Thomas Stiles
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth Date: Christening: 7 Feb 1612 - Milbroke, Bedfordshire, England 2 Death: Burial: Cause of Death:
Parents
Father: Thomas Styles ( -1614) 3 Mother: Marie ( -1614) 3
Notes
General:
On pages 35-39 of The Stiles Family in America -- Genealogies of the Connecticut Family (Henry Reed Stiles, 1895) we find the following description of the immigrant Thomas Stiles. He is something of a troublemaker, and his life in Flushing is sufficiently interesting to merit copying it in toto. See notes under Francis Stiles for more information about the emigration.
Thomas Stiles, the youngest brother of the Emigrant Family, was born in Milbroke, Bedfordshire, England, where he was baptized February 7th, 1612; was an husbandman by occupation, and the last of the family, (as appears by his letter on page 14), to leave Millbroke, joining his brothers in London, just before their sailing from thence. On March 6th, 1624, only ten days before sailing, he indentured himself as an apprentice to his elder brother Henry, "Citizen and Carpenter of London," then "outward bound in the good ship called the Christian, of London, for the Plantation in New England." This was probably done, (in view of the restrictions at that time placed upon emigration by the Government), for the purpose of securing a free exit from England, he being then aged only twenty-two years.
He seems to have received a lot of ground in the earliest distribution of lands among the first settlers of Windsor, which was situated near those of his brothers. But, as a young, unmarried man, he undoubtely resided with one of his married brothers, John, or "Mr." Francis Stiles, according to the law of the time, enacted by the General Court, in 1637, that "no young man that is not married, nor hath any servant, and be no public officer, shall keep by himself without consent of the town where he lives first had, under penalty of 20 shillings per week."
He was one of the fifteen men who are certainly known to have formed a part of Windsor's quota, (of 30), for the Pequot expedition, and was a participant in the bloody fight at Fort Mystic, as appears from the published account of the expedition by its leader, Capt. John Mason, wherein he narrates as among "the memorable and wonderful providences" which that day happened, that "Two men, being one man's servants, namely, John Dyer and Thomas Stiles, were both of them shot in the knots of their handkerchiefs, being about their necks, and received no hurt."
Of Thomas' Windsor life, which was brief, we have no further item of information. He next turns up at Flushing, on Long Island, (which, from the best attainable data, appears to have been first settled about 1643, and chartered by Gov. Kieft, in 1645), as one of the twenty-one original patentees of that town. Although under the Dutch government of the New Netherlands, the little community of Flushing had a liberal admixture of Englishmen, from the New England colonies, and of Friends, or Quakers, from Holland. The previous experience of this class of Flushing settlers in civil and political liberty, and their sturdy independence, naturally led them to resist any encroachments of the Dutch Governor and his Council upon what they considered to be their vested rights; and to refuse to render to the Colony any assistance other than that nominated in the bond of their charter. Having felt the keen blasts of proscription and outlawry on account of their religious views, and having sought this place as a permanent refuge, relying upon the well accredited liberality of the government of Holland, which had purchased for its subjects the price of religious liberty at a terrible cost of blood and treasure, and which was disposed to accord the privileges it had gained to the oppressed of every nation -- the people of Flushing were surprised to find, within three years from the date of their charter, that Governor Kieft was about to enforce upon them arbitrary and uncalled for restrictions in civil matters, as well as to impose upon them the maintainance of a minister of the Reformed (State) Dutch Church. As his support would have to be made a tax upon the people, the Quakers resisted; and in this they were evidently joined by the English element in the community.
On January 17, 1648, according to an original document in the Secretary of State's office, at Albany, N. Y., "John Townsend, Edward Hart, Thomas Stiles, John Lawrence and John Hicks, inhabitants of Flushing, in New Netherlands, with a few others, who are principal opponents who resist the votes of their neighbors, so [both, i.e., as well as] in contributing their share to the maintenance of the Christian and pious Reformed minister, and also [in the matter] of the nomination of the Sheriff, pretending [alleging] that it is contrary to the custom of the Fatherland to nominate only a single individual, and then to request the Director and Council to [ ] him;" the said persons were summoned before the Court of January 23rd next [1648] under penalty of prosecution.
The inhabitants of Flushing were ordered to obey the order for an election of Sheriff January 17, 1648.
This election probably passed off peaceably, for, on the 1st of February, 1648, William Harck, Sheriff of Flushing, in behalf of the inhabitants of that town, and Thomas Stiles, John Laurens, and William Tennis "of the opposite party," appeared before the Council, and solicited that "the Director General and Council would favor them with a pious, learned and Reformed minister of the Gospel, and would then make such regulations that every inhabitant of Flushing should contribute to promote such a godly work [according] to his abilities; so that there might be an end to their present contentions, which would promote the peace, concord and harmony of said village." Their petition was granted.
The feud, however, seems to have broken out again, for, April 8th, 1648, we find that: "Tomas Steyls, being heard on the written complaint of the Director General, acknowledges that he threw the Sheriff Harck to the ground, and confesses that he did wrong, and never before so much; and promises to conduct himself in future as a good citizen ought, and, therefore, begs that the Director and Council will take this into consideration."
"The confession and petition of Tomas Steyls, together with his promise to conduct himself better in furture, having been heard by the Council, (with the exception of the Director), he is therefore, this time, graciously pardoned, provided he pays here in the office of the West India Company, the 50 stivers, which he promised at Flissengen, [Flushing], said sum to be applied at the discretion of the Director General and Council; and provided he begs God's forgiveness. Done on the 8th April, 1648, in Fort Amsterdam, in New Netherland."
"Thomas Hall, of Flissengen, [Flushing], being accused of aiding Steyls resistance to the Sheriff," acknowledged that "he kept the door shut, so that no one might assist the Sheriff," and promised to do so no more, expressed his sorrow, and was fined 25 stivers.
The arrest of Townsend, Hart, Stiles and others was followed by a series of petty persecutions on the part of the Governor, whose obstinacy, in attempting to force a State Church upon the settlers of Flushing, (although in direct violation of their charter rights), and his enmity to the English settlers, dating back to the events of 1648 and 1653, destroyed the sympathy and loyalty to the States General, of many who were inclined to be grateful for past favors; so that, in 1662, Flushing became one of the English towns which offered their allegiance to, and were accepted by the British Colony of Connecticut.
Our next extract, from the records of the English Government of New Netherlands, then called New York, certainly does not reflect credit upon the moral character of Thomas Stiles:
"WARRANT to the Magistrates of fflushing, for ye restoring of the Wife of John Wood."
Whereas, I am informed that Ann the wife of John Wood of Road Island, is and hath been for ye space of about two years past, harboured by Thomas Styles, of the town of Flushing, who in her absence from her Husband hath had two children [by her]. These are to require you to make inquiry into the business, and to prevent further Scandall, that you cause the said Ann to be restored to her Husband, with what goods are in the Custody of Thomas Styles, belonging to the said John Wood, or his wife, and for so doing this shall be your warrant. Given under my hand at ffort James, in New York, this 6th day of December, 1664.
RICHARD NICHOLLS."
[Governor]
"To the Magistrates of Flushing,
upon Long Island."
Again, on August 30, 1673, when the Dutch retook the country, we find the name of "Thomas Styles of Flushing" among the inhabitants of the English Villages who took the oath of allegiance to the States of New Netherland, and the Prince of Orange.
And there the curtain falls upon the history of THOMAS STYLES. What we have thus gleaned concerning him, verifies Pres. Styles' statement (p. 16) that he "removed from Windsor to Flushing, on Long Island." The President's further statement that he "there had two daughters, but no son," is partly corroborated by the fact that in the confirmatory patent to the "present Freeholders and Inhabitants" of the Town of Flushing, in 1685, by Gov. Dongan, we find the name of Margaret Stiles among the patentees therein named. Evidently this was one of Thomas' daughters, who held her rights as patentee from her father, who must, therefore have died between 1672 and 1685. The destruction of the earliest record of the Town of Flushing, during the Revolutionary War, places an insuperable bar to our further knowledge of Thomas Stiles' legitimate descendants.
1 Henry Reed Stiles, The Stiles Family in America -- Genealogies of the Connecticut Family, 1895, pgs 20, 35. Repository: Clayton Library, Houston, Texas.
2 Henry Reed Stiles, The Stiles Family in America -- Genealogies of the Connecticut Family, 1895, pg 20 -- Milbrooke: Stylle extracts from the parish registers. Repository: Clayton Library, Houston, Texas.
3
Henry Reed Stiles, The Stiles Family in America -- Genealogies of the Connecticut Family, 1895, pg 20. Repository: Clayton Library, Houston, Texas.
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