Joy Homestead

(6)

The Joy School was used for church services in 1816. Samuel Joy had been one of the thirty-five petitioners to the General Assembly in 1806 for permission to hold a lottery for the benefit of the Benevolent Baptist Society so that a meeting house might be erected on Phenix Avenue. The petition was granted and an edifice still standing(1975) was erected to be used not only by the Six Principle Baptists as a place of meeting but as a town meeting place as well. The Baptist Society prospered under the Pastor Elder Tatem for awhile until a split in the congregation took place between the old Six Principle Baptists and the so called Free Will Baptists. This occurred in 1816. The Six Principle Baptists retired to the Joy School House for their services, after having tried to reclaim the ‘wayward members," who "treated them with cold neglect' the old church records state. But by 1820 "taking into consideration the many inconveniences" of their meeting at the Joy School House the congregation, having received permission, removed to the newer Knightsville School. In due time the moved back into the Meeting House again and shared it jointly on alternate Sundays with the ‘to them' ‘erring faction." By 1837, because the Meeting House was large and cold and the members few in member, and living some distance from the same, it was resolved to hold their December second Sunday meeting at the Joy School House again.


All this expansion and growth industrial, educational and religious took place in the life time of Samuel Joy(6) and his family.


Samuel died in 1842 his 78th year, after a long illness. He dark slate stone with weeping willows on it says: "Afflictions sore long time I bore, Physicians skill was vain, Till God was pleased to give me ease, And free me from my pain."


Along with her dower right in his estate Samuel left his wife, Freelove, all his household furniture during her lifetime, with the exception of four beds, bedstead and bedding. The latter were to go each of his four sons. Bed and bedding were considered very important items in old inventories and were often one of the first things disposed of. There were bequests of land to is maiden daughters and to Rachel Hazard, his only married daughter, and to each of the members of her family. Then the residue of his estate went to his four sons, William(7) Joy (&) Samuel Fenner Joy(7), Joy(7), and Thomas Joy(7). Because there were the administrators of his will and the residuary legalities, no inventory was required of this estate which would been so valuable and interesting to us.


A few days after writing his will Samuel seems to have had time to think it over a bit more thoroughly and he added a codicil to the effect that his spinster daughters, having lived with him heretofore, it was his intent that they were to be provided for with the sons, and in case of neglect on their part, if they were not so provided for, they were to have a share of equally in the estate.
Samuel Fenner Joy(7) had purchased the Major Thomas Fenner house from Fenner heirs in 1832 and had gone there to live. It was the same year that his sister, Rachel Joy had married George P. Hazard and they had built a house on some of her father's land on the opposite side of Dugaway Hill. Samuel had deed the land to them. The others stayed on in the homestead where the business of the farm was carried on and the brothers leased the water privileges to the various industries that tried their luck at Joytown.


One by one these bachelor and spinster children of Samuel Joy(6) died between the years 1847 – 1884 leaving their estates to those who remained. Thomas Joy(7) was the last to go in 1884. His estate amounted to $10,624.89. He left it to his sister Rachel Hazard and her three children, George Joy Hazard, Samuel A. Hazard, and Mary Hazard.



With the exception of the two family burial lots the Joy Homestead property was sold to Henry Knight in 1901.