Person:Joshua Robbins (4)

"Joshua (Robbins), b. [say 1652-4]; d. at Wethersfield, 15 Dec. 1738; m. at Wethersfield, 24 Dec. 1680, Elizabeth Rose … dau. of Daniel and Elizabeth (Goodrich) Rose."

[footnote] "Joshua² Robbins was made Lieutenant of the Train Band at the south end of Wethersfield, May 1698, and Captain, May 1708 [Colonial Records of Connecticut, 4:257, 427], and was a Deputy at several sessions of the General Assembly, and a Justice of the Peace. His will, made 26 Mar. 1730, proved 6 Feb. 1738/9, named wife Elizabeth, sons Joshua and Jonathan, and daughters Elizabeth wife of Nathaniel Talcott, Hannah wife of Joseph Wells, Mary wife of Joseph Treat, Abigail wife of Silas Belding, and Comfort wife of John Coleman [Manwaring's Digest, 3:102-8]."

"Robbins, … Joshua, Capt., d. Dec. 15, 1738 [1:16]"

This burial is not documented in the Hale Collection. There appears to be no evidence of the actua

"Probate Records. Vol. XI, 1729 to 1732. Page 123.

Robbins, Joshua, Wethersfield. The will of Joshua Robbins, Sen., dated 26 March, 1730: I have already given unto my eldest son, Joshua Robbins, my lot at Stepney, where he dwells, together with all the buildings that I erected thereon; also my lot that I bought of Phillip Goff and Naomy his wife, my lot in Beaver Meadow and my lots that I had of Theophilus Sherman, Joseph Barnard and John Adgit. I do further give to my son Joshua Robbins my division lot att Newington, about 75 acres; also my five-acre lot in Mile Meadow; also that part of my lot in the Wet Swamp that I bought of Joseph Wolcott; also my right in a tract of land lying on the back side of Rockey Hill, in Wethersfield. I have already given unto my youngest son, Jonathan Robbins, half my homestead where I now dwell, with half my new house and half my barns that are upon it; also half my lot in ye Heither Plain, half my lot in the Dry Swamp that I had of Jonathan Colefax, half my lot at Smith’s Landing, purchased of John Waddoms, half my lott in the Great Meadow that I had of Graves, upon the Westfield Hill, half my lot at Two Stone, purchast of Mr. Chester, half of my two lots that I had of David Tryon, and half my 50-acre lot. I do hereby give unto my said son Jonathan Robbins, only reserveing ye improvement thereof dureing the natural life of his mother, ye other half of my homestead where I now dwell, together with ye other half of my barns, with all other buildings and things that are erected thereon, also the other half of the lots above mentioned. I do hereby further give to my said son Jonathan Robbins my lot I bought of Ensign Michael Griswold, by Tryall’s lot; the remaining part of the lot I had of George Kilbourn, on Vexation Hill; my four acres I had of Samuel Benton, in the
Wet Swamp, and the other half of my lot of 50 acres lying next to Farmington line. Also, I give to my son Jonathan Robbins my right in a piece of land that I bought of Martin Kellog, on the burying hill, only ordering him said Jonathan Robbins and his successors to set out thereof unto the rest of my children and their heirs as they have need for burying their dead. I do further give unto my son Jonathan Robbins the one-half of all my right in or to the commons or undivided lands in Wethersfield. Also, my will is that my five daughters, vizt., Elizabeth the wife of Nathaniel Talcott, Hannah the wife of Joseph Wells, Mary the wife of Joseph Treat, Abigail the wife of Silas Belding, and Comfort the wife of John Coleman, shall each of them have £150 of my personal estate with what each of them have already received, and the rest of my personal estate which I have not already given away I leave in the hands of my well-beloved, wife to improve for her comfortable subsistence and maintenance. And also I give £100 of it to Elizabeth, my wife, to do as she pleaseth with it if I die before she doth. I do hereby give unto my son Joshua Robbins the one-half of all my right in or to the commons or undivided lands in Wethersfield. Also, I do further give unto my son Jonathan Robbins my coper still and worm, together with all things provided for the work of stilling, only reserving the improvement thereof of the one-half of the suitable seasons for stilling in each year dureing the natural life of his mother. I do appoint my wife and my two sons to be executors.

JOSHUA ROBBINS, LS.

Witness: David Goodrich, Joshua Robbins, 2nd, Daniel Warner.

Court Record, Page 95—3 July, 1733: Will exhibited in Court by Sarah Robbins and Nathaniel Robbins, executors named in sd. Will Proven. [This court record applies to the estate of this man's son, Joshua, who died in 1733. The father did not die until 1738.]

Page 41 (Vol. XIII) 6 February, 1738-9: Will now exhibited by Jonathan Robbins, who accepted the trust of executorship. Ordered recorded and kept on file."

"In October, 1710, Colonel Whiting's command, numbering three hundred men, was employed in the reduction of Fort Royal (now Annapolis), Nova Scotia. In the capture of this important point Wethersfield did its share. It appears that the First Company, under Captain Joshua Robbins, was there: certainly, Jonathan Belden, its lieutenant, was present. One Wethersfield man, Daniel Riley, was seriously wounded. Only about forty men were lost (twenty-six by drowning) in all the attacking forces."