The final loose end to the Witham family tree update last month is Thomas Mercer, thought to be the father of Lydia (Mercer) Butler who married John Stanwood.

A total guesstimate for Thomas Mercer’s year of birth is 1625, which is reasonable give his appearance in the Robert Button inventory taken in 1652, referenced down two paragraphs.

Because Thomas moved to what is today’s Maine and lived there for many years, not as much is known about his life. He lived in Sheepscot, then in York County, Maine. However, few records survive due to an Indian raid and the burning of the village.

Thomas may be the same man found in the list of Petty Debts included in the inventory of Robert Button, deceased, of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, dated 10 January 1652.

The few details known about the Mercers life in Maine come from depositions described in The History of the Stanwood Family in America, published in 1899:

How many children Thomas Mercer had is uncertain. Because there is a Thomas Mercer in southern Maine in the early 1700s, he may well have had a son, Thomas Jr., who remained in Maine.

Lydia appears to be his daughter, too, based on her deposition.

Lastly, some say that Esther who married Robert Scott by 1677 might be a Mercer daughter of Thomas, but no documentation has been found supporting that theory.

If you can add any factual material to this life sketch, please leave a comment.