Holbrook line: Nathaniel Joslin, of Marlsboro

There is so much erroneous information about our ancestor Nathaniel Joslin, on so many trees and websites, that I hesitate to write this post.  I hope I have weeded out most of the false information and I think I can add a few details to his story.  I would absolutely love to hear from anywone who knows more about this Nathaniel, the son of Nathaniel and Sarah King Joslin. 

The first thing we don't know is when he was born.  It was not Aril 21, 1658, as is often stated.  That son Nathaniel died in 1667.  We know our Nathaniel was the son of the above couple because he is mentioned several times in his father's will.  But we don't know his birthdate, or location, or why it would have been omitted from town records that seem complete otherwise.  Perhaps his name was on a scrap of paper that was stuck in the records, intending that it be recorded later, and the scrap of paper was mislaid. Another possibility is that Nathaniel was not Sarah's child, and so was not recorded, but there is no indication of that and surely it would have been noted somewhere. 

Nathaniel married Hester Morse, daughter of Joseph and Susannah Shattuck Morse, on July 20,1682, and that is the first record we have of him.  Presumably this would give him a birth date in the early 1660's.  He was next named on a list of inhabitants in Marlboro in 1686, and would likely have been at least 21 years old to have made that list.  So again, we point to the early 1660's. Nathaniel and Hester (also seen as Esther, same lady) were the parents of perhaps as many as eleven children, although that would mean Hester had children into her 40's, which is surely not impossible. 

The list of inhabitants from 1686 that includes the names of both father and son, the two Nathaniels, is not one to be particularly proud of.  The men of Marlboro wanted more land and not long after King Philip's War they began settling on land that was owned by the native Americans.  The General Court told them their deed was invalid and declared null and void, but the men of the settlement connived, basically, to continue settling on those lands and tried to make it look legal.  It wasn't.  The land was in dispute for at least 23 years after the 1686 list, but I didn't find a final resolution, except the results were that the colonists kept the land.

Many of the settlers of Marlboro had ties to Lancaster, Massachusetts, which was burned by the natives in King Philip's War.  Nathaniel Senior lost a brother, sister in law, and nephew during the massacre, and other townspeople lost family members, too.  It was a raw wound.  That doesn't excuse their later actions but it helps put it in a bit of perspective. 

King Philip's War didn't end the difficulties with some of the native tribes, and in 1711 our Nathaniel was appointed to a committee to assigned families to garrisons.  If the natives threatened the town, each family was to go to one of the stronger fortified homes in the area, where soldiers were also assigned.  Nathaniel's family was assigned to Captain Kerley's garrison.  We don't know if there was ever a time when the family was forced to go there or not. 

Nathaniel must have had a good reputation, because he was chosen selectman in 1701, and also a good education, because he was town clerk from 1714 until 1725. 

I've not found a mention of Nathaniel's occupation, nor have I found his will.  (The will frequently attached to his name on websites is from Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  That Nathaniel was a cousin of some sort to ours, and the similar death dates are a coincidence).  If his will and inventory could be found, we could possibly answer the question of his occupation, find out if he had books, get a clue as to how he did financially, and perhaps get a clue as to his religion.  It would be wonderful to find those estate records, just as it would be wonderful to find his birth record!

The line of descent is

Nathaniel Joslin-Hester or Esther Morse
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants