Joseph Colby (1762-1843)

Description

Joseph was born in Plaistow, NH on March 24, 1762. He was the son of Anthony and Sarah Colby. Joseph moved to Hopkinton, NH in 1783. He married Anna Heath of Hampstead, NH on December 28, 1785 in Hopkinton. On March 10, 1786, Joseph and Anna moved to New London, NH, where they lived in a log cabin next to Pleasant Lake. In 1800, Joseph, Anna, and four children moved into what is now known as the Colby Homestead on Main Street, New London. Joseph was a farmer and he sold real estate. He worked as a shopkeeper, a Justice of the Peace, a Selectman, and a representative to the General Court from 1803 to 1816. He was in the state militia, and, in 1837, he was an incorporator of New London Academy (later renamed Colby Academy after Joseph’s son Anthony). Joseph was active in his church and in the New London community, and is considered by historians to be the most prominent member of his community in his generation. Joseph died on April 19, 1843.