Brief Life History of Joseph
When Joseph Belcher was born on 13 May 1749, in Stoughton, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, his father, Clifford Belcher, was 38 and his mother, Mehitable Bird, was 42. He married Mary Baker on 28 October 1775, in Sharon, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 sons. He died on 27 May 1814, in Farmington, Franklin, Maine, United States, at the age of 65, and was buried in Canton, Canton, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.
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Family Time Line
Sources (6)
- Joseph Belcher, "Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915"
- Joseph Belcher, "Find A Grave Index"
- Joseph Belcher in entry for Cephas Belcher, "Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915"
Spouse and Children
Parents and Siblings
Siblings (7)
+2 More Children
World Events (6)
1776
Thomas Jefferson's American Declaration of Independence endorsed by Congress. Colonies declare independence.
1780
Historical Boundaries: 1780: Lincoln, Massachusetts, United States 1799: Kennebec, Massachusetts, United States 1820: Kennebec, Maine, United States 1838: Franklin, Maine, United States
1786 · Shays' Rebellion
Caused by war veteran Daniel Shays, Shays' Rebellion was to protest economic and civil rights injustices that he and other farmers were seeing after the Revolutionary War. Because of the Rebellion it opened the eyes of the governing officials that the Articles of Confederation needed a reform. The Rebellion served as a guardrail when helping reform the United States Constitution.
Name Meaning
English (of Norman origin):
from Old French bel ch(i)ere or beu ch(i)ere (Old French beu, bel ‘fair, lovely’ + ch(i)ere ‘face, countenance’), which had various senses, including ‘fair face or looks, fine manners, good company, good cheer, food and drink, hospitality’. Although ch(i)ere originally meant ‘face’, the word later came to mean also ‘demeanor, disposition’ (hence English cheer), and the nickname may thus also have denoted a person of pleasant, cheerful disposition.
from Old French bel, beu + sire ‘fair sir’, a term of address. From at least the 15th century this name was probably confused with the name above, owing to the pronunciation of Middle English beu sire and bel sire as ‘bewcher’ and ‘belsher’.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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