Thomas Greenough (1746-1836) of Yarmouth - My Favorite Ancestor

If you asked me who my favorite ancestor was, no question it would be Thomas Greenough of Yarmouth, Massachusetts.  Indeed, I wrote a book on him.  While I continue to research in an effort to find everything I can about his life, this ongoing exhaustive search discovers no new information.  Well, a few little items here and there, i.e, notations of payments to Thomas Greenough by the Town of Yarmouth in it's early account books, and the name "Thomas Crno" (I suspect this to be an early phonetic version of Thomas Greenough) on a petition dated 1762 by a group of indigenous people of Yarmouth requesting payment to Thomas Ralph as their minister.  I do have theories and thoughts on who he may have been related to, possibly who his mother might be, but nothing documented. 

Thomas Greenough, and his Native American ancestry, is well documented in primary sources - town records, vital records, and leases written and signed in his own hand.  His existence, and his part in Yarmouth's story, is unquestionable.  Many historical accounts have purported Greenough's initials to be painted on the inner walls of the Farris Windmill once standing at Bass River - a windmill that had been moved and reconstructed at The Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.  The Historical Society of Old Yarmouth (HSOY) recently published a very interesting blog on the windmills of Yarmouth, but there is no mention of Thomas Greenough's initials (although I understand the basic theme of the blog is windmills and not any specific individual or local indigenous history).  HSOY does however finally provide a link to the Greenfield Museum website.

When I first viewed the photograph from the Ford Museum website back in 2015 (and yes I paid for the privilege of using the photograph in my book, and passed it on to interested history "experts") the museum curator assisting me at the time mentioned that he believed no one had ever set foot inside the windmill since the time it had been removed from Yarmouth and reconstructed on their grounds in 1935.  I would love to go inside and inspect whether the initials still exist.





<Here is what the windmill looks like present day.  Note that the stone first floor was added at Greenfield Village.

Object ID

35.898.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.







Regarding Yarmouth Town Records, here is one example of the several instances of recorded payments to Thomas "Greeno" by the Town of Yarmouth (this one from 1774).  It is unclear to me what the payments were for, however I note that payments to the Ralph family (Thomas and Samuel) were made until the date of death for Thomas Ralph when Thomas Greenough's name began to be entered.


Here is the "famous" entry in Town Records of the decision by the Town to sell all "effects," and reservation land, of the Indians at Yarmouth to pay for their charge of having the small pox (17 November 1778).  Noted is mention of reserving "a piece" of that land for Thomas Greenough.(1)


Here is a Yarmouth record of taxes received by Thomas Greenough in 1798 for possession of one dog.(2)  


I find no mention of Thomas' wife anywhere other than marriage and death records, and the inferred controversy over the Town's order for Thomas to remove "his dead" from the Ancient Cemetery after her death and burial with one exception.  Jane Greenough is noted in the Congregational Church records as having been baptized 27 February 1803 and on 24 February 1805. (Both records state "wife of Thomas" therefore cannot be a daughter, and the record below shows "Jeney Greenow").(3)  She died in 1806.


An individual at one time provided me with a photo of a basket maintained in the Native American Museum at Washington, D.C. and noted as having been made by Thomas' granddaughter Sally Greenough. (3) 




Evidence of Thomas Greenough exists in records, physical objects, and, in the bones and blood of his descendants both living and dead. Again, I wish that anyone who holds any information or documentation that clears up any gaps, misinformation, rumor, or theories about Thomas Greenough's identity or life, to please share for history's sake.


Sources:

(1) Treasurer Accounts, 1771-1790, Yarmouth Historical Accounts, Records, Meetings, Militia, Other, Image 1, accessed on Yarmouth's Laserfiche Website.

(2) Valuation Book, North Side, Valuation 1797-1923, Assessor Historic, Assesor Historic, Assessor, #48, accessed on Yarmouth's Laserfiche Website.

(3) Cobb, Sally Greenough Maker, Nauset - Yarmouth Band, Basket Ash Splint, Collections, Collected from Henry Ellis (1879-1967, grandson of the maker, by Frank G. Speck (1881-1950) at at unknown date, purchased by MAI from Frank Speck in 1932, Catalog Number 18/2013, National Museum of American Indian, viewed online at

https://americanindian.si.edu/collections-search/object/ark:/65665/ws63079173134464c41992e62de7ad1a263

Historical Society of Old Yarmouth




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