Individual Details
Thomas LOOK
(6 Jun 1646 - Dec 1725)
HOW IS THIS STORY RECONCILED WITH THE PURCHASE OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET BY MAYHEW IN 1641?
The first of this family to settle here was Thomas, a son of Thomas Look, a collier at the Lynn Iron Works. The father, born about 1622, settled in Massachusetts, whither he had come probably from Scotland to follow his trade at the newly established iron foundry at Lynn. The name Look is derived from the biblical Luke, and the first settler so spelled it. It is a name found in Scotland before 1600 among the rentallers of the Archbishop of Glasgow. [*In the next century there were several opulent merchants of the name of Luke in the city of Glasgow. It is also of record that a considerable number of Scotchmen were employed at the Lynn Iron Works (Essex Antiquarian, XII, 70). A Thomas Lucke was a merchant of Penthurst, Co. Kent, in 1662 (Suff. Deeds, IV, 35).] Thomas, the collier, became one of the original ten associates of Salisbury in 1659 who purchased Nantucket, and through this transaction his son Thomas, born June, 1646, removed to that island about 1670 and took up the share as a settler. There he married Elizabeth Bunker, and four of his six known children are recorded as born there.
The date of his removal to Tisbury may be placed about 1685-6, as he made the first purchase of land in town on Feb. 15, 1686, acquiring of Joseph Merry the valuable water and mill privilege on the Tiasquin which his descendants improved for over a century. [*Dukes Deeds, I, 290.] Here he spent the rest of his days, following the occupation of a miller until his death. He was a selectman in 1688 and 1695, surveyor of highways in 1689, and deputy sheriff of the county in 1699, besides the usual services as juror. He was one of four dissenters against extending a call to Rev. Josiah Torrey as minister, but the reasons for this are not known. [*Tisbury Records, 42.]
His will, dated Dec. 4, 1725, when he was four score years of age, was signed with "his mark," probably because of infirmities or disability from illness. It was probated in January, 1726, and we may conclude that he had died in the latter part of the previous year, making some allowance for the time before the will was presented for the action of the court. [*Dukes Probate, II, 3.] He called himself "miller" in this testament, and bequeathed all his property to his son Samuel and five daughters.
Events
| Birth | 1646 | Nantucket, Massachusetts Bay, British America |  |  | |
| Birth | Jun 1646 | Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts Bay, British America | | ||
| Birth | 6 Jun 1646 | Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts Bay, British America | | ||
| Residence | Abt 1646 - Abt 1670 | Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay, British America | | ||
| Marriage | 11 Apr 1669 | Nantucket, Massachusetts Bay, British America - Elizabeth BUNKER | | ||
| Residence | Abt 1670 - Abt 1685 | Nantucket, Massachusetts Bay, British America | | ||
| Removed | 1670 | to live on land inherited from his father - Nantucket, New York, British America | | ||
| Removed | 1685 - 1686 | Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts Bay, British America | | ||
| Residence | Abt 1685 - Abt 1725 | Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts Bay, British America | | ||
| Occupation | Abt 1685 - Abt 1725 | was the operator of Joseph Merry's grist mill on the Tiasquin River | | | |
| Property | 15 Feb 1686 | Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts Bay, British America | | | |
| Election | 1688 | selectman - Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts Bay, British America | | ||
| Election | 1689 | surveyor of highways | | ||
| Election | 1695 | selectman - Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts Bay, British America | | ||
| Election | 1699 | deputy sheriff | | ||
| Death | Dec 1725 | ||||
| Death | 4 Dec 1725 - 31 Dec 1725 | | |||
| Will | 4 Dec 1725 | | |||
| Probate | Jan 1726 | | |
Families
| Spouse | Elizabeth BUNKER (1646 - 1700) |
| Child | Thomas LOOK (1671 - 1725) |
| Child | Experience LOOK (1672 - ) |
| Child | Elizabeth LOOK (1676 - 1742) |
| Child | Sarah LOOK (1678 - ) |
| Child | Jane LOOK (1680 - 1756) |
| Child | Patience LOOK (1681 - ) |
| Child | Samuel LOOK (1683 - 1772) |
| Father | Thomas LOOK (1622 - 1670) |
| Mother | [unknown 1st wife of Thomas Look, Sr.] [UNKNOWN] ( - 1656) |
| Sibling | Sarah LOOKE (1648 - ) |
| Sibling | Jonathan LOOKE (1651 - ) |
| Sibling | Experience LOOKE (1653 - 1738) |
| Sibling | Mary LOOKE (1654 - ) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth LOOKE (1656 - ) |
Notes
Birth
The preface of the Nantucket source indicate that inclusion in the listing does not necessarily imply that the birth occurred in Nantucket. Also, the entry in the Nantucket source is cross-referenced to Lynn. So, all considered, the birthplace is likely to be Lynn, MA.Occupation
First it was owned by Joseph Merry, then sold to the Coffins. In July 1715, he bought it and transferred it to his son Samuel. -- Poole, p 118Property
"... made the first purchase of land in town on Feb. 15, 1686, acquiring of Joseph Merry the valuable water and mill privilege on the Tiasquin which his descendants improved for over a century. [*Dukes Deeds, I, 290.]"Death
Date is inferred from date of will and date of probate.Probate
Called himself a "miller"Bequeathed all property to son Samuel and five daughters
Endnotes
1. "Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850: Nantucket (5 vols)," database of images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (AmericanAncestors.org: viewed 20 December 2014), Vol 2 (Births, G-Z), p 250, "Look ... Thomas Jr., h. Elizabeth (d. George Bunker and Jane), s. Thomas and Sarah (Miller) [sic] of Tisbury, ___, 1646 [see Lynn Vital Records], P. R. 38"; citing Vital Records of Nantucket Massachusetts to the Year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1925-1928.
2. Dorothy Cottle Poole, A New Vineyard (Edgartown, MA: Dukes County Historical Society, 1976), p. 191.
3. "Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850: Lynn (2 vols)," database of images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (AmericanAncestors.org: viewed 20 December 2014), vol 1 (births), p 247, "Looke...Tho[mas], s. Tho[mas], __: 4 m : 1646. CT. R."; citing Vital Records of Lynn, Massachusetts to the end of the Year 1849, Essex Institute, Salem, 1905.
4. Charles Hoppin, The Washington Ancestry and Records of The McClain, Johnson, and Forty Other Colonial American Families||Washington Ancestry (Greenfield, OH: self-published, 1932), vol 3, p 465; searchable digital images, Hathitrust (https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008989414 : accessed 26 July 2016.
5. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
6. William Richard Cutter and William Frederick Adams, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts, 4 vols (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1910), p 1653; images of book pages, Google, Google Book (http://books.google.com : downloaded 26 December 2014; entry for Look.
7. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
8. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
9. "Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850: Nantucket (5 vols)," database of images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (AmericanAncestors.org: viewed 21 December 2014), Volume 1--Births (A-F), p 142, entry for Bunker, citing the William C Folger collection of genealogical records held by the Nantucket Historical Association; citing Vital Records of Nantucket Massachusetts to the Year 1850, NEHGS, Boston, 1925-1928.
10. William Richard Cutter and William Frederick Adams, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts, 4 vols (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1910), p 1653; images of book pages, Google, Google Book (http://books.google.com : downloaded 26 December 2014; entry for Look.
11. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
12. Charles Hoppin, The Washington Ancestry and Records of The McClain, Johnson, and Forty Other Colonial American Families||Washington Ancestry (Greenfield, OH: self-published, 1932), vol 3, p 466; searchable digital images, Hathitrust (https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008989414 : accessed 26 July 2016.
13. Charles Hoppin, The Washington Ancestry and Records of The McClain, Johnson, and Forty Other Colonial American Families||Washington Ancestry (Greenfield, OH: self-published, 1932), vol 3, p 467; searchable digital images, Hathitrust (https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008989414 : accessed 26 July 2016; citing Banks.
14. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
15. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
16. Dorothy Cottle Poole, A New Vineyard (Edgartown, MA: Dukes County Historical Society, 1976), p. 118.
17. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
18. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
19. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
20. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
21. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
22. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.
23. Dr. Charles Banks, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Sketches of the Early Settlers of West Tisbury, from The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol II, Annals of West Tisbury, pp 25-65 (http://history.vineyard.net/b2wtres.htm : viewed 15 October 2014), Thomas Look.