Person Page - 420

       Capt. Timothy/2w Brooks was probably born in England circa 1635, based on a 1668 court document in which his age is given as Therti Three.^2,3,4 His family was at Concord, Massachusetts Bay Colony, by 1639, and relocated to Woburn about 1649.²
     One "M^r Brookes Creditor," entered Harvard College 3 Jun 1651. Sibley suggests that the reference is to Rev. John Brock, H.C. 1646, son of Henry Brock of Dedham, but adds, "In a record of 'The Countrey Stocke' in 1652 is the entry, 'Giuen by goodman brooke of wooborne' 4s. 6d.,—perhaps a relative." If the surname and residence of the 1652 donor are correct, the donor can only be Henry Brooks of Woburn, Timothy's father, or John or Timothy Brooks, Henry's eldest sons. The payment is so modest, however, as to suggest that it reflects a contribution to the college rather than tuition; and no one of the name Brooke(s)/Brooks is known to have attended Harvard this early.⁵
     Timothy married (1), 2/21 Dec 1659 at Woburn, Mary Russell, daughter of John Russell and Elizabeth (–?–), with whom he had 12 children — 3 sons followed by 9 daughters.^6,7,8 They lived first at Woburn, where the births of their first 6 children were recorded through 1669. Despite the strong religiosity which was to characterize his later years, Timothy was not without human failings. According to Middlesex County records, "The recently married Elizabeth/2 George had been importuned by Timothy Brooks 'unto wanton dalliance' for a month in the summer of 1662 and had finally been lured into a room, 'but this examinant denies hee had the use of her but only attempted it and had loosed his breeches with examinant resisting what she could.'…she had failed to tell her husband about the incident with Brooks for two weeks because 'she feared his displeasure.' The court seems to have been suspicious of her evidence and found the complaint not legally proven."^9,10
     The probate of Tobiah Colles of Saybrook, CT, following his death in Aug 1664, mentions "my Corne in Timothy Brooks lot…," one of several indications that Timothy had property interests in the Niantic region of Connecticut.¹¹
     Cutter tells us, "His father-in-law was a prominent Baptist, and Timothy was also interested in the Baptist tenets as held at that day."³
     In the spring of 1667, 22 men, all of Plymouth, purchased of Metacom ("King Philip"), sachem of the Wampanoags, all the marsh and meadow land of Mattapoisett. Metacom also conveyed 500 acres of land at the head of Mattapoisett. Meanwhile, Elder John Myles, of Swansea, Wales, had brought a number of his Baptist parishioners with him to New England, and settled in Rehoboth, which had an established Congregational church. The Baptists were prosecuted and each fined five pounds. "Yet in case they shall remove their meeting to some other place where they shall not prejudice any other church," said the court, "and shall give any reasonable satisfaction respecting their teaching, we know not but they may be granted by this court liberty to do so."
     "In accordance with this plain intimation that there would be no objection to the organization of a Baptist church, outside the jurisdiction of any other church, the town of Swansea was organized. In March, 1667, at the request of Captain Thomas Willetts, Reverend John Myles, and their neighbors, the general court of New Plymouth passed an order, called the grant of Swansea, authorizing them to form a township to be called by the name of Swansea…" Swansea comprised within its limits the present town of Swansea, with Somerset in Massachusetts and Barrington and the greater part of Warren in Rhode Island. The town was Baptist, and so strong was this affiliation that no other church would be built in Swansea until 1832..^12,13
     At a town meeting, 22 Feb 1669, Swansea's proprietors voted that "all persons that are or shall be admitted inhabitants within this town, shall subscribe to the three proposalls above written, to the several conditions and explanations therein expressed, before any lot of land be confirmed to them or any of them." Those three proposals were: (1) That no erroneous person be admitted into the township as an inhabitant or sojourner. (2) That no man of any evill behaviour or contentious person to be admitted. (3) That none may be admitted that may become a charge to the place.¹⁴
     Although he now had property interests at Swansea and (probably still) Niantic, Timothy moved, circa 1670, to Billerica, north of Woburn, which also had a Baptist following, and where he remained about 8 years. During Philip's War (1675-75), the selectmen ordered that "Timothy Brooks is allowed for garrison and to entertain Michael Bacon's family and to have two garrisons of soldiers to defend y^e mill and himself y^e master of y^e garrison." The mill, which Timothy purchased in 1673 of fellow Baptist George Farley of Woburn as part of the Oakes farm, stood at the falls of the Shawsheen River in the east part of Bedford.^15,2,16,3,17 Timothy may have been building a house in Swansea in 1679, as that year's Billerica tax list, which assesses Tim. Brookes a minimal £0.4.6, reports no polls (voters) in the household.¹⁸
     "In Dec. 1677, George Polly, the wife of John Wilson, Senior, John Wilson, Junior, Timothy Brooks, Francis Wyman, Aaron Cleveland and Hopestill Foster are admonished and sentenced to pay costs of court for 'frequent absenting themselves from the public worship of God on the Lord's days.'—Middlesex County Court Records, Vol. III., page 205 … In Dec. 1677, Capt. John Carter and Maj. William/2 Johnson are allowed ten shillings apiece for attending the courts to give in evidence against the 'Anna baptists.'—Middlesex County Court Records, Vol. III., page 207. Several of these persons were again summoned to court and fined for similar violations of law in 1679."¹⁹
     At this point, with 12 children, Timothy's gaze turned south, back to Swansea. Robert Peacock Brooks relates: The early history of the Brooks [sic] is connected rather closely with the Baptists. It is quite likely that Timothy, the elder, moved to Swansea from Bellerica [sic] on account of the religious influences of the place. His father-in-law, Mr. Russell was a prominent Baptist, and his second wife, Mrs. Kingsley, was also a strong Baptist ... Eldad Kinsley was one of the organizers of the first Baptist church in America. This was a reorganization of an exiled church driven out of Swansea, Wales, under the reign of Charles II. John Myles, who preached in South Wales in 1649, emigrated to America with a number of his followers. The first record of Myles in America is in 1663, when he came to Rehoboth from Dorchester. A grant of land for the formation of the Township of Swansea is recorded at the Court of New Plymouth under date of 1667. Timothy Brooks (Senior), was one of the 55 signers of the petition for the grant. The Swansea Colony grew into a flourishing colony until the time of King Phillips [sic] War, when it was attacked. This caused many of the colonists to scatter. Many of them returned after the War, but others left permanently.²⁰
     Mary (Russell) Brooks died at Billerica 15 Sep 1680.²¹ Timothy married (2), by the following March, probably at Swansea, Mehitabel/2 Mowry, daughter of Roger/1 Mowry and Mary Johnson, and widow of Eldad Kinsley, one of the organizers of the Baptist Church at Rehoboth. Timothy moved his family to Swansea, where they lived for 10 years or more and where a son Josiah (and perhaps another, Isaac) was born.^22,23 9 Mar 1680/81, Timothy Brooks and wife Mehitable, of Swansea, conveyed to Benjamin Mozey (Muzzey), of Rumney Marsh, Boston, real estate in Billerica.^24,3 In his father Henry's will dated 18 Jul 1682, Timothy Brooks received one third of his father's wearing apparel and confirmation of all that land I gave him; "he hath [Received] his portion already."^25,1 3 Jun 1685, Timothy Brookes of Swanzey and wife Mehitable convey to Henry Esten 12 acres, her dowry "for & in satisfaction of a certain sum of money which the said Roger Mawrey promised unto the said Eldad Kinsley in marriage with his said daughter Mehittabell for part of her portion."^26,27 Timothy Brooks was commissioned lieutenant of the Swansea company, Bristol County regiment, 1686, and captain, 1690.²⁸ He was Swansea's deputy to the General Court, 1689.²⁹
     He does not appear again in Swansea records. Shortly after 1690 Timothy, his wife Mehitabel, sons Timothy Jr. and Josiah, and perhaps one or two daughters, removed to the vicinity of Salem, West Jersey, probably following "a little band of Welsh Baptists" who had previously moved in 1687. In 1673 Lord Berkley had sold his half of New Jersey to the Quakers, and the Quakers' tolerance induced Baptists from Massachusetts Bay to settle there. Accompanying Timothy's family were households surnamed Bowen, Barrett and Swinney. According to Robert Peacock Brooks, they landed at the mouth of the Cohansey River, in today's Cumberland County.
     Some of these people settled along the north side and some on the south side. The Brooks [sic], Bowens, Barrotts and the Swinneys settled along the north side near Bridgetown (Bridgeton) and called their settlement "Bowentown," or the Brooks Company, for the reason that Timothy Brooks, Junior, was their pastor. The region near the home of the Barrotts was known and is still known today [1927] as Barrotts Run ... Many of the descendants of Timothy, Jr. live in the region of Bowentown, and for many years his lineal descendants lived on the farm of his father at that place.
     Lillian Brooks Black writes, Their destination was a nascent Baptist colony on the western side of the Cohansey River, just upstream from Cohanzick, which soon changed its name to Greenwich. This Cohansey settlement, Roadstown, was founded about five, some say three, years earlier by other Massachusetts Baptists, including a number from Swansea, onetime neighbors of the newcomers. However, the Brookses, Barretts, Bowens, and Swinneys trekked a wee distance inland, northwest of the stream. There they bought land and cleared it for farming. The settlement grew into Bowen's Cross Roads (now Bowentown). A Cohansey tributary traversing Barrett property is still known as Barrett's Run.^30,31
     The will of Timothy Brooks, dated 12 Mar 1708/9 and proved 7 Oct 1712 in Salem County, names his wife sole executrix, and leaves her all his goods and chattels save some things previously given to his son Josiah, "which Is His part or porshon from me"; leaves son John all the money that is due to me in New England, and half the land that falleth to me in the township of Swansey; and the other half of his Swansea land to son-in-law Jonathan Kingsley. Son Timothy is left 5s. upon the death of his mother, the rest of the estate to be divided among his daughters, who are not named.^32,33

Exhibits.
     More on the establishment and early years of Swansea.¹³

       Mehitabel/2 Mowry was born say 1644, probably at Salem or Lynn, MA.¹ Her father removed to Providence, RI, where she married (1), 9 May 1662 "or shortly thereafter," Eldad Kingsley of Rehoboth, MA, son of John Kingsley, with whom she had 6 children.^2,1 He died in 1679.^3,4 She married (2), as his 2d wife, before 9 Mar 1681, probably at Swansea, MA, Capt. Timothy/2w Brooks, son of Henry/1w Brooks and (–?–) (–?–), and widower of Mary Russell. Timothy moved his preexisting family to Swansea, where the blended household lived for 10 years or more, and where a son Josiah (and perhaps another, Isaac) was born.^5,6 Mehitabel was, like both her husbands, a strong Baptist.⁷
     3 Jun 1685, Timothy Brookes of Swanzey and wife Mehitable convey to Henry Esten 12 acres, her dowry "for & in satisfaction of a certain sum of money which the said Roger Mawrey promised unto the said Eldad Kinsley in marriage with his said daughter Mehittabell for part of her portion."^8,1 Sometime around 1690 Timothy, Mehitabel and a number of the children removed to West Jersey Province.⁹ Mehitabel was sole executrix of Timothy Brooks's will, dated 12 Mar 1708/9, and proved 7 Oct 1712 in Salem County, West Jersey.^10,11

       Anna/3w Brooks was born 23 Jan 1675/76 at Billerica, MA.¹ She was living with her aunt Sarah Mousall of Woburn, 15 Jun 1702, and was named in her will.^2,3 She married (–?–) Wright.⁴ Sister Anna Right is mentioned in the will of her brother John/3w Brooks of Swansea, 9 Apr 1713.^5,4