My ancestors - Forrest - Contents

Thomas Forrest the colonist

The claimed ancestry of Thomas Forrest the colonist

There is a claim that Thomas Forrest, the pioneer colonist of the New World, is a younger son of Robert Forrest of Morborne.
This needs more proof.

Brenda Schnurrer says Thomas was born 26 May 1572 in Morborne. But it is unclear what the source is.
Wikipedia says Thomas was born May 1572 in Morborne, and appears to say he was baptised at Chesterton (just N of Morborne), Huntingdonshire. But it is unclear what the source is.
An editor in the Wikipedia Talk says Thomas was born May 1572 in Morborne, and his son Peter was born 1601 in Morborne. They give as source "church records". But I have not seen an image or transcript of the original records.
In the Wikipedia page history you can see an editor removed the link to Morborne in Sept 2011 for lack of evidence, however later it came back.

Thomas Forrest.
See wikipedia and wikitree and Geni.
See entry in tree by Brenda Schnurrer.
There are claims he was born 1572 but the source is unclear.
He mar 1stly to Elizabeth Dancastle.
He mar 2ndly, 16 Aug 1605, London, to Margaret Foxe ("Mistress Forrest").

One of the first English colonists in North America, 1608:
He sailed in 1608 to Jamestown, Virginia. This was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It had only been founded the year before in May 1607.
Forrest sailed on what is called the Second supply mission, which left England around July 1608 and arrived at Jamestown on October 1, 1608.
He brought with him his wife Margaret Foxe, and Anne Burras her maid.
Margaret and Anne were the first two European women in Virginia.
Thomas and Margaret were the first married European couple in Virginia.
Anne Burras married in Dec 1608, becoming the first English woman to marry in the New World.
It is suspected that Margaret died shortly after arrival.
Thomas may have then gone back to England. Though he is found in America again later.
He died 1641 in St. Mary's City, Maryland (Maryland's first European settlement).
He had issue by 1st wife:

Peter Forrest, born c.1601.
See his descendants on p.229 of Colonial Families Of The United States of America by George Norbury Mackenzie, 1909.

The marriage of Thomas Forrest and Margaret Foxe, 16 Aug 1605, St Giles in the Fields, London.
From here.

Extract from p.334 of vol.1 (1915) of the Makers of America series.
This says Thomas is uncle of Sir Anthony Forrest of Morborne. No proof is given.
Sir Anthony Forrest of Morborne was an investor in the Virginia Company in 1609. But so were hundreds of investors, so it may not mean anything.

The above mentions the Franciscan friar John Forest, who was executed in 1538. But no proof is given that he is related.
The claim about Nathan Bedford Forrest seems dubious. See him on Wikitree.

"Baptism of Pocahontas" (1840 painting)

"Baptism of Pocahontas", an 1840 painting in the United States Capitol Rotunda.
Depicting the baptism of Pocahontas before her marriage to John Rolfe in Apr 1614.
The scene includes Thomas Forrest and his wife.
See larger and full size. From here.
See 360 view of it inside the United States Capitol Rotunda. And another. And another.

Key to the above picture.
From here and here.
No.11 is Thomas Forrest and his wife.

Thomas Forrest and his wife in the above picture.
The child is meant to be his son Peter by his 1st marriage.
This can be seen as artistic licence. Forrest's wife probably died years before this event, and Forrest had probably left the colony.