Hi Jenna -
A josey is shorthand for a "Joseph." My research focuses on the 18th century, not mid-19th century, so I don’t' know how they differed between that time. From my research on runaway servants in the 18th century, joseph/josey was particularly a garment worn in New York colony - it wasn't used in other colonies.

Here's the OED definition:

A long cloak, worn chiefly by women in the eighteenth century when riding, and on other occasions; it was buttoned all the way down the front and had a small cape.  [See quot. 1708.] 1659    Caterpillers of this Nation anatomized,   Joseph, a cloak.
1688    T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia ii. i. 33   Hide me: give me my Joseph.
1708    Brit. Apollo No. 104. 2/1   Why is a great Coat call'd a Joseph? From the‥upper Coat, which‥Joseph left behind him.
1766    O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. xvi. 161   Olivia would be drawn as an Amazon‥drest in a green joseph, laced with gold, and a whip in her hand.
1807    G. Crabbe Parish Reg. iii, in Poems 108   In the dear Fashions of her Youth she dress'd, A pea-green Joseph was her favourite Vest.
1825    R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) ,   Joseph, a very old fashioned riding coat for women, scarcely now to be seen.
1861    ‘G. Eliot’ Silas Marner xi. 176   Seated on a pillion, and attired in a drab joseph and a drab beaver-bonnet.

Best,
Becky Fifield


Rebecca Fifield
Collections Manager
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