Biography of Abijah Joslin
by Alfred L. Holman (Chicago: Private Print, 1928)
Page 107, et. seq.
Capt. Abijah Joslin, son of John and Lucy (Wilder) Joslin, born in Leominster, Mass., Jan. 24, 1744-5 (Leominster Vital Records, p. 84), baptized in First Church, Lancaster, Jan. 27, 1744-5 (Lancaster Vital Records, p. 293), married in Townsend, Mass., Jan. 5, 1769, Keziah Farrar (Sawtelle's History of Townsend, 1878, p. 390), who was born in Townsend, May 18, 1746, daughter of Isaac and Sarah (Brooks) Farrar.
Capt. Abijah Joslin as a young man removed to Ashburnham soon after its incorporation on Feb. 22, 1765. he was chosen a member of a Committee of Correspondence at the town meeting held on Sep. 13, 1774, and at the same time was made Captain of the Militia. (History of Ashburnham, 1887, p. 135.) At the annual town meeting in 1776, he was again chosen a member of the Committee on Correspondence (Ibid., p. 147), and a Selectman in 1777 (Ibid., p. 230). No service is given to him in Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the Revolution, but that he had actual service is clearly proved by the following copies of letters, the originals being in the posession of Mrs. Melora J. Clarke, 603 W. 139th St., New York.
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"Philepsburg in New york (18?) Miles up the North River October ye 22th 1776
Loving Wife these Lines are to inform You that throu the Goodness of God I am well and in Good Spirets which I hope I am thankfull for: and I pray God that these Lines may find You and the Children all well and that You may So Remain Our Company are in General prety well and in Good Spirets We Left Mr Beniamin and Obediah hold of Leominster at Norwalk the Second Monday after we Came from home Sumthing poorly and Mr Harris to tend them: which is forty miles from this place and they haue not Come to Jone the Company as Yet I would inform You that I haue Sent You four Letters and this is the fifth So you may well think that you are not altogether out of my mind t( ) out of Sight and at the Distance of 250 Miles I haue no Grate Matter of nuse to Rite to You: You will have General nuse MOre Correct in the papers then I Can Set it forth if I try never So much they Keep Dressing of us round from one place to another So that I am in hopes we Shall not Get to be Scurvy by Laseing about: we A riveed at Farefield the Second tuesday after we Came from home where we Stayed till the next Sunday Morning When we was Ordered to March to horse neck where we Expected to be Stationed Dureing the two months we Stayed there two nights when we was Ordered to take a tack and march to Daubs fary 25 miles up the North River from New York we ariveed there on friday and Stayed there till the Next friday in Order to watch Sum of Lord Hows Ships that had ( )t up the River: when there was orders Recd for two companies to march Down the Rivier to Philips burg ( ) in order to build a brest work a Cross the Road that Leads from the east River to the North: between two Ledges where is Esaly Erected the Captains in our Rigement Drawed Lots to know which Should Go and the Lot fell upon Jonah So Our Company had to turn out which we was then Very Sorry for: but now we are Glad of it for we have Got a Very find paperd Rume to Live in and Good Soft Pine Boards to Lay on So that we Liue Quite Comforttable: we Draw aplenty of bread and meet but no Salt no milk no bear no Rum but we Can by Rum for half a Dollar a Quart Good old West ingeman Milk Six Coppers a Quart: Cider the Same: Pertators half a Dollar a bushel I saw Beniamen Hubbard at horse Neck and he Said that milly was Gone to Stay with You: So you must tell Milly from me that She must Che(er?) you up and keep you in Good Spirets till I Come home which Will not be Long if I Liue and have my helth which I Pray God that I mahy be favoured with I rote a Letter the day we ariveed at Daubs fary but being absent when the post took the Letters mised (sending?) it which I was very Sorry for if you Could have had that Letter You might had OperOpertunity to have Sent me one which I should have been Very Glad to a Recd but I Do not Expect any Letter from You now it has Got to be So Late I shoudl have been Very Glad to a heard from home I Should haue been Glad to a heard from Peter who I am a fraid I shall hear is not Living
Remember me to the Children Sister Milly Brother Samuel and Sister Friends &c &c
So I must Conclude by Subscribeing my Self Your Loveing husband
Abijah Joslin."
The foregoing letter was superscribed:
"To Mrs Kezia the Wife of Abijah Joslin in Ashburnham. Post paid."
"Louving Husband as I now have an Opportunity To write a fue Lines to you I glady imbrace the Same and as these Lines through Divine Goodnes Leave me and our Children all well I Pray God that they may find you S( ) I and the Children have ben well Ever Sence you went away. we have got our harvesting all Dun in very good Season I Should be Glad to hear from you as often as you have Oppertunity to Send So no more at Present I Desire to be Rememberd to you as your Louving wife
Ceziah Joslin
Ashburnham October ye 31 1776"
This letter was superscribed:
"To Mr. Abijah Joslin in the militia at Neu york in Coll Converses Rigiment and in Capt Jonathan woods Company."
"Tarretown in New York 31 Miles up the North River November ye 11 1776
Loveing wife these Lines are to inform You that through the Goodness of God I am well and in Good Spirets which I hope I am thankfull for: and I pray God that these Lines May find you and the Children all well and that You may So Remain I would inform You that I receiueed Your Letter this afternoon which was Dated the 31 of October which I Read With Great pleasure: I Greately Reioyce to hear that You and the Children haue been in So Good a State of helth Dureing jy absence and Likequse to hear that you have Got the haruesting Done in So Good Season: my Concern for You and the Children has been much Greater then that of myself: it appea( ) to me that you haue heard Sum fightfull Storyes about us before this time: we have been Stationed in places that are Lookt upon to be Very Dangerrous and I haue heard that it has been Reported in Many p;ace that we ware intirely Cut of but thanks be to God I am Yet alive and well we haue not been Called to incounter the enemy as Yet and Our time is So near out that I Dont much expect we Shall the enemy haue been Sum ways into the Country but are now Retreeting back again it has been Reported that Gener( ) Lee should Say Give them Rope Enou( ) and and they they would hang them Selves: but ( ) haue Great reason to think that they haue not all Got hanged as Yet and I fear they will many of them Escape being hangd this campaign.
I Sent You a Letter Dated the 22 of October if I mistake not which mentioned a number of Remoues that we had had and we ahue not altogether Neglected moueing Sence that: if I misstake not we haue had ten Remoues Sence we Left farefield and Expect to moue again on Wednsday to jone our brigade which we haue not Joneed as Yet: and our time will be out on Satterday So if they are not Spryer than Common we Dont Expect to bemoueed a boue two or three times more before our time will be out: we haue been prety much fatigueed of Late but the time is Short So we hold out with Good Courrage
I Dont Remember that I told Samuel about Geting the Dung out of the Yard which I Should be Glad to haue Got out if there is an opertunity and Layed upon the Grass towarde the flax Ground
I heard a fue Days a Go that Brother Peter Did not Live to Git home which was Very Malancally Nues to me tho it was nomore then what I Very much Expected to hear I Grately feared when I took my Leaue of him at farefield that he would never Live to Git home I Did not think that I had much Grounds to Expect Ever to See him a Gain in this world: I was Very Glad that I had an Opertunity to watch with him
he Said that he was Very willing to Leaue the world if Calld to it which must needs giue Sum Satisfaction to Surviveing Relatives I pray God that his Death may be Sancttified unto us all to our Spiratural and Etarnal Good which God Grant of his Infinite mercy in Jesus Christ Amen
Remember me to Children friends &c &c &c
So I must Conclud by Subscrigeing my Self Your true and Loueing husband
Abijah Joslin"
Capt. Abijah Joslin removed in 1805 to Verona, Oneida Co., N. Y., where he lived until his death, which took place Sep. 1, 1811. His widow Keziah died Mar. 23, 1837. The inscriptions on their gravestones in the Verona Cemetery are as follows:
Capt. Abijah Joslin died Sept. 1st 1811 Aged 66 years.
In Memory of Kezia Wife of Abijah Joslin who died March 23, 1827 in the 81 year of her age.
Page 772
The families of Joslin in this town at an early date were from Leominster. Only one of them remained in Ashburnham beyond a few years. They were of the fifth generation from Thomas Joslin who signed the Lancaster Covenant Sept. 12, 1654. This Thomas with wife Rebecca and five children settled in Hingham in 1635, and subsequently removed to Lancaster, which at that time included Leominster, where the families of Joslin have been numerous, and some of them were among the original owners of land in this town. Among the children of John and Lucy Joslin were three who became residents of this town: Abijah, b. Jan. 24, 1744-5; James, b. July 31, 1717, and Samuel, b. March 11, 1752.
Capt, Abijah Joslin, then a young, unmarried man, removed to this town soon after the date of incorporation. He md. Jan. 5, 1768, Keziah Farrar of Townsend, and settled in the south or southeast part of the town. In 1774 he was a member of the committee of correspondence, and was chosen by the town captain of the militia. At the annual meetings he was at different times elected to office and appears to have been the recipient of a reasonable measure of the conficdence and respect of his townsmen. In 1804 the family removed to Verona, N. Y., where some of the older children had previously settled.