52 Ancestors: #38, Samuel Orcutt Washburn

Samuel Orcutt Washburn, my great-great-great-grandfather, was born on 5 May 1798 or 1799, to Jeremiah and Hannah (Orcutt) Washburn in Sutton, Orleans County, Vermont.¹

Samuel Orcutt Washburn birth, 1798

Marriage of Samuel Washburn
and Mary "Polmeteer", 1829

Throughout his adult life, Samuel would repeatedly move back and forth across the U.S.-Canada border, between northern Vermont, southern Quebec, and northeast New York. In 1829, he was farming in Rougement, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, and on 10 March 1829, he married 17-year-old Mary Polmeteer at St. Paul d'Abbotsford Anglican Church in nearby Abbotsford.²

Over the next three decades, Samuel and Mary had at least 13 children, including two sets of twins, and you can trace their migrations by their children's birthplaces:³

1. Mary S. (1831-1917), b. Milton, Shefford, QC; married 1) Stephen Yates, 2) Uriah Woodward
2. Lydia Ann (1832-1902), b. Milton, Shefford, QC; married Charles Bennett
3. John P. (1834-1916), b. Milton, Shefford, QC; married Laura Armstrong
4. Samuel O. (1834-1864), b. Milton, Shefford, QC; married Mercy Moulton
5. David L. (1837-????), b. Chazy, Clinton Co., NY
6. Olive (1839-????), b. Chazy, Clinton Co., NY
7. Charlotte D. (1841-1890), b. Sciota, Clinton Co., NY; married Charles H. Griffin
8. George (ca 1843-????), b. Sciota, Clinton Co., NY; possibly married Stella Adams
9. Hannah E. (1845-), b. Farnham, Missisquoi, QC; married 1) James Rush, 2) George Rush
10. Diana P. (1847-1919), b. Farnham, Missisquoi, QC; married Leander Coffin
11. (Twin) (1847), b. Farnham, Missisquoi, QC
12. Harmon N. (1850-????), b. Canada
13. Norman E. (1856-aft 1900), b. Canada

Samuel died in Holland, Vermont, where he is buried in Mead Hill Cemetery. Vermont vital records,⁴ and his gravestone,⁵ concur that he died on 22 January 1850, at the age of 50 years, 8 months, and 17 days, which matches the 5 May 1799 birthdate on the stone.

Death of Samuel O. Washburn, 1850

Samuel O. Washburn gravestone, Mead Hill Cemetery, Holland, Vermont

It is, however, impossible to reconcile this death date with either the 1850 census⁶ in Holland – where 52-year-old Samuel Washburn was enumerated on 18 September along with his wife Mary, his son-in-law and daughter Stephen and Mary Yates and their first child, and seven of their children, misidentified as Yates children – or with the existence of the last two children, who first appear in the 1860 census⁷ in the household of "Widow Saml Washburn," next door to Stephen and Mary Yates.

1850 U.S. census, Holland, Orleans County, Vermont, Saml Washburn household

1860 U.S. census, Holland, Orleans County, Vermont, "Widow Saml Washburn" household

What to make of this? My hypothesis is that the gravestone was miscarved (perhaps erected long after his burial), and the vital records card was copied from the gravestone, rather than from town records.⁸ If so, when did he die? The numerous online family trees are about evenly split between 1850 (obviously from the vital records and gravestone) and 1855 – though no one gives a source for that year, and it's still too early to account for Norman. Conceivably the correct year may be as late as 1859.

My descent from Samuel Orcutt Washburn:

• Samuel Orcutt Washburn + Mary Palmeteer
• Mary Washburn + Uriah Sawyer Woodward
• Eva May Woodward + Peter Louis Rabideau
• Glenna Marie Rabideau + William George Murphy (my maternal grandparents)

(Note: This post is in response to Amy Johnson Crow's "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge at No Story Too Small.)

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SOURCES

1. "Vermont, Vital Records, 1720-1908," database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 Sep 2014), Samuel Orcutt Washburn birth, 1798. For the 1799 possibility, see his death record below.
2. St. Paul d'Abbotsford Anglican Church (Abbotsford, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec), church register, 1829, folio 5r, marriage of Samuel Washburn and Mary "Polmeteer"; digital images, "Québec, registres des églises protestantes, 1763-1967," FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 22 Sep 2014), path: Abbotsford & Rougemont > Church of England in Canada Mission of Abbotsford and Rougemont > Baptisms, marriages, burials with index 1829 > image 7 of 20; citing Archives Nationales du Québec, Sainte-Foy.
3. The birthplaces are rather tentative; this family seemed to report their places of birth almost randomly in successive censuses, and vital records are very sketchy. Research is ongoing.
4. "Vermont, Vital Records, 1720-1908," database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 Sep 2014), Samuel O. Washburn death, 1850. 
5. Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 21 Sep 2014), database and digital images, memorial # 22761238 for Samuel Orcutt Washburn (1799-1850), created by "Lar" (8 Nov 2007), with photographs by "Thomas"; citing Mead Hill Cemetery (Holland, Orleans County, Vermont).  
6. 1850 U.S. Census, Orleans County, Vermont, Holland, page number illegible, dwelling 62, family 62, Saml Washburn household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 Apr 2014). Samuel's given age in the census record corresponds to the 1798 date in his birth record.
7. 1860 U.S. Census, Orleans County, Vermont, Holland, p. 71, dwelling 547, family 552, "Widow Saml Washburn" household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 Apr 2014). Harmon (who disappears after this census so may have died young) might conceivably be explained as a posthumous child. I might have dismissed Norman as perhaps being a nephew or other relative, were it not that he appears in 1880 listed as a brother-in-law in the household of Charles Griffin (husband of Norman's sister Charlotte). He also appears in 1900 in the household of Leander Coffin (husband of Norman's sister Diana), though more ambiguously as a "boarder."
8. Ancestry.com's description of the database states: "In 1857, the state began requiring town clerks to create records of the previous year’s vital events and send them to the secretary of state. The state sent cards to cities and towns, where clerks filled them out with data extracted from their vital records and then sent them back.... There were also known gaps in early death records, and clerks were encouraged to fill these gaps with cemetery records [emphasis added]. You’ll find these among the records with dates prior to 1870 in this database."

Ahnentafel of Glenna M. (Rabideau) Murphy

Finishing up with my grandparents' Ahnentafels and pedigree charts, this week I have my maternal grandmother, Glenna Marie (Rabideau) Murphy.

Pedigree of Glenna Marie (Rabideau) Murphy (click image for a larger view)

1 Glenna Marie RABIDEAU. She was born in Milan, Coos, NH, on 22 May 1899. Died on 27 Apr 1968 in Dorchester, MA; she was 68. She was buried in Pine Hill Cemetery, Tewksbury, MA, on 21 Jun 1969. Cause of death: Heart attack.

She married William George MURPHY on 21 Oct 1922 in Littleton, NH.

2 Peter Louis RABIDEAU. He was born in Milan, Coos, NH, on 15 Apr 1870. Died on 15 Dec 1946 in Norway, ME; he was 76. He was buried in Milan, Coos, NH.

He married Eva May WOODWARD on 3 Nov 1894 in Berlin, Coos, NH.

3 Eva “Evie” May WOODWARD. She was born in Holland, VT, on 27 Jan 1871. Died on 24 Aug 1953 in Cumberland Center, ME; she was 82. She was buried in Milan, Coos, NH.

4 Louis RABIDEAU. He was born in Arthabaska, QC, on 23 Apr 1850. Died aft 1913; he was 62.

He married Marie Célina CLOUTIER aft 25 Sep 1869.

5 Marie Célina CLOUTIER. She was born in poss St. Christophe, QC, ca 1849-52. Died on 24 Jan 1881 in Berlin, Coos, NH; she was 32.

6 Uriah Sawyer WOODWARD. He was born in Danville, VT, on 10 Mar 1847. Died on 7 Mar 1881 in Holland, VT; he was 33. He was buried in Dummer, Coos, NH, in Mar 1881. He was buried in Milan, Coos, NH, in 1908.

He married Mary A. WASHBURN on 12 Apr 1867 in Morgan, VT.

7 Mary A. WASHBURN. She was born in Milton, Shefford, QC, on 27 Feb 1831. Died on 19 May 1917 in Dummer, Coos, NH; she was 86.

8 Louis ROBIDAS. He was born in Trois-Rivieres or Pointe-du-Lac, QC, ca Oct 1832. Died on 27 Nov 1921 in Sherbrooke, QC; he was 89. He was buried in St-Michel, Sherbrooke, QC, on 29 Nov 1921. Occupation: cultivateur.

He married Marie Pauline DESHAIES-ST CYR on 4 Jun 1849 in St. Norbert d’Arthabaska, QC.

9 Marie Pauline DESHAIES-ST CYR. She was born in Nicolet, Nicolet, QC, on 24 Oct 1829. Died on 10 May 1895 in Bromptonville, QC; she was 65. She was buried in Sainte-Praxède-de-Brompton-Falls, Bromptonville, QC, on 11 May 1895.

12 Royal WOODWARD. He was born in VT ca 1802-1808. Died in Oct 1879 in Phillipsburg, KS. Cause of death: Renal dropsy.

He married Mary Hawley SAWYER on 28 Sep 1831 in Danville, VT.

13 Mary Hawley SAWYER. She was born in Danville, VT, on 30 May 1815. Died aft 1870 in poss VT or KS; she was 54.

14 Samuel Orcutt WASHBURN. He was born in Sutton, VT, on 5 May 1798. Died 22 Jan 1855 in Holland, VT; he was 56.

He married Mary PALMATEER ca 1830 in poss NY or Canada.

15 Mary PALMATEER. She was born in Salisbury, VT, on 19 Jan 1812. Died on 3 Apr 1879 in Holland, VT or Dummer, NH; she was 67.

16 Jean-Baptiste ROBIDAS. He was born in Baie-du-Febvre, Yamaska, QC, on 16 Dec 1787. Died 14 Jun 1854 in Stanfold (Princeville), Arthabaska, QC; he was 66. He was buried in Saint-Eusèbe-de-Stanfold, Arthabaska, QC, on 17 Jun 1854.

He married Divine Louise “Ludivine” GIRARDEAU on 21 Nov 1814 in Pointe-du-Lac, Mauricie, QC.

17 Divine Louise “Ludivine” GIRARDEAU. She was born in Pointe-du-Lac, Mauricie, QC, on 13 Oct 1790. Died ca May 1875 in QC; she was 84. She was buried on 9 May 1875.

18 Jean-Baptiste DESHAIES-ST CYR.

He married Victoire LEMIRE on 5 Feb 1828 in St-Jean-Baptiste, Nicolet, Nicolet, QC.

19 Victoire LEMIRE.

26 Benjamin SAWYER. He was born ca 1780.

He married Elizabeth “Betsy” TAYLOR.

27 Elizabeth “Betsy” TAYLOR.

28 Jeremiah WASHBURN. He was born ca 1770.

He married Hannah ORCUTT in 1794 in Billymead (later Sutton), VT.

29 Hannah ORCUTT. She was born in Billymead (later Sutton), VT, in 1775.

30 John PALMATEER.

He married Mary CONNOR.

31 Mary CONNOR.

Index

CLOUTIER
    Marie Célina (ca1849 - 1881)    5
CONNOR
    Mary    31
DESHAIES-ST CYR
    Jean-Baptiste    18
    Marie Pauline (1829 - 1895)    9
GIRARDEAU
    Divine Louise “Ludivine” (1790 - ca1875)    17
LEMIRE
    Victoire    19
MURPHY
    William George (1886 - 1946)    spouse of 1
ORCUTT
    Hannah (1775 - )    29
PALMATEER
    John    30
    Mary (1812 - 1879)    15
RABIDEAU
    Glenna Marie (1899 - 1968)    1
    Louis (1850 - >1913)    4
    Peter Louis (1870 - 1946)    2
ROBIDAS
    Jean-Baptiste (1787 - ?1854)    16
    Louis (ca1832 - 1921)    8
SAWYER
    Benjamin (ca1780 - )    26
    Mary Hawley (1815 - >1870)    13
TAYLOR
    Elizabeth “Betsy”    27
WASHBURN
    Jeremiah (ca1770 - )    28
    Mary A. (1831 - 1917)    7
    Samuel Orcutt (1798 - ?1855)    14
WOODWARD
    Eva “Evie” May (1871 - 1953)    3
    Royal (ca1802 - 1879)    12
    Uriah Sawyer (1847 - 1881)    6