Capt. Thomas “the Privateer” Baxter, Sr.

Thomas Baxter

• born about 1626
• Death Date & location unknown
• Not the same as Capt. Thomas Baxter
• was he the son of Ens. George Baxter & Mary Baxter ?

Divorced: 15 MAY 1662 in recorded at White Plains in 1686 1

Note: In 1662, he was in England. His wife, Bridget Baxter, obtained a divorce May 15, 1662. On what grounds is not stated, but a divorce could be obtained if the husband absented himself for three years. (Rebecca Smith, in 1667, was divorced from Samuel Smith by the General Court for his three years wilful absence from her. This law is yet on our statute book, with little alteration.) — "Puritan Settlers," Hartford, Conn., 1846.

“It appears Thomas Baxter a Scotsman lived in New Amsterdam and contracted to build the Dutch a wall for protection. He then turned pirate and began raiding the Dutch fleet. Understandably the Dutch arrested him, but he escaped, so Gov. Stuyvesant confiscated his property. This property consisted of a cabin and a catboat located on Schreyers Hoek which was the southern end of Manhattan Island. The site is in the Battery Park, a short distance north of the Staten Island Ferry-house. Tom escaped to New England and then began to get in trouble with the English Colonial government.”

Source: New Amsterdam and Its People by J.H.Innes, pg 19-20

"This was the Capt. Baxter who in 1653, armed with a commission from Rhode Island, during the war between England and Holland, made a nuisance of himself by seizing vessels along the coast of New England, English as well a Dutch. He carried things with such a high hand that New Haven Colony ordered his arrest and he was apprehended at Stamford, tried, fine L20, and compelled to give his bond for L100 to keep the peace. In the meanwhile, Rhode Island revoked his commission. The New Haven Colony records inform us that he had once lived among the Dutch, and after the trial "he had libertie to goe to Fairfeild to order his family occasions." Connecticut Colony also dealt severly with him, and his estate was attached by the Constable of Fairfield. It appears that the damage done was settled (though with heavy loss to the privateering captain), for in Oct. 1656 his bond was ordered returned by Conn. Colony.
In March 1661/2 Bridget Baxter petitioned for divorce, and a letter alleged to have been written by Baxter to his wife from England was put in evidence. Mr. Gould, Mr.Sherman, and Mr. William Hill were ordered to compare the letter with Baxter's other writings. In May, the divorce was granted; "and whereas the estate that her husband Baxter left with her is sold to pay debts, all excepting a bed and her wearing aparell," the Court prohibited the creditors from "seizing

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According to Miss Frances Baxter in her book, Baxter Family: Descendants of George and Thomas of Westchester Co, NY published by Tobias A Wright in 1913:

Thomas Baxter was probably born around 1626. He married Bridget in 1651 and had a daughter: Alice (Elsje in their Dutch church) born 1652 who married John Hunt. Thomas was a "pirate" - he fought by sea against the Dutch and also was arrested for improperly seizing English ships as well. He was gone often, in prison often, his lands in NY seized more than once. Bridget, presumably having enough of this, divorced him in English court in 1662 on the grounds of abandonment.

https://archive.org/stream/baxterfamilydesc00baxt/baxterfamilydesc0...

Thomas was an Englishman who lived among the Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam, built a famous wall for them, took to the sea to fight against those same Dutch, stood accused of piracy, and fathered a large progeny of Baxters and probably Hunts. He must have died after all that, but it's not sure where

Family

Thomas married Bridget Clarke in July 1650 in Gravesend, Long Island, New Netherlands (later, Brooklyn, New York City).

Thomas and Bridget had, in New Netherlands:

1. Elsje, bp. Aug. 17, 1652. This was probably Alice Baxter, who married John Hunt on June 16, 1670, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey Colony[4]
2. Thomas, b. circa 1653. Married Rebecca Adams.

In December 1659, Thomas made his departure will in conjunction with his planned return to England, naming Bridget as executrix. In May 1662, in Connecticut, Bridget divorced Thomas for desertion and subsequently married john Palmer

Notes

History and Genealogy of The Families of Old Fairfeild Title: Compiled and edited by Donald Lines Jacobus, History and Genealogy of The Families of Old Fairfeild Repository: Page: page 39

Bridget was divorced from Thomas Baxter im May of 1662.

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From https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/palmer/8053/

Bridget was the divorced wife of Thomas Baxter. Bridget's son Thomas Baxter Jr. had daughter Rebecca Baxter who married John Palmer on Oct 31, 1700 in Throgg's Neck.

Disambiguation

Three Thomas Baxters lived in Massachusetts and New York in the mid-to-late 17th century. Though near-contemporaries, they were at most cousins if even that.

1. Thomas Baxter who lived in Westchester, New Amsterdam/New York, born circa 1754, married Rebecca (Adams?), died 1714, will proved January 1715. They had 11 children between 1675 and 1703, including a son named Thomas.[1] His father was apparently Capt. Thomas Baxter of New Amsterdam, Fairfield, and elsewhere, who married Bridget Clark[2]

2. Thomas Baxter who lived in Yarmouth, Barnstable Co., Plymouth Colony, married Temperance Gorham the widow of Edward Sturges, and died in 1713. They had 3 children between 1679 and 1687, including a son named Thomas.[3] Some have suggested that this might have been Capt. Thomas the father, an older man of 50+ years by 1679, but that conflicts with the age at death engraved on his tombstone, which implies birth in 1653 o 1654.

3. Thomas Baxter-2247 who lived in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, born to John Baxter in 1660, died there in 1670 at age 10

Descent

[ THE REFERENCE BELOW REFERS TO THE BAXTERS OF WESTCHESTER , NOT THE BAXTERS OF YARMOUTH. SEE THIS WEBSITE http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jcahill/baxter.htm]

According to Miss Frances Baxter in her book, Baxter Family: Descendants of George and Thomas of Westchester Co, NY published by Tobias A Wright in 1913:

Thomas settled in Westchester Village which in 1698 had a census of 517 including Thomas and his wife Rebecca who eventually had 11children:

Thomas 14 Aug 1675 - m. Abigail

Mary 1677 - m. Kinison

John 11 May 1679 - m. in 1705 Mary Honeywell

REBECCA (our ancestor) 1682 - m. John Palmer

Dorcas 1685 - m. George Tippett of Yonkers

Abigail 14 May 1687 -m.1st Joseph Betts and 2nd Abraham Emmons

Keziah 1690 - m. charles Glover

Elizabeth 1 July 1693 -m. Samuel Sands

Miriam 1697 - m. Underhill Barnes

Phebe 1698 - m. Drake

James 1 Jan 1702 - m. Anne Gillian

She also tells us that:

1686 Patent of Westchester was given by Gov. Dongon to several "freeholders of the town" including Joseph Palmer and Thomas Baxter

1692 Indians deeded land to several men including John, Joseph, Samuel Palmer; John, Joseph, Josiah Hunt, and Thomas Baxter

1696 Thomas Baxter was an alderman in the Borough of Westchester

1702 Thomas Baxter was a vestryman at St. Peter's Episcopal Church

His will dated July 1 1714) gave his land and possessions in Westchester to his children and was executed by his son-in-laws Joseph Betts and John Palmer. This data is reported by Frances but also found in Wills of early residents of Westchester Co. 1664-1784 by William S. Pelletreau, published by F.P. Harper New York 1898.

Citations

• The Baxter Family: Descendants of George and Thomas Baxter, of Westchester ... By Frances Baxter. Page 34. link

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The Life Summary of Thomas

https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LTTD-9LP/captain-thomas-baxte...

When Captain Thomas Baxter was born in 1626, his father, George Baxter, was 26 and his mother, Alice Clouse, was 21. He married Bridget Clarke in 1651, in Westchester, New York, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 3 daughters. He died on 22 June 1713, in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States, at the age of 87, and was buried in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States