Holbrook line: Isaac Newell 1632-1707

 Isaac was an immigrant, having been born about 1632 in or near Ipswich, Suffolk, England.  He would have little memory of England, though, as he was just two years old when he immigrated with the rest of his family in 1634.  I always think of the very young children, and their mothers, when I read about their trip to the New World.  We know how crowded and how hazardous those ships were, and we wonder how the mothers kept their children safe and occupied during the weeks it took to make the trip across the Atlantic.  

It's not known for sure who "mother" was; but her first name was Francis,  There is speculation that her name may have been Foote but that seems to be only speculation at this point.  His father was Abraham Newell, and Abraham was 50 years old when he brought his family to New England.  Abraham, a tailor by trade, settled in Roxbury, some distance from Boston at the time, and Isaac seems to have lived his whole life in Roxbury.  

Considering that he was technically an immigrant, there is not much information about Isaac.  This is even more surprising when we consider that he married Elizabeth Curtis, daughter of William and Sarah Eliot Curtis.  Sarah was a sibling to Rev. John Eliot, known as the Apostle to the Indians, so it seems that the Newells would be deserving of more genealogical attention than they have received so far. 

Isaac appears to have been a farmer all of his life.  He inherited some of his father's rather extensive holdings, although oldest brother Abraham received more than Isaac and his brother John did.  

We know he was part of the church at Roxbury, being listed as a member on December 3, 1660.  His wife Elizabeth became a member on July 22, 1661.  Isaac's name is on a petition sent to the general court in 1664, and on another petition in 1672.  He is reported to have sat on several local juries at various times, but that appears to have been his only contribution to public service.  We find no record of his having been part of a military unit, although he was likely part of the training band formed by each community.  Roxbury was spared during King Philip's War, so he may have never been called to duty during that conflict.  However, his family was not untouched as Elizabeth's brother, Philip Curtis, was killed at Grafton, Massachusetts in an assault on an Indian camp.  

Isaac and Elizabeth were married at Roxbury December 14, 1659, and they had nine children together.  Two sons died during a small pox epidemic in 1678, about a month apart.  Surviving sons were Isaac, Ebenezer and Josiah, and daughters were Sarah, Elizabeth, Hannah and Experience.  

There seems to be no record of a will or estate left when Isaac died on December 8, 1707 in Roxbury.  He had acquired additional land besides the bequest of his father, but perhaps he had sold it, or given it to sons, before his death.  As always, I regret the lack of an inventory, because that usually sheds some light on the lives of an ancestor during this time period.  However, we do have these few facts about Isaac, and for that we are glad.  

The line of descent is:

Isaac Newell-Elizabeth Curtis

Sarah Newell-Nathaniel Hawes

Elizabeth Hawes-Samuel Wilson

Rebecca Wilson-Jonathan Wright

Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook

Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood

Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore

Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown

Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants