MERRIAM, Joseph b. Abt 1600 , , Kent, England d. 1 Jan 1641 Concord, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States: Merriam Family Tree

Merriam Family Tree
Genealogy Pages

Abt 1600 - 1641 (~ 41 years)

Name	MERRIAM, Joseph [1]
Born	Abt 1600	, , Kent, England
Gender	Male
Death Place Historical Name	Concord, Massachusetts Bay Colony, BRITISH AMERICA [2]
	For the historical record, Middlesex County was not founded until 1643, two years after the death of Joseph Merriam, who died 1 Jan 1641.
Died	1 Jan 1641	Concord, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States
Buried	Old Hill Burying Ground, Concord, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States [3]
Notes	Additional notes from "Merriam Genealogy..." by Charles Henry Pope, 1906: Notes for Joseph Merriam. Joseph²,(William¹), eldest of the sons mentioned in his father's will, and the only one through whom the family name has descended, was probably born in the county of Kent, about the year 1600. He married Sara, df John and (probably) Frances (Jefferie) Goldstone, whose brother was a resident of the town of Tonbridge, near by the home of Joseph and that of his father at the period of the emigration. Robert Goldston (sec) of Tonbridge, in the county of Kent, in his will dated 10 April 1637, proved the 16th of May, made the following bequests to his family. "To Sara the wife of Joseph Merryam of Tewdly, clothier, my sister, ten shillings . . . and to Hanna Mirriam my goddaughter, the daughter of the said Joseph, one pair of fine sheets." "I give & bequeath unto Willia, Sara, Joseph, Thomas, Elizabeth, and Hannah, the six children of the said Joseph Mirriam by the said Sara, his now wife, to either of them the like some of six pounds apiece to be paid them likewise within five years next after my decease." The number of these children affords a clue to the length of time which had elapsed since Joseph's marriage, from which we may safely infer that the couple were married about the year 1623. This would suggest that Joseph may have been born about the year 1600. In the same way we get ground for estimating the births of the children in the years 1624, 1626, 1628, 1630, 1632,and 1636. But this is given as simple inference, not as history. We know that Joseph had learned and entered on the business which his father had followed, for Robert Goldstone's will gives him the title "clothier," which is evidence of an unquestionable sort. This business had put him in possession of good means for the venture on a voyage to New England, and gave him a good start here. But it would necessarily give him a great deal of work in the line of collections, settlements, sales, and shipments. With so much property and such excellent business experience, it is not strange that he joined with others in chartering a vessel and taking freight and passengers to help pay the expenses of the voyage. The particulars of his venture are many of them brought out in connection with lawsuits between the partners. (Please refer to MASSACHUSETTS - Court Case: MERIAM, Joseph, b 1600 above) And the notebook of the lawyer, Thomas Lechford, who was doing a notarial business in Boston in those years, contains abstracts of the papers which we present below. Thomas Rucke of Charlestown in New England planter Plt. William Hatch of Scituate in New England planter Defdt. To the Governor & assistants of the jurisdiction of New Plymouth in New England humbly complaining showeth unto your worships, Thomas Rucke of Charlestowne in New England planter, that whereas this complainant and one Joseph Meriam of Concord in New England planter came joint undertakers in the ship Castle of London which arrived at the port of Charlestowne in the month of July Anno Domini 1638. And one, the said William Hatch, was also undertaker with them and undertook by agreement to manage as a steward all their joint business of undertaking and concerning every man's passage and all passengers' goods that came in the said ship and to take notice and keep account how much every passenger's goods and how much the several undertaker's own goods were in manage and what every one of the said passengers and undertakers were to pay for their several passage & goods and to deliver to every one of the said undertakers and passengers their several allowance of victuals & to cause that all the Caske vessel's rundletts & provisions laid in for store and left at the said ship's arrival in New England, aforesaid should be equally divided to the said undertaker's party and part alike, for which stewardship the said William Hatch was allowed by the said complainant & Joseph Meriam the sum of 30 li and other profits to the value of 20 li more in all 50 li. Rucke avers that Hatch had already settled with Meriam and quotes the following memorandum which he had seen in "a little paper booke of the said Joseph Merriams": "July 13th 1638. One after part of the profits of the freight of the Castle and of provisions left many hands comes unto which I do owe unto Joseph Meriam 15 l 14 s. William Hatch." New Plymouth in New England 3 Sep 1639 In the Court There Joseph Meriam of Concord in New England Plf ) In an action of trespass, William Hatch of scituate in New England Deft ) upon the case The Plt complayneth against the defendt that whereas the defendt heretofore that is to say in the moneth of Aprill in the fourteenth yeare of the raigne of our soveraigne Lord Charles now King of England the defndt was indebted unto the plt the summe of thirty and five pounds wch he received of Robert Meriam for the Plts use and on his behalf which the defendt promised to pay when he should be required the same and the Defendt did afterwards indeed pay unto the Plt the summe of thirty pounds thereof. And whereas the Pltiff and Defendt upon the thirteenth day of July in the fourteenth yeare aforesaid did account together for divers moneys due from the one to the other & the Defendt was then found in arrearages to the plt the summe of fifteene pounds and fourteen shillings wch then also he promised to pay unto the plt when he should be required the same and the defendt did afterwards indeed pay untio the plt of the summe of ten pounds thereof Notwithstanding the aforesaid defendt . . . refused and doth refuse to pay the balance etc. therefore this suit was brought. The papers in the case were sent to Plymouth Court with a letter from Gov. Winthrop to Gov. Bradford, asking that justice be done between the parties, 22 (6), 1639. Joseph made his home in Concord, having a comfortable homestead for a "planter". He was soon receive to the church, and, in accordance with the method of the time was admitted to the freemanship or citizenship of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay on the 14th of the first month, March, 1638-9, nine months after his arrival. His life in the colony was brief. He died on the first day of January (1 (11), 1641, leaving a will which shows his business-like habits and his kindly thought for the welfare of others. His oldest son William was not yet of age. The expected child had provision made for his support. Two of the foremost citizens of the little town and his brother Robert were charged with the duty of overseeing the carrying out of his plans for his loved ones. THE WILL OF JOSEPH MERRIAM The 29th of the 10th month in the yeare of or Lord 1640. The last will & Testament of Joseph Miriam of Concord. I Joseph Miriam of Concord being weake in bodie but blessed be God of good memory & sence inwardly do comit my soule to God in Jesus Christ & my body to the earth from whence it came. Item I give & bequeath to Sarah my wife all my whole estate towards and for the bringing up of all my children; & I do give to the said Sarah my wife power and authority to sell my house that I now dwell in if God shall offer such an opportunity it being larger and bigger than she shall stand in need o f: and that the overplus of providing a lesse house shalbe disposed in some way for the good & benefit of my wife & children : And my mind & will is that my wife shall have the bringing up of all my children untill they come to the age of one and twenty yeares the sonns & the daughters either at that time or the day of marriage : & my will & my mind is that when my eldest child shall come to the age of one & twenty yeares, then my estate shalbe prised & the said Sarah my wife shall have the third part of my estate at that time in possession, whether augmneted or diminished, according as God hath blessed it : & my sonns shall have a double portion with my daughters and according as my children come to age, I meane my sonns to one & twenty and my daughters either at that age or at the day of marriage : they shall receive theire portions according to the proportion of estate at that time when each of them shall come to age or as aforesaid And my will & mind is that if the said Sarah my wife shall marry againe that then my estate shall be prised : & valued & the said Sarah my wife shall have the third wholely to her selfe; the rest of my estate shalbe for my children, & the increase of that shalbe for the bringing of them up untill my sonne William shall come to one & twenty yeares, & then he shall have his portion as aforesaid : & then the rest of my estate both principall & increase shalbe preserved for my other children I conceiving they then being sufficient to live of themselves: except it be in case of sicknes or infirmity; wch then according to any of theire necessities shalbe supply made out of the stock undivided. And furder my will & mind is, that if my wife be with child ; that then none of my children shall have any increase of my stock preserved for them, but according as they come to age they shall receive theire portions as aforesaid : & the increase of the stock still undivided shall go for the bringing up of the yonge one : And my mind & will is to make my wife my whole executor & with her my trusty & wellbeloved brethren Mr. Thomas Flint, Simon Willard, Robert Miriam, whom I humbly intreate & put in trust to take care & oversee & give counsel to my wife about my estate & children and theire affaires: & especially my wife shall not sell my house or any accommodations without theire councell & approbation or the major part of them." Pope Book, pages 32-36 (2). [4]
Person ID	I7694	SEQUOIA
Last Modified	26 Oct 2021

Father	MERRIAM, William, b. Bef 11 May 1564, , , Kent, England , d. Bef 27 Nov 1635 (Age ~ 71 years)
Mother	BURGES, Sara, b. 1559, Goudhurst, , Kent, England , d. Yes, date unknown, Hadlow, Tonbridge Borough, Kent, England
Married	, , , England
Family ID	F1496	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family GOLDSTONE, Sara, b. 1602, Tonbridge, , Kent, England , d. 12 Mar 1671, Concord, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States (Age 69 years)

Married Abt 1623 Tudeley, , Kent, England

Children

+	1. MERRIAM, William, b. Abt 1624, Tudeley, , Kent, England , d. 22 May 1689, Lynn, Essex Co, Massachusetts, United States (Age ~ 65 years)
+	2. MERRIAM, Sarah, b. 1626, , , , England , d. 1 Feb 1676/77, Concord, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States (Age 51 years)
+	3. MERRIAM, Joseph, b. Abt 1628, Tudeley, , Kent, England , d. 20 Apr 1677, Concord, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States (Age ~ 49 years)
	4. MERRIAM, Thomas, b. Abt 1630, , , , England , d. Yes, date unknown
	5. MERRIAM, Elizabeth, b. 1632, Tudeley, , Kent, England , d. 17 Oct 1704, Chelmsford, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States (Age 72 years)
	6. MERRIAM, Hanna, b. 1634, , , , England , d. Yes, date unknown
+	7. MERRIAM, John, b. 9 Jul 1641, Concord, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States , d. 2 Feb 1723/24, Concord, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States (Age 82 years)

Last Modified 2 Jun 2020

Family ID F2307 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Event Map

	Born - Abt 1600 - , , Kent, England
	Married - Abt 1623 - Tudeley, , Kent, England
	Died - 1 Jan 1641 - Concord, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States
	Buried - - Old Hill Burying Ground, Concord, Middlesex Co, Massachusetts, United States

= Link to Google Earth

Pin Legend : Address : Location : City/Town : County/Shire : State/Province : Country : Not Set

Documents

WILL: MERIAM, Joseph, b 1600
Abstract of the last will and testament of Joseph Meriam of Concord, MA, proved 26 October 1642

Histories

MASSACHUSETTS - Court Case: MERIAM, Joseph, b 1600
Abstract from the note-book of Thomas Lechford, Esq. of Boston, regarding the case of Joseph Meriam v. William Hatch, Massachusetts, Plymouth Colony 3 Sep 1639.

Sources

[S255] GENEALOGY: MERRIAM GENEALOGY IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA, Pope, Charles Henry - 1906, (Reprint compiled by John Merriam Kingsbury through Bullbrier Press - 1986), Page 32 - 36 (2) (Reliability: 3).
[S423] WEBSITE: Wikipedia, Public Contributors, (http://www.Wikipedia.com), Massachusetts Bay Colony - Established in 1628 and existed in various forms until United States independence was proclaimed in 1776. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Bay_Colony) (Reliability: 3).
[S142] WEBSITE: Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=merriam&GSfn=joseph&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=21&GScnty=1181&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=33312744&df=all& (Reliability: 2).
[S255] GENEALOGY: MERRIAM GENEALOGY IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA, Pope, Charles Henry - 1906, (Reprint compiled by John Merriam Kingsbury through Bullbrier Press - 1986), Page 34-35 (Reliability: 3).