Wests
from Middlesex and Litchfield Counties, Connecticut:
Judah
West (1765-1825)
Compiled by Joy Ikelman, December
2014. Disclaimers apply. Note: The use of double dating, such as 1630/1631,
reflects the difference between the Julian and Gregorian Calendars.
Background: Judah West
(1765-1825) was added to West DNA Family Group #5 in 2007. [1] David West, Jr.
(1761-ca 1855) and Aaron West (1763-1840) were his brothers. They were
descendants of Thomas West (1630/1631-1720) of Essex County, Massachusetts. This
is the last of six articles about the Connecticut line of this FG#5 family.
This concludes my year-long study of the family of Thomas West.
Thomas West (1630/1631-1720) m. Phebe
Waters
- Benjamin West (1665-1733) m. Hannah Shadduck
- Benjamin West, Jr.
(1696-after 1739) m. Mehitable Bailey
- David West
(ca. 1736-1822) m. Judith Hills
- David
West, Jr. (1761-ca 1855) m. Unknown
- Aaron
West (1763-1840) m. Susannah Kellogg
- Judah West (1765-1825) m. Mary Todd
Three
Revolutionary War Patriots
Judah, Aaron, and David West were
brothers who served in the Revolutionary War. They were the sons of David West
(Sr.) and Judith Hills West. Their
combined service spans from 1776 to 1783—nearly the entire war. Their
Revolutionary War pension applications are a rich source of information on
historical events and also their personal lives. Each of the three articles on these
brothers includes a biography, references, and a transcript of the pension
application.
Judah West was born on 11 Sep 1765 [2] in
Middlesex County, Connecticut. Judah probably grew up on his family’s land in
what is today called East Hampton, Middlesex County, CT (south of Lake
Pocotopaug). [3] There was another Judah West born in Connecticut about this
time, so it is important to follow the correct family! [4]
Revolutionary
War Service
In 1781, one month before his sixteenth
birthday, Judah West voluntarily enlisted in the service at Chatham, Middlesex
County, CT. [5] He served from August 1781 through December 1783.
Judah West’s pension application says
that he served under Colonel Jackson and also under Colonel Sprout. He was in
Captain Smith’s company. He was in the third or eighth regiment on the
Massachusetts Line. There is some confusion on this. His pension application
mentions the eighth regiment. His official discharge from service—included with
his pension application—says the third regiment.
By the Honourable
Major-General Knox Commanding the American Forces on Hudson’s River. Here may
certify that Judah West, private in the third Massachusetts Regiment, being
enlisted for Three Years, is hereby honourably discharged from the Service of
the United States. Given in the State of New York, the twenty third Day of
December 1783. By the General’s Command. H Knox MGen. Registered in the Books of the Regiment, John
B. Stafford, Adjt
Two secondary sources have other
versions. A mention in Annals of
Winchester says Judah West served in the eighth company, second regiment.
[6] Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of
the Revolutionary War (1896) says:
West, Judah. Private,
Capt. Ebenezer Smith’s (Seventh) Co., Eighth Mass. Regt. Commanded by Col.
Michael Jackson; muster roll for April, 1783, balance of term of enlistment
unexpired, 15 months 18 days. [7]
Judah West enlisted in Middlesex County,
CT but served on the Massachusetts Line instead of the Connecticut Line. Why
did this happen?
The Continental Congress assigned each State
a number of soldiers required to maintain a viable Continental Army.
Connecticut was divided into districts, and a close accounting was made of all
males 16 years and older. As an example, Middlesex County, CT, took care “that
the old men, middle aged & young men, rich and poor men be distributed into
each of the said classes equally as may be, & notify the same accordingly.”
[8]
After the men were trained, they were usually
assigned to the Connecticut Line. However, each State had their own system, and
sometimes negotiated with other States to meet their recruitment goals. The
list of Connecticut pensioners in 1818 shows the diversity of service. Judah is
noted as “Priv., Mass.” Other men from Connecticut served on the Rhode Island,
New York, and New Jersey Lines. [9]
In 1780, the Continental Congress (with
General George Washington) reorganized the Army. By 15 Nov 1783, all the Massachusetts
regiments had disbanded, and thus, the Massachusetts Line was no longer in
existence. [10] Judah West was discharged in December.
The
West Family Moves to Litchfield County, Connecticut
In 1783, David West
and Judith Hills West, Judah’s parents, moved the family to Winsted (Winchester
Township), Litchfield County, CT. Winchester was considered a remote area at
the time. David West “first lived in a log house at the base of Cobble Hill on
Spencer Street, a little south of the site of the Joshua Hewitt dwelling.” [11]
He later lived on the turnpike (Main Street) in “an old house on the site of
George Dudley’s residence. [12]
Judah, who was 18
years old, moved with his family to Winsted. There were six other children,
ages 6 to 16, living at home. Judah’s older brother Aaron also moved to Winsted.
He lived on Spencer Street, like his father. He was “a grantee of the Lockwood
Farm.” [13]
Judah West “first lived on the Halsey
Burr place on the old Still River turnpike” and then “on the east side of the
same road where the old toll gate was located.” [14] Today, this is in the
region of Connecticut Route 8 and U.S. Route 44. Judah lived there until his
death in 1825. An inventory with his pension application stated that he had 20
acres of land (in 1818).
Marriage
to Mary Todd
Two years after moving to Winsted, Judah
married Mary Todd of Winchester. They were married on 26 Dec 1785 in Colebrook,
Litchfield County, CT [15] at Elijah Rockwell, Sr.’s house. Rockwell was a Justice
of the Peace. [16]
Mary Todd West’s birth year and birth
place are not known. Her tombstone implies (but does not state) that she was
born in 1764. Judah West’s pension application says it is 1760; her widow’s
pension application suggests it is 1763. According to the Census of 1840, her
birth year is possibly 1761. It was not unusual to be unsure of your birth date
during those times.
Children
of Judah and Mary West
Only the first four children are
recorded in Winchester, Connecticut Vital
Records. Fortunately for family researchers, another interesting record
exists. A page from a West Family Bible was included with Mary West’s pension
application. The page was in the handwriting of Hiram Wescott (who married
Flora West). He copied information from Judah West’s older Bible to a new one
(in 1821) at the request of Mary West. The original had been in Judah West’s
handwriting. Wescott testified that it was a “true copy.” This copy was torn
out of the Bible and sent with Mary’s application. [17]
The first copied entry is a child named
Christopher Basset, born 6 Sept 1782. [18] Edgar West testified that:
.
. . I further state that I have always understood that Christopher Basset whose
birth is first entered on said record is not the son of my said father but an
illegitimate son of my said mother born several years before the Marriage of my
said father & mother.
Mary West would have been about 16 to 18
years old when she had this child. We do not know the circumstances or the fate
of Christopher. Nine West children are listed on the Bible page: Polly, David,
Alpha, Nancy, David, Hannah, Edgar, Welthy, and Flora. All were born in Winsted,
Connecticut, from 1786 through 1804.
Note: All census information below is from the Records of the Bureau of the Census, National Archives, Washington, D.C. Images from the originals are available from
various on-line sources.
1. Mary (or
Polly) West b. 26 Sep 1786. [19]
m. about
1806 Erastus Burr. [20]
Mary and
Erastus Burr moved to western New York about 1812. [21] In the 1820 Census,
Erastus Burr and his family are counted in Butternuts, Otsego County, New York.
There are two adults and four children. In the 1830 Census they have two
children living at home. It appears from later census records that Erastus did
not move from the area, but may have remarried.
2. David West
b. 20 Feb 1789; d. 22 Feb 1790. [22] He lived one year.
3. Alpha West
b. 4 Sep 1790 [23]; d. 8 Mar 1848; buried at Concord Township Cemetery, Lake
County, Ohio. [24]
m. Anna,
b. 1792; d. 9 Nov 1864; buried at Concord Township Cemetery. [25]
According
to the 1820 Census, Alpha West and his family lived in Butternuts, Otsego
County, New York. There are two adults and four children. Erastus and Mary West
Burr lived there also.
In the
1830 Census, Alpha West and his family lived in New Berlin, Chenango, New York.
There are two adults and six children. His younger brother David is also listed
in this Census. “Historical Sketches of Old New Berlin” mentions them both:
Alpha
West and his brother David were among the first settlers in the neighborhood of
the Swan farm. It was the custom then to have company trainings, officer
trainings and regimental trainings yearly, and Alpha and David performed their
military duties as musicians, making the wild woods ring with martial music on
parade days. They too, went west a long time ago to seek their fortune in other
lands. [26]
When Alpha
and David West were living in New Berlin, some West DNA Family Group #5 cousins
were living in Norwich (in the same county) about nine miles away. [27] The
cousins were Stephen, Ephraim, David, Talmadge, and Clinton West. They were
descended from Samuel West (b. about 1659/1660). Alpha and David were descended
from Samuel’s brother, Benjamin West (b. 1665). I’m not sure that the cousins
knew about each other.
I could
not find Alpha West in the 1840 Census. In 1848, Alpha was the first of the
West family to be buried at Concord Township Cemetery in Lake County, Ohio.
4. Nancy West
b. 6 Sept 1792 [28]; d. 10 May 1850; buried at Concord Township Cemetery, Lake
County, Ohio. [29]
m. Roswell
Burr (1794-1857), brother to Halsey Burr and Erastus Burr. Erastus married Mary
(Polly).
Children
included David Burr, Luther Burr, Halsey Burr, and Roswell Burr. [30]
In the
1830 Census Nancy and Roswell, and five or six children were living in
Winchester, Litchfield County, CT. They moved to Ohio in 1833. [31] In the 1840
Census, they were in Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio; no children were living with
them.
The rest of the
children are recorded in the Bible record but not in Winchester Vital Records.
5. David West
b. 13 Jun 1794 [32]; d. 16 Aug 1878; buried in Sugar Grove Cemetery, Kane
County, Illinois. [33]
m. (1) 5
Feb 1816 Dorothy “Dolly” Phelps, in Chenango County, NY. She was born 13 Feb
1794 in New York and died 7 Feb 1831. [34] She is buried at Upper Phelps
Cemetery in New Berlin, Chenango County, NY. Some of their children were also
buried there. [36] There were “seven children, three living” (in 1878). [37] One
was William P. West, b. 11 Mar 1818; d. 14 May 1886. [38]
m. (2) 7
Feb 1832 Rachel Simmons Stoddard, a widow, in Chenango County, NY. [39] She was
born 31 May 1803 in Winsted, Litchfield County, CT. [40] She married (1) Norman
Stoddard of Litchfield, CT, 18 Apr 1822. [41] She died 6 Aug 1884 in
Blackberry, Kane County, IL. She is buried with David West in Sugar Grove Cemetery.
The monument says “Father and Mother.” [42] David and Rachel had five children
including George C. West, F.J. West, Theron W. West, and Helen E. West Reeves.
[43]
David West
and his older brother Alpha lived in New Berlin, Chenango County, NY at the
same time. Please refer to Alpha’s entry. The entry also mentions DNA cousins
that lived in Norwich, Chenango County, NY, nine miles away. Beatrice West
Seitz, genealogist for these cousins, examined land deeds and included those
for David and Dorothy West in her publication. [44] See the reference for abstracts.
David West
was listed in the 1840 Census of New Berlin, Chenango County, NY. David, Rachel
and their children came to Kane County, Illinois in September 1843. [45] He was
listed in the 1850 Census of Blackberry, Kane County, IL.
David
West’s home was “a stopping place of many of the stockmen who were enroute to
Chicago, and he was also quite friendly with the Indians. . .” The Wests were
considered an “honored pioneer family” in Kane County, IL. [46]
6. Hannah West
b. 20 Jul 1796 [47]; d. 14 Jun 1856; buried at Concord Township Cemetery, Lake
County, Ohio. [48]
m. J.P. (John
Peter) Oviatt [49]
Children
included Huldah Oviatt Burr, Maryette Oviatt Wilcox, Harriett Oviatt Hodges. [50]
The Oviatt family was listed in the 1840 Census for Concord, Lake County, Ohio.
7. Edgar West
b. 8 Jan 1798 [51]; d. 14 Jun 1883; buried at Concord Township Cemetery, Lake
County, Ohio. [52]
m.
Margaret A. Wilson. [53]
In the
1820 Census, Edgar West was living in Winchester, Litchfield County, CT with
his wife and one child under ten years old. In the 1830 Census, Edgar West was
in Concord, Geauga County, Ohio with his wife and five children. Edgar was the
first sibling who moved to Ohio with his family.
In the
1840 Census, Edgar West, his wife and eight children are listed in Chardon,
Geauga County, Ohio. There is an elderly woman living with them. This is Mary
West, who moved from Winsted, Connecticut in about 1836. [54]
In Dec
1864, Edgar West was appointed to represent his district in a committee for the
“Christmas Jubilee”—an event that gave donations to soldiers’ families (Union
Army). [55] In Oct 1865, Edgar West was re-elected as a Justice of the Peace in
Chardon. [56]
In the
1880 Census of Chardon, Edgar is listed as a widower and is 81 years old.
8. Welthy or
Wealthy West b. 18 May 1801 [57]
m. 19 Jun
1822 Watrous T. Menter. [58] Menter is noted as an officer in the Chardon Grand
Lodge (Masons) in Ohio (1842), with Hiram Wescott, who married Flora West. [59]
9. Flora West
b. 1 Dec 1804 [60]; d. 17 Nov 1848; probably buried at Concord Township
Cemetery, Lake County Ohio. [61]
m. 29 Nov
1821 Hiram Wescott (b. 21 Dec 1798). [62] The 1830 Census lists them in
Barkhamsted, Litchfield, CT. After Flora died, Hiram married (2) 2 Aug 1849
Hannah Hosford. [63]. Hiram and Hannah Hosford Wescott are buried together at Chardon
Municipal Cemetery, Geauga County, OH. [64].
Timeline
for Judah and Mary West
1790,
1800 and 1810. The Census of 1790 for
Winchester, Litchfield, CT shows Judah and Mary, and two children. The Census
of 1800 shows the growing family of eight children. The Census of 1810 has no
listing for Judah and his family. They may have not been counted, or the
records may have been lost. There is another possibility. Did they live in New
York at that time?
In 1810, brother Aaron West was living
in the region of Whitestown, Oneida County, New York. [65] Whitestown was located on a
very large land patent belonging to investors securing a new frontier. These
settlements were on the route to the Connecticut Western Reserve, a parcel that
would become the future State of Ohio. [66]. Family tradition says that Aaron
West was a lumberman, and moved from site to site clearing lands for settlement.
[67] Perhaps Aaron invited Judah to join the venture. Aaron’s name was listed
as “A. West” in the Oneida County Census of 1810. There are other Wests listed by initial—“P,” “W,” “Z”
(or “T”) and two with the initial “J”. The listing for one “J. West” accounts
for almost all of Judah and Mary’s children. However, the listing is not
exactly correct, so we cannot take this as proof without more information.
1818. In April 1818, Judah West applied for his Revolutionary
War pension. He was living in Winsted (Winchester Township), Litchfield County,
CT.
1820.
Judah appeared in court in 1820, and
provided an inventory of his possessions. This inventory is below, in the section,
“Judah West’s Revolutionary War Pension Application.” In July of 1820, he began
receiving 8 dollars per month (about $163 per year—$1,960 per year today). [68]
In the Census of 1820, Judah and Mary are listed with two children. These would
be Wealthy and Flora.
1825. Judah West died on 9 Apr 1825. He is buried at Winsted
Old Burying Ground (Central Cemetery) in Winsted, Connecticut near his mother. [69]
His marker reads:
In Memory of Judah
West who died 9 April 1825 at 60 yrs
How sudden was the
fatal stroke
When
the Lord his summons spoke
My friends &
children now draw near
And see that you
for death prepare.
1830. In the 1830 Census of Winchester, Litchfield, CT,
Mary West is living by herself. Judah and Mary had been married about 40 years.
Only Roswell and Nancy West Burr still remained in the area. The rest of her
children had moved to New York and Ohio. Her son Edgar was the first to move to
Geauga County, Ohio in the Connecticut Western Reserve, and eventually, others
followed.
1836. Mary moved to Ohio in about 1836. [70]
1840. The Census of 1840 shows that Mary is living with her
son Edgar West in Chardon, Geauga County, OH.
1841. In 1841, Mary applied for the “widow’s pension.” She
received $80 per year (about $2,100 today). [71] According to a contributor on
the Findagrave Web site, Mary West married Alfred Tucker in 1841. Her tombstone
says “Mary Tucker,” but I could find no verification of the date of their
marriage.
1850. Mary’s tombstone at Concord Township Cemetery (Lake
County, OH) says, “Mary Tucker, former wife of Judah West, 26 May 1850, age 86
years.” [72] Other family members buried there include Alpha and Anna West,
Roswell and Nancy West Burr, John and Hannah West Oviatt, and Edgar and
Margaret Wilson West.
Looking
for the Link to Another West Family
West DNA Family Group #5 includes a
variety of mystery ancestors, linked by DNA. The line of Judah West and another
line, David West (b. 1758) of Dutchess and Genesee Counties, NY, share an
interesting DNA similarity. The results say:
It
appears likely that [the two modern day participants] are from the same branch
of this family that either immigrated to the New England area, or moved there
from the Virginia area before 1750. [The two participants] have values of 30
for the marker DYS 389-2, while everyone else in this group have values of 29.
[73]
David West (b.1758) may have descended
from Thomas West (b. 1630/1631) or his brother Henry West (b.1629) just like
Judah West. Or, perhaps there was another male ancestor that has yet to be
discovered. So far, the link between Judah West and his DNA cousin David West
has not been determined.
References
and Additional Notes
1. West DNA Family Group #5 results are at
http://web.utk.edu/~corn/westdna/west5.htm#FG5.
2. Lorraine Cook White,
editor, 1994-2002: The Lucius Barnes Barbour
Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records, Vol. 1-155, Genealogical
Publishing Company, Baltimore, Maryland, “Chatham Vital Records,” p. 163. Also
known as the Barbour Collection.
3. This was the location of the West family land in
Middlesex County. Benjamin and Hannah West settled in the area in 1698. For
more of this history please consult the article: http://westproj.blogspot.com/2014/07/benjamin-west-1665-1733.html
4. The other Judah West was born 4 Apr 1757 in Lebanon, New London
County, CT. He was the son of Amos West and Sarah Cutter. Information comes
from the Barbour Collection, “Lebanon
Vital Records,” p. 223. He is very likely part of West DNA Family Group
#19—descended from Francis West and Margery Reeves. For the listing of West DNA
results go to: http://web.utk.edu/~corn/westdna/west5.htm.
5. Judah West, Private, Massachusetts Line, 1781-1783. Pension
certificate No. 1020, 12 June 1818. Mary West (Widow’s Application) File No.
W6451, 27 April 1841. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington,
DC. Digital images on HeritageQuest.com. Accessed Dec 2013.
6. John Boyd, 1873: Annals of Family Records of Winchester,
Connecticut with Exercises of the Centennial Celebration, on the 16th
and 17th Days of August, 1871, Case, Lockwood, and Brainard,
Hartford, CT, p. 162.
7. Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts, 1896: Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the
Revolutionary War, Volume 16, Wright and Potter Printing, Boston,
Massachusetts, p. 898.
8. History of Middlesex County,
“Middletown in the Revolution,” p. 80. From the town meeting of 14 Apr 1772.
9. Henry P. Johnston, editor, 1889: “List of Revolutionary
Pensioners—Connecticut,” The Record of
Connecticut Men in the Military and Naval Service during the War of the Revolution,
1775-1783, The Adjutant-General of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, p. 637.
10. Robert K. Wright, Jr., 1983: The
Continental Army, Center of Military History, United States Army,
Washington, D.C., p. 207-210. Referenced as part of the Wikipedia entry,
“Massachusetts Line.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Line. Accessed
December 2014.
11. Boyd, p. 289.
12. Boyd, p. 378.
13. Boyd, p. 297. Judah West’s cousin, Hopkins West, moved to Winchester
at the same time. He later moved to Cambridge, NY. (Boyd, p. 157). Hopkins West
was the son of Moses West and Sarah Hopkins.
14. Boyd, p. 289.
15. Barbour Collection, “Colebrook
Vital Records 1779-1810,” p. 78 and 259. Also in Boyd, p. 289. In her widow’s
pension application, Mary said the date was 15 Dec 1786.
16. Testimony of Elijah Rockwell, Jr. of Colebrook, and Lebinah and
Martha Smith of Winchester, in Mary West’s application, 1841. Elijah Jr.
remembered the wedding of Judah and Mary.
17. Hiram Wescott, 1821: “The Record of Judah West Family.” Page copied
from Judah West’s handwriting into a Bible in 1821. This is on the inside front
page of The New Testament of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, Translated Out of the Original Greek: and with the Former
Translations Diligently Compared and Revised, W. Greenough Publishing (1820),
Lunenburg, Massachusetts. Also referred to as “The Bible record.”
18. The written entry looks like “Bapet.” During this era, a stylized “p”
generally indicated a double “s.”
19. Barbour Collection, “Winchester
Vital Records 1771-1858,” p. 78. The Bible record says 1787.
20. Boyd, p. 385.
21. Boyd p. 325. Erastus, Halsey, and Roswell Burr were brothers in the
scythe making trade (in Winchester).
22. Barbour Collection, “Winchester
Vital Records 1771-1858,” p. 78. Both birth and death dates are from this
source. The Bible record says 1790.
23. Barbour
Collection, “Winchester Vital Records 1771-1858,” p. 78. The Bible record
says 1791.
24. http://www.findagrave.com.
25. Ibid.
26. Unadilla Valley Historical Society, 1907:
“Historical Sketches of Old Berlin,” by John Hyde (1876); Volume One, Transactions of the Unadilla Valley Historical Society,
George H. Willard, New Berlin, New York, p. 92.
27. Beatrice West Seitz, 1971: West, Barker, Hodges; New York to Wisconsin 1836-1846. Self
published, Janesville, Wisconsin, p. 12, 26, and others.
28. Barbour
Collection, “Winchester Vital Records 1771-1858,” p. 78. The Bible record
says 1793.
29. http://www.findagrave.com. The Burr ancestral
family line is described in the entry.
30. Boyd, p. 385.
31. Ibid.
32. This is the date in the Bible record. Also, Henry
Pierce, Arthur Merrill, and W.H. Perrin, compilers, 1878: The Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois, Wm Le Baron Jr. and
Company, Chicago, Illinois, p. 618. Information is from the biographical entry
for “G.C. West” of Blackberry.
33. http://www.findagrave.com. David West’s tombstone
says he died at “85 years 1 Mo. 23 D’s.” He shares a tombstone with Rachel
West, his second wife, who died at “81 years 2 M’s 5 D’s.”
34. Pierce et. al, p. 618. Dorothy’s birth, marriage,
and death dates are in the entry for G.C. West.
35. Pictures of the Upper Phelps Cemetery are at
http://www.findagrave.com. Dorothy “Dolly” Phelps West’s tombstone is
surrounded by little tombstones for children of the Phelps and West families.
36. http://www.findagrave.com.
37. Pierce et. al, p. 618.
38. Copies of William P. West’s obituary and death
certificate were posted by a descendant on ancestry.com. The death certificate
lists David and Dolly West as William’s parents.
39. Pierce et. al, p. 618.
40. R. Waite Joslyn and Frank W. Joslyn, 1908: History of Kane County, Ill., Volume II,
The Pioneer Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, p. 671. This is another brief
biography of George C. West. It is noted that “He has in his possession some
furniture which was used by his great-great-grandfather.” This would be
Benjamin West, Jr. (1696-ca 1739) who lived in Middlesex County, CT.
41. Barbour
Collection, “Litchfield Vital Records, 1719-1854,” p. 229.
42. http://www.findagrave.com.
43. Joslyn and Joslyn, p. 672.
44. Seitz, p. 12. In her examination of West land deed
abstracts for her line, Seitz included the ones for David and Dorothy West. She
could not figure out where David West fit into her line.
GG,
page 475—03 Sep 1823—David West, New Berlin and wife Dorothy West.
OO,
pages 54, 55—06 Mar 1830—David West and wife Dolly, town of New Berlin, County
of Chenango; witness Nathan Taylor.
00—15
May 1830—David West & Dolly, his wife to Lockhart W. Guile, New Berlin,
#340, 28 and one-half acres of land, township 16.
PP,
page 87—31 Aug 1830—David West, New Berlin & Wm. Conradt, Cortland, 10
acres for $35 township 20.
45. Pierce et. al, p. 618.
46. Joslyn and
Joslyn, p. 672.
47. This is the date in the Bible record.
48. http://www.findagrave.com. “Hannah, wife of J.P.
Oviatt, died June 14, 1787, aged 61 years.”
49. Boyd, p. 289.
50. http://www.findagrave.com.
51. This is the date in the Bible record.
52. http://www.findagrave.com. “Edgar West, Died June
14, 1883, Aged 84.” His tombstone has a Masonic symbol on it.
53. Boyd, p. 289.
54. Linus Wilson’s testimony in Mary West’s application.
He testified in 1841: “I was well acquainted with them, and lived for many
years a near neighbor, that since the decease of said Judah, and about five
years ago, said Mary came to Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio.”
55. The
Jeffersonian Democrat, Chardon, Ohio, December 9, 1864, page 3.
56. The
Jeffersonian Democrat, Chardon, Ohio, October 13, 1865, page 3.
57. This is the date in the Bible record.
58. Barbour
Collection, “Barkhamsted Vital Records 1779-1854,” p. 60. “West, Wealthy M.
of Winchester, m. Watrous T. Menter, of Barkhamsted, June 19, 1822, by Saul
Clark.”
59. Historical Society of Geauga County, 1880: Pioneer and General History of Geauga
County: With Sketches of Some of the Pioneers and Prominent Men, Geauga
County, Ohio, p. 82.
60. This is the date in the Bible record.
61. http://www.findagrave.com. There is no photo of
Flora West’s tombstone.
62. Boyd, p. 289.
63. Geauga
County Genealogy Society, 1999: Geauga County
Ohio, Marriages, 1806-1919 Grooms Index. Compiled for USGenWeb. http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/geauga/vitals/marriages/grooms/w1.txt
64. Geauga County Genealogical Society, 2001: Geauga County Ohio: Chardon Village Cemetery Files.
Compiled for USGenWeb. http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/geauga/cemeteries/chv/alpha/atoz.txt.
A picture of their tombstone is shown on http://www.findagrave.com.
65. Aaron West,
Private, Connecticut Line, 1779-1782. Pension certificate No. 19607, Orwell,
Oswego County, New York, 24 September 1832. Susanna West (Widow’s Application)
File No. W19607, 7 December 1840. National Archives and Records Administration,
Washington, DC. Digital images on HeritageQuest.com. Accessed Dec 2013. Please
see the blog article on Aaron West at:
http://westproj.blogspot.com/2014/11/aaron-west-1763-1840.html
66. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_Western_Reserve. Accessed
Oct 2014.
67. Charles D.
Fitzgerald, 1995: “Grandpa Was a Soldier . . . (But Never Fired a Shot at the
Enemy!),” Heritage Quest, The
International Genealogy Forum, Issue 60, November-December 1995, p. 17.
68. The inflation calculator that I used is at http://www.davemanuel.com/inflation-calculator.php.
Accessed Nov 2014.
69. Charles R. Hale, compiler,
1916-1935: “Central Cemetery, Winsted,” The Charles R. Hale
Collection of Connecticut Cemetery Inscriptions, Connecticut State Library,
Hartford, Connecticut, p. 171. The tombstones of Judah and his mother can be
found at http://www.findagrave.com.
70. Linus Wilson’s testimony. See Reference 54.
71. The inflation calculator that I used is at http://www.davemanuel.com/inflation-calculator.php.
Accessed Nov 2014.
72. http://www.findagrave.com.
73. West DNA Family Group #5 results are at http://web.utk.edu/~corn/westdna/west5.htm#FG5.
Judah
West’s Revolutionary War Pension Application
April 6, 1818
I Judah West of
Winchester in the County of Litchfield and State of Connecticut depose and
declare that in the month of August 1781 I enlisted as a Soldier in the Service
of my Country in the Revolutionary war against the Common Enemy in the Company of
a Capt. Smith in the Regmt of Col Jackson in the Massachusetts line and I
joined the Army at West Point. I served about two years under Col. Jackson and
the next part of the time under Col. Sprout. General Patterson Commanded the
Brigade I Belonged to. I enlisted for three years and served faithfully until
the Army was Disbanded and the war closed. Then I received my Discharge under
the hand of General Knox dated the 23rd day of December 1783, which
I send here with enclosed. I further Depose and Declare that I am poor and
needy and have in need of the aid of my Country for Support. I am Fifty two
years old and have a family. Judah West. (signature)
State of
Connecticut to Litchfield County April 6th day 1818. Personally
approved Judah West signer of the above affidavit and made solemn Oath to truth
of the same before me. Augustus Pettibone, Chief Judge, Litchfield County
Court. To: Hon John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War.
July 5, 1820
District of
Connecticut, County of Litchfield, County Court on this 5 day of July 1820
personally appeared in open court, being a court of Record for said county in
said district, having the power to fine and imprison Judah West aged 56 years
resident in said county, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on
his oath declare that he served in the Revolutionary War as follows: He
enlisted into the 8th Regiment Massachusetts line Michael or Henry
Jackson Colonel, Capt Smith’s company, August 1781 and continued until the end
of the War, and his discharge is to be found in the department of war, forwarded
by him under his petition for a pension – that his original declaration was stated
the 6th of April 1818 and that he received a pension certificate No.
1020.
. . .and I do solemnly
swear that I was a resident citizen of the United States . . . and that I have
not nor has any person in trust for me any property, or securities, contracts
or debts due to me; nor have I income other than that what is contained in the
schedule hereto annexed and by me subscribed, viz
$53.00 A life Estate in ___ of my wife of twenty
acres of broken land lying in Winchester with a cottage & barn standing
there on
42.00
2 Cows & ten sheep
3.00
1 hog
10 Geese 5 Hens
1.75 1 Draught ___ one ax, 1 hoe
.75 1 Saw, 1 hammer 1 shave
3.50 8 chairs, ____ & ____
2.25 1 set andirons 2 old broken pots - 2 kettles
.75 Tea Kettle dish Kettle 6 Knives and
forks
3.00 2 old tables – 2 chairs
.35
1 looking glass small & old
2.00 1 wooden desk
1.00 And sundry other articles as jugs, basins,
plates and tea cups & saucers not distinctly enumerated barely however sufficient
for present necessity
$112.25
Judah (his mark)
West
There is also a
note in my name which is and always was the property of my son, being ___ of
his own industry, for 100 dollars and dated 7 Sep 1815. Endorsed 10 Mar 1817.
Thirty eight Dollars and 18 Nov 1817 Twelve dollars & 47 cents. There are
honest debts against me of the amount one hundred and fifty dollars.
I am a man infirm:
having had 2 shocks of palsy – but am able to do some labour. I am by occupation
a laboring man. My family consists of my wife Mary West & two Daughters –
my wife is 58 years old, is infirm,
& unable to labour much & one of my daughters is 17 years of age, the
other fifteen & dependent on me for support. Judah (his mark) West
Court agreed that
the total value of the property was $112.25, 17 Jul 1820.
c/o Hon John L.
Calhoun, Secretary of War.
