Thomas Root (1605-1694)

Thomas Root was born on 16 Jan 1605 in Badby, Northamptonshire, England (map). He was the son of John Root and Mary Ann Russell, brother of John Root, and the 9th great-granduncle of my son-in-law. He married Elisabeth, but it is unclear whether in England, in Massachusetts, or in Connecticut.  He is named among the original founders of Hartford, CT, and he is on the Founders Monument there. His brother John, also frequently cited as a founder of Hartford, is not listed.

Thomas died in Northampton, MA in 1694, where he moved in May 1654. He makes a will on 3 Dec 1691, and mentions his sons, daughters and grandchildren. From this we can infer the following family relations:
Sons:  Joseph, Thomas, Jonathan, Hezekiah (deceased), Jacob
Daughter: Sarah Kellogg,  Thankfull (under 18)
Grandchildren:  Thomas, son of Joseph;  Elizabeth and Hester, daughters of Jonathan; Benjamin (under 21) and unnamed sisters, children of Hezekiah; and Thankfull Root (unclear whose daughter she is)

As I have said before, this part of my son-in-law’s history illuminates early American history, albeit only the European immigration part. While there are no slave owners among them (as far as I know), we have to keep remembering that their world view was one of the supremacy of the European settlers. While they may have been exemplary people individually, we should still be struggling against their societal biases which still persist today.