Upper Level: William Britton Sr. and Sally (unknown surname)

Sunday, December 23, 2012

William Britton Sr. and Sally (unknown surname)

Note: It is my belief that Family Search has two families mixed up. On Family Search, they have William Britton married to Mary Belton with five children, including Alexander C.

Alexander C Britton is claimed by both Family Search and on ancestry.com, this family (to read more, follow the only still-working link I have under Alexander's name).

Note 2018: all but one of the links to the ancestry boards are broken, but I left them because I did use those links back when I was researching this line so I will leave them.

William Britton Sr.
Born 15 Oct 1756 Unity, New Hampshire
Alternate place of birth: Massachusetts

Headstone for William

Parents Possibly William Britton, son of William Britton and Lydia Leonard - needs more research
Married Sally (unknown surname)
Died 5 Feb 1840 Big Island, Marion, Ohio
Buried Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Big Island Marion, Ohio

Military Record:
Pvt. William Britton served from Massachusetts (Massachusetts Revolutionary Pension #S42097) in the American Revolution for seven years and six months.

After living in New Hampshire, William settled in Essex County, New York, between 1804 and 1810, remaining until 1835.

After his wife's death, he followed his sons William Britton, Jr. and Alexander Britton to Big Island Township, Marion County, Ohio, where he remained with William, Jr., until his death on February 5, 1840.

William Britton's military records show correspondence dated January 9, 1821, regarding his pension. At the time he was a resident in the town of Keene, Essex County, New York, where he had lived for seven years; he also gave his age as 60. He stated in his affidavit that he had been a private in the Massachusetts line for six years. He had served in the companies of Captain Wiley and Captain Asa Coburn, under the command of Colonel Alden and Colonel John Brooks. He further stated that he owed $35.00 to Doctor Bartlet for his wife, "now deceased." He lists his personal property (which wasn't much) and says his daughter ("one of my daughters that lives with me who is married and two small grandchildren who I have to assist in supporting.") is Mary Parker, age 22. A transcript of this affidavit follows:

Second headstone

On August 3, 1836, William Britton requested a transfer of his pension from New York to Ohio, giving these reasons: All his children were in Ohio. His wife had died, and being alone he "removed" to Marion County, Ohio, to live with his children.

In a letter from Marion, Marion County, Ohio, John Bartram, J.P., wrote:
On this third day of August 1836 before me the subscriber a Justice of the Peace within the County of Marion, Ohio personally appeared William Britain, who, on his oath, declares that he is the same person who formerly belonged to the company commanded by Captain Asa Coburn in the Regiment commanded by Colonel John Brooks in the service of the United States, that his name was placed on the pension roll of the state of New York from whence he lately removed; that he now resides in the state of Ohio where he intends to remain, and wishes his pension to be now payable in future. The following are his reasons for removing from the state of New York to the state of Ohio. All his children had removed to the state of Ohio previous to his going there, and his wife having died and he being left alone he removed to the state of Ohio to live with his children.

To the Secretary of War
Your applicant William Britton Pensioner late resident of the state of New York but now a resident of the state of Ohio desires that his name should be transferred from the Pension roll of the former state to that of the latter, where he now resides and intends & intends to remain &wishes his Pension to be payable in the future. Respectfully
Submit his William X Britain mark

With the papers is a letter dated December 14, 1858, from an attorney for "Alexander Britton and Mary Edmunds, two of the four heirs of William Britton dec'd." This letter was from Angola, Steuben County, Indiana, and requested the rest of the pension due William Britton. Follows a note from the Treasury Department that $8.00 per month has been paid from March 18, 1818, to February 5, 1840, and that the remaining unclaimed money was paid September 1859 to one of the four heirs of William Britton.

An addition given by the Bureau of Pensions, which handled this material before it was turned over to the National Archives states:
"He (William Britton) enlisted at Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 1, 1777.
Battles: at the surrender of Burgoyne and Cornwallis.
He served until June 10, 1783."

Sources

Book: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, Vol. 2, Boston: Wright and Potter Printing Co., 1896, pp. 461, 552, 554, 556

Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32449976/william-britton

1790 US Census for Newport, Cheshire, New Hampshire page 117
1810 US Census for Keene, Essex, New York page 25
1830 US Census for Elizabethtown, Essex, New York page 343
http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol

Sally (unknown surname)

Born abt 1756

Died before January 1821
Sources
http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol

CHILDREN

Jonathan and Sally (Britton) Slyter headstone

Sarah (Sally) Britton
Born abt 1787 New Hampshire
Married Jonathan Slyter (Sliter) about 1805
Children: Lucy
Died 04 Dec 1868 Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan
Buried Fulton Cemetery, Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan, USA
Plot: Block 4 lot 13 W
Sources
Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61557182/sally-slyter
1810 US Census for Champlain, Clinton, New York
1820 US Census for Troupsberg, Steuben, New York
1830 US Census for Peru Township, Clinton, New York
1850 US Census for Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan
Note: Surname spelled Slighter
1860 US Census for Kent, Michigan page 160 (age 73)
Note: Name spelled Sallie Sliter
http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol

William's headstone

William Britton (Jr)
Born 2 Jan 1790 Concord, Cheshire, New Hampshire
Occupation: Farmer
Married abt 1810 Sarah James in Essex County, New York
Children: Benjamin, James and ten others
Died 25 Jan 1872 Big Island, Marion, Ohio
Buried Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Big Island, Marion, Ohio
Sources

1820 US Census for Fearing, Washington, Ohio page 217
1860 US Census for Big Island Township, Marion, Ohio page 175 (age 68)

1870 US Census for Ohio (age 79)

Note: son James and his family are living with him
Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32449823/william-britton

Samuel and John's headstone
note that their mother's name is Sally

Samuel Britton
Born abt 1793 New Hampshire
Died 20 Feb 1801 Unity Township, New Hampshire (age 8)
Buried East Unity Cemetery, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Sources
Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/102753245/samuel-britton
http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol

Alexander C Britton
Born 9 June 1795 Newport, Concord, New Hampshire
Married 1) Amanda Avery 24 Jan 1820 Fearing Township, Washington, Ohio
Children: Richard, Thomas, Elizabeth, Harriett, William

Possible Problem: There has been a Phoebe Coffin listed as Alexander's second wife here: http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol
According to my research, it could not be this Alexander because the man that married Phoebe Cotsin 22 Mar 1838 in Stueben, Indiana, was named MURDOCK ALEXANDER BRITTON.

I found Alexander in the 1850 Census - with all the children listed above. His wife was listed as "Sousanna" in that census. Could "Sousanna" be a mistake in extraction for Amanda? Yes, but it could be another marriage so I've listed it as such.

2) Susanna (unknown surname) who would have died pre-1856
3) (widow) Rachel Sowle 18 May 1856 Steuben County, Indiana
Children: William, Jane, Lydia, John, Phoebe, Alexander
Married 1) Walter Ingersoll
Children: Rosetta
Died 19 Oct 1864 Indiana
Buried No stone found
Sources
1820 US Census for Fearing, Washington, Ohio page 217 (one free white male, one free white female)
1830 US Census for Big Island, Marion, Ohio page 145
1840 US Census for Steuben, Steuben, Indiana page 100 (one male age 40-50, one female under 5y, 2 females 20y and under, and one female age 20-30)
1850 US Census for Rockport, Spencer, Indiana (age 40, with wife SUSANNA)
Note: Claims birthplace is Virginia
1860 US Census for Steuben, Indiana page 72 (age 65, with wife, Rachel)
Note: the Census only used his initials, A.C.
Marriage to Amanda: Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994 p 111 Film 941958
Mary Britton
Born 4 Mar 1796 Newport, Cheshire, New Hampshire
Married 1) Mr. Parker abt 1813 New York
Two children
2) Thomas Edmunds 9 Dec 1819 Keene, Essex, New York
Died after 1860
Buried
Sources
Her father's will
1860 US Census for Pleasant Township, Steuben, Indiana page 111
Note: Surname spelled Edmond in census

John and Samuel's headstone

John Britton
Born abt 1799 Unity Township, Cheshire, New Hampshire
Died 7 Feb 1804 Unity Township, Cheshire, New Hampshire (age 4)
Buried East Unity Cemetery, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Sources
http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol

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From a Funeral Program

When I come to the end of the road

And the sun has set for me

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room

Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little - but not for too long

And not with your head bowed low

Remember the love that we once shared

Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take

And each must go alone

It's all part of the Master's plan

A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart

Go to the hills we know

And bury your sorrow among the trees

Miss me, but let me go.

The Line

Every minute someone leaves this world behind.
We are all in “the line” without knowing it.
We never know how many people are before us.
We can not move to the back of the line.
We can not step out of the line.
We can not avoid the line.

So while we wait in line -

Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make love.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready.

I'm My Own Grandpa

Many, many years ago when I was 23,
I got married to a widow
who was as pretty as could be.
She had a grown up daughter
who had a hair of red.
My father fell in love with her
and soon the two were wed.
This made my dad my son-in-law
And changed my very life.
My daughter was my mother,
for she was my father's wife.
To complicate the matters worse,
although it brought me joy,
I soon became the father
of a bouncing baby boy.
My little baby then became a brother -in-law to dad
and so became my uncle though it made me very sad.
For if he was my uncle,
then that also made him brother to the widow's grown-up- daughter,
who of course, was my stepmother.
Father's wife then had a son,
who kept them on the run.
And he became my grandson, for he was my daughter's son.
My wife is now my mother's mother
and it makes me blue.
Because, although she is my wife,
she's my grandma too.
If my wife is my grandmother,
then I am her grandchild.
and every time I think of it,
it simply makes me wild.
For now I have become the strangest case you ever saw.
As the husband of my grandmother,
I am my own grandpa!

Quotes from the Prophets

President Gordon B Hinckley: "It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all, for each of us is a pioneer in his own life."

President Spencer W Kimball: "I hope to see us dissolve the artificial boundary line we so often place between missionary work and temple and genealogical work, because it is the same great redemptive work!"

President Joseph Fielding Smith: " The responsibility on behalf of our kindred dead rests with equal force on all, according to our individual ability and opportunities...the greatest and grandest duty of all is to labor for the dead."

The Passing of the Pot (Chamber Pot)

As far back in childhood
As memory may go
One household vessel greets me
That wasn't made for show
Beneath the bed twas anchored
Where only few could see
But served the entire family
With equal privacy
Some called the critter Peggy
And some the thundermug
And others called it badger
A few called it jug
To bring it in at evening
Was bad enough no doubt
But heaven help the person
Who had to take it out
Our big one was enormous
And would accomodate
A watermelon party
Composed of six or eight
When nights were dark and rainy
It was a useful urn
On icy winter mornings
The cold rim seemed to burn
At times when things were rushing
And business extra good
Each took his turn a waiting
Or did the best he could
Sometimes when in a hurry
To our disgust and shame
We fumbled in the darkness
And slightly missed our aim
The special one for company
Was decorated well
But just the same it rendered
That old familiar smell
Today this modernism
Relieves me a lot
And only in my vision
I see that homely pot.
(author unknown)

Poem about ancestors

Though steep is the path I follow today,
The footprints of time will show me the way.
For many have traveled a smiliar road,
And carried an equal of heavier load.

No troubles I face are new to this earth,
That man has not faced from time of his birth.
The route has been charted and roads have been paved
By legions before me who were stalwart and brave.

Their steps never faltered nor courage grew dim,
For they trusted the Lord and let Him led them.
If my faith and my trust remain steadfast and true,
God will guide and protect me in all that I do.
- Dolores Karides

The Elusive Ancestor

I went searching for an ancestor.
I cannot find him still.
He moved around from place to place
and did not leave a will.
He married where a courthouse burned.
He mended all his fences.
He avoided any man who came to
take the US census

He always kept his luggage packed,
This man who had no fame,
and every 20 years or so,
This rascal changed his name.
No one else inthis world is
searching for this elusive man,
so I play "Gene-solitaire"
To find him, if I can!

I'm told he's buried in a plot,
with tombstone he was blessed;
but the weather took engravings,
and some vandals took the rest.
He died before the county clerks
were appointed to keep records
No family Bible has emerged -
In spite of all my efforts.

To top it off, this elusive ancestor
who has caused me many groans -
left me even one more challenge:
He brothed a lady,
by the name of "Jones"!
(Got this from a publication
put out by the DUP organization
that names the author: Merrell Kenworthy)

Poem: Heaven's Door

If I should go before you,

If life on earth were through;

I'll stop just inside Heaven's door,

and there I'll wait for you.

You've but to look 'cross star filled skies,

Past the moon and then beyond;

To know my leaving could never break,

This heart's undying bond.

And if you should go before me,

If your journey on earth were through;

You know I will be close behind,

I'll never be far from you.

Across the span of time and space,

This love will reach this far;

For you'll always carry a bit of my heart,

No matter where you are.

Allison Chambers Coxsey©1995 ~ All Rights Reserved

Which Shall It Be? by Adelaide Proctor

Which shall it be?

"Which shall it be? Which shall it be?
I looked at John and John looked at me,
And when I found that I must speak,
My voice seemed strangely low and weak:
˜Tell me again what Robert said,"
And then I, listening, bent my head.
This is his letter:˜I will give
A house and land while you shall live,
If, in return, from out your seven,
One child to me for aye is given."

I looked at John's old garments worn;
I thought of all that he had borne
Of poverty, and work, and care,
Which I, though willing, could not share;
I thought of seven young mouths to feed,
Of seven little children's need,
And then of this.

˜Come, John,said I,
We'll choose among them as they lie
Asleep. So, walking hand in hand,
Dear John and I surveyed our band:
First to the cradle lightly stepped,
Where Lilian, the baby, slept.
Softly the father stooped to lay
His rough hand down in a loving way,
When dream or whisper made her stir,
And huskily he said: ˜Not her!"

We stooped beside the trundle bed,
And one long ray of twilight shed
Athwart the boyish faces there,
In sleep so beautiful and fair;
I saw on James rough, red cheek
A tear undried. E'er John could speak,
He's but a baby, too," said I,
And kissed him as we hurried by.

Pale, patient, Robbie's angel face
Still in his sleep bore suffering's trace.
˜No, for a thousand crowns, not him!"
He whispered, while our eyes were dim.
Poor Dick! bad Dick! our wayward son”
Turbulent, restless, idle one”
Could he be spared?
Nay, He who gave
Bade us befriend him to the grave;
Only a mother's heart could be
Patient enough for such as he;
˜And so," said John, ˜I would not dare
To take him from her bedside prayer."

Then stole we softly up above,
And knelt by Mary, child of love;
˜Perhaps for her ˜twould better be,"
I said to John. Quite silently
He lifted up a curl that lay
Across her cheek in a wilful way,
And shook his head: ˜Nay, love, not thee,
The while my heart beat audibly.

Only one more, our eldest lad,
Trusty and truthful, good and glad,
So like his father. ˜No, John, no!
I cannot, will not, let him go."

And so we wrote, in courteous way,
We could not give one child away;
And afterward toil lighter seemed,
Thinking of that of which we dreamed,
Happy in truth that not one face
Was missed from its accustomed place;
Thankful to work for all the seven,
Trusting the rest to One in heaven."

Sunday, December 23, 2012

William Britton Sr. and Sally (unknown surname)

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