THE DEATH OF JOSIAH WALTON: "...THOUGH HE HIMSELF TOLD THEM HE WAS A DEAD MAN..."

I mentioned in my last post that Reverend William Walton's son Josiah died in a strange
way. It happened in 1673 and and was so unusual that Increase Mather, one of the Mathers
of the Salem Witch trials, wrote of the incident:   

"In the same year, on the 21st of June, being Saturday, in the afternoon, another thunder-storm arose, during which storm Josiah Walton, the youngest son of Mr. William Walton, late minister of Marble-head, was in a ketch coming in from sea, and being before the harbours mouth, the wind suddenly shifted to the northward; a violent gust of wind coming down on the vessel, the seamen concluded to hand their sails; Josiah Walton got upon the main-yard to expedite the matter, and foot down the sail, when there hapned a terrible flash of lightning, which breaking forth out of the cloud, struck down three men who were on the deck, without doing them any hurt. But Josiah Walton being (as was said) on the main-yard, the lightning shattered his thigh-bone all in pieces, and did split and shiver the main-mast of the vessel, and scorcht the rigging. Josiah Walton falling down upon the deck, his leg was broken short off. His brother, being on the deck, did (with others) take him up, and found him alive, but sorely scorched and wounded. They brought him on shore to his mothers house. At first he was very sensible of his case, and took leave of his friends, giving himself to serious preparation for another world. His relations used all means possible for his recovery, though he himself told them he was a dead man, and the use of means would but put him to more misery. His bones were so shattered, that it was not possible for the art of man to reduce them; also, the violent heat of the weather occasioned a gangrene. In this misery he continued until the next Wednesday morning, and then departed this life. He was an hopeful young man." pp58-59
Remarkable providences illustrative of the earlier days of American colonisation (Google eBook) John Russell Smith, Publisher. London, England 1856


I am descended from two others of William Walton's children. I mentioned the descent from
his daughter Elizabeth and her husband Lot Conant earlier.  The other is through Samuel Walton, who married Sarah Maverick, the daughter Elias Maverick and Anne Harris.  Samuel
will be the subject of my next post in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge,