Those Kentucky and Indiana (and NC) years for the Conns

James A. Conn 1780-1826, was the 3rd child of 9 born to Elisabeth Alexander Conn 1760-1845, and her husband, William Henry Conn 1760-1836, who had been a "Private, Calvary and Infantry" in the Revolutionary War.

Father William had been born in New Jersey, and Elisabeth in North Carolina, which is where they marred in 1778.  This is recorded in North Carolina Marriage Records 1741-2004, Tryon and Lincoln Counties, Dec. 6, 1778, page 33.

James A. Conn was born in 1780, having a pretty short life till 1826 or 1828 (or at latest 1830.)  His birth was in North Carolina, (Lincoln County probably,) while some of his siblings were born in Russell County, Virginia.
Lincoln County NC is known for a Revolutionary war incident...

The Battle of Ramsour's Mill took place on June 20, 1780 in present-day Lincolnton, North Carolina, during the British campaign to gain control of the southern colonies in the American Revolutionary War. The number of fighters on each side of the battle is still an issue of contention, but Loyalist militiamen (many of them German Palatine emigrants and settlers in the local area) outnumbered Patriot militia and had captured a group of Patriots who they were planning to hang on the morning of June 20.

The one to two-hour battle during the foggy morning of June 20 did not involve any regular army forces from either side and was literally fought between family, friends, and neighbors with muskets sometimes being used as clubs because of a lack of ammunition. Numerous cases of fratricide occurred during the battle. William Simpson, a patriot scout, rushed to the battle to kill his brother Reuben, and Peter Costner, a loyalist, was killed by his brother Thomas who buried his sibling's corpse after the fight.^[2] Despite being outnumbered, the Patriot militia defeated the Loyalists.^[3]

The battle was significant in that it lowered the morale of Loyalists in the south, weakening their support of the British.

James Conn married April 6 1810, to Nancy Erwin  (Ancestry.com. Kentucky, Compiled Marriages, 1802-1850 [database on-line].)  This wedding was in Henry County, Kentucky, the first record of his move there.  His father (William Conn) has a child born between 1790 and 1794 in Kentucky, James' sister Rachael.  However the next 2 sisters were born back in North Carolina, though their dates are approximate also.  So I think it's also possible that their birth places are somewhat flexible as well, though they were probably given on a census at some future time.
And in 1810 James and Nancy Conn first appear in a census, in Henry County, Kentucky, having a household of just 2, to show the newlyweds have set up housekeeping on their own.  Henry County Kentucky was formed out of Shelby County in 1798. Shelby County was the location of many of the other Conn ancestors located on my former family tree for Hannah Conn Booth.  But I don't find evidence (yet) of any cousin connections.

James and Nancy's child Hannah Conn (to marry William Booth later) was born in Henry County KY on April 13, 1819.  Her daughter, Annie Booth Attaway lived until 1948, and the link about her (Hannah Conn's) grave  (Find a Grave HERE) states she was born in Henry County KY, and died in Hillsboro County, Texas  in 1885.  This entry at Find a Grave, was entered by my third half (?) cousin Cheryl Richardson, who states James and Nancy Conn were her parents (posted 2009). Until this week I had not read anything that substantiated this to me, so I've been mistaken all this time apparently.

Nancy Conn, widow of James, is listed as head of household in the Census of 1830 on Henry County KY and 1840 in Jackson County, IN, the last document of Nancy's life that we have at this time. There are no names listed, but a family listing of 9 people in 1830 and 11 people in 1840.

Jackson County IN is also the county where Hannah married William Lewis Booth in 1843.  In my old Conn family tree, I've never figured out how she could have been there when the rest of the John Thomas Conn family was moving to Texas from Missouri, so this helps immensely in the location problems.

More next post!!!

Getting to know you...

No longer looking at John Thomas and Polly Conn as Hannah Conn Booth's parents (finally found documentation (source docs) that show her parents were James and Nancy)

So now I'm getting to know James and Nancy Conn.  And all their families.

More when I know it!
Thanks for stopping by. Aren't families fun!

Thomas Conn story

This is a very interesting biography, but I've just discovered that the Conn family which I'm related to does not include John Thomas Conn.  But I have had them part of my Ancestry tree for so long, I'm feeling some grief at saying goodbye to Molly and the Conns who I've researched all these years.  So I'm including this as my final post about this branch of the family.  I've made a few notes in italics where I thought it would help...BR

• Biography of John Thomas Conn by Velma Fogle

John Thomas Conn was born in Elks Creek, Shelby Co., Ky. 9 April, 1790. (Elks Creek was formerly Plum Creek. Shelby Co. was formerly Jefferson Co., then Bullitt Co., now Spencer Co., Ky).

He was the first born of ten children of Thomas [1762-1835] and Mildred Ann Conley Conn [1770-1845].

John T. Conn fought in the War of 1812. Which side he fought on is a matter of dispute. According to some Conn family records, he fought on the side of the British and went to Canada with Proctor & Elliott. He was in the Battle of Thames where the Indian Chief Tecumseh was killed. He has descendants who believe he fought with the Kentuckians on the side of the United States. More than one John Conn fought with the Kentuckians, one of whom is listed as a surgeon. This researcher does not have any documentation of his service in the War of 1812 for either of the adversaries.

John T. Conn's father Thomas Conn and his [John's] brothers Francis Conn [1793-1849] and Hugh Lee Conn IV [1797- 1814 or 1833], fought in the War of 1812 with the Kentuckians. According to the Ralls County, Mo. History, Hugh Lee Conn IV was wounded and died of his wounds in 1814. Some Conn descendants record him as dying in 1833. He was born 14 July 1797. He was only 15 when he fought in the War of 1812. Young lads fought in the wars of that era so his age is not unusual. There is a pension application filed by the widow of Thomas Conn, documenting his participation in the War of 1812.

Thomas Conn was born 15 Nov. 1762 in Loudon Co., Va.  He was the seventh child of eight children born to Hugh Lee II and Mary Trammell Conn. He married Mildred Ann Conley 10 March 1787 in Taylorsville, Jefferson Co., Ky (same locale as Bullitt and Shelby Counties, Ky.) According to my grandmother Mary Drucilla Conn Fogle , Thomas Conn fought in the American Revolution and was at Valley Forge. This has not been documented. *

Thomas Conn and family moved to Missouri circia 1830/1832 where they settled in Ralls Co., Mo. According to the book Ralls Co., Mo. History, Thomas and Mildred Conn were charter members of the Salem Baptist Church as were their son and dau-in-law Francis and Nancy Conn and daughter Elizabeth Ann Conn McGrew. The first burial in the Salem Cemetery was Sarah McGrew, age three, daughter of Elizabeth Conn and Joseph McGrew. She was scalded to death in a wash pot accident. The Conns were neighbors to Green DeWitt, the first Sheriff of Ralls Co., Mo. and noted empressario for the Province of Texas. 

Many descendants of Thomas and Mildred Ann Conley Conn are living in Ralls Co., Mo. today, in this the year of our Lord 2000. Thomas Conn died 29 Dec 1835 in St. Charles Co., Mo. according to the pension application for the War of 1812 filed by his widow. Some Texas descendants believe he died in Ralls Co., Mo. and is buried in the Salem Cemetery. Mildred Ann Conley Conn died 18 July in Ralls Co. Mo. and is buried in the Salem Cemetery.

John T. Conn married Mary Margaret "Polly" Norman 15 Sept 1813 in Shelby Co., Ky.  Polly Norman was born 23 March 1792 in Culpeper, Culpeper Co., Va. She was the daughter of Isaac and Hannah C. Gage Norman. She was one of eight children.** She died in St. Charles, St. Charles Co., Mo. on 13 Dec 1833 and is buried in the St. Charles Cemetery.

John T. Conn married [second] Mary Ellen "Nancy" Taylor 8 July 1836 in Ralls Co., Mo. He, his bride and seven of his eight children emigrated to Mina, Republic of Texas, arriving there in Dec., 1836. His son Hugh Lee Conn V remained in Ralls Co., Mo. until after his marriage the following year to Katherine Ann Boyd on 11 April 1837. They joined the rest of his family in Mina, Republic of Texas, arriving there in Oct. 1837.

John T. Conn served on the first Grand Jury for Bastrop County, Republic of Texas. This Grand Jury convened on Oct. 29, 1838 by Judge F. M. Williamson. (Minutes of the Bastrop Co. District Court, Vol. A-page 5). John T. Conn and his son Napoleon Norman are listed in the First Settlers of Bastrop and Travis Counties of Texas by Gifford White as arriving in Bastrop/ Mina Dec 1836. John T Conn is listed as receiving a Class 2 Certificate for 1280 acres, issued May 16, 1839. Napoleon Norman Conn was issued a Class 2 Certificate April 13, 1839 for 640 acres. Napoleon Norman is shown as single and there is no status listed for John T. Conn, probably because he was a widower when he applied for his emigration papers. John T. Conn and his son Hugh Lee Conn V are listed on the 1838 Tax Roll for Bastrop Co., Texas.

In the log book of a general store/trading post in Bastrop, John Conn is a regular customer and habitually treats his friends to drinks. Pages of this log book for the months of January and February of 1839 are found in the front of Probate Book A in the Hays County Courthouse in San Marcos, Texas. There are famous names of other Founders written in this log book--Hamilton White, Samuel Highsmith, D.C. Gilmore and G. Fisk are a few. How these pages of this log book came to be in the Hays County Courthouse is unknown.

In 1840, John T. Conn & family with Hugh Lee and his family moved to Gonzales Co., Texas. John T., Napoleon and Hugh Lee Conn are shown on the 1840 Tax List for Gonzales Co--originally DeWitt Colony after Founder Green DeWitt. John T. Conn was issued a land grant on Jan 29, 1844--Napoleon was issued a land grant on Jan. 29, 1846 and Hugh Lee was issued a land grant on Jan 11, 1848.

Two of John T. Conn's sons, Isaac Thomas and Napoleon Norman, habitually fought in battles for the defense of Texas. They fought Indians and later Mexicans as Mexico tried to regain Texas after her defeat at San Jacinto. Napoleon and his brother-in-law Winslow Turner III fought with Edward Burleson on March 28, 1839 at Mill Creek near Seguin against Col. Cordova and his Indian allies.

Napoleon Norman and Isaac Thomas Conn both fought in the Mexican War of 1846. Isaac Thomas was a Teamster in the Quartermaster Dept. (Index to Mexican War Pension Files). Napoleon served under Capt. Ben McCullough in the Texas Mtd. Spies commanded by Col. Jack Hays. John Thomas Conn , Jr., born in Mina in 1837, son of John T. and Mary Elizabeth Taylor Conn, fought in the Civil War as a Confederate and was with Singleton Norman Conn, son of Hugh Lee and Katherine Boyd Conn, when he was killed at Donaldsonville, La. on June 28, 1863 in a battle at Carrion-Crow Bayou. It was John T. Jr., who notified the family of Singleton's death. John T. Jr. and Singleton Norman were in Ben McCullough's Cavalry. Singleton Norman Conn was buried in a mass grave.

John T. Conn, Jr. had a land grant of 995 acres in Blanco Co. and a land grant of 285 acres in Burnet Co. In March 1888 while running for Sheriff of Gonzales Co., he accidently shot himself and died in April of 1888. He is buried with his mother and other family members in the Masonic Cemetery in Gonzales.

The daughters of John T. Conn were also illustrious pioneers of the Republic of Texas. Elizabeth Ann married Francis Marion Clary after the death of her husband Isaac Pitts. F. M. Clary was the son of an early pioneer family who arrived in the Province of Texas in 1830. Rebecca married Larkin West whose father, Clairborne West, was the twentieth patriot to sign the Declaration Independence. His signature is very distinct. [

Hannah Leak married the warrior Winslow Turner III after the death of his first wife Sarah Carpenter Sowell. He and his family arrived in the Province of Texas in 1826 from Ralls Co., Mo. when he was fifteen years old, also under the sponsorship of Green DeWitt. He is buried the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. Some of his exploits are listed on his grave marker. Sarah Ellen and her husband Thomas Ingram Gilmore were early day teachers in Gonzales and Live Oak Counties.

John Thomas Conn died in November, 1844 in Gonzales Co., Texas. His gravesite is unknown. He was a friendly, generous man who took pleasure in treating his friends as shown by the log book of the general store in Bastrop in 1839. His wife Mary Elizabeth Taylor Conn--known also as "Ellen" and "Nancy"--died 22 Nov. 1880 in Gonzales. She is buried in the Masonic Cemetery there. These Founders were exceptional pioneers in every way and we will probably not see their likes again.

This history researched by:

Velma Fogle

Great great-grand-daughter of John T. Conn

Great-grand daughter of Hugh Lee Conn V

Grand daughter of Mary Drucilla Conn Fogle

---------------------------------

* Muster role Kentucky volunteers, 1793. Halls Regiment, Calvary,  Rank Cornet, US Compiled service records Post Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1784-1811, Role 12A

** I've got 10 children in all, including one who died in the first year.

*** Hannah Leak Conn may not have been the Hannah who married Turner, as it's likely her name was Coon, as it's on the marriage license.

My final note is that I'm actively pursuing an alternate Hannah Conn Booth tree, and I'm now leaving off the middle name Leak.  As soon as I learn about my new grands, I'll post about them here!

The Conn family

This is a very interesting biography, but I've just discovered that the Conn family which I'm related to does not include Mary Margaret Polly Norman Conn as the mother of Hannah Conn Booth. So if you're related to her, then this might have meaning for you.

 My ancestress is Mary Margaret "Polly" Norman Conn, 1792-1833.  I've already done a bit of posting about her a few years ago, here.

She was the mother of Hannah Conn Booth*, and we've been looking at a lot of the early Booth family, mainly in New England.

She was the daughter of Isaac Norman and Hannah C. Gage Norman.  Hannah Gage Norman was the daughter of David Aaron Gage, but I haven't checked out all her siblings, at least 6 of which were born the same year as another sibling...maybe 3 sets of twins?  And since some of them were born near me in North Carolina, I plan to look closer at their actual lives soon.

She married John Thomas Conn 1790-1844. He was the son of Thomas Conn 1765-1835 and Mildred Ann Conley Conn 1770-1845.  Many of these ancestors also went west from Virginia to Kentucky and Missouri,

But Grandmother Polly lived in Kentucky, and many of her children grew up and moved to Texas.  I'm enjoying learning about their lives, which tells a lot about how she raised them. (I'm also frustrated that Ancestry won't give me the "hints" of the multiple family trees about several of them, so I don't know who they married, or who their children were.)

They were
1) Hugh Lee Conn 1814-1884
2) Napoleon Norman Conn 1816-1899
3) Hannah Leak Conn Booth 1819-1884 *
4) Elizabeth Ann Conn 1821-1878
5) Mildred Jane Conn 1825-1843
6) Isaac Thomas Conn 1826-1897
7) Rebecca Martha Conn West 1830-1885
8) Mary Ellen Conn 1833-1845

But because there was another Hannah Conn who also moved to Texas, and married someone named Turner, I'm interested in who she was. I will keep an eye out for this woman who married the "warrior."

And I've just found another really interesting narrative by a Conn descendant, but it's a bit convoluted...mainly about Thomas Conn, and doesn't say too much about which one it's talking about when.  I'll give that text to you tomorrow, after I add dates or numbers so you can tell better than I can who she's talking about.  I am sad to say she had the wrong Hannah Conn going to Texas, the one who married another man rather than the Booth from whom I'm descended.

William L. Booth and Hannah Conn, 4th Feb, 1843 narriage, lower r hand page

Hannah Leak Conn Booth 1819–1884

Birth 13 APR 1819 • Elks Creek, Shelby, Kentucky, USA

Death 26 JAN 1884 • Hillsboro, Hill, Texas (or Belmont Gonzales, TX)

Zachiariah Booth Sr.

Zachariah Booth Sr. had written a will in 1760.
Then he wrote a codicil in 1762, shortly before his death.

I'm so glad they were both provided with his probate records in Stratford CT.
Here's the codicil which shocked me.

Stratford March 15th 1762.

I Zachariah Booth of Stratford do make this codicil to my last will and Testament (illegible) I give to my beloved wife Sarah the sum of forty pounds lawful money over and above (illigible) to her mentioned in my (illigible) Last Will. I give unto my daughter Chabee(?) the sum of fifteen pounds lawfull over and above the legacy to her mentioned in my said last will. I give unto my daughter Anna Curtis wife to Nathan Curtis of Durham the sum of five shillings lawfl money which is to be the whole of her portion at the same time hereby occuling revoking and making null and void the legacy mentioned and given in my said last will, having advanced her already since the making of my said last will. - I give unto my son Daniel Booth the sum of ten pounds lawful money over and above what is mentioned given him in my said last will & testament. I do appoint and (illigible) my beloved wife Sarah and my two sons Hezkiah and Abel to be Executors of my last will and testament confirming this to be a part and partial of my said last will and testament in confirmation whereof thence hereunto set my hand and seal the day and date above.

Very shaky signature Zachariah Booth

Witnessed

Entered by Rob Fairchild Justice of the PEace

The shock was hearing him say his beloved wife was Sarah.  His wife that I knew of had died, and her name was Anna.  All the records I'd read, other ancestry trees, other trees from other Boothes in the community, mentioned only Anna, and their three sons, Nathan,  Zachariah Jr, and Daniel.

There are lots of different people here mentioned, and first I think my interpretation of the hand writing, probably by my ancestor himself, isn't "Chafee," but Phoebe.  That's a name that occurs in the original will also.

And then there's a daughter "Anna Booth Curtis, wife of Nathan Curtis of Durham".  She didn't get much because he says he's already advanced her the money set for her in his last will.  And now there are sons, Hezkiah and Abel, to be executors.

The signature is shaky on the codicil, but has the same loops on the "B" of Booth as the will from 2 years earlier, where yes, even more children are mentioned.

This is where my detective thrills are in genealogy.  Finding a source document, even microfilmed originals, that tell about people I never heard of otherwise.  Now I plan to spend some time looking at these children, who would have been great aunts and uncles - six greats because Zach Sr. was a 7 times great grandpa.

But first, let me give you some more details about Grandpa Zach.  He was the one who built the home still standing in Stratford, CT (at least I think so, it's been moved at least once.)

After the Revolutionary War, General Joseph Walker purchased the Zachariah Booth homestead, which had been built in 1690.   Apparently Grandpa Zachariah sold it earlier than that however...

There are more details of the home, which I'll show you tomorrow!

Editor's note: I just realized the house couldn't have been built in Zachariah's lifetime if the foundation was built in 1609...as the caption on the photo says.  I'm going for 1690!

Stratford CT homes from the past

Another blogger started writing about historic homes in Stratford, CT.  This is the only post I could find, however, so I've included it here

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Our House: Lean on Me

This is the first of what we hope will become a series of “biographies” of houses in the Historic District. We invite submissions from owners of any neighborhood homes, old or not. They needn’t be essay-length — even sharing just a few paragraphs about what you find most interesting or endearing about your home would be of interest to neighbors. And of course please include an image. If you don’t have a photo of your home, we would be happy to take one (at no charge) to include with your post. Please send submissions to mbingham@conntact.com.

Our house is a very, very, very old house, with two cats in the yard (but only if they sneak out the door — they’re supposed to be house cats).

The sign on the front of our house at 2134 Elm Street reads “John Curtis c. 1740.” But most people in Stratford have a different name for it: the Leaning House (variant: the Crooked House).

Whatever. To our family, it’s just Our Home. We bought it in August 1999. We were probably crazy, but here we still are, 13 years later.

I first laid eyes on this house in, I think, 1996 or 1997. I had lived in New Haven for ten years, but had never spent any time in Stratford. My then girlfriend and now wife, Nancy Monk, had grown up in Stratford. Her father was the rector (that’s Episcopalian talk for “head priest”) at Christ Church in the 1960s and ‘70s, and Nancy grew up in the big white house kinda/sorta across the street from the church on Main Street.

One rainy Sunday we drove to Stratford so Nancy could show me the landmarks of her youth. She showed me the church, and the rectory, and Shakespeare Theater (which I had never heard of). Then we turned onto Broad Street next to St. James, and drove east toward the river.

Out of the drizzle appeared this barn-red apparition with parrot-orange front doors and a discernable (though I like to think jaunty) rearward tilt to it: 2134 Elm — the Curtis “mansion” (LOL). As we drove closer Nancy sighed and said, “I’ve always loved that house.”

A couple years later when we bought it, it was one of the proudest moments of my life that we would live in the house my dear wife had “always loved.”

As other homeowners in the Historic District know well, the idea of living in an 18th century house is a lot more romantic than the reality. The idea: living history, neighborhood icon, enduring construction, great fireplace(s). All true. But so is the reality: Things always breaking, ridiculous heating bills, never a moment when you can say without guilt that everything in the house is “fixed.”

People who come to our house for the first time always say they love it, while we roll our eyes. But there’s a lot to love — the nine-foot hearth in the keeping room, the beautiful woodwork and cabinetry, the wide-planked pine floors. When we look at the hand-hewn beams, we think to ourselves: Some guy built this house with an axe — and it’s still here.

Living in a house that old definitely connects you to history. As far as we know, we are only the fourth family to occupy 2134 Elm Street in 272 years (granted, successive generations of the Curtis family lived there for about 200 years).

So…why is it leaning? We actually don’t really know. Someone told us that there had been an earthquake in southern New England some time around 1802 (the early 19th century had some really weird weather events, including 1816, known as the “Year Without a Summer” due to a succession of major volcanic eruptions worldwide that caused major food shortages in the Northern Hemisphere). Supposedly that earthquake knocked our house slightly off its foundation. Nancy and I kind of like this theory, because it implies that the structure has been stable for 210 years. But we don’t really know.

Some neighborhood old-timers have told us our house is haunted, and there is evidence in support of that. A relative of an in-law told us once she witness a female figure dress in Colonial garb walking through the wall of the house. More recently Nancy was napping in our bedroom on a sleepy Sunday afternoon when suddenly a heavy jewelry chest flew off the bureau and onto the floor — on its own.

We have been told that our “ghosts” are two elderly (well, dead, actually) spinster sisters whose names the previous owners of our house, Cynthia and Bob Conley, knew. But I don’t remember them. As they have put in only one appearance in our 13 years on Elm Street, we hope they are mainly benign, or at least tolerant of us.

We have two outbuildings. The “barn” was actually used as a cobbler’s shop by one of the later Curtises, we guess some time in the 19th century, The other, smaller outbuilding (not very noticeable from the street) was actually an outhouse with — get this — three seats (I know — ewww). But don’t worry: we use it only as a garden shed, so don’t go calling the Health Department on us.

Living in an ancient house is hard, but definitely a labor of love (and you need to love to labor). But as we remind ourselves when the going gets tough, we don’t live just in a house — we live in a neighborhood. A neighborhood we’ll always love.

— Michael C. Bingham

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Judson House
Capt. David Judson built a Georgian-style house in Stratford around 1750 (or as early as 1723), on the foundation of his great-grandfather William‘s stone house of 1639. Nine generations of the family lived in the house until 1888 . The Judson House, which is now a museum, is known for its particularly fine broken scroll pediment door surround.

Lighthouse
In 1822, an octagonal wooden lighthouse tower and 1 1/2 story keeper’s quarters were erected at Stratford Point, in the section of Stratford called Lordship, located at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was only the third light station to be built on Long Island Sound. The current brick-lined, cast-iron tower and adjacent keeper’s dwelling were built in 1881. The tower was originally all white, but was later painted red around the middle. Stratford Point Light was automated in 1969 and the lantern room was removed to be displayed at Boothe Memorial Park in Stratford. In 1990, the restored lantern room was returned to its place atop the tower. A Coast Guard family currently lives at the lighthouse.

Boothe Homestead, Historic homestead and museum of Americana. By Magicpiano - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53634585

The Boothe Memorial Park in Stratford, has preserved many historic buildings and has a web presence here,and is well documented at Wikepedia HERE

Boothe Homestead, Stratford CT

Yes, we are related to David and Stephen Boothe who built the park and donated it to Stratford, with an interesting collection of buildings.  They are descendents of Hannah Wilcoxan Booth and Joseph Booth.  So we're some number of cousins removed.

Josiah Beers 1693–1763

Josiah Beers

Birth 8 AUG 1693 • Stratford, Fairfield, Connecticut

Death 10 MAY 1763 • Stratford, Fairfield, Conn.

We recently saw my Booth Family great times six grandparents the Wilcoxsons and Beers, and down the line to a couple of second cousins who married and are named Booth.

But right in the middle is Josiah Beers, who was an Ensign in the town Militia.  Of course Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, had to have some defense.  The "Indians" were somewhat a threat, and the French as well. The French and Indian War 1754-63, was the American segment of the Seven Years War in Europe.

The other thing of mention is that Josiah served on jury duty in Stratford in 1730.
His actual military service was noted in 1737.

He and Elizabeth Uffort (1698-1783) (her post here) married in 1717.  They went on to have 11 children, all of whom lived to adulthood.  My great times six grandmother, Elizabeth Beers Booth was their eldest daughter, after 2 sons.  (Her blog post here.)

I like to think about where they lived, and how they must have lived...

Stratford Historical Society

Wikepedia tells us that...
"Stratford was founded in 1639 as "the plantation at Pequonnocke",^[2] by Puritan leader Reverend Adam Blakeman, William Beardsley, and either 16 families—according to legend—or approximately 35 families—suggested by later research—who had recently arrived in Connecticut from England seeking religious freedom. In 1640 the community was known as Cupheag Plantation. By April 13, 1643, the growing town was known as Stratford, changed to honor Stratford-upon-Avon in England.

"Like other Puritan or Pilgrim towns founded during this time, early Stratford was a place where church leadership and town leadership were united under the pastor of the church, in this case Reverend Blakeman. The goal of these communities was to create perfect outposts of religious idealism where the wilderness would separate them from the interference of kings, parliaments, or any other secular authority.

"Blakeman ruled Stratford until his death in 1665, but as the second generation of Stratford grew up, many of the children rejected what they perceived as the exceptional austerity of the town's founders. This and later generations sought to change the religious dictums of their elders, and the utopian nature of Stratford and similar communities was gradually replaced with more standard colonial administration. By the late 17th century, the Connecticut government had assumed political control over Stratford.

"Stratford was one of the two principal settlements in southwestern Connecticut, the other being Fairfield.

Stratford CT Historical Society