Notes for Thomas Norcross: The family lived in the Parishes of St. Dunstan and St. Sepulcheres, London and Sunbury in or near London. This Thomas Norcross was a Haberdasher.
Thomas Norcross is said to be the son of Henry Norcross of Ribchester, England. When Thomas died, his estate was settled by his son, John. There was a lawsuit over the Bedell estate to which Mary (Chappell) Norcross was the heir.
This family is a bit confusing because there were two migrations to America. The first were two sons of Thomas, Jeremiah and John, who were immigrated, some sources say in 1633, probably to Cambridge, MA where John bought property. Jeremiah moved to Watertown, MA in 1638. John returned to England in about 1642, and had his children there and became a grandfather of William who became a Quaker and immigrated to America in 1699 becoming the "John Branch". Jeremiah, left two sons, Nathaniel and Richard in America, and they became the "Jeremiah Branch". Jeremiah may have returned to England to become a minister at some point but this is unlikely as his will was proved in America in 1657.
The birth place of Thomas is not known. He was a merchant in London in 1600 and a member of the Haberdashers Company. The Haberdashers' records, which have been preserved, show that Thomas Norcross was freed from his apprenticeship in 1579. The usual custom was for an apprentice to be bound at age fourteen and to serve for seven years. Based on this, his birthdate is assumed to have be 1560. The Haberdashers' Company was one of many trade guilds, Which were very prominent in England from about 1560. Haberdashers members were dealers in men's furnishings. A Thomas Norcross. perhaps this one. lived in the parish of St. Dunstans in West Fleet Street, died in 1617 and was buried in St. Dunstans. He left money to the Ribchester Church in Lancashire.
JOEL NORCROSS Book
Thomas Norcross of London, and father of Jeremiah, our first American ancestor, lived in London, was born a merchant (called a Haberdasher). He married Mary Chappell, daughter of Alice Bedell (her name before marriage) and granddaughter of William Bedell aho owned a large Estate in Essex Co., England, and which had decended to Mary, wife of Thomas Norcross. There was a lawsuit in reference to the Estate. Thomas died in 1603 leaving three sons, John, Jeremiah, and Thomas. John was born in 1590 and was the oldest, the dates of birth to Jeremiah and Thomas I have found no record. Thomas died in 1620 and his brother John settled his estate. John and Jeremiah came to the United States in 1638, John settling in Cambridge and Jeremiah in Watertown. John did not remain long at Cambridge but probly returned to England. He and his father Thomas belonged to what is called the Haberdasher Company. This company have all their old records in a good state of preservation and more light concerning Thomas and John may be found by examining them.
