Joseph Merriam - Early Settler of Concord, Massachusetts
Family Connection- 9th great-grandfather of Edward Elihu Hazen, Jr., and 9th great-grandfather of Ruth Anne Hazen
Joseph Merriam was born around 1600 in Tudeley, Kent County, England, the son of William Merriam and Surah Burgess. In 1623, he married Sarah Goldstone. He was a clothier by trade, like his father.
Joseph and Sarah had seven children:
William b. 1624
Sarah b. 1627
Joseph b. 1630
Elizabeth b. 1632
Hannan b. 1634
Thomas b. 1637
John b. 1641 after death of his father
Joseph, his wife, and their five children sailed on the ship "Castle" , from London, landing in Charlestown in July 1638. It is notable that Joseph formed a partnership to charter that ship to take both cargo and passengers to the colonies, so it seems he was a man of means.
Joseph and his family moved from Charlestown to Concord in 1638, and Joseph was made freeman on March 1, 1639. Being named "freeman" means he was found to be acceptable to the town and could participate fully in town life and governance.
His time in Concord was brief. He fell ill, and on December 29, 1640 he made his will. His brother and two other townsmen were charged with the duty to execute the will and carry out his plans to take care his family. Joseph died on January 1, 1641.
In his will, Joseph gave his entire estate to his wife Sarah "for the bringing up of all my children". He even made sure that if his wife was with child at the time of his death, that child was included. Sarah was given power to sell the house if she chose to move to a smaller one, and any profits used as she saw fit toward the raising of their children. When the eldest child turned twenty-one or when his wife Sarah remarried, the estate would be assessed for value, then divided. Sarah would receive one third of the estate, and the rest of the estate would be held for the children. As each son turned twenty-one, he would receive "a double portion", and as each daughter married, she would receive "a single portion" of the two-thirds not given to Sarah.
Sarah did remarry - she married Joseph Wheeler in 1642.
I've read several wills, and this one stands out for it's generosity - in many cases, if a widow remarries, she would lose all claim to her late husband's estate immediately. It is also unusual for Sarah to be given the power to decide what to do with the estate, including the house. In many other wills, a male relative is given all of the decision-making power.
Joseph Merriam > William Merriam > John Merriam > Abigail Merriam > Samuel Dutton > Olive Dutton > Deborah Fuller > Norman Hazen > John Vose Hazen > Edward Elihu Hazen > Edward Elihu Hazen, Jr.
Joseph Merriam > John Merriam > Joseph Merriam > Josiah Merriam > Sarah Merriam > Noah Wheeler > John A. Wheeler > Nellie Francis Wheeler > Annie Almira Hayward > Bessie Lakin Fogg > Ruth Ann Hazen
On the top Hazen family fan chart, Joseph Merriam is in the blue quadrant, second ring from the outside, just above the green section. Olive Dutton, the center of the top chart, is in the green section of the second chart, the second ring from the outside, in the middle of the section.
On the top Bradley family fan chart, Joseph is in the yellow section, second ring for the outside, right next to the blue section. Noah Wheeler, the center of the top chart, is in the orange section, the second ring from the outside, in the middle.
Hazen Fan Charts
Bradley Fan Charts
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