Unraveling the Truth: The Story of Thomas Henry Pettit

 Unraveling the Truth: The Story of Thomas Henry Pettit

While researching my family tree, I stumbled upon a name that initially seemed unremarkable: Thomas Henry Pettit, my 10th great-grandfather. Born in 1609 in Essex, England, and dying in 1668 in New York (Long Island), his life appeared typical of many early settlers. However, a note attached to his name on Ancestry piqued my interest. It claimed he “founded Boston,” which, as an avid admirer of the city, I was eager to verify.

The timeline did make it plausible—Boston was founded in 1630, which fits with Thomas’s arrival in what is now Cambridge, Massachusetts, on July 2, 1630. But a deeper dive revealed a different story. Thomas Pettit was indeed not a founder of Boston but rather had a rather tumultuous relationship with the city.

After arriving on the ship Talbot, Thomas was granted a house plot in Boston on January 8, 1637, where the Capitol now stands. His stay in Boston was short-lived. In April 1637, Anne Hutchinson, known for her non-conformist views (she did not conform to the Puritan way of life), was arrested. Thomas, a consistent non-conformist himself, sided with her. This led to his arrest in April 1637 on charges of slander, insubordination, and inciting riots. Convicted, he was sentenced to thirty lashes and imprisonment. Thomas, along with others, was released only after agreeing to leave the Colony within ten days.

Thomas Pettit then joined Rev. John Wheelwright and thirty-three others to establish the town of Exeter in New Hampshire. They formed the Congregational Church and signed the Exeter Combination. Thomas became a prominent figure, serving as the chief military man and Inspector of Staves and later as Selectman of Exeter from 1652 to 1655.

When the Massachusetts Bay Colony surrounded Exeter, making its survival difficult, Thomas sold his property and, with his family and other settlers, moved to Long Island in 1655. Governor Stuyvesant granted them permission to settle, naming their new home Newtown (now Elmhurst, Queens County). Soon after arriving, Thomas Pettit was elected Town Marshall on May 8, 1657.

Through hours of research, I uncovered not a Boston founder but a resilient figure who played a significant role in the early colonial landscape. His story is a reminder of the importance of thorough fact-checking and the depth of history that lies behind seemingly simple names.