Pane-Joyce Genealogy
Family of William Arnold (1249)

2750. Thomas Arnold. Thomas died on 24 Mar 1674/5 in Providence, RI.

The name of Thomas’s first wife is not known. His second wife was Phebe Parkhurst.

From Bond’s Watertown Genealogies, entry on Arnold families:35
    John Arnold, admitted freemand May 6, 1635.
    Thomas Arnold, admitted freeman May 13, 1640.
    John Arnold, admitted freeman May 10, 1643.
    Thomas Arnold, aged 30, came to America in the Plain Joan May, 1635. [May have been a different Thomas Arnold.]
    Thomas Arnold married Phebe, daughter of George Parkliurst, Sen., and had 1. Ichabod, b. Mar. 1, 1640-1; 2. Richard, b. Mar. 22. 1642-3; 3. John, b. Feb. I9, 1647-8; 4. Ebenezer, b. June 17, 1651.
    In Oct., 1651, he was fined 20s. by the Court, for offence against the law concerning baptism. Ap. 2, 1654, he was lined 5l. for neglecting public worship 20 days. Ap. 2, 1655, he was lined 10l., for neglecting public worship 40 days, and his land was levied on to pay it. Mar. 30. 1655, he sold to “my brotlier-in-law, George Parkhurst, of Watertown,” the dividend of 30 acres, which '”I bought,” Dec. 20, 1648, of “our father, George Parkhust, and his wile Susanna.” Oct. 17. 1661, he, then a planter of Providence, sold lind in Watertown to John Whitney; and, Oct., 20, 1662, he and wife Phebe, of Providence, sold, to John Wincoll, their house, barn, &c., and 16 acres of land, a part of which hehad purchased of Thomas Straight, and the other part granted to him. He was probably a Baptist.

From Savage’s Genealogical Dictionary:27
Thomas, of Watertown, was made freeman of Massachusetts colony 13 May 1640. After being fined once for neglecting the law of baptism and twice for neglect of public worship, with increasing weight, and his daughter Susanna having married John Farnum of Boston, who favored the Baptist views of ordinances, he was driven to Providence, and lived in that part now Smithfield.

There’s a new book on this family by Richard H. Benson: The Arnolds of Smithfield, Rhode Island, Newbury Press, 2008.

Kay Haden’s report on the Descendants of William Arnold at
    http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~katy/arnold/
thoroughly documents Thomas’ many activities in Watertown. Bond mentioned a few of them. She follows Watertown activities by Thomas’s records in Providence.

Will: Thomas died in 1674 leaving no will, having a large estate of lands, (said to have been 20,000 acres), goods, and cattle disposed of only by his mouth. On June 29 1683, it was agreed by the widow, Phoebe, and Richard, (their eldest son), Thomas, John, Eleazer, also sons of the deceased and Elizabeth Comstock, his daughter, that there should be five instruments of covenant prepared and signed by all of them, Samuel Comstock, signing as husband of Elizabeth, that "whereas the said deceased Thomas Arnold did by word of mouth leave his mind with his wife and children how they should divide his estate of lands, goods and cattle among them after his decease, the aforementioned, all and every one of them do hereby endeavor to propagate and perform to the best of their abilities, &c.

To Phoebe, the widow, the lot bought of William Fenner with orchard, and at her decease the same to revert to Thomas; to Phoebe also land east of the Moschussuck River; said home lot at her decease to go to son John; to Phoebe also all household goods, two cows and nine swine at her disposal. To Elizabeth Comstock 30 pounds; to Thomas Arnold a house lot in town, two other lots, a meadow, a tract of 50 acres, and rights of common. To John Arnold 3 lots, an orchard, a piece of land of 17 1/2 acres, share in meadow, etc.; to Eleazer Arnold 50 acres near place called "World's End", a 15 acre lot, 3 shares of meadow, etc.; To John and Eleazer an equal share in certain lands. To Thomas and John equally the tackling and tools of the deceased. To Richard, the eldest son, all the rest of the lands.

Child:
6951 i. Susanna Arnold (ca Sep 1629-26 Apr 1717)

ca 1640 Thomas second married Phebe Parkhurst (4436) , daughter of George Parkhurst (1731) (ca 1588-Jun 1675) & Phebe Leete (ca 1585-ca 1641/1645), in Watertown, MA. Born ca 1612 in Ipswich, Suffolk. Phebe was baptized on 29 Nov 1612. Phebe died ca 1700 in Providence, RI.

Their children include:
6952 i. Ichabod Arnold (Died young) (1 Mar 1640/1-)
6953 ii. Richard Arnold (22 Mar 1642/3-22 Apr 1710)
6954 iii. Thomas Arnold (ca 1645-aft 1674)
6955 iv. John Arnold (19 Feb 1647/8-5 Jan 1722/3)
6956 v. Eleazer Arnold (17 Jun 1651-29 Aug 1722)
6957 vi. Elizabeth Arnold (ca 1650/1655-20 Oct 1745)

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