My Revolutionary War Ancestors - Thomas Homan of Marblehead, Massachusetts

 

In memory of

THOMAS HOMAN

who died Jan. 17, 1832, AEt, 75.

His Wife

TABITHA HOMAN,

died March. 11, 1837. AEt, 73.

Also two Daughters

TABITHA died Aug. 24, 1812, AEt. 35

HANNAH died Feb. 2, 1818, AEt. 32 

[there is a verse under the grass that is illegible]

This is the 13th post I have written this year about a Revolutionary War Ancestor, on the anniversary of the 250th year since the American Revolution.  Thomas Homan was born 24 December 1758 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the son of William Homan and Deliverance Gale.  On 28 November 1782, in Marblehead, he married Tabitha Glover.  She was baptized 10 February 1765 in Marblehead, the daughter of Daniel Glover and Hannah Jillings.  Her father, Daniel, was the brother of the famous General John Glover, who lead his contingent of Marblehead men to help General George Washington.  His regiment was made up entirely of mariners and fishermen, and they served in the battles of New York and New Jersey and helped General Washington cross the Delaware River.

Thomas served in the war early, before his marriage.  He was a private in the Massachusetts 5th Regiment under Captain Putnam in 1776.  This unit was raised by Colonel John Mansfield in May 1775 on the order of the Provincial Congress, and was composed of mostly coastal men and mariners from Danvers, Salem, Lynn, and Marblehead.  They were alongside General John Glover's unit during the Battle of Long Island in August 1776 and in the Defense of New York.  Thomas Homan enlisted on 1 January 1776 under Captain Enoch Putnam's Company and was stationed in Cambridge. In the spring they marched to New York.  They were driven out of New York by the British and when to New Jersey.  He was honorably discharged on 1 January 1777 at Fishkill, New Jersey.

In the Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775 - 1785 I found two mentions of Thomas Homan on page 203, "Homan, Thomas Marblehead.  Descriptive list of officers and crew of the ship "Junius Brutus" commanded by Capt. John Leach, dated Salem June 15, 1780; age 25 yrs, stature 5 ft. 7 in; complexion light, residence Marblehead" and also "Homan, Thomas. Seaman, sloop "Machias Liberty" commanded by Capt. Jeremiah Obrien; engaged Aug. 1, 1776; discharged Oct. 15, 1776; service 2 mos. 14 days; also Seaman, brigantine "Tyrannicide" commanded by Capt. Jonathan Harden; engaged March 4, 1777; discharged Aug. 29, 1777, roll sworn to in Suffolk Co."  These were statements that described his time as a privateer off the New England coast. 

There is a line in the manuscript US Revolutionary War Pension Payments Ledgers, 1818 - 1872, page 33 that Thomas Homan applied for and received a military pension "Massachusetts - Thomas Homan, private, monthly allowance $8, Yearly $48, commencing 23 June 1818, with a note in the margin  "died 19th Janry 1832".  This is confirmed by his death record in the Marblehead Vital Records. 

In the Essex Court records I found this line "For pension certification, T. H. swore to Circuit Court of Common Plea, Salem, "All his real estate is 1 rm in an old house much out of repair $70; 7 chairs w/canvas bottoms .42; 1 old desk $1; 1 maple table $3: $4.42. 1 pine table .75; 1 iron pot .50   1 kettle $1; 1 tea kettle .50; 1 pr tongs .17: $2.92. 1 pr andirons .67; 1 old looking glass .33: $1.00. Age 60, only occup is going out in the harbor fishing in a sm boat; wife a. 52, infirm & unable to do any labor of any conseq; 1 son a. 16."  On 17 July 1818 he swore to the court, Judge Wm Wetmore, the total value of his property (for pension evaluation?) was $78.34.

Thomas and Tabitha had seven children:

1. Hannah, born about 1783, died 1 February 1819 (see tombstone above), unmarried?

2. Thomas, born about 1785, died at sea (served on board the USS Constitution in 1812), married Sarah Bowden Dolliber and had two daughters. died in either 1820 or later as a merchant seaman

3. Tabby, born about 1787, died 26 August 1812 (see tombstone above), unmarried?

4. Polly, born about 1790, died 23 February 1800, unmarried?

5. Betsey Jillings, baptized 14 October 1792, died 6 April 1874, married Jabez Treadwell (my 4th great grandparents).  She had seven children with Jabez, and he died in 1840. She married second to John Russell of West Cambridge.  He was a cordwainer (shoemaker).  

6.  Jonathan Glover, born about 1795, died 1813 at sea on board the Privateer Polly 

7. Captain William, born 10 November 1803, died 19 November 1853, married to unknown and had a son George W. Homan in 1833.  Captain George W. Homan served at sea from 1847 as a boy on board his father's ship Atlas, until 1871 as the captain of the ship Lincoln to Peru and the Puget Sound. 

Thomas died on 20 January 1832 in Marblehead.  Thomas Homan's probate papers (died intestate) are filed in Essex County 3 July 1832, Case number 13757.  Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)  

https://www.americanancestors.org/DB515/rd/13767/13757-co1/245366433    His probate packet runs for over 45 pages with inventories, affadavits, and it was finally settled 21 May 1839, well after his death, and a few years after his wife's death!  His son, Capt. William Homan, was the last petitioner in the case. 

Tabitha Glover Homan is listed as the head of the household in the 1830 Federal Census of Marblehead.  She outlived her husband, dying on 13 March 1837.  Thomas and Tabitha are buried at the Old Burial Hill in Marblehead, Massachusetts.  She died testate and her probate records were recorded on 18 April 1837.  

For the truly curious:

Surname Saturday, HOMAN of Marblehead, 2027:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/surname-saturday-homan-of-marblehead.html 

Surname Saturday, GLOVER of Salem and Marblehead, 2017:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/09/surname-saturday-glover-of-salem-and.html 

Other blog posts about my Revolutionary War Ancestors: 

#1 Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, NH:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html  

#2  Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, MA:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html  

#3 Jonathan Flint of Reading, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-jonathan.html   

#4 Daniel Glover of Marblehead, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-daniel.html  

#5 Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-levi.html  

#6 Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-nathaniel.html 

#7 Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-captain.html  

#8 Abner Poland, Sr. of Essex, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_02014071889.html   

#9 Abner Poland, Jr. of Essex, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_02014071889.html  

#10  Robert Wilson of Danvers, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-robert.html   

#11  Amos Burnham of Ipswich, Massachusetts   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/06/my-revolutionary-war-ancestors-amos.html   

#12 George Flint of Reading, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/07/my-revolutionary-war-ancestors-george.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Ancestors - Thomas Homan of Marblehead, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 19, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/08/my-revolutionary-war-ancestors-thomas.html: accessed [access date]).