Compiled by Michael S. Disbrow
Thomas Disbrow, progenitor of a large number of descendants in the U. S. and Canada, was a resident of Compo, the western part of Fairfield, Connecticut, and died there in 1707. His wife was the widow, Mercy (Holbridge) Nichols, by whom Thomas had one son, named Thomas Jr. Thomas Jr. married Abigail Godwin and was the father of seven children, five sons and two daughters, each of whom married and had families. These two volumes trace many lines of the descendants of Thomas and Mercy Disbrow down through, in some cases, the thirteenth generation. They were assembled using many original sources, including town and county records, cemetery inscriptions, census and military records, probate files, published histories, and the compiled research results of scores of Thomas's and Mercy's descendants.
Part 1, originally published in 1992 (revised and republished in 1996) starts out with a chapter on the Desborough surname and its origins and early records in England. We then briefly examine the records of the earliest persons of our surname to have come to the New World and what we know about them. After these opening chapters the book gets into what is known of our ancestor, Thomas Disbrow, and delves into some of the possibilities concerning his origins. Transcripts of Thomas’s probate records are included. The next chapter concerns Mercy (Holbridge) Disbrow, her early life, and the tragic events of her imprisonment and court trial on charges of practicing witchcraft, which took place in Fairfield in 1692 (the same year as the well-known Salem trials). Included are transcripts of some of the original testimony from the trial. The following chapter on Thomas Disbrow, Jr., includes a floor plan of the old Greens Farms church, showing the Thomas Disbrow family pew, probate records, and a map of the distribution of Thomas’s estate among his children and heirs.
Each chapter from this point on includes one generation of the Disbrow descendants. The children of Thomas Disbrow, Jr., comprise the third generation, their children the fourth generation, and so forth. This volume lists the first six generations of descendants. The information that is included on each person varies greatly depending on how much we could find out from original records, or from records of their descendants. The dates and the places of birth, death, and marriage are included for most of them, and also the same data for their spouse(s). A list of their children follows, with a numbering system that allows you to follow the children from one generation to the next. Other types of information that the book includes are: census data, military data, residences and removals, land records, gravestone inscriptions, wills, obituaries, and any other type of informative data we could find. Each family is individually referenced and the book has a complete all-name index. 352 pages.
Part 2, published in 1996, takes up where Part 1 leaves off, starting with the seventh generation of Thomas & Mercy Disbrow’s descendants, and carrying the lines on down (in many cases) to the present day. This volume contains a special chapter of Additions and Corrections to Part 1, along with a skeletal listing of every member of the first six generations for reference. This book is also completely referenced and indexed. 375 pages.
The hardcover copies of both volumes are now sold out, but the entire text of the two volumes is available on CD, in pdf format, readable with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Please write for cost and availability:
Here is a list of libraries and historical societies where the Thomas Disbrow Descendants books may be consulted:
CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL SOC.
1 ELIZABETH ST
HARTFORD, CT 06105
CONNECTICUT STATE LIBRARY
CAPITOL AVE
HARTFORD, CT 06115
FAIRFIELD HISTORICAL SOC.
636 OLD POST RD
FAIRFIELD, CT 06430
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
WASHINGTON, DC 20540
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY
60 W WALTON ST
CHICAGO, IL 60610
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
900 WEBSTER ST
FT WAYNE, IN 46802
NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOC.
101 NEWBURY ST
BOSTON, MA 02116
LIBRARY OF MICHIGAN
717 W ALLEGAN ST
LANSING, MI 48915
GRACE A. DOW MEMORIAL LIBRARY
1710 W ST ANDREWS
MIDLAND, MI 48640
WESTERN MICHIGAN GENEALOGICAL SOC.
LIBRARY PLAZA
GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49503
WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOC.
10825 EAST BLVD
CLEVELAND, OH 44106
FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY
35 NW TEMPLE ST
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84150
STATE HISTORICAL SOC.
816 STATE ST
MADISON, WI 53706