Joseph Wadsworth (1647 - 1729)

Born 1647 in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Talcott) Wadsworth — married 6 Dec 1677 in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut

Descendants

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Biography

Joseph Wadsworth was the third child of William and Elizabeth (Stone) Wadsworth. Joseph was born in 1647 at Harford, Connecticut.

Joseph married 1st to Elizabeth Talcott at Hartford, Connecticut. Elizabeth was the daughter of John and Dorothy Talcott who had traveled with William Wadsworth from Braintree, England, to Massachusetts, on the ship Lyon in 1632.9 Six children were born to Joseph and Elizabeth.

Joseph married 2nd to Mary (Blackleach), widow of John Olcott.^[1]

Charter Oak

In 1662, Connecticut received from Charles II, King of England, a charter of government. The charter contained the rights to self-govern within the existing geographic area of Connecticut. James II disapproved of royal charters, and when he appointed Sir Edmond Andrus as governor over all New England he was instructed retrieve the charter from the citizens of Hartford.

Following the King's directive Andros came to Hartford the night of October 31, 1687, to meet with the local leaders. The local leadership, including Governor Treat, responded with impassioned pleas to allow the charter and government to remain intact. The meeting was held in the evening, and darkness enveloped the area except for the candles that provided light for the room. During a moment of confusion the candles were extinguished, and the room was pitch black. The charter (which was placed on the table) was grabbed by Captain Joseph Wadsworth, and he fled the room. Joseph ran out of the tavern to the home of Samuel Wyllys, then one of the magistrates of the colony. A large oak tree stood in front of the home of Mr. Wyllys where Joseph hid the charter, which was named the Charter Oak. ^[2]

On the night of the 31st of October, 1687, seized and secured the Charter of Connecticut when Sir Edmond Andros came to Hartford in order to wrest it by force from the freemen of this colony. The document was hidden in a tree cavity (the Charter Oak)

Sources

1. ↑ "John Blackleach, Merchant, of London and New England" by Gale Ion Harris in NEHGR vol 148 p 29 and correction on pg 189
2. ↑ http://www.connecticutsar.org/patriots/wadsworth_jonathan.htm

• The Wadsworth Family in America, 1632-1985: New England and New York, Book 1, Mary Jane Fry Wadsworth, McDowell Publications, 1985, pp. 14-15. https://archive.org/details/wadsworthfamilyi01wads/mode/2up

See also:

Acknowledgemens

• WikiTree profile Wadsworth-173 created through the import of Kennedy02.ged on Aug 21, 2011 by Robert Kennedy. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Robert and others.