Thomas Leeson ^54,61

  General Notes:

AFN: GJFW-ZM

Some of the information is from the book "Descentants of Thomas Gleason - 1607 to 1909", published in 1909, by John Barber White.

The following information was received from a Donald P. Gleason, in FL, USA, from a book titled: "Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas Gleason of Watertown, Mass. 1607 - 1909", published by John Barber White:

The name, which in this volume will invariably be spelled Gleason, is found in different localities, in various forms. In the very early records it is spelled Leson, or Leeson; later it appears with some 30 variations in spelling; but Joseph Meade Gleason, in his notes, states that all those in this country of early date, bearing this name, of whatever methodof spelling " are descendants of Thomas Gleason, of Watertown, Mass., as we have fortunately been able to determine by the public records of the New England States." The Emigrant Thomas, himself spelled his own name in several different ways. The first mention of the name in America is found in the records of Watertown, Mass., where one Thomas Gleason took oath of allegiance, June 1, 1652. Of the parentage and birthplace of this Thomas Gleason no positive knowledge has been obtained. (This book was published in 1909.) Mr. J. Henry Lea, at the request of Joseph Meade Gleason, of Cincinnati, Ohio, made a somewhat extended searchof the wills in the Archdeaconry of Northampton, the Archdeaconry of Northants, the Consistory of Lichfield and the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, but with no satisfactory results. In the English records, the name is invariably spelled without the "G", and appears, generally as Leeson, and a rather numerous family of that name lived in Northampton County, England. This coupled with the fact that, in the earliest recordsin this country, those of Watertown and Cambridge, Mass., the name appears as Leson and Leason, respectively, affords grounds for the belief that Thomas of Watertown was a descendant of the Leeson of Northampton COunty; and this belief isfurther strengthened by the similarity of Christain names, used by the Northampton County family and those appearing in the early generations of the American family. In his report, Mr. Lea quotes from Bridges "Northants" a pedigree of the Leesons of that place, which he has supplemented with information obtained from various Wills, and which is as follows: (Included in the family page records of thesepeople).

Marriage records show the first name being Thomas Leeson - see notes in that field.

Thomas married Margaret Kirton, daughter of Thomas Kirton and Unknown, about 1600 in Byfield, Northhampton, England.⁵⁴ (Margaret Kirton was born about 1580 in Thrope Mandeville, Northamptonshire, England ⁶² and died about 1610 in Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, England ⁶².)

Thomas next married Alice (Eleanor) (Unknown) about 1615.⁶¹ (Alice (Eleanor) (Unknown) was born about 1585 in England ⁶¹.)