Holbrook line: Joseph Robbins 1668-1709

Sometimes I forget that we had some ancestors who lived in New Jersey for a generation or two.  This is one of those ancestors,  He was actually born in Woodbridge, Middlesex County and died in Freehold, Monmouth County, so he spent his whole, although relatively brief, life there. 

Joseph Robbins was the son of Daniel and Hope Potter Robins.  (The second "b" was a fixture in Joseph's name but not in Daniel's.) Daniel was from somewhere in Scotland, apparently.  He may have come to the colonies as a Covenanter, or he came have come as an indentured servant, for the same reasons ohters came to the Colonies. 

Joseph was one of at least 11 children of Daniel and Hope Potter Robins.  The first we find of him is his marriage to Anna Pack on June 8, 1692 in Woodbridge.  Anna is the daughter of George and Anna possibly Cranmer Pack.  Joseph and Anna had at least 9 children, before Joseph's premature death ion May 10, 1709. 

We don't know any more about Joesph than that, except that he sold l100 acres of land in Woodbridge to his son Joseph when he moved to Monmouth, That is a clue that he was a farmer of some sort, and in his will he calls himself "yeoman".

Several of Joseph's children were minors when he died.  He left everything to his widow during her life, then gave each son (except Richard, who was born after Joseph's death) land that was to be his after the widow's death.  Each son was to provide for one or two of his sisters, ten pounds each two years after taking possession of the land.  Each son was also to give 25 pounds to the unborn baby if it was a boy, and nothing if a girl.

I haven't yet located land records for Joseph but records surely must exist.  There may be an inventory somewhere, also, but I've not yet located it.   I've also not yet located a deaath record for Anna, nor guardianship records regarding her children.  There is much work yet to do!

The line of descent is:

Joseph Robbins-Anna Pack
Bethia Robbins-John Nation
Christopher Nation-Elizabeth Swaim
Joseph Nation-Jerretta Vickery
Elizabeth Nation-Christopher Myers
Phoebe Myers-John Adam Brown
Phoebe Brown-Fremont Holbrook
Loren Holbook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: George Pack, Immigrant

 I'm considering George Pack an immigrant until I'm shown otherwise.  He was born about 1634 but he wasn't born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, as many sites say, because Elizabethtown Tract, which I believe to be the reference, wasn't even formed until 1664, when the tract of land was purchased from the Lenape natives.  Some sites give his parents as William and Grace Greene Pecke, who were in New Haven, Connecticut early.  If this is correct, then George may have been born in Nottinghamshire, England. The site "Descendants of Founders of New Jersey" says that George was born in England and emigrated to America in the 1650's, probably with his (unnamed) parents and likely settled in the Mitford area of Connecticut. . This makes sense, but means more research needs to be done.   

In 1665, he was one of eighty Associates who purchased a large tract of land west of the Hudson River and then settled the first English town in eastern New Jersey. George had 118 acres there, and   took the Oath of Allegiance and Fidelity in the town on February 19, 1665.  The only other record I've found of him was that he signed a letter of remonstrance to the King in 1700, asking for a more competent Governor for the colony. We also have record of several land sales that he made, and ofthe witnessing of at least one will. 

George married Anna, who was more likely than not Anna Cranmer, about 1660, and they had six children together.  Anna died about 1681.  George may have moved to Rahway, N.J. where he married Elizabeth Moore in March of 1683.  They had four children.  He was a yeoman (a land owning farmer) when he died October 2, 1704.

I wish we knew more about George, especially who his parents were, and what role he might have played in local government or in church life.  There are more records to explore, and there may be more facts to this story.  A man who immigrated to America, helped found his town, and lived 70 years surely has more to his story than what I've found so far. And since he is an ancestor twice-over, he's doubly important!

One line of descent is:

George Pack-Anna Cranmer
Hannah Pack-Joseph Robins
Bethiah Robins-John Nation
Christopher Nation-Elizabeth Swaim
Joseph Nation-Jeretta Vickery
Elizabeth Nation-Christopher Myers
Phoebe Myers-Adam Brown
Phoebe Brown-Fremont Holbrook
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

The other line is:

George Pack-Anna Cranmer
Hannah Pack-Joseph Robins
Bethia Robins-John Nation
Elizabeth Nation-Marmaduke Vickery
Jeretta Vickery-Joseph Nation

Joseph Nation and Jeretty Vickery were first cousins, it appears.  That was not unusual in that time and place.