Thomas Munson

Captain Thomas Munson, 1612 to 1685. Thomas is the ninth great grandfather of my children.

Genealogy was not a subject of much conversation in my family. I grew up with the feeling that our forebears had got off a boat from Sweden and went straight to Kentucky in the 1800s. My studies in genealogy found both beliefs to be wrong. Our forebears got off a boat from England in the early 1600s and went to Connecticut. That first forbear to live in America had quite a life.

Thomas was born in Rattlesden, England in 1612. At the age of 25, he was one of the men from Hartford, Connecticut who served under Captain Mason during the Pequot Indian War. He took part in the historical battle near New London against the Pequot under Sassacus on June 5, 1637.

In 1638 Thomas was one of five signers on the Fundamental Agreement to found New Haven. His signature is on that document. Later several Munsons were benefactors in the founding of Yale University. All Munsons/Monsons/Mansons in America are considered to be descendants of Thomas and his wife Joanna. He and Joanna had just one son, but that son had eight boys!

He was a life time member of the militia. He was a Sargeant from 1643, an Ensign from 1661, Lieutenant from1665, and a Captain from 1676. He served in all the Indian Wars from the Pequot War in 1637 to King Phillip’s War in 1675.

The first trial by jury in the Colony was held on October 3, 1663 and Thomas Munson was appointed foreman of that jury. In 1866 he was elected deputy to the General Assembly and served 24 terms.

Joanna died in 1678, Thomas died in 1685. Their graves are in the Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut. Also buried in the cemetery is Noah Webster, Eli Whitney, and Charles Goodyear.


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