M. 26 Jan 1709 in Concord, Massachusetts2
Wife: Hannah Harwood
D. (maybe) 21 Sep 1758 in Dracut, Massachusetts3
There is conflicting information about Joseph Colburn of Dracut, Massachusetts who was the father of Ebenezer Coburn Two men by that name were born around the same time, both of whom were grandchildren of the family patriarch, Edward Colburn, and each lived in Dracut during the early 18th century. Just to make things even more confusing, a son named Joseph was born to Edward, and he had a son Joseph who was born a little later than the other grandsons named Joseph.
It’s believed that the Joseph Colburn of this biography was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on March 13, 1681 to Robert Colburn and Mary Bishop.1 He was the sixth of eleven children, and one of ten brothers. At about the time Joseph came of age, his grandfather died, leaving a large amount of land in the town of Dracut to his children.3 Joseph’s father Robert inherited some of it, but became ill and died just a year later in 1701.3
One source claimed that none of Robert’s descendants ended up living in Dracut because he had sold his Dracut property to his brother before he died.3 But Joseph’s marriage record on January 26, 1709 said that he did reside in Dracut.2 The woman he married was identified as Hannah Harwood, and the wedding was in Concord, Massachusetts. Hannah Harwood’s origins are a mystery, and no record of her birth or her parents’ names has survived. The couple was only known to have one child, a son named Ebenezer, born within a year or two of their wedding.3
Little else can be proven about Joseph’s life. All references to Joseph Colburn in town records and histories seem to have been his uncle of the same name. The most complete source of information about the Coburn family was written by a descendant in 1913, Genealogy of the descendants of Edward Colburn/Coburn. Unfortunately the author assigned the same death date of September 21, 1758 to both Joseph and one of his first cousins also named Joseph. Without the details of the original source, it’s impossible to know which man died on that date.
Chart showing the two Joseph Colburns of Dracut, Massachusetts.
Children:
1. Ebenezer Coburn — B. about 1710, (maybe) Dracut, Massachusetts;3 D. after 12 Jan 1776, (probably) Dracut, Massachusetts;4 M. Sarah Whiting (1731-?), after 23 Nov 1751, Dracut, Massachusetts5
Sources:
1 Birth record of Joseph Coburn, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySerach.org
2 Marriage record of Joseph Coburn and Hannah Harwood, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
3 Genealogy of the descendants of Edward Colburn/Coburn, George Augustus Gordon and Silas Roger Coburn, 1913
4 History of Dracut, Massachusetts, Silas Roger Coburn, 1922
5 Vital Records of Dracut, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Henry Ernest Woods, 1907
