The supposed ancestry of Thomas Duston (c. 1606-1662), ancestor of the New
England Duston/Dustins is NOT CORRECT. That data was found in the 1920's
and thoroughly researched by the Duston-Dustin Family Association and they
proved it was incorrect and deleted it from their records before publishing
their first generation booklet.

This incorrect lineage tries to inject an extra generation into the Dustin
family suggesting that Thomas Durston who married Elizabeth Burgess was the
one who came to America and that their son Thomas Durston b. 1627 died in
1703. THIS IS INCORRECT.

The conclusion was first accepted prematurely because Thomas who came here
was eventually married to an Elizabeth (Wheeler) and the Thomas in Wilton
parish had a wife named Elizabeth (Burgess). Well, Thomas and Elizabeth are
hardly rare names. It is also certain that the Thomas who came to American
in 1632 with the Trelawney party was a single man as were most who came
with that group.

There is no evidence that the Thomas Durston, son of Thomas and Elizabeth
(Burgess) Durston bap. 1627 ever came to America. The phony lineage fails
to point out that this Thomas Durston bap. 1627 had a had a wife named Joan
and a child born in Wilton, England in the late 1640's when "our" Thomas
Duston/Durston had already been living in New England nearly 20 years.

"Our" Thomas Durston/Duston made a deposition in 1661 that he was about 55
years old, which puts his birth at about 1606. Other records prove that
"our" Thomas (b. abt. 1606) was married to Elizabeth Wheeler, not to
Elizabeth Burgess. There was only one Thomas Duston in New England early,
not two, and he was the one who was made a Freeman at Kittery on Nov. 16,
1652 and died between April of 1661 and July 1, 1662.

The idea there was a second Thomas b. 1627 d. 1703 is fictitious, created
from misinterpreting records and speculation trying to force the Wilton
parish Durston lineage "fit." It does not fit.

We have never been able to prove the parentage of Thomas Durston/Duston (c.
1606-1662) in England and perhaps it will never be proven. Unfortunately,
this fictitious lineage has been accepted by many and posted on the
Internet as "gospel" and it will probably never go away, but I can assure
you it is not correct.

Chris H. Bailey, genealogist for the Duston-Dustin Family Association.

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