Allen line: Deacon, Joseph Ely 1663-1755

Joseph was the son of Samuel Ely (who in turn was the son of the immigrant Nathaniel Ely) and Martha unknown (may or may not have been Bliss, as far as I can tell).  He was born August 20, 1663 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts and 91 years later, died just across the river in West Springfield.  Unlike his immigrant grandfather, Joseph was content to stay in one place his entire life, which means there are a few records to be found, because the town records of Springfield have been published.  We also have some vital records and a will.  So far, however, I've been unable to locate military or church records.

Joseph was not quite 22 when he married Mary Riley, daughter of John and Margaret McCraney Riley, on July 9, 1685.  Exactly nine months later, their first son, Joseph, was born, to be followed by 6 more children over the next 21 years. He was made a freeman in 1691.

 I have little idea of how Joseph supported his family, although he did acquire several pieces of land over the years.  Presumably this means he farmed.  Lending credence to this idea is the fact that during the 1730s, when he was already in his 70's, he was paid 40 shillings for the "use" of his bull.  Only a few farmers kept bulls, and they were used by all the area farmers when their cows were ready for shenanigans.  After 1735 there is no further mention, so Joseph may have sold his livestock then, or given them to his sons.

He was not very active in civic life, although he was appointed fence-viewer in the area where he lived several times.  This job involved making sure that new landowners put up proper fences, including permanent markers at the corners of their lands.  He would also have been responsible to make sure all fences were kept in good repair, and to notify landowners when their fences needed attention.  It required some diplomacy and perhaps some rudimentary surveying skills, but it wasn't the most complicated of civic jobs.  His diplomatic skills would also have come into play when he was appointed to a committee to try to smooth out difficulties over the courthouse in 1712.

He was referred to as deacon many times, including in his death records.  Deacons might give the message in the absence of the pastor, but their main role may have been as treasurer.  They were responsible for the finances of the church, and were also responsible for distribution of aide to the community's poor people.  Sometimes this involved finding families who would take people into their household, especially the elderly who had no families.   For the most part, caring for the poor was a church function and not a town function when Joseph was deacon.  So again, he was given the role of diplomat; perhaps that came naturally to him.

Mary died May 19, 1736.  Joseph didn't re-marry, but survived her for 19 years, dying on April 29, 1755.  He left land to his sons and a grandson, and 25 pounds each to his daughters.  The value of his estate was a little over 356 pounds, most of it in land and house lots.  He had clothes and some basic household utensils, two beds, and spectacles.  There isn't a mention of military arms or of books that I can see.  But he signed his own name to his will, written in 1738, so he was at least somewhat literate.  It's quite possible that he was living with a child or grandchild at the time of his death, which would explain why there were no farm animals, crops, or other evidence of income producing goods. 

The other big mystery I would like to know is-did Joseph participate in any of the military actions of the time?  King William's War and Queen Anne's War both took place during the time he would have been in the militia.  I haven't yet found a source listing the men who fought in these wars.  He may have been involved in defending or guarding against native American attacks in one or another of the attacks on Deerfield, Massachusetts, which was more or less just up the river, 35 miles from Springfield.  So far, I've not found evidence of this, but it is worth considering.  Even if he didn't participate, he likely pulled some sort of guard duty at home during those uncertain times.  I'd like to know more!

Joseph Ely was a man of honor and integrity, as we can tell by his being deacon, and being elected and re-elected fence viewer.  We can be proud to be his descendant. 

The line of descent is:

Joseph Ely-Mary Riley
Mary Ely-Thomas Stebbins
Ruth Stebbins-Samuel Hitchcok
Margaret Hitchcok-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants