Holbrook line: Josiah Standish 1633-1689

Josias or Josiah Standish (mostly Josias in the earliest records) grew up in the shadow of his famous Mayflower passenger father, Captain Myles (Miles) Standish.  Those men and women who were survivors were people he would have known personally.  His father settled at Duxbury, not far from the home of Elder William Brewster.  What an awesome heritage he had, both with his own parents and with those who were part of early Plymouth Colony.  So we should know a lot about him, shouldn't we?  And yet, there is much of him that we don't know.  

His father, as noted was Myles Standish and his mother was Barbara.  (Rose, sometimes seen as his mother, had died in the first winter.)  The mystery of his mother's name and origins is one of the deep questions in Mayflower ancestry still to be solved.  Josias was probably born about 1633, although I've seen guesses as early as 1629 and as late as 1637, probably at Plymouth but possibly at Duxbury.  He had several siblings although at least two appear to have died as infants or in early childhood.  As much as anyone who grew up in that tiny colony could be called such, he appears to have been one of the privileged ones, with respected parents who were somewhat well off financially, for the time and place.  

Josiah would have early learned to hunt, and fish, to help with the farm animals, and as he reached the age of 16 or so, to participate in the military training and patrols that was required of all colonists.  We don't know what trade, if any, he had but his namesake son became a carpenter, so perhaps that is what Josias did, too.  He likely had some trade because he was not the first son and thus wouldn't have been raised with the expectation of inheriting his father's lands.  We can guess that he learned to read and write, and that he regularly attended the Pilgrim church services, because that's what boys in that time and place did.

In 1654, Josiah married Mary Dingley, but she died in just a few months.  There were no surviving children from this marriage and it's not known whether hers was a childbirth death or from some other cause.  Josiah mourned not only his wife but also his father, who died at about the same time. He inherited 40 pounds and probably some personal items from his father, which likely increased his financial standing.  He soon remarried, to Sarah Allen, who was the daughter of Samuel and Ann Whitmore Allen.  She was the mother of all of his children, probably at least seven although I have seen lists that included many more.  

Josiah either owned several parcels of land at once, while living mostly in one place, or moved around a lot.  (If he was a carpenter or other skilled tradesman, it would be plausible that he would have moved often.) Besides Duxbury, we find references to him in Bridgewater, Marshfield and Sandwich, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and in Norwich and Preston, Connecticut.  We know he was a lieutenant of the military company of Bridgewater in 1660, and he was a selectman of Duxbury in 1666.  He was also a deputy of Plymouth Colony (to the General Court) several times.  

At his death, he was referred to as Captain Standish, so he must have stayed active in the military training band for most if not all of his life.  It's not clear what decided the Standishes, who were middle-aged, to move to Norwich and then Preston, Connecticut.  (Preston was actually formed in 1687, and Josiah was of Norwich in 1686, so perhaps this last move was not a move at all, but merely was the result of the formation of the new town.)  Whatever caused the move, the Standishes didn't have long to enjoy their new surroundings.  Josiah died March 19, 1690 (some sources say 1689; it's probably the double dating thing again that is causing the variance) and Sarah died sometime after.  

I haven't located a will or inventory for Josiah, which would tell us much.  His father's inventory was quite extensive and lists quite a few books by title.  It would be interesting to see whether Josiah inherited, and kept, any of those same books.  Also, he may have referred to his trade, or stated that he was a yeoman, or given us other details that would help us understand this son of a Mayflower passenger. There are always more questions than answers!

The line of descent is"

Josiah Standish-Sarah Allen

Josiah Standish-Sarah Doty

Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster

Nathan Foser-Elizabeth Lunsford

Jude Foster-Lydia M

Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore

Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph R Holbrook

Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown

Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants