Background
Weld, Thomas was born in 1595 in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. Son of Edmond and Amy Weld.
Weld, Thomas was born in 1595 in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. Son of Edmond and Amy Weld.
Bachelor of Arts, Trinity College, Cambridge (England) University, 1614, Master of Arts, 1618.
Thomas Weld was baptised in 1595 in Terling, Essex. He received degrees from Trinity College at Cambridge University in England in 1613 and 1618. In 1624 he served as a minister at Terling.
Weld also assisted in the composition of the Bay Psalm Book and became an overseer of the newly founded Harvard College.
In 1641, he left most of his family in Massachusetts Bay Colony and returned to England on business for the General Court of Massachusetts. Among his instructions were the acquisition of an extension to the colonial charter to include the territory of present-day Rhode Island.
Weld created a fraudulent document (known as the "Narragansett Patent") to bolster the Massachusetts claim to the territory. His failure in this effort contributed to his dismissal as a colonial agent.
Weld later became a minister to Oliver Cromwell, serving until the latter"s death.
Weld"s son remained in Massachusetts, and was the ancestor of Theodore Dwight Weld and Ezra Greenleaf Weld, two important figures of the 19th century abolitionist movement. Thomas Weld"s younger brother, who also remained in the New World, was the ancestor of the richest and most famous branch of the Weld in America, including former Governor of Massachusetts William Weld and actress Tuesday Weld. Two buildings at Harvard (Weld Hall and Weld Boathouse) are named for his descendants.
Married Margaret Dereskye. Married second, Judith.