When the Quiver is Full: A Note on the John Townsend Family of the Black River Region in Jefferson County from Bucks, PA

 Joseph Martinedale, History of Byberry and Mooreland Townships has long been considered authoritative on the genealogies of families from the Bucks County region. From time to time it has inconsistencies, and omissions. As we noted previously, the section on the maiden name of  the wife of John Townsend of Philadelphia Village, who I have called "Old Quaker John" is given as Strickland in the Townsend section but Carver in the Carver section. She is a Carver, there can be no doubt. Her name, Asenath Carver can be found among the women descendants in the family.  Neither family provide a complete listing of the children of John Townsend (p. 350, Evan 8, John 17 below) and Asenath Carver Townsend ( p. 267, John Carver 10, Ascenath 23). Other omissions have included Rachael Townsend Strickland's children. While they were born in Burlington, NJ, other children born out of the Byberry and Mooreland Township are included, and it seems a bit of a snub to exclude them.

Nevertheless, my focus here is to tidy up the Townsend men in Jefferson County to find my own people. In the process, that means sorting through them and assigning them their group. In the process of doing so, I am leaving this record in case it is ever useful to anyone. There are several of us out there with unknown progenitors in Jefferson County, so having part of the work done may be helpful to a future researcher.

For clarity,  I have underlined the couple I am referencing below.

 

If you don't understand how this group relates to Oneida, Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties, I refer you to the first blog.


Based on Court Documents that recently came to my attention through Pete Townsend, I now realize that I may have understated the size of the household of John and Asenath Townsend. I had  assumed that Asenath's  "quiver was full" as is often stated when a woman is done bearing children and thought the "extra male" was at the top of the family. However, it seems that the extra male is at the bottom.

It seems that Asenath's quiver held more arrows than was previously believed. In my earlier posting, Parsing John Townsend's Sons, I had stopped in 1820 for two reasons: 1) my progenitor James was born 1816, so children born after 1820 were  not of interest and 2) the Byberry and Mooreland narrative stops with Evan.

Well,  it would appear that John and Asenath didn't consult with Byberry and Mooreland continued with Genesis 1:28.

Find a grave website http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=83793059&PIpi=62018969

There is a minor chance that this son could really be their  son of Ezra, who died in 1835 at the age of 26 (below). I had rather hoped he would have been a brother or cousin to my ancestor, but it turns out not to be the case. Documents presented in court in the case of Burton Townsend's estate clearly state from the words of Old Quaker John that Burton is his son, not his grandson.

nnygenealogy.com

When a Quaker goes to court on a matter, it is a rare event and he says that Burton Townsend is his son. Burton was a school teacher, who was teaching the classical subjects. His teaching was controversial because he was teaching Greek, Latin, and Architecture along with other subjects. He died at the age of 30 under some mysterious circumstances. Now, he had no children, so he hasn't received a lot of attention in the genealogy community, but he should, because it opens up a possibility that had not been previously explored. That possibility is that John Townsend and Asenath had more children, and a lack of completeness of the Byberry and Mooreland records once families leave Pennsylvania is at issue.

Carefully note is that Burton dies at age 30 in 1853. That places his birth at 1823. In the 1820 Census, Asenath reports that she is still under 45, which means that it is not all that unlikely that she had more children. Mahlon Carver was the informant on the Byberry and Mooreland records, and I suppose it is possible he could have fallen out of touch with the family at this point.

We also know there is a variance with the Calendar used by the Quaker families and by the government. The Quaker calendar, as I recall is a numbering system that begins with March. So, suppose the Census takers come in January and a family has a baby in February. February would be recorded for the previous year. So, while the Census taker arrives in 1820, it is still 1819 on the Quaker Calendar. 1820 begins in March.

However, there is a biological possibility that Ezra is Burton's father, but I regard it as unlikely. If the age for Ezra is correct on the headstone, Ezra's birth year would be 1809, the same year I deduced in the Parsing John piece. That would have made Ezra 14 at the time of fatherhood. Now, I suppose it could happen in theory, but I find it doubtful. Even so, John Townsend would have raised him as his own anyway because Ezra dies in 1835. The point here is that Burton is squarely of the John and Asenath line, and not of the Abraham and Alce line or the other Townsend lines (Martin or the  Horace group) in the area.

It is rather disappointing in some respects. Some of us had hoped he was a grandchild of Abraham and Alce, who donated the land to build a school in Jefferson County. The notion that one of their children would carry it forward was a big romantic and rather tantalizing. Sadly, it is not the truth in this case.  His age at the time of his death, and his year of birth would make him the child of a dead couple. Thus, it doesn't seem likely he could be the child of Abraham and Alce. The impression some of us had was that he was a slightly older gent.

In the probate of Burton Townsend's estate, John Townsend "of full age" steps forward to be the administer of the estate. I have underlined in red the section of interest. I don't know why Harriet doesn't just give Old John back the gold watch and the books, but apparently, this becomes a contested estate. It isn't the finest hour in this community and by the end of the probate, Harriet has a new last name.

The estate is rather fascinating. Beyond the gold watch and the 3 pairs of woolen underwear, the library of books looks like my own shelves. It was actually kind of strange for me to read, because I have modern versions of these same books on my shelves. I have Wheelock and Cannon for Latin Grammar and Machen for Greek Grammar, and I can go down the list. However, the list of books in the estate file (link above) provides an insight into the sort of education that Burton had, and the sort of education he was providing.

Whoever has been teaching the families, they had a classical education.

Now, Burton dies without issue, so no direct genealogy hangs on the inclusion or omission of Burton. There are no descendants to stand forward and complain. However, to have the history correct, he should be included in the family genealogy. He was dearly loved by his father and mother, and that alone should be basis enough for his inclusion. Further his contributions to pedagogy and the institutional development of the educational system of the region is noteworthy, so it is historically important.

For my own genealogy, it isn't relevant. Burton is younger than my progenitor by roughly 5 years, but provides an important clue for my ancestor's background and provides an insight on the sort of training he would have had in if he grew up in the Philadelphia settlement.

 Revisiting that 1830 Census record of Old Quaker John now provides an insight. There is one male 15-19 and that must be Burton? That still does not seem right.  The two males between 20 and 29 are Ezra and Evan. There is one male between 40 and 49, and that is the father, Quaker John.   There is 1 female between 5-9, that is Abi from the 1855 Census record (John is living with her). Odd, Burton is younger than her yet she is coded correctly and he is not?  She is born 1821, so that must be her. There is one female 15-19, that is Martha, one female 40-49 and that is the Mother, Asenath Carver Townsend. 

Now, there are differences in the Quaker Calendar and the traditional Calendar being used, so that might still account for some problems in parsing children. I think that was the problem with parsing Robert, the eldest. I have decided for now to assign him that slot that we thought was a "mystery person;" since we now have Ezra's birth year we can be more confident that Robert is the male in that slot. However, there still seems to be something peculiar about Burton's birth year. He is noted in the census as older than Abi, yet we know Abi's age from the Census. Strange. Perhaps the Census taker made an error, or perhaps there is more to Burton that we know. That being said, the people in this family seem accounted for at the moment.

I am still not quite satisfied with the alignment of dates. There still seems to be something a bit out of kilter.

John Sr. Townsend (b. 1779) and Asenath Carver Townsend
   Of Bucks County, PA moved to the Black River regions with the Friends Settlement in 1806. 

   The purchase was originally part of Oneida County but later became Jefferson County. 

    He arrived with brother Thomas Townsend (married Elizabeth Strickland in 1800). 

    Sister Rachel Townsend Strickland, wife of Robert Strickland Jr arrived the following year

    from Burlington, N.J. The prior generation of the family had been hard hit by the pox 

    epidemic in 1769. Naming patterns appear to fit the relatives lost rather than the traditional

    naming conventions found among Quaker families particularly in the Thomas line.  By 1820,

    the Thomas line gravitates toward Lowville, Lewis County, NY, the John line in Philadelphia 

    Village, Jefferson County, NY.
Mary born between b. 1801, died March 11, 1889 married in 1825 Alfred Coolidge

           Family originally settled in the Philadelphia region.
           In 1853 the family located at 38 Clinton street,  Watertown, NY.  

           They had five sons and one daughter, Asenith Carver Coolidge. 

Robert  b. 1805, Bucks County  m Hannah [per census]

          (Ezra, Eliza Ann, and Abi and likely others) [per census] 

          Lives next door to his father during several census periods. 

 John, Jr born 1807 Jeff Co, NY marries Huldah. Family moves to Fowler in St. Lawrence County, NY

            then goes to Farmington, WI [per Haddock and Census]

           (Ezra [marries Katie from the Isle of Wight, daughter Minnie], Lydia, Laura, and likely others)

 Martha born 1812 dies 1890 marries Nathan Coolidge, settles in Antwerp, Jefferson County, NY
          (Clinton, Cassius, Abi, Ella, J. Emmet, and likely others)

 Ezra born 1809-10 dies 1835 descendants unknown, presumed none. 

 Evan born 1815 moves to Waupaca, County, WI [per census],  buys land and starts 
          the Evanwoods Settlement with Evan Coolidge (Two Evans, get it?). Land records 
          signed by President Andrew Jackson at the National Archive, some on this 
          blog. Descendants unknown but they are not in Jefferson County. 

 Abi b 1818-1820  m. George Williams
           (Elizabeth, Mary, other sons and daughters?) [Per census]
            Lives in the region through the relevant period of inquiry.
            After John Sr passes, the family moves to Waupaca, WI. 

Burton b 1823 dies 1853 married Harriet. School teacher, founded the first academy in the area.
           Dies at age 30 of unknown natural causes; contested estate,  no children.



_____________________________________

As a last minute addition, I want to include a write up of a descendant of John Jr. It may be those reading this blog from that family might enjoy. It seems that John Jr. had one son, Ezra. Ezra grew up to have a good size family of his own. This write up was put together for the town's anniversary. A branch of the family also went to Minnesota.

From what I can tell on the above, the history of the family in the piece probably came from Haddock. He did not know that Burton was John's son, or was not certain because it is not in the Byberry records. However, anyone who reads that probate file quickly realizes that he really is John Townsend's son and was known as such at the time. 

I am happy to include any additional information that anyone would want to include on the family. We might as well update Byberry and Haddock as long as we are sorting through the main Townsend lines. 

_______________
While it may seem obsessive to button down the family group, it is important in searching for our own progenitor. Recall he first appears in 1840 and 1850 with a sister in the Philadelphia settlement, wife, and a couple of children. They are the first family in the 1850 Census. With YDNA results not matching the Martin Townsend group (Josiah, Johnathan, Timothy, Lyman, etc) and a tie to the Quaker group with a similar YDNA profile seemed logical. While I understand that Townsend men are quite prodigious, there still needs to be some degree of geographic proximity for issue to occur.  The only prospect seems to be to buckle down on Abraham and Alce as grandparent progenitors, and work down to see what can be determined, or expand the ring of origin. We know that at least one descendant of that line is a partial YDNA match and they have recently connected to the Abraham/Absolum Alce family.

While I appreciate the multiple suggestions that Old James married to Fanny Ensign is a likely father, he doesn't have son born between 1810 and 1820. It would seem that the first condition of a potential progenitor is that he has a son born in the relevant time frame.

For our line, it seems that building churches, roads, and bridges and a predilection for classical knowledge came from the Philadelphia Settlement.  I can't imagine why James is there if he isn't born there, but he is there and so we begin again.

Ezra Townsend son of Which John Townsend? Another Lost Townsend Line

In parsing out the sons of Thomas and John Townsend, I checked the cemetery data to make certain of my information. In looking at the information for Ezra of John and Asenath, I made a brief incursion into what turned out to be another Townsend line on a message board. I am posting what I found because it may be helpful to someone. I imagine everyone else in the world knows this except me, but one never knows.  It was a good exercise in reading an obituary, using the census and a map along with looking at the history of a region. It didn't help me find my people, but I did learn something.

Townsend families are all over Jefferson County. This one is a lost line, but they are geographically lost, not genealogically lost. Once the geography gets straightened out, the genealogy works out enviably well for the family.

A Brief Excursion At the Cemetery

 When a child comes up missing in the census, often grave yards turn up clues. This time I found another mystery.  There is a "Find a Grave" entry on the Jefferson County, Philadelphia graves for an Ezra Townsend died in 1835. Along with that grave, there is a comment about an Ezra up in Michigan and they believe that the Ezra buried there is the Ezra from Canton, MI, and they believe that John and Elizabeth Townsend in Philadelphia Village to be the parents. I thought the comment interesting, and thought I would check it out, particularly since John was not married to Elizabeth and Thomas was.   Erza is the subject of the next blog post, so checking the data was part of the process of elimination for my own progenitor. 

Now, the Ezra that is buried in Philadelphia between John and Asenath (not Elizabeth) is most likely John and Asenath's child. Someone made a notation that doesn't really match the grave. It is user submitted and it relates to an Ezra Townsend in Canton, MI who died after that Ezra in Philadelphia Village. So I thought I would check it out and find the the fellow in the 1840 census. He has a wife, no children. He is next door to a Lewis Townsend who younger and has a wife and it appears at least one child.

 This Ezra in Michigan seems  to be connected to Lewis Townsend. If a person ever searches Ezra Townsend during the time frame in question, one will quickly discover that there is no shortage of them, and having just parsed out a few, I have the utmost sympathy for anyone parsing Ezras, Elijahs, and Evan Townsends between 1750 and 1850. It is just as bad as parsing Johns.  However, Lewis is a bit unique and a name famous among the Dutchess County Townsends. Thus,  I took a look at Lewis to see if more information on this Ezra by looking at Lewis Townsend in Michigan.

After an internet search,  I found an obituary for a  Lewis Cowan Townsend in Michigan. He was born in  Tompkins County, NY, in 1803 but it mentions Orleans, NY (Senaca County). Since Tompkins County was formed from Senaca County in 1817, it was all Senaca back then. So knowing the Obituary mentions Tompkins County when there was no Tompkins County suggests that the writer of the Obituary had recent contact with the people back there. In other words,  they knew their people and kept in touch with them.

Now in Enfield, Tompkins County, there is a farmer named Lewis Cowan. My guess, is that he had a daughter Elizabeth who married that John Townsend that fathered Lewis Cowan Townsend and Ezra Townsend that is listed in the user submitted section of the Jefferson County Village of Philadelphia grave is of this family in Tompkins, not the Philadelphia group.

I think the people researching the Michigan Ezra might want to look at a map as they go through the obituary.  Here is the obituary... and it is very detailed, as if the man wrote it while he was still alive.

Mr. Lewis Cowan Townsend was born in Tompkins County, N.Y. March 10, 1803, and died at Olivet, Eaton County Michigan., April 9, 1891, aged 88 years and 30 days.  He had been a resident of Michigan 48 years.  In 1830, he married Miss Mariah Griffin of Rochester, Monroe county, N.Y. where he resided three years, then removed to Orleans county, in that state, and from there to Metamora, Michigah, in September 1843, and settled upon a farm four and a half miles south-easth of the village, where he lived until 1882, when he moved to the village and resided here until the destruction of his dwelling by fire on April 2, 1885, in which Mrs. Townsend perished, which sad event will be remembered by many in this vicinity.  They had lived happily together amid all the trials incident to frontier and pioneer life for 55 years.  Mr. Townsend was the father of eleven children, seven of whom survive him, and with many friends mourn his death.  Deceased was the son of John and Elizabeth Townsend, who lived together 71 years, and who died within 5 days of each other, aged 91 and 98  years respectively.  Mr. Townsend was an affectionate husband and father, a good neighbor and respected citizen, having held the different offices of his township with acceptability and credit.  Thus we chronicle the death of another of Michigan's pioneers, men whose foresight and self-sacrifice has made possible the beautiful, social, and civilized country we now enjoy.

Now, someone may have John and Elizabeth Townsend in the obituary confused with the Townsend men of the Philadelphia Village settlement.  (Thomas married Elizabeth, not John). Sometimes Obituaries mislead, but this one is good and it checks out.

He appears to be from Tompkins County before there was a Tompkins County.  Other than that, the census matches that obituary.

Tompkins County is NO WHERE NEAR Jefferson County and is clear on the other side of the state what is called the Finger Lakes Region or the Pen-Yan Region.

 Is there a John married to an Elizabeth that matches this obituary?  Well, there is one in Orleans, New York which is mentioned in the obituary.

 It looks like they have been there 17 years, and they have a grown son Andrew married to Rebecca. I suspect her name is Rebecca Ann Malcolm, and I suspect she is Andrew's second wife. (p. 88 of the Townsend Genealogy).



In the 1855 New York State Census this John Townsend says he is from Dutchess County. He  married Elizabeth Cowan, daughter of Lewis Cowan who was a farmer (below). There are still Cowans in the area, and when Geneva NY had their 150 celebration in 1957, there was an Arthur Cowan who was part of the planning committee.

1820 Census is 2nd from the bottom on the fragment

But, it is likely that Cowan and Townsend knew each other in Duchess, which is how the kids met. That they both end up in the same region of New York may be with the thought that they would be closer to the grandkids. Enfield, Tompkins County isn't that far away from Orleans, Senaca County. One has to remember,  Tompkins County was formed in 1817 from Cayuga and Seneca (http://www.nytompki.org/ ) where Orleans is located. So, it may be the two men actually traveled together out to the Finger Lakes region. The formation of a new county later would separate the data, but the people are still there.

True to the obituary, Lewis is in the 1830 Census in Orleans (see below).  The Obituary doesn't seem to mention his brother Andrew. This is probably the same Andrew that John and Elizabeth are living with in 1855. My guess is that Andrew and Lewis went to Orleans when Lewis Cowan came out and John and Elizabeth came a few years later from the Dutchess County because they missed the kids. They seem like very nice people to have as ancestors. I imagine anyone researching them will find tons on them in the Townsend Genealogy.

So that should help one of the lines that was sort of "stuck" and attached themselves to the Philadelphia Village Way up North in Jefferson County when they should be looking in the region of New York commonly referred to as the "Finger Lakes." In modern times, Enfield and Orleans are roughly a 1 hour drive around the lakes and it looks like it is quite beautiful.  I suspect it was a good place for John and Elizabeth to finish out there years. Back in the 1830s when Lewis Cowan and John and Andrew Townsend were there, it was probably three hours on horseback at most to go from Enfield to Orleans. 

That should help with the clean up the issue with the entry on Ezra Townsend listed on the "Find a Grave" site. They are from Dutchess County. Page 86 of the Townsend Genealogy might be helpful.


Too bad they all aren't that easy.

If this one doesn't work out for the family of Ezra in Michigan, they could check the records for the children of John P Townsend in Middletown, PA. He does have a son named Ezra. However, I feel certain that the Ezra from Canton MI is an  Ezra is part of this group. As a side note, in the Townsend Genealogy, there is a notation (Jeremiah, Ezra?) as if they were not certain of the name. I've seen another line of the family where Evan turned into Timothy. I'm not sure why this is, but it may be one of those deals where they use the middle name.