Capt. Joshua Ill Coggeshall

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Coggeshall-99

Capt. Joshua Coggeshall

Born 13 May 1681 in Middletown, Newport, Rhode Island

Son of Joshua Coggeshall II and Sara (George) Coggeshall

Brother of Elizabeth (Coggeshall) Spencer, Thomas Coggeshall, Caleb Coggeshall [half], Sarah Coggeshall [half], James Coggeshall [half], Unknown Coggeshall [half], Benjamin Coggeshall [half], Ann Coggeshall [half], Waite Coggeshall [half] and Benjamin Coggeshall [half]

Husband of Mercy (Nichols) Coggeshall — married 1703 [location unknown]

Father of Sarah (Coggeshall) Greene, Thomas Coggeshall and Hannah (Coggeshall) Briggs

Died 2 Aug 1727 in East Greenwich, Providence (now Kent) Co., Rhode Island

Profile last modified 18 Sep 2017 | Created 25 Mar 2013

Disputed Wives

"The usually accurate Coggeshalls in America by Charles P. and Thellwell R. Coggeshall ([Boston 1930]... pp 41-42) has garbled the marital status of Capt. Joshua4 Coggeshall (Joshua3-2, John1) of Middletown and East Greenwich, R.I., wedding him first to Mercy or Mary" Freeborn, second to Deborah Reynolds and third (with a question mark) to Mary Nichols, daughter of Thomas. "In fact, he married first Mercy Nichols, who was the mother of all but his last child, and second Deborah Reynolds; he had no Freeborn wife, but several of his brothers did. "[His] marriage to a daughter of Thomas Nichols is proven by the guardianship records quoted below; his marriage to Deborah Reynolds on 16 Feb. 1725 is proven by the North Kingston vital records. (James Arnold, Vital Record of Rhode Island, [Providence 1891-1912]... Assigning Joshua yet another marriage may have occurred when the author of the Coggeshall genealogy consulted the Newport section of Arnold, and found (RIVR 4:Newport:19): Coggeshall, ____, of Joshua Freeborn, Mary, of Gideon 11 March 1708 Article goes on to point out that

Austin's 1887 Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island (Albany, NY, 1887, p 299) has Mercy dau of Gideon Freeforn, born 1692, marring 11 Mar 1708 Thomas Coggeshall Gideon Freeborn's 1715 will mentions daughter Mercy Coggeshall, and granddaughters Elizabeth and Comfort Coggeshall-- these last shown by Austin as the two oldest daughters of Mercy and Thomas Coggeshall. This puts Mercy Nichols as Joshua's first wife, leaving Deborah Reynolds as his second, who survived him. The article continues with proof of the two wives.[1]

Therefore, we will detach Mary/Mercy Freeborn as wife of Joshua, putting her with Thomas, as proven above.

Children

(extracted from above-referenced TAG article) By first wife Mary Nichols:

Sarah, b 22 Dec [not Nov as in Coggeshall Gen.] 1704; m Warwick, RI 11 Mar 1724/5 Samuel Greene (RIVR 1:WWarwick:52); had issue daughter, postulated because Mariah is called 4th daughter; prob dy Hannah b 21 Jna 1702/10; m East Greenwich 24 Feb 1725/6 Joseph Nichols (VRs 1:8B); said by Coggeshall Gen. to be 'son of James (?) Nichols,' presumably meaning James3 Nichols b 1693, son of Thomas 2 Nichols; if so, she and her husband were first cousins. Joshua b 13 Mar 1711/12 [not 1712/13 as in Coggeshall Gen.]; m East Greenwich 3 May 1730 Mary Spencer Thomas b prob Dec 1714 or Jan 1715; of age 26 Jan 1735/6; living 14 Mar 1787; might be the Thomas Coggeshall in the published 1790 Warwick census (p 14); m Elizabeth Nicholes dau of James Nicholes both of East Greenwich married 6 Jan 1736/7 Mariah b 12 Nov 1716; dy Marcy (Mary in birth record) b 6 Jun 1719; d 6 Nov 1749; m East Greenwich 27 Dec 1737 John Spencer. By second wife, Deborah Reynolds: 8. Hannah b 1 Jan 1726/7; prob. m John hitman or Wightman.

Biography

Joshua lived in East Greenwich, RI.

Sources

↑ David W. Dumas, "Capt. Joshua4 Coggeshall of Middletown and East Greenwich, R.I., and his Two (not Three) Wives," in The American Genealogist, 67 (1992):156 Rhode Island, Vital Extracts, 1636-1899 for Joshua Coggeshall Vol. 07: Friends and Ministers: Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths

page 52

Acknowledgments

Jillaine Smith for finding the above-quoted TAG article Blain Mercer

References

1. “Joshua Coggeshall family” (document attached)
2. Family History" De Forest, L. Effingham, and Anne Lawrence De Forest. "James Cox Brady and his ancestry"; De Forest Publishing Co, NY, 1933. < Archive.Org >
3. Coggeshalls: Coggeshall, Charles Pierce, 1852-, and Thellwell Russell Coggeshall. The Coggeshalls In America: Genealogy of the Descendants of John Coggeshall of Newport, With a Brief Notice of Their English Antecedents. Boston: C.E. Goodspeed and company, 1930. < HathiTrust >