Holbrook line: Rev. Samuel Winsor 1677-1758

 Our family is blessed to have many pastors in our heritage, on both the Allen and the Holbrook sides (and yes, there are a few in the Harshbarger and the Beeks lines, too, for that matter).  But the Winsor family may have some sort of record as far as this line goes, for the number of pastors in the family.  Samuel Winsor (actually he was the second Samuel Winsor) is in a fairly large group of Winsor family members who were pastors.  I believe they were all Baptist pastors, which may indicate that immigrant Joshua Winsor was highly influential in the family, having two sons, at least two grandsons (one of which is this Samuel) and two great grandsons of his who were all Baptist pastors in Rhode Island, and I wouldn't be surprised to find more through additional generations.  

This Samuel was born November 18, 1677 in Providence, the son of Rev. Samuel and Mercy Williams Winsor.  (Mercy was the daughter of Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, so here is another part of the pattern of pastors).  As far as I have been able to learn, he never left Rhode Island.  I'm not aware that he had any college training; Baptist pastors were not necessarily as educated as those of the Puritans or Church of England.  They of course knew how to read and write, and learned their reasoning and orating skills elsewhere.  Our Samuel is called a "great preacher" so he learned well, somewhere.

Samuel was one of at least four children, growing up in Providence, close to the ocean, and close to farmland but also close to swamps and forests.  One wonders what kind of childhood he had.  Did he spend a lot of time in nature, a lot of time at chores, a lot of time in schooling?  As a pastor's child, he probably had to behave himself, but maybe there was a bit of mischief to him, too.  We just don't know.  

Samuel was 25 when he married Mary or Mercy Harding on January 7, 1703.  She was the daughter of Abraham and (probably) Deborah Gardiner Harding.  As far as I know, there were no pastors in the Harding or Gardiner lines, but it's likely that the Harding family also had Baptist leanings.  Samuel and Mary were the parents of at least nine children, which was enough to keep Mary busy, and probably Samuel, too.  He was an active layman in the church for the first 20 years of their marriage, and was probably a farmer, or at least farmed enough to feed his family.  I've found no information regarding any other occupation.

Samuel was ordained at the First Baptist Church in Providence in 1733, and preached there until his death in 1758.  By the time he became pastor, his children were either grown or almost grown, so this was very much a second career for him.  It says much for the life he had lived that his neighbors approved of his ordination and of his serving his home church.  He must have been well respected, liked, and trusted.  I would certainly like to hear one or his sermons, to get a better idea of the man.  The one thing I learned is that he may have had a bit of a stubborn or determined streak, as the church had a quarrel over whether it was necessary to have the "laying on of hands" in order to become a member of the church.  Samuel said it was necessary, and that's the view that prevailed.  

Samuel died November 17, 1758, the day before his 81st birthday.  Mary outlived him by about 13 years, dying in 1771.  I know that Samuel left a will but I have not yet been able to locate a copy of it.  That, and an inventory, would tell us more about this interesting ancestor.  

The line of descent is:

Samuel Winsor-Mary Harding

Joseph Winsor-Deborah Mathewson 

Lillis Winsor-Nathan Paine

Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy

Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire

Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants