Family History
of
Thomas Noble and Hannah Warriner

The following is taken from the monumental work: History and Genealogy of the Family of Thomas Noble of Westfield, Massachusetts by Lucius M. Boltwood, published in 1876.  This book can be purchased from Higginson Book Company for $100.  Click HERE for more information on purchasing this book. The book The History and Family of William Warriner of MA is a good companion. It is $55. For details click HERE . It has been digitized by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Here is a copy of the scan. It has many scan errors and is poorfly formatted. It is possible better scanned version of the scan exist.

History and Genealogy
 of the
Family of Thomas Noble
of Westfield, Massachusetts

First generation and Children

THOMAS NOBLE was the emigrant ancestor of the largest
family in the United States^ bearing the name of Noble. He was
born as early as 1632, probably in some part of England, and died in
Weatfield, MA Jan. 20, 1704, m. at least 72 yrs. His exact origin
and early history axe involved in obscnrity, {his place of his birth, the
names of his parents, and the year in which he came to this country,
being alike unknown. He was without doubt here in 1653, and was
the man mentioned by Drake, (History of Boston, p. 331,) as admit-
ted, on the 6th of January of that year, an inhabitant of Boston.
The same year, he removed to Springfield, Mass., and opened an
acooont at the store of John Pynehon. Though not one of the
founders, he may be considered as one of the early settlers of that
ancient town, the first settlement having been made in 1636, only
seventeen years before. A few years after removing to Spring-
field, he visited England, as appears from an account-book of Mr.
Pynehon. On the Ist of September, 1657, he was indebted to
Pynehon to the amount of £32 3«. 6<f., in which account is this item:
<< To what I pd.for yo^ passage to and fro. Eng^d., and for yo^ charges
(beside what I give you) as in my pocket booke, £16 00. 00."

In 1664, in connection with aeveral of his townsmen, he had
Uberfy granted him to erect a saw-mill, on the west side of the Con-
necticut as appears from the following vote:

''Decemb'y 8th, 1664. There is Grannted liberty unto fismuel Msrah-
fidd^ThomasNoble, Thomas Miller and XUzurHolyoke upon their desires,
for y* setting up of a saw Mill on a biodk below Ensigne Oooper's farms
over Agawam River; also there is grsunted them about Forty acres of
land where they shall chuse It, neere the place where the Mill shall stand,
not prjudidng any of y* Inhabitants PMpriety, or the high way: Also
there is grsunted them thirty acres of Meddow within 2 or 8 mile of y*

place where Hiey shall fynd H most oonTenient for their use, iii*gii»i<tig at
one end of their Keddow and soe proceeding tUl 80 acree be made up.
These grants are on condition that the7 cause a aaw mill to be sett up in
the place above mentioned A sett to work in Sawing by the first day of
Apiill w«k shal be in y« yeere 1606. And in case that the said Undertak-
ers, when fhey have sett up such work, shall see cause to desert the work,
wth in three yeeres from the^said tyme, th^ shall yield up the place and lands
hereby graunted, into the hands of y* Town, or such in the town as shall
carry on y* work, provided these undtakera be paid w* charges they shall
be at about the Work. Also, they are not restrayned of the liberty of the
Ccnnons, for all sorts of tymber for their use for Sawing or otherwise."

At a meeting of the selectmen of Springfield, Jan. 1, 1665 0. e. 1666),
it is recorded, " This day according to Towne order we considered about
(making Rates A) takdng a list of y« estate of jT Plantation. And for
Prizing y* Living Stock of y* Towne we choose Tho. Noble A James
Warriner."

Mr. Noble, though a maB of activity and industry, ieems to have
clearly fallen into a habit (which it is to be hoped that his descend-
ants will carefully avoid) of living " beyond his means," and as a
natural result, soon found himself in debt To secure the sums due
to Henry Smith and John Pynchon, he was obliged, in 1667, to
make over to Fynchon his house in Springfield, and all his lands,
except a grant towards Windsor. In the hope of improving his
condition, and providing tor the wants of a large and growing
family, he was therefore ready to join those who were beginning
a settlement at Westfield. The precise time of his removal to
that place is not known. The lands there granted to him, JuJy,
1666, on condition that he settled upon them before the last
of May, 1667, having been forfeited by non-settlement^ the grant
was renewed, Jan. 9, 1668, and the time of settlement extended to
Nov. 10, 1668. At all events, he was there as early as Jan. 21,
1669, for at a meeting at "Warronoco, (Westfield,) at that date, it

" Voted, That Ja. ComiBh, Geo. Phelps, Thomas Dewey and Thomas
Noble shall go to Springfield the first Tuesday in February next, at a
Towne meeting, to propound to the Towne for the settlement of our place
and aflayres, in particular to determine where the lyne shall run betwixt
Springfield and us, and to appoynt persons to lay out the bounds granted
us by the honored Gen" Court, and to allow us to be a Township by o'selves
and signify the same to the honored Qeaf^ Court"

In his historical sketch of Westfield, Bev. Dr. Emerson Davis-
states, that Mr. Noble's residence in Westfield was about two and
a half miles east of the present centre of the town, on the farm

where his son, Dea. Thomas Noble, atterwarde resided, and
which renudned in the family ontQ after the death, in 1791, of
his great-grandson, Lieut Stephen Noble, when it passed into the
possession of Ambrose Day. There, he doubtless lived in peace
and quiet^ until the commencement of *' Eing Philip's " war, in
1675. In this war, says Bev. Br. Davis,

" Mr. Noble was much exposed. One night during family prayers.
Gray Lock* (an old Indian), stepped up and pulled the string and let the
door swing open, and as soon as all was quiet, be would pull the string
again. Mr. Noble was persuaded by his friends to move into town. Gray
Lock said he had several opportunities of killing most of his children at a
shot, but did not want scalps as much as captives."

Having been chosen constable of Westfield, the records of the
Hampshire county court show, that on the 7th April, 1674, he
'< was swome to discharge y* s* office,'* which in those days was one
of honor and trust He took the oath of allegiance to his Majesty,
Jan. 23, 1678; joined "Westfield church, Feb. 20, 1681; was made
a freeman, Oct 12, 1681, and at the Hampshire county court, Sept
26, 1682, took the freeman*s oath.

The Hampshire county records show that about this time he
suffered the penalty of the law for travelling on Fast day:

"At a County Oorte held at Nortliampton, March 87th, 1688. Thomas
Noble of Westfield being p'sented by the Grand jury for Travelling on a
day of Humiliation, publiquely appointed by the Gen" Oorte, which he
owned, pleading his necessity for Comeing home, and yet this Oo^^ Con-
sidering said affense, being a growing evil amongst us, many Persons too
much disregarding such eztraordinaiy Dutys, & Seasons, have adjudged
sd. Noble to pay as a fine to the County treasurer five shilUngs. "

In 1684, his name is with the most influential of his townsmen,
upon the jury of inquest on the body of Elieser "Wellerf of West-

•If this wss the chieftain of the Waranokes, Rev. Dr. Davis is ob-
viously in error in calling him "an 0U Indian/' King Philip's war
terminated in July, 1676. Temple and Sheldon, in their History of North-
Held, state, that Gray Lock, the chief of the Waranokes, so called from the
tfAoT of his hair, was the most prominent chief in Father Ralle's war,
which raged fifty years later, 1723-M. They say: "He was now well
advanced in age, but retained all the daring, and tact, and energy of bis
youth. In 1788, he was living on the shore of Misslquoi bay, at the
northerly end of Lake Champlain." The only way of reconciling the
ststement of Rev. Dr. Davis with that of Temple and Sbeldon, is by sup-
posing, that in 1676, he was prematurely gray, and was at that time really
young, although from the color of his hair, appearing to be an old man.