* There is no proof that Joseph Stedwell was the son of Thomas Studwell, but:
1) In 1677, Thomas was compensated for making good the indenture of Joseph to Zachary Dibble. This seems to imply that Thomas had some authority over Joseph and therefore was probably his father.
2) No other Studwells appear in area records around this time.
3) Joseph had two known sons, Thomas and Joseph, whose names also suggest a relationship.

* Joseph was probably born around 1645, based on the fact that he witnessed a bond in March 1667/8 - and assuming this required that he be 21.

* Presumably Joseph was with his father (Thomas) in Greenwich and Rye and moved to Stamford with him around 1667.

*Joseph was indentured to Zachary Dibble of Stamford.

* On April 7, 1667, in Stamford, he “miscarried’ on the Sabbath with a group of young men, some of whom were also servants. One, Humphrey Hill, was in more serious trouble the following June.

* In July, 1667 his indenture was made good.

* The following spring (March 1667/8) he witnessed Thomas Studwell’s bond regarding a parcel of goods borrowed from Zachary Dibble.

Around 1670 he married (probably - see discussion under notes for Mary Lyon) Mary Lyon, the daughter of Thomas Lyon and Martha Joanna Winthrop and granddaughter of Gov. John Winthrop, of Massachusetts Bay Colony.

* Joseph seems to have moved back to Rye just before or after his marriage. He was a proprietor of Rye in 1683 and there is no mention of him in the Stamford town meeting minutes after 1668.

* Joseph’s widow had married John Wilson of Rye before Nov 4, 1691, so Joseph must have died between 1683 and 1691.