Holbrook line: Israel Joslin 1692-1740 Yes, this one!

These Joslin men!  Honestly, if they had tried, they couldn't be any more confusing than they are.  Did they live to play :hide and seek" and "Can you see me now? and "Will the real Israel Joslin please stand up"?  Israel's father, Nathaniel, was hard to unravel because of several men in the same time and location with the same name.  Israel follows that pattern, and many of the trees on line seem to have it wrong.  We have to pay attention to time, location, and opportunity in order to sort the documentation and make sure we have this right.  Of course, I could still be wrong and if someone can refute this, please contact me. 

Our Israel Joslin was born April 2, 1692 in Marlboro, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  He was the son of Nathaniel and Hester or Esther Morse Joslin.  He may well have spent his entire life in the same location, although I haven't verified that yet.  He died in Southboro rather than Marlboro, but Southboro split off from Marlboro so it's quite possible that Israel's land was originally in Marlboro.

As a boy, Israel was one of eleven children, and he must have enjoyed large families because it appears that he was the father of at least nine children.  The lucky wife/mother was Sarah Cleveland (or Cleaveland), the daughter of Enoch and Elizabeth Counts Cleveland.  They were married on April 29, 1719 in Marlboro. 

Other than the birth of his children, Israel seems to have made little impact on the town he lived in, whether it was Marlboro or Southboro (the two towns are less than five miles apart, so Israel likely knew everyone in each of the two towns).  I haven't yet checked the town records (they are in Salt Lake City but aren't available on line yet) but I would assume that he paid taxes, went to church, and served in some sort of militia or training band.  That's what we know so far. 

However, his will and inventory tell us a little bit more.  He described himself as a yeoman in the will written August 29, 1740, less than two months before he died on October 23 of that same year.  He was only 48 years old.  What illness would have caused him to write a will at that age?  Or maybe it wasn't an illness.  He could have been hurt in an accident, or while serving in a military raid, or any number of other ways.  But we can think that maybe it wasn't a sudden accident, like getting hit by lightning or drowning.  Israel must have known or suspected it was coming. 

By his description of "yeoman", we know he owned land, which is confirmed in his inventory, and we know he was not a servant.  I haven't been able to verify yet that he was a "free man" and had the right to vote, because those records are also at Salt Lake City.  But it's likely that he was in that category.  His will is a little bit surprising, because he leaves everything to his wife Sarah.  Typically husbands would leave the widow one third of the estate, as required by law, and then give instructions for how the rest was to be divided.  This will, however, only says that after Sarah is deceased, this assets are to be divided among his children. Sarah was only about 38 and could reasonably be expected to re-marry, but that didn't matter to Israel.  He must have trusted and loved her very much! 

It is only when we look at Israel's inventory that we are able to start drawing a picture of him, and it seems that whatever else he was, he was a good steward of his land.  He had considerably more clothes than did many of his fellow yeomen, and he had two Bibles and books that were by themselves valued at three pounds.  He also had a pair of spectacles, bt we don't know whether he was near or far sighted.  There were at least four beds with bedding, which is more than many households had, and

His inventory included just three pieces of land, and they are not very description.  However, the appraisers assigned a value of 1200 pounds to his homestead, including all the lands attached to it, so this is where much of his wealth lay.  The inventory was taken just a few days after his death.  It totaled a little over 1678 pounds, which even after we take the new currency into account, wasn't a small estate.  Sarah was set for life and could run the farm and raise their children. 

Except, it's possible that our Sarah Joslin is the one who married David Bellows in 1745.  He lived only until 1754, but was born in 1702 so was about her age, and was a husbandman when he died.  Sarah declined to be the executor of his estate and I can find no further reference to her.  I suppose it's possible that she married again and we just haven't traced her yet.  It's also possible this is a different Sarah Joslin, but our Sarah seems to be the only one in the area and of the right age to marry David.  I'd love to find the rest of her records, too! 

The line of descent is

Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay

David Fay-Mary Perrin

Euzebia/Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Nathaniel Joslin, of Marlsboro

There is so much erroneous information about our ancestor Nathaniel Joslin, on so many trees and websites, that I hesitate to write this post.  I hope I have weeded out most of the false information and I think I can add a few details to his story.  I would absolutely love to hear from anywone who knows more about this Nathaniel, the son of Nathaniel and Sarah King Joslin. 

The first thing we don't know is when he was born.  It was not Aril 21, 1658, as is often stated.  That son Nathaniel died in 1667.  We know our Nathaniel was the son of the above couple because he is mentioned several times in his father's will.  But we don't know his birthdate, or location, or why it would have been omitted from town records that seem complete otherwise.  Perhaps his name was on a scrap of paper that was stuck in the records, intending that it be recorded later, and the scrap of paper was mislaid. Another possibility is that Nathaniel was not Sarah's child, and so was not recorded, but there is no indication of that and surely it would have been noted somewhere. 

Nathaniel married Hester Morse, daughter of Joseph and Susannah Shattuck Morse, on July 20,1682, and that is the first record we have of him.  Presumably this would give him a birth date in the early 1660's.  He was next named on a list of inhabitants in Marlboro in 1686, and would likely have been at least 21 years old to have made that list.  So again, we point to the early 1660's. Nathaniel and Hester (also seen as Esther, same lady) were the parents of perhaps as many as eleven children, although that would mean Hester had children into her 40's, which is surely not impossible. 

The list of inhabitants from 1686 that includes the names of both father and son, the two Nathaniels, is not one to be particularly proud of.  The men of Marlboro wanted more land and not long after King Philip's War they began settling on land that was owned by the native Americans.  The General Court told them their deed was invalid and declared null and void, but the men of the settlement connived, basically, to continue settling on those lands and tried to make it look legal.  It wasn't.  The land was in dispute for at least 23 years after the 1686 list, but I didn't find a final resolution, except the results were that the colonists kept the land.

Many of the settlers of Marlboro had ties to Lancaster, Massachusetts, which was burned by the natives in King Philip's War.  Nathaniel Senior lost a brother, sister in law, and nephew during the massacre, and other townspeople lost family members, too.  It was a raw wound.  That doesn't excuse their later actions but it helps put it in a bit of perspective. 

King Philip's War didn't end the difficulties with some of the native tribes, and in 1711 our Nathaniel was appointed to a committee to assigned families to garrisons.  If the natives threatened the town, each family was to go to one of the stronger fortified homes in the area, where soldiers were also assigned.  Nathaniel's family was assigned to Captain Kerley's garrison.  We don't know if there was ever a time when the family was forced to go there or not. 

Nathaniel must have had a good reputation, because he was chosen selectman in 1701, and also a good education, because he was town clerk from 1714 until 1725. 

I've not found a mention of Nathaniel's occupation, nor have I found his will.  (The will frequently attached to his name on websites is from Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  That Nathaniel was a cousin of some sort to ours, and the similar death dates are a coincidence).  If his will and inventory could be found, we could possibly answer the question of his occupation, find out if he had books, get a clue as to how he did financially, and perhaps get a clue as to his religion.  It would be wonderful to find those estate records, just as it would be wonderful to find his birth record!

The line of descent is

Nathaniel Joslin-Hester or Esther Morse
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Joseph Morse 1610-1690 Immigrant

Perhaps I should be writing this about the Joseph Morse who died in 1646 in Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony and who had a son named Joseph, mentioned in his will, but Robert Charles Anderson is not willing to state that Joseph of Ipswich is the father of Joseph of Watertown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, so I will only present that as a possibility.  The Joseph Morse I will write of was born about 1610, somewhere in England and sailed on the Elizabeth from Ipswich, England in 1634.

Joseph was listed as 24 years of age at the time.  He apparently went straight to Watertown and stayed there is whole life.  He was admitted to the Watertown Church and was granted the status of freeman on May 6, 1635.  He was a weaver by trade but also received several grants of land, including meadow and "upland" as well as a farm of 73 acres, all as grants.  He may have rented these lands out or he may have farmed them himself.  He was married by about 1637 to Esther or Hester Piece, daughter of John and Elizabeth (possibly Stoker) Pierce, also of Watertown.  Joseph and Esther had at least seven children, six of whom lived until adulthood.  This was a pretty decent survival rate for the time and indicates that Joseph and Esther were probably not "dirt poor", although they may have struggled during the early years.  Another indication that the family was surviving economically was that they accepted at least one child into their care, who was three years old at the time and who became an apprentice at the age of five, unless these are two different children with the same father. 

Joseph apparently did not take an active part in the civic life of Watertown, although he was a fence viewer for a term.  Raising several children, carrying on a trade as well as (likely) a farming operation may have left him little time for public service.  When Joseph died in 1689/90, his estate was very small, just a little over six pounds.  He had already disposed of his land holdings and probably was living with or under the care of one or more of his children.  Esther lived until 1694. 

This is not much information to fill in the "dash" for a man who lived about 80 years.  I have a book on my "to read" shelf about Watertown, and although I didn't find his name in the index, perhaps the book will be able to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge of Joseph and how he lived.  We do know that he farmed, he worked, he attended church, he voted, and he served as "master" to at least one child beside his own. 

One other thing:  He is listed as the ancestor of Calvin Coolidge and of Richard Nixon. 

The line of descent is:

Joseph Morse-Esther Pierce
Joseph Morse-Susanna Shattuck
Esther Morse-Nathaniel Joslin
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Thomas King, Immigrant

This is another case of "Will the real Thomas King please stand up?"  Many people are identifying him as the Thomas King who was born at Taunton, Dorset, England before April 20, 1676 and he was then believed to be about 71 years old.  So wew have a nine to ten year discrepancy on his birthdate, or location, or both. 

We also don't know the name of his wife, other than Ann or Anne.  It is possible that he had two wives named Ann, since the first one died in 1642 and he didn't marry Bridget Loker until 1655.  However, Ann #1 is believed to be the mother of all his children, since all known children were born before she died. Thomas and Ann are believed to have come to America about 1638, so some of the possibly as many as nine children were born here.

 It is likely that Ann died of complications of childbirth because the last son, Thomas, was born December 4, 1642 and Ann #1 died December 24, 1642.  Sadly, their infant son followed within a few days and died on January 3, 1643.  So there Thomas was in Sudbury, Massachusetts, a widower with as many as nine children, and it's hard to imagine that he didn't marry again, quickly.  Unless he had a sister or other close relative who could live in the home and help out, Thomas would have needed a wife, quickly.  The other possibility is that all the children who were underage were bound out, or sent to live with relatives. As far as I know, there is no documentation for this; it's just speculation on my part.

Thomas and family seem to have spent their first two or three years in Watertown and then moved on to Sudbury.  The Kings stayed there for several years, even after Ann had died.  After he had married Bridget, he was found in Marlborough.  This had been considered part of Sudbury until it was partitioned so I'm not sure whether he actually moved or not.  In Marlborough, he was a selectman, a town constable, and responsible for laying out the highways in town.  He received several grants of land in the divisions that were made to the settlers.

When King Philip's War came in 1675-76, Thomas was counted in the household of his son-in-law, William Kerley.  He may have gone there, temporarily, for protection.  Or, as a seventy year old man (or older, depending on birth date), he may have been ready to live with a younger member of his family. 

He wrote his will on 3/21/1675 and added a codicil January 15, 1676.  The inventory showed a valuation of 295 pounds, 10 shillings. 

This is what we know.  We don't know what his occupation was, or what religion he professed. We don't know whether he was literate.  We don't know about his life during the thirteen years between the death of Ann #1 and Bridget.  We don't know what the exact circumstances were that had him living with his son in law in 1675-76, and we don't know whether Bridget was with him then or not. 

But we do know he was an immigrant here during the end of the Great Migration, and we know he contributed to the growth of America.  He wasn't rich but he wasn't poor, either.  He had probably improved his family's fortune by coming to America, so it was a win for him and a win for us. 

The line of descent is:

Thomas King-Ann
Sarah King-Nathaniel Joslin
Nathaniel Joslin-Esther Morse
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary Perrin
Luceba (Euzebia) Fay-Libbeus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Edward Winn, Immigrant -

Edward Winn should be fairly well documented.  After all, he's a direct ancestor of President Grover Cleveland, so shouldn't we expect to know more about him than about the average guy who came to America?  Well, we might expect it, and there is perhaps a little more information than we're used to finding, but the amount is still pretty minimal, and in some cases, conflicting. 

For instance, was he born in  in Ipswich, Suffolk, England in , or he was born in Thornton Curtis, Lincolnshire in.  I would be happier if I could find an exact birth or christening date.  I tend to think the Ipswich, Suffolk information could be a guess based on that being the point of his departure to Massachusetts, but at this point anything is possible.

He married Joanna, probably Joanna Sargent although I have seen it suggested that her name was Hatch) in England and they came to America with at least three of their children sometime before 1640.  There seems to be at least a hint that the family spent some time (weeks? months? years?) in Charlestown when they arrived here, and in 1640 Edward was one of several men who were asked to plan the settlement of Woburn, Massachusetts.  The family was there by 1641, and Edward was admitted a freeman there in 1643. 

After that, there is little that is on record.  The birth of his son Increase is recorded in 1641 as the first child born in Woburn.  He is listed in a deponent's index, and I'd love to read that deposition for it might tell his age, where he was from, his current occupation, and his statement about the case he is testifying in.  So far I haven't found the court records, though.  His wife Joanna died in 1649 and Edward married Sarah Beal that same year.  She also died, and he then married Anna or Hannah Page Wood, a widow.  There are three references to land owned by Edward Winn in a book of early land deeds, but the land, whatever its size, is described only as a boundary for someone else's land.  Also he was a town selectman from 1660-1664. 

He died in Woburn on September 5, 1682, having helped to found a town and in one way or another, having seen it through the first 40 plus years of life.  For that, he deserves to be honored. 

The line of descent is:

Edward Winn-Joanna probably Sargent
Ann Winn-Moses Cleveland
Enoch Cleveland-Elizabeth Counts
Sarah Cleveland-Israel Joslin
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary or Mercy Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook Line: William Shattuck, Immigrant

William Shattuck was born in England, possibly Somerset, but perhaps Dorset, about 1622.  That is as much as we can safely say about his origins.  His parents are believed to be Samuel Shattuck and Damaris Sibley, but as far as I know, no documentation has been found for this.  He did name a son Samuel, but there is no Damaris in the known family, so I think the jury is still out on his parentage. 

The first we really know of Samuel is that he is in Watertown, a few miles west of Boston, by 1642.  "The Pioneers of Massachusetts" states that he was a shoemaker.  There was a loom in his inventory when he died, and there has been speculation that he was also a weaver.  Many farmers, for that was also an occupation of his, did weaving in the winter time, but it's also possible that the output was for family needs only.  So let's consider him a shoemaker and a farmer. 

His wife's name and origins are also unknown.  She was Susanna, and may have been either a Hayden or a Barnard, but again there is no proof that I can find.  They were likely married about 1642 in England, and came almost immediately to Boston.  I have also seen speculation that his father may have been with them, but died on the voyage.  Again, I have not seen documentation. 

His children present another mystery.  I have names for 8 of them.  One son has been described as "Samuel Church".  I don't know whether this was a misreading of the will, or whether William had somehow adopted the boy, or whether there is another explanation.  He mentioned the "ten younger children that are married" as well as several sons, so he may have had more children than we know of.  The children that we have listed are Susanna, Mary, John, Philip, William, Rebecca, Abigail and Benjamin.  Perhaps Susanna had brought children into the marriage whom William considered "his".  We just don't know. 

We do know a little of his life because of what was listed in the inventory at this death.  His total appraised value was 434 pound, 2 shillings, which was not bad for a farmer, or a shoemaker.  Among the interesting items are more linens and dinnerware than would be typical for the day, but perhaps made necessary by having a large family.  He had 103 pounds and 17 shillings in money, cash on hand, which again is a larger amount than I typically see.  Unless books were included among "some small things", I didn't see books on the list but I do see two pair of "cards".  They are listed with some of the wooden and earthenware dishes, so I don't want to guess what the "cards" were.  If these were playing cards, they would have caused a scandal so the likelihood is that they were something else.  He had three guns, two "pistools", and a cutlash,  so he may have been well armed, depending on how old these arms were.  He also had crops in the ground, bushels of grain, and farm animals of every sort except goats, it seems. 

The inventory is signed by John Coolege, John Livermore, and Thomas Hastings.  William died August 14, 1672 and the will was entered into probate on August 23, when the inventory was completed.  Susannah remained a single woman for about 15 months, and then married Richard Norcross  They stayed in Watertown, where she died December 11, 1686.

We actually have two lines through William and Susanna, both through their daughter Susannah.  One line is:

William Shattuck-Susanna
Susannah Shattuck-John Fay
David Fay-Sarah Larkin
Edward Fay-Sarah Joslin
David Fay-Mary or Mercy Perrin
Euzebia (Luceba) Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

The other line is

William Shattuck-Susanna
Susanna Shattuck-Joseph Morse
Esther Morse-Nathaniel Joslin
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
and as per above

Holbrook line: Edward Counts or Counce 1635-1704

This will be a short post, because I've not found much about our ancestor Edward Counts, but his story should be told, however little we know of him.  Well, we know that he was born about 1635 because in 1663 his wife Sarah Cleveland said in a court case that Edward was then about 28 years old.  Unfortunately, that is all the information that I can glean from that court case, except that it was in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.  There is another court case he is briefly mentioned in in 1673 but I can't make heads nor tails out of that.  I think he was a witness. 

So back to the beginning...We don't know who his parents are.  Speculation is that his father might be Samuel because he named his only known son Samuel, but that is just speculation, as far as I can tell.  I've not been able to find him on any immigration lists, so we don't know when he came to New England or where the ship's passengers might have been primarily from.  The first thing we really know is that he married Sarah Adams, daughter of Richard Adams of Malden, on February 25, 1663.
Their first son, Samuel, was born in July of 1671.  He and two daughters, Elizabeth and Sarah, were baptized together at the First Church in Charlestown on April 4, 1677. 

I did find one comment that he had lived at Malden for some period of time but I don't know if that was while he was courting Sarah, or in the early days of their marriage, or perhaps it was in the last years of their marriage.  Sarah died on September 27, 1674 in Malden, just a few days before her father, Richard Adams died on October 6, 1674.  We don't know if the same illness struck them both down, or whether there were two unrelated causes of death.  Sarah's mother, Mary Cheame, died in 1684, so she may have helped Edward with the raising of the three youngsters, approaching and in their early teens when Sarah died.  Edward apparently did not remarry. 

Edward died about February 14,1704 at Charlestown, where he had first lived and made his home.  I haven't yet found his will, or appraisal.  I don't know his occupation.  I don't know his religion, except that he did have his children baptized.  I DO know that more research needs to be done for him!

The line of descent is

Edward Counts-Sarah Adams
Elizabeth Counts-Enoch Cleveland
Sarah Cleveland-Israel Joslin
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary or Mercy Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Thomas King, Immigrant

I have a lot of summaries of the life of Thomas King.  who lived from 1605 to 1676/1677.  Thomas was born in England, possibly in Shaftsbury, Dorset.  The problem is that there are quite a few Thomas King's,, and it's hard to figure out which one he is.  In addition, the maiden name of his wife is not agreed upon.  Her first name was Anne but she may or may not have been a Tice.  I am disinclined, at this point, to think that she was Anne Collins.  We don't even know whether the children he had were all from one wife.

His parents are generally given as Thomas and Sarah or Susan King, also of Shaftsbury.  The senior Thomas is sometimes said to have died in 1642 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts but I've not been able to find documentation for that.  So we have uncertain parentage, uncertain wife, and are even uncertain when he arrived in the New World.  We do know that a Thomas King arrived in 1635 but we don't know if that was our Thomas, Thomas's purported father, or another Thomas King entirely. 

However, we do know that he went to Sudbury, which was founded in 1639.  He was not one of the very earliest settlers, but apparently was one of those who came just a bit later.  His wife died in childbirth in 1642, leaving Thomas with six children (the baby lived only a few days longer than his mother)  .  We don't know whether this wife was his first wife, or whether some of the first children had a different mother.  Thomas was of a hardier sort than most men, as he stayed single for thirteen years, apparently raising his children himself, or with the help of his oldest children.  He remarried in 1655, when his children were mostly grown or at least ready to earn their own living. 

He acquired land in Sudbury and then in 1656 petitioned for land in what became Marlboro.  Here he was a selectman and also assisted in laying out the roads for the new town.  Again he acquired land and farmed. 

He wrote his will on March 1, 1676/77 and it was proven on April 20, 1676/77. We don't know whether he died of illness, accident, or possibly in the Indian attacks of King Phillip's War, which took place at about this time.  He certainly died at an unhappy time in the history of Marlboro. 

His wife Bridge survived another nine years, dying in 1685.

I've not found reference to the Kings' religion but it was likely Puritan, based on family association (son Peter was a deacon, and assigned to rebuild the Sudbury church).  I don't know if he was literate, or what he did in England before coming to America.  But I do know he came, and survived what must have been a difficult life, and for that, I admire our Thomas King.

The line of descent is:

Thomas King-Ann
Sarah King-Nathaniel Joslin
Nathaniel Joslin-Esther Morse
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
Daniel Fay-Mary or Mercy Perrin
Euzebia or Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Moses Cleveland 1620-1703, Immigrant

There is more information about Moses Cleveland than is sometimes available,because he left more records than some immigrants, and because he is the ancestor of Grover Cleveland and thus has been pretty thoroughly researched.  Still, I haven't seen documentation for his birth and there are varying guesses as to his parents. 

My favorite candidate for his parents would be Isaac Cleveland and Alice, last name unknown.  They were in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which is generally given as Moses' birthplace, and they were of the right age to be his parents. In addition, there is the Biblical name tradition, as it appears.  Other suggestions I have seen were for a Samuel Cleveland, but I don't think he was from Ipswich.

There is an absolutely fascinating story about Moses's voyage to America, but it may well be just that-a story.  Still, on the off chance that it's correct, the story goes that when Moses came to America, he had thought it would be Virginia rather than New England.  The story goes that when they landed at Jamestown, the group after a short time decided there was too much trouble with the native Americans, and boarded the ship to go to Massachusetts instead.  There is much that is suspicious about this story but it could have happened.

At any rate, young Moses, no more than fifteen, arrived at Plym.  outh or Boston in 1635.  He was a ship's carpenter apprentice when he arrived,  He seems to have stayed in Boston for about three years, then in 1638 he settled in Charlsetown. 

He was still serving a master, probably Edward Winn, when he went to Woburn in 1640 or 1641, but was admitted a freeman in 1643,  He was granted land in 1649, and on February 3,1648/1649 was appointed by a committee to lay out his own land.  He married Ann Winn, daughter of Edward Winn, in 1648 and the couple had at least eleven children.  The first is listed with a birthdate of 1651 so it's possible there were miscarriages or still born children in the early years of their marriage. 

Moses was a joiner, or basically a finish carpenter, and worked both on ships and on homes.  This gave him an income sufficient to support his large family.  He is listed on the militia roll in 1663.  A later listing for Moses Cleveland during King Philip's War is more likely his son Moses.  He became a tithing man for the church in 1680, so he was a Puritan.  He died in Woburn on January 8, 1702, having lived there for 60 or more years, and having survived his wife by about 20 years.  It isn't often that our ancestors stayed in one place for a long time so I would like to thank Moses for doing just that! 

The line of descent is:

Moses Cleveland-Ann Winn
Enoch Cleveland-Elizabeth Counts
Sarah Cleveland-Israel Joslin
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary or Mercy Perrin
Luceba or Euzebia Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Richard Adams 1605-1674 Immigrant

Once again we have an immigrant ancestor about whom little is known.  His like is fairly well documented in Massachusetts, but his earlier years, about 30 of them, are more of a mystery.

Richard was born about April 21,1605 in Batcombe, Somerset, England, or near there.  Batcombe is and was a very small village (current population about 450), and the church that is there now, the Church of St Mary the Virgin, was there then, although the church has had a tower added since the early 1600s.  The main industry of the area was raising sheep and weaving wool, so it's a pretty safe bet this is what our ancestors were doing when Richard was born, and as he grew to a young man.

At some point, the family developed Puritan leanings, and Richard and his family came to America in 1635.  Richard apparently paid for the passage of himself, his wife, and one child, by coming as a servant to William Reade, of Batcombe, Somerset, England.  They sailed on March 20, 1635 with Reverend Joseph Hull's group, most of whom went to Connecticut.  Richard and his wife were in Weymouth, Massachusetts later that year, but it's hard to tell how long Richard retained his role as servant to Mr. Reade.  We do know that he was admitted to a church early because he became a freeman at Weymouth on 2 September 1635.  This is a possible indicator that he has some sort of status in the community, to be admitted that quickly, or that the church was eager for "live bodies" to enlarge the church.

The identity of his wives remains unknown.  The best guess is that he married a Mrs. Cheame, and that either she already had a daughter named Mary Cheame, or they married their first daughter in honor of her first husband.  However, nothing has been found in England to support this speculation, in either direction, so all we can really say is that Mary Cheame Adams travelled with her mother and either father or stepfather to America and then to Weymouth.

Once the family was in America, three more children were born.  It appears that the first wife, Mary  died after 1642, and that Richard remarried to Elizabeth, who died in 1656.  He married again, by 1662, to another Elizabeth, and had a child with her.  During his early years at Weymouth, he was on the grand jury, served as a deputy to the General Court for Weymouth, and served on a committee and as a commissioner for small causes.  His occupation there is described as "planter", which generally means a land holder in good standing with the government and church, which were mostly one and the same thing.  He is also described as being "semi-literate."

Richard asked to be relieved from further military training on June 19, 1665, stating that he was of the age of three score or thereabout, also being lame.  I wonder whether it was an injury or an illness that caused the lameness?  The next we hear from him is that he is in Malden, not Weymouth, and writing his will, which was dated March 21, 1673/74 and proved December 15, 1674. The land, which was left to his widow and his children, was valued at 78 pounds.  The rest of his inventory is not totaled, and I have not yet located a copy of the will.  However, it appears that he was not a wealthy man.

I'd like to know more about Richard Adams.  Was he a servant to William Reade just for the ocean crossing, and if so, was there some family relationship?  Was he a good and obedient Puritan all his ife?  When did he move to Malden, and why?  Where did he get his education, and did he have books in his inventory?  There is always more to learn!  Most of the information I have came from "The Great Migration" by Robert Charles Anderson, but I'd like more information, still. 

The line of descent is:

Richard Adams-Mary
Sarah Adams-Edward Counts
Elizabeth Counts-Enoch Cleveland
Sarah Cleveland-Israel Joslin
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary/Mercy Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard Jr.
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Beeks and Holbrook lines: John Pers 1588-1661 Immigrant

John Pers is another in a long line of early immigrants to New England in the Beeks family, and also the Holbrook family.  He follows something of the typical mold, if there is such a thing, of coming to New England before the English Civil War, with a family and in his middle age.  John was born April 8, 1588 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, the son of Richard Pers or Pierce and Marguerite Coney.  We don't know much about his early life, except that his occupation in New England was a weaver.  It is probable that he learned this trade at home in Norwich, where the main industry was wool.  Wool made Norwich a wealthy city, and the Wikipedia article is quite interesting as it explains how Norwich welcomed religious refugees in the decades just before John was born.  What we don't know is John's religion, except that his children were baptized in the Anglican church.

John married Elizabeth Trulle or Stoker on April 22, 1610, in Norwich.  (I have seen her name listed as Trulle Stoker and as Stoker Trulle, but as of now I haven't found documentation for either name.  The couple had seven children from 1610 to 1622.  Four of them are documented as having traveled with their parents to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637.  There was also a servant, John Gednay, in their party.  However, this may not have been John's first trip to the New World.  The older children of John were already here, and John was given land in Watertown in 1634.  It is likely that he was here as early as 1633 and then returned to New England for his wife and the rest of his family, to bring them over in 1637. 

The family settled in Watertown where John taught the weaving trade to at least some of his children, and where they were given land as settlers of the town.  John was made a freeman in March of 1638 and took the "oath of fidelity" in 1652.  His name appears as a drummer in the train band (militia) of that year but it's not clear whether this was John the immigrant or John the son.  John the immigrant would have been 64 years old and likely had been excused from the militia by this time, unless he was in exceptionally good health. 

John made his will in 1658 and died September 2, 1661.  His will was proven September 30,1661, and his inventory was valued at just over 217 pounds.  Elizabeth made her will on March 15, 1667 and died within just a few days, as it was proved April 2, 1667.  Her estate was valued at just over 124 pounds, so she must have used her assets wisely. 

Of course I'd like to know more about this couple, but I'm grateful to have located this much information about them.  Here are the lines of descent.

Beeks:

John Pers-Elizabeth Trulle or Stoker
Anthony Pers-Ann
Daniel Pierce-Elizabeth Shedd
Elizabeth Pierce-Samuel Smith
Shubael Smith-Prudence Fitzrandolph
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants

Holbrook:

John Pers-Elizabeth Trulle or Stoker
Hester Pierce-Joseph Morse
Joseph Morse-Susanna Shattuck
Esther Morse-Nathaniel Joslin
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary or Mercy Perrin
Euzebia (Luceba) Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Thomas Joslin, Immigrant 1591-1660/61

I love it when I find so much information about an ancestor that it's hard to fit it all into one blog post!  This is definitely a case of "pick and choose" what I can reasonably expect my family to read.

Thomas Joslin was born at Roxwell, County Essex, in England late in 1591, the son of Ralph Josselyn and Mary Bright (or possibly Dorothy unknown).  Roxwell is a small village and was likely never much larger than it was in 1872, when it had a population of 986.  There is a church there that has been in existence since the 14th century, where Thomas would have been baptized.  Ralph, the father, is called a yeoman, so he was a respectable farmer who owned at least some land.  Thomas had at least 10 brothers and sisters, some of which were likely half siblings, so it was a large family in what was probably a small home.

Sometime about 1615, Thomas married Rebecca Jude, and they raised their family for about 20 years in Dedham and later in Barham, county Suffolk, England.  In between, they may have lived in Ardleigh, Essex county, because two of their children were baptized there.  The last child was baptized in Barham, but we are missing baptismal locations for some of their other children.  The question is, did they move, or did they simply take some of their children to other (family) locations to be baptized in the "home church"?

We do know that in April of 1635, the family set sail on the ship Increase to come to Massachusetts.  They brought with them Rebecca, age 18, Dorothy, age 11, Nathaniel, age 8, Elizabeth, age 6, and Mary, age 1.  They also had a maidservant, Eliabeth Ward, who may or may not have been a relative.
The family first settled at Hingham, and by 1647 were well enough established that they were being given small parcels of land (one and one half acre of fresh meadow, and three acres of land in Hockly Field.  Thomas also purchased land from Stephen Lincoln, and by the time he was ready to sell it, it was described as "our houses, barns, homestalls, outhouses and dwelling house and barns, orchards and gardens, with the homelot", about three acres in all.  At the same time, he and son Nathaniel sold additional land to George Lane and Thomas Collier.

Thomas and Rebecca's children were Abraham, Rebecca, Mary, Dorothy, Nathaniel, Elizabeth, and Mary again (the first Mary died soon after her 1619 baptism, and Dorothy died as a young woman.)

According to "Account of the Joslin Family", he was admitted freeman at Hingham in 1636, and was largely interested in commerce, owning several vessels that sailed between England and the Colonies, and was also proprietor of land in the towns of Lancaster, Hingham, and Sudbury.  He was described as a man of commendable habits, generous disposition, and great business ability, and was respected by the citizens for his excellent personal character. He was a selectman for the town for several years, apparently.

In 1654 the Joslins sold their land and moved to Lancaster.  We aren't told why they moved, but it must have seemed a better opportunity.  By this time, Thomas would have been 63 years old, and perhaps he went because Nathaniel was moving, and he wanted to be with his son and grandchildren.  Lancaster of course was very much a frontier town, but during the time Thomas lived there relations with the native Americans seem to have been peaceful.  Still, a 63 year old man may have had a hard time building a new home, unless he was able to have it built.

Thomas's will was written May 9,1660 and proved March 29,1661. He left his estate to his wife Rebecca, and land or money to each of his children.  He left little to his son Abraham, so he may have already given him his share of the estate.  His housing and lands were valued at 30 pounds.
Rebecca later remarried and disposed of the land according to (Thomas's) will.

I've used material from "Great Migration, Volume 4, page 117, "English Origins of New England Families Volume I," and New England Historical and Genealogical Register Volume 158" in writing this post, as well as bits and pieces from Wikipedia.

The line of descent is:

Thomas Joslin-Rebecca Jude
Nathaniel Joslin-Sarah King
Nathaniel Joslin-Esther Morse
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mercy or Mary Perrin
Euzebia (Luceba) Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendents

Fun fact:  There are genealogies that say that our Thomas can be traced back to Gilbert Josceline, who was a contemporary of William the Conqueror.  Others say it isn't so, so take it with a grain of salt.  The dates seem to work, and it's fun to think it might be so! 

Holbrook line: Enoch Cleveland 1671-1729

Enoch Cleveland was of the first generation of New Englanders.  His father Moses Cleveland, had arrived probably at Boston in 1635, as a servant to his future father-in-law, Edward Winn.  Ann was just a young woman at the time, and perhaps Moses had to serve a period of indentureship, for Moses and Mary weren't married until 1648.  Enoch was the youngest son of this couple, one of 12 children, and the family lived in Woburn, Massachusetts. 

Enoch married Elizabeth Counts or Counce on  October 9, 1695 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was just outside of Charlestown and in fact may have been included in the Charlestown borders at one time.  Elizabeth was the daughter of Edward Counts/Counce and Sarah Adams, and was one of at least five children.

Enoch learned and practiced the trade of a tailor, so if he farmed it was only to support his family. Likely he had a few farm animals, if nothing else.  He and Elizabeth moved several times, from Charlestown to Sudbury to Framingham, then Acton, Marlborough, and finally Concord, in 1719.  His first wife died in 1719 and he may have married again, to Elizabeth Wright.  There are no known children from the second marriage, and just four children from the first marriage.  Sarah was the oldest, and then came Enoch, James, and Jonathan. It is hard to tell whether Enoch moved so much because of hard times, or because his trade was so much in demand.

Enoch has what looks to be an interesting probate record, case number 4616 in the probate court of Middlesex County, and perhaps more can be learned from that.  The images are available on americanancestors.org but I can't read them, and I haven't been able to find anyone who has posted the will or papers on line.  Apparently FamilySearch will be bringing the images online "soon", as there is a research page about the collection.  Maybe I'll have better luck reading them there.

Update:  I tried again to read the probate, and have been able to glean a little bit. Enoch died without a will, and his son Jonathan Cleveland was the administrator.  There is a document with Israel Joslin's signature on it.  There were several pages with numbers and lists.  At the end is what I think is an inventory.  I will have to wait for better glasses or/and a stronger magnifying glass to read more!

As far as I can tell, Enoch didn't have an involvement with the military, or at least it was only for local drills.  There is an Enoch Cleveland who served for about 7 1/2 months in 1725, as a corporal, but this is likely son Enoch, not our ancestor.

More research needs to be done, of course, not only to study his probate records but to determine whether he was a freeman or not, and to find what churches he would have supported.  I'd also like to know whether he was a hard-luck kind of guy or a respected citizen with a needed trade.  Someday perhaps I will find answers to these questions.

The line of descent is:

Enoch Cleveland-Elizabeth Counts
Sarah Cleveland-Israel Joslin
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mercy Perrin
Euzebia Fay-Libbeus Stanard Jr.
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Holbrook children, grand children, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren