Friday, March 26, 2021

52 Ancestors - Week 375: #586 Joshua Fletcher (1645-1713) of Concord and Chelmsford, Massachusetts

Joshua Fletcher (1645-1713)  is #586 on my Ahnentafel List, my 7th great-grandfather, who married #587 Sarah Willy/Wooley (1650-????) on 18 July 1682  in Chelmsford, Middlesex County,  Massachusetts.

I am descended through:

*  their daughter #293 Elizabeth Fletcher (1698-1775) who married #292 Joseph Keyes (1698-1744) in 1720. 
*  their son #146 Jonathan Keyes (1722-1781) who married #147 Elizabeth Fletcher (1720-1761) in 1746.
*  their daughter #73 Elizabeth Keyes (1759-1793) who married #72 Zachariah Hildreth (1754-1829) in 1777.
*  their son #36 Zachariah Hildreth (1783-1857) who married  #37 Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857)  in 1810.
*  their son #18 Edward Hildreth (1831-1899) who married #19 Sophia Newton (1834-1923) in 1852.
*  their daughter #9 Hattie Louisa Hildreth (1857-1920) who married  #8 Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922) in 1874.
*  their son #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942) who married #5 Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962) in 1900.
*  their son #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983) who married #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)  in 1942.
*  their son #1 Randall Jeffrey Seaver (1943-living)

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1)  PERSON (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
 
    
*  Name:                         Joshua Fletcher[1–9]
*  Sex:                            Male

*  Father:                       William Fletcher (1618-1677)
*  Mother:                      Rachel --?-- (1624-1645)    
2)  INDIVIDUAL EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
  
*   Birth:                         10 March 1644/5, Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States[1–4]    
*  Christening:                1 February 1656/7 (age 11), Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States[5]    

*  Death:                         21 November 1713 (age 68), Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States[1–3,8]  
 
3)  SHARED EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
 
*  Spouse 1:                    Grissel Jewell (1652-1682)    
*  Marriage 1:                4 May 1668 (age 23), Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States[1–3,9]    
*  Child 1:                     Joshua Fletcher (1676-1732)    
*  Child 2:                     Paul Fletcher (1679-1736)    
*  Child 3:                     William Fletcher (1682-1682)    

*  Spouse 2:                  Sarah Willy/Wooley (1650-????)    
*  Marriage 2:               18 July 1682 (age 37), Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States[1–3,6–7]    
*  Child 4:                     Rachel Fletcher (1683-1743)    
*  Child 5:                     Timothy Fletcher (1685-1705)    
*  Child 6:                     John Fletcher (1687-1773)    
*  Child 7:                     Joseph Fletcher (1689-1772)    
*  Child 8:                     Sarah Fletcher (1690-1737)    
*  Child 9:                     Jonathan Fletcher (1693-????)    
*  Child 10:                   Jonas Fletcher (1694-1777)    
*  Child 11:                   Elisabeth Fletcher (1698-1775)  
 
4)  NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):  

The family and biography of the descendants of Robert Fletcher has been extensively researched by:

*  Edward H. Fletcher, "The Descendants of Robert Fletcher of Concord, Mass", published by Rand, Avery & Co., Boston, 1881[1].

*  Winifred Lovering Holman, Robert Fletcher of Concord, Mass. Bay, 1637, 1930 (FHL Microfilm 0,015,506 Item 11)[2].

Joshua Fletcher was born on 10 March 1644/5 (?) in Concord, Massachusetts to William Fletcher (1618-1677) and his first wife, Rachel --?-- (1624-1645)[1-4].  The record in the Concord record book does not have a specific year because the original page was damaged, but the readable entries are between 1643 and 1649.  Joshua's mother, Rachel (--?--) Fletcher died before November 1645 when William Fletcher married (2) widow Lydia (--?--) Bates on 7 November 1645 in Concord.

Jos[h]ua Fletcher was baptized, as son of W[illia]m about age 12 years, on 1st (12) month 1656 (1 February 1656/7) in Chelmsford[5].

The Fletcher book[1] notes:
"In the court files of Middlesex County is the record of a suit by Rev. Mr. Fisk against Joshua Fletcher 'for breaking into his house, and accompanying with his mayd servant.'  Mr. Fisk was his brother-in-law.  Also there is recorded. 'Joshua Fletcher's confession of crime with Griswold Juel [Grissel Jewell] in Mr. Fiske's house.'  William Fletcher [Joshua's father] bound for Juel's and his son's submission to the court, 1668."
Joshua Fletcher married (1) to Grissel Jewell (1652-1682), on 4 May 1668 in Chelmsford[1-2,9], Massachusetts.  She was the daughter of Thomas and Grissel (Fletcher) Jewell of Braintree, Massachusetts, and Joshua's first cousin.  They had three children, all born in Chelmsford:

*  Joshua Fletcher (1677-1732), married 1701 Dorothy Heald (1679-1770).
*  Paul Fletcher (1679-1736), married 1705 to Deliverance Stevens (1681-1761).
*  William Fletcher (1682-1682).

Grissel (Jewell) Fletcher died 17 March 1682 in Chelmsford.

Joshua married (2) on 18 July 1682 to Sarah Willy (or Wooley) (1650-????)[1-2,6-7], the daughter of Christopher and Ursilla (Wodell) Wooley.  They had 8 children, all born and recorded in Chelmsford:

*  Rachel Fletcher (1683-1743), married 1706 Peter Buss (1680-1752).
*  Timothy Fletcher (1685-1705).
*  John Fletcher (1687-1773), married 1712 Hannah Phelps (1683-1737).
*  Joseph Fletcher (1689-1772), married 1712 Sarah Adams (1691-1761).
*  Sarah Fletcher (1691-1737), married 1709 Thomas Reed (1689-1773).
*  Jonathan Fletcher (1693-1777), married 1735 Jane Chamberlain (1706-1771).
*  Jonas Fletcher (1694-1777), married 1722 Elizabeth Robbins (1700-1782).
*  Elisabeth Fletcher (1698-1775), married 1720 Josepj Keyes (1698-1744).

It is not known when Sarah (Willy/Wooley) Fletcher died.

Joshua Fletcher died 21 November 1713 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts at age 68[8].  There is no known burial location.

There are no probate records for Joshua Fletcher in the Middlesex County Probate Court records.
   
5)  SOURCES

1. Edward H. Fletcher, The Descendants of Robert Fletcher of Concord Mass. (Boston, Mass. :  Rand, Avery & Co.,  1881), page 29, #8 Joshua Fletcher family sketch.

2. Winifred Lovering Holman, Robert Fletcher of Concord, Mass. Bay, 1637: a study of his life and family from the New England records, typescript (1930, 93 leaves); accessed on FHL Microfilm 0015506 Item 11; citing typescript at the New Hampshire Historical Society,  Concord, New Hampshire., Joshua Fletcher family sketch.

3. Dean Crawford Smith, edited by Melinde Lutz Sanborn, The Ancestry of Eva Belle Kempton, 1878-1908, Part IV: The Ancestry of Linda Anne Powers, 1839-1879 (Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2000), page 276, Joshua Fletcher sketch.

4. George Tolman (compiler), Concord, Massachusetts Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1635-1850 (Concord, Mass. : Committee on Printing, 1894), Births, page 6, Joshua Fletcher entry, 10th day of 1st month 16-- to William and Rachel Fletcher.

5. Town of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Vital Records of Chelmsford, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Salem, Mass. : The Essex Institute, 1914), Birrhs, Jos[h]ua Fletcher baptism, 1st (12) mo, 1656, son of Wm, abt age 12.

6. Town of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Vital Records of Chelmsford, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Marriages, page 230, Joshuah Fletcher and Sara Wily entry, 18 July 1682.

7. "Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), "Chelmsford, Mass. Town Land Records with Births, Marriages and Deaths," page 26 (image 35 of 230), Joshua Fletcher and Sarah Willy marriage entry.

8. Town of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Vital Records of Chelmsford, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Deaths, page 391, Joshua Fletcher entry, 21 November 1713.

9. Town of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Vital Records of Chelmsford, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Marriages, page 308, Joshua Fletcher and Grisell Jewell entry, 4 May 1668.
 
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NOTE: In 2014, Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog. I have extended this theme in 2021 for an eighth year to 416 Ancestors in 416 Weeks. The list of 52 Ancestors biographies from my great-grandparents to the 7th great-grandparents (in work) is in https://www.geneamusings.com/p/ancestor-biographies.html.

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Copyright (c) 2021, Randall J. Seaver

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