I am glad to see some spirited dialogue about our Anthony Colby parentage. I am one of the believers in John Brooks Threlfall's documented research. From, "Fifty Great Migration Colonists To New England", By John W. Threfall, Madison, Wisconsin, 1990: "ANTHONY COLBY (Thomas, Matthew) was baptized on 8 September 1605 at Horbling, Lincolnshire. Horbling is next to Sempringham where his Colby ancestors had lived for several generations. He was apparently named for his uncle, Anthony Jackson. Left London, (Isle of Writht) in March of 1630 with more than 400 others. Arrived on ship Arbella at Boston. Lived on shipboard 4 months before housing could be made. "THE GREAT MIGRATION" "The Massachusetts Bay Company was organized to cultivate trade, convert the heathen, and provide a refuge for those who position in England, under King Charles I and Archbishop Laud, was becoming more untenable... "During the winter of 1629-30 a fleet of eleven vessels had been readied. Four, including the "Arbella", which carried Governor Winthrop and the charter, without the possession of which he and his associates had not been willing to sail, left England on March 29, 1630; the others soon followed. The year 1630 alone brought about fifteen hundred people, and it has been estimated that there were fifteen thousand by 1642, when political conditions in England prevented any considerable further emigrations. By 1647 more Than twenty communities had been established, mostly near the coast, with Dedham the farthest inland. As time passed, prosperity came with trade in cod, furs, and lumber, supplemented by rum, distilled from West Indian molasses. The "Arbella" landed at Salem, after more than two months at sea. Winthrop and his followers first intended one compact settlement, but Salem "pleased them not," and they moved on... Except for the inadequacy of water supplies, they might have made Charlestown their headquarters, but when invited by William Blaxton, survivor of a Gorges colony, living on what is now Beacon Hill, they moved on the Shawmut or Trimountain, whose name was changed to Boston. Between lack of fresh food, inadequate housing, and disease, the first winter was almost as bad as Plymouth's, especially after intense cold set in on Christmas Eve. When the "Lion" arrived with provisions, the worst agony was relieved, but many went back with her, and some left their bones in King's Chapel burying ground, where they still lie." "Anthony Colby left London, (Isle of Wright) in March of 1630 with more than 400 others from the area. The ship Anthony traveled across the Atlantic and was re-christened the 'Arbella' in honor of Lady Arbella. The ship mounted 28 guns and carried a crew of fifty-two seamen. On Thursday, April 8, 1630 the fleet set sail to the unknown West. On June 12th, land was a reality when they arrived at Cape Ann. From then untill the 6th of July, when the last of the convoy arrived safely. Their final prayer ended with - - "And there shall be no more Sea.." ------------------------------------------ In the Additions and corrections section printed in 1919, I found the following pertaining to Anthony Colby. This is what Hoyt had to say about James W. Colby's Beccles theory. "James W. Colby, in his "History of the Colby Family," Waltham, Mass, 1895, states that Anthony of Salisbury, b. 1690 (should be 1590), was the son of Thomas of Beccles, Suffolk, Eng. He carries the ancestry back through Suffolk families, probably descended from John, who disappears from the Norfolk pedigree, eldest son of John of Banham, Norfolk, grandson of Sir John, and brother of Robert; but gives no authority. He carries the Norfolk line much further back than Sir John, to Robert de Colebi. He gives Colby families in other parts of England, and gives the ancestry of Christopher as we have it above; but states that he was living in 1616 and left no issue. The "Visitation" quoted above make no such statement. Mr. Colby omits entirely the Thorold-Colby line, which includes an Anthony Colby who may have been b. in 1690." "In is probable that the Suffolk family is a branch of he Norfolk line; but it is DOUBTFUL if the connection Mr Colby gives is correct. If we understand his arrangement, he makes the ancestry of Anthony of Salisbury as follows: Sir John, John of Banham, John d. 1459, John of Brundish (Suffolk), d. 1540?, Thomas of Beccles, will 1588, Anthony, b. 1590. It is not often that a son dies 81 years later than his father, and if a man's will was probated in 1588, he could not have a son born in 1590. Mr. Colby gives a Christopher of this branch, an uncle of Anthony of Salisbury. Could he have been the husband of Anne Thorold? Six generations seem too few. If the Christopher of Banham and Grantham were the same, the son Anthony would be the ninth generation." "The Suffolk "Visitation" of 1664, published in 1910, gives a later pedigree, showing that Rev. Thomas Colby, son of Thomas and brother of Christopher settled in Cawston, Norfolk, and had a son, John of Waltham, Suffolk, in 1664." BOB COLBY http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/o/l/Robert-C-Colby-jr/index.html

More on Anthony The following NGSQ article is quoted in it's entirety: ANTHONY COLBY OF MASSACHUSETTS, 1633 By John G. Hunt* "It is tempting to seize hold of a trans-Atlantic personage of noble descent as our own ancestor, simply because he bore the same baptismal name and surname as were borne by our known first ancestor to land in America. The science of genealogy would benefit if we were actuated more by a desire to determine what is provable, than by a wish to aspire to noble ancestry. In this connection, let us examine what appears to be an unwarranted claim to royal ancestry. In "Living Descendants of Blood Royal, 4:757 (reviewed in the "Quarterly" 59:316-7), Count d' Angerville printed a line of descent from King Edward I for Anthony (1) Colby of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1630. It claims that Anthony was the fourth son of Thomas and Beatrice (Felton) Colby of Beccles, Suffolk, and Roos Hall, and cites the evidence as a "pedigree of family of Colby of Brundich and Beccles, College of Arms, extracted by an officer of the College for Colonel Ordway, 1967." What is the basis for asserting that the Anthony Colby who came to Massachusetts by September 1633 is the same Anthony who was son of Thomas of Beccles? Frederick Lewis Weis, "The Colby Family (Concord, Mass., 1970), page 3, shows that Anthony (1) Colby was born in 1595. If so, he cannot have been son of Beatrix and Thomas, for the will of Thomas was dated in June 1588 and proved 22 November 1588. (1) Moreover, there has been cited nowhere any indication that Anthony (1) Colby was a member of the gentry. His name was not given the prefix "Mr." in usage during his lifetime, as far as can be determined. As the late Donald Lines Jacobus used to insist, it would have been contrary to normal usage for a member of the gentry to have shown up in America without being accorded to style "Mr." Contrary to alleged royal descent, there is nothing in the Banks manuscripts that justifies any supposition that Anthony (1) Colby descended from the Colby family of Beccles. Indeed, Colonel Banks supposed that the New England settler was akin to one Anthony Colby of Aswardby, Lincolnshire, six miles from Sempringham, home of the earl of Lincoln, and of Thomas Dudley, and five miles from Horbling, the home of Bradstreet. Each time such unsupported pedigrees are printed, the cause of genealogy receives a setback. The burden of proof lies upon those claiming a royal ancestry for Anthony (1) Colby. Claimants must cite parish register entries, wills, and/or other sound evidence." *821 North Jackson Street, Arlington, Virginia 22201 "(1). P.C.C. 9 Leicester, abstracted in Col. Banks' MSS, vol. I (A through C), pp. 236-241, in Rare Book Room, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Note: The late Col. Frederick Ira Ordway, Jr., of Washington, D.C., contributor of the lineage to the Counde d' Angerville's compendium, was offered an opportunity to provide a rebuttal to the above article, but was unable to cite any documentary evidence in support of the lineage. -Editor" Source: NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY, Volume 62, June 1974, Number 2, pp. 263-264. ============================================ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rocco" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 9:06 AM Subject: Re: [COLBY] Anthony Colby's Parentage I am glad to see some spirited dialogue about our Anthony Colby parentage. I am one of the believers in John Brooks Threlfall's documented research. From, "Fifty Great Migration Colonists To New England", By John W. Threfall, Madison, Wisconsin, 1990: "ANTHONY COLBY (Thomas, Matthew) was baptized on 8 September 1605 at Horbling, Lincolnshire. Horbling is next to Sempringham where his Colby ancestors had lived for several generations. He was apparently named for his uncle, Anthony Jackson. Left London, (Isle of Writht) in March of 1630 with more than 400 others. Arrived on ship Arbella at Boston. Lived on shipboard 4 months before housing could be made. "THE GREAT MIGRATION" "The Massachusetts Bay Company was organized to cultivate trade, convert the heathen, and provide a refuge for those who position in England, under King Charles I and Archbishop Laud, was becoming more untenable... "During the winter of 1629-30 a fleet of eleven vessels had been readied. Four, including the "Arbella", which carried Governor Winthrop and the charter, without the possession of which he and his associates had not been willing to sail, left England on March 29, 1630; the others soon followed. The year 1630 alone brought about fifteen hundred people, and it has been estimated that there were fifteen thousand by 1642, when political conditions in England prevented any considerable further emigrations. By 1647 more Than twenty communities had been established, mostly near the coast, with Dedham the farthest inland. As time passed, prosperity came with trade in cod, furs, and lumber, supplemented by rum, distilled from West Indian molasses. The "Arbella" landed at Salem, after more than two months at sea. Winthrop and his followers first intended one compact settlement, but Salem "pleased them not," and they moved on... Except for the inadequacy of water supplies, they might have made Charlestown their headquarters, but when invited by William Blaxton, survivor of a Gorges colony, living on what is now Beacon Hill, they moved on the Shawmut or Trimountain, whose name was changed to Boston. Between lack of fresh food, inadequate housing, and disease, the first winter was almost as bad as Plymouth's, especially after intense cold set in on Christmas Eve. When the "Lion" arrived with provisions, the worst agony was relieved, but many went back with her, and some left their bones in King's Chapel burying ground, where they still lie." "Anthony Colby left London, (Isle of Wright) in March of 1630 with more than 400 others from the area. The ship Anthony traveled across the Atlantic and was re-christened the 'Arbella' in honor of Lady Arbella. The ship mounted 28 guns and carried a crew of fifty-two seamen. On Thursday, April 8, 1630 the fleet set sail to the unknown West. On June 12th, land was a reality when they arrived at Cape Ann. From then untill the 6th of July, when the last of the convoy arrived safely. Their final prayer ended with - - "And there shall be no more Sea.." ------------------------------------------ In the Additions and corrections section printed in 1919, I found the following pertaining to Anthony Colby. This is what Hoyt had to say about James W. Colby's Beccles theory. "James W. Colby, in his "History of the Colby Family," Waltham, Mass, 1895, states that Anthony of Salisbury, b. 1690 (should be 1590), was the son of Thomas of Beccles, Suffolk, Eng. He carries the ancestry back through Suffolk families, probably descended from John, who disappears from the Norfolk pedigree, eldest son of John of Banham, Norfolk, grandson of Sir John, and brother of Robert; but gives no authority. He carries the Norfolk line much further back than Sir John, to Robert de Colebi. He gives Colby families in other parts of England, and gives the ancestry of Christopher as we have it above; but states that he was living in 1616 and left no issue. The "Visitation" quoted above make no such statement. Mr. Colby omits entirely the Thorold-Colby line, which includes an Anthony Colby who may have been b. in 1690." "In is probable that the Suffolk family is a branch of he Norfolk line; but it is DOUBTFUL if the connection Mr Colby gives is correct. If we understand his arrangement, he makes the ancestry of Anthony of Salisbury as follows: Sir John, John of Banham, John d. 1459, John of Brundish (Suffolk), d. 1540?, Thomas of Beccles, will 1588, Anthony, b. 1590. It is not often that a son dies 81 years later than his father, and if a man's will was probated in 1588, he could not have a son born in 1590. Mr. Colby gives a Christopher of this branch, an uncle of Anthony of Salisbury. Could he have been the husband of Anne Thorold? Six generations seem too few. If the Christopher of Banham and Grantham were the same, the son Anthony would be the ninth generation." "The Suffolk "Visitation" of 1664, published in 1910, gives a later pedigree, showing that Rev. Thomas Colby, son of Thomas and brother of Christopher settled in Cawston, Norfolk, and had a son, John of Waltham, Suffolk, in 1664." BOB COLBY http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/o/l/Robert-C-Colby-jr/index.html ==== COLBY Mailing List ==== COLBY CLAN ASSOCIATION for membership information contact Adeline S. Stack 26 Coolidge Ave. South Portland, Maine 04106-5013 Phone (207) 799-1648 ============================== View and search Historical Newspapers. Read about your ancestors, find marriage announcements and more. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13969/rd.ashx