Staggs Family History

BIRTH: 1620, London, England
DEATH: 1710, Duxbury, Massachusetts, USA
FATHER: John Keene (1578-1649)
MOTHER: Martha MacFarlane (1578-1638)
SPOUSE: Abigail Little (1634-1657) Hannah Dingley (1641-1715)

When Josiah Keene was born in 1620 in London, England, his father, John, was 42 and his mother, Martha, was 42. He married Abigail Little and they had one son together. He then married Hannah Dingley and they had eight children together. He died in 1710 in Duxbury, Massachusetts, at the impressive age of 90.

His story

The following is an excerpt from Staggs Genealogy – Harold Wareham Staggs – His Book

Grandfather Josia Keen was born (1620) in London on London Bridge which, at that time, was lined on both sides with shops with living quarters above them. He, his father John (1578), mother Martha, one brother and three sisters came to America on the “Confidence” in 1638, eighteen years after the Mayflower. His mother died during the voyage. They finally settled in Boston.

Josia met and married Abigail Little and they had two children. Abigail was the daughter of Thomas and Anna (Warren) Little. Grandfather Richard Warren, Anna’s father, was a Mayflower passenger and was the first of our ancestors to reach America.

Grandfather Josiah Jr. (1660) was Josia and Anna’s son. He met and wed Lydia Baker. They had eleven children and lived in Pembroke.

The following is an excerpt from The John Keen(e) (1578-1649) and Associated Families, by Mr. and Mrs. Archie Timothy Keene, 1971

Josiah, 1620-1710, born in London, on London Bridge, came with his parents (leaving two brothers behind) to Boston, “Hengham” and “Mishfieid.” He married 1st Abigail Little, daughter of Thomas and Anna (Warren) Little; granddaughter of Richard and Elizabeth (Juatt) (Marsh) Warren, Warren was a Mayflower Passenger. Abigail Little, first wife of Josiah, died shortly `after the birth of her second child, a daughter who died young. They had one son, Josiah Jr. Josiah married second, Hannah, daughter of Jahn Dingley, by whom he had seven children.

Legacy of Josiah Keen

Parents

Father: John Keene (1578-1649)

Mother: Martha MacFarlane (1578-1638)

Married

• Married 1st: Abigail Little (1634-1657) about 1654
• Married 2nd: Hannah Dingley (1641-1715) in 1665

Children

• Children with wife Abigail Little (1634-1657)
  • Josiah Keen Jr (1657-1732)
  • Unnamed infant daughter (1655/6-1656) no further records; mentioned in family account book and secondary sources.
• Children with wife Hannah Dingley (1661-?)
  • Unnamed infant (1659-1660)
  • John Keene (1661-1744)
  • Matthew Keene (1667-1698)
  • Hanna Keen (1668-1717)
  • Abigail Keen (1671-?)
  • Sarah Keen (1671-1730) married Timothy Rogers April 6, 1710
  • Ephraim Keene (1675-1729)
  • Elizabeth Keem (1678-1729)
  • Abigail Keen (1693-?)

Documents

• Birth Records
  • Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 2 > Warren
• Marriage records
  • U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 > Name: Josiah Keene; Gender: Male; Birth Year: 1620; Spouse Name: Abigail Little; Spouse Birth Place: MA; Spouse Birth Year: 1635; Marriage Year: 1654; Marriage State: MA; Number Pages: 1
  • U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 > Married Abigail Little (1634-1657) about 1656
  • U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 > Married Hannah Dingley (1641-1715) 1661
• Death records
  • Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 2 > Warren
  • Find a Grave Death Date: 28 May 1695, Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA
  • Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 > Josiah Keen; Will Date: 28 May 1695; Probate Date: 1710; Probate Place: Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA; Inferred Death Year: 1710; Inferred Death Place: Massachusetts, USA; Case Number: 11791
• Other
  • Mayflower Increasings > Richard Warren > Anna Warren > Abigail Little > Josiah Keen
  • History of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts with Genealogical Registers
  • American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) > Name: Josiah Keen; Birth Date: 1620; Volume: 94; Page number: 190; Reference: Gen. Column of the “Boston Transcript” 1906-1941.
  • Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 2 > Warren > Children of Josiah Keen and Abigail Little
  • North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 > John Rogers of Marshfield and some of his descendants > daughter of Josiah and Hanna married Timothy Rogers

Relation of Josiah Keen Jr to Steven Barry Staggs: 9th great-grandfather

Page last updated November 17, 2025

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