The Palmers, MA CT, NY, NS and NB

Gideon Palmer became a rather noteworthy person in Dorchester, NB. He became the Coroner for Westmorland County and was still of that title when he died in 1824, in St. John, New Brunswick. But what of his earlier years?  What of his family in the States?

It starts with William Palmer who was first found in Watertown, MA in 1636. There has been no link found between this William and the William Palmer who was in Plymouth, MA. On May 6 1635, the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony granted to the inhabitants of Watertown the liberty to move to any place they saw fit as long as they remained under the jurisdiction of the Mass. Bay Colony. {Mass. Bay Rec. Vol. I p. 146}  It was about this time that some of the Watertown settlers moved to Wethersfield, CT. During the 1620’s, emigrants from Wethersfield, England, traveled to the New World and founded a town in Connecticut, which they named after their own village. (The Brontes: Wild Genius on the Moors, by Juliet Barker) William Palmer was in Wethersfield in 1637. By 1640, it was reported that William had a home on Broad St. At some time around 1645, he moved to Branford, CT, where he received a land grant for his services to the town. By this time he is married and has at least two sons, John and William. His wife’s name is a controversy. She is listed as Martha Barnes, Martha Brown and Martha Bowne. It’s possible he has been confused with another William Palmer and the wrong name has been given his wife. The other theory is that he had two wives; both named Martha, unknown which was first. In this theory the two accepted names are Barnes and Bowne. Whatever the case maybe, I have used the name Barnes and I have only given him one wife until more substantial proof is found. It is also entirely possible for one of the names to have been her married name and the other two from marriages and two deceased husbands. Also Brown could be a misspelling of Bowne. There are just too many ‘ifs’ concerning this woman to make any definitive statement about her.

By 1657 he had moved back to Wethersfield. William, Jr. must have died c. 1658 as William, Sr. is the administrator of William, Jr’s. estate. William is mentioned in Wethersfield’s record up to 1666, after that it appears he moved to the borough town of Westchester, now a part of the borough of the Bronx, NYC. He lived there until his death in 1670. Earmarks for his cattle were entered in Westchester in 1666. There is no record to show where William came from or when he arrived in the colonies. It is thought he came with the Winthrop fleets or soon thereafter, but still no evidence to support this.

His known children, probably by his first wife are:

          Henry – (1618-?)

          John – (1625-?)

          William -  (1628-1658) his estate consisted mostly of growing crops;                              no mention of wife or children.

Children, probably by 2^nd wife:

          *Joseph – (1640-1728)

          Benjamin – (1642?)

          Elizabeth – (1645-)  no real proof that she is his daughter, but other                              researchers seem to believe she could be.

          Samuel – (1647-?)

          Obadiah – (1650-?)

          Thomas – (1652-?)

          Martha – (1654?)

          Philip – (1655-?)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

*Joseph – (1640 in Wethersfield CT - 1728 in Flushing NY). He married Sarah Marsh of Jamestown, RI. She was the d/o Jonathan Marsh, his wife is unknown. Joseph was very active in town affairs, having held, at various times, public offices such as Constable, Overseer, Justice of the Peace, Assessor, Surveyor of Highways and Supervisor. About 1701 he moved to Flushing, right across the Sound from Westchester borough, where he lived until he died.

Sarah Marsh’s siblings also had land holdings in New Jersey, which may account for some of the Palmers moving from Westchester to New Jersey. Other Palmers moved to PA, MD and DE.

Joseph and Sarah had children:

          Sarah – (1666-?)

          Joseph – (1667-?) a mariner

          Mary –  (1670-?) m. Joseph Pryor of Newport RI

          *John – (1671-?)

          Martha – 1674-?)

          Esther – (1678-?) moved to Philadelphia

          Daniel – (1680-?)

          Richard – (c. 1682-)

          Priscilla -  (c. 1684-?)

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

*John – (1671-1747), having lived his entire life in Westchester NY, he married Rebecca Baxter, d/o Thomas and Rebecca (nee unknown) Baxter. Thomas Baxter’s will mentions his daughter Rebecca Palmer and appointed his son-in-law, John Palmer, as one of the Executors.

In 1742, John deeded land to his sons, Marcus and Philip, on Throgmorton’s Neck in Westchester.  John was a slave owner and his will indicates the transfer of ownership of certain slaves to his children. His son Philip was appointed one of the Executors.

Rebecca Baxter Palmer died in 1773. Her will mention’s: her grandson, John Palmer (s/o her son John), granddaughters Rebecca, Esther and Rachel Palmer, all children of her son, John. Grand children Sarah and Joshua Pell, children of Phebe Palmer (Rebecca’s daughter) and her husband, Joshua Pell, granddaughter Ann Palmer, d/o of her son Benjamin, and her daughter, Martha, wife of Benjamin Morrell. Not all the children are named in the will. The reason why is probably because they had died before their mother. Although, a few had received land and other transfers of property at an earlier time and may have been excluded for that reason.

John and Rebecca Baxter Palmer had children born in Westchester:

          *John – (1701-? Haverstraw NY) m. Elizabeth Seaman -  4 children

          Joseph – (1703-1782)

          Thomas – (1704-1791) m. 1738 Susannah Hunt – 2 children

          Esther – (1707-1771) m. Messenger Palmer of Greenwich CT – 

                  his 3^rd wife

          Phebe – (1708-1796) m. 1735 Joshua Pell (1713-1810) – 8 children

          Philip – (c. 1710-1785) m. c. 1735 Sarah Hunt (c.1715-?) – 7 children

          Marcus – (?-1771 in Yorktown or Cortland Manor) believed to be                                   

                 unmarried without issue.

          Lewis – (?-1794 Nova Scotia) m. Rachel Fowler (1720–?) 8 children

          Benjamin – (1718-?) m. 1758 Sarah Barnes, d/o Underhill Barnes and                           

                  Miriam Baxter – 1 child {The 1750 will of Underhill Barnes of Westchester, appointed  

                  his wife and his ‘trusty friend,’ Marcus Palmer, Executors}

          Martha – (1720-?) m. Benjamin Morrell – 1 child

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Philip – (c. 1710-1785) m. c. 1735 Sarah Hunt (c.1715-?)

          Philip lived in the borough town of Westchester and had land at Throg’s Neck, having received lands from his father.  He was very active in civic affairs, holding several different offices, including Mayor. After the   American Revolution began, Philip was taken prisoner and held, by the colonists, for several months in a Windham CT prison.  He was released in Dec. 1776 and remained in the New York City area under British protection.  There is no record of Philip removing to Canada. There is no record of Philip’s death or his wife, nor is there a will. He didn’t appear on the 1790 census, so he may have died. Yet all the lands held by colonists       who remained loyal to the crown were confiscated, so there is a possibility that they moved to another location. There is a record of his brother, Lewis, going to Canada, and we know his son Gideon fought on the side of the British, with the Delancy Brigade, and removed to Nova Scotia and then to New Brunswick.

Philip and Sarah had children:

          Philip (1745-?)

          *Gideon (1749-1824) m. 1786 Catherine Harper (1768 in Yorkshire, Eng. -                              

                    1832) Please other blogs on the Coles and the Bucks for more info on Gideon. 

                     They had 10 children.

          Sarah (c. 1751-?) m. 1769 Samuel Bugbee (1749-?) – 6 children

          Jonathan (1753-?)

          John (1755-?)

          →Elvin (c. 1760-?) m. c 1787 Sarah Doty – 1 child

          Thomas (1762-1844 King’s Co. NB)

          → Elvin - It is not proven that he is a son of Philip. He is included here since I have found that most other researchers include him for lack of any other possible contemporary parentage.

*Gideon (1749-1824) m. 1786 Catherine Harper (1768 in Yorkshire, Eng.-1832)

          Their children:

          Philip (c.1786-1873) m. 1810 Sarah Ayer (1784-1867) d/o Mariner Ayer and Amy 

                      Estabrooks – 9 children

          Nancy Ann (c. 1788-1875) m. 1805 John Trueman (1784-1858) –  10 children

          John (1789-1889) m. 1814 Elizabeth Cole (1797-1875) d/o Ebenezer Cole and 

                     Martha Grace – 13 children

          Mary (c. 1792-1782) m. 1831 Jonathan Robinson

          Elizabeth (1793-1878) m. 1817 Ambrose Cole (1786-1857) s/o Martin Cole and 

                     Zylpha Alverson – 10 children

          Sally (c.1795-1842) m. 1815 William Reid – 1 child

          →*Phebe (c.1801-1881) m. 1820 George Buck (1798-1878) – 9 children

          Catherine (c.1803-1875) m. 1821 John Derry

          Marcus (1804-1890) m. 1837 Sarah Harris (1808-1906) – 9 children

          Gideon (1806-1880) m. 1827 Catherine Weldon (1806-1879) – 11 children

          →*Phebe is not a confirmed daughter of Gideon and Catherine Palmer. I have referred to 

               this in a couple of blogs You can read about it at http://thepyeplate.blogspot.com/2013/04/george-buck-my-ancestor.html

         

Gideon resided in Westchester, NY. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War he joined the British Army. He served as a Lieutenant during the war and was listed as a Colonel in Delancy’s Regulars. He joined other Loyalists going to Westmorland Co., Nova Scotia, which later became New Brunswick. He filed a claim with the Canadian Government for his losses in Westchester, claiming his father’s land had been plundered because he, Gideon, had joined the British Army. Gideon settled along a creek which has become known as Palmer’s Creek. There he built a saw and grist mill, was active in civic affairs and was made a Capt. of the local militia. He was appointed Coroner in 1787 and served in that capacity until his death in 1826. He is now considered the common ancestor of the Palmer family in that locality.  His son, Gideon resided his entire life in NB and was one of the most successful shipbuilders and ship owners of that area. Gideon’s grandchildren became, farmers, builders, ministers, lawyers and many held public offices. Some remained in NB but other spread to all parts of the North American continent, some as far away as British Columbia. The known grandchildren amount to 72 and there could be more, as there is no report of children for several of his own children.

Robert Bolton, The History of the County of Westchester from its First Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. I, 1848

Henry Barton Dawson, Westchester County, New York, During the American Revolution,1886

Edward Floyd De Lancy, Origin and History of Manors in New York and the County of Westchester, 1886

George Buck, My Ancestor

George’s father, Edward, left England and was recorded in New Brunswick by 1790. Edward’s marriage was recorded in 1792. They had 9 children. George was the 2^nd oldest. Please see previous blogs for the other children of this family. This blog will deal with George, his children and grandchildren.

Edward Buck, Sr. (c. 1763 England–1826 NB) m. 1792 Phebe Elizabeth Tower (1777-1822)

                   

Their 2nd child:

 George (1798-1878) m. 1820 Phebe Palmer (1801-1881)

No one knows for sure who Phebe’s parents were, but the only Palmer family in the Dorchester/Sackville area was Gideon Palmer’s. Phebe’s name is not mentioned in his will, which is what poses the problem. Until some record can be found, my theory is that she is the daughter of Gideon Palmer and his wife Catherine Harper. This is based on George and Phebe having a son named Gideon and a daughter named Catherine. Also in the birth years of Gideon’s children there is a gap into which Phebe’s birth year fits quite nicely. My theory holds that there was a family rift, after these children were born, which caused Gideon to remove Phebe’s name from his will. I would dearly love to hear from a Palmer or Buck descendant who might have the answer to this riddle.

Catherine Harper was the d/o Christopher Harper and his wife Elizabeth Leppington. Christopher brought his entire family from Sledmere which is in Buckrose, East Riding, Yorkshire to relocate on the vacated Acadian lands. Christopher’s name was not on the Jenny’s ship list, indicating he may have arrived on an earlier ship. They sailed on the Jenny, which left Hull, Yorkshire, for Nova Scotia, in April 1775. Records show that his nephew, Thomas King, who later married one of his daughters, was also on this ship passenger list. Harper also brought horses and cattle from England. In 1777 his house was burned by the Eddy rebels and not long after that he moved to Sackville. In 1809 he obtained a grant for the mill-pond at Fredericton and two or three hundred acres of wilderness land in Sackville.  They may have been Wesleyan Methodist - many Yorkshire immigrants were.

George and Phebe had 9 children:

          1. Gideon (1821-1894) m. 1845 Sarah Tower (1826-1899) – 13 children

                    {Gideon and Sarah were 1^st cousins once removed}

          2. Nathaniel (1822-1850) m. 1843 Anne Frances Mitton (1822-?) 1 child

          3. Catherine (1824-1904) m. 1841 Edward Cole (1815-1897) - 9 children

                    {Please see the blog on Edward Cole}

          4. George (1825-1886) m. 1851 Ann Wilson Baxter (1827-1886) – 9 children

          5. Phebe Ann (1828-aft. 1871) m. c. 1851 James Spires (1827-bef. 1871)

                    – 3 children

          6. Robert (1829-1902) m.1 1851 Lydia Powell (1832-1860) – 5 children

                                                  m.2 c. 1861 Sarah Olivia Baxter (1843-1880)  – 10 children                                                       

                                                  m.3 1882 Lucinda Arminta Dowling (1844-?) no known children                                                                    

          7. Serena Jane (1830-1891) m. 1851 Silas Tower (1814-1890) - 7 children

                    {They were 1^st cousins once removed. Sarah, wife of Gideon Buck and Silas Tower   

                    were half-brother sister.}

          8. Lydia (1832-1860)

          9. James Alexander (1835-1908) m. 1859 Phebe Elizabeth Buck (1838-1897) 

                    - 6 children    {They were 1^st cousins}

Phebe and George Buck had at least 63 grandchildren. George was a farmer and they lived in Dorchester NB.

                                        *******************

Their first son, Gideon (1821-1894) m. 1845 Sarah Tower (1826-1899)

                    {1^st cousins once removed}

          Their children were:

          a. Joseph (c. 1846-1871) m. 1868 Nancy Jane Tower (c.1848-?)

                    {They were 1^st cousins, by half due to a Tower 2^nd marriage} – no children found

          b. Bertha Eliza (c.1847-1890) m. 1867 John A. Cook (1844-1909 lost at sea) - 1 child

          c. William Yates (1849-1931) m. 1872 Susan Jane Fillmore (1853-1915) - 8 children

          d. Ann Jane (1851-186)

          e. Charles Burpee (1852-1930 m. 1845 Alice T. Tower (1856-1909) – 2 children

          f. Clarence (1854-1929) m. 1874 Mary Amelia Tingley (1853-?) – 9 children

          g. Arthur Gideon (12857-1932) m. 1900 Henrietta Tower (1866-1924) – 1 child. Have an 

                additional marriage for him to a Mary Unknown and no children found.

          h. George Edgar (1859) m. 1886 Catherine Elizabeth Fillmore (1861-1926) – 3 children

          i. Mary Althea (1859-1922) m. 1881 Charles Williams Hastings (1853-1929) – 9 children

          j. Phebe Eliza (1862-1938) m. 1884 Harry Maxwell (1863-1896) – 2 children

          k. Adelia (1864-?) m. 1885 Rennis Mallow Hicks (1858-?) – 3 children

          l. Silas Edward (1866-1940) m. 1898 Lavinia T. Hicks (1879-?)  – 2 children

          m. Sarah J. (1870-?)

The second son and child of George and Phebe Palmer Buck was:

Nathaniel (1822-1850) m. 1843 Anne Frances Mitton (1822-?)

          Their son:

          Leonard (1851-1921) m. Martha Unknown (1853-1921) – 4 children

Their third child was Catherine. Please see the blog on Edward Cole for this family.

George and Phebe’s next child was:

George (1825-1886) m. 1851 Ann Wilson Baxter (1827-1886)

          a. Sarah Augusta (1852-?) m. 1876 John Wilmot Buck (1849-1883) – 4 children. {They   

                  were 1^st cousins 1x removed.}

          b. DeMille (1854-1917) m.1884 Martha Ann Cole (1862-1928) – 5 children

          c. Catherine (1856-1857)

          d. Emma Louise (1858-?) m. 1890 Milton Scurr (c. 1859-bef. 1898) – 1 child

          e. Bedford Buck (c. 1860-1871)

          f. Frederick A. (c. 1860-1862)

          g. Frank M. (1863-1962)

          h. Hattie Ann (1865-?) m. 1891 Walter Edmond Bishop (?-?) – 2 children

          i. Charlotte (1868-?)

The 5^th child of George and Phebe was:

Phebe Ann (1828-aft. 1871) m. c. 1851 James Spires (1827-bef. 1871). James was as Mariner, possibly lost at sea. Phebe was listed as a widow in the 1871 census and living with her parents.

          Their children were:

          a. Caroline (1855-?)

          b. George (1858-?)

          c. Robert (1860-?)

The next child was Robert (1829-1902) m.1 1851 Lydia Powell (1832-1860)

          a. Rufus T. (1853-?) m. 1875 Sarah Jane Schurman (1850-?) – 4 children

          b. Rebecca Jane (1855-1860)

          c. Robert Irving (1857-1896) m. ?? – 1 child

          d. Hiram H. (1859-1860)

          e. Harvey Archer (1860-1906)

          Robert  m.2  c. 1861 Sarah Olivia Baxter (1843-1880)

          f. Martha A. (1862-1926) m. 1885 Harry Smith

          g. Harmon Trueman (1864-1926) m. 1889 Merilla May Copp (1893-1936) - 6 children

          h. Joseph Clement (1865-?)

          i.  Harry H. (1869-?)

          J. Mary A. (1870-?) m. Thomas H. Simonds

          l. Collinwood O. (1873-?)

          m. John W. (1875-?)

          n. Sarah Augusta (1876-?) m. 1900 John E. B. Herd

          o. William H. (1879-?)

          p. James Alexander (1880-?) m. 1909 in Stoughton MA Hattie Landon -4 children

          Robert m.3 1882 Lucinda Arminta Dowling (1844-?) no known children

Next after Robert comes Serena Jane (1830-1891) m. 1851 Silas Tower (1814-1890). Their children were:

          a. Benjamin (1851-1916) m. Bessie Towse (1858-1940) – 8 children

          b. Silas (1855-?) m. Caroline Milner (1853-1922) – 3 children

          c. James B. (1856-1933) m. Amanda Smith (1857-1923)

          d. Albert (1860-1882)

          e. Phebe Jane (1868-1941) m. 1892 Martin Carter (1857-1940)

          f. John (1869-?)

          g. Gideon Trueman (?-?)

The next to the youngest child was Lydia (1832-1860) nothing further is known of her.

The youngest child of George and Phebe was James Alexander (1835-1908) m. 1859 Phebe  

        Elizabeth Buck (1838-1897).

          Their children were:

          a. Celeste Alice (1860-1901) m. 1887 Charles Scurr (1855-1824) – 1 child

          b. Lydia Jane (1863-1930) m. 1890 William Wallace Ferguson (1862-1938) – 7 children.  

                 William Ferguson was from Lexington MA . All the children in this family were born in      

                 Lexington MA.

          c. Maggie H. (1872-? In Port Elgin NB) m. 1900 Joseph Turner (?-?)

          d. James (1880-1908)

          e. Joshua (1881-1953) m. 1901 Nellie May Oulton (1883-1957) – 2 children

          f. Alexander (?-?)

http://www.libris.ca/yrkfam/yrkpas.htm#jn

1851 Canadian Census

1871 Canadian CensusA

Some Bucks Stay in New Brunswick

To continue with Edward and Phoebe’s family, of the seven children, the first two and the last two stayed in New Brunswick. Ann has gone off to ME and then Iowa, William, the next in line was b. 1801 but died in 1819. Thomas, who was b. in 1803, also died in 1819. I haven’t found any explanation for their deaths. It could have been illness; it could have been a common accident where both were killed by the same circumstances or any of a number of other scenarios.

Their daughter Ann Buck Simonton has an adopted son named William Buck. His birth year doesn‘t fit in with any of the other known Bucks. Since his name is William, he could be the son of her younger brother, William, who died, but this William’s death date is 3 years before the adopted William’s birth. It’s quite probable that the year of death is incorrect. I haven’t explored that possibility.

Edward Buck, Sr. (c. 1763 England–1826 NB) m. 1792 Phebe Elizabeth Tower                        (1777-1822)

There are two children left to discuss before I return to my direct line to the Bucks. The sixth child was:

James Richard (c. 1812-1874) m. 1836 Sarah Mitton (1812 Yorkshire Eng.- 1879 NB)

          - 8 children

          1. Phebe Elizabeth (1838-1897) m. 1859 James Alexander Buck (1835-1908)

                    – 6 children. They were 1^st cousins.

          2. William Edward (1840-1887 lost at sea) m. 1866 Lucinda Jane Cole (1845- 1919)

                   – 10 children (See earlier blog – Edward Cole’s Family, Dorchester, NB)

          3. Frances Maria (1841-1925) m. 1865 Albert Cook (1842-1929) – 8 children

          4. James Richard (1845-1909) m. 1875 Theodora Woodworth (1851-1918) – 9 children

          5. Charles Albert (1848-1914) m. 1872 Matilda Brown (1853 CT-1919 CT) – 6 children

                      (Find more info on this couple in my blog: A Tower Marries a Buck in New 

                      Brunswick

          6. John Wilmot (1849-1883 lost at sea) m. 1876 Sarah Augusta Buck (1852-?)

                      – 4 children; Sarah was the d/o George and Ann Baxter Buck. This line will be 

                      discussed in the next blog.

          7. Lemuel Allen (1852-1914 Hartford CT) m. 1878 Mary Wilmot (1854-1932) – 3 children

          8. Sarah A. (1855-1861)

Lemuel and Mary are enumerated with the household of J. Richard Buck, his brother, in the 1881 Sackville census. Lemuel is listed as a Sea Captain. I find him again in the 1900 census living at 69 New Britain Ave., Hartford CT, with 3 children.

Phebe (1814-1881) m. 1834 Leighton Card (1809-1881) – 12 children

          1. William (1836-?) m. Esther Kent

          2. Elizabeth (1838-?)

          3. George Buck (1840-1906) m. Unknown – 2 children

          4. Maria (1842-?)   

          5. John (1844-1919)

          6. Wesley (1847-?)

          7. Sarah Ann (1849-?)

          8. Jane (1852-?)

          9. Clara (1854-?) m. 1871 Isaac Beach                      

          10. Charles (1855-1946)

          11. Benjamin Miles (1858-?) m. 1877 Jane Wry (1858-?)

          12. Bedford Layton (1860-1948)

Phebe and Leighton both died in 1881, apparently before the census as neither appear. William, the oldest son is called the Head of House and all the rest of the children, who are now grown adults, are listed there, except Clara and Bedford.  They are both married and have moved elsewhere.

Now I’ll move back to the main line of my descent. See you on the next blog.  

My sister kindly shared with me an updated photo of the graves of Edward Sr. and Phoebe Tower Buck. They've been cleaned and look great. 

A Buck Moves West

As always, I welcome additions, corrections or necessary deletions when brought to my attention. I recently received this correction for Ebenezer Cole’s first daughter, Elizabeth Cole Palmer. The correction is for her grandson which I had incorrectly given as William Gifford Ayer. If this is important to your family line, please change it to Willard Gilford Ayer.

Corrections sent in:

Ebenezer Cole’s First Daughter

Elizabeth Cole (1791-1875) m. 1814, John Palmer (1789-1889)

          Melvina Augusta Palmer (1842-1927) m. 1863 Elijah Ayer (1837-1927)

                    Willard Gilford Ayer (1875-1965 Attleboro MA) m. 1902 Gertrude   

                                  Eugenie Newell in Plainville MA (1876-1921 Attleboro MA) – 2 children

********************************************************************************************

The next child in Edward and Phebe Tower Buck’s family will be their first daughter Ann Buck. Ann ended up a long way from home so I thought she deserved a bit more blog space than some of the others. 

Ann (1800-1883) m. 1819 Benjamin Simonton (1795 Portland ME-1883 Cass Co. IA)

 – 16 children

Ann married Benjamin Simonton from Portland ME in 1819. Benjamin was the son of Thomas and Mary Alden Simonton. By this marriage, the descendants of this family can claim Mayflower descendancy through Benjamin’s mother, Mary Alden. Benjamin was the 3x gt. grandson of John Alden. Some time during the year 1819, Ann’s two younger brothers, William and Thomas died. I’ve found no explanation for this although, often, when two young family members die in the same year, it’s due to some disease. In our era, we don’t think much about scarlet fever and measles, but both of those childhood diseases were killers in the 1800’s.

My notes on Ann say they left New Brunswick for ME in 1825. The first five children were born in NB; the remaining 11 were born in Portland ME.

Benjamin and Ann Simonton’s children were:

          1. William Buck (1822-?) Adopted

          2. Mary Alden (1820-1899) m. 1851 in Portland ME Royal Cummings

          3. Ann Phoebe (1822-1905 Lawrence MA) m. 1844 Daniel Handy of    

              Boston MA – 2 children

          4. Susan M. (1823-?) m. 1846 in Portland ME William H. Swain of Boston  

               MA

          5. Jane T. (1825-?)

          6. Sarah M. (1826-?)

          7. Thomas B. (1828-?) m. 1853 in Portland ME Seraphina Margeson

          8. Elizabeth (1830-?)

          9. James P. (1831-?)

          10. Charles McLellan (1833-1905 Cleveland OK) m. 1869 in Cleveland OK 

                 Hannah Elizabeth Waltrous of Cattaraugus Co., NY – 5 children

          11. Caroline L. (1835-1914) m. 1859 James G. Davis of Windham VT

          12. John L. (1837-?) m. Lydia Unknown of NY

          13. George E. (1838-1841 Portland ME)

          14. Olive A. (1840-1842 Portland ME)

          15. Silas A. (1842-1924 Cleveland OK) m. 1868 Clarissa A. Turner

                – 3 children

          16. William L. (1843-?) m. in Cass Co., IA Ellen Griffin

         

The 1850 Federal Census for Portland, Cumberland Co., ME, shows this family still living there, with Jane, Elizabeth, Charles, Caroline, John, Silas and William still living with them. Sometime in the 1850’s-1860’s time frame the family moved to Cass Co., IA. This was mostly farming country with small groups of population in small towns scattered across the landscape. The 1880 census shows that Benjamin and Ann are living with their son, Charles, in Franklin, Cass Co. IA. The records for the Wiota Cemetery show that both Benjamin and Ann are buried there.  They also show a military gravestone for Silas Simonton, with no dates, just Co. B, 42^nd Illinois Infantry.

I haven’t done the digging on this, but he was of the appropriate age to have been in the Civil War. The 1910 census shows Silas and wife with their son James living with them. He is age 33 and his occupation is a printer. Silas is listed as a landlord in that census. There is a grandson, Delford, age 10 living with them but it doesn’t indicate who the father is. But by 1920, James and Delford are gone and their divorced son, George, is living with them. Silas and Clarissa also had a daughter, Bertha, for whom I’ve found 3 marriages and no children. In 1935, she applied to the Gov’t for a military headstone for her father’s grave. It was approved, shipped and placed on his, then unmarked, grave in the Wiota Cemetery, Cass Co., IA. Then I found a 1900 census for George. His wife’s name was Bertha, also, and Delford was his son, born in Dec. 1899. They were living in Atlantic City, Cass Co., IA.

Over the years, I’ve been in touch with a descendant of Charles Simonton who has generously shared a great deal of his information. I truly appreciate the generosity of all genealogists who spend hours on research yet are always willing to share what they’ve found.  Then, in the last few years before I retired, a new staff member was added and, would you believe, his name was Simonton. The minute he opened his mouth I knew he was from New England, so first chance I got I was asking him questions. Not only was he from New England but he was from the town right next door to the one I grew up in. As a teenager, he even had a job in one of the drug stores in my town. Here we were both of us over 400 miles away from our beginnings and just happened to end up working for the same organization. Of course, I had to ask him about his name and he said he knew they had come from ME and that there were family stories that they were Mayflower descendants. Right then I knew he was connected to the same Simonton family. I didn’t pursue it to see if Benjamin and Ann were his ancestors. But then you never know!  I love small world stories!!

http://iagenweb.org/cass/cemetery/wiota/

http://iagenweb.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Township,_Cass_County,_Iowa

A Tower marries a Buck in New Brunswick

Edward Buck arrives upon the scene in Sackville, NB at about 1790. I have not found a ship’s list with his name on it nor have I found where he departed from in England.  Many of the Yorkshire immigrants had found their way to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the 10 to 20 years prior to Edward’s arrival. It cannot be stated with certainty that he came from Yorkshire, however family folklore handed down claims that was his place of origin. With no evidence to contradict this, I’ll keep Yorkshire as his place of birth and hope that someday, his true history can be found. To state the obvious, nothing is known of his background, his parents, his siblings or any other information that would round him out as a real person. He simply appears on the scene and becomes the progenitor of hundreds by the name of Buck and a similar quantity of non-Buck names as the female children and grandchildren married into the local families.

I don’t have any information on how Edward acquired his land. The information I do have comes from written histories of the Yorkshire emigrations. The histories indicate that the Yorkists came with money and purchased the lands of the New Englanders who wanted to return to New England. Most of the immigrants were tenant farmers and didn’t have a great deal of money as times were very hard in England. One of the histories stated that the Yorkists didn’t receive land grants and purchased their land when they arrived. It would seem that Edward Buck fell into this category as he owned land and was married by 1792 to Phebe Elizabeth Tower, the d/o Benjamin and Ann Finney Tower. The land he owned provided him with his occupation which was mining gypsum.

A short and simple science lesson, here, will help us to understand what gypsum is. The simple definition is that gypsum is a sedimentary rock and a crystalline mineral, which is soft and chalky. It can be found in beds or in layers of rock strata. It is found in many parts of the world, but one in particular is worth mentioning. In the Montmartre district of Paris, France, there is a large quarry of dehydrated gypsum. When water is added, after a short interval of time, it becomes regular gypsum again. This will then harden or set in ways which are useful to making molds or castings. We know this as Plaster of Paris.

Unfortunately, we don’t know what type of gypsum Edward Buck was able to mine from the quarries on his land.  There are several different ‘types’ which are used in a variety of ways. Plaster for walls and ceilings in the 1800’s would have been in great demand. Some gypsum is known as Alabaster and can be carved into decorative moldings or statues. Whatever form it took, Edward was able to make a comfortable living and had easy access to ports on the Bay of Fundy. 

By 1820, Edward and Phebe Buck were living in Dorchester, NB, which seems to indicate he had sold his land with the gypsum quarry on it. They were listed as 1 man, 1 woman and 6 children. The 7^th child, the oldest, Edward Buck, Jr., aka as Ned, was married and living in Dorchester, too. The census showed him as 1 man, 1 woman and 1 child.

Edward Buck, Sr. (c. 1763 England–1826 NB) m. 1792 Phebe Elizabeth Tower                        (1777-1822)

          

Their Children: 

          1. Edward Buck, Jr., (Ned) (1797-1875) m. 1817 Mary Ann Finney (1800-                     1898) – 4 children

          *2. George E. Buck (c. 1798-1878) m. 1820 Phebe Palmer (c. 1801-1881)                               – 9 children

          3. Ann (1800-1882) m. 1819 Benjamin Simonton (1795 Portland ME-1883                               Cass Co. IA) – 16 children

          4. William (1801-1819)

          5. Thomas (1803-1819)

          6. James Richard (c. 1812-1874) m. 1836 Sarah Mitton (1812 Yorkshire                        Eng.- 1879 NB) - 8 children

          7. Phebe (1814-1881) m. 1834 Leighton Card (1809-1881) – 12 children

This represents the known children and grandchildren of Edward and Phebe Buck. Infant mortality was high so there’s a strong possibility of additional children who didn’t survive infancy.  Still this generation produced 49 grandchildren for Edward and Phebe.

My descent comes by way of George E. and Phebe Palmer Buck (*2 above).

Phebe remains an enigma because there is no certainty about her parentage. I firmly believe that she is the d/o Gideon and Catherine Harper Palmer. Yet there is not a speck of documentation to support that. She is not mentioned in Gideon’s will, a glaring omission when attempting to prove relationships. Yet, I have seen this in other cases where some rift has caused the parent to disown the child and the child’s name is removed from the will. Perhaps there was some unresolved dispute between the Palmers and the Bucks, either with George directly or George’s parents. The one thing I believe lends a tiny bit of credence to my theory is that Phebe had a son named Gideon and a daughter named Catherine. The other thing is that Gideon had an aunt named Phebe. Grasping at straws, this could indicate that if there was a rift, it came after those two children were born. Flimsy, yes, but there is no other Palmer family in the Dorchester/Sackville area who could claim her. Perhaps she came from further away where there were some Palmer families. Anything is still possible, although I have looked through many records and can’t find a Phebe that fits the time line. If anyone has the key to unlocking this little mystery, I’d be ever so happy to hear it.

Before I go into George and Phebe’s families, I would like to put forth the information I have on their other children. Starting with:

          A. Edward Buck, Jr., (Ned) (1797-1875) m. 1817 Mary Ann Finney (1800-1898)                  – 4 children. We know Mary Ann is connected to one of the Finneys who came to NB. I have not been able to determine which one. It is safe to say that she was most likely a cousin, of                          some sort, to her husband, since his grandmother was a Finney.

                    

Their children: 

                    1. Phebe (1818-1904 Hartford CT) m. 1853 Middletown CT Frederick Bidwell (1815-?)                                 

                    2. Amelia (1821-1901) m. 1847 William Yates (1816-1901) – no children found for them                             

                    3. Edward (1823-1875) m. 1846 Mary Jane Tower (1824-1898) – 2 children                                      

                    They were 2^nd cousins. After 1871 they were found living in Moncton, NB Canada                      

                    4. Angel (1826-1894 in Hartford CT) m. 1849 in NB George Brown (1816-1896                              in Hartford CT)

                              Their daughter Matilda Brown (1853 CT-1919 CT) m. 1872

                              Charles Albert Buck (1848-1914), s/o James Richard and  Sarah Mitton                                .                             Buck. Matilda and Charles were both born in NB and both died in Hartford Ct.                                        

                              They were 1^st cousins once removed. I found a census entry for 1880 for an

                              Angel Brown in Hartford saying she was divorced. The birth date and                           

                              location were exact, but still didn’t feel there was enough information to make                                                                                                                                                                                         

                              a positive identification. How many Angel Browns could there have been in 

                              Hartford CT in 1880?

Ann Buck, who married Benjamin Simonton, will take up quite a bit of space so I’ll cut this short and carry on next with the Simontons. Hoping everyone who celebrates Easter had a pleasant and enjoyable day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsum

http://www.ayup.co.uk/knows/knows11.html

https://familysearch.org/search