Josiah DEWEY

Notes:

Name:
The son of Thomas "The Settler" Dewey & his wife Frances, later the wife of George Phelps. Dewey married on 6 Nov 1662 at Northampton, MA to Hepzibah Lyman the daughter of Richard & Hepzibah Ford Lyman. The Deweys located at Northampton, MA about 1663 where Josiah learned the carpenter's trade and became a freeman in 1666. During King Philip's War he was a Sargent of the Guard at Westfield, MA.

He was a Quaker and in his religious discovery he says; "When I was entred into a married state I saw myself now under former ingagemnts of attending heart-searching & hearing Mr. Mather on the hearts hardness assert that there was no plague like unto that, I was affrighted there at & soon after hearing Mr. Eliot (now of Gilford) on a lecture sermon was so awakened as to resolve no longer to delay but to fall to search my own heart. But I found it hard & difficult work to keep my mind to it & sometimes I found that my heart would slip from ye work almost as soon as I was at it. So that I could find little rest."

He seems to have found that rest as he became a Deacon in the church at Westfield. In 1696 he moved to Lebanon, CT where he helped found the town, and where his name appears often in the early records.




The "Brief Notes of the Early History of the Dewey Family in America" states that Hepzibah had died about 1670/1 and that Josiah married as a 2d wife, Experience. However, the inscription on Hepzibah Lyman Dewey's headstone states she died in 1732. So I will will using that as Hepzibah's death and will removing be removing Josiah's 2d wife, Experience.

Josiah married Hepzibah LYMAN on 6 Nov 1662 in Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. Hepzibah (daughter of Richard LYMAN and Hepzibah FORD) was born about 1644 in Windsor, Hartford Co., Connecticut; died on 4 Jun 1732 in Lebanon, New London Co., Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Josiah Lyman DEWEY was born on 24 Dec 1666 in Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts; died in 1750 in Lebanon, New London Co., Connecticut; was buried in New Lebanon Cemetery, Lebanon, New London Co., Connecticut.

Notes:

Name:
THOMAS DEWEY, the Settler (spelled also in the Dorchester records, Duee), came to Dorchester, Mass., in 1633, from Sandwich, Kent, England, near the ancient town of Dover, and was enrolled as a freeman there, may 14, 1634. He removed about 1638 to Windsor, Ct., and m. there, march 22, 1638/9, widow Frances Clarke, by whom he had 5 children. He was cornet of the town troop of soldiers. he d. at Windsor, April 27, 1648. he was frequently juror and deputy to the General Court. His widow m. for a 3d husband, Nov. 30 1648, George Phelps, and soon afterwards removed to Westfield, Mass., with all the Dewey children except Israel, who remained in Windsor and d. there at an advanced age, leaving no issue. Thomas Dewey and all his descendants for several generations are believed to have been farmers.

Thomas married Frances ? on 22 Mar 1638/9 in Windsor, Connecticut. Frances was born in 1611 in England; died on 27 Sep 1690 in Westfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]