Josiah Curtiss (1662-1745)

My 8 times great grandfather...probably born Aug. 20, (or 30) 1662 in Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut. His death was probably in 1745.

I have blogged about his daughter, Anna Curtiss Booth HERE.

His father, and even his grandfather, were born in England, and immigrated to the American colonies...namely Connecticut.

Josiah was the ninth and last child of Capt. William Dawson Curtiss (imigrant) and Mary Lewen Curtiss, who herself had been born in Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut. 

Josiah married when he was 29 to Abigail Judson Curtiss, also in Stratford, CT.  Their last  child was Anna Curtiss who married  Zachariah Booth Sr when she grew up.  Abigail Judson Curtiss (her mother) died within a few months of Anna's birth in 1697. Unless you look at an alternate date of Anna's birth as being in 1677, based on Connecticut deaths index which states she died at 56 in  1733.  However, since her mother wasn't born until 1669, it's hardly likely that she'd have had Anna in 1677 when she was just 8...sorry whoever wrote that guess at a woman's age at her death. Not likely.

Let's go back to Josiah Curtiss.  As given below in the slightly fuzzy photo copy,  "...May 1714 the General Court appointed him captain of the "Train Band" of Stratford.  In 1716 he was a deputy to the General Court.  Dec. 29, 1725, liberty was granted to him and John Wilcoxson Jr, to erect a sawmill on the halfway river. He d. 1745. She d. 1759 (Mary). (Josiah's) Will probated Nov 20, 1745 at Fairfield Conn."

He lost his first wife Abigail in 1697, and married Mary Beach Curtiss in 1698 when he was 36 and she was 29.  They had 8 more children. All 13 of his children are listed below.

From North America, Family Histories 1500-2000

 

When his father Captain William Curtiss died in 1702, his will included leaving Josiah various pieces of property. His own mother, Mary Lewen Curtiss, had died when he was 2.

In 1736, Josiah purchased the home seen below, which was adjacent to the ferry.  It's owner was assumed to run the ferry across the river.  Josiah turned 70 that year, so I imagine one of his sons did the ferrying!

He lived until he was 83 years old, dying in1745, and his grave place is unknown, but these dates are given in North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 published by Ancestry.

My seven times great grandmother Anna Curtiss Booth was part of my family tree leading down to Eugenia Booth Miller, my great grandmother after whom I was named.