Thomas Loring was an early settler of Hingham and Hull,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. He was present at some of the key moments in the earliest history of Hingham, Massachusetts. But later " e large Loring families were prominent in the town f Hull and remained into the 20th century." As early as 1893 he was recognized as "the progenitor of the families bearing this surname by birth in eastern Mass., and prob. throughout New Eng."George Lincoln
''History of the town of Hingham, Massachusetts''
(Hingham, Mass; 1893), vol.2,pp.26-27 His descendants include individuals on both sides of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, the US

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, and today live across North America, Spain, England and Australia.

Birth and family

"Deacon Thomas Loring was born in

Axminster Axminster is a market town and civil parish on the eastern border of the county of Devon in England. It is from the county town of Exeter. The town is built on a hill overlooking the River Axe which heads towards the English Channel at Axmou ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

shire,

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. ... "Thomas Loring married, in England, Jane Newton; Her grandson ... says "she was a woman of a lively spirit ... skilled in the practise of physick"....Charles Henry Pope
''Loring Genealogy''
(1917), pp.1-7

Immigration to Massachusetts Bay and settlement in Hingham

"Mr. Loring came here (

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

) ... "December 23, 1634," and joined the church colony at Hingham .... Admitted "freeman" or citizen of the colony March 3, 1635-6, he was already established on a home lot near what is now

917 __NOTOC__ Year 917 ( CMXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * August 20 – Battle of Achelous: A Byzantine expeditionary fo ...

the corner of Town and Ship Streets. He became the proprietor of other lots at later times.

Farming, weir, innkeeper

"He was a farmer. As the fish that abounded along the shore furnished a large part of the food of the inhabitants, and were also "set" with the corn to enrich the soil, Deacon Loring and his neighbours, by permission of the town in 1637, built a

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

to catch this floating wealth; and the stream is called today Weir River. He was an

innkeeper Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accomm ...

, too, perhaps the first in the

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

, licensed by the General Court along with some other towns in March, 1637. ... "The church chose him one of its

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

s ....

Significant role in the early history of Hingham, Massachusetts

Hingham "... reached full maturity when on 12 March 1637/8 Thomas Loring was 'allowed to sell wine & strong water'" as part of his role as innkeeper. "Our first solid evidence that the church had been formed is the list of freemen of 3 March 1635/6 , where we find a grouping of eleven men who were known to be residents of Hingham: ncluding..Thomas Loring... BCR 1:371. The church was founded, then, no later than 3 March 1635/6..." Loring was one of those named in an 1828 inscription on the former "Great Rock" above Hingham which celebrated early settlers: "When wild in wood the naked savage ran,
Lazell, Low, Loring, Lane, Lewis, Lincoln,
Hersey, Leavitt, Jacobs, King, Jones and Sprague,
Stemmed the wild torrent of a barbarous age,
And were the first invaders of this country,
From the Island of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, in 1635."

Move to Hull, Massachusetts

"From some cause fire robbed him of his dwelling, March 15, 1645-6, and he chose not to rebuild. Instead, however, he bought property in the adjoining plantation of Hull, and took a prominent place there; was constable (which then meant court officer, tax collector, etc., and demanded a good business education as well as efficiency). "He joined with some of his neighbours and others in taking stock in a new plantation, "Sickonke", afterwards called Seakonk and Rehoboth; but he did not remove to the place or continue his ownership of land there. "On 10 April 1656, Nauhawton of Puncepaug in Dorchester sold the same 'neck of land called Nantascot, but now called the Town of Hull to Thomas Loring...and the rest of the inhabitants of the town...'"

Estate

"He bought "for a valuable consideration," May 30, 1660, of Thomas Chaffee "all that my house Housing orchard & two home lotts, lying in the town of Hull, Conteigning fower acres more or lesse as they were measured lying North East & South west John Loring on the Sout east William Chamberlaine on the North west the Towne streete on the South west & Ducke Lane on the North East with my lott of meadow by Streights River & my two lotts at Sagamore hill and my two lotts at Strawbery hill as they stand recorded to be butted & bounded in the Towne book of Hull aforesaid except one Cowes Comon formerly sold to William Chamberlaine with all my right interest & priviledges icin all the Islands belonging to the towne of Hull aforesaid except on the island called Peddocks Island." "This extensive property was the subject of careful appraisal and division by the sons after their father's decease.

House still standing

"When his son John married in 1657 Thomas bought for him the land of Ralph Greene on Further Hill, between Thomas Chaffee and Thomas Collier, where, on Town (now Spring ) Street, the landmark ancient cape-style home is still standing."

Decease

"Deacon Loring died April 4, 1661, leaving no will. ... the required inventory was presented June 27, 1661. The document ... shows isstyle of life ....''

Descendants

The Loring family "is the only one of the original ullfamilies to represent Hull in both the Revolutionary and the Civil Wars." Thomas' descendants were found on both sides of the

, including

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

Commodore

Joshua Loring Joshua Loring (3 August 1716 – September 1781Charles Henry Pope''Loring Genealogy''(Cambridge, Mass., 1917), pp. 78-79) was an 18th-century colonial American naval officer in British service. During the French and Indian War, he served as a ...

, and on both sides of the American Civil war including confederate general

William W. Loring William Wing Loring (December 4, 1818 – December 30, 1886) was an American soldier who served in the armies of the United States, the Confederacy, and Egypt. Biography Early life William was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, to Reuben a ...

. Joshua's descendants included an

Apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

, Sir.

John Nigel Loring The Apothecary to the Household is an officer of the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He has a salaried daily surgery. The Apothecary to the Household was originally responsible for providing medic ...

. Descendants and double cousins Edward Greeley Loring and Charles Greeley Loring were on opposite sides of litigation over the fugitive slave act. Colonel Benjamin Loring, commander in 1818 of the

Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts is the oldest chartered military organization in North America and the third oldest chartered military organization in the world. Its charter was granted in March 1638 by the Great and Gen ...

gave his name to Loring Hall, built in 1835 and serving into the twenty-first century as the town of Hingham's movie theater. Literary descendants include fifth great grandson

Frederick Wadsworth Loring Frederick Wadsworth Loring (December 12, 1848 – November 5, 1871) was an American journalist, novelist and poet. Loring was born on December 12, 1848, in Boston, Massachusetts, to David and Mary Hall Stodder Loring.Charles Henry PopeLoring Gen ...

, a promising writer.Charles Henry Pope
Loring Genealogy
(1917), p.260 A branch of the family were successful merchants in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and included an aviation pioneer

Jorge Loring Martinez Jorge Loring Martinez (Málaga, Spain, October 12, 1889Charles Henry Pope''Loring Genealogy'' (1917), p.313/ref> – Madrid, Spain, September 22, 1936) was a Spanish engineer and entrepreneur, pioneer of civil aviation in that country, and conside ...

, and the Marquis de Casa Loring whose present-day incumbent is a descendant of Thomas Loring.