Prior to the recent discovery of Devonshire, England baptism records from the 1600s, the earliest Thurber records known were those of immigrant ancestors John1 (bap. 1625) and Priscilla Thurber and their children. This family had come from England to America by February 1668/9. In that month, John1 and his son John2 were listed as signers to be inhabitants of the newly formed town of Swansea in Plymouth Colony. Details of the newly discovered English records as well as information on the early generations of the Thurber family are now available at AmericanAncestors.org in the Winter 2023 issue of the NEHG Register. The authors of the Thurber article are Florence Thurber Gargaro, Kathryn Davitt Peters, and Barry R. Smith.*
Background of the Devonshire Discovery
In November 2019, Barry R. Smith researched various forms of the Thurber surname on Findmypast, a British and Irish family history website. Findmypast provided free access to their entire collection of military and civilian records the weekend ahead of Veterans Day 2019. Census, births, marriages, deaths, wills, education, travel, and social history records were free to use. Findmypast gave free access as a way to honor the sacrifices of their military ancestors by telling their stories.
Among the records Barry located were Thurber births and baptisms. Knowing our extensive work and continuing interest in the history of the Thurbers, Barry informed Kathryn Davitt Peters and me of his find.
Realizing the importance of this discovery, we decided that a detailed article on the English origins of the Thurbers was the best way of presenting this important find.
Publication
Barry, Kathryn, and I compiled the current information available on the immigrant ancestors John1 and Priscilla Thurber through their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The completed document was submitted to American Ancestors (NEHGS) for publication in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. The Register is recognized as a leading resource for researching family history with compiled genealogies being a primary focus.
In July 2000, we were thrilled to receive notice that the article had been accepted for publication. However, publication would be delayed because of a backlog of accepted articles and the length of the article. With the article being longer than typical Register submissions, serialization was necessary.
Devonshire Records – Thurbers and Shepherds
The article in the Winter 2023 Register announces the discovery of the recorded baptisms of John Thurber and his known children in the parishes of Littleham cum Exmouth (hereinafter Littleham) and Withycombe Raleigh on the south Devonshire coast.
The Littleham records reveal that the Thurbers also used the family name “Shepherd” and variant spellings of both names. A man named Richard Thurber was having children at Littleham around the time of John1's baptism in 1625. Two records called Richard “Thurber alias Shepherd.” This information was helpful in locating the baptisms of two of John1 and Priscilla’s eight children.
The Littleham records contain the births or baptisms of John1 (in 1625) and all seven of
his children (1649/50 - 1664) that are known through Plymouth Colony records. Only one
additional child (Samuell bap. 1666) was found in the Littleham register, and he seems never to have come to America.
John1 Thurber was baptized 8 October 1625. The baptismal record lists him as the son of John Thurbar. No record was found of the father’s birth (probably by 1605) or marriage. His 1662 burial was recorded as “The 24 August buried John Shepeard. Senr”.
An examination of the Littleham records revealed a close correlation to the names and dates of the immigrant Thurbers of Swansea.
The recorded birth/baptism records at Littleham for the seven children of John Thurber who appeared in Plymouth Colony show the following:
John2 Shepherd 1 Jan. 1649/50
Maria Thurbar 28 Sept. 1651
Thomas Shepherd 25 Apr. 1653
Edward Thurber 26 Aug. 1655
Elizabeth Thurber 20 April 1658
James Thurber 11 Sept. 1660
Charitie Thurber 3 June 1664
Together, the parishes of Littleham and Withycombe Raleigh make up the town of Exmouth. A search of the Withycombe Raleigh registers produced duplicate birth records for Edward and James, with the exact same birth dates but recorded with the surname “Shepherd.” This was during Oliver Cromwell’s time, when the Marriage Act was in effect, and both parishes were
recording births rather than christenings. While the mother was never mentioned in the Littleham register, these two Withycombe Raleigh records name her Priscilla.
The final Thurber child recorded at Littleham was Samuell, baptized 23 September 1666.
In the 1992 publication “Three hundred and fifty years of Thurbers,” author Thurston T. Thurber refers to a Bible record listing the children of John and Priscilla. The final entry in the list of sons illustrated on page 74 of the publication reads “------- Thurber (Died at Sea).”
This final son listed in the Bible with no given name could certainly be Samuell. If the death at sea occurred during the migration to America a few years later, it would explain why Samuell never appeared in Plymouth Colony records.
For full details, please reference The Winter 2023 Register for the first installment of the published article.
* Florence Thurber Gargaro is a retired software developer/ technical writer with over twenty years of interest in Thurber family history.
Kathryn Davitt Peters is a retired high school art teacher who has been researching her genealogy since 1976.
Barry R. Smith is an associate professor of mathematical sciences at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania.
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