English Explorer.  David Thomson (sometimes spelled Thompson) was the first non-Native American settler of, and founder of, the State of New Hampshire. He also founded the city of Piscataqua, New Hampshire. David was apprenticed as a seaman as a youth, and made frequent trips to America. His first journey to America was in 1607, well before the pilgrims voyaged to the new land in 1620. He made another trip to New England in 1616. Thomson and others built a shelter in Biddleford Pool, Maine, to prove to Sir Fernando Gorges, a powerful British nobleman, that it was possible to survive through the winter in New England. Upon arrival, the ship was attacked by Native Americans until Thomson interceded. In his prior trips to America, he gained favor with the natives, including a native named Squanto. Thomson established a fishing trade, and when Miles Standish of Plymouth asked for Thomson’s assistance to feed the starving Pilgrims, Thomson provided enough salted cod to keep the Pilgrims alive in 1623. Thomson’s appearance in Plymouth that year was the source of the second Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth. Thomson moved south from New Hampshire to Boston, Massachusetts. An island was named after David, and today, Thompson’s Island remains one of the last undeveloped parts of the city of Boston. David Thomson disappeared in 1628, never to be seen or heard from again. It is suspected that he drowned in Boston Harbor. A book titled “First Yankee” was written about the life of David Thomson. (bio by: Mike Beard)  Family links:  Spouse:  Amias Cole Thomson Maverick (1593 – ____)*  Children:  Miles Tompson (1627 – 1703)* *Calculated relationship