We know that Phillip & John French, NY/NJ were sons of the London Merchant, Phillip French. We know that the London Merchant, Phillip French, retired to Kelshall, County Suffolk, England, where he wrote his will. We know the baptism of a Phillip, John and William, sons of a Phillip French (2 mothers tho) are recorded in London. We know the marriage of a Phillip French is recorded in London. We know there was a relationship between the Woodbridge Twp Bloomfield & French families. We know Thomas Bloomfield received his 1st land patent in Woodbridge at the same meeting as John French, brick mason, in 1669. Also note that Piscataway was a separate grant, Woodbridge and Perth Amboy were included in the same grant. j french =================== >From "Ancestors and Descendants of Lewis Ross Freeman with related families; Based partially on the work of Freeman Worth Gardner and Willis Freeman," by Patty Barthell Myers, Penobscot Press, 1995, with permission: p. 529-530 Thomas was at Newburyport, Massachusetts as early as 1638 and lived there until about 1665, when he removed to Woodbridge, New Jersey, where he patented many acres of land in 1669 and was a freeholder in 1670 (NYGBR, Jan 1937, 68:58, "Thomas Bloomfield of Woodbridge, N.J. and Some of his Descendants," by William Jones) In a copy of the English Bible, brought from Amsterdam, in 1715, there is a family record of the Bloomfields, copied from an older record, by Dr. Moses Bloomfield, father of Gov. Joseph Bloomfield, of New Jersey. The History is given in the language of the original for several generations. Thomas Bloomfield- A major in Cromwell's army. Upon ye restoration of Charles ye II emigrated from WOODBRIDGE, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND, with his five children, Ezekiel, John, Thomas, Nathaniel and Mary. He first took up lands where ye town of Newbury now stands in Massachusetts and on ye 21st May 1666 with his associates purchased of ye proprietors of East Jersey ye township of Woodbridge- so name for their home in England-- It includes Perth Amboy and Piscataway-- And were among ye first settlers of ye town. (Woodbridge never included the other two towns named.) (Nelson, p. 33) 1669 Dec. 20. Patent. Gov. Carterett to Thomas Blumfield senior of Woodbridge planter for land in about Woodbridge, viz.: (1) a houselot of 17 1/2 acres 4 perches on the high way; (2) 240 acres, his proportion for heads, on Langstar's Plain: (3) 9 acres of meadow on the Westside of Papiack Creek, adjoining Steven Kent senior and the Minister; (4) 60 acres of the Raritan meadows. (N.J. Arch. 21:9.) -----Original Message----- >From: Mara French <marafrench@mindspring.com> > >It seems that the genealogy researched for Group 1 goes back furthest >to two lines: John French, the Brick Mason, b. ca. 1647, and Hugh French >b. ca. 1640. The only country mentioned from which this line could have >emigrated is Ireland, so perhaps this line did come from Ireland