He was probably born around 1620 to 1630 of English origin.  When he came to America is not known.  After 1640 large scale immigrations from England dried up.  After 15 years Charles I, during a turbulent reign, lost control when the "Long Parliament" (1640:1660) began.  Fewer people had to flee the country.  During this period nevertheless, settlers arrived in New England from the old country in small numbers.  Perhaps Thomas came as a youth.  Hotten's lists do not disclose his name or any clue.

From the year 1650, when Thomas first appeared in the records, until his death in 1695, a period of 35 years, he was always poor in this world's goods.  He failed to get ahead and few of his descendants have done much better.  Whether he lacked intelligent initiative, was set back by indolence or bad habits, or was simply overwhelmed by disaster on the sea, as so many were, cannot be determined.  His calling, the sea, or in occupations connected with it, was hazardous.  After gains were established by the hardest of toil, bad luck, such as the loss of a vessel, however small, would wipe out the rewards of decades of effort.  An evil hour of storm and stress would defeat the manliest of endeavors.

There is nothing in the record to impugn the character of Thomas Gage.  The character of his children, grandchildren and later progeny is made up by sterling traits.  When, during successive migrations, the nature of the soil was good, the Gages did well.  When the ventures were ill chosen, they were unsuccessful.  Many families in New England made the mistake of continuing to reside where Nature permitted few successes.  They were disinclined to risk costly removals.  Few seem to have had the hardihood to pull up stakes, sacrifice their little gains, and try it elsewhere.  Fewer still appear to have had the discernment that thin soil would not support many generations.  The record of the Gage family was, perhaps, no better or no worse than many others.

There seems to be no record of the marriage of young Gage to Hannah Knight, the daughter of William Knight, from Berkshire Co. England.  Knight appeared in 1637 in Salem, Mass. and bought land in Lynn, Mass 1638.  That the marriage was as early as 1648 is plain enough.  The first bit of real knowledge we have is in Plymouth Co. vital records of 1650.

The young couple left Lynn before her father died.  Thomas Gage was a mariner, a calling flexible in point of residence.  He had for some five years been living with his young family in the town Yarmouth on Cape Cod, a long way from Lynn and having no ascertainable  connection with it.  But, following the sea was like that.  It was not uncommon for men in that line in all the settlements to be somewhat careless of the rigid regulations of the church.  In 1655 he run afoul of one of them and was arrested for "prophaning the Lord's day" putting to sea from Sandwich (a nearby port) in his boat.  There may have been a fine, possibly an admonition.  The point is that discipline had to be maintained.  This would be especially important to newcomers.  Thomas Gage was not then a citizen.  Two years later (in 1657) he took the oath of fidelity, the final step.  In the very next year he was one of the town Officials, "Surveyor of Highways."  He served in the same capacity in 1666, 1667 and in 1678.

The house must have been a primitive structure.  It was on "Gages Way" near Boardman's island (sometimes Boreman's) not far from where the present main highway runs east and west through West Harwich village, that part of Yarmouth having become a part of the town of Harwich.  There was a bend in the little river, Herring River, and the "Way" (now called Smith's Lane) ran from Gage‘s housing and wharf as a means of communication with the "island.“  The narrow river was a tidal stream, its short course of about three miles.  A somewhat intestinal contortion at one point almost caused an island, and it was so-called when in 1690 Gage sold it to Major John Freeman, one of the most prominent citizens.  The marshy area was termed "Swan Point Neck" about that time.

In 1678 the island had been granted to Thomas Gage, Thomas Boardman and William Griffith, their heirs forever as joint and equal proprietors in this language; "That meadow in Herring River in a neck almost compassed about by the river on east and north and by cedar swamps on the west.   A narrow entrance into which neck at the south and in this neck two or three knolls of upland which are compassed round by the aforesaid meadows, which knolls or uplands, we have given and granted, etc."

The value of the marshland was for hay, but the knolls, rising 5 or 10 feet above the salt water level would be available for cultivated crops.  The area is practically worthless today and has been for most of the 300 year history of white men.  The sluggish river, but slightly changed by freshets from above or tidal action from the nearby sea, shows on the U.S. Geological survey of 1940 much as those early seekers of fortune found it.

There was, however, an important source of sustenance and profit in the coming of vast quantities of alewives and other fish in the spring, to spawn in the ponds of the upper river.  Town regulations provided that any sluices kept by the inhabitants must be left open at those periods to facilitate the movement of the fish.  The settlers depended in no small measure on the fish, fresh and cured for food and fertilizer.

None of the primitive families ever got rich and the poor salt marsh country looks much the same as when they arrived in search of easier conditions than farming among the rocky pastures and house lots of other sections.  Populous seaside resorts and neat villages now surround the spot where Thomas Gage sought to raise a family and leave them better off.

His will named male issue (but there were probably some daughters) in this order:  Benjamin, Thomas, Adam, John, William, Henry and Moses.  The names imply that the influence of the Gage antecedent was strong.  If English records are ever looked into these names might be found as progenitors of the Gage line.

In the nineteen remaining years of his life, Thomas Gage felt his losses.  The declension of his hopes and plans continued but what the family did is not shown even in the short and simple annals of the poor.  Time was running out with the immigrant ancestor of the  family now possibly in his 70's and perhaps feeble and useless.  On 30 Jun 1695, feeling his end was approaching, he called in his neighbors, John Chase and Isaac Chase to witness  the execution of his will.  He was illiterate or at least too ill to sign his name.  The instrument was short, as was perhaps his time--
"To my son Benjamin all my estate be it whatsoever and wheresoever it is, only to my wife, I give one shilling and to my son Thomas 5 shillings and to all my other children each a shilling."

A terrible fight with the Indians took place near Seekonk on 26 March 1676.  Captain Michael Pierce was slain and with him nearly every one of his 55 men.  Among them were no less than three sons of Thomas Gage.  A letter written by a clergyman after the event,  gave the names of five soldiers from Yarmouth who were lost on that day, three of them being in one family, John, William and Henry Gage.  Thomas Gage had, in addition to his grievous loss, to pay a heavy assessment to support the maintenance of the soldiers to fight the aroused and predatory savages.  The list of 29 April shows his share as 2 pounds 6 shillings and 9 pence.  The sons were hardly out of their teens.  Later, two other sons went; Adam in 1691 went out as a soldier in their majesty's service and was slain, this in his father's lifetime.  Thomas was killed at Port Royal, Annapolis, Nova Scotia by a cannon ball passing through his tent.  Only Benjamin, the oldest, and Moses, the youngest child, died in their beds.

NOTE--Canochet, the Indian Chief in the "Seekonk fight" called by Fiske, near Pawtuxet suffered the loss of 140 of his best warriors.  Ten days later, Capt Dennison with his Connecticut company defeated and captured Canochet.  The proud son of Miantonomo met the same fate as his father.  He was handed over to the Mohicans and tomahawked.   The power of King Philip was broken and on 12 August he was killed in the last fight.   The hearts of everyone in the colonies was lightened, even those in the homes of the bereaved.

Land was granted the survivors of King Philip's War and their heirs.  Granted to the men from Plymouth Colony was Narragansett No. 7 (now Gorham, Maine) and the heirs of William, Henry and John appear as three of the grantees of this township, 3 Feb 1738.   From New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 53, 1899; 18 Apr 1735 the legislature made a grant of 7 townships so-called to such of the survivors of King Philip's War and their heirs as could prove their claim, 120 to a township.  Moses Gage, by a deed recorded with York deeds, book 23, folio 224, conveys to his son John Gage of Dover, N.H., Mariner two whole rights or shares in a certain township granted by the General Court of Massachusetts to certain Narragansett soldiers, being that township which has the number 7, said two shares being those in said township which were entered to my two brothers, John Gage and William Gage of Yarmouth, deceased.  While Henry Gage was one of the three grantees listed there is no record of any person entering an appearance to secure the grant, although to all appearances a grant was made.  To whom is not known from the existing records.

A letter to the Secretary of State of Massachusetts brought a reply from the Archives Division which included photostatic copies of the Archives Volume 114, page 109.  They confirmed the grants were made but nothing to show who exercised those rights.  There were 39 grantees in this township from Yarmouth, Mass.  Samuel Barker for his father, Samuel William Gray for his father, William Richard Taylour alive-for himself, William Chase alive-for himself.
For the heirs of:
 

	Daniel Baker	James Mather	Lammy Hodge
	Samuel Baker	John Gage	Jonathan Smith
	Willaim Baker	William Gage	John Thatcher
	John Chase	Henry Gage	Samuel Thomas
	James Claghorn	Henry Gold	Thomas Thornton
	John Crowell	Jabez Gorham	Joseph Welden
	Yelverton Crowell	John Gorham	Ananias Wing
	Thomas Felton	William Gray	Jonathan Whight
	William Follen	John Hallett	Richard Lake
	John Pugsley	John Matthew	Nathaniel Hall
	Samuel Jones	Samuel Hall	Thomas Baxter
	Joseph Hall

The names listed are of no particular importance except to show a community of interest in the families living at Yarmouth at the time.  The Gages were associated with them in various ways.  Thomas Gage and Joseph Hallett were charged with prophaning the Lord's day by putting forth to sea from Sandwich harbor.  The Gage brothers fought under Capt John Gorham at Seekonk and Mt Hope.  Matthew Gage was married to Hannah Thorp by John Gorham and various of the children of the Gage Families living at Yarmouth at the time married with the families of Barker, Baker, Cromwell, Baxter, Hall and Smith.

The heirs of John, William and Henry Gage were given grants in Narraganset No. 7 described in the Proprieter's record book, Town of Gorham, Maine.  William Gage received lot #49 for 30 acres, which drew later Right #24 for 100 acres, Right #76 for 70 acres, a total of 200 acres.  Henry Gage received lot #50 for 30 acres which drew later Right #4 for 100 acres, Right #91 for 70 acres, a total of 200 acres.  John Gage received lot #54 for 30 acres, which drew later Right #117 for 100 acres, Right #25 for 70 acres, a total of 200 acres.  These shares, lots and rights could be sold by its owner, and most of them were.  Sometimes there is a York Deed transfer and sometimes only a notation in the Proprietor’s record book.  These lots and rights were on sale in Falmouth (Portland).  There is no mention of any Gage settling in Gorhamtown.  There is a pretty complete tax list of 1763, just before incorporation of the Plantation, but there is no Gage recorded.   They did not get on any church record, although the church establishment goes back to 1750.

The parcels of land involved are readily located today.  Originally a share sold for about 10 pounds in silver.  The price depended on whether there were any mast timbers on the lot.  There were very few original owners settling in Gorham, and probably none from Yarmouth.  Gorhamtown being away from the coast was not considered very desirable property except for timbering.

Moses Gage, as the oldest male representative of the surviving family claimed the lands granted to his brothers John and William, and he disposed of this land by conveyance to his eldest son John by Deed recorded in York deeds.  This same Moses Gage, for services in an expedition of Sir William Phips, against Canada in 1690, made two other claims for grants of land elsewhere.  In 1735 the General Court of Massachusetts granted certain so-called "Canada Townships" to the survivors or heirs of soldiers in the above expedition.   These were at Halestown or Weare, N.H.  Subsequently on settlement of a boundary dispute between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, in June 1765, a new grant was made to the survivors or heirs at Raymond, Maine.  Moses Gage had two of these grants, one in his own right as a survivor, and the other in the right of his brother Adam Gage.  Again evidently as the eldest male representative of the surviving family.  Adam Gage had been killed in the action of 1690 and though we know he was married he evidently left no surviving male issue.

We have no record of a transfer in ownership but we can presume that Moses either conveyed in his lifetime or willed at his death the land to his two sons, John and William.   On 15 Dec 1766 John Gage conveyed one whole right in the town of Weare to Jonathan Dow.  William Gage, on 11 Jul 1771 conveyed his right in the township of Raymond to Nathaniel Jones.  It is apparent that Moses was an alert man.  He claimed everything he was entitled to for his own service and as the eldest male, the rights of three brothers killed in two different wars.  It is inferred that he would have claimed the rights of his  brother Henry Gage also, if he had been legally entitled to do so.

Henry Gage's grant, Lot #50 with rights #4 and #91 were sold at vendue (public sale) in Falmouth (Portland) on 20 Nov 1743 for 13 pounds.  Henry Gage was a "delinquent proprietor.“  There was pressure on the proprietors to build a meeting house, engage a minister and teacher, "spot" roads and other matter, to bring forward the settlement.   Henry Gage was delinquent and so his land was sold at public sale and he gave up his share.  The right was purchased by Gamaliel Pote, a young man who had married in August 1743 and desired to establish a home in Gorhamtown.

Henry Gage was not necessarily a resident of Gorhamtown although for that period between 1735, when the grants were made, and 1743 when the share was sold, he could have been.  It is believed that Henry Gage claimed his grant and if he ever was at Gorhamtown, he quickly removed himself and was never really a part of the community.   He is not on any of the community records, tax lists or church records, and when his land was sold he was out of the picture completely.

This indicates that this right of Henry Gage, son of Thomas Gage of Yarmouth, was taken up by one of his own descendants.  It follows therefore that Henry was married, that he did have a family including at least one son.  The Henry Gage "delinquent proprietor" at Gorhamtown was either a son or a grandson of the slain soldier.  If he were a son he must have been at least 67 years old in 1743 when the land was sold.  It is more likely that he was a grandson of Henry Gage the soldier.