Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

Enfield, Connecticut. At a meeting of the
selectmen, January 6, 1662, he was
granted four acres of "wet meddow on
ye back side of ye Long Meddoe," and
on February 6, 1664, he received another
four acres "at ye grape swamp by the
Long Meddow," and other land. He was
often selectman, served on juries, was a
thrifty farmer and a useful man in the
community, acting in various official ca-
pacities. He was killed by Indians while
going to church at Springfield, March'26,
1676, and was buried in the old cemetery
at Springfield. He married, December
31, 1663, Sarah Leonard, who was born
December 13, 1645, in Springfield, daughter
of John and Sarah (Heald) Leonard.
She married twice after the death of John
Keep, and died in February, 171 1. The
inventory of John Keep's estate placed its
value at £329 us. 7d.
Samuel Keep, eldest son of John and
Sarah (Leonard) Keep, was born August
22, 1670, in Long Meadow, and was for
some time under the care of his grandmother,
Sarah Leonard, afterward was
with his uncle, Samuel Bliss. He was
among the petitioners for the establishment
of the town of Brimfield, and con-
tributed £12 10s. for the benefit of the
settlement, receiving one hundred and
twenty acres of land there. He died August
23, 1755, and was buried at Longmeadow.
He married, February 27,
1695, Sarah Colton, of Longmeadow, born
September 25, 1678, daughter of Captain
Thomas and Sarah (Griswold) Colton,
granddaughter of George Colton, who
came from Sutton Cofield, eight miles
from Birmingham, England, to Spring-
field, in 1644. Sarah Griswold was a
daughter of Matthew and Anna (Wolcott)
Griswold, granddaughter of Henry
and Elizabeth (Saunders) Wolcott. Henry
Wolcott came from Tolland, Somersetshire,
England, where his family was
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
379
seated as early at 1525, and settled at Dor-
chester, Massachusetts, in 1630, later at
Windsor, Connecticut. His wife was a
daughter of Thomas Saunders, of Lidiard,
St. Lawrence, Somerset. Their daughter.
Anna, became the wife of Matthew Gris-
wold, who came to Connecticut about
1639, and was a prominent man at Wind-
sor. Their daughter, Sarah, was the wife
of Captain Thomas Colton, and their eldest
child, Sarah, was the wife of Samuel
Keep.
Josiah Keep, son of Samuel and Sarah
(Colton) Keep, was born November 11,
1713, in Longmeadow, and settled in
Brimfield, near Monson, where he died
July 29, 1777. He was a member of the
church at Brimfield in 1757, and one of
the organizers of the Monson church in
1762. He married, May, 1737, Lois Noble,
of Westfield, born July 4, 1708, daughter
of Deacon Thomas Noble.
Their eldest son, Josiah Keep, was
born August 30, 1745, in Monson, where
he was a farmer, and served as a corporal
in the Revolution in Captain Reuben
Munn's company, Colonel David Leon-
ard's regiment, March 1 to April 11, 1777,
sent to reinforce the army at Ticonderoga.
He was killed by a sled at Woodstock,
December 9, 1799. He married,
November 28, 1771, Love Kibbe, born
March 7, 1745, in Somers, Connecticut,
died May 7, 1824.
Their third son, Josiah Keep, was born
January 26, 1778, in Monson, where he
was a farmer, and died October 1, 1851.
He married, October 2y, 1801, Lucy
Tucker, and they were the parents of
Josiah Otis Keep.
Josiah Otis Keep was born April 23,
1812, at Monson. He was a blacksmith
at West Brookfield, Warren and Paxton,
Massachusetts, and died August 2, 1895,
in Paxton. Most of his life was passed
at Paxton, and he was the original mem-