Joseph Chamberlin (bef. 1665 - 1721)

Born before 4 Jun 1665 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Hannah (Gilbert) Chamberlin — married 28 Oct 1682 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 8 Aug 1721 after age 56 in Oxford, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Joseph Chamberlin was probably born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and was baptized on June 4, 1665, at John Eliot's church in Roxbury.^[1][2][3][4] He was the son of Richard Chamberlain of Braintree.^[3]

He was a soldier in the Narragansett War and engaged in the "Swamp Fight" of Dec 1765.^[5] He resided in Sudbury until 1713 when he removed to Oxford, Massachusetts.^[3] He and three of his sons (Nathaniel, Ebenezer, and Joseph Jr.) were among the proprietors of that town, thirty in number. The place had originally been settled by French Huguenots and abandoned. He aided in the organization of the town and was one of the first Board of Selectmen.^[5] His will was dated Oxford, 4 Mar 1781. It was entered in the Suffolk Records, now in Boston. His real estate was appraised at 220 pd and his personal property at 86pd 13s 6d. His sons Benjamin and Simon were designated as his executors.^[5]

He married at Sudbury 28 Aug 1682, Hannah Gibbon/Gibbons/Gilbert.^[6] He mentions in his will five sons, Nathaniel, Ebenezer, Joseph, Simon, and Benjamin and two daughters, Hannah Rocket and Rebecca Kenney. On 22 Feb 1731, several members of the family conveyed to Joseph all their rights in their father's lots laid out or to be laid out to "ye soldiers which were in ye fight commonly called ye Narragansett or 'swamp fight.'"^[7][8]

In 1675 he enlisted in Captain Jonathan Poole's Company probably, at Concord, Massachusetts. This company marched to Hackley and Hatfield and defended the latter from an attack of the Indians on 19 October 1675. He took part in the "Swamp Fight" in December of the same year. On 25 January 1676 he received £1 4s. for his services under Captain Poole. He reenlisted in the company commanded by Captain William Turner 7 April 1676. This company was in the celebrated "Falls Fight" which occurred 19 May 1676, at the place which has ever since been known as "Turners Falls." He was at the garrison in Westfield, Mass., 23 August 1676, and received £14 8s for his services. ^[9][10]

He sold his farm in Sudbury in 1703 but remained there until 1713 when they moved to Oxford with all of their eight children. He drew lot 21 (click on map at right to enlarge) for his dwelling house. He also bought 40 acres of land of Joseph Dudley of Roxbury.^[11][12][13]

To Joseph Chamberlain Sr., was assigned an important lot on "Bondetts" or "Prospect Hill" which included the "Great House," it being the house formerly occupied by the famous French Huguenot, Rev. Daniel Bondett, who with his thirty families had failed to establish their settlement in Oxford.^[5]

The town of Oxford had been founded late in the preceding century by French Huguenots but deserted by them and the successors of the original grantees of the town brought in thirty English families to found a new town. Of Joseph's children Nathaniel , Ebenezer, and Joseph Jr. were of age and took up land with the other proprietors of Oxford.

He died 8 August 1721, in Oxford.^[5][14] His wife Hannah was a member of the church of Sudbury before 1706 and died before him.^{[citation needed]}

The entire property was appraised at £306 13s. 6., of which £110 was for homestead and buildings, 10 shillings for books, £4 4s. 6d. for pewter and brass and £3 5s. for three guns.

On 22 February 1731, Ebenezer Chamberlain, Joseph Rocket (sic) Rockwood and his wife Hannah, Benjamin Chamberlain and Simon Chamberlain conveyed to their brother Joseph Chamberlain of Keehamoochaug all their rights in their father's lot laid out or to be laid out to "ye soldiers which were in ye fight commonly called ye Narragansett, or Swamp Fight." (Suffolk Records.; Sudbury Records.; Suffolk Co. Wills. Vol. 22, pp. 500 to 503.)

Will

His will dated 24 March 1721, wherein he calls himself a yeoman, is recorded in the "Suffolk County Wills," Vol. 22, p. 360:^[15]

In the Name of God Amen, the twenty fourth day of March one Thousand Seven hundred twenty, twenty one - I Joseph Chamberlane Sen. of Oxford in the County of Suffolk in the Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England Yeoman being Sickly & weak in Body, but of perfect mind & memory thanks be given unto God, Therefore Calling into mind the mortality of my Body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to dye, Do make & ordain this my last Will and Testament, That is to say, Principally & first of all I give and recommend my Soul into the hands of God that gave it, and my Body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in decent Christian Burial at the Discretion of my Executors hoping that at the General Resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God to bless me in this life, I Give Devise and Dispose of the same in the following manner form.

Imprimis I Give and bequeath to welbeloved Son Joseph Twenty five acres already laid out on the South End of this my Homelot and Farm whereon I Dwell

Item I Give to my welbeloved sons Benjamin & Simon whom I likewise Constitute make & ordain my Sole Executors of this my last Will & Testament, all and singular my Lands messuages and Tenements by them freely to be Possessed and Enjoyed in the manner and with the Exceptions hereafter mentioned. That is to say, I Give & Bequeath to the said Benjamin & Simon my Homestay (Excepting the Twenty five acres excepted already to my son Joseph) with all the Houses Ediffices [illegible] & Inclosures made thereupon whatsoever, with all the use profit priviledge advantages of the same to be to them their heirs Executor Administrator & assigns forever together with my fifty & Twenty five acres of after Devisions laid out to me at the South Corner of Oxford Village & joyning upon my meadow upon the River, together also with the said meadow and my share in the Cedar Swamp, as also in all after Divisions (Excepting twelve acres which I give to my said son Joseph, and twelve acres I give & bequeath to my welbeloved son Nathaniel) with my Cows & oxen small & Great as also Cart, Chains Ploughs Plough Irons and all other Labouring Instruments & Utensills belonging to me at my Decease, and it is my Will & Pleasure, which is hereby declared, that the said Benjamin & Simon my sons shall Possess & Enjoy the Land meadow Swamp Cows Oxen & Utenssils as they are above Demised and to be to them their heirs Executors Administrators and assigns by equal Divisions with the use profits & priviledges and appurtenances belonging to the same; and it is likewise my Will & Pleasure that the said Benjamin & Simon my sons should pay the following Legacies and in the following manner, Viz.

I Do in this my last Will & Testament order the said Benjamin and Simon first to pay Sibyla Rockett my Grand Daughter her heirs or assigns a Cow before the Expiration of four years after my Decease

Item a Cow to my Granddaughter Elizabeth Chamberlane Daughter to my son Nathaniel, her heirs or assigns before the Expiration of Eight years after my Decease.

Item to pay to my Grand Son Richard Chamberlane Son to the said Nathaniel his heirs Executors Administrators or assigns Ten Pounds Current money of this Providence when the said Richard is Sixteen years old.

Item to pay to my Grandson Nathan Kannie Son to Nathan Kannie sometime of Oxford his heirs Executors administrators or assigns the sum of Ten pounds Current money of this Providence when the said Nathan is fifteen years old.

Item to pay to my welbeloved Daughter Rebecca her heirs Executors administrators or assigns a Cow before the Expiration of two years after my Decease.

Item to pay to my welbeloved Son Ebenezer his heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns the sum of five pounds Current Money of New England, when he or they shall stand in need of the Same.

Item to pay to my Grand Child Patience Daughter to my said son Joseph a Cow within five years after my Decease

But moreover I give & Dispose of my Horses in the following manner, that is to say, first, I Give and bequeath to my son Joseph my blackish Grey mare.

Item I Give & Bequeath to my welbeloved Daughter Hannah Rocket my gray mare whom I order by this my Will & Testament to give to my welbeloved Son Nathaniel his heirs or Assigns the first Colt that comes of the said gray mare which the said Hannah is to keep untill the Colt be a year old.

Item I Give & Bequeath to my Son Benjamin & his aforesaid my young black horse Colt

Item I Give Simon my Youngest Son and his aforesaids my bay mare and hereby order the said Simon to give to my son Benjamin a Colt coming of the said bay mare on the value thenceof within the space of five years after my Decease.

And I Do hereby utterly Disallow Revoke & Disannul all & every other former Testaments Wills Legacies & Bequests & Executors by me in any ways before named Willed & Bequeathed, Satisfying & Confirming this & no other to be my last Will & Testament. In Witnesses whereof I have hereunto put my hand & Seal the day & year above written and in the seventh year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George of Great Brittain & King. Joseph Chamberlane a mark & a Seal Signed Sealed Published Pronounced & Declared by the said Joseph Chamberlane as his last will in presence of us the Subscribers
John Campbell John Cousins Stephen Cousins

Sources

1. ↑ Barber, 4
2. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQ6L-2F7 : 5 January 2021), Joseph Chamberlain, 1665.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Daniels, 434
4. ↑ History of Newbury, Vermont From the Discovery of Coos Country to Present Time by Frederic P. Wells. Published in St. Johnsbury, VT, 1902, by The Caledonia Company. Page 500. Republished by Open Archive.org.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4} Daniels, George F. History of the town of Oxford, Massachusetts, with genealogies and notes on persons and estates. Oxford : Pub. by the author with the cooperation of the town, 1892. p. 435
6. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89QY-H3XP?cc=2061550&wc=Q4DM-K6D%3A353350601%2C353362601%2C353362602 : 21 October 2020), Middlesex > County records > Births, marriages, deaths 1651-1793 > image 205 of 652; citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston.
7. ↑ Suffolk and Sudbury Records
8. ↑ Daniels, 434-435
9. ↑ Bodge's Soldiers in King Philips War (revised edition), pp. 240, 251, 252, 259, 365, and 426
10. ↑ Register of officers and members of the Society of Colonial Wars, 1897-1898. New York : By authority of the General Assembly, 1898. p. 438
11. ↑ Sudbury Town Records
12. ↑ Middlesex County Mass., Deeds. Vol. 18, pp. 246, 266
13. ↑ Suffolk County Deeds. Vol. 27, p. 174.
14. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCMC-MTG : 10 November 2020), Joseph Chamberlin, Sen., 8 Aug 1721; citing Death, Oxford, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009522.
15. ↑ Suffolk County Wills, Vol. 22, p. 360. FamilySearch. Suffolk County (Massachusetts) probate records, 1636-1899. Probate records v. 22-23 1719-1724. image 265 of 740.

• Barber, Eunice Miena. The Wright-Chamberlin genealogy from emigrant ancestors to present generations. Binghamton, N.Y., The Vail-Ballou company, 1914. pp. 4-6
• Farman, Elbert Eli. Foreman-Farman-Forman Genealogy: Descendants of William Foreman.