Samuel Thornton, brother of Hon. Matthew Thornton, lived at Campton, NH, and later at Hatley and Stanstead, Canada. He is said to have married twice, and to have had 22 children, 11 by each wife. By his second wife (not named), he had the following children: 1. Samuel(2)(b. 1775); 2. Reuben; 3. Sarah; 4. Abram; 5. Catharine; 6. Dorcas (b. 1779); 7. Eleanor; 8. William; 9. Samuel; 10. Hannah; 11. Unknown.

Dorcas, daugther of Samuel Thornton, b. 1779, married in 1802 to John Durgin; her many descendants are annotated in "Runnels' History of Sanbornton, NH".

I.

Samuel(2) was born at Thornton, NH on April 15, 1775; married (1802) [another source puts the date as November 13, 1798] Catherine Baker (b. May 13, 1779) of Campton, NH. She is said to have been related to Lord Chatham of England. Their children, born between 1805 and 1819 were: 1. David; 2. Hannah; 3. William; 4. Chester; 5. Sally; 6. Matthew; 7. unknown [perhaps Samuel(3) referenced later?]; 8. John (b. February 2, 1818; d. August 3, 1914).

Samuel(2), when he was 17 years old, went to London, England. He adopted a system of coking, which gave him great success among the iron masters near London. He returned to America and settled in Wheelock, VT. He died in Hatley, Province of Quebec, Canada on January 1, 1866. His wife Catherine died March 10, 1860.

David Thornton lived in Campton, NH. He married Lydia Clark and then had ten children, born between 1834 and 1855.

Hannah Thornton married Shepard Morse. They had six children, some of whom live in Tiverton, RI [as of 1905]. Hannah Thornton married a second time, to John Hall. Mrs. Charles N. Peckham of Fall River, MA, is their daughter [as of 1905].

William Thornton lived in Fall River, MA, and had three children.

Chester Thornton lived in New Bedford, MA, and had five children.

Sally Thornton, known as "Sally the Preacher", built a church in Thornton, NH, where she preached. She was known as a gifted speaker.

II.

Samuel(3) Thornton lived in Hardwick, VT; had eight children, one of whom, John C., lives in Dorchester, MA [as of 1905].

John Thornton (b. 1818) married Arvilla Sweetzer (b. March 22, 1826, Sheffield, VT; died August 3, 1914) at Sheffield, VT on January 7, 1842, and lived in Wheelock, VT. They had seven children: 1. Chester (November 9, 1842-January 9, 1902; buried Oakwood, Troy, NY); 2. Eleanor (March 8, 1844-December 5, 1898, buried at LaCrossi, OH); 3. Mary J. (January 30, 1846-April 24, 1924; buried at Oakwood, Troy, NY); 4. Eliza (Feburary 15-July 10, 1854; buried Oakwood, Troy, NY); 5. Leonard (October 1848-October 12, 1912; buried Oakwood, Troy, NY); 6. John H. (April 27, 1850-Feburary 16, 1917; buried Oakwood, Troy, NY); 7. Hollis (July 12, 1852-July 10, 1855)[one of several boys named Hollis in this branch of the Thornton family - none survived infancy].

IIIA.

Leonard Thornton married Maria Ann Devett on August 18, 1870. they had two children: Eleanor S. and Caroline A. Thornton.

Eleanor F. Thornton married William Henry Sherwood.

Mary J. Thornton married Lewis Henry Wait and lives in Troy, NY [as of 1905].

John H. Thornton lived in Bogota, NJ [as of 1905]. A first marriage, to Mary Ludmyer, was in 1870, without issue. He married his niece, Anna Louise (b. July 22, 1872 in Brooklyn [19 Grove Street])on January 15, 1891 in Troy, NY. John H. died February 16, 1917. Anna Louise Thornton died October 15, 1959. Their children are as follows:

Ella Louise (b. Feb. 18, 1892) in West New York, NJ. She married Everett Adam Clint December 23, 1915 at Wyantskill, NY. Their children: 1. Kenneth Jessie (b. April 24, 1917 in Troy, NY); 2. Anna Mabel (b. Dec. 9, 1923 in Broken Arrow, NB); 3. Everett Adam, Jr. (b. Sep. 5, 1925 in Lillian, NB); 4. Carolyn May (b. May 20, 1929 in Erie, PA).

Harvey John Thornton (b. April 8, 1894) - born at High Bridge, NY; married to Mable Lane at Marietta, OH on December 25, 1920. Enlisted in the service, NY Reg. and served all through WWI. Discharged 1919. Children: 1. Mabel; 2. Dorothy Goldie (b. Nov. 1, 1921, Kenosha, WI); 3. Mary Jane (b. July 26, 1923, Hawaii); 4. Harvey, Jr. (b. Oct. 28, 1924, Hawaii); 5. Lucianna (b. Aug. 27, 1928, Fort Sill, OK); 6. Leonard Henry (b. Feb. 16, 1931, Corcisena, TX).

Arvilla Lillian Thornton (b. Nov. 12, 1895). Married to Casper Schmidt at Wyantskill, NY on October 4, 1916; divorced at Broken Bow, NB. No children.

William Sherwood - born August 18, 1899 at Bogota, NJ; died January 12, 1901.

Hollis Wood - born November 10, 1902; died November 12, 1902.

Lansing Sweetzer (b. July 17, 1904) at Bogota, NJ; married Bertha Avis Nuly at Easton, NY on October 10, 1931. Children: 1. Bertha; 2. Avis Louise (b. July 10, 1934, Samaritan Hospital, Troy, NY); 3. Henry Leonard (b. July 1, 1935, Fonda, NY); 4. Lansing Harvey (b. Feb. 6, 1938, Fonda, NY): 5. Alice Mae (b. July 3, 1939, Fonda, NY); and 6. Arleta (b. Oct. 26, 1940, Fonda, NY).

Mabel Eliza (b. Dec. 9, 1906, Teaneck, NJ); married Harold L. Hayes on March 31, 1933. Children: Arvilla Mae, born April 1, 1934 at Richmondville, NY. Mabel then married Clinton Tryon from Schoharie, NY September 11, 1949.

Leonard Henry (b. March 20, 1909, Teaneck, NJ); died October 19, 1942.

IIIV. Descendants of Chester Thornton
Son of John Thornton (b. 1818) and Arvilla Sweetzer Thornton (b. 1826)

Chester Thornton (Nov. 8, 1842-Jan. 9, 1902) married Mary Elizabeth Wood (July 8, 1846-Feb. 11, 1890). Chester is buried at Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, NY; Mary Wood Thornton is buried at Oakgrove, Fall River, MA. Their children: 1. Anna Louise (July 22, 1872-Oct. 16, 1959); 2. John Thomas (Aug. 28, 1874); 3. Mabel Warren (March 14, 1876-Feb. 28, 1950); 4. Lillian Jay [Jane] (Nov. 16, 1878-Aug. 26, 1950); Eliza Arvilla (Sep. 3, 1882-Feb. 15, 1951); 6. Edith Sherwood (b. Dec. 21, 1884); and 7. Hollis Wood (March 22, 1888-Oct. 24, 1980).

Anna Louise - she married her uncle John H. Thornton; descendents are detailed previously.

John Thomas - born Aug. 17, 1874. Married Emma Cook. Children: 1. Chester (1902-1964); 2. Joel; 3. John; 4. Louis; 5. Lillian; 6. Mary; 7. Harvey; and 8. Eliza. Of these siblings, only Lillian and Eliza still survive. Lillian married William Gnerre and has three children, Robert, William and Joan. She resides near her sons in Florida; Joan lives in New Hampshire. Eliza married Eugene Puntasecca. They had four children: Eugene, David, Stephen and Alan. Eliza resides in Manhawkin, NJ.

Mabel Warren married William Goodier. She died Feb. 28, 1950; he died December 4, 1931.

Lillian Jay[Jane] married a man named Rogers. She died August 26, 1950.

Eliza Arvilla married a name named Simmons. She died February 15, 1951.

John Thomas Thornton's marriage to Emma Cok produced the eight children as detailed above. Their son Chester (b. 1926) married Catherine Malthaner and they had four children: 1. Emma; 2. Catherine; 3. George; and 4. Joel Wood. Both Chester and Catherine Thornton died in 1964, and are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, New Windsor, NY.

Emma married John Weaver. They had six children: 1. John; 2. Jean; 3. June; 4. Thomas; 5. Ruth Ann; and 6. Timothy. John Weaver, Sr. died in 1985. Emma now lives in Kansas near her son Timothy. The rest of her children live in New York and other states.

Catherine had a daughter Edith in 1944. She married Charles Velie and had four children 1. John Velie; 2. Kathleen Velie; 3. Kenneth Velie; and 4. Susan Velie. Catherine and Charles Velie divorced in 1970. Catherine married George Geis and resides in Arizona.

Edith Thornton married Joseph E. Earl, Jr. in 1963. They had two daughters: Susan Eileen (b. Feb. 1, 1964)and a younger sister born in 1966. Susan has a daughter, Sara Lynn (b. Nov. 14, 1987) and a son, Drew Scott (b. Dec. 13, 1990) by her first husband, Jeffrey Peterson (b. Jan. 1, 1965, Dunkirk, NY). Susan has remarried Leonard Kupkowski (b. Aug. 12, 1962) and resides in Dunkirk, NY. The younger sister has three sons: Connor John Patrick (b. 1990); Sean Thomas (b. 1993) and Ian Charles (b. 1996). Edith and Joseph Earl divorced in 1972; Edith is now married to Thomas Decker (b. May 27, 1947) and they reside in Wallkill, NY.

John Velie married - his wife's name is Anna. They reside in Newburgh, NY and have no children.

Kathleen Velie married James Dewar in 1969. They have two children, Brian and Mary. They reside in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Kenneth Velie is not married. he resides near his mother in Arizona.

Susan Velie married John "Jack" Alonge; they reside in Dunkirk, NY; their daughter, Mattine Marie was born in 1986.

George Thornton married twice; his first wife was named Mary and the second was named Mary Ann. His first wife died in 1969; their children were: 1. Thomas; 2. Linda; 3. Sharon - Linda is deceased; Thomas and Sharon reside in Florida. George died [date to be provided]. George's second marriage produced two daughters and a son, Sandra, Cynthia and Phillip. His widow and children were last known to reside in Florida.