Monday Mumblings - Josiah Dewey Sr., Josiah Dewey Jr., and William Dewey

    As reported in previous posts, our Dewey ancestors arrived in Dorchester, MA in the early 1630s and moved to and lived in Windsor, CT from 1635 until 1660.  From 1660 until 1669 our ancestors lived in Northampton, MA and then moved to Westfield, MA (1670 – 1699).  In 1700, they moved back to Connecticut.  They first moved to the northerly part of Lebanon which in 1804 was incorporated as the town of Columbia.   Many references to our Dewey ancestors are to Lebanon.  I assume the actual area is Columbia because Columbia was Lebanon until 1804.  (In a later post when I talk about Francis Osman Dewey, records say he lived in South Reading, MA.  South Reading later became Wakefield, MA, so he actually lived somewhere within what is now Wakefield.  He later did move to Reading.)  After Columbia, they moved to Hebron.  Our Dewey ancestors left Connecticut for New Hampshire and later Vermont between 1775 and 1776.

Josiah Dewey (2^nd Generation) (cont. from prior post)

    Josiah Dewey, Sr. was at Lebanon, CT as early as 1695 assisting in the distribution of home-lots and in making the first division of the common undivided land.  The original Dewey lots in Lebanon (according to Genealogies of Connecticut Families, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1998, page 58) were part of “the list of 22 Lebanon home-lots laid out on the east side, south to north, of the highway, includes No. 7 to John Dewey, 9 to Dea. Josiah, 10 to Nathaniel, 18 to Josiah Jr.”  John, Nathaniel, and Josiah Jr. were all sons of Deacon Josiah Dewey.  On September 25, 1699, Josiah along with William Clark bought land from Thomas Buckingham and John Clarke of Saybrook.  Buckingham and Clarke were acting on behalf of Mohegan Abimelech, the young son and heir of Joshua.  (Buckingham and Clarke were also involved in the purchase and settlement of the land now known as Hebron, CT, for more on the settlement of Hebron, click here.)  Joshua was son of Uncas and brother of Mohegan Sachem Oweneco.  The tract was conveyed to Dewey and Clark a second time on May 2, 1700 by Oweneco who claimed that it was his land.  This section of land was to the northerly side of the Ten Mile River and part of the town of Lebanon, CT.  This transaction, called the Clark and Dewey purchase, has been known as the North Society or Lebanon Crank at this time of history.  It is now the town of Columbia.  (The name, Lebanon Crank, may have been descriptive of the bent or crooked outline of the parish boundaries.  The northeast town border between Lebanon and Columbia is Ten Mile River.  Perhaps Crank meant Creek.)  Lebanon was a farming community during the colonial period.  Josiah and Hepzibah Lyman Dewey are buried at the Old Cemetery located in Lebanon, Connecticut.

Josiah Dewey (3^rd generation)

    Josiah was a farmer at Westfield, Massachusetts until his removal to Lebanon, Connecticut around 1696. He was one of the first settlers and was elected constable in 1700 and 1707. He owned a sawmill at Lebanon which he gave to his son Josiah through deed on February 17, 1719/20.  Benjamin Woodworth sold his rights to the sawmill to Josiah on November 10, 1724. (The prior history as well as several other land transactions of Josiah are taken from Dewey Family History by Louis Marinus Dewey).  Josiah’s marriage to Mehitable Miller and children from that marriage were listed in a previous post.  Little else is known of Josiah.

William Dewey (4^th generation)

    William was born in January 1692 at Westfield, MA.  He died November 10, 1759 at Lebanon (now Columbia), CT of small pox caught while at Albany, NY.  On July 2, 1713, William married Mercy Saxton at Lebanon (now Columbia), CT.  Little else is known about William.  Mercy was born in Stonington, CT on May 30, 1686 and it is unknown when she died.  Some on line sources say she died November 10, 1759 which is when her husband died others say in 1791 which would make her 105 years old. Mercy is descended from William Copp (Joseph Saxton, Thomas Saxton/Ann Copp, William Copp) of Copp’s Hill Burying Ground in Boston.  Thomas Edmund Dewey (1902-1971) Governor of New York and Republican presidential candidate descended from William and Mercy Dewey. 

William and Mercy had nine children (all born at Lebanon (now Columbia), CT):

Mercy (1714 – 1744)

William (1716 – 1717)

Simeon (1718 – 1751)*

William (1718 – 1718)

Jerusha (1720 – 1752)

Hannah (1723 – 1785)

Zerviah (1726 – 1749)

Elijah (1728 - ?)

Ann (1730 - ?)