Rev Asher ROSSITER

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Son of Timothy Rossiter and Abigail Penfield
• Occupation: Pastor of the First Congregational Church for 37 years in Preston, Conn., where he baptized all of his children.

Asher married Abigail WELLES on 5 Aug 1746 in Preston, Connecticut. Abigail (daughter of Capt Robert WELLES and Sarah WOLCOTT) was born on 9 Oct 1715 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut; died on 2 Sep 1776 in Preston City, New London, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Appleton Wolcott ROSSITER was born on 2 Jul 1748 in Preston, New London Co., Connecticut; was christened on 3 Jul 1748.

Timothy married Abigail PENFIELD on 4 Feb 1712. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Josiah married Sarah S. SHERMAN before 1677 in Connecticut, USA. Sarah (daughter of Samuel SHERMAN and Mary Sarah MITCHELL) was born on 8 Feb 1654; died on 30 Mar 1712/13 in Guilford, New Haven County, Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Son of Edward of Boston, Mass.
• Fact: 18 May 1631, Made a Freeman

Notes:

Name:
Son of EDWARD ROSSITER and his wife ? Comb. Edward, a stockholder in the Dorchester company, died at Dorchester in October 1631. Bray's brothers, Nicholas (and his family) and Hugh, returned to England; sisters Jane and Joan remained in New England and married respectively, Thomas Gilbert and Nicholas Hart.

MILITARY: In April 1640 the Connecticut records show that "Mr Rocester of Wyndsor" was made ensign for the "several bands in the said Townes."

COURT: Bray Rochester served on the jury at the Connecticut court in July 1640 and was frequently a party in court. In 1643 he sued the widow Hutchinson for L2w40. In 1650 he sued Henry Wolcott over a debt for treatment of his son. He lost a suit for defamation against Nicholas Hoit and withdrew one for slander against Peter Tilton that same year. In September 1652 he was in the Guilford Plantation Court stating that he had agreed to arbitration regarding his suit against Edward Sewers for false imprisonment.

OCCUPATION: Physician, surveyor, agitator. He was admitted to the practice of medicine at Windsor after "being first tried and approved by Mr. Hooker, Mr. Stone and old Mr. Smith of Wethersfield." At the time of his removal to Guilford in 1651, he is said by historians to have been the only physician in Connecticut colony, but John Winthrop, Jr., was probably already practicing there, too. In March 1662/3 Rossiter performed the first autopsy known in Connecticut on the body of an eight-year-old girl, Elizabeth Kelly, who hd died in a delirium after accusing a neighbor, Goody Ayres of bewitching her. By the time Rossiter got there, the girl had been dead for five days. he was asked to determine whether she died of natural or preternatural causes. Because he had expected the body to be stiff and it was limber, he reported it as a preternatural sign. Seventeenth century medical knowledge of 'rigor mortis' was limited by today's standeards, and Rossiter was evidently unaware that stiffness abates in about 36 hours. The court allowed Dr. Rosseter "Twenty pounds, in reference to opening Kellies child, and his paynes to visit the Dep: Govern', and his paynes in visiting and administering to Mr. Talcot."

Bray/Bryan married Elizabeth ALSOP before 1639. Elizabeth was christened on 15 Feb 1613/14 in Crewkerne, Somerset, England; died on 29 Aug 1669 in Guilford, Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:
Daughter of Rev. John Alsop of Crewkerne, Somerset. She had four brothers in England, three of whom were ministers She was mentioned in the wills of brothers: john Alsop, B.C., Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, dated 6 September 1647, who left to his brother Josiah half of his books, and "to my Sister Elizabeth and her Children Fifty Pound to bee payed as soone as yow may with Conveniency of which probably she is or y shee bee dead her Children may stand in greate need"; timoth Alsop, Esquire, of St. Mary Somerset, London, dated 25 July 1664, gave "to my sister in New England one hundred and fifty pounds to be paid within a twelve month"; Rev. Josias Alsop of St. Clement's Eastcheap, London, dated 12 August 1666, gave L100 to "M' Elizabeth Rosseter, my sister in New England, or to her children if she be dead" and L50 to"my brother Mr Timothy Alsop's children". It is not known when or how Elizabeth came to New England, although there were a number of families from Crewkerne who came in 1630, and it has been suggested she might have been one of the servants in Edward Rossiter's party.

Samuel married Mary Sarah MITCHELL in 1640 in Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Mary was christened on 14 Oct 1621 in Halifax, Yorkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Daughter of Matthew Mitchell and Susan Wood Butterfield