- Hero of the Connecticut's "Charter Oak" Rescue (1662)
Capt. Joseph Wadsworth was born 1648 in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut to William Wadsworth (1594-1675) and Elizabeth Stone (1621-1682) and died 1729 Connecticut of unspecified causes. He married Elizabeth Talcott (1656-1710) 1682 in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut. He married Mary Blackleach (1665-1729) 1712 in Connecticut.
Joseph Wadsworth was the third child of William and Elizabeth (Stone) Wadsworth. Joseph was born in 1647 at Harford, Connecticut. Even though his father was 52 years old when Joseph was born, Joseph and his father had 28 years together before William died. Certainly, during the time spent with his father weeding the family crops, putting improvements on the family lands, and the myriad of other duties performed together Joseph took the opportunity to learn from his father the merits of worshiping God, living honestly, and the need to serve in the community.
Joseph married Elizabeth Talcott at Hartford, Connecticut. Elizabeth was the daughter of John and Dorothy Talcott who had traveled with William Wadsworth from Braintree, England, to Massachusetts, on the ship Lyon in 1632. Six children were born to Joseph and Elizabeth.
Joseph is remembered in history as the man who, when the British came to seize Connecticut's Royal Charter in 1687, hid the precious document in a large Oak, thereby securing the rights of the colonists. The “Charter Oak” was named as Connecticut's official State Tree and stood for another 150 years before it was toppled in 1856. The charter oak even made it to the back of the Connecticut quarter in 1999.
He died in the year 1729, being about eighty years of age, sound in mind, morals and estate.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Joseph Wadsworth (1682-1778) | |||
| John Wadsworth (1683-1775) | |||
| Rebecca Wadsworth (1686-1712) | |||
| Thomas Wadsworth (1687-1716) | |||
| Ichabod Wadsworth (1688-1778) | 1688 Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States | 5 May 1778 Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States | Sarah Smith (1684-1777) |
| Elizabeth Wadsworth (1690-1724) | |||
| Jonathan Wadsworth (1690-1739) | |||
| Hannah Wadsworth (1690-1786) | |||
| William Wadsworth (1692-1716) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Sarah Wadsworth (1626-1648) | |||
| William Wadsworth (1630-) | |||
| John Wadsworth (1632-1689) | |||
| Lydia Wadsworth (1634-) | |||
| Mary Wadsworth (1635-1711) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Elizabeth Wadsworth (1645-1715) | |||
| Samuel Wadsworth (1646-1682) | |||
| Joseph Wadsworth (1648-1730) | 1648 Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut | 1729 Connecticut | Elizabeth Talcott (1656-1710) Mary Blackleach (1665-1729) |
| Sarah Wadsworth (1649-) | |||
| Thomas Wadsworth (1651-) | |||
| Rebecca Wadsworth (1656-) | |||
Residences
See Also
- Joseph Wadsworth
- Wadsworth in Hartford County, Connecticut