Josiah Willard (abt. 1693 - 1750)

Born about 1693 in Lancaster, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Hannah (Wilder) Willard — married 1715 in Lancaster, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 8 Dec 1750 at about age 57 in Nashua, Hillsborough, New Hampshire

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Biography

James, Josiah and Jonathan, Abigail, Susanna and Tabitha, children of Henry and Dorcas Willard, born between 1690 and 1703.^[1] 1693 was calculated from age at death.

Josiah WILLARD: Born 1693 Lancaster, Essex, Massachusetts, was a member of the Massachusetts HR from Lunenburg 1734-37 where he served on five or fewer committees each year (average of three). He was selectman of Lunenburg during the years 1728-31, 36, 37; also moderator 1728-31, 35, 37. He was a colonel. He married Hannah Wilder (1690-1772) in 1715. They had 9 children. A farmer, he was an early settler of Lunenburg and the military commander of Fort Dummer. ^[2]

"Here lyes interr'd ye body of JOSIAH WILLARD, Captain of Fort Dummer, formerly of Lancaster, Lunenburge, and Winchester, and Colonel of a Regiment of foot, who died here December ye 8, Anno Domini, 1750, in ye 58 year of his age." Buried at Old Dunstable Cemetery, Nashua, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA. Photo at Find a Grave^[3]

A resident of Lancaster, Massachusetts, he was among the first settlers of Lunenburg, Mass (founded 1719) and was in charge of Fort Dummer, (in what is now Dummerston, Vt.) 1740-1750. His uncle, Rev. Samuel Willard, was a Vice President of Harvard College and Josiah's son, Josiah Willard, Jr., was for several years in charge of the garrison at Upper Ashuelot (now Keene, N.H.). Josiah Jr in 1749 removed to Winchester, N.H.".^[4]

Sources

• Find a Grave: [1]

1. ↑ Appendix to Vital Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2010).
2. ↑ Legislators of Massachusetts General Court, 1691-1780 (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002), (Orig. Pub. by Northeastern University Press , Boston, MA. John A. Schutz, Legislators of the Massachusetts General Court 1691–1780 A Biographical Dictionary, 1997.)
3. ↑ His death is also recorded in the printed Vital Records of Dunstable, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849, but the record was extracted from his tombstone at the Little Cemetery, Nashua, NH, not from the town records.
4. ↑ from "The Book of the Wilders" (3rd printing, 1998) by Edwin M. Wilder, M.D., pg. 7 of The Line of Thomas Wilder, the Immigrant..

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Bruce Richardson for creating WikiTree profile Willard-659 through the import of Kent.ged on Jul 3, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Bruce and others.