GENERATION 12

GENERATION 11

Biography

THOMAS DIMON is the first provable ancestor of the Dimon family of Fairfield, Fairfield, CT. He settled in Fairfield prior to 1650, but little is his history and his ancestry is a matter of conjecture. The name Dimon, also spelled "Dimond" and "Dymond" in early Connecticut records, suggests British origins. We might therefore speculate that THOMAS was born in England shortly after 1600 and immigrated to New England as an adult.

When THOMAS DIMON settled in Fairfield, the town founded in 1639 on Long Island Sound was growing steadily. Grain and timber were Fairfield's agricultural staples and the basis of an early export business. Excellent harbors in the town's immediate vicinity encouraged commerce and gave Fairfield the resource it needed to become a navigational center for all of the western Connecticut colony.

THOMAS profited from Fairfield's costal trade both as a mariner and a shipowner. In the early 1650's he owned and operated a vessel valued at about £200. When the boat "suffered a great loss by fire", in 1655/56, one of his friends in Fairfield wrote the Governor at New Haven to ask for help in raising money for THOMAS' relief. It is not known if any relief was actually received by THOMAS. He died in the fall of 1658. His property was inventoried on Oct. 19, 1658. Since no mention is made of his wife in his will it is assumed she predeceased him.

On Oct. 19, 1658, after his father's death, Thomas was apprenticed to Major Nathan Gold of Fairfield, Fairfield, CT. The court record shows that the apprenticeship was to last until the age of twenty-one, at which time John would be paid twelve pounds.

Sometime after John came of age he moved from Fairfield to New London, New London, CT, along with his younger brother Thomas. One June 17, 1674, he married Rebecca Bemis Minter, daughter of James and Sarah Bemis, and widow of Tobias Minter. John, like his father and brother Thomas was a mariner. John died about 1680, and on Aug. 2, 1682, his widow married a third time, Benedict Shatterly.

On Oct. 19, 1658, after his father's death, Thomas was apprenticed to William Ward of Fairfield, Fairfield, CT. The court record shows that the apprenticeship was to last five years, at which time Thomas would be paid eleven pounds.

After serving the five years, Thomas moved from Fairfield to New London, New London, CT, about the same time as his brother John. New London was noted as a center for coastal trade. As early as 1670, town records refer to Thomas as a mariner. Like many other New Londoners, Thomas was not only the master of his vessel, but also the owner. Consequently, when his barque Providence wrecked off the Connecticut coast on Nov. 28, 1679, he suffered tremendous financial losses.

On Sep. 22, 1670, in New London, he married Elizabeth Bradley, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Brewster) Bradley. Thomas died in New London in 1687. In 1702 his heirs sold the Dimond house and wharf on Bream Cove to Benjamin Starr.