Do you know about any early settlers in the USA with the surname Boswell?

Question

In connection with the recently started Boswell One Name Project, we are now starting to look for early Boswell settlers, and evidence of their existence and origins. Do you know about any settlers called Boswell? If so, please join in with this project.

Answer 1

Elizabeth Boswell
North Carolina Births and Christenings, 1866-1964
birth:    27 April 1702    Perquimans County, North Carolina
residence:    1702    Perquimans, North Carolina, United States    
father:    Thomas
mother:    Anne Boswell        

... Boswell
North Carolina Births and Christenings, 1866-1964
birth:    25 December 1703    Perquimans County, North Carolina
residence:    1703    Perquimans, North Carolina, United States    
father:    Thomas Boswell
mother:    ...        

Elisabeth Boswell
Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915
birth:    29 October 1739    Salisbury, Norfolk, Massachusetts
residence:    1739    Massachusetts, United States    
father:    Isaac Boswell
mother:    Martha        

Richard Boswell
Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915
birth:    9 June 1678    Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts
residence:    1678    Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States    
father:    Samuel
mother:

Comments

Thank you, Frank, for this helpful contribution.

Answer 2

 Boswell Family Origin

• England (37)
• Ireland (16)
• Great Britain (13)
• Liverpool,England (5)
• Scotland (5)
• Worcestershire (5)

from the New York Passengers List

Answer 3

Rebecca Buswell (sometimes spelled Boswell) married Richard Smith.  

Comments

Thank you, Kitty, for this helpful contribution. I guess this is the earliest Boswell/Buswell in the USA, but of course, she gave rise to a line of Smiths, and not Boswells.

Answer 4

Thomas Boswell/Bosswell was in York Co., VA by 1646/7 as shown by the following deeds.

Assignment date torn away. Land descritpion of Geo. Tompson mentions Mr. Thomas Boswell (Bosswell in record) land about 1646/7.

Virginia Colonial Abstracts: III p. 72. Part torn away. Order that Thos. Boswell be pd a dept for 'phisicke' and a legacy from the estate of Humphry Hanmore. original p. 264.

Virginia Colonial Abstracts: III p. 103. Thomas Bosswell to det. final settlement between Finch and Plumer about 1648. Original, p. 2.

Comments

Thank you Dusti for this valuable contribution. There are more of them than I realised!

Answer 5

John and Joseph Boswell in Gloucester/Mathews Co., VA in 1696.  230 acres. Mentioned in deed from John to Joseph as John's brother.  Records of Colonial Gloucester which includes Mathews County. Records of Gloucester Co., Vol. I.p. 86.

John born abt 1655, Ware Neck, Gloucester Co., VA  Index to Register of Abington Parish. Footnote: Gloucester Co., VA 1678-1761., I: 22, II: 19.

Joseph on the Rent Roll of Ware Parish, Gloucester Co. VA 1704/5.   Records of Colonial Gloucester which includes Mathews County. Records of Gloucester Co., Vol. I., p. 85, Rent Roll in Ware Parish 1704/5.

 

Answer 6

Here are some more early Boswells.  I have a great deal of information on the Boswells in VA and TN.  I'll be more than happy to answer any questions.  There were a great many in early VA and MD too.  I believe there were also Boswells in New England. Those in VA have many different spellings of the name.

Doro. (Dorothy?) Boswell on trans. list of Lt. John Needles. 20 Dec 1667 Cavaliers and Pioneers II: 28.  Abstracted by N.M. Nugent, Indexed by C.B. Grandman, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants (Virginia State Library, Richmond, VA, USA. 1977), Vol. II. p. 28.

Ja. (James?) Boswell trans. list of John and George Mott. 17 Oct. 1670.  N. side freshes of Rappa. (Rappahannock) River.  Cavaliers and Pioneers II:85  Abstracted by N.M. Nugent, Indexed by C.B. Grandman, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants (Virginia State Library, Richmond, VA, USA. 1977), Vol. II p. 85.

Jane Boswell:  10 Oct 1688 Transport List of Michael Fentris:  Cavaliers and Pioneers II:327.Abstracted by N.M. Nugent, Indexed by C.B. Grandman, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants (Virginia State Library, Richmond, VA, USA. 1977), Vol. II p. 327.

Amy Boswell Listed on trans. list of Robert Beverly, 20 Oct 1689 with Vere Boswell. Husband/wife? Mother/son? Father/daughter?  Cavaliers and Pioneers:  Abstracted by N.M. Nugent, Indexed by C.B. Grandman, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants (Virginia State Library, Richmond, VA, USA. 1977), Vol. II p. 335.

Comments

Bravo, Dusti! Fantastic response.