I have read that at the Public Record Office in London is still preserved a list of one hundred and fifteen Norfolk persons who, between 8 April and 13 April 1637, were examined and licensed to pass to New England to inhabit and remain. They were to sail from Yarmouth, England, either in the ship John and Dorothy, Capt. William Andrews, Sen., master, or in the ship Rose, Capt. William Andrews, Jr., master. Our Thomas Flege, aged 21 years, and his future wife, Marable Vnderwood, aged 20 years, were listed along with another man, Isacke Hartt, aged 22 years, as servants of passenger Richard Caruear of Skratby in the County of Norff, aged 60 years, and Grace his wife, aged 40 years, who had with them their two daughters, Elizabeth and Susanna, twins, aged 18 years. (This information may be found in Exchequer, Kings Rembrancer, Licenses to Pass beyond the Seas, No. 21, Public Record Office, London. I found it in the book by Ernest Flagg, Genealogical Notes on Founding of New England, p. 438.)

There are records of two Thomas Fleggs in England who were first cousins and who could have been our immigrant ancestor: one baptized in Whinbergh, Norfolk, England, 1615, son of Bartholomew and Alicia (.....) Flegg, grandson of John and Aveline (Bennington) Robinson Flegg; the other baptized in Hardingham, Norfolk, England, 6 May 1621, son of Allen and Nazareth (Devoroys) Flegg, grandson of John and Aveline (Bennington) Robinson Flegg. The members of this family were the descendants of a long line of Fleggs going back several generations to an Algar Flegg. Until other evidence is found, no one can say which Thomas was our ancestor but we can say that this particular Flegg family was our ancestral family.

The name in England was spelled Fleg, Flege, Flegh, Fleght, Fleggh, Flight, and Flegg in various records. It is an old English surname, the family having its origin, tradition says, in a Norse viking who ravaged the eastern coast of England and started a settlement in Norfork about AD 868. The spelling Flagg was not used until our ancestors in New England, reason unknown but seemingly by common consent, began using that spelling around 1700. Thomas Flagg was the ancestor of all the American families of this name as far as the genealogists know.

Thomas settled as early as 1641 in Watertown, MA, and became a proprietor and yeoman. He had a grant of six acres, also, the twenty acres originally granted to a John Rose. He was a lieutenant of the Watertown company and lost his left eye by a gunshot wound previous to the year 1659. He served his town as a selectman for several terms throughout the years and, as late as 1693, served on the grand jury.

Thomas and his wife Mary (Underhill) Flagg had twelve children, all born in Watertown, MA:

• Gershom, b. 16 April 1641; d. 6 July 1690, probably in the expedition to Port Royal; m. in Woburn, MA, 15 April 1668, Hannah Leppingwell. They had eleven children and lived in the center of Woburn village where Gershom was a tanner.
• John, b. 14 June 1643; d. probably in Watertown, MA, 6 Feb. 1696/7; m. 30 March 1670, Mary Gale, daughter of Richard Gale of Watertown, MA. John was made "freeman" 11 Oct.1682 and was constable in 1685. At the time of John's death, he had one son, John, and one daughter, Mary.
• Batholomew, b. 23 Feb. 1645; was a member of Capt. Samuel Moseley's Company in Dec. of 1675.
• Thomas, b. 28 April 1646; m. 18 Feb. 1668, Rebecca Dix, daughter of Edward Dix of Watertown, MA. They had six children.
• William, b. 1648 (?); killed by Indians 22 Aug. 1675 in Lancaster, MA.
• Michael, b. 23 March 1651; d. probably in Worcester, MA, 16 Oct. 1711; m. 3 June 1674 (1) Mary Bigelow who d. 3 Sept. 1704; m.27 Dec. 1704; m. (2) Mary Erle. Michael was a proprietor 1675 of Worcester, MA. They had six children.
• Eleazer, b. 14 May 1653; d. in Concord, MA, 21 May 1722; m. 10 Oct. 1676, Deborah Barnes of Concord, MA, where they resided. He was a tanner, held town offices, was made "freeman" 22 March 1690, and was in the "Narragansett Expedition" in 1675. They had at least seven children.
• Elizabeth, b. 22 March 1655; d. probably in Watertown, MA, 9 Aug. 1729; m. 20 Oct. 1676, Joshua Bigelow of Watertown, MA. They had twelve children.
• Mary, b. 14 June 1657; d. probably in Watertown, MA, 7 Sept. 1720; m. 3 June 1674, Samuel Bigelow of Watertown, MA. They had ten children.
• Rebecca, b. 5 Sept. 1660; d. 20 June 1721; m. 19 Nov. 1679, Stephen Cook of Cambridge, MA. They had eight children.
• Benjamin, b. 25 June 1662; d. in Worcester, MA, 3 May 1741; m. 26 Sept. 1690, Experience Child.
• Allen, b. 16 May 1665; d. probably in Watertown, MA, in Nov. of 1711; m. 12 March 1685, Sarah Ball, daughter of John Ball, Jr. of Watertown, MA. They had nine children.

Benjamin and his family moved to Worcester, MA, sometime after the birth of their children. Benjamin was an early proprietor of that town.

Benjamin and his wife Experience (Child) Flagg had nine children, all born in Watertown, MA:

• Benjamin, b. 25 Aug. 1691; d. in Worcester, MA, 12 June 1751.
• Experience, b. 5 May 1693; m. 26 Oct. 1713, Caleb Ball of Concord, MA.
• Abigail, b. 16 April 1694.
• Batholomew, b. 16 Nov. 1697; d. prior to 1744, He was a mariner of Bristol, MA, now RI. He had two children.
• Elizabeth, b. 28 Dec. 1699; m. in Weston, MA, 15 Feb. 1719/20, Peter King, alias Rice.
• Gershom, b. 11 July 1702.
• Mary, bpt. 9 April 1704.
• Ebenezer, b. 21 Jan. 1705/6.
• Richard, b. 30 May 1708; d. in Holden, MA, 12 Nov. 1799, aged 91 years; m. Grace -----, d. in Holden, MA, 4 Dec. 1808, aged 100 years. Richard was a lieutenant and they had children.