Thomas Clarke
The Early Settlers of the West End (1630 – 1645): Thomas Clarke, Speaker of the House of Massachusetts Bay Colony
Thomas Clarke owned vast amounts of land and businesses across Boston. He was very much involved in the local government throughout his life and commanded the Suffolk Regiment in 1651. Later, he would go on to spend five years as Speaker of the House. His legal authority was put to the test when he accompanied Mr. Pynchon to New York City to represent the Massachusetts Bay Colony at the transfer of the “Manhadoes” in 1664 from Dutch rule to English.
The Early Settlers of the West End (1630 – 1645) is a series of articles covering the surviving records of the earliest landowners in the West End.
Article by Mia Sager, edited by Sebastian Belfanti
Source: Annie Haven Thwing; The Crooked and Narrow Streets of the town of Boston; Thwing Database, accessed at the Massachusetts Historical Society archives; Samuel Chester Clough Research Materials Toward a Topographical History of Boston
