Holbrook line: Joseph Stannard 1668-1703

 Joseph Stannard is another in a line of Stannard men I appear to have overlooked in writing blog posts.  He was here, he contributed to our family tree, and he deserves a mention in this series of ancestor stories.  

Joseph was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Spencer Stannard, and was born at Haddam, Connecticut October 13, 1668, just as the town was getting organized.  He was the oldest of at least five children, and was raised in what was likely a proper Puritan home, although I've not found church records to substantiate that statement.  

We don't know how it happened, but he married Hannah Brackett, daughter of John and Hannah French Brackett, in Boston, Massachusetts on April 4, 1692.  It must make an interesting story, learning how they met, but we may never learn the details.  Was Joseph there on business, or had he moved to Boston for a short time, or...?

The couple must have gone to Saybrook, where his father had lived until his death in 1688,  to live, for their son Joseph was born there 13 months later, followed by 3 other children.  Joseph had inherited some of his father's land, which explains our Joseph's presence there.  We don't know why the older Joseph moved to Saybrook, but it was likely for a better economic opportunity.  

Unfortunately, we know almost nothing of Joseph's life in Saybrook, There are a few land records relating to his father's estate, indicating that the land was divided up between Joseph's sons, Joseph and William, and that the amount of land was about 37 1/2 acres that William had, as the fourth part of the estate.  Joseph presumably had the same about of land, but it's not clear what Hannah, the widow, had, nor is it clear whether the daughters received anything.  I haven't been able to locate a will for him.  I did find that he was given additional land shortly before his death, as it appears he or his father had been "shorted" some meadow land during an earlier division. The daughters sued in 1719, saying that they had not yet been paid anything (probably they had to be at least 16 or 18 before they could collect their inheritance, whatever it might have been.

Joseph was just 34 years old when he died on April 17, 1703.  His father and grandfather had also died at relatively young ages, but we don't know whether there was a genetic reason for the early deaths or whether each was due to a separate cause.  Life was hard in those days and there were many epidemics of everything from smallpox to influenza.  Accidents were common, too, and if Joseph was involved in the fishing or mercantile trade, that may have contributed to his death. 

Hannah had four young children at the time of her husband's death, so she remarried in 1706, to Andrew Warner of Saybrook, a widowed land-owner.  She died before 1719.

I've not found any record of military service for Joseph, nor have I confirmed a religious life other than the church in Saybrook was a congregational (Puritan) church which was well -established when the Stannards arrived there. I don't even know his occupation, other than he must have done at least some farming. There are other questions I'd like to answer, and if we could locate a copy of his will and inventory, it would certainly be very helpful.

The line of descent is:

Joseph Stannard-Hannah Brackett

John Stannard-Hannah Jordan

John Stannard-Hannah Hatchett

Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy

Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay

Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants