 Abt 1636 - 1704
-
| Name |
Joseph Kent |
| Born |
Abt 1636 |
England  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Died |
1704 |
Rehoboth, Bristol Co, Massachusetts |
| Notes |
- JOSEPH KENT1 appears in Dedham, Mass., in 1645, where he arrived from England in company with his brother Joshua, who had previously resided there. There can be but little doubt that Elizabeth Harder of Braintree was connected with this family, as is shown in her will, viz.:
WILL OF Elizabeth Harder, 1, 4th, 1664. I Elizabeth Harder of BRAINTREE, doe make this my last will, God hauing giuen mee only one Daughter, which is my only Childe. I: doe giue and bequeath my whole estate, mooveable & Imooveable unto her, her heirs & assigns foreuer, excepting such legacyes as are heerafter Specified. & doe Constitute & ordain her my sole executrix of this my Last will & Testament & Doe Intreate my Louing Friends, William Needham & Samuel Tomson, of Brantrye to be my Ouerseers. I giue unto Elisabeth Saunders. my. Daughter's Child ¶20. with my Bed I. lye on, with all belonging to it, to bee paid at the age of 18 yeares, or at the day of marriage, and if Shee Dye, if my Daughter haue Farther Issue, I giue it unto the next Child & if not then to Remaine unto my Daughter, I Giue unto JOHN KENT & JOSEPH KENT, 40s apiece to bee paid within two yeares after my Decease--I Giue unto Joshua Kents three Daughters 20s apiece, to bee paid to them when they are 18 yeares old, or at the Day of Marriage, I Giue unto Benjamin Thomson 40s: to bee paid unto him within halfe a year after my Decease I Giue unto John Day. ¶5. to be paid unto him when he is 20 yeares old, upon Condition he Liue with my Sonne or Daughter till hee be twenty year Old
Elisabeth H arder.
Test Samuell Bass. John Basse who deposed Octr 6th 1664.
We whose names are here underwritten do freely upon our admission to be inhabitants of the town of Swansey assent to a written agreement made between the Church of Christ now meeting here at Swansey, and Captain Thomas Willett and his associates; as the said agreement is Specified and declared in the three proposals aforewritten, With the several Conditions and explanations thereof, concerning the present and future Settlement of this township--In witness, we have hereunto Subscribed (1669)
Joseph Kent
COURT ACTION. 1675. Joseph Kent of Swansey complaineth against Nicholas Tanner of the same town for detaining and hindering of him of his right of what he was attested to in Swansey: and for withholding a copy of the records of his attestation notwithstanding authority against it. The jury find for the plaintiff. Samuell Dunham being one of the jury.
COURT ORDERS. June 7, 1681, Joseph Kent was mentioned to be propounded to be a freeman. June 6, 1682, Joseph Kent was made a freeman. July 7, 1681: "Forasmuch as there have bine some differences lately amongst the inhabitants of the towne of Swansey, respecting the laying out of lands in that towneshipe, this Court doth heerby rattify and confeirme whatsoever the former comitty have don respecting the pmises, and have made choise of Capt. John Browne, Leift Willam Ingraham, Sergeant Hugh Cole, Samuell Luther, Job Winslow, and Joseph Kent, to be a comittee in the townes behalfe for the regulateing of matters in difference concerning lands alreddy layed out in that townshipe, and what defects doe or shall appeer unto the said comittee above named, shalbe made up of the lands undevided, and for any further devision of lands in the towne, that are to be devided, that it may be don and pformed by the propriators, they haveing liberty by this order to choose a comittee for the lawing out of land according to the three fold ranke."
"In reference unto sixteen or seaventeen bushells of Indian corne, taken from Joseph Kent, of Swansey, and improved for the releife of some souldiers, in the time of the late lndian warrs, this Court have ordered that it, or the vallue thereof, to be repayed by the Treasurer."
We know that Joshua went to England in 1644, and returned next year with his two brothers. After that date John Kent is mentioned several times in the records previous to 1673, when he was received into the church at Charlestown. Joseph Kent is mentioned in the tax-rate of 1659. In 1664 Elizabeth Hardier of Braintree left 40 shillings each to John and Joseph Kent, and 20 shillings each to Joshua Kent's three daughters. From this we may reasonably infer that Joshua, John, and Joseph of Dedham held a similar relationship to her. But we have no record of Joseph in Dedham after 1659. The first we hear of Joseph is in Block Island. This island was settled in 1661, largely by Braintree people. When Joseph went to Block Island I do not know. Sheffield, in his history, says: "Joseph Kent of Swansea joined the settlement in 1661 or 1662." What his authority is I do not know. I have examined the Block Island records, which are in bad condition, and can find nothing. He was certainly in Block Island May 4, 1664, when he petitioned the legislature. The fact that this Joseph named his sons Joseph, Samuel, and Joshua, and that John Kent of Charlestown named his sons John, Joshua, Joseph, Samuel, and Ebenezer, would be some indication of a relationship to each other and to Joshua. I also find in Plymouth Col. Records that in 1681 Joseph Kent was appointed guardian of Joseph Cahoone, and that in 1690 Hannah, dau. of John Kent of Charlestown, married Joseph Cahoone. Perhaps Hannah became acquainted with him in the house of her uncle Joseph.
Baylies gives Joseph Kent as the signer of a covenant in Swansea in 1669, but I doubt if he was there as early as that. The latter names on that document probably came later than the date of drawing it up. The Swansea records say Joseph Kent was admitted an inhabitant 15 Dec., 1673, and his name frequently appears in the records after that, but not before.
Arnold in his History of State of Rhode Island, Vol. 1, p. 306, says: "May, 1664. The first regular assembly, as established by the Charter, met at Newport in May. The affairs of Block Island were definitely settled at this session. Three messengers, James Sands, Thomas Terry, and Joseph Kent, appeared from the Island to signify their obedience to His Majesty's will."
|
| Person ID |
I44310 |
Bryant |
| Last Modified |
4 Sep 2004 |
| Family |
Susannah George, b. Feb 1643, probably, Braintree, Norfolk Co, Massachusetts |
| Married |
Bef 1665 |
New Shoreham, Block Island, Rhode Island [1] |
| Children |
| | 1. Joseph Kent, b. 1665, probably, New Shoreham, Block Island, Rhode Island , d. 20 Mar 1734/35, Rehoboth, Bristol Co, Massachusetts |
| | 2. Samuel Kent, b. Abt 1667, New Shoreham, Block Island, Rhode Island , d. 15 May 1737, Barrington, Bristol Co, Massachusetts |
| | 3. Joshua Kent, b. 1671, probably, New Shoreham, Block Island, Rhode Island , d. 14 Aug 1725, Bristol Co, Rhode Island |
| | 4. Susannah Kent, b. 25 Sep 1687, Swansea, Bristol Co, Massachusetts , d. 29 Aug 1764, Bristol, Bristol Co, Rhode Island |
|
| Family ID |
F2996 |
Group Sheet |
-
-
| Sources |
- [S13] NEHGR, NEHGR, (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society), 105:164.
|
|
= Link to Google Maps 
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set