JOSHUA HOLCOMB

• General Notes
  • Joshua Holcombe was born on 7 April 1640 at Windsor, Hartford Co., CT.4 He was the son of Thomas Holcombe and Elizabeth (?). Joshua Holcombe was baptized on 27 September 1640 at Windsor, Hartford Co., CT.5,4 He married Ruth Sherwood, daughter of Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield and Mary (?), on 4 June 1663 at Windsor, Hartford Co., CT; Married by Mr. Wolcott.6 Joshua Holcombe died on 1 December 1690 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT, at age 50.7,8 He was buried at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.8
        
    
    How this couple became acquainted does not appear, but there was an early migration of some Windsor families to Fairfield and it may be that afterwards there was some visiting back and forth.
    
    
    Joshua took the family and personal property of his deceased father, Thomas, after the latter's death in 1657 and moved to Windsor Center (Simsbury). He was granted 4 acres "near Thomas Maskill" at Massaco, Hartford Co., Ct. April 29, 1667.
    
    
    "The counsell" of Simsbury "let out" to Joshua "ye lands of Mr. Joseph Persons, " as Parsons was one of the "proprietors (i.e., non-resident land owners) not appearing to carry on plantation dues as fences & reparying fences." 9
    
    
    He was granted original tracts of land in Conn. (Simsbury Patent) by King Charles II, April 23, 1687. Was elected Representative to General Assembly, from Simsbury, 1660, 1671, and 1690 (wr, wg).
    
    At a special court held at Windsor on 11 September 1676, John Williams, Joshua Holcomb, Nicholas Gozzard, and Nicholas Evans were ordered to post a £10 bond each for their appearance in court the first Wednesday in December next "to answer for their breach of peace."10
    
    For his probate see Manwaring 1:467, which shows inventory of £474/8/0 taken Dec. 25, 1690, by John Higley and Samuel Wilcox (Selectmen) and his two brothers, Benajah and Nathaniel. The Puritans evidently did not celebrate Christmas. Records of his probate list his children. However, one reference does not list Joshua who was surely living (possibly an error by Manwaring). Seaver lists another child, Joab, not mentioned by McCracken.
    
    It was his name that should have occupied the second line in the newly cut stone of the Holcombes in the cemetery at Granby. (TAG 44:58-60).
    
    Reference=A-4
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    Joshua Holcomb was the eldest son of Thomas Holcomb, who emigrated to Windsor and died there in 1657/8. Joshua was born in April 1640. By 1667, he is living at Massacoh and was granted original land in Simsbury by King Charles II, April 23, 1687. He died the 1st of September 1690 in Simsbury.
    He married Ruth Sherwood (possibly the daughter of Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield, CT) with whom he had ten children. His land was on the east side of the Farmington River near Terry's Plain. He was known to be "one of the sound, substantial men of his time" and was active in civil and religious affairs.