Notes for: Thomas Brownell

Thomas and Anne Brownell lived for a short time after their marriage in London in St. Mary Cole Parish. In 1638 they sailed from London to America on the ship "Whale". They arrived at Braintree, Massachusetts, and then went on to settle at Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The earliest record of Thomas Brownell in Rhode Island is in 1647 when he was a witness to the will of John Walker on Mar 18 1647. That same year he was appointed a water bailey for the colony. In 1655 he was on the roll of freemen (citizens having full political rights and privileges) of Portsmouth. He was a member of the General Court of Commissioners of the Colony in the years 1655, 1661, 1662 and 1663.

In 1661 a dispute arose between Thomas Brownell and John Porter concerning the boundary of land which Thomas had purchased from Richard Carder. At a town meeting on May 11 1661, it was ordered that the dispute be submitted to arbitration. That decision was given on Oct 1 1661, but no record was made of what the decision was.

Thomas Brownell died on Sep 24 1664 at Portsmouth. The cause of his death was given as a fall from a horse. He was buried there in the Brownell Cemetery.

[Source: "A History of the Brownell Family," by William R. Brownell, 1975]