Thomas Nelson was made freeman,23 May 1639. In 1640, he haderected a saw mill at Rowley. "In May 1640, Mr. Thomas Nelsonwas appointed by the Court, with Mr.Edward Woodman andMr.William Paine to view and settle the bounds between Hamptonand Colchester (Salisbury) and make returns thereof, which wasdone." Thomas Nelson was representative to the General Court,1641. As early as 1643, Thomas Nelson had a grist Mill at Rowley. Onthe 10th of the Eleventh month,1643,Mr. Thomas Nelson aschairman and three others appointed by the town for the purposemade a survey of the town and registered the house-lots to allthe inhabitants as granted and laid out. All who paid nothingwere given an acre and a half. While those who paid were givenin proportion to what they paid. Thomas Nelson was thewealthiest of the Rogers company. As many persons descended fromThomas Nelson are also descended from one or more of thes earlysettlers, I [Cora] will give the list: Abbott, Acy, Barker, Bellingham, Boyles, Boynton, Bridges,Brigham, Brocklebank, Burbank, Carlton, Chaplin, Cooper, Crosby,Dickinson, Dresser, Elithrop, Grant, Harris, Haseltine,Hopkinson, Hunter, Jackson, Jarrat, Jewett, Kilbourne, Lambert,Leaver, Lilforth, Mighill, Miller, Nelson, Newmach, Palmer,Parrat, Remington, Reyner, Rogers, Sandys, Sawyer, Scales,Shrove, Smith, Spofford, Stanton, Stickney, Sumner, Swan,Tenney, Thorley (Thurlow), Trumble, Wiscom, Wild. "In 1643 [says Winthrope] our supplies from England failingmuch, men began to look about them, and fell to manufacture ofcotton, whereof we had store from Barbadoes, and of hemp andflax, wherein Rowley to their great commendation, exceeded allother towns." As early as 1643, John Pearson, a clothier, movedinto Rowley, and erects the first fulling mill in New England.In January 1644, the town granted to Thomas Nelson, 36 acres inthe "Mill Field", ten acres of which was encouragement towardsbuilding a mill. The grist mill was built just above tide waternear the dividing line between Rowley and Newbury, on MillRiver, a branch of Parker River and near the NewburyportTurnpike. The mills built by Thomas Nelson were the first inRowley and among the first grist mills built in America and werenever idle till destroyed by fire in October,1916. There hadbeen additions and improvements and the mills were known as the"Glen Mills" at the time they were burned. At this time therewere four mills and the loss by fire was considered to be about$20,000. At the original building, the dam, the waterway and thefoundation for the wheel box had been unchanged. The stone wheelof the old mill had ground corn into meal for the soldiers inKing Philip's War and for those in the Colonial Wars. In the Revolution, a great wagon loaded there with meal andunder a guard went to the relief of the army at Valley Forge. About the time that Thomas Nelson built the grist mill, JohnPearson removes (probably from Lynn) and erects a fulling milland clothiers works very near the grist mill. This wollen millof John Pearson's was the first wollen mill built in America andwas viewed with alarm by English statesmen who feared thedevelopment of manufacturing colonies and a cut in Englishexport trade. They refused to send woll to America. Thomas Nelson's will from Essex County Probate Records,Vol.1,p.346 I,Thomas Nelson of Rowley in the Coubty of Essex in New Englandbeing by Providence called now to make a voyage into oldEngland, not knowing what may befal me therein upon severalconsiderations dispose of & settle the estate which God hathgiven me (by way of will) in manner and forme following.Imprimis I give unto my beloved wife Joane for her natural life,my mill, mill house with the aptenances situate & being withinthe limits of Rowley & all that ground near unto the said mill,which was lately in the occupation of Joseph Wormhill & all thatmy upland & meadow or other ground which lyeth betweene Rowleyox pasture on one part the common on another part, & the millriver & the brooke that goeth from the town on the other partthereof, all which lands or grounds containeth by estimationfifty acres, be it more or less provided she make noe otherclaim to any other part of my houses, lands, tenements,hereditaments &c. Item I give her two acres of ground dureing her natural life inthe pond field, next Mr.Rogers (leaving out the pond) to buildher a house, the remainder or reversion of which mill & land &premises, & all other my houses, lands, tenaments, hereditamentsI give among my children & to their heirs as well as that child,which my wife is withall the rest. Item I give & bequeath to my eldest son Philip a double portion,& to my son Thomas Nelson and my daughter Mercy Nelson & thechild or children she is withall their equal part, provided ifany of them dye before they come to the age of twenty and oneyears or marriage, then their parts to be equally divided amongthe surviving children.Item, my will is that Richard Bellingham Esq. & my Honored uncleRichard Dummer Gent. shall have the education of my sonns PhilipNelson & Thomas Nelson,& the portion of their estates both oflands & goods for their education & maintenance, till they cometo twenty one years and then they to receive their estates & theoverplus above their maintenance, giving a sufficient discharge.Item my will is that my wife & my uncle Richard Dummer shallhave the education of my daughter Mercie Nelson & the otherchild my wife is withall & the proportion of their estates bothof lands & ???? for their education and mayntenance till theymarry and then they to receive their estates & the overplusabove their mayntenance, giving a sufficient discharge. Item I give and bequeath unto my wife Joane four choice cows,one choice mare, and ten pounds to build her a house. Item I give unto my son Philip Nelson ten pounds, which wasgiven him by my aunt Kathren Witham and is in my hands and hisplate marked with his name PN & to my second sonn Thomas Nelsona wine boule and one silver spoon, all the rest of my personalestate, my debts being paid I give unto my children to beequally divided as above only my eldest sonn Philip to have adouble portion. Item I make Mr.Richard Bellingham & my uncle Richard Dummer myexecutors of this my last will and testament, & my desire is & Iwould intreat Mr.Ezekiel Rogers of Rowley & Mr.John Norton ofIpswich to be my overseers,& my mind further is, if anydifference arise concerning this my last will & testament myoverseers shall have the hearing & deciding of the same. Item I give unto my wife all her wearing apparel her chest, box,bed, & furniture & a silver beaker. December 24,1645 Thomas Nelson Sealed,signed & delivered in the presence of Jeremy Houchen,Ezekiel Northend Deposed by Jeremy Houchen the 21 of the 10 mo. 1649 before the court, Increase Nowell Cleric Deposed by Ezekiel Northend the 26th of the first month 1650before the court at Ipswich Robert Lord Cleric In 1643, Mr. Thomas Nelson (and three others) "surveyed thetowne". It was estimated that by 1640, there were 4,000 families inEnglish colonies (21,000 subjects).