
(pictured at right) he became a land speculator of as much as 15,000 acres in the Falmouth area (near present-day Portland, Maine). The two partners prospered until, for reasons that are not entirely clear, Waldo "[who had] led him into large land speculations ... then struck upon him in an unfortunate time." "Waldo by unscrupulous or ruthless means divested Westbrook of his lands and much of his wealth by 1743..."
"In 1743, Waldo recovered judgement against him for ten thousand five hundred pounds, which he levied upon his property, and swept it nearly all away."
A copy of one of his later letters, desperately seeking a loan, survived and was transcribed near the end of Trask's Letters of Colonel Thomas Westbrook. Unlike most of his letters, this one was probably not dictated and captures Westbrook's choice of spelling as well as his desperation.
He died heavily in debt on 11 February 1743/1744 "of a broken heart caused by Waldo's Acts". He expired in a smaller cottage adjacent to his beloved Harrow House, which had been lost to his creditors. Despite his bankruptcy his estate was valued at seven thousand, three hundred and two pounds. In contrast, his probate inventory totalled £1052/14/5 and included a house, a pew in Rev Smith's meetinghouse, and books. His Globe Tavern later appears among the property owned by his grandson Thomas Westbrook Waldron
Thomas Westbrook Waldron
Thomas Westbrook Waldron, a captain in the 1745 expedition against the Fortress of Louisbourg, afterwards a commissioner at Albany, New York, a Royal councillor in 1782 and later described as a Colonel, abandoned a close friendship with the last royal governor of colonial New Hampshire, John...
though the date of transfer of this property and of his son in law
Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron was a major opponent of the Wentworth oligarchy in colonial New Hampshire. He supported a continued political subordination of New Hampshire to Massachusetts and opposed moves to separation from this traditional senior partner...
's house is unknown.
Secret burial
"[H]is family was forced to spirit his body away in the middle of a nighttime snowstorm in order to prevent the Waldo family from claiming Westbrook's remains and holding them "hostage" until debts were paid". The burial location was unknown until the 1976 bicentennial celebrations except to descendants of his sister Mary (Westbrook) Knight. The gravesite, located at Smiling Hill FarmSmiling Hill Farm
Smiling Hill Farm is a 500 acre traditional New England farm encompassing parts of the municipalities of Westbrook, Scarborough, and Gorham, Maine. Founded in 1720 as the homestead of Nathaniel Knight, the 12th generation descendents continue to operate the farm today. Known as the "Knight Farm",...
, has been marked by the Daughters of Colonial Wars in Maine and is pictured on the Knight family farm's website.
City named for him
In 1814 the town of Stroudwater was created from Falmouth. Within a couple of months, the town was renamed WestbrookWestbrook, Maine
Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States and a suburb of Portland. The population was 17,494 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.-History:...
in honour of the Colonel. "...[I]t was a member of the Knight family -the descendants of Westbrook['s sister] who were holding the secret of his burial place - who proposed naming the town after him."