Josiah Dwight (1715 - 1768)

Born 23 Oct 1715 in Hatfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Buckminster) Dwight — married 17 Oct 1757 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 28 Sep 1768 at age 52 in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Colonel Josiah Dwight, the son of Captain Henry Dwight of Hatfield and Lydia Hawley, was born on October 23, 1715. In 1736 he graduated from Yale. In 1750 he married Sarah Pynchon, the daughter of Colonel William Pynchon and Catherine Brewer. She died without issue on August 4, 1755. Josiah then married Elizabeth Buckminster, the daughter of Colonel Buckminster of Brookfield, on October 17, 1757. They had five children including Colonel Thomas Dwight (see the biography and folder of Thomas Dwight and Hannah Dwight). Josiah served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the militia, a judge of the Court of Common Pleas in the County of Hampshire (1750-1768), and a Justice of the Peace. He was a merchant, and was also a manufacturer of potash and owned an iron foundry. He owned some 5,000 acres of land, and his property at the time of his death was valued at 9458 pounds.

He died on September 28, 1768 at the age of 53. The papers of Josiah Dwight consist of copies of his will and several of his financial records. The material is dated from 25 Jan 1768 to 19 Jul 1768.

Burial

Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts

Sources

• Dexter, Franklin Bowditch. Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College (Holt, 1885) Vol. 1, Page 558.
• Nelson, Cheryl A. "The Early Springfield Manuscripts Collection Series 1." PVHN Research Finding Aids Project. Accessed: 17 September 2018.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #35939835