Selected Families and Individuals
Notes
Lucinda E. LAWRENCE
??? 26 Jn 2011 - I'm tentatively adding the surname Lawrence for Sam's wife Lucinda. Because
1) In 1883 when the marriage liscense was filled out for Cordelia Martindale Demouth's daughter, Eva, the brides mothers name was mistakenly written "Lawrence" instead of Martindale. Perhaps Cordelia gave the name Lawrence thinking they were asking for HER mother's maiden name rather than Eva's.
2) Whenever I asked my Aunt, Musa DeMouth, about her Demouth ancestors she would always bring up the surname Lawrence, but she could never remember quite where it fit in.
3) In checking the 1830 and 1840 census in Orwell, Rutland County, Vermont I find the family of Joseph Lawrence with a daughter the appropriate age for Cordelia.
4) In 1983 when I interviewed Erma Schaper she thought this lady's name was Elizabeth Lawrence.
Henry BEELAR Bealer
1910 Census shows him living with daughter Della (Demouth Armitage).
Son of Fredrick and Sylvina Madison Beelar
Eva Maria DEMOUTH
Source: NEILLSVILLE REPUBLICAN PRESS 12/23/1886 EVA BEELAR Died, at her home in the Town of York, Clark County, Mrs. Eva Beelar, (daughter of Jacob Demouth) aged 23 years. The deceased was born at Hayton, Calumet Co., Wis., Dec. 18, 1863. In 1873 she came to Clark Co. with her parents, who settled on a farm in the Town of Weston. In 1883 she was married to Mr. Henry Beelar. After their marriage they lived in the Town of Eaton for a sort time, then in Neillsville until last spring, when they moved to the Town of Weston, where they lived until a short time before her death. She was a healthy young woman until last winter, when she began to decline with the sweat diabetes. She bore her sufferings with extraordinary courage until Friday, when death came as her relief. She was buried Sunday in Weston burying ground. The funeral services were held at the Hyslip school house, Rev. Hendren officiating. She leaves a husband and child, also her parents, relatives and friends to mourn their loss.
SOURCE: NEILLSVILLE REPUBLICAN PRESS 12/23/1886
John Clem DEMOUTH
Obit: Demouth, John (1868 – 1913)
Posted By: Stan > Date: Sunday, 3 November 2002, at 4:27 a.m.
Surnames: DEMOUTH BARBER NUTTING
---------Source: CLARK COUNTY REPUBLICAN & PRESS (Neillsville, Wis.) 10/30/1913
---------Demouth, John (15 APR 1868 – 14 OCT 1913)
John Demouth died at San Jose Co. Hospital, Cal., Oct. 14, 1913. Deceased was born at Hayton, Calumet Co., April 15, 1868; moved to Neillsville, Clark County with his parents in 1871, where he grew to manhood and was married to Miss Lillian Barber in 1892. In the year 1903 he moved with his family to Morgan Hill, Cal., where he settled on a fruit ranch, but his health failed and for four years he has been an invalid. He leaves a wife and three small children who still reside at Morgan Hill. He also leaves an aged mother and one sister, Mrs. Lottie Nutting, who reside here, also one brother Samuel of Belfield, N.D. He will be remembered by many as he attended school in Neillsville several terms. He was a man beloved by all who knew him and always proved faithful to his profession, leading an honorable and upright life. Though storms of adversity closed around him, yet his trust was ever in his God. Our sympathy goes out to his invalid wife and helpless children left in destitute circumstances.
Surnames: BAKER HODGES
---------Source: CLARK COUNTY REPUBLICAN & PRESS (Neillsville, Wis.) 05/14/1903
---------Hodges, Mamie (Marriage – 9 MAY 1903)
Newell Baker and Miss Mamie Hodges were united in marriage Saturday May 9, 1903 at the residence of John Demouth, J.P. in the town of Weston, Clark County, Mr. Demouth officiating. The young couple will reside in the town of Loyal
Top of Form 1
Bottom of Form 1
Clark County News November 1892; Compiled by Dee Zimmerman for her weekly column "The Good Ole Days" published Nov. 13, 2002.
Mr. John C. Demouth of Ft. Yates, North Dakota, and Miss Lillie Barber, of Longwood, were wed on Nov. 16, 1892. The marriage was officiated by Rev. James Jefferson, of Louisville, Wis., at the Commercial House in Colby.
Per 1910 census John is a fruit farmer.
Lillian BARBER
Surnames: SMITH NUTTING CHASE DEMOUTH BARBER
---------Source: CLARK COUNTY REPUBLICAN & PRESS (Neillsville, Wis.) 03/16/1911
---------Smith, Hannah M. (31 JAN 1851 – 2 MAR 1911)
Died, March 2nd, 1911, at her home in Plaza, N.D., Mrs. Hannah M. Smith, wife of Geo. W. Smith. Mrs. Smith leaves a husband and two children, Mrs. Wm. Nutting and George J. Smith, both of Plaza, N.D., two sisters, Mrs. E.H. Chase of Christie and MRS. J DEMOUTH of Morgan Hill, Cal., and four brothers, F.H. Barber of Withee, A.A. Barber of Christie, Dr. J.L. Barber of Marathon City, and F.W. Barber of Morgan Hill, Cal., besides other relatives to mourn her loss. She was a good Christian, a true wife and mother and she will be missed by all. She was born in Chemung Co., N.Y., Jan. 31, 1851; came to Wisconsin with her parents at the age of 4 years, where she has resided until nearly seven years ago, when her husband sold their property here and they moved to Plaza, N.D.
Per 1900 census - Lillian reports having given birth to 3 children, 0 living.
Per above: Lillie and John were living in mORGAN hILL, ca IN 1911
In 1920 Lillian is a widow, still living in Burnett, Santa Clara Co, California. Her daughters Verna and Ruby are living with her. She lists "none" for occupation.
Marriage Notes for John Clem DeMouth and Lillian BARBER-66
Clark County News November 1892; Compiled by Dee Zimmerman for her weekly column "The Good Ole Days" published Nov. 13, 2002.
Mr. John C. Demouth of Ft. Yates, North Dakota, and Miss Lillie Barber, of Longwood, were wed on Nov. 16, 1892. The marriage was officiated by Rev. James Jefferson, of Louisville, Wis., at the Commercial House in Colby.
Lottie May DEMOUTH
Lottie's middle name is from form sent by M Celius 16 Jan 2011, birth of daughter Erma Blanche Nutting.
Rueben NUTTING
Per Linsmeyer, Rueben was killed in a car accident at the age of 29.
Jacob DEMOUTH
February 20, 2006
Dear Children,
Tonight I want to tell you about another Jacob Demouth, Adam and Charlotte's son:
Jacob Demouth
(1763 - 22 March 1835)
Jacob was born about 1763. We know this from his gravestone in the Demouth Cemetery. We have a number of good sources of information for this Jacob. Two of his great granddaughters wrote about him, May Sommers and Grace Betts Webber. Also we have had the benefit of at least two professional genealogists that have found original documents for us. Mrs. Webber does not name his daughter Deborah. In the Deed cited by Fowler ceding the ancestral home to Jacob's son Thomas, neither daughter Deborah nor Mary are named. May Sommers names Mary but not Deborah. I think perhaps Webber got her info from Sommers. Some of the phrases are the same.
Jacob inherited 512 acres and a beautiful stone house in Rockaway Valley, Morris County, New Jersey, when his father died in 1790. Mrs. Weber says he was born in "the beautiful stone mansion. . . .It was in this house that his nine children were born." She tells us that the whitewash on the walls was over an inch thick. Is this the house spoken of with the triangular stone saying "P. & S. 1773"? I think so, but in 1773 Jacob was 10 years old and growing up in the home he later inherited, whereas Peter Snyder was living in the "P. & S. 1773" house. This is how May Sommers describes the Demouth home.
"To (Mr. and Mrs. Demouth) was born in1770 a son Jacob. They owned 300 acres of land about twenty miles from New York City. They had but one child, Jacob, who at his parents death inherited everything they left, three hundred acres of land with a beautiful stone mansion on it, orchards, flowergardens. . ."
Apparently May didn't know about Jacob's sister, Anna. But Jacob did inherit the 512 acre homestead farm close to New York City. Do you have any idea how much money that land would be worth today? I don't either, but probably millions. I don't know if it was the same stone mansion built by his great granfather, where the fireplace burned eight foot long logs. Maybe there were two stone mansions. Maybe the one was so large all the Demouth families lived there together. Or maybe Anna and her husband both died and Jacob and his family moved back in. Isn't it nice to know there are still family history mysteries for YOU to solve when you grow up?
When Jacob grew up he married Deborah, we don't know her last name, and they had nine or ten children. Jacob did not leave a will, but there is a deed (K3-236) from 1836, after he had died, transferring the homestead farm from seven of his heirs, Frederick, Adam, John, Charlotte, Elizabeth, James, and John, to Thomas who lived there for the rest of his life. For some reason Mary and Deborah are not mentioned. May Sommers and Grace Weber both name Mary, and Grace Weber points out that Mary was involved in the three Demouth - Levi marriages. Marsha Bybee and Lonnie Demouth McManus both list Deborah as well. The evidence for Deborah Demouth (b. 1809) being Jacob and Deborah's daughter is strong. Deborah is in the right place at the right time to be Jacob and Deborah's tenth child. There does not appear to be any other Demouth family in the area that she could belong to, and she has her mother's name. I have no idea why she and Mary wouldn't have been included in the above mentioned deed.
Jacob is described as "a prominent public man." He was a Justice of the Peace for Morris County from 1815 until his death in 1835. (Read about what a justice of the peace is near the end of the note that goes with Rodolphus D. Derrick.) He was also the founder of the Rockaway Valley Methodist Church. And he is credited with freeing the Demouth slaves.
Webber says, "In 1810 he freed his thirty slaves as his conscience would not let him keep them." Sommers says, "One or both of them did not seem to know how to handle an estate as in course of time all was lost. Jacob had a conscience and it would not let him keep those thirty slaves, so in 1810 he freed them. That of course was a loss of much money. That and other things caused the estate to be sold piece by piece until finally the family got in hard straits." I think May Sommers was being very charitable when she wrote those words. Perhaps she did not realize that slavery was outlawed in New Jersey as of 1804. To be fair to Jacob, many of his neighbors kept their slaves anyway, right up to 1865 when the Civil War ended, so Jacob was better than some. It is also true that Jacob's wealth was gradually lost. After he died and all his worldly goods were tallied up, this is what the man who did the tallying had to say:
" James M. Fleming the administrator of Jacob Demouth being duly sworn did depose and say that the real and personal estate of said deceased is insufficient to pay the debts of said deceased according to the best of his knowledge and belief." That means that he owed more money than the value of everything he owned. Here is a listing of everything that was left when Jacob died on 22 March 1835 from the wonderful estate that Adam Demouth had left to his son.
Jacob Demouth Inventory as of 22 May 1835
5 sheep 7.00 amt Brot up 68.87
3 lambs 2.00 1 lot of tools .50
1 black cow 10.00 1 chest .25
1 heifer 6.00 1 large wheel .75
1 sm shoat 3.00 1 small wheel .75
1 desk & bkcs 1.00 1 pr. steel yaros .25
1 lot of books 5.00 1 old musket 3.00
1 lot pamphlets 1.00 8 3/4 yds full
1 bell .25 cloth 8.00
1 stand .50 Blanket and
1 feather bed Quilt 1.00
ticking 15.00 1 iron kettle 1.00
1 bedstead & 1 crow bar 1.00
cord 1.00 grain in the
1 small case .12 ground 10.00
1 cupboard 7.00 Accounts
7 old chains 1.00 est___ _ond 5.75
2 tables 1.00 $101.12
1 stove pipe 2.00 3 gums .50
1 loom 5.00
1 frying pan .50
$ 68.87 $ 101.62 Total Worldly goods left by Jacob Demouth (1763 - 1835)
Appraised by us Peter F. Kanouse Joseph Scott
I find it very interesting to notice what various things were valued at. Notice the loom is worth only $5.00, but 8 3/4 yards of full cloth are worth $8.00. I wonder if the cloth was home grown wool, spun, and loomed.
There is something a little bit fishy in all of this. And that is that I also have seen the deed, mentioned above, showing the transfer of the 400 acre homestead farm to Thomas Demouth from Jacob's other children. Thomas paid the others $100.00 for the right to keep the farm. The deed doesn't mention the house. Nothing is said in this listing about a house or land. Perhaps Jacob was smart enough to see that his real estate was transferred to his children before he died.
Jacob and his family made huge contributions to the military endeavors of our country's early years. According to both Sommers and Weber Jacob, fought with Washington in the Revolutionary War. Jacob was just entering his teen years in 1776, but he lived near Washington's winter quarters at Morristown, so he didn't have far to travel. There were many many teenage soldiers in the Revolutionary War and by the time it was over, Jacob would have been 20. His sons Frederick and Adam both fought in the War of 1812. And then there was the Civil War. Jacob had three great-grandsons, sons of his son Frederick's son Jirah Demouth, in the Civil War. They were Carnot Demouth (Also spelled Cornet and Cornat), Theodore Frank Demouth, and Charles Demouth, who was killed in the war. I have counted 12 grandsons, and there may well have been more as I haven't found most of Adam's children nor any of Charlotte's. Six grandsons died, including three from one family. They all fought for the Union and are as follows:
Sons of John Demouth
Jacob Demouth
James Demouth
Sons of James Demouth
Cyrus Demouth
Thomas Demouth - died
William Demouth - died
Jesse Demouth - died
Sons of Thomas Demouth
Wesley Demouth
Harrison Demouth - died
Son of Jacob Demouth
Frederick - died
Son of Deborah
John H. Tucker - died
Sons of Elizabeth
Hiram Kayhart
Charles Kayhart
That's quite a contribution, don't you agree? And quite a sacrifice. I'm glad Jacob and Deborah were not around to have to endure such suffering.
Now I'm going to tell you some of what I've found out about Jacob's children.
Frederick- Frederick, born about 1787, married Susan or Susannah Crane and they had seven children; Jirah, Phebe, Susan, Elizabeth, Decatur, Joseph, and Jacob. In the Wells "Demouth History" she says that Frederick and Susannah and family first lived at Somerset and later in the stone house by the Clinton Reservoir.(The famous stone house.) Frederick died in 1836 in his late 40's, leaving his wife with young children still at home. Susannah died in 1863. They are both buried in the Demouth Cemetery in Rockaway Valley, New Jersey. Their eldest son Jirah lived in the old stone house, he married Malinda Kayhart and they had eight children born in that house. The youngest was just two when mother Malinda died, and then Jirah died five years later. Jirah's granddaughter, Suzanne Denman, wrote a poem about the old stone house. Look for it after her name or in the story about the first Jacob Demouth. Some of Jirah and Malinda's descendants moved to Iowa, South Dakota, and Michigan. Look for a great story about the West under Jirah's son Carnot.
Adam - Adam was born about 1789. He fought in the War of 1812. He served in the 2nd Regiment of New Jersey Militia known as Seward's Militia, from September 1814 to December 1814. Between information from the census of 1830 and the census of 1840, I have figured he had at least 7 children, but in those censuses only numbers were listed, not names. 1850 was the first census to list all family members by name. In the 1850 census, Adam is working as a laborer, his wife has died, and he and his 14 year old daughter Catherine are living with Adam and Anna Jacobus. Could they be his in-laws? Very possibly but we don't know. Catherine grew up and married first John Riker in 1852 and then David Greenswike in 1862. With John Riker she had at least two children, Phebe and Mary Ann.
John - John was our ancestor. More about him later.
James - James married Elizabeth Lozaw in 1825 and they had nine children, two girls and seven boys, three of whom, Thomas, William, and Jesse, died in the Civil War. James didn't have to endure that grief because he had already died in 1859. Son Thomas died in a military hospital in Washington D.C. leaving a wife and three children. Son William died at an army camp near Newport News, Virginia. He was not married. Son Jesse died by drowning when his outfit crossed the Cumberland River in Kentucky. Son Cyrus was also in the Civil War. He must have been injured in some way because he filed for a pension as an invalid. He appears, unmarried, in the 1870 census, working as a stone cutter, so he must not have been injured too badly. Son Elijah married Margaret Morgan. Many of his descendants lived in New York. Son Lewis, his wife Mary, and only son, Lewis Jr., never learned to read or to write. They lived in Warwick, New York. Daughter Elizabeth married John A. Hopkins. Daughter Jane Demouth married Alfred Miller. The 7th son was James.
Jacob -Jacob, born in 1801, married Sarah Miller. Jacob worked as a boatman. He and Sarah had 7 children, 3 sons, 4 daughters. Their son Frederick married Mary Ellen Van Hooten and died in the Civil War and is buried at Cold Harbor National Cemetery in Virginia. Son Nathan married Mary Ann Post and became a blacksmith. Daughter Sarah married Charles Jenkins. The other children of Jacob and Mary Ann were Charlotte, Mary, and Edward.
Mary - Mary was one of the three Demouth children that married three Levi children. Mary married Oliver Levi. They had one daughter, Maria, born in 1818. She married Isaac Burgey in 1838. Mary was named as a child of Jacob by both May Sommers and Mrs. Webber, but she is not in the legal record found by Alex Fowler that lists 8 of Jacob's children.
Elizabeth - Elizabeth married Richard Kayhart in 1824 and they had six children. Sons Hiram and Charles both fought for the union in the Civil War. Charles migrated to Clark County, Wisconsin and settled near his cousin Jacob Demouth, our ancestor. Other children were Wilbur, Emaline, Margaret, and Edward.
Thomas- Thomas married the third Levi sibling, Betsy Levi. Thomas and Betsy ended up with father Jacob's homestead farm and lived there at least through 1880. They had eight children, Abner, Electa, Wesley, Thomas Jr., Hiram, Harrison, Elizabeth, and Minerva. Sons Wesley and Harrison fought in the Civil War. Harrison died of disease at Ship Point, Virginia. He received a commendation for distinguished service and his mother received a pension because of his service. His name is inscribed on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Eastside Park in Paterson, New Jersey. Abner married Catherine Jane Stillwell and they had six children. Electa married Peter D. Vreeland and they stayed in West Milford, NJ, (at least through 1880) and had six children. Wesley married Susannah Sigler and they had two daughters. Thomas Jr. died a few months short of his 20th birthday. Hiram married a girl with last name of Stagg. He appears on the census with Mom and Dad in 1860, 1870, and 1880. Elizabeth married Patrick Burns. Minerva, the youngest, was still living with her parents in 1870 but not in 1880.
Charlotte - There is a record of Charlotte's marriage to Garritt Vanderhoof. I could find no further records.
Deborah- Deborah is not mentioned by either May Sommers or Mrs. Weber. She is included in the genealogy from Lonnie Demouth McManus. She is also listed in Marsha Bybee's genealogy. She is in the right place, Morris County, marrying a man from the neighborhood, Lewis Tucker of Pequannac. She is at the right time to be Jacob's child. Born in 1809, she would be the youngest, and would come as her mother reached the end of her childbearing years, her early 40's. She also bears her mother's name. Deborah married Lewis Tucker in 1829. Children of theirs that I have found are Mary Ann, John Henry, Harriet, Alice, and George W.. John Henry died in the Civil War.
So this is our ancestor Jacob Demouth (b. 1763). Like his father before him he was born in the Colony of New Jersey and died in the State of New Jersey. He inherited a grand estate from his parents. Through bad luck, or poor management, or freeing his slaves, he managed to lose the estate but not before passing on a fine house and 400 acres to his children. He was an upstanding member of his community. He fought in the Revolutionary War. He and Deborah produced ten children. Two sons fought in the War of 1812. At least fifteen of Jacob and Deborah's descendants fought in the Civil War. And Jacob did free his slaves. We can be very proud of our ancestor Jacob Demouth (b. 1763).
Here's how we are related to this Jacob Demouth. Jacob and Deborah had a son John Demouth, John married Mariah Levi and they had a son Jacob Demouth. Jacob married Cordelia Martindale and they had a son Samuel Demouth. Samuel married Elzora Pierce and they had a daughter Thelma DeMouth. Thelma married Forrest Zimmerman and they had Dianne Zimmerman. Dianne married Paul Stevens and they had Dawne Stevens. Dawne married Jason Pamplin and they had . . .Sarah, Hannah, Timmy, and Becky. So Hooray for Jacob Demouth (born 1763)!
Love, Granny
Addendum to Jacob Demouth (b.1763)
I feel I have done Jacob a grave injustice and would like to correct the record. In my story about Jacob I said, "Sommers was being very charitable when she wrote those words ('In 1810 he freed his thirty slaves as his conscience would not let him keep them.') Perhaps she did not realize that slavery was outlawed in New Jersey as of 1804."
I have since learned a lot more about Jacob and about slavery in NJ. According to
Manumission of slaves in NJ http://www.nj.gov/state/archives/chncl003.html
" It was not until after the Revolutionary War that New Jersey passed legislation providing for regular manumission of slaves. This was in "An Act to prevent the Importation of Slaves into the State of New Jersey, and to authorize the Manumission of them under certain Restrictions, and to prevent the Abuse of Slaves," passed 2 March 1786 (P.L. 1786, chap. 119, p. 239). The law--considered a great victory for the abolitionist movement--allowed for the freeing of any slave between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-five with the stipulation that he or she be brought before two overseers of the poor for the township of the slaveowner's residence and two justices of the peace of that county, and be determined by them to be of sound mind and capable of obtaining his or her own support. The law also prescribed the form of manumission certificate (to be recorded by the county clerk).
Legislation in 1798 repealing the 1786 law raised the upper age for legal manumission to forty years, and also required the signatures of two witnesses on the manumission deed (P.L. 1798, chap. 727, p. 364). Six years later, in 1804, the State Legislature passed "An act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery" (P.L. 1804, chap. 103, p. 251). This monumental law required the registration of births of slaves' children born after 4 July 1804 and declared such children to be "free," but bound as servants to the owners of their mothers for a period of twenty-five years for males and twenty-one years for females. No provision was made for slaves born before 4 July 1804.
After 1804, no legislation was passed in New Jersey substantially affecting manumission of slaves. "An act for the gradual abolition of Slavery, and other purposes respecting Slaves," passed by the Legislature on 24 February 1820, repealed the earlier slavery laws but essentially continued the procedure for manumission then in effect (P.L. 1820, p. 74). It is of interest to note that, in 1824, the Legislature passed a resolution in favor of establishing a foreign colony to allow for the "entire emancipation of the slaves in our country" (P.L. 1824, p. 191). It also passed resolutions in 1847 and 1849 opposing the extension of slavery into territories annexed to the United States (P.L. 1847, p. 188 and P.L. 1849, p. 334). Nevertheless, the State of New Jersey never passed a law actually abolishing the practice of slavery, which was outlawed nationally by the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution (ratified by the State of New Jersey on 23 January 1866)."
So the law passed in 1804 was for the gradual freeing of slaves born after 4 July 1804 as they became adults. Therefore, Jacob's freeing of his thirty slaves in 1810 as reported by Grace Betts Webber was definitely ahead of his time's requirement.
It sounds like Jacob was the person most singularly responsible for the founding of the Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church is 1785. (A Celebration of Legend Fact and Spirit, 1785 - 1985, The Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church). Methodism was new to America, having been founded by John Wesley, who staunchly opposed slavery, and brought to America by Francis Asbury. Asbury met Jacob Demouth and visited his church. The early Methodist Church passed a resolution against slavery at the "Christmas Conference" of 1784. And so the influence of the early Methodist church can hardly be underestimated in forming Jacob's attitudes toward slavery.
Another influence on Jacob's thinking must have been the Reverend Jacob Green. As pastor of the nearby Hanover Presbyterian Church from 1746 to 1790 he was passionately devoted to the idea of the abolition of slavery. (Jacob Green and the Slavery Debate in Revolutionary Morris County, New Jersey by David Mitros, 1993)
In light of the above investigation I believe Jacob (b. 1763) to have been a strong anti-slavery advocate, well deserving of the credit given him by his great-granddaughter family historians, May Sommers and Lois Wells Wilson.
Deborah
Inscription on gravestone reads: In memory of Jacob Demouth who departed this life March 22, 1835 In the 72nd year of his age. Also of Deborah wife of Jacob Demouth who departed this life September 14th, 1833 in the 66th year of her age. Also of... (can't see - hidden by grass). Photo taken by Dave Peck (Find a Grave).
William LEVI
Dear Sarah, Hannah, Timmy, and Becky,
Tonight I'm going to tell you about one of your ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War.
The William Levi Story by Granny Stevens
William Levi is one of our ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. We know about William from three sources. We know about him through the Demouth Family History written by his great granddaughter May Webster. We know a little about him from a letter written by a great great granddaughter, Mrs. Charles O. Webber. And we know a very little about him from records of his family that have survived until now.
Here is the original story from May Webster
William Levi was born in Germany in 1737. At the age of thirty he was sold to the English army to fight against the colonists during the Revolutionary War. These Germans were Hessians. William being one of them. They were lured on board the battle-ships to see the interior. Then the gangplanks were lifted and the ships sailed away. William Levi hated the English and got out of fighting every opportunity. He would play off sick at their military drills, etc. One cold night when snow was on the ground he took off his shoes and tied them on his feet, heels front and toes of the shoes facing backwards so the British would think he had gone in the opposite direction! In a short time he safely reached the American lines. Levi was a miller and was following his trade when carried off to America.
After the Revolutionary War ended, he went back to his trade and married a girl by the name of Abigail Mudge who was of English descent. (Her name wasn't Mudge, but she was a descendant of a prominent Mudge family in Connecticut. More about her another time.)
There was an incident happened along about this time, no date to make sure when it happened, which shows our folks were in poverty. One dark night a wagon drove up which was loaded with barrels of flour being taken to the British soldiers. One barrel had rolled off and the head broken in. The driver went to the house where some of my folks lived and told them about the broken barrel and said he would give it to them, half or more was still in the barrel and clean. He would give them this barrel if they would remove every trace of the flour that was scattered, in other words, cover his trail. They studied a little. It was abetting and helping an enemy but their family was hungry and no harm could come of it probably, and they accepted the barrel of flour and covered the flour in the road with dust. It was the Colonists that must not know that the British were near. Such is war. (This story about the flour was probably about Abigail's family before she married William.)
Eight children were born to (William and Abigail Levi) as follows: William, Oliver, John, Phoebe, Mariah, Betsy, Frances and Elizabeth, twins who died in infancy. William Levi and Abigail his wife spent most of their lives near Sharon, Connecticut.
Here is the excerpt about him from Mrs. Webber's letter.
William Levi was a Hessian who deserted during the Revolutionary War and remained in America. He was crippled with one foot shorter than the other and a miller by trade.
Perhaps the fact that he was crippled in one foot explains how he could put his shoes on backwards and still walk. I always wondered about that. By the way, I have seen the story about walking backwards in the snow to get away from the British, without names, written in history text books.
One other thing we know about William is that after he deserted from the British during the Revolutionary War, he fought with the Colonists. There is a record book called Index to Revolutionary War Service Records by Virgil D. White. This book says that William Levy served as a private and a Matross in the 1st Artillery Regiment of the Continental Troops. It is possible this listing refers to a different William Levi. But he's probably our guy. Don't worry about the difference in spelling. People weren't too particular about spelling back in those days. Here is an explanation of "Matross" written by WL Ruffell.
The Matross
Matrosses first appeared on the establishment in 1639. They were Gunners' Assistants, ie the 'servitor Gunners' or 'inferior Gunners' of former years upgraded and given a more respectable title. Unlike their predecessors they were all on the same rate of pay, somewhat lower than the Gunner's. The word comes from the German matrossen meaning sailors because the tasks allotted them in action, ie traversing,loading, firing, sponging, manning dragropes, etc, were deemed to be sailors' work. They were less highly trained technically than Gunners. Matrosses were armed with muskets and bayonets, for their duties included guarding the guns and wagons on the march, and assisting when breakdowns occurred. Later they also took over from the Fusiliers the job of preventing the Drivers running away when the shooting started. (Until 1793 drivers were civilians.) In 1783 the rank of Matross was abolished, all serving Matrosses being elevated to the rank of Gunner. They had earned it, for their record was no less distinguished than that of Gunners.
And one more interesting thing - three of William and Abigail Levi's children married three of Jacob and Deborah Demouth's children.
Mariah Levi Married John Demouth
Betsy Levi Married Thomas Demouth
Oliver Levi Married Mary Demouth
Oh and one more thing. We think William was Jewish. He's our Jewish ancestor.
Now I will tell you how you are related to William. William's daughter Mariah had a son John Demouth. John Demouth had Jacob Demouth. Jacob Demouth had Sam Demouth. Sam DeMouth (He's the one who changed it to a capital "D") had a daughter Thelma. Thelma DeMouth married Forrest Zimmerman and had me (Dianne Irene Zimmerman). I married Paul Stevens (Grandpa) and had Dawne Irene Stevens. Dawne married Jason Pamplin and had Sarah, Hannah, Timmy, and Becky.
Love,
Granny
Abigail TRYON
The next person in our Mudge line is Abigail Tryon (b. 1 JUN 1754 Sharon Connecticut; d.?). Abigail married Isaac Lamb on 27 Dec 1772. It is believed Abigail and Isaac had several daughters. Isaac died as a soldier in the Revolutionary War on 19 SEP 1777 in the Battle of Saratoga.
The next we hear of Abigail, she is married to William Levi and having lots of babies in the late 1790's.
This seems strange to me. Here are the names and approximate dates of birth of William and Abigail Levi's children:
William A. Levi abt 1780
Oliver Levi abt 1797
Mariah Levi 28 Feb 1797
John Levi 1798
Phoebe Levi
Betsy Levi 1 Oct 1799
Frances and Elizabeth, twins who died in infancy
Willaim Levi (Or it may be we are confused and there is only one son, Willaim Levi.)
I find it hard to believe that a woman in her 40's would have all these babies so close together. Perhaps the Abigail Lamb who married William Levi was a daughter of Abigail Tryon Lamb. It would make more sense for a woman in her 20's to be having so many babies close together. If you look at the the family of Abigail's parents, Oliver Tryon and Deborah Mudge, you will see that the first daughter was named Deborah after her mother, one son was named Oliver after his father, and one son was named Ziba after his grandfather, Ziba Tryon. If Abigail Tryon grew up with siblings named after an earlier generation, she may well have wished to continue the tradition, especially if her parents died young, as we suspect they may have, by the record of her becoming the ward of Elnathan Goodrich. One son of Abigail's is named for her husband William, and one is named for her father Oliver. Abigail and her mother, Deborah, didn't rate namesakes. I am suggesting that the Abigail Lamb that married William Levi may have been the daughter of an Abigail Lamb who was the daughter of Abigail Tryon and Isaac Lamb. This relationship would make more sense from a fertility angle. On the other hand, William Levi was supposedly born around 1737 or 1747. He would have been in his 40's or 60's in the 1790's. Why would a girl in her 20's want to marry such an old man?
Another problem is the two sons, William Levi. William A Levi may have been from a previous marriage. Or it may be we are confused and there was only one son, William Levi.
Three of Abigail and Williams children married three siblings of the Jacob Demouth family form Morris County, New Jersey.
Oliver Levi married Mary Demouth
Mariah Levi married John Demouth (our ancestors)
Betsey Levi married Thomas Demouth
A fourth sibling, William A. Levi, Married the daughter of a neighbor and friend of Jacob Demouth, Abraham Crane.
So this is the end of our Mudge story and the prequel to our Demouth story. Our Mudges came to America very early in the colonial period. They were successful and prosperous builders of mills and surveyors of new towns. They participated in major ways in two of the big stories of our colonial era, Indian wars and witchcraft. One escaped the burning of Northfield, one's mother was hung as a witch, one lives to this day as a ghost at Mudge Pond.
Here's how we are related to our Mudges: Jarvis Mudge married Rebecca (the witch) and had Micah Mudge. Micah married Mary Alexander (from Scotland) and had Ebenezer (the ghost). Ebenezer married Abigail Skinner and had Deborah Mudge. Deborah married Oliver Tryon and had Abigail Tryon. Abigail married William Levi (the Hessian soldier) and had Mariah Levi. Mariah married John Demouth and had Jacob Demouth (who fought in the Civil War.) Jacob married Cordelia Martindale and had Samuel DeMouth (who fought in the Spanish-American War in the Philippines). Samuel married Elzora Pierce (and together with their children they practically starved to death on the prairie) and had Thelma DeMouth. Thelma DeMouth, the artist who painted L'Allegro, married Forrest Zimmerman and had Dianne. Dianne Zimmerman married Paul Stevens and had Dawne Stevens. Dawne married Jason Pamplin and had ... you wonderful children.!
So aren't you glad about the Mudges?
Love,
Granny
I found the following reference regarding an Isaac Lamb, Abigail his wife, and Job Mead in a book at WI State Historical Society. This Isaac lived in Amenia, NY, very close to Sharon, CT. However, it now appearss that this may have been a different Isaac Lamb. According to my correspondent, Mr. Layton, The Issac Lamb in Amenia was the son of William. Our Isaac Lamb was the son of Isaac Lamb. That Isaac Lamb died before 1790 according to FamilySearch. Right now (3/2012) I'm keeping my mind open.
31 Aug 2004:In response to a Query about the meaning of a finding re: Isaac Lamb's death reference
Intestate:Lamb, Isaac - Amenia, US Army soldier Date: 5/11/1792 To whom assigned: Abigail, his widow, renounced her rights and Job Mead, Amenia farmer (source: Dutchess Co., NY Probate Records 1787 - 1865; Register of Wills and letters Testamentary and of Administration in the Sur, Rhinebeck, NY 12572.)
" I received the following: I have a book "United Presbyterian Church in Amenia: History 1748-1910" that I purchased when I was there last week, while researching for my FARR ancestors in Amenia. In the records, it has an Isaac Lamb in 1758, donating 8 L to the building of the Red Meeting House. There is also a David Lamb donating 1 L , Nathan Mead Jr 6 L, Eli Mead 1 L, and Joab Mead 4 L - 10 S. ( L= pounds S= shillings). There is no baptismal records for either of these families between 1749-1775. There were no baptism records at all for the church between 1775-1786. Job Mead is mentioned in 1794 and is refered to as Capt Job Mead, and serving on the church committee. The Church was staunchly Puritan up til 1788, when it began it's move to Presbyterian. In 1800, Capt Job Mead donated $16.25 towards repairs to the church, Job Mead Jr 3.25, Nathan Mead 3.00. I do not find any Lamb's at all. Capt Job seems as tho he is a prominant figure within the church, until his death in 1819. I do have a copy of the Old Amenia Cemetery, showing all the graves, and who is buried where. I do not find any Lamb's as being buried in this cemetery (that I can see). I do find Mead's. There are other cemeteries in the Amenia area tho. Now, as to the meaning of what you found. I am going to venture a good guess at it. There was a lot of curfuffle happening in the church for some time. Some had left and became members of the newly formed Baptist church in town, not agreeing with the ways and administration of the Amenia Church. The church council changed the terms of covenant several times over the years. Being a member, you were to be totally committed, financially as well as spiritually. The church was one of great strictness it seems, almost to a form of a dictatorship by the elders. One of a few things could be probable. a) When Isaac died, his wife Abigail renounced her rights to his ownings, as well as Job Mead, as a leader of the church, as to what the church should get. b) Isaac owed Job monies, which he chose not to collect, being Bretheren to Isaac. c) depending when it was probated, it could have been that Abigail would receive nothing if she should re-marry (possibly, Mead). I do find an "A. Mead" buried in the cemetery near Capt Job. The financial records I found as charts in the book. I will read more of the actual text, and see if I can find more about Isaac. Good Luck ...... Mark"
Phoebe LEVI
This person is dead.
Frances LEVI
This person is dead.
Elizabeth LEVI
This person is dead.
William LEVI
This person is dead.
Samuel DEMOUTH
1860 Census - Samuel is living with his father and mother. His occupation is listed as shoemaker.
1870 Census shows mother Mariah living with this family
Elizabeth MCMUNN
This person is dead.
James DEMOUTH
1850 census gives James age as 21
Elsey Jane MCMUNN
This person is dead.
Jane per 1860 census.
1860 and 1870 census give birthplace NY, 1880 says Penn.
Per 2nd marriage doc: daughter of John and Phoebe Mc Munn
Per daughter Helena's marriage record Elsie's last name is Bovlur
Joseph Lanning BARBER
SOURCE: CENSUS REPORT - 1885 - WISCONSINENUMERATION of SOLDIERS and SAILORS of the LATE WARResiding in Clark County, WI, June 20, 1885 (Listed by Post Office of Residence) - lists J.L. Barber living in Christie
Frances Elizabeth DEMOUTH
On the 1860 census Frances is listed once with her birth family and once with her marriage family.
With her birth family her occupation is "seamstress."
Semantha Parle DEMOUTH
Parle per Calumet County Marriage Index
Frances WEBSTER
This person is dead.
Charles W. WEBSTER
This person is dead.