Robert CORBETT

                   In the original town records of Woodstock, Vol I, 1689-1700, under the date of November 24, 1690 is recorded: "The same day Robbert Corbitt was admitted to be an unhabitant in the Town.

It is not known what year Robert Corbett immigrated to the American Colonies from England but per the writing of below records show that he was in Weymouth, MA in the years 1678-79. We do not know his birth date or his parentage.
"In the year 1678-79, Robert Corbet was one of 128 men in Weymouth, MA who took the oath of allegiance to His Majesty, Charles II of England, before the Worshipful Joseph Dudley, Assistant." (The History of Weymouth, MA, Vol. I, p. 327)

As far as anyone knows, Robert Corbett first settled in Weymouth, MA sometime before the King Philip's War in 1675 and 1676. The History of Weymouth, on p. 327, has the following (which comes from the Archives of Massachusetts, Vol. 68, p. 179):
In March 1676, the following petition was sent to the Governor and Council assembled at Boston: "The humble request of the committee of the Militia of Weymouth, humbly sheweth, that for as much as the numbers of Brantry and whereas we understand that both Hingham and Brantry have all, or very near all their men set at liberty from the country service to attend the defense of their town and furthermore considering that our town by reason of the disadvantageous situation of it is more hardly defended than either of theirs, they being more plane and compact, therefore our humble request to your Honors is, that we having ten able men upon the Country's service at those towns upon the Connecticut River, may have them set at liberty and sent home by your Honors' order, because of the great want of men for our defense, both embolden us into this request, which if you shall see meet in your pleasure to grant, it will be a great encouragement to us, but if otherwise we shall humbly acquiesce in your pleasure concerning it and pray as in duty we are bound over. William Torrey; In the name of the Committee of Militia of Weymouth. March 8th, 1676"
The names of the men are: John Arnold, John Ashdowne, Isaac Cakebread, Jeremiah Clothier, Robert Corbet, John Ludden, Abram Shaw, Joshua Phillips, Benjamin Poole, John Record.

The above information was taken from 13 Generations of Corbett History written and compiled by Gordon L. Corbett, 5940 Encina Road #1, Goleta, CA 93117-2242 and James Corbett.

Robert Corbett fought in King Phillip's War as part of a troop from Weymouth, MA a coastal town just south of Boston, MA. In 1682 Robert had moved to Mendon where he married John Rockwood's daughter, Priscilla. Robert and Priscilla had two sons, John and Joseph. Robert stayed in Mendon, MA till possibly 1690, which may have been till the time of Priscilla's death (for which there is no record).

In the Annals of Mendon, 1685, the following: "A Rate made this 11 Jan. 1685 to defray Mr. Rawson's salary for half the year beginning at the 25 Oct. March 1686L (various names) Robert Corbett: 00L 13s  02 p." This is 13 shillings and 02 pense, the currency at the time. This shows Robert Corbett in 1688 and 1689 still listed as a resident of Mendon and taxed in the latter year. He is not listed in the rate 25 Oct. 1691-92, as by that time he had removed to Woodstock.

According to Ballou's History of Milford, "John Rockwood provided John Corbett with a liberal education that qualified him to become a doctor, and a leading citizen of that area. When he died at age 43, his estate was valued at 1873 pounds."

So it is believed that when Priscilla died and Robert Corbett left the Mendon area, he left his children with his father-in-law, John Rockwood, who raised them and saw to their education. Sometime after Robert's wife, Priscilla died, Robert Corbett joined a new group of pioneers from Braintree and Mendon who moved 20 or 30 miles south, and established a new community known as Roxbury, MA, now known as Woodstock, CT. Robert purchased a homestead from one of the original proprietors.

The first white settlers of Woodstock were pioneers from Roxbury, MA now part of Boston. Clarence Winthrop Bowen in History of Woodstock, CT, printed privately by the Plimpton Press of Norwood, MA in 1926, wrote on p. 15, "What in 1686 became New Roxbury, and in 1690, Woodstock, was a fraction of the territory granted in 1635 by the Council of Plymouth." On page 35, Bowen says, "Nathaniel Aspinwall, Edmund Chamberlain, John Carpenter and Robert Corbett, purchased right or homesteads
from the original proprietors."

It is here Robert Corbett married Abiel Twitchell and their children Damourous and Daniel were born.

We know that Robert Corbett died in what is now Woodstock, CT on September 18th, 1695 per the original Vital Records of Woodstock, Vol I, pg. 74, which were available for viewing and copying in the Office of the Town Clerk in 1993.