Below is a biographical sketch of Colonel John Thacher of Yarmouth, Massachusetts (my maternal 7th great-grandfather) and a bit of family lore related to his long and fruitful life.
Col. John Thacher
(1638-1713)
John
Thacher was born 17 March 1639. His parents were Antony Thacher and
Elizabeth Jones, who had come over from England on the James
in 1635 with four of Antony's children from his previous marriage.
The Thachers had suffered an unimaginable tragedy in that same year
when, on an ocean voyage from Ipswich to Marblehead, a horrific storm
had smashed the ship to pieces. All on board were drowned except for
Antony and his new wife, including the four young children. Antony
and Elizabeth had washed up on a rocky island, still known as Thacher
Island today, where they were eventually rescued by a passing fishing
boat. (their story
here)
The grieving couple lived for
a time in Marblehead, Massachusetts colony, where they struggled to
put the pieces of their lives back together. Surely the birth of a
healthy son early in 1639 gave them a sense of optimism. Antony was
one of three men who obtained permission that year from the King to
settle the area of Cape Cod known as Mattachee. The three families
made their homes there and named their new town Yarmouth.
As a young man, John was
appointed an officer in the town militia, eventually rising to the
rank of colonel, and soon after began his service as town selectman.
In 1668 he became representative of Yarmouth to the General Court,
and in 1681 he was chosen to the council of war. In addition, John
Thacher was elected a member of the provincial council, so he
certainly performed well in terms of his civic duties to the town his
parents had founded.
But John was prolific in other
ways as well, namely as a producer of new citizens for Yarmouth! He
would father a total of 21 children between two wives. He first
married in 1661 to Rebecca Winslow. There is a charming anecdote that
has been passed down in the family regarding Rebecca and his future
second wife, Lydia Gorham.
He and Rebecca Winslow married
at Marshfield. On their return trip back to Yarmouth, they stopped at
the home of friends, the Gorhams, for rest and refreshment.
There
was a new baby girl in the family, and she was proudly shown off to
the newly married couple. It was remarked that the baby had been born
on the same day as John Thacher and Rebecca had married. That being
said, John took the child in his arms and said to his new wife “Here,
my dear, is a little lady born on the same night that you and I were
married. I wish you to kiss her, as I intend to have her for my
second wife.” Rebecca laughed and kissed the baby, adding that she
hoped that would be many years in the future, if at all.
Sadly, Rebecca did die at a
young age in July of 1683. Later that summer, as legend has it, John
was riding past the home of the Gorhams, when he spotted the horse
belonging to his son Peter tied up outside. He stopped and went up to
the house to see what he might have stopped there for and found him
paying court to Lydia Gorham, the baby of that night many years ago,
now grown.
photo: paintedbarstables.com |
John had not forgotten his pledge to make Lydia his
second wife. It is said that he offered his son Peter 10 pounds and a
yoke of black steer if he would relinquish his claim to the young
lady. And so he did.
Whether due to the clandestine “deal” or
because John won out over his son on his own merits we will never
know, but John Thacher and Lydia Gorham were married on New Year's
day 1684. John was 45 years old and Lydia was 22. The couple raised a
large family and John Thacher died in 1713 at the age of 82 years.