THOMAS JOSLIN [#304], probably b. at Roxwell, Essex, Eng. late in 1591, d. Lancaster, MA 3 Jan 1660-1, m. abt. 1615 REBECCA ___, b. abt. 1592, d. between 1664 and 1669. She m(2) Lancaster 16 May 1664 William Kerley, d. 1669-70.
Thomas Joslin probably received his portion of his father's estate when he left home to make his way to London, as his father in his will of 1626, bequeathed to him only five pounds, whereas the other sons received much larger portions. Another possible reason for this difference, that has been put forth, is that he became a puritan and thus displeased his relatives.[2/74]
Some believe that about 1615 Thomas married Rebecca Marlowe, who was born in London about 1592, although no proof has been found to sustain this belief. After living in or near London for a number of years, they moved to Barnham in Suffolk where their youngest child was born. On 7 Apr 1635 Thomas and his family embarked for New England in the ship Increase of London, commanded by Capt. Robert Lea. The passenger list contained the names of "Thomas Jostlin, husbandman, aged 43; Rebecca, his wife, aged 43; Elizabeth Ward, a maid-servant, aged 38" and five of their children: Rebecca, 18; Dorothy, 11; Nathaniel, 8; Elizabeth, 6; and Mary, 1.[1/77]
The ship docked at Boston, and Thomas went first to Watertown. One source claims he bought land in Hingham in 1638, another claims he became an original proprietor of Sudbury in 1639. Both sources agree he was with his family in Hingham, MA in 1645, where he was a proprietor. He was also elected a selectman of Hingham in 1645[5/2:395] which would tend to indicate he had been in town for some time before. On 11 Mar 1653 his son-in-law Thomas Nichols purchased of Thomas Joslin his dwelling house, barn, and three acres of land which had belonged to Stephen Lincoln before Thomas Joslin bought it.[1/7778]
Thomas and his son Nathaniel sold their other Hingham property that year to George Lane and Moses Collier and removed to the new town of Lancaster on the western frontier, which is about forty miles west of Boston.[1/7879] Thomas and Nathaniel subscribed to the town orders 12 Nov 1654 and were both granted 50 acres of upland and swamp and also 40 acres of intervale land.[6/31]
Thomas made his will on 9 May 1660 in which are mentioned his wife Rebecca, sons Abraham and Nathaniel, daughters Rebecca Nichols, Elizabeth Emmons, and Mary Sumner, son-in-law Roger Sumner, and grandson Abraham Joslin. The will was witnessed by Mordeca Macload, James Butler, and Jacob Farrer and was proved 2 Apr 1661.[4/2:73] Thomas died in Lancaster on 3 Jan 1660-1. The inventory of his estate was taken 25 Jan 1660-1 by William Kerly and Jacob Farrar and amounted to 98.14.4.[4/2:75]
Rebecca married again on 16 Mar 1664 in Lancaster to William Kerley. He was also an original founder of Lancaster, and Rebecca was his third wife. The date of her death is not known, but it must be between 1664 and 1669.
REF: [1] The Joslin Family - Edith S. Wesler, 1961
[2] The Stevens-Miller Ancestry - Winifred Lovering Holman,
1948
[3] New England Historic Genealogical Register, 1917
[4] Middlesex County Probate (First Series Docket 12967)
[5] The History of Hingham, Massachusetts, 1893
[6] The Early Records of Lancaster - Henry S. Nourse, 1884
[7] The Birth, Marriage and Death Register of Lancaster - Henry
S. Nourse, 1890
[8] The American Genealogist - Vol. 53, 1977
Children (all born in England):
1. Rebecca, b. abt. 1616, d. Hingham, MA 22 Sep 1675, m. 1638 Thomas Nichols, d. Hingham 8 Nov 1696 2. Abraham, b. London abt. 1619, d. at sea 1670 3. Joseph, b. abt. 1621, d. before 1660 4. Dorothy, b. abt. 1624, d. Roxbury, MA 2 Dec 1645 unmarried 5. Nathaniel, b. London, Eng. 12 Jun 1627, d. Marlborough, MA 3 Apr 1694, m. 1656 Sarah King, d. Marlborough 2 Jul 1706 6. Elizabeth, b. abt. 1629, m(1) Boston, MA 21 Jun 1652 Edward Emmons (or Yeomans), m(2) 9 May 1662 John Kilby 7. Mary, bap. Barnham, Eng. 16 Mar 1633-4, d. Milton, MA 21 Aug 1711, m. Lancaster, MA 1656 Roger Sumner, b. Eng. abt. 1632, d. Milton 6 May 1698
NATHANIEL JOSLIN [#152], b. London, Eng. 12 Jun 1627, d. Marlborough, MA 3 Apr 1694, m. abt. 1656 SARAH KING (dau. of Thomas King and Anna Collins), b. prob. Eng. abt. 1632, d. Marlborough 2 Jul 1706.
Nathaniel Joslin came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his parents in 1635 on the ship Increase of London. He lived with them in Hingham and Lancaster and possibly Watertown and Sudbury. Nathaniel and his father were among those who signed the covenant for the formation of the town of Lancaster on 12 November 1654. He was made a freeman of Lancaster in 1673.[6/60] He took up forty acres on the North River, which became the nucleus of his large estate. Upon his mother's second marriage she granted some of the land left to her by Nathaniel's father. His house lot is described as being upon the neck of land on the east side of the North River, bounded west with the river, east by the commons, south by the lot of Stephen Gates, and north "by the Lott of his father Thomas Joslin".[7/269]
The Indians in the Lancaster area, the Nashaway Indians, were inclined to peace, and in various ways were of service to the settlers. This happy state of affairs, however did not last long. By 1675 the Indians were fed up with the English and decided to have a go at a different arrangement. Indian raids began on 22 August 1675 when eight persons were killed. This was the beginning of King Phillip's War. Nathaniel and his family were forced to leave Lancaster, escaping to Marlborough, where they spent the rest of their lives. Due to further Indian trouble Nathaniel and his son Nathaniel were assigned to a garrison in Marlborough 18 Mar 1691-2. This garrison included ten men and was headed by Capt. Henry Kerly.[3] Nathaniel Joslin, Sr. was taxed in Marlboro in 1688 at a rate of five shillings, five pence. He signed the list as one of the selectmen.[5]
In Nathaniel's will, dated 3 Mar 1694, were mentioned his wife Sarah, sons Nathaniel and Peter, and daughters Sarah, Dorothy, Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Martha. He also mentioned his brothers Reily and Sumner and "thirty acers of upland which my father Kinge gave unto me". The will was witnessed by John Maynard, Sr., John Woods, Sr., and Isaac Amsden.[4/8:406] The inventory of his estate was taken 23 Apr 1694 by John and James Houghten of Lancaster and consisted of 117.10.0 in real property there. Another inventory was made the next day by John Woods, Sr., Isaac Amsden, and James Hosmer in Marlborough. It included both real and personal estate and amounted to 274.09.06. This document refers to him as "Late deceased of Marlborough".[4/8:410]
REF: [1] The Joslin Family - Edith S. Wesler, 1961
[2] The Stevens-Miller Ancestry - Winifred Lovering Holman,
1948
[3] New England Historic Genealogical register, 1889 (pg.372)
[4] Middlesex County Probate (First Series Docket 12966)
[5] New England Historic Genealogical Register, 1882 (pg.192)
[6] History of the Town of Lancaster - Rev. Abijah P. Marvin,
1879
[7] The Early Records of Lancaster - Henry S. Nourse, 1884
[8] Leominster Vital Records
Children:
1. Elizabeth, b. Lancaster, MA 7 Jun 1657, d. same month 2. Nathaniel, b. Lancaster, MA 21 Apr 1658, d. Marlborough, MA 5 Mar 1725-6, m. Marlborough 8 Feb 1681-2 Hester Morse, b. Watertown, MA 11 Sep 1664, d. Marlborough 27 Aug 1725 3. Sarah, b. Lancaster 15 Jul 1660 (unmarried in 1702-3), m? 14 Apr 1714 Moses Newton 4. Dorothy, b. Lancaster 4 Mar 1662-3, m. John Johnson 5. Peter, b. Lancaster 22 Dec 1665, d. Leominster, MA 18 Apr 1759. His wife and three children were attacked by Indians and "barbarously butchered by their hatchets" 18 Jul 1692[6/126] 6. Elizabeth, b. Lancaster 7 Jun 1667, d. 1731 unmarried 7. Rebecca, b. Lancaster 14 May 1672, d. 22 Sep 1731, m. John Howe, b. abt. 1671 8. Martha, b. abt. 1677, d. 15 Feb 1768, m. 1 Mar 1698-9 Isaac Temple
NATHANIEL JOSLIN [#76], b. Lancaster, MA 21 Apr 1658, d. Marlborough, MA 5 Mar 1725-6, m. Marlborough 8 Feb 1681-2 HESTER MORSE (dau. of Joseph Morse and Susanna Shattuck), b. Watertown, MA 11 Sep 1664, d. Marlborough 27 Aug 1725.
| 38. Joseph Joslin
|
76. Nathaniel Joslin |
152. Nathaniel Joslin |
304. Thomas Joslin c.1591-1661 | 305. Rebecca ____ c.1592-1660's |
| 153. Sarah King |
154. Thomas King ?-1676 | 155. Anne Collins ?-1642 |
|
|
77. Hester Morse |
154. Joseph Morse |
308. Joseph Morse c.1610-1691 | 309. Hester Peirce ?-? |
| 155. Susanna Shattuck |
310. William Shattuck c.1621-1672 | 311. Susanna ____ ?-1686 |
Nathaniel Joslin was a weaver by trade. He was made a freeman in Marlborough 18 Apr 1690 and was town clerk from 1714 to 1725.[6/281] In a deed dated 27 Dec 1709, Nathaniel gave to his son-in-law, James Newton, certain lands granted by the town to Thomas King, his grandfather.[1/92] Referred to as Nathaniel Joslin, Junr., he was assigned to a garrison in Marlborough on 18 Mar 1691-2. This action was taken to Indian troubles from the first of the French and Indian Wars.[3] Nathaniel Joslin, Jr. was taxed in Marlboro in 1688 at a rate of three shillings.[5] In 1711 he was assigned to Capt. Kerley's garrison, southeasterly of the East Village on the road to what later became Southborough.[6/109]
Nathaniel was buried in Marlborough on 7 Mar 1726 "a very grave and good man" according to the minister of the neighboring town of Westborough.[4/10]
REF: [1] The Joslin Family - Edith S. Wesler, 1961
[2] Blackman and Allied Families - Nathan L. Blackman, 1928
[3] New England Historic Genealogical Register, 1889 (pg.372)
[4] The Diray of Ebenezer Parkman - Frederick G. Walett, 1974
[5] New England Historic Genealogical Register, 1882 (pg.192)
[6] The History of Marlborough - Charles Hudson, 1862
Children (born in Marlborough, MA):
1. Hester, b. 2 May 1683, m. 17 Feb 1707-8 Samuel Lamb 2. Mary, b. 14 Apr 1685, m. 5 Oct 1709 James Newton, b. 15 Jan 1683 3. Patience, b. 19 Feb 1686-7, d. 30 Mar 1687 4. Nathaniel, b. 19 Feb 1686-7, d. 18 Jun 1687 5. Nathaniel, b. 22 Feb 1690-1, m. 6 Sep 1722 Elizabeth Taylor, b. 16 Feb 1696, d. 29 Jan 1754 6. Israel, b. 7 Apr 1692, m. Sarah Cleveland 7. Martha, b. 20 Aug 1694, d. 6 May 1718 unmarried 8. Experience, b. 26 Oct 1696, m. 11 Oct 1727 Ebenezer Snow 9. Abigail, b. 11 Feb 1697-8, m. 31 Oct 1721 Hezekiah Bush 10. Joseph, b. Marlborough, MA 23 Nov 1699, d. Westborough, MA 27 May 1761, m. Lancaster, MA 6 Dec 1725 Katherine Read, b. Sudbury, MA Jan 1706-7 11. Susanna, b. 27 Dec 1701, m. 30 Nov 1727 Joseph Johnson 12. Abraham, b. 30 Apr 1704, m. Jemima Snow 13. Thomas, b. 10 Mar 1706-7, m? Mary Wheeler, m. Westboro, MA 31 Dec 1740 Lucy Forbush,[4/87] (dau. of Aaron Forbush)
JOSEPH JOSLIN [#38], b. Marlborough, MA 23 Nov 1699, d. Westborough, MA 27 May 1761, m. Lancaster, MA 6 Dec 1725 KATHERINE READ (dau. of Thomas Read and Mary Bigelow), b. Sudbury, MA 31? Jan 1706-7. She m(2) Westborough 3 May 1764 Israel Allen, d. 1783.
| 19. Abigail Joslin
|
38. Joseph Joslin |
76. Nathaniel Joslin |
152. Nathaniel Joslin 1627-1694 | 153. Sarah King c.1638-1706 |
| 77. Hester Morse |
154. Joseph Morse 1637-1677 | 155. Susanna Shattuck 1643-? |
|
|
39. Katherine Read |
78. Thomas Read |
156. Thomas Read c.1653-? | 157. Mary Goodrich 1650-1724 |
| 79. Mary Bigelow |
158. Samuel Bigelow 1653-1731 | 159. Mary Flagg 1658-1720 |
Joseph Joslin and Katherine Read were presumably married in Lancaster since their marriage is recorded there. The record claims they were "both of marlborough".[3] Soon after, they apparently moved to Westborough, the town to the southwest of Marlborough, as Katherine joined the church there on 29 Jan 1726-7. There is no record of Joseph's joining the church, but he was nonetheless connected with it as Reverend Parkman often "catechized" at his house.[2/139,179,203] Also on the evening of 28 Aug 1749 Joseph complained to Parkman of the pastor's lateness at meeting on the sabbaths.[2/202] Joseph and Katherine lost many children to illness. Four children died in a two week period in 1742. It may be interesting to find if there were numerous other deaths in Westborough at the time. Parkman was not keeping his diary at the time. However he did note the illness and death of one of the Joslin children. March 7, 1750 "Visited a sick Child of Mr. Joslyns." March 21 "Mr. Ithamar Bellows to acquaint me with the Death of Mr. Josslins Daughter Patience." March 23, 1750 "My Wife rode with me to the Funeral of Mr. Joslins Daughter Patience".[2/pg.213] Joseph and Katherine lived in the southeast part of town near Hopkinton, probably on what is now Flanders Road.
Joseph Joslin was very ill on 25 May and died on 27 May 1761.[2] The inventory of his estate was taken 25 Jun 1761 by Francis Whipple, Benjamin Wood, and Timothy Warrin. It was proved 4 Aug 1761 and amounted to 472.5.3. Personal property accounted for 98.11.11 and real property for 373.13.4.[4]
REF: [1] Church Records of Westborough - Ebenezer Parkman, 1724-1782
[2] The Diary of Ebenezer Parkman - Frederick G. Walett, 1974
[3] Lancaster Town Records
[4] Worcester County Probate (Series A Docket 34095)
[5] Westborough Vital Records
Children (all born in Westborough):
1. Mary, b. 9 Nov 1726, d. Westborough 26 Jul 1742 2. Joseph, b. 22 Apr 1728, d. Westborough 4 Aug 1742 3. Isaac, b. 21 Jun 1730, d. Westborough 27 Jul 1742 4. Abigail, b. 5 Sep 1735, m(1) Westborough 26 Dec 1753 Nathaniel Whitney, b. Westborough 22 Jul 1728, d. Grafton, MA 1 May 1776, m(2) Ebenezer Cutler 5. Timothy, b. 30 Jun 1737, d. Westborough 19 Jul 1742 6. Lydia, b. 29 Jul 1740, d. Westborough 21 Oct 1743 7. Patience, b. 25 Aug 1743, d. Westborough 21 Mar 1750 8. Hannah, b. 9 Mar 1745-6, m. (int.) 19 Mar 1768 Amos Davis 9. Joseph, b. 24 Apr 1748, m. 2 Jan 1770 Hannah Seager, d. 10 Feb 1771 10. Katherine, b. 5 Apr 1750, m. 15 Nov 1770 Joseph Hastings, Jr.
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