Born in England. Lived in Aylesford, Kent County, England. Left England w ith wife Susanna and first five children, sailing from Sandwich, Kent C ounty, England on the "Hercules" in 1634-35. First came to Cambridge, M assachusetts, in 1635, then settled in Duxbury in 1638. He was made a f reeman in 1646. In 1651, he was one of the original proprietors and fir st settlers of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Died in 1681. Parents: unkno wn. Siblings: unknown. The name Hayward is derived from the Saxon and signifies the keeper of t he common herd or cattle of a town, from "heig" meaning hay, and "ward" m eaning keeper She was the daughter of Thomas Hayward, a tailor from Aylsford, Kent, E ngland, who came in the Hercules in 1635, with his wife, Susanna Towne, a nd their five children. He settled at Duxbury before 1638, and probably a t Bridgewater in 1651, being one of the first proprietors there in 1645 . He was admitted a freeman in 1646. It is speculated that he may have m ade an earlier trip to New England, perhaps to assess his prospects bef ore bringing his family, as one Thomas Hayward appears on the ship''s li st for the William and Frances in 1632. SOURCES: GL: The Fobes Family in America and Descendants of John Fobes, by Lawrence Fobes, 1976, pp 1-5; Early New England Settlers, 1600s-1 800s, Guide to the Early Settlers of America, p 247, ibid, Pl anters of the Commonwealth, Lists of Passengers and the Ships Which Bro ught Them, pp 96-97, ibid, Ancestral Heads of New England Famili es, p. 124; ibid, One Hundred and Sixty Allied Families, p 9 ; The Howard Genealogy, Descendants of John Howard of Bridgewater, M assachusetts from 1643 to 1903, by Heman Howard, 1903; Mayflower So urce Records, Abstracts of the First Wills in the Probate Office, Pl ymouth, p 532; Massachusetts Genealogical Records, Pioneers of M assachusetts, p 171.   THOMAS HAYWARD , Cambridge, came in the Hercules 1635,from Sandwich, be ing tailor of Aylesford, Co. Kent, with w. Susanna, and five ch. but he h ad perhaps been here as early as 1632, coming with Winslow in the Willi am and Francis, and satisf. with prospects, went home to bring them; se tt. at Duxbury bef. 1638, prob. at Bridgewater 1651, being of the first p roprs. 1645, was freem. of the col. 1646, had Thomas, Nathaniel, John, Joseph, Elisha, Mary, w. of Edw ard Mitchell, and Martha, w. of John Howard; but of these we are unable t o discrim. which were b. in Eng. or whether even he were that Kentish m an, or not. He d. 1681. Elisha never was m. made his will 1703. Descend . of Thomas are more num. says Mitchell, than those of any other inhab. NEHGR: 14:300 Founders of New England (Rolls Office, Chancery Lane, Lon don) Passengers for New England March 1631 Thomas Haeward, Edmond (Edward?) Winslowe, and William Perkins (Author'' s note: "Edward Winslow arrived on the William and Francis, June 5, 163 2) from http://books.google.com/books?id=1M8UAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA825&lpg=PA825&d q=peter+hayward+ abigail+williams&source=bl&ots=QwEJ8YKMtr&sig=y0DYAWad a01d7w_NQVRi70S3zEY&hl=en& ei=Wq1YTdiwEM-BtgeO--XVDA&sa=X&oi=book_resul t&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAA #v=onepage&q=peter%20hayward%20abi gail%20williams&f=false  Thomas Hayward, the imigrant ancestor, came from Aylesford, England, i n the ship Hercules in March 1634 accompanied by his wife Susannah and 5 c hildren. He settled first at Cambridge, MA, where he was a proprietor i n 1635-36. He moved to Duxbury, MA before 1638 and was a proprietor and p urchaser there Nov. 5, 1638. In 1644 he was in court, and on June 1, 16 47 was made a freeman. He moved to Bridgewater, MA where he was one of t he original proprietors. His will was dated June 29, 1678, and in it he b equeathed to his sons Elisha and Jos. and to grandchild Joseph. He died i n 1681. Children: Thomas, Nathaniel, John, JOSEPH, Elisha, mary, Martha . Thomas Hayward was born circa 1597, in England. He first arrived in Boston, Massac husetts, on June 5, 1632 in a ship called "William and Mary." Af terwards, he returned to Aylesford, England, to bring his wife, Susanna h and his five children to New England. Thomas'' return voyage, to New E ngland, was on the ship "Hercules," sailing from Sandwich to Boston. Th e "Hercules" landed on May 14, 1634. Thomas Hayward was a proprietor in C ambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in 1635 or 1636, and bought l and in 1638 in Duxbury, Plymouth County, MA. Thomas was a freeman in Ap ril 1637. Then he became the constable in Duxbury in 1648. By 1665, he s old the land, given to him by the Plymouth Court, to George Russell, an d in 1669, he sold his Duxbury land to William Pabodie