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| Born on July 12, 1696, in Flushing,
New York and died in 1759 in Rumbout Precinct, Dutchess County, New York. He married
(1st), December 9, 1715, Ann Stevenson, who was born probably about 1696, and died May 19,
1724, in Flushing, a daughter of Thomas and Ann Stevenson of Newtown. Samuel married
(2nd), probably about 1724 Esther -----, who has not been identified, and who died not
earlier than 1748. The final "e" disappears from the family name in the line
beginning with Samuel Thorn. The record of the first marriage of Samuel Thorn reads in part as follows:
Among the witnesses were Joseph Thorn, Martha Thorn, and Thomas Thorn, no doubt the parents and a brother of Samuel Thorn (Flushing Friends Rec. 213:42). On April 6, 1717, Samuel Thorn was a witness at the wedding in Flushing of Richard Lawrence, son of Joseph Lawrence, and of Hannah Bowne, a daughter of Samuel Bowne (Ibid. :213:55). Samuel Bowne was Samuel Thorn's uncle (Bowne Fam. 1948, p.47). On March 9, 1721, Samuel Thorn was a witness, also in Flushing, at the wedding of Thomas Haviland, a son of Benjamin Haviland of Rye and of Hannah Field, a daughter of Benjamin and Hannah (Bowne) Field. The last named was Samuel Thorn's aunt (Field Gen. 1901, v.1, pp.131-34). As of May 19, 1724, the Friends Records noted the death of "Anne Thorn wife of Samuel of flushing" (Rec. :7:43). On April 1, 1728, John Stevenson and John Ferris, executors of the will of "Daniel Clark, late of ye Burrough town of Westchester, Gent.," conveyed to "Samuel Thorne, of Flushing, blacksmith" for 145 pounds "All the lot of land whereon ue sd. Daniel Clark did dwell, containing near nine acres," adjoining Abner Hund and Underhill Barnes, including dwelling house, barn, fruit trees and fences, together with 19 acres of woodland, all in the town of Westchester. "Also a twenty-five pound privilege of comanage in ye sheep pasture" (Westchester Co. Deeds F:205). At a general town meeting "held by the freeholders & Inhabitants of ye. Burrough town of Westchester this 6th day of May in ye: first Year of his Majty's Reign Annoq Domo. 1728 Being ye: Day of Election according to Charter" Samuel Thorne was chosen Town Pounder (Westchester Town Rec., Comptroller NY City 5-57:203). On September 4, 1728, Ithamar Pelton of Mamaroneck, lawyer, mortgaged for 37 pounds, 16 pence to John Cromwell, Samuel Thorne, and William Oakly of Borough Town of Westchester certain lands "together with ye Saw Mill & dwelling house thereon" (Westchester Co. Deeds G:33). On December 17, 1728, "Samuel Thorne of ye Burrough & town of Westchester, Blacksmith, by & with ye advice & consent of Esther, his wife," conveyed to Jeremiah Fowler for 125 pounds the property he had purchased earlier in the year "whereon he now lives," but without mention of the 19 acres of woodland or rights in the sheep pasture. The deed was signed "Saml. Thorn" and "Esther Thorn" (Ibid.:G:133). Jeremiah Fowler was a son of Jeremiah Fowler of Eastchester, whose brother William Fowler married Mary Thorne, an aunt of Samuel Thorn (Rec.:68:246-46). On November 6, 1729, Samuel Thorn was a witness to the deed mentioned above in which Joseph Fowler conveyed land at White Plains to William Thorne of Flushing, an uncle of Samuel Thorn. Joseph Fowler was a son of Henry Fowler, and a grandnephew of William Fowler above (Ibid:324). Samuel Thorn witnessed the will of Stephen Stevenson on October 16, 1731 (WNYHS:3:63 cf. NYCo.Wills 11:316 & Stevenson Gen. 1902, pp 19,47,50). On February 1, 1732, Jeremiah Fowler above-mentioned granted to Samuel Thorn a power of attorney of the collection of various sums, including a bond of William Fowler, deceased, and Samuel Fowler. The money so collected was to be applied to the liquidation of a debt of 250 pounds incurred on December 17, 1728, no doubt in connection with the transaction of the same date already referred to, for the payment of which Samuel Thorn prosecuted Jeremiah Fowler "in ye province of Vergeine boath being in ye said province at that time," and "on said prosecution received me ye said Jeremiah Fowler into his custody from one of ye Sheriffs of yt. province, with promis from me to make him satisfaction in whole or in part when I should arive at ye County of Westchester & being now there" (Westchester Co. Deeds G:93). On November 2, 1732, Thomas Esmond and Jeremiah Fowler of Rye made bond in the sum of 2,100 pounds in favor of Samuel Treadwell and Samuel Thorn, both of the said town, "to save the obligees harmless as sureties for the payment of said Esmond's debt to Isaac Willett of the Borough of Westchester (Rec:42:429). Between 1738 and 1740 Samuel Thorn appears as the owner of a farm about three miles south of the present city of White Plains and about one mile east of the property which his uncle William Thorne of Flushing purchased in 1729 (Ibid:49:170). At the time "the white plains" were a part of Rye, and Samuel Thorn may have been recorded as of Rye while on this farm. On the "11th of 7th month 1740" Samuel Thorn and Esther Thorn were witnesses at the marriage in Flushing of James Thorn and Sarah Farrington. James was Samuel Thorn's youngest brother. On August 6, 1743, Samuel Purdy, John Lyon, and Samuel Treadwell, arbitrators, in whose judgment "Thomas Carpenter, in behalf of his son Stephen Carpenter, and Samuel Thorn, in behalf of Hannah Chement, had bound themselves to abide," decided "that the said Stephen Carpenter should bring up the mail child of which the said Hannah Chement and Stephen Carpenter were the parents" (Ibid:42:429). Hannah Chement, presumably Clement, has not been identified. On March 27m 1748, "Samuel Thorne of White Plains, yeoman, sold to Joseph Lyon of Greenwich, yeoman, for 773/3 pounds "all that my farme and plantation where I now Dwell in the white plains But in two parcels -- one on the Easterly Side of the white plains Road, the other on the westerly side of said Road." The deed was signed "Samuel Thorn" and Esther Thorn." The property is the same as that referred to above, and comprises 51 acres east of the White Plains Road extending down to the Mamaroneck River, and 130 acres west of the road, including a house and other buildings. (Ibid:58:38, cf. Rye Land Rec. C:239). Adjacent property was held at the time by Francis Purdy, Samuel Hunt, Samuel Haight, Justice Caleb Hyatt, Abraham Underhill, Bartholomew Gedney, and Thomas Maugham (see map in Rec.:49, opposite p.170). On June 1, 1751, Captain Abraham Swathwout and Tryntjie his wife conveyed to "Samuel Thorn of the Manor of Cortlandt, Esq.," for 661 pounds a farm of 305 acres comprising a portion of Lot no.6 of Rumbout Precinct, Dutchess County, on the south side of Wappingers Creek. The property is about seven miles south of the center of Poughkeepsie, and the present New Hackensack Dutch Church occupies a portion of the original farm (Dutchess Co. Hist. Soc. Coll. v.6, p.49, cf. Dutchess Co. Deeds 2:431 & Helen Wilkinson Reynolds, Dutchess Co. Doorways, 1931, p.232). Samuel Thorn is listed as a taxpayer in Rombout Precinct between 1753 and 1761, and his estate in 1752 (Ibid:38). The death of Samuel Thorn is noted in the Flushing Friends Records as follows: "Samuel Thorne son of Joseph Deceased ye ---- 1759" (Ibid:7:88). If Samuel Thorn had not remained a Quaker his death would not have been mentioned. Esther Thorn, the second wife of Samuel Thorn, has not been identified. So far as available records go, she might have been Esther LeChevalier who was baptized February 28, 1696/7 in the French Church in New York City, a daughter of Jean & Marie (Delaplaine) LeChevalier (Hug:1:52). Some of the LeChevaliers and Delaplaines became Quakers, and Esther LeChevalier appears as a witness at the wedding, in NY City on December 4, 1716, of Joshua Delaplaine of New York and Esther Lane of Hempstead (Hinshaw v.3, p.99, cf. Flushing Friends Rec.). However, she might have been Esther Hunt who was born July 1, 1701, a daughter of Josiah and Abigail (Heustis) Hunt of the Grove Farm in Westchester. Most of the family were communicants of the Church of England, but Josiah and Abigail Hunt were Quakers. Their children are all listed in the Flushing Friends Records, with their dates of birth (Rec:4:35). The farm which Samuel Thorn purchased in the Town of Westchester was adjacent to land of Abner Hunt, a brother of Josiah Hunt, while his White Plains farm was next to the sawmill of Samuel Hunt, a first cousin of Josiah Hunt (Hunt MMs. NYG&BS). Numerous connections between the Thorns and the Hunts through the Fowlers, Oakleys, Deans, Pells, and others have been cataloged, but no direct evidence has been uncovered to show that Samuel Thorn married Esther Hunt. In fact, in his will executed October 31, 1743, and proved February 14, 1746/7, Josiah Hunt remembered all the children shown in the Friends Records except Esther, and referred to his other daughters as "my four daughters" (WNYHS:4:109, cf. NYCo.Wills 16:73). While the omission of the name of a living child is common in wills, and of itself is no proof of death, the presumption in this case is that Esther Hunt died before Esther Thorn signed the deed of 1748. However, the erroneous statement often made that Esther Hunt married Anthony Bartow is disproved by the designation in Josiah Hunt's will of "son-in-law Walter Briggs and my friend Anthony Bartow" as executors. It may also be noted that Esther Hunt was sixteen years older than Anthony Bartow (Rec:3:31; Bartow Gen., p45). The children of Samuel and Ann (Stevenson) Thorn are all named in the Flushing Friends Records (Rec:4:94), but no account has been found of the birth of the children of Samuel and Esther Thorn. Two of the latter, Jonathan and Stephen, are identified by a quitclaim deed executed February 18, 1767, by "Joseph Thorn of Rumbout Precinct in Dutchess County in the province of New York, Eldest Son of Joseph Thorn Late of Charlotte Precinct in Dutchess County Deceased." It released to "Jonathan Thorn and Stephen Thorn, Sons of the said Samuel Thorn Deceased," in consideration of ten shillings "and for Diverse Other Good Causes," the farm conveyed to "my Said Grandfather" by "Abraham Swatwout and Tryntie his wife," with reference to the date and deed mentioned above (Dutchess Co. Hist. Soc. Coll. v.6, p.61, cf. Dutchess Co. Deeds 5:70). The purpose was no doubt merely to protect title against any claim based on primogeniture; but this instrument, two hundred years later, provides a definite link between the Thornes of Long Island and the Thorns of western Dutchess County. The dates of birth of Jonathan and Stephen Thorn, as noted below, are known to have been about 1725 and 1737 respectively, and it is reasonable to suppose that other children may have been born in the interim. Samuel Thorn and his first wife Ann Stevenson had four sons:
Samuel Thorn probably had five children by his second wife Esther:
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