These are my notes on Thomas BEARD. Thomas Beard was believed to have come from St. Martin Parish to Salem, MA (Pope). 1 Thomas Beard booked passage aboard the Mayflower on her second voyage to MA in 1629. 2 Thomas Beard came to Salem in 1629 with the Higginson & Skelton Fleet. 3 Thomas Beard, one of the first two shoemakers in the MA colony in 1629, came with various hides for shoemaking aboard the May Flower. (The master of the May Flower is identified as Mr. Peirce, who may have been master of the Lyon at that time.) Mr. Beard was recommended to the MA Bay Company by a Mr. Symon Whetcombe. Mr. Beard was allotted 50 acres of land, and was made a freeman 10 May 1643. Soon afterward he purchased an estate at Strawberry Banke (Portsmouth, NH). 4 The home and land purchased by Thomas Beard in Strawberry Banke were purchased from Nicholas Shapleigh.5 ***** 1. Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England 1620-1650. By Charles Edward Banks. ELIJAH ELLSWORTH BROWNELL, B.E.E.. Philadelphia, PA. 1937. 2. Family Tree Maker WWW page. Descendants of John Irish. 3. Winthrop Society WWW page. 4. The Second General Letter of the Governor and Deputy of the New England Company, dated London, 28 May 1629, which may be found in the Colonial Records, vol 1, pp. 404,405, and extracted in the History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts. By Alonzo Lewis and James R. Newhall. A Heritage Classic. 5. Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. Page 148. **** I don't know what "primary sources" means, I'm not a genealogist, just someone trying to track his own family, but this is all the info I have on Thomas. I no longer have the URLs of the two WWW sites, but I'm sure they will be easy to find. Are you able to help me with his descendants? Thank you very much for your response to my inquiry, I hope the above helps you. Mike Baird