Ozias Holcombe (1736 - 1812)

Born 3 Mar 1736 in Simsbury (now Granby), Hartford, Connecticut, British Colonial America

Ancestors

Husband of Rachel (Cornish) Holcomb — married 20 Dec 1757 in Simsbury, Hartford, Connecticut, British Colonial America

Descendants

Died 7 Feb 1812 at age 75 in North Granby, Granby, Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: James Holcombe [send private message]

Cpl. Ozias Holcombe served with 18th Regiment, Connecticut Militia during the American Revolution.

Biography

Bowman mentions an earlier Ozias that died young. This Ozias is the Ozias serving in Captain Samuel Hayes Company in the Revolutionary War with his brother Benjah; and that is what McPherson says. He is listed in the Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War, Microfilm Publication M881, Roll 361. He was a Corporal in the 18 Regiment, Connecticut Militia^[1], serving in New York from August 22, 1776 to September 26, 1776.

When Ozias was born, the settlement of Salmon Brook, part of Simsbury, was a small group of perhaps forty houses composed of the families of the first settlers: Ozias' grandfather Nathaniel, George Hayes, James Hillyer, and others who all appear in one another's genealogies. But Salmon Brook was beginning to grow.

Fears of the Indians had diminished so that the families of Simsbury that were looking for more land for their sons and daughters to call their own, began to migrate outward to swell the size of this community.

In the 1740's Ozias was a growing up and assimilating the values of his parents, good Puritans, and feeling a growing sense of independence from the older community of Simsbury. The long weekly trips to Hopmeadow to worship were adding to the little society's desire for additional independence.

Judah Holcombe purchased lots in the 1750's in the "Popatunuck" section of Granby, near Mountain and Lost Acres Roads. In 1762 Ozias acquired one of these lots facing Mountain Road. Ozias married and took the responsibilities of farming and raising a large family of his own. This apparently consumed most of his time as he does not appear in any elected or appointed positions in the town.

Like others in the area, Ozias and Rachel began to clear their land and exploited the timber resources, not only to build their house, but also for sale. Ozias and this brothers, Silas and Benajah, all lived in the same vicinity and were full of energy and ambition, throwing up mile after mile of stone walls, clearing out fields and pastures, containing livestock, and marking boundaries.

The 1790 Census of Granby showed 4 Males over 16, 2 Males under 16, and 2 Females.

McPherson, page 161.2, lists a 10th child, Nettie the 4th in sequence, with no dates or other information.

Sources

1. ↑ Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783

• FindAGrave

• Simsbury CT Records page 65; Other information on birth indicates 07 March 1736/37, (McCracken) or 6 March 1737 (McPherson)

• Ancestry.com. U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M246, 138 rolls); War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, Record Group 93; National Archives, Washington. D.C.

• National Archives; Washington, D.C.; Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War; Record Group Title: War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records; Record Group Number: 93; Series Number: M881; NARA Roll Number: 361. Ancestry.com. U.S. Compiled Revolutionary War Military Service Records, 1775-1783 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

Acknowledgements

• Profile created by by Michael Sheffield, Wednesday, March 4, 2015.