GENEALOGY ~ Thomas Gleason (1637 - 1705) of Framingham

Thomas2 Gleason, (Thomas 1), was born in 1637 in Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, England.   He married in 1663 Sarah ?-, who died in Framingham, Mass., July 8th, 1703.  He m. second Mary --.  He died on July 25, 1705 in Framingham, Middlesex Co., MA at age 68.

The History of Framingham Massachusetts - Temple

First Settlers:
      Only a part of the men who received grants of land within our territory became actual settlers. 
      The first man to build upon our soil was John Stone, who removed from Sudbury and put up a house at Otter neck of the west side of the Sudbury river in 1646 or 1647.  By what right he held or claimed the land here is not known--probably that of squatter sovereignty,--but so far as appears no one questioned his title. 
     The next settler was Henry Rice, who received a deed and built a house on his father's grant in 1659.  John Bent bought land of Henry Rice, came on in 1662, and built near the fordway over Cochituate brook, on the west side of the Old Connecticut path. 
     Thomas Eames settled near Mt. Wayte in 1669.  Joseph Bradish was here at this date, but his location is unknown.  Two of John Stone's sons, Daniel and David, settled near their father as early as 1667. 
     And these were probably all the inhabitants living within [Framingham] limits when [King] Philip's War broke out and put a stop to settlement.  These families were all from Sudbury. 
     The first recognition of the place by the colonial government as in a sense a distinct plantation, is in 1675, when Framingham was taxed one pound and was required to furnish one soldier for the country's service.  The death of King Philip in 1676 and the killing in battle or hanging of the principal hostile chiefs, and the destruction of the Indian villages and strongholds, gave assurance of a permanent peace and settlers began to come on in considerable number.

Thomas Gleason settled in Sudbury, Mass., in 1665, on the east side of Cochituate Pond, or Long Pond, as it was uniformly called in the early records. This pond lies partly in Natick, partly in Sudbury, and partly in Framingham.

Sept. 29, 1673 he bought by exchange from Benjamin and Mary Rice the northerly one half of eighty acres, (Edmund Rice had given a deed of this farm to his son Benjamin), which lay between Beaver dam brook, Gleason's pond and Gleason's hill; the southwest corner bound being a tree at the Beaver dam.  John Death bought the southerly one-half of the Benjamin. Rice land in 1673, but did not build till 1677. His house stood near the Beaver dam.

Called by the first settlers, 'Little pond' and for a time 'Bigelow's pond',  Gleason's Pond, as it is still called, covers about 13 acres. 'Gleason's Hill' is in the southeasterly corner of the town, north of the Boston and Albany railroad and is the present location of the headquarters for the Denison Label Co., the top of the hill remains forested.  They were both  named for Thomas Gleason, and for four generations his descendants lived upon the pond's southern borders. Thomas' own home was built near it in 1678. 

Oct 5th, 1678 he was received as an inhabitant in the town of Sherborn, where he enjoyed civil and religious privileges, his estate being taxable there up to 1700.

Thomas was a signer of a petition March 3rd, 1692, to the General Court at Boston to purchase adjacent land from the Indians at Natick Bounds for the incorporation of Framingham. The name of his son Thomas Jr. appears on the same petition.

PETITIONS FOR INCORPORATION --

"Humbly Sheweth That your petitioners some of us have there dwelt neer fforty Yeares, And have from time to time Increased our numbers, And more especially of Late, Soe that now wee are about fforty ffamilies, Some having built and some building, And wee hope may sincerely say that we have endeavoured to attend the Worship of God, Some of us att one Towne & some att another as wee best might, butt by Reason of our remoteness, four ffive and some six miles from any Meeting ;house, Are uncapable to carry our ffamilyes with us nor yett to sanctifie God's Sabbaths as wee ought besides many ofher Inconveniences in our present circumstances. . . . . . . Yor petitioners doe therefore humbly request ye favour of yor excellency and this Honbl Court, That by the authority of this Court we may be made a Township & have the order and privileges that have beene accustomed to others in our circumstances i.e. Some Easement in our Taxes that wee may the better bee enabled to carry on our publick Town charges; . . .
 [this petition was signed by 30 persons including Thomas Gleason Sen. and Thomas Gleason Jr.]   
  
 The location of Thomas Gleason'sfarm near Sudbury is sometimes described as being in Natick's Bounds in the town of Sherborn, but between the years 1667 and 1710 it was recognized as a part of Framingham.  The early records show a number of land transfaers made by Thomas Gleason.

His Will, proven Sept. 10, 1705, is as follows:

WILL OF THOMAS GLEASON:
    In the name of God Amen - the Thirtieth Day of April, in the Year of our Lord God One Thousand seven hundred and five, I, Thomas Gleason of Sherborn in the County of Middlesex, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, in New England (Husbandman) being sick and broak of body, but composed mentally, of disposing mind and memory, Thanks be given unto God therefore, Calling unto mind the mortality of my Body and knowing that it is appointed for all men Once to Dye, Do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament; That is to say, principally and first of all, I Give and recommend my Soul into the hands of God that Gave it: and for my Body I recommend it to the Earth, to be buried in a Christian like and decent manner = nothing doubting, but at the General Resurrection I shall receive the same again by the might power of God. And as touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life, I Give, Divide and Dispose of ;the same in the manner and form following:
    ITEM. I give and bequeath to my well beloved son Thomas Gleason and to his assigns three acres of land lying in the township of Sherborn, it being a town right which fell to me in the divided land Lying adjoining to John Eames Land; which is all that I bequeath unto him, the said Thomas Gleason, by reason of the lands he lives on which I formerly passed a deed unto him of.
    ITEM. I give and bequeath to my well beloved daughters Patience Gleason and Mary Gleason and to their assigns, all my household goods and household moveables, to be equally divided between them, also to them I bequeath the use and improvement of one of the rooms in my now dwelling house until they shall be married, and no longer.
    ITEM. To my son-in-law John Gibbs, who married my daughter Ann Gleason, I give and bequeath Five Shillings in money to be raysed and payed out of my estate.
    ITEM. I give and bequeath to my well beloved daughter Sarah Morse, one cow.
    ITEM. I give and bequeath to my grandson John Gibbs, one cow and his bringing up, and if he shall continue with and faithfully serve my son John Gleason until he arrive at one and twenty years of age, I ordain that my son John Gleason pay unto him ten pounds to be Levyed out of his portion of my Estaate.
    ITEM. I give and bequeath to my well beloved sons Isaac Gleason and John Gleason ( whom I likewise constitute make and ordain the executors of this my last will and testament) all my other estate that may or shall be found after my decease, not above bequeathed, whether it be in lands, messages or tenements or Town Rights, which may be to be taken up in the Town of Sherborn - Moveables not within mentioned or bequeathed to any other - whatsoever to them and to their assigns freely to be possessed and enjoyed by them and to be equally divided between them.
    ITEM. I ordain and appoint that my sons, said Isaac and John Gleason, pay the following Legacys to be raysed and dLevyed out of thier portions of my Estate hereby to the bequeathed, each one of them to bear and equal share of the said Legecy - That is to say:
    To my Daughter Patience Gleason Fifteen Pounds alsoe, to be paid unto her alsoe within three years after my decease.
    To my Daughter Mary Gleason Fifteen Pounds alsoe, to be paid unto her alsoe within three years after my decease.
    And I do hereby utterly Disallow, Revoke and Disannull all and every other former testaments, Wills and Legacys and Executors by me in any way before this time named, willed and bequeathed, Ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and Testament; In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the day and year before written.

Witnesses:
    Isaac Larned, Jr.                Thomas Gleason    (Seal)
    John Swift                        His  (X)
    John Death, Jr.                 mark     
                                       
    Will proved Sept. 10, 1705. Jeremiah Morse, husband of Sarah Gleason contested the will, but did not offer sufficient evidence to hinder the probate.
    An Inventory of all and Singular the Goods and Chattels of Thomas Gleason of Sherborn, late deceased, as it was taken by us, the Subscribers, August ye 7th, 1705.

                                                                                                  £      s      d
Imp's   His apparel                                                                    04    10    00
Item    Books, arms and amunition                                           03    10    00
Item    Beds and bedding with other linen                                11    00    00
Item    Household stuff as Pewter, Brass & Iron                      03    02    00
Item    Tables, chairs and other wooden ware in the house      03    15    00
Item    The loom and tackling belonging to it                           01    10    00
Item    His tools and utensils for Husbandry                             03    03    00
Item    Corn in the house and other Provisions                         02    10    00
Item    His Corn in the Field                                                      20    00    00
Item    His Horse, Cattel and Swine                                          26    00    00
Item    His Lands & Buildings                                                  170    00    00                   
The Total Sum                                                                          249    00    00
                                John Death, Senior.
                                Thomas Pratt, Senior.   [neighbor and husband of sister Susannah]

    Sept. 10, 1705, Isaac and John Gleason exhibited the above and made oath as to its correctness in Probate Court.

{From Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas Gleason of Watertown, Mass. 1607-1909, by John Barber White, Haverhill, Mass. Press of the Nichols Print. 1909, and from The History of Framingham, Massachusetts., by Josiah H. Temple, 1888, New England History Press.}