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 as witch in1630 in Essex County, England. She was one out of about 700 men and
women. I do not know if Dionisia was found guilty or innocent. The guilty were hanged or burned at the
stake. A list of those accused in the Essex Witch Trials is available
at this link.
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