Joseph Calef was born 31 October 1718 in Newbury, Massachusetts, United States to John Calef (1675-1748) and Debera King (c1679) and died 21 December 1793 Auburn, New Hampshire, United States of unspecified causes. He married Elizabeth Jewell (c1718) 30 September 1746 .
Biography detail
- In the spring of 1746 Joseph was one of Captain Goffe's company scouting the woods to guard the settlers against the Indians.
- Joseph's house was just northwest of the road from Bunker Hill to Candia and was still standing in 1869, probably the oldest house in Auburn.
- Five little children of this family died in 1755 of a throat distemper so virulent that "on one or more occasions while they were gone to the grave with one child another had died." Terror-stricken for the remaining child, Elizabeth, they fled to the mother's old home, Amesbury, only to be warned out by a community naturally fearful of contagion. By some arrangement, however, they must have stayed on, since Joseph is "of Amesbury" in 1756, then again "of Chester" the following year.
- He apparently joined the army at Charlestown when the "Lexington alarm" came to Chester, and Elizabeth, his wife, buried her pewter lest the British run it into bullets.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Elizabeth Calef (1747) | |||
| Abigail Calef (1749-1755) | |||
| Joseph Calef (1750-1755) | |||
| Hannah Calef (1752-1755) | |||
| Sarah Calef (1754-1755) | |||
| Child Calef (1755-1755) | |||
| Jonathon L Calef (1762-1845) | 8 May 1762 Chester, New Hampshire, United States | 24 April 1845 Lyman, Maine, United States | Elizabeth Hemmenway (1768-1799) Grace Sears Atwood (1785-1850) |
| Joseph Calef (1765) | |||
| David Calef (1767) | 27 April 1767 | ||
- by wife Elizabeth:
- ♀Elizabeth Calef, b. 21 September 1747, Chester, New Hampshire.
- ♀Abigail Calef, b. 8 May 1749, Chester, New Hampshire; d. 1755.
- ♂Joseph Calef, b. 12 October 1750, Chester, New Hampshire; d. 1755.
- ♀Hannah Calef, b. 28 September 1752, Chester, New Hampshire; d. 1755.
- ♀Sarah Calef, b. 5 November 1754, Chester, New Hampshire; d. 1755.
- ?Child, b. 1755, Chester, New Hampshire; d. 1755.
- ♂Jonathon L Calef, b. 8 May 1762, Chester, New Hampshire.
- ♂Joseph Calef, b. 1765.
- ♀David Calef, b. 27 April 1767.
Footnotes (including sources)
| ‡ General |
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| ₪ Wedding |
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