Thomas Barlow of Fairfield Connecticut

Thomas Barlow was born probably around 1620 in England. He came to New England around 1640. His appearance at Windsor, Connecticut, where he was sued in 1649 by Richard Samwis of that town, would indicate that he landed at Boston, Massachusetts, and followed Thomas Hooker's overland route into Connecticut. He subsequently settled at Fairfield, Connecticut, where he may have owned land as early as 1650 [40]

On December 03, 1653, the town of Fairfield granted Thomas Barlow six acres of land on the northwest corner of Frost Square. He also bought a home-lot from Thomas Sherwood, which Sherwood acknowledged years later on May 19, 1684. All in all, Thomas Barlow was apparently a large landholder in Fairfield and his surviving children were granted the various land dividends that were made by the town after his death.

Thomas Barlow died in the fall of 1658 at Fairfield. His will, which was dated September 08, 1658, and proved on October 20, 1658, mentioned his wife and their children Phebe, Deborah and Mary. The will stated that the children were to receive portions of his estate at 16 years. His wife was appointed executrix and a friend, Mr. Thomas Pell, was appointed overseer. Witnesses to the will were Andrew Ward and John Banks. The inventory amounted to œ465 [41].

Rose Barlow subsequently married Edward Nash of Norwalk, Connecticut, around 1673. He was born in 1623 in England and was Thomas Barlow's daughter Mary's father-in-law.

In 1673, Phebe (Barlow) Olmstead receipted to Edward Nash and her mother, and this was witnessed by William Hamilton, Deborah Barlow and Mary Barlow. In 1679 Robert Steward of Norwalk and his wife Bethia, daughter of Thomas Rumble (who died before March 4, 1653), whose widow Rose had married Thomas Barlow and is now wife of Ed Nash, etc.

James Olmstead of Norwalk and John Burritt of Stratford sold land at Fairfield to John Bulkley on March 09, 1691/2. This land had been laid out to the children of Thomas Barlow. The same grantors sold additional land to Francis Bradley on March 16, 1692/3. On May 13, 1714, Joseph Burritt of Stratford, yeoman, with his wife Mary released all right of reversion in a lot known as Barlow's lot, which Joseph's father John Burritt sold to the Rev. Joseph Webb of Fairfield.

Thomas Barlow was a contemporary of John Barlow of Fairfield see preceding article. He may have been a brother, a nephew or a cousin, a speculation based solely on the surname - no relationship can be gleaned from the records.

Thomas Barlow married Rose Sherwood around 1650 at Fairfield. At the age of eleven, Rose had come to Boston from England in April 1634 in the Francis with her parents, Thomas and Alice Sherwood, and her brother and sisters. Thus she apparently was born about 1623. The Sherwood family moved to Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1635, and then to Fairfield in 1644.

Prior to her marriage to Thomas Barlow, Rose Sherwood had married first Thomas Rumbell (or Rumble) of Stratford, Connecticut. He had come to Boston in the Truelove in September 1635 at the age of 22. He went to Saybrook and was in the Pequot War in 1637 under Lion Gardiner. He moved to Stratford and died there before 1650 [57]