Thomas Edmunds Marshall

Thomas Edmunds Marshall was the first generation American in my family. He was originally from Wales, but moved to England as a young child and had grown up there. Religion has always been a big part of my family’s life, since my uncle and my grandfather are pastors. The importance of religion has been passed down from generation to generation, and it began with Thomas’s involvement in religious tolerance. In England in the 1700s, religious prejudice was a large issue. The government was completely anti-Catholic, and other religions were always getting misinterpreted by outsiders. He needed to leave England in order to escape from the religious prejudice. The colonies were still a very new development, so he decided that they were the best place for him to go in order to start a new chapter in his life. The rest of his family didn’t come to the colonies with him because they weren’t financially able, so he moved to a completely different country all alone. Once he came to America, he bought a small piece of land in Virginia, and began farming. He didn’t have much, so his farm wasn’t too big and wasn’t too profitable, but it gave him enough money to stay in the colonies where he was able to express his religion freely without having to worry about what others thought about his beliefs. He saved every penny possible so that he could help his parents afford to move to the colonies. Finally after two years of both he and his parents saving all the money they could, his parents were able to move to the colonies to live with him. If Thomas hadn’t been so involved in religious tolerance, then my family may not still be so involved in our religion. Even though his action of coming to the colonies may not seem like it would impact his ancestors other than where they live, it has made a lasting impression on one of the most important things in our world, religion.