Myers-Snell Family

 Thomas Blisse was probably born in Preston Parva, a village in the parish of Preston Capes, Northamptonshire, England, about 1588.  He died in Rehoboth, Plymouth Colony, between Oct. 7, 1647 and the date of his will, which was proven onJune 8, 1649 (Hoppin, 3:122). He was married by Thomas Mariott in Holy Cross Church, Daventry, Nov. 22, 1614, to Dorothy Wheatlie, who was dead by 1645.  G. Andrews Moriarty stated in the Boston Transcript that he married secondly a widow named Mrs. Ide, as he mentioneda son-in-law (often at this time meaning stepson), Nicholas Ide, in his will.  However, the evidence is not conclusive, particularly as Dorothy Bennett Inderkum of 700 Morris Way, Sacramento, California has found a marriage of a Nicholas Ide anda Mary Bliss recorded in Springfield, Massachusetts, dated 1647 (letter dated Aug. 18,1979). The parentage of Thomas Bliss as given here has not been documented directly.  Hoppin, after studying the family in the Daventry area, came to the conclusion that Thomas must have been the son of William and Elizabeth Bliss.  William, wholived in Daventry, was a blacksmith who received by his father's will "all my tooles and all things that p'tayne to my forge at Daventry."  Hoppin found no proof of Thomas, son of William.  On the other hand, Moriarty, on finding Thomas, son ofJohn at Preston Capes, determined that this Thomas was not the one who latter settled at Hartford, Connecticut, and therefore must have gone to Braintree and Rehoboth.  Thomas Bliss of Hartford was not of this family at all, and may have comefrom Painswick, Gloucestershire (Jacobus Hale, 476-477).  Seven children were born to Thomas and Dorothy prior to their immigration to America in about 1638.  Only three are known to have come to America with their parents.  At that time Thomas was by no means a poor man.  He was "wealthier" thanhis cousin, Thomas of Hartford, but it appears that the cost of transporting his family to ths "new world" took the greater part of his means.  And yet Thomas was a skilled worker, not wholly dependent on the fortunes of a harvest.  Though hefarmed consistantly, his blacksmithing expertise proved to be foremost of the assets he was able to bring from England. A Thomas Bliss in 1639 was a Boston propietor at Mt. Wallaston.  Thomas Bliss was a freeman in Weymouth, Massachusetts in May, 1642.  The family landed at Boston, settled at Braintree, Mass., and then removed to Hehoboth. In the first bookof Boston Town Records, the following entries appear with the date in Old Style (1640 N.S.):The 24th day of the 12th moneth, February, 1639 At a meeting this day of Mr. John Winthrop, Governor; Mr. Richard Bellingham, Treasurer; Captain EdwardGilson, Mr. Willm Ting, Mr. William Coulbron, Mr. John Cogan, Mr. Robert Harding, and Jacob Elyott, ther is granted To Mr. Richard Parker a great lott of 400 acres at the mount, besides the 100 acres given to the Wharfe, and to be laid outtogether... and at the same meeting there was granted to Thomas Place, of Mount Woolystone, for 5 heads, 20 acres there, upon the covenant of 3s. p. Acre... The like to Thomas Blysse, of the same, for 9 heads, 36 acres upon the same covenant of3s. p. Acre. With interest we note that Thomas is being granted land in Braintree, Massachusetts in the exact same month and year that his distant cousin of Hartford was receiving land at that place. Thomas took the freeman's oath May 18, 1642 at Cambridge, Mass., and was one of 58 settlers to locate at Rehoboth in 1643.  Mr. Newman, an independant clergyman and the leader of his congregation, was among the settlers.  After obtaining agrant of land from the Plymouth Colony and purchasing of the Indians, they fixed upon the name "Rehoboth" seeing it as a fit description of their situation (Gen. 26:20-22 and Gen. 36:37).  Their purchase lay on both sides of the Palmer River,and consisted of woodland, upland and meadow.  Thomas, along with the other settlers destined for Rehoboth, made a valuation of his estate for the purpose of determining his portion of the land's distribution.  The distribution was to be madeaccording to person and estate.  Of the 58, twenty-nine had smaller estates than Thomas, and twenty-eight had larger estates.  The estate of Thomas Bliss was valued at 153 pounds.  The largest estate of Richard Wright, valued at 834 pounds. Thomas received a home lot of eight acres in the northwest end of town, based on the size of his estate.  There were five additional divisions of land in Rehoboth during his lifetime: the woodland lots, fresh meadow lands, salt marsh, theso-called Great Plain, and the "new meadow".  At the time of his death, Thomas owned approximately 45 acres of land. In the "History of Rehoboth" by Dr. John G. Erhardt, p.184, the "First Devision in the Neck", At a Town Meeting on the 10th of the first month (March) 1644, the Lots were drawn for the allottment upon the Neck (Wachomoquet) as followeth(viz) (28.p.6)...Thomas Bliss - 11 - page 192 "About the year 1644, the following Seacuncke Planters were required to pay their tax to the town (28.p.16)... from Thomas Bliss 0-11-8. On the 9th of the 4th month (June), 1645, lots were drawn for the great plain beginning on the west side, and he that is first on the west side shall be last on the east: #30; Thomas Bliss. The 18th of the 12th month (February), 1646, lots were drawn for the new meadow and to be divided according to the person and estate, only those that were under 150 estate to be made up 150.  They were drawn as follows: #26 Thomas Bliss. He was admitted a freeman of Plymouth Colony on June 4, 1645.  On March 16, 1645/46, and again on February 9, 1646/47, Thomas was chosen as a member of the fence-viewing committee, and on June !, 1647, he was appointed as one of thesurveyors of the highways. The recording of documents in colonial times was accomplished by a clerk.  The original documents were not kept on file.  Therefore, the errors in spelling and in content were typically not those of the executor of the document.  Onedocument signed by Thomas Bliss did survive however, and his signature demonstrates that he used the modern spelling of Bliss: (From the original 1643 compact forming the Village of Rehoboth).  Marilyn Moskal-Savard has samples of the signaturein her files. Thomas made his last will on October 7, 1647.  He died that month and an inventory of his estate was taken on October 21, 1647.  The estate was probated before the General Court of Plymouth Colony on March 7th of the following year. (Savagesays he died in June 1649)  His will and inventory follow: The last Will and Testament of Thomas Bliss being sick in body but in perfect memory made the seventh day of the eight month, 1647 the said will allso exhibitted unto the Court holden at new Plymouth the eight of June 1649, upon the oathesof Steven Payne (and) Edward Smith Imprimus I give in the name of the father sonn and holy Goste my soule unto the hands of god yt gave it my body to the earth.

It: I give to my soon Jonathan my house and home lot Conditionally yt hee shall give unto my sonninlaw Thomas Willmore his lot wh he now hath and allso the one half of my broken up ground for two yeares and shall healp him to build him an housean let him peacably and quietly live in the house with him until they shall bee able to set up a house for him.
It: I give unto Jonathan two of my oxen called Spark and Swad and my heifer who is called Traveler and my heifer calf at the Iland and all my beding and all my tooles Conditionally yt he shall use them in my trade or els they shalbee divided tomy foure Children.
It: I give unto my eldest daughter and her husband Thomas Willmore my other two oxen called Quick and Benbo and my broad headed heifer and my cow called Damson and all my wearing aparrell.
It: I give to my daughter Mary and her husband Nathaneell Harmon my three two yeare old steers and ten bushels of wheat.
It: I give unto Nathaneell the soon of my soninlaw Nicolas Ide my brown heifer and my two steer calves wh are at the Iland.
It: I give unto Nicolas Ide ten bushels of Rye.
It: I give to my son Jonathan and my soninlaw Thomas Willmore the resedew of my corn and allso the Rye now sowne on the ground and my Coult and all my tacking and Implements as plowes Cart and Chains all these to be equally Devided between themallso my pot and ketell; and I do make them exequters Joyntly of this my will and Testament; and I doe Intreat my trusty and wellbeloved friends Richard Wright and Steven Payne to bee overseers of this my Will yt it bee Dewly and Justlyperformed in Witness heerof I have set my hand and the Day and Yeare first above written; I give unto my fouer children my hide of leather which is in William Fields hand to be equally Devided between them; and if any of my Children shall seeckto Defraude the others of any pt of thaire Right or shall bee any wayes troublesom and it bee Justly proved hee shall forfeite all his part heer menssioned to be equally Devided between the Rest..... In the prsence of Steven Payne and EdwardSmithe..... Thomas Blise
Thomas Blise' "soninlaw" Nicholas Ide, referred to in his will, was actually his step-son. Thomas' first wife, Dorothy Wheatlie, apparently died shortly after the family's arrival in New England. He was then married to a widow with thesurname Ide, who was the mother of Nicholas Ide. The widow Ide apparently predeceased Thomas Bliss. He mentioned "fouer Children" in his will and this meant his three then living children (Elizabeth, Mary and Jonathan) and his stepson NicholasIde. Notwithstanding Thomas' admonition that his children not be "troublesome" in the settling of his estate, Nicholas Ide petitioned the General Court of Plymouth Colony on June 7, 1648 "for a childs portion of the estate of Thomas Blisse,desseased..." It may have been in connection with this will contest that Thomas' will was exhibited to the General Court on June 8, 1649.
Thomas was probably buried in the old cemetery at Rehoboth. Bowen (4:23) pointed out that the Hunt and Newman cemeteries of old Rehoboth were in that part of Providence, R.I., the section now called Rumford. They are on the west side ofPawtucket Ave., south of Newman Avenue, in the old "Ring of the Green" section of old Rehoboth. The old town square has been covered by what is now Newman Avenue.

His children all baptized in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England:

1. Elizabeth, bapt. Sept. 19, 1615; m. Sept. 18, 1640 at Rehoboth to Thomas Willmarth. bur. Feb. 1676. (Pope says her husband was "William")
2. Mary, bapt. Mar. 16, 1616. m. Nathaniel Harmon of Braintree, Mass., 1638
3. Jane, bapt. Jan. 14, 1618; buried Sept. 16,1621 in England
4. John, bapt. Nov. 12, 1620; died young in England
5. Nathaniel, bapt. Dec. 8, 1622
6. Thomas, bapt. Sept. 19, 1624; buried in Daventry Oct. 4, 1628
7. Jonathan, bapt. April 2, 1626; buried in June, 1687 at Rehoboth. m. Mariam Harmon, 1648 (sister of Nathaniel Harmon)

@ Genealogy of Bliss Family, Vol I, pp.32-35: Thomas Bliss, blacksmith, farmer and surveyor, of Rehoboth, MA, was born in about 1588 probably in the village of Preston Parva, Northamptonshire, England (the son of John Blisse of Danentry, andlater of Preston parva, Northamptonshire). He learned the blacksmithing trade and practiced it at Daventry. He was married Nov 22, 1614 at Holy Corss Church in Daventry, by Thomas Mariott, minister, to Dorothy Wheatlie (dau. of Frank Wheatleyand mary Fienes of Tingsboro, Somerset, England). Frank Wheatley was born in aboaut 1562 *son of Capt. John and Mary Wheatley). He was married to Mary Fienes of Maiden Newton, Dorset, England and had seven chidlren: Dorothy (baptized August12, 1591 at Maiden Newton and married Thomas Blisse), John *born 1593 at Maiden Newton and married Leah Sanders), Richard (baptized January 4, 1595 at maiden Newton and married), Edward (born about 1598, resided at Maiden Newton and marriedElizabeth Piper), Prescilla (born about 1600, married Alden Mervin and resided at East Knoyle, Wiltshire, England), Zachariah (born about 1602, married and resided at East Knoyle) and Magdalen (born about 1604, amrried Charles Polden and residedat hastings, Sussex, England.)
Footnote: Information here about the Wheatley family was reported to have been taken from the Maiden Newton Parish Register and the "records of H.P.Wheatley" (which the compiler has not viewed, and cannot guarantee the veracity). THE BLISSBOOK, by C. A. Hoppin, recorded Dorothy's father as John Wheatley, who was a mercer, and also a master warden of the "Company of Mercers, Woolendrapers, Taylors, Innkeepers and Fullers." In 1619 said John Wheatley was the bailiff of the Boroughof Daventry, Northamptonshire, a position similar to "Mayor".

 @ SAVAGTE p.202:  Thomas, Weymouth, was possibly the freeman of 18 May 1642, but next year certainly removed to Rehoboth, there d. June 1649.  His will, by careless statement in Geneal. Reg. IV.282, said to bear date of 8th of that monthbut also on same day to be brought into court gives valuable information about his child, Jonathan, to which he devises his home., his eldest daughter, whose bapt. name is not told (Elizabeth), wife of Thoms Williams; Mary, wife of Nathanielharmon of Braintree; s-in-law (perhaps means son of his wife) Nicholas Ide, and his son Nathaniel.  From finding no mention of him after 1649 at Rehoboth, I suppose, confusion of him with Thomas of Norwich was easy. @ BLISS & HOLMES DESCENDANTS, by Dayton, p.4:  Thomas Bliss supposedly son of John Bliss of Preston parva in Preston Capes, Northamptonshire, born in England before 1590, married first, at Daventry, 22 Nov 1614, Dorothy Wheatlie (Wheatley)m. second a "Mistres Ide".  Emigrated about 1636 to Boston, Braintree, Hartford, CT, Weymouth, MA to Rehoboth MA where he was one of the founders of the settlement.  "Appears to have associated with Richard Wright at both Braintree andRehoboth."  (D.L.Jacobus)  Chiren of Thomas and Dorothy (Wheatley) Bliss: A daughter who married Thomas Williams.  Mary who married nathaniel harmon.  Nathaniel.  Jonathan. @ Demos p.64:  Thomas Bliss of Plymouth, who died in 1647, left his 'house and home lot' to his son, Jonathan, on the condition that he assist a certain son-in-law in building a separate residence and in the meanwhile 'let him peacably andquietly live in the house with him until they shall bee able to set up a house for him." ref. Mayflower Descendants, VIII, 85.

REFERENCE:
BLISS & HOLMES DESCENDANTS by Dayton 1961, p.4.
DICTIONARY OF HEADS OF NE FAMILIES 1620-1700 by Frank R. Holmes, 1964.
GENEALOGY OF THE BLISS FAMILY, 3rd Generation, VOL I, p.44-45.
NEW ENGLAND DICTIONARY by Savage, p.202;
DEMOS, John "A LITTLE COMMONWEALTH" pub. 1970, Chap 8, p.64
MAYFLOWER DESCENDANTS, VIII, 85.

!Source: Gen. of The Bliss Family by Aaron T. Bliss, p.32-36.

Thomas Bliss emigrated with his family in 1636 to Boston. From there he went to Braintree, Cambridge, and finally Rehoboth. He was admitted a freeman of Cambridge of May 18, 1642; a freeman of Plymouth on Jan 45, 1645. In 'GeneaologicalHistory of New Englandf': 'Thomas, Weymouth, was possibly the freeman of 18 May 1642, but next year certainly removed to Rehoboth, there dyring June 1642 (June 9?). His will, said to bear the date of that month, but also that same day broughin Court gives valuable information about his children. Jonathan, to which he devises his house, his elder daughter whose baptismal name is not told, wife of Thomas Williams (Willmarth); Mary, wife of Nathaniel Harman of Braintree; son in lawNicholas Ide; and his son Nathaniel. From finding no mention of him after 1649 in Rehoboth, I suppose confusion of him with Thomas Bliss of Norwich was easy".

In "Vital Records of Rehoboth", p. 910, Lists of Purchasers, Settlers and Inhabitants, Thomas Bliss is recorded on a list of first purchasers,m his allotment valued at 153 pounds.

As a second wife, Thomas Bliss married in Massachussetts a MISTRESS IDE (first name not
recorded), who had, according to Aaron Bliss' "History of the Bliss Family in America", a son named
Nicholas (after his father) - this Nicholas Ide married Martha, Thomas' and Dorothy Wheatley's
Daughter.

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