Holbrook line: Josiah Standish 1675 ish to 1753

 You might think that the grandson of one of our Mayflower immigrants would be easy to trace.  Surely his birth records would be readily available, and marriage records, and lots of information about his life.  Well, if you think that, like I did, you would be sadly mistaken.  I've found a few bits and pieces here and there, but not the volume of information I thought I would find as I researched for this post.  I hope someone has studied this man and has more information than I do, and I hope, if that's you, that you contact me!

Josiah Standish was the grandson of Myles and Barbara Standish, and the son of Josiah and Sarah Allen Standish.  He was born very near the site of his grandfather's home, in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony, but we don't know when.  Based on the list that is in his father's will, and on his age at his presumed marriage, he was probably born in about 1675, although I have seen dates ranging from 1660 to February 22, 1682 and I could probably be convinced of any of those dates, if I had documentation. 

Josiah may have spent some of his boyhood years in Duxbury, but his parents moved to Preston, Connecticut by 1687, which is about 107 miles from Duxbury.  It's not known whether they took a coastal ship, or whether they traveled by land, but either way, it would have been quite a trip for a young boy or youth, or even a young man.

There are two guesses as to the identity of Josiah's wife.  It's quite possible that he had two wives, each named Sarah.  In the manuscript documents of Wesley Weyman, she is named as Sarah Doty, which would possibly make her a descendant of Edward Doty, another Mayflower immigrant, although the Doty-Doten family books doesn't seem to leave any "Sarah" unaccounted for.  More often, her name is seen as Sarah Cary or Carey, but I have found nothing at all on which to base that name, except for undocumented trees.  The dates of the children's births are also not well documented, but there may be a gap in the births of the children that would allow for one wife to die and a second to take her place.  Josiah, whether with one wife or two, is thought to be the father of somewhere between 7 and 9 children.  

Sarah, wife of Josiah Standish, was admitted to the First Church of Preston, Connecticut in 1699 and Josiah in 1700.  Josiah is referred to as "Deacon" in the church records, and at least one researcher has given him the title of "Reverend".  Again, I find no documentation for the second title.  Sarah died in 1741 and sometime after that Josiah moved on to the town that would eventually become Stafford, Connecticut, a distance of about 45 miles from Preston.  

I've found no will or estate records for Josiah, so that leaves a big gap in our knowledge about the man and his family.  We don't know his occupation, although it probably included farming.  I have seen him referred to as "Lieutenant" but there may be some confusion with his father, who was eventually a captain, so I don't want to state that as fact.  There is always a question with the men, as to what part they might have taken in military action, which may have included Queen Anne's war, among others.  

There is so much we don't know about Josiah, and I'd love to know more about his life.

The line of descent is

Josiah Standish-Sarah (Doty? Cary?)

Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster

Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford (or Lunsford)

Jude Foster-Lydia M.

Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore

Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook

Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown

Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants