John Briggs, baptized on 1 May 1595, Thornbury, Gloucester, England, is the immigrant ancestor of the Briggs family that settled in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts by 1657.

John Briggs, the son of Richard Briggs and Agnes Wingod, married Agnes Thayer on 11 March 1633 in Thornbury, Gloucester, England. He would have been almost 38 years old, which is a bit late for men of that era to marry. However, no evidence has been found of a previous marriage or children for this man.

It is also unknown whether John’s wife, Agnes, also emigrated to New England with her family. There is a gap of years in the Thornbury church registers, which is likely hiding further bits of information about this family. However, Agnes’s name has not been found in any Massachusetts records.

It is believed that John and Agnes (Thayer) Briggs were the parents of at least six children:

1. John, baptized 21 September 1634, Thornbury, Gloucester, England; he is probably the younger John Briggs in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts mentioned in 1664; no further record
2. Katherine, baptized 6 January 1636/37, Thornbury, Gloucester, England; no further record
3. Richard, baptized 17 March 1638/39, Thornbury, Gloucester, England; died before 13 December 1692, Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts; married Rebecca Hoskins of Carver, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 15 August 1662
4. Joanna (possibly), born c1641; married Peter Tallman, about 24 July 1665. She was called “of Taunton” in their prenuptial agreement.
5. William, born c1645, probably England; died 3 January 1728, Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts; married (1) Sarah Macumber, 6 November 1666. She was born 1643; died 20 March 1680, Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts and was the daughter of William Macumber & Ursula Cooper of Dorchester and Marshfield, Massachusetts. (2) Abigail Mason, 2 July 1680, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts
6. Hugh, born c1652, probably in England; died between 1692-1698; married Martha Everson, 1 March 1682/83, Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts

John Briggs’ death date is unknown. He was alive in 1664, probably dead by 1675 and definitely deceased when his sons sold land in 1686. However, he likely died in Taunton, where his family lived for many years.

Piecing together the Briggs family in my cousins’ branch of the family tree has been a lengthy process. First, as a 1971 article on the family points out, there were at least five men named John Briggs, all unrelated, who settled in New England in its early years.

Second, the John Briggs family which has caught my interest settled in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, a place which seems to have noticeable gaps in its vital records.

However, on the positive side, John Briggs and his descendants mostly remained in Taunton, or very close by, for several generations. Land records have helped make some of the connections.

I have to be thankful, too, that several researchers interested in the Briggs and Thayer families took the time to publish their finding in a multi-part article in The New England Historic Genealogical Register, beginning with Volume 125, no. 2, pages 77-90 and The American Genealogist, volume 59, pages 175-179.

Therefore, I feel very confident sharing the descendants of Richard Briggs of Thornbuy, Gloucester, England from the late 1500s down to Judith Briggs, who married Joseph Tower and lived in Attleboro, Massachusetts in the 1700s.

Let’s begin with the earliest generation.

Richard Briggs was born c1565, likely in or near Thornbury, Gloucester, England. He married Agnes Wingod on 19 December 1590 in the town of Thornbury. Not much is known of their lives, but Richard was buried on 30 April 1620 in Thornbury and wife Agnes was still living as of 30 January 1619/20, when Richard wrote his will.

They were the parents of three known children:

1. Joane, born c1592. She married a Mr. Draper sometime before 30 January 1619/20, the date of her father’s will
2. John, baptized 1 May 1595, Thornbury, Gloucester, England; died after 1665, when Shadrach Thayer, his nephew, complained that John owed him £18; married Agnes Thayer, 11 March 1633, Thornbury, Gloucester, England. He had removed to Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts by 1657.
3. William, baptized 22 April 1599, Thornbury, Gloucester, England; no further record

While there may be Draper descendants of Richard and Agnes (Wingod) Briggs, their Briggs descendants in America are all through the line of their son, John, who married Agnes Thayer.

No mention is made of Agnes (Thayer) Briggs in New England records and it is not known when or where Agnes died.

Next, we will look at the family of John Briggs and Agnes Thayer.