homas Landers, the subject of this article, evidently came to New England from the county of Sussex or from some neighboring shire in the south eastern part of old England, where he was born about 1613. We have made no attempt to trace the English ancestry, but for those who wish to do so it should be noted that the name in the earliest records was usually spelled Launder or Launders.^A

"Thomas Launder, husbandman, aged 22" years, embarked 29 June 1635 on the Abigail, of London, bound for New England.^B On the same ship were Dennis Geere, aged 30, with a certificate from the minister of Thiselworth, Sussex, and his family. Also among the passengers were the large family of Edmond Freeman whom we know to have come from Billingshurst and Pullborough, Sussex. These people all settled at first at Lynn, Mass., or Saugus as the settlement was first named. It seems to us probable that Thomas Launder may have been an indentured servant of his fellow passenger Dennis Geere. The latter did not long survive as his will, dated at Saugus 10 Dec. 1635 was proved 6 Aug. 1637. In it he named "Thomas Launder", to whom he gave £3. He named also Thomas Tupper and Benjamin Nye who, with Edmond Freeman, all became prominent in the settlement of Sandwich on Cape Cod. This Geere will is interesting for many reasons.^C It was witnessed by Edmond Freeman. The testator gives legacies of £300 each to his two small daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth Geere and to various people in England, including Roger Carver of "Bridhemson" (the old name for Brighton) and to John Russell "of Lewes in Sussex", who was appointed overseer for the testator's English estate. As this Geere family appears to have possessed property, a search of Sussex records referring to its members may provide clues for further research on other families who came to Lynn and later to Sandwich. Freeman and Tupper were among the original ten grantees at Sandwich and it seems likely that Launders and Nye may have accompanied them as apprentices (Frederick Freeman, "Annals of Sandwich," History of Cape Cod, vol. 2, p.16).

The first direct reference to Thomas Launder in Sandwich is dated 16 April 1640 when he was granted one acre there as a dividend in meadow land (Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, ed., Records of the Colony of New Plymouth^D (1857), 1:150). He was able to bear arms at Sandwich in 1643 and there he took the Oath of Fidelity (ibid., 8:184, 192).

Thomas Lander married 2 July 1651 Jane Kerbie (Sandwich Vital Records in the Mayflower Descendant,^E vol. 14, p.170), daughter of Richard Kerby of Sandwich who removed about 1660 to Dartmouth. She was born, perhaps about 1630 (Meletiah E. Dwight, The Kirbys of New England (1898)). Thomas Launders and Ralph Allen posted bond of £10 each for the good behavior of Richard Kerby, 7 Oct 1651 (Shurtleff 2:173).

Thomas Launder was summoned before the Colony Court 2 March 1651/52, where it appears that: "Wee further p[re]sent Thomas Launder of the towne of Sandwidge for haveing a child born within thirty weeks after marriage. See more of this the 36th page of this booke" (Shurtleff 3:6). The defendent did not appear and he was fined £2. However, at a court dated 4 Oct. 1653, the record shows that "for special considerations", he was cleared, and the 40-shilling fine withdrawn (ibid., p.42).

A court entry dated 3 Feb. 1656/57 shows that "complaint was made against Jane the wife of William^F [!] Launder of Sandwidge and Sarah the wife [!] of Richard Kerby" for disturbing public worship. This is one of the earliest instances showing that the followers of George Fox, known as "Publick ffriends or Quakers", were making converts in the area. They were sentenced to be publicly whipped for the offense but the records note that in case they "shall be warned by the present sentence and admonished to offend noe more in this kind, that then the said punishment not to be inflicted or otherwise to be executed" (Shurtleff, vol. 3, 111, 112).

From the foregoing it would seem that Jane Landers became a Quaker as were several of her children, but if Thomas Landers became one he evidently was not active.

In 1658 the Court ordered a survey of landholders in Sandwich: Thomas Landers' name appears in this. The town records show that 14 Feb. 1663/4 Thomas Landers and Benjamin Hammond had been authorized to "make oyle within the Liberteyes of the Town of Sandwich" ("History of Sandwich & Bourne" - Library of Cape Cod History and Genealogy, No. 104, 1912, C. W. Swift, publisher). In 1670 the town fathers ordered that all able bodied Sandwich men must produce the heads of a dozen blackbirds, or be fined. The blackbird population thus was decimated and the records show that 9 Aug. 1673 Thomas Landers was credited with twelve heads (ibid.).

Thomas Landers died 11 Nov. 1675 (Sandwich Vital Records in May. Des. 14:111). He did not leave a will. The inventory is dated 15 Nov. 1675. No distribution of his estate has come to light. Nor can we find an original record to indicate whether his wife survived him. M. E. Cooley (The Cooley Genealogy, 1941, vol. 2, p.872) states that Jane (Kirby) Landers died 21 July 1707. We have found no record which would refute this date. But Mr. Cooley does not give a reference for it and some of his other early data in this account are not correct.

1. By the beginning of the 18th Century members of this family had dropped the "u" spelling of the name Lander or Landers. However, both published and original records reveal the usual variations of spelling and we find among them Landers, Landorse, Landre, Landress, Landry, Landus, Larnder, Larndos, Landore, etc.
2. John Camden Hotten, The Original Lists (1962 ed.), p.98. There was a John Landers in Kittery or Portsmouth in 1639. There was also a William Launder at Marshfield by 1642, who died there in 1648 testate, but his will does not name any Launder relatives. We find nothing to connect these two men with the passenger on the Abigail.
3. Henry F. Waters; Genealogical Gleanings in England (1901); also The Register 37:7, July 1883.
4. Reference to these printed Colony records will henceforth be referred to as Shurtleff. Dr. Shurtleff published also "Lists of those men aged 16 to 60 able to bear arms in the Colony of New Plymouth in 1643" in The Register, 4:255-259, July 1850.
5. Hereafter cited as May. Des. As we have noted in earlier articles the Sandwich town records were copied in 1869 by H. G. O. Ellis, then the town clerk. Some of these were printed in The Genealogical Advisor, vols. 3-4, 1900-1901. However, Mr. George Ernest Bowman who, unlike Mr. Ellis, was familiar with the 17th Century Script, and understood the difference between "Old Style" and "New Style" dating (prior to 1752) is far more reliable. He transcribed and edited those which were published in The Mayflower Descendant. The Landers family suffered particularly from the 19th Century copyists and confusion was increased when a set of 3 x 5 cards was placed in the Town Hall. On these cards children of Robert¹ and Prudence Harper turn up as Landers and one of Thomas Landers' children, Mercy, is listed as daughter of a non-existant Esmond Landers.
6. There was, as we have noted above, a William Launder in Marshfield who died there in 1648. His will names neither wife nor Launders relatives. We therefore believe that, as Jane and her husband are called "of Sandwidge" and since other records show that Thomas Launder's wife was named Jane, it may be safe to assume that the name William is an error of the court clerk or copyist, as there is no record of a William Launders in Sandwich. Furthermore, Richard Kerby's wife Jane (presumably the mother of Jane (Kerby) Launders) was buried at Sandwich 23 March 1649/50; we have not seen any record to suggest that he had a second wife named Sarah. However, he did have a daughter Sarah who married in 1657 Matthew² Allen (George¹).

[Lydia B. (Phinney) Brownson and Maclean W. McLean, "Thomas¹ Landers of Sandwich, Mass.," NEHGR 124:42-44]

Thomas Landers. Born in England in 1613; d. 11 Nov., 1675; married 2 July, 1651, Jane Kerbie.
Children=

2-John, b. 2 Feb., 1652-3; d. 4 Mar., 1737.
Martha, b. 7 Mar., 1654.
Mary, b. 22 Jan., 1656.
Hasadiah, b. 31 Jan., 1674.

He was born in England, and came to New England in the ship "Abigail" and landed at Lynn, in 1635, age 22. July 8, 1635.

In 1637 he removed from the Puritan Colony to the Pilgrim Colony of Plymouth, and settled at Sandwich. Among his fellow passengers on the Abigail was Edmond Freeman, who preceded him to Sandwich. April 16, 1641, he had meadow land granted him at Sandwich. In 1643, his name appears in the list of men between the ages of 16 & 60 who were able to bear Arms. He took the oath of fidelity to Sandwich in 1657. He died in Sandwich. [Landers Lineage: Landers Blue Print 1613-1912; Iowa State Historical Society]

"English Origins of American Colonists": pp 507-10. [Crandall homepage]

LDS IGI for Sussex County, England lists:

Thomas Launder christened 1 Nov 1611 in Middleton by Bognor, son of Robert Launder.
Thomas Launder christened 18 May 1606 in Lurgashall, son of Richard Launder.
Robert Lander christened 28 Feb 1590 in Lurgashall, son of John Lander.
Robert Launder christened 17 Apr 1597 in East Grinstead, no parents listed.
Robert Lander marrying Agnes Foweler 20 Oct 1610 in Middleton by Bognor.
Robert Lander marrying Agnes Voweler 28 Oct 1610 in Middleton by Bognor.

None of the above (LDS IGI) has been proven to belong to this line; they are merely in the right place. [jl]

Thomas Landers was born in England in 1613. He immigrated to America in 1635, landing at Lynn. In 1637 he moved to the Pilgrim colony of Plymouth, settling in Sandwich. He married Jane Kerbie 2 July 1651. Their Children were John, Martha, Mary and Hasadiuk. Thomas died 11 Nov 1675 in Sandwich. (Taken from Microfisch at Ricks College #1016917, item 20.) [Kindred Konnections]

LANDER, John, Portsmouth or Kittery 1639, a fisherman, d. bef. 1646. Belkn. I. 28. Thomas, Lynn, came in on the Abigail, from London, 1635, aged 22; rem. 1637 to Sandwich; there had John, b. 2 Jan 1651. William, Marshfield 1643, d. 1648. Often spelled LAUNDER. [James Savage, A Genealogical Dictionary..., Vol. 3, 1965 reprint]

In the "Abigall" prd. Primo die Julij 1635. (from London, R. Hackwell, Master)

Ann Gillam......28
sonn Ben: Gillam......1
Husbandman Thomas Brane......40
Tho: Launder......22
Husb. William Potter......27
"vxor" Francis Potter......26

[John Camden Hotten, The Original Lists of Persons of Quality 1600-1700, 1874]

Abigail of London, Richard Hackwell, Master. She listed passengers for New England from June 4 to July 24, and sailed from Plymouth, as her last port of departure, about August 1, with two hundred and twenty persons aboard and many cattle. She arrived at Boston about October 8, infested with smallpox. Among those coming in this ship, but not listed, were Sir Henry Vane, son and heir of Sir Henry Vane, Comptroller of the King's Household, traveling incognito; the Rev. Hugh Peter, pastor of the English Church at Rotterdam; and the Rev. John Wilson, who was returning to Boston, with his wife, her first appearance in New England.

[...partial passenger list...]
Dennis Gere......30 certified by minister of Islesworth, county Middlesex, but came from Ovingdean, county Sussex
Mrs. Elizabeth Geere......22
Elizabeth Geere......3
Sarah Geere......2
Elizabeth Tusolie......55
Anne Pankhurst......16 cousin of Geere
Constance Woods......12
Thomas Brane......40 servant
Thomas Launder......22 servant
Edmund Freeman......34 gentleman of Pulborough, county Sussex
Mrs. Elizabeth Freeman......35
Alice Freeman......17
Edward Freeman......15
Elizabeth Freeman......12
John Freeman......8

[Charles Edward Banks, The Planters of the Commonwealth, 1967]

Also have birth as ca 1613 in Stephney, Middlesex, England. [Ancestors of Elizabeth Anne & Abigail Gray Holschuh]
Also have birth as ca 1613 in Middleton by Bognor, Sussex, England. [Descendants of Thomas Landers]
Also have birth as 1613 in London, London, England. [Kindred Konnections]

Also have marriage as 07 Feb 1650/51 in Sandwich, Barnstable, MA. [Descendants of Thomas Landers]

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