John (Moseley) Maudsley (1640 - 1690)

Born 8 Apr 1640 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay

Husband of Mary (Newberry) Phelps — married 14 Dec 1664 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut Colony

Descendants

Died 18 Aug 1690 at age 50 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

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Biography

John Maudsley was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and baptised there 8 Apr 1640^[1].

He was the son of immigrants John Moseley/Maudsley and Cicely/Elizabeth (Unknown) Moseley. While both his parents died in Dorchester in 1661, John moved to Windsor, Connecticut, married his wife Mary Newberry in Windsor in 1664, and then moved to Westfield, Massachusetts, returning to Windsor some time before his death there in 1690.

"In 1677 John Maudsley removed from Windsor with his wife Mary Newbury to Westfield and purchased the house and store of Mr Whitney which thenceforth has been known as their home or the home of their descendants. Mr Moseley had already proved his valor in battles with the followers of King Philip. Hence he was warmly welcomed to the stockaded hamlet and chosen lieutenant of the little company of defenders. He was also recorded as one of the seven original members or foundation men of the church first organised under Rev Edward Taylor in 1677. The sous of Lieut John "struck out" in new paths for themselves. Consider has many descendants in Westfield and elsewhere, one of them, Mrs Bingham (Sybil Moseley) was among the earliest missionaries to the Sandwich Islands. "Quartermaster John" as he was called was another son. He was the father of Col John Moseley, one of the committee of safety in the war for independence. Owing to his public services his name often appears in the town and in the state records. While the widow of Joseph, another son, was living in the house we find the record was made upon the town book that the selectmen had agreed with one John Negro to call the people to meeting by beating the first drum against the widow Mosele's house in good weather. This drum beating by John or someone else for about one hundred and fifty years ,served instead of bell ringing to promote punctual attendance at church" source: "Our County and Its People": A History of Hampden County ..., Volume 2, edited by Alfred Minott Copeland, p. 376

"removed to Westfield, Mass.; was a lieutenant in King Philip's war, and held other public offices."

excerpted from "The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the..."

The genealogy connected with each of these houses is interesting. We will speak of those only who have occupied the Moseley house, using an account given by one of the family. In 1677 John Maudsley (or Moseley) removed from Windsor with his wife, Mary Newbury, to Westfleld, and purchased the house and store of Mr. Whitney, which thenceforth has been known as their home or the home of their descendants. Mr. Moseley had already proved his valor in battles with the followers of King Philip. Henee, he was warmly welcomed to the stockaded hamlet and chosen lieutenant of the little company of defenders. He was also recorded as one of the seven original members or "foundation men," of the church first organized under Rev. Edward Taylor, in 1677. The sous of "Lieut. John" "struck out" in new paths for themselves. Consider has many descendants in Westfield and elsewhere, one of them, Mrs. Bingham (Sybil Moseley) was among the earliest missionaries to the Sandwich Islands. "Quartermaster John," as he was called, was another son. He was the father of Col. John Moseley, one of the committee of safety in the war for independence. Owing to his public services, his name often appears in the town and in the state records. While the widow of Joseph (another son) was living in the house, we find the record was made upon the town book that the selectmen had agreed with one John Negro to call the people to meeting by beating the first drum, "against the widow Moseley's house in good weather." This drum beating by John or some one else for about one hundred and fifty years served instead of bell-ringing to promote punctual attendance at church. When the first meeting-house, near the bridge, over Little river, became inadequate to the needs of the growing town,. -------------------- Captain John, born in Dorchester or Boston, Massachusetts, 1638, removed to Windsor, Connecticut, where he lived until 1677, when he removed to West- field. He returned to Windsor some time before his death, August 18, 1690. He married, December 14, 1664, Mary Newberry, daughter of Benjamin. They had ten children. Their son Joseph, third child, was born December 2i, 1670, removed to Glastonbury, Connecticut, after 1715,and died there in 1719;he married, in 1696, Abigail Root; there are eight children named in his will.

LIEUTENANT JOHN MOSELEY. [1640-1690] Lieutenant in the Westfield Company of Foot in King Philip's War.

REFERENCE: Society of Colonial Wars Year Book, 1895, p. 256.

Sources

1. ↑ First Church (Dorchester, Mass) Records of the First Church at Dorchester, in New England, 1636-1734 Boston, Mass: G.H. Ellis| year = 1891 Vol 1 p152

• Oliver Seymour Phelps and Andrew Tinkey Servin, The Phelps Family of America and Their English Ancestors : With Copies of Wills, Deeds, Letters, and Other Interesting Papers, Coats of Arms and Valuable Records, Volume II, p. 1276 (Eagle Publishing Co., Pittsfield 1899). [1] (This seems to erroneously say that Mary Phelp's father John Moseley was his own father "John Moseley who was in Windsor in 1664." Mary Phelp's father is the 1664 John Mosley, who was born c. 1640.) The couple had daughter Mary (Mosely (Phelps)) Weller, John owned mill lands in both Windsor, Connecticut and Westfield, Massachusetts and his estate was valued at £543)
• Henry R. Stiles, The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut; Including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington, 1635-1891, Vol. II Genealogies and Biographies, pp. 593, 595 (Press of the Case, Lockwood & Bainard Co., Hartford 1892). Copy available at https://archive.org/stream/historygenealogi02stil#page/466/mode/2up. (Family last name spelled there also as Mosley).
• Parsons, Samuel. Record of Marriages and Births, in Windsor, CT & Early Records of Windsor, CT, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1851) Vol. 5, Page 229
• Starr, Frank Farnsworth. The Newberry Family of Windsor, Connecticut (Hartford, Conn, 1898) Page 34.
• Moseley, Edward Strong. A Genealogical Sketch of One Branch of the Moseley Family (Newburyport Herald Office, Newburyport, 1878) Page 21.