Holbrook line: Rev. Joseph Winsor 1713-1802

 It's hard for me to believe I almost overlooked this ancestor.  He has lots of stories to tell, mostly ones we'll never know, but there is enough about him to make me stand up and take notice.  From what I can tell, regardless of his physical size, he was a giant of a man.  

Joseph Winsor was born October 4, 1713 in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Rev. Samuel and Mercy Harding  Winsor.   He may have been born in what is now Glocester, but at the time it was still part of Providence Plantation.  Joseph's great grandfather, Joshua, was the immigrant ancestor.  His grandfather and his father, however, were born in Providence, so everyone in the settlement would have known Joseph and his family.  Joseph was one of nine children, so his was a busy home.  As a pastor, Samuel would have seen to it that his children, at least the boys, were able to read well enough to read the Bible, and perhaps they had more education than that.  

Joseph married Deborah Mathewson, daughter of Thomas and Martha Sheldon Mathewson, of Scituate, in 1736, when he was about 23 years old.  This was about the time of King George's War, but Joseph seems to have not been involved in that conflict, or at least the records don't reflect that name.  Joseph and Deborah had eleven children together.  There may have been more, for there is a gap of about 6 years from 1757 to 1763 in Deborah's child bearing years.  

One reason for the gap may be that Joseph was a soldier during the French and Indian War.  He was appointed Captain of a special company in September 1756, appointed and served as Captain of the sixth company of Col Hopkins' Regiment in October of 1756, and volunteered on an alarm of August 1757.  More research needs to be done, but it appears to me to be at least possible that Joseph may have been involved in the expedition that went from New York to Canada and suffered such tremendous hardships.  If he didn't go, surely some of the other men of Glocester went, and he would have heard their stories.  

Joseph's selection as Captain may have been based on his ability to recruit men, as well as his military ability.  Either way, he was already respected when he became the pastor of a "separate" Baptist church at Glocester after his ordination on October 31, 1763.  He was 50 years old at the time that he entered this second career.  Unfortunately, his father Samuel had died five years earlier.  We can hope that he knew that his son was studying for the pastorate, but we don't know that for sure.  Joseph and Deborah's last child was born in 1763 and was named Thankful.  With the war over, and Joseph's ordination in that same year, it was an apt name.

By the time of the Revolutionary War, Joseph was in his 60's, but he is recognized as a patriot because he served on a committee to secure "Continental" soldiers.  Glocester was a site for holding British prisoners of war, and one wonders if he had any role to play in seeing to the treatment of the men.  

Deborah died August 23, 1785, possibly worn out from so many births and from caring for so many children.  Joseph must have enjoyed married life, for he married widow Elizabeth Taylor Angell Potter about a year later.  Perhaps he felt that a pastor needed a wife.   Joseph served as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Glocester from 1763 until his death on September 4, 1802, when he was nearly 89 years old.  Not many men hold a pastorate for 39 years, especially when they didn't begin until the age of 50.  

We are fortunate to have Joseph's will, and even more fortunate that it's been transcribed.  It's one of the more interesting wills that I've seen.  Basically, Elizabeth was to receive what she'd brought to the marriage, and a cow, along with whatever was stated in the marriage bond (pre-nuptial agreement?).  He must have been a man of considerable wealth, because he had several parcels of land, which he divided between his four of his sons, and he gave two hundred "good Spanish dollars" to son Christopher apparently in lieu of local land. Each of his daughters was to receive 500 "good Spanish dollars". Interestingly, he had purchased land as a proprietor (member of the Ohio Company of Associates) of Marietta, Ohio, and he left that land, apparently four parcels in all, to the five sons.  He made provision for the burial grounds that was established on his land in Glocester, and also the school house that was to continue in use for his heirs and neighbors.  

There is so much information here, and it brings on so many questions.  Most prominent is how did he acquire that kind of money?  Also, what did he do in the militia?  Was he on the Canada expedition?  I think he is a fascinating man and I will work to learn more about him.

The line of descent is

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