"Mr Thomas Clap was born in Dorchester, England, 1597. He came to New England with the early settlers of Dorchester, where his brothers John, Richard and Ambrose tarried. Thomas proceeded to Weymouth, where his first son Thomas was born 1639. He had grants of land in Hingham, 1637, but never resided there. His farm in Weymouth was near the present residence of Hon. Christopher Webb. He came to Scituate 1740. We find no record of his children born here, but we learn from incidental records, that he had Eleazer, Samuel, Elizabeth, Prudence, John born 1658, and Abigail born 1659. His farm in Scituate was on the south-west of Stockbridge's mill pond, and now owned by Calvin Jenkins, sen. He was a Deacon of the first Church 1647. He was an active, useful, and venerable man." [Samuel Deane, History of Scituate, Massachusetts]
"Thomas Clapp. Son of Richard Clapp, of England, and cousin of Roger and Edward, was born in Dorchester, England, in 1597. He came over to this country, probably, ... in the ship which arrived from Weymoutn (Eng.) on the 24th of July, 1633. The probability is that Thomas and Nicholas, and their cousin Edward, came over together, and John some time afterward. The name of Thomas Clapp appears, in 1634, on the Town Records of Dorchester, where his brothers Nicholas and John settled, lived and died. After his arrival in this country, Thomas remaind a few years in Dorchester, being admitted as a freeman there in 1638, and then removed to Weymouth, Mass., probably with the intention of settling there. His farm was near what has since been the residence of Hon. Christopher Webb, of that place. "Farmer, in his Genealogical Register, says that Thomas, senior, removed from Waymouth to Hingham, and thence to Scituate; while Deane says he had grands of land in Hingham, but never resided there. Whether he did remove there or not, there is little doubt that it was his intention to do so when the grant of lands was made to him. If he was an inhabitant of Scituate as early as 1640, as Deane says, it is very unlikely that he ever took up his residence in Hingham, as there is evidence of ihs being in Weymouth the year pervious. He was Deacon of the Church in Scituate in 1647, and was warmly engaged in a theological controversy respecting the form of baptism, which commenced about 1641, with the Rev. Charles Chauncey, then minister in Scituate, but afterwards President of Harvard College. Mr. Clapp was one of the committee of three, in 1675, who sent a letter to the Second Church, informing them that a reconciliation had taken place after a controversy of 33 years. Mr. Clapp was a Deputy to the Court in 1649, and overseer of the poor in 1667, that being the first year such officers were chosen. He was a useful and enterprising man. He died April 20, 1684, greatly respected. His farm in Scituate was on the south-west of Stockbridge's mill-pond, and afterwards owned by Calvin Jenkins. Who his wife was had not been ascertained, excepting that her christian name was Abigail. "Richard Sylvester, who lived in Weymouth about 1640, held doctrines too liberal for the age in which he lived; they were supposed to be similar to those of his minister, Mr. Lenthial, whose doctrine was 'that all baptized persons should be admitted to the church without further trial.' This Mr. Lenthial afterward retracted before the General Court of Massachusetts; but Sylvester refusing, he was disfranchised, and therefore removed into Scituate, then in the Plymouth Colony and out of their jurisdiction. As Thomas Rawlins, Thomas Clapp, James Torrey and William Holbrook went to Scituate about the same time, Deane supposed it was on account of holding similar opinions." [Clapp Memorial]
