Thomas Hosmer, Jr. (1703-1787)

Marian and Agnes Wilder were the daughters of

James Lewellyn Wilder, the son of

Francis L. Wilder, the son of

Hadassah Thompson Wilder, the daughter of

Polly Wood Thompson, the daughter of

Silas Wood, the son of

Lucy Hosmer Wood, the daughter of

Thomas Hosmer Jr. the son of

Thomas Hosmer Sr., the son of

James Hosmer Jr., the son of

James Hosmer Sr, immigrant to Concord Massachusetts from Kent, England.

Thomas Hosmer Jr. was the great great great great grandfather of James Lewellyn Wilder. He was the son of Thomas Hosmer, Sr., and Hannah Hartwell.

Thomas Hosmer Jr. was born in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1703.

Thomas Hosmer, Sr., of Concord

Hannah Hartwell Hosmer of Concord

He married his third cousin, Prudence Hosmer, the daughter of Stephen Hosmer and Prudence Billing(s), both of Concord.

Prudence Hosmer of Concord (Acton)

Thomas Hosmer was the father of Lucy Hosmer Wood, the great great great grandmother of James Lewellyn Wilder, as well as Joseph Hosmer, a prominent New England cabinet maker better known for his role during the Battle of Concord in 1775. Thomas Hosmer Jr. was considered a prosperous farmer in his lifetime.

This link is to a short synopsis of the life of Thomas Hosmer, Jr.

A Short Synopsis of the Life of Thomas Hosmer, Jr.

According to a petition submitted to the Province of Massachusetts in 1747, Thomas Hosmer participated in the English and American attack on Louisbourg, Capr Breton, Canada in 1745. This link gives an overview of this expedition

An Explanation of the Cape Breton Expedition of 1745

In 1746, Thomas Hosmer Jr. joined several of his neighbors in breaking away from the Concord Church and forming their own church, known as the West Congregation. The move, at least in Hosmer's case, was apparently instigated by the minister of the First Church criticizing worldly displays of prosperity, the belief being that Thomas Hosmer, as a farmer of some means felt this was directed at people such as himself. The new congregation met at a local tavern known as the Black Horse Tavern. This is a link to Henry David Thoreau's story "Embattled Farmers", in which he tells the story of Thomas Hosmer Jr. and the Black Horse Church.

Thomas Hosmer Jr. and the Black Horse Church, as told by Henry David Thoreau

The link below is to an 1865 photo of the Black Horse Tavern in its original location. It was later moved, and is today known at the Nathan Brooks House in Concord.

The Black Horse Tavern shown c. 1865

Thomas Hosmer Jr.'s Headstone, Concord, Massachusetts

At the South Burying Place, Concord, Massachusetts