Abraham Josselyn

Abraham Josselyn was born about 1615/16, possibly in Essex, England.¹ He was the son of Thomas Josselyn and Rebecca Jude.² According to Elizabeth French's 1917 article, he was born about 1619.² Abraham Josselyn was christened on 6 April 1619.³

Abraham Josselyn was a mariner.²

Abraham Josselyn married Beatrice Hampson, daughter of Philip Hampson, on 4 November 1642 in England.⁴ Elizabeth French's article gives the year of their marriage as 1645.²

Abraham Josselyn did not come to New England with his father in 1635, but immigrated before March 1644.⁵ Savage suggests he perhaps was left by his father at school and diected to follow in a few years.⁶

From the diary of Rev. Ralph Josselin, Vicar of Earl's Colne, County Essex, 6, 7, 8 March 1644/5: My Cousin Abraham Josselin came to us from New England, about by ye Canaryes, after a sad long jorney & one tedious fight with a Kings pyratt: heard by him of ye wellfare of ye plantacon for which God bee praised; this summer N. E. had divers losses at sea, and scarce any before: wee rid to my Cousin Bentons.⁵ He was in Hingham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts in 1647.⁷

At the time that his father moved from Hingham to Lancaster, in about 1652, Abraham and his family moved to Black Point (now Scarborough), Maine.⁸ Henry Josselyn (1606-1683), a sixth cousin of Abraham, had settled at Black Point. Elizabeth French, in her Josselyn genealogy, wrote: It . . . seems probable that, having no children of his own to inherit his property, Henry Josselyn induced his kinsman Thomas to send to him his eldest son Abraham, intending to make him his heir. Abraham certainly went to Scarborough, Me., and lived there for seven years. Whether he quarrelled with his kinsman or tired of the wilderness is not clear, but he returned to his relatives in Lancaster. He died several years before his kinsman Henry, and it is not known what disposition was made of the property of the latter.⁹ About 1659 Abraham sold his property at Black Point and moved to Boston about 1660.⁸ He was in Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts before 1663.⁷ Lancaster was his residence for the rest of his life.⁸

Abraham Josselyn died at sea off the coast of Virginia in the ship Good Fame of New York, between 16 March 1669/70 and 7 April 1670/71.² He left a will dated 16 March 1669/70 and proved 7 April 1670/71. The following is an abstract of his will on file in the Surrogate's office, in the city of New York:¹⁰ Abraham Jossling, Nashua, "Being very sick," leaves to wife one house in Nashaway, with land thereto belonging. To eldest son Abraham, "one farm that Goodman Kittle lives on." "And Good wife I would not have you remane where you are with any of my children, but my desire is that my children may be put out to Trades where they are." Leaves to son Henry 20 shillings, "and I desire him to be kind to his brothers, and to take one of them to himselfe to learne his trade, as he hath promised me." Dated March 16, 1699. [should be 1669 - H. DeVoe] Witnesses, Christopher Spencer, Thomas Spicer.^2,10