The earliest history of this family is in a manuscript by Hon. George C. Clyde, grandson of Col. Samuel Clyde of Cherry Valley, NY, who married Catherine Wasson, nice of Hon. Matthew Thornton. This manuscript is in the possession of Dr. James D. Clyde, also of Cherry Valley, and the following is an extraction therefrom:

"Col. Clyde's mother's name was Esther Rankin. His wife's name was Catherine Wasson. She was a niece of Matthew Thornton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and was born in Leicester, MA, in the town of Worcester in 1737. Her family was originally English, but emigrated to the north of Ireland. Her mother's name was Agnes Thornton, and her [grand]mother was Nancy Smith who, with her husband James Thornton, was in the seige of Londonderry [Ireland] in 1689, when it was beseiged by King James and relieved by the Prince of Orange. They lived on a farm about a mile from the city, and were subject to frequent visits from King James' troopers. On one occasion, a party of marauders, among whom was a trooper who had been a hired servant to Mr. Thornton, rode up to their house and, throwing the bridle of his horse to Mr. Thornton, told him to walk him up and down while they got some refreshments. Mr. Thornton was quite indignant but did not dare to refuse. When the trooper mounted again, he told Mr. Thornton in a whisper that he had saved his life, and had done it only as a protection to him. On another occasion, a party who paid them a visit said to Mrs. Thornton 'the sugar plums from Derry are plenty today', meaning the balls from the cannon which were playing upon them. 'Yes', she said, 'and I hope you may get some of them before the day is over'. Her husband told her afterwards he expected her reply would have cost her her life. She came to this country with her husband, and Mrs. Clyde said she was a very handsome woman, and would knit and tell stories all day long when she was so old, she could do no other work."

According to the Clyde manuscript, James Thornton, father of Hon. Matthew Thornton and of Agnes Thornton, was living with his wife near Londonderry, Ireland in 1689, but it is evident that in handing down the family tradition, a generation was omitted, as James, father of Hon. Matthew Thornton, was not more than five years of age in 1689, which is shown by the record on his gravestone in Forest Hill Cemetary, East Derry, N.H. [That states James Thornton] died on November 7, 1754 in the 70th year of his age. It will be assumed, therefore, that the James Thornton and Nancy Smith, his wife, who are referred to in the Clyde manuscript as living near Londonderry, Ireland in 1689 were the grandparents of Hon. Matthew Thornton.

The Clyde manuscript states that the Thorntons lived on a farm about a mile from the city of Londonderry at the time of the siege, and that they were subject to frequent visits from the troopers of King James. The Clyde farm was on Carn Hill, which is about a mile from the City of Londonderry, on the road to Limavady, and at the time of the siege, Sir N. O'Neils' dragoons were stationed on the easterly bank of the River Foyle near Carn Hill. It seems probable, therefore, that the farm of the Thorntons was on or near Carn Hill, in some location which was protected from the "sugar plums" from Derry.

The Clyde manuscript is authority for the following facts:

1. That the Thornton family was of English origin.

2. That the Thornton family emigrated to the north of Ireland, and that James Thornton and Nancy Smith, his wife, were living on a farm about a mile from Londonderry at the time of the siege in 1689.

3. That James Thornton and Nancy Smith, his wife, emigrated to America.

The place of origin in England of this branch of the Thornton family is unknown.

Several families of Thorntons emigrated from England to Ireland,among them the Thorntons of Grenville, who emigrated in the reign of James I and settled in Londonderry. A member of this family, Robert Thornton, was mayor of Londonderryat the breaking out of the rebellion in 1641. He and others of his family purchased property in Londonderry and elsewhere from the London companies. William Thornton, son of William Thornton of Bentham, Yorkshire County, England, settled in Muff, Ireland, near Londonderry. O'Hart [?] states that in the reign of Elizabeth about 100,000 acres in the County Limerick were confiscated and divided among English families, some of whom were Thorntons.

James(2) Thornton [son of James Thornton and Nancy Smith, Londonderry, Ireland] had eight children: 1. James 2. Andrew 3. Matthew 4. Agnes 5. William 6. Samuel 7. Hannah and 8. Esther. Of these children, Matthew was born in Ireland, probably near Londonderry, in 1714.

The Thornton family is said to have been among the 120 families who, in five small ships, arrived in Boston, MA on August 5, 1718, and in the fall of that year, to have gone to Falmouth (now Portland) Maine, where they spent the winter on shipboard, enduring great hardships. They then went to Wiscasset, ME,and after a stay there of a few years, they moved to Worcester, MA. In Worcester, the Thorntons lived on a farm near Tactknuck Hill, adjoining the town of Leicester. The only record that has been found of the wife of James Thornton is the deed of the Worcester farm, dated February 14, 1739-40, in which "Ketiran" Thornton joins. In 1740, James(2) Thornton moved from Worcester to Pelham, MA, of which town he was one of the founders and principle proprietors. He remained in Pelham,where he held various town offices, until 1748, when he moved to Londonderry,NH, where he resided until his death on November 7, 1754. He is buried in Forest Hills Cemetery, East Derry, NH beside his daughter Hannah Wallace.

Of the eight children of James(2) Thornton, descendants to all but the first two have been traced[as of 1905]. All that is known of James and Andrew is that they were co-grantees with their brother, Hon. Matthew, of the town of Thornton, NH, in 1768. This town was named in honor of Hon. Matthew Thornton.