Birth: Josiah Winslow was born on February 11, 1605/6, in
Droitwich,Worcestershire.
Death: He was buried on December 1, 1674, in Marshfield.
Ship: Unknown, 1631
Life in England: Josiah Winslow was the youngest child of
Edward and Magdalen (Oliver/Ollyver) Winslow of Droitwich,
Worcestershire.
Life in New England: Josiah Winslow arrived in Plymouth
in 1631, sent by the colony’s investors to keep accounts. The investors
accepted him initially for the sake of his brother, Edward Winslow, Mayflower
passenger and Assistant Governor. Unfortunately, Josiah proved to
be incompetent. William Bradford wrote that he “did wholly fail them and
could never give them any account; but trusting to his memory and loose
papers, let things run to such confusion that neither he nor any with
him could bring things to rights.”He was admitted a freeman of Plymouth
on January 1, 1633/4, but moved to Marshfield by 1643. Josiah’s
confusion over financial matters apparently held to the last, and the
court made void his conditional bequest of house and land to his son
Jonathan, as he had already given the property to him at his marriage.
Josiah was one of five brothers (Edward, John, Gilbert,Kenelm, and
Josiah) who came to New England.
Family: Josiah Winslow married Margaret Bourne by 1637
and had six children. She died on September 28, 1683.
Children of Josiah and Margaret Winslow:
- Elizabeth was born on September 24, 1637, in Marshfield. She was
apparently accidentally shot and killed by her eight-yearold brother,
Jonathan, in 1646.
- Jonathan was born on August 8, 1639, in Marshfield. He married Ruth
Sargent by 1664 and had six children.
- Margaret was born on July 15 or 16, 1640, in Marshfield. She married
John Miller on December 24, 1659, in Marshfield and had eight children.
- Rebecca was born on July 15, 1643, in Marshfield. She married John
Thatcher by 1665 and had eight children.
- Hannah was born on November 30, 1644, in Marshfield. She married (1)
William Crow on April 4, 1664, in Plymouth She married (2) John
Sturtevant by 1687 and had two children.
- Mary was born about 1646. She married John Tracy on June 10, 1670,
in Marshfield and had one daughter.