Born: about 1591 in Roxwell, Essex, England.
Died: November 3, 1660 in Lancaster, Massachusetts.
Spouse: Rebecca
Jude. (The name Marlow is often reported,
but not substantiated. See below)
Children: Abraham
Joslin
Rebecca (Joslin) Nichol
Dorothy Joslin
Nathaniel Joslin
Mary (Joslin) Sumner
(Joseph Joslin)
(See below)
Occupation: Farmer
Proprietor
Town Officer, Hingham, MA
Father’s name: Ralph
Josselyn Birth place:
Chignal-Smealy, Essex, England
Mother’s name: Mary (Bright) Josselyn Birth place: Roxwell, Essex, England
Siblings: John Josselyn
Mary (Josselyn) Searle
Agnes or Anne (Josselyn) Hutt
Ralph Josselyn
Simon Josselyn
Dorothy Josselyn
Richard Josselyn
Joseph Josselyn
Nathaniel Josselyn
Elizabeth Josselyn
Anne or Hannah Josselyn
Mary Josselyn
Rebecca Josselyn
On April 17, 1635, Thomas
and his family were enrolled to sail from London to Boston on the Increase or Encrease. (The date the
family was enrolled and the date that they actually took to sea may be slightly
different.) On board were Thomas, his
wife Rebecca, and their children Rebecca, Dorothy, Nathaniel, Eliza, and
Mary. Eliza Ward, a maid servant, also
travelled with them. Eldest son Abraham
was left at Corpus Christi school in London to finish his education.
In 1637, they lived in
Hingham, Massachusetts and moved to Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1654.
.
The name for Thomas’ wife is
often given as Rebecca Marlowe. However
this is likely something contrived by a man named Gustav Anjou who had a flair
for fraud. The dates suggested for a
Rebecca Marlowe create problems and many serious historians reject them. An article on this subject appeared in The New England Historical and Genealogical
Register in 2004 by Roger D. Joslyn entitled “Rebecca,
Wife of Thomas Josselyn of Hingham and Lancaster, Massachusetts.” It is well researched and cites many quality
sources. His conclusion is that Rebecca
Jude, daughter of John Jude, is the proper identity of the woman who married
Thomas Joslin. The key document is a
deed for land prepared between their parents Ralph Josselyn and John Jude. If Ralph became deceased then the property
would be assigned to His son Thomas and Rebecca Jude. The document is dated September 11, 1613,
before they were married, hence the separate names being spelled out. Thomas’
son Abraham was the first child born to Thomas and Rebecca and the year of his
birth has been determined to be between 1615 and 1616. This allows us to conclude that Thomas and
Rebecca would have been married after September, 1613 and before Abraham’s
birth about 1615. Thomas died before
Rebecca and after his death, Rebecca married William Kerley. William died July 14, 1670. It is not known when Rebecca died.
Thomas’ will was written May
9, 1660
Son Joseph, his existence is
dubious. There has been quality research
that states that he did not exist. This
is best summarized in an article by Roger D. Joslin entitled “There
Was No Joseph Joslin”, published in The
American Genealogist in 1980.
A cousin, Dionisia Josselyn
of Great Canfield, was accused of being a witch in1630 in Essex County,
England. She was one out of about 700 men
and women. The guilty were hanged or
burned at the stake. A list of those
accused in the Essex Witch Trials
is available at this link. More detailed
information can be found in the book Witch
Hunting and Witch Trials by C. L’Estrange Ewen. Dionisia was accused of bewitching Joan Judd
on April 1 who languished until her death on Oct. 19. Joan Judd’s condition was alternatively
described as wasted and consumed. The
complaint was endorsed (accepted) and the witnesses were Katherine Judd, Francis
Samon, Joan Greygoose, and Ellen Sabyn. Dionisia
pled not guilty and was acquitted of witchcraft. However, it appears that bail was set and
that she was re-imprisoned to the pillory.
Pillory being similar to, but more severe than, being placed in stocks
in public view.
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