The BURGE Family of Sandwich in Barnstable co., Massachusetts

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In Sandwich at the same time and possible relatives: JOHN BURGE, RICHARD BURGE

First Generation

THOMAS BURGE (1603 - 1685)

Parents: Unknown

Thomas Burge was born in 1603. [Ref] He died on 23 Feb 1685 in Sandwich. [Ref] He married Dorothy Unknown. She died on 27 Dec 1686/7. [Ref]

Thomas Burge was an early inhabitant of Sandwich. [Ref] He was allocated 7-1/2 acres of meadow on 16 Apr 1640 in Sandwich. [Ref] He is in the Sandwich section of the 1643 list of those between 16 and 60 able to bear arms in Plymouth Colony. [Ref] On 20 May 1655 he pledged one pound for the building of a meeting house in Sandwich. [Ref] By 13 (10) 1659 he had paid a pound toward the construction of the meeting house. [Ref] On 13 (8) 1660 Thomas Burges, Sr was granted an acre of land, if the surveyors approved. [Ref]

Thomas was apparently not literate; he signed a deed with his mark. He is consistently refered to as "Goodman" indicating his intermediate rank in society. However, he was a respected inhabitant of Sandwich and entrusted with important tasks. On 22 May 1651 it was agreed in Sandwich that Goodman Tupper, Goodman Burge, Sr., Nathaniel Willis and William Gifford should have the power to call a town meeting. [Ref] On 22 (5) 1672 Thomas Burge, Sr, Micah Blackwell, William Newland and Mr Edmumd Freeman, Sr were sent to confirm the township of Sandwich with the Oneshatenket Sachem of Monemet. [Ref] He held important offices. He was deputy to the General Court 11 times. [Ref] On 29 Nov 1659 he was a rater. [Ref]

Thomas was often employed by the town as a surveyor. On 28 Oct 1658 he was one of seven men chosen to lay out the bounds of each inhabitant's land for the Plymouth Court. [Ref] On 16 May 1662 Goodman Burge was appointed a surveyor. [Ref] On 15 May 1663 Goodman Burge, Sr was appointed a surveyor of highways. [Ref] On 1 Mar 1666 Goodman Bourne and Goodman Burge were appointed to finish bounding the land in Sandwich for the Court. [Ref] On 18 Mar 1669 Mr Edmumd Freeman, Sr exchanged land with the town and Thomas Burge, Sr and Richard Bourne were appointed to lay out land for Edmund. [Ref] They were also appointed to lay out land for Benjamin Nye. [Ref] On 10 May 1670 the town sold the land that had belonged to Edmund to Thomas Burge, Sr. [Ref] On 22 (6) 1674 Thomas Burge, Sr and Steven Skiffe were appointed to lay out land for Ebenezer Nye. [Ref] On 21 May 1678 Thomas Burge was chosen surveyor of highways. [Ref]

On 5 Apr 1654 Thomas and Dorothy sold their 'son-in-law Esra Perrey' half a tract of land at 'Mannomett'. Thomas signed the deed with his mark in from of Miles Standish. [Ref, transcript of deed]

Children of Thomas Burge and Dorothy Unknown:

1. Thomas Burge was probably born before 1625. He married first Elizabeth, the daughter of William Bassett on 8 Nov 1648 in Sandwich. [Ref][Ref] She divorced him on 10 Jun 1661 after he was "brought to court for an act of uncleanliness with Lydia Gaunt"; it was the first divorce in Plymouth Colony. [Ref] Thomas married second Lydia, the daughter of Peter and Lydia Gaunt. [Ref]
   Thomas is in the Sandwich section of the 1643 list of those between 16 and 60 able to bear arms in Plymouth Colony. [Ref] On 20 May 1655 he pledged ten shillings for the building of a meeting house in Sandwich. [Ref] By 13 (10) 1659 he had paid ten shillings toward the construction of the meeting house. [Ref] On 13 (9) 1660 he was put in charge of maintaining the pound. [Ref] On 13 (9) 1660 the town sold Thomas Burges land for his brother Jacob. [Ref]

   The Plymouth Court records for 10 Jun 1661 (PCR 3:221) say:

   Thomas Burge, Junior, being bound ouer to the Court to answare for an act of vncleanes committed by him with Lydia Gaunt, hee was sentanced, according to the law, to bee seuerly whipt, which accordingly was enflicted whiles this Court was in being, and a second time to bee whipt att Sandwich, att the discretion of Mr Hinckley, on the first Munday in July next after the date heerof; and as conserning the capitall letters to bee worne according to the law, it is for the present respited vntill the Court shall descerne beter of his future walkeing. [Ref]

   Thomas and Lydia left Sandwich and moved to the heavily Quaker settlement at Dartmouth. [Ref]
2. Elizabeth Burge was born in 1629. She died on 26 Sep 1717 in Sandwich. She married Ezra Perry.
3. Jacob Burge was probably born after 1627 and before 1641. He died on 17 Mar 1719. [Ref] He married Mary Nye on 1 Jun 1660. [Ref] Jacob Burge had the following children born in Sandwich: Samuel (8 Mar 1671), Ebenezer (2 Oct 1673), Jacob (18 Oct 1676). [Ref]
   On 16 May 1662 Thomas Tupper and Jacob Burge were appointed grandjurymen. [Ref] On 29 Apr 1673 Joseph and Jacob Burge were two of the five men chosen to tear down a fence that John Fuller had unlawfully built upon his land. [Ref] On 18 Aug 1681 Jacob Burge and William Swift, Sr were chosen to view a piece of land that John Blackwell wanted. [Ref]
4. Joseph Burge was born about 1639. He is possibly the son of Thomas. He had the following children born in Sandwich: Rebecca (17 Jan 1667), Dorothy (12 Nov 1670), Joseph (18 Nov 1673), Benjamin (5 May 1681). [Ref]
   Like his possible father, Thomas, Joseph was frequently called upon by the town to be a surveyor. On 20 Apr 1669 Joseph Burge was chosen 'sayar' [surveyor?]. [Ref] On 29 Apr 1673 he was chosen surveyor of the highways. [Ref] In Mar 1681 he was chosen to lay out five acres for Mr Nathaniel Fish. [Ref] He was useful for building - and tearing down - fences. On 16 Jul 1662 Thomas Tupper and Joseph Burge were appointed to fix the pound. [Ref] On 29 Apr 1673 Joseph and Jacob Burge were two of the five men chosen to tear down a fence that John Fuller had unlawfully built upon his land. [Ref] On 21 (3) 1674 Joseph Burge was chosen to help fix the gate on the town pound. [Ref] He was also useful with horses and other animals. On 16 Jul 1662 William Bassett and Joseph Burge were appointed to be troopers for the town. [Ref] On 18 (3) 1680 Joseph Burge was one of three men engaged to provide the town with trooping horses. [Ref] On 6 (12) 1667 Joseph Burge was appointed a trooper of the town for five years. On 23 (3) 1669 Joseph Burge testified against Hannah and William Swift when Richard Handy complained that Hannah's mare was on the town Neck. He deposed that he was about 30 years old. [Ref] He was to be paid 10 s. a year. [Ref] On 18 (2) 1672 Joseph Burge was chosen to keep the calves for six years. [Ref] On 15 May 1677 Joseph Burge was chosen 'pinner' [penner of animals?] for two years. [Ref] He was entrusted with some important tasks. On 22 (12) 1675 Thomas Tupper, Henry Dillingham, Steven Skiffe and Joseph Burge were on the Council of War. [Ref] He held at least one town office. On 12 Sep 1676 Joseph Burge was chosen constable. [Ref]

Second Generation

ELIZABETH BURGE (1629-1717)

Parents: Thomas Burge and Dorothy Unknown

Elizabeth Burge was born in 1629. She died on 26 Sep 1717, age 88, in Sandwich. [Ref] She married Ezra Perry on 12 Feb 1651 in Sandwich. [Ref]

Other Burges

JOHN BURGE

Parents:

John Burge married Mary Worden on 8 Dec 1657. [Ref]
In 1638 John Burge was fined in Sandwich for not ringing his swine. [Ref] On 20 May 1655 John Burges pledged ten shillings for the building of a meeting house in Sandwich. [Ref] On 17 Jul 1657 he agreed to pay 15 shillings towards the minister. [Ref] On 20 Feb 1667 he was a rater. [Ref] On 10-5-1672 he was constable in Sandwich. [Ref]

John appears in Sandwich at the same time as Thomas Burge. It is not clear how, if at all, he is related. If he was fined in 1638 he is probably too old to be a son.

RICHARD BURGE

Parents:

Richard Burge was probably born before 1627. He is in the Sandwich section of the 1643 list of those between 16 and 60 able to bear arms in Plymouth Colony. [Ref] He moved to York in 1660. [Ref]

Richard appears in Sandwich at the same time as Thomas Burge. It is not clear how, if at all, he is related.

References

Anderson, Robert Charles, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Vol. 1-3, Boston, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995.

Barber, Laurence, "Early Cape Cod Quakers," speech given 10 Dec 1999 in Sandwich.

Brownson, Lydia B. (Phinney) and Maclean W. McLean, "The Rev. Richard Bourne of Sandwich, Mass. (c. 1610 - 1682)," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 118, 1964, 83-.

Court Records, Laws and 17th Century Texts, Plymouth Colony Archive Project, http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/users/deetz.

Freeman, Frederick, The History of Cape Cod: Annals of thirteen towns of Barnstable County, Boston: W.H. Piper & Co., 1869.

Hayward, Elijah, "Plymouth Colony Records," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 9, 1855, 313-318.

Rosengarten, Ruth Vesta Pope Werner, Ezra Perry of Sandwich, Massachusetts and some of his descendants in Saratoga County, New York, Washington, DC, unknown, 1955 [or 1960?].

Sandwich and Bourne Colony and Town Records, 1912, C.W. Swift, Yarmouthport, reprinted in Leonard H. Smith, ed., Cape Cod Library of Local History and Genealogy, v. 2, 1992, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore.

Savage, James, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, Vol. I-IV, Boston, 1860-1862.

"Through the Looking Glass," Mayflowerfamilies.com

Vital Records of the Towns of Barnstable and Sandwich