Henry Josselyn was an early settler of northern New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

. He was first retained by John Mason, the proprietor of the territory that later became New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

, to administer his holdings. Arriving at the Piscataqua River

Piscataqua River

The Piscataqua River, in the northeastern United States, is a long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers...

 in 1634, he administered Mason's settlement (roughly including present-day Portsmouth

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...

 and some nearby communities) until Mason's death in 1635. (In some New Hampshire histories he is styled as "governor" of the Mason properties). He thereafter moved further up the coast, settling in what is now Scarborough, Maine. He briefly acted as deputy governor of the Province of Maine

Province of Maine

The Province of Maine refers to several English colonies of that name that existed in the 17th century along the northeast coast of North America, at times roughly encompassing portions of the present-day U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec...

 in the colonial administration of Thomas Gorges

Thomas Gorges (Maine)

Thomas Gorges was a colonial governor of the Province of Maine, an officer in the Parliamentary Army, and a Member of Parliament both during the rule of Oliver Cromwell, and after the restoration of King Charles II to the throne....

, before the area came under the control of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...

. He was opposed to Massachusetts rule, and was arrested on one occasion for his resistance. When the area was granted to James, Duke of York

James II of England

James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...

 in 1664, it became part of the Province of New York

Province of New York

The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...

, and Josselyn was appointed a magistrate.

There is no record of his death; a letter date May 10, 1683 mentions his passing.