Holbrook line" William Curtis, Immigrant 1592-1673

Full disclosure:  Most of what I will write in this blog post is taken from "The Great Migration Begins" by Robert Charles Anderson.  Most of the other information that I found on line, if not all of it, is also taken from Anderson's work, sometimes word for word.  We are so grateful to Mr. Anderson for all the work he has done to tell us about the immigrant families, so we can claim those who are ours! 

William Curtis was born before November 12, 1592, the date of his baptism, at Nazeing, Esex, England.  He was the son of Tohams and Mary Camp urtis.  He had four siblings, and the family likely grew up as Puritans as Nazeing was a center of Puritan activity in the early 1600s.  William first married Margaret Rawlyns  in London on December 3, 1615.  She died at or very soon after the death of their son, William. 

He then married, on August 6, 1618, Sarah Eliot, daughter of Bennet and Lettice Agar Eliot.  She was the sister of Rev. John Eliot, known in New England as "The Apostle to the Indians".  The family lived in England for 14 years after their marriage and had the first five of their children there, burying a daughter Elizabeth there.  Little is known of their life in England, but presumably they were under the teaching of Rev. Eliot, and came to New England so they could practice their faith. 

William and his wife and four children came to New England in 1632, where they promptly joined the Roxbury church.  William is listed as member 37 and Sarah as member 38.  He became a freeman on March 4, 1632/3.  While in Roxbury, William and Sarah added three children to their family.  Son William, born to Williams first wife, died in 1634.

William is described as a yeoman and had several parcels of land in Roxbury, where he lived his whole life.  By a Roxbury land inventory (likely written for tax purposes), he had ten acres with a house, barn, and orchard, plus one acre of upland and meadow, three acres acquired in an exchange, and two acres and a rood of salt marsh. The only office that he held, (that Anderson located) was as a petit juror in 1637, so he was not deeply involved in the politics or governance of the town. 

He had basically the same holdings when, in February 1669/70, he gave most of his estate to his youngest son, Isaac, on the condition that Isaac continue caring for his parents until both were gone.  He gave 40 shillings each to son John Curtis and to son in law Isaac Newell.  The other children had already had their gifts.  William died December 9, 1670 and Sarah died March 27, 1672/3. 

That's what is known of WIlliam Curtis.  He seems to have stayed out of trouble, and to have supported his family and served his God.  Several of his children married in the late 1650s and early 1660s, so presumably he lived to see grandchildren growing up in the New World.  I hope he died a happy man,

The line of descent is:

William Curtis-Sarah Eliot
Elizabeth Curtis-Isaac Newell
Sarah Newell-Nathaniel Hawes
Elizabeth Hawes-Samuel Wilson
Rebekah Wilson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants