JAMES
ENSWORTH, CANTERBURY,
CT>MEXICO,
NY
Many thanks to Esther Rancier
for sharing her information on the ENSWORTH family. Esther is researching
in Richland and Mexico the Soul/Soule,
Brace and Daniel
P. Smith families, and would appreciate hearing from anyone researching
these surnames. Esther Rancier at: [email protected]
For more information on the ENSWORTH
Family, please contact the
Historians
and Historical Societies.
Joseph Ensworth, born 21 August
1694 in Canterbury, Windham Co., Connecticut. He married Mary Cleveland
on 5 October 1719. How Joseph came to be in Canterbury remains uncertain.
The couple had five children.
Joseph’s son William, born
24 February 1819/20, married Grace Gale on 26 March 1745. They had
three children at Canterbury. Their son James, born on 17 December
1746, wed Ann Tracy on 15 November 1770. They had six children.
James and Ann’s son James,
born 25 March 1773, married Lucy Backus on 2 March 1797. Lucy was
the daughter of Timothy and Ruby (Tracy) Backus. Lucy and James had
two children. Ruby Tracy Ensworth, born 31 August 1798, and Backus
Ensworth, born on 31 March 1812.
James’ wife Lucy died probably
in Canterbury before the family traveled to Mexico, Oswego Co., NY.
James lived in Mexico at the age of 77 in the household of Archibald D.
Smith, age 54. A.D. wed Ruby Tracy who was enumerated in the 1850
Mexico census as Rhoda T. Ruby died in 1874, age 71. A.D. passed
away in 1859. They were both buried in Arthur Cemetery, Mexico, NY.
James probably was buried there also without a stone or a stone which cannot
be read any more.
Backus was born on 31 March
1812 in Canterbury. By 1839 he lived in New York State where he married
Emily Sias born 1821 in Henderson, NY. She was the daughter of Jeremiah
and Priscilla (Blanchard) Sias. Emily became the mother of Horace B., born
ca. 1844 according to his age in the 1920 Oswego census. About 1847/48
Emily died. She was buried in the Arthur Cemetery.
Backus remarried on 14 May
1863 to Rhoda Roberts, born 27 April 1840 in Mexico. She gave birth
to James D. Ensworth on 20 September 1867. Backus and Rhoda remained
residents of Mexico. Backus died there on 26 April 1882. He
was buried in Arthur Cemetery. His wife Rhoda lived until 1912.
She was buried in the Mexico Village Cemetery.
Horace B. Ensworth enlisted
at Fort Ontario where he was sworn into the Union Army on 24 September
1861. Then he was discharged 28 February 1862, but he reenlisted
1 April 1862. He was sent to Williams, VA. He spent the war
in Virginia and North Carolina, assigned to Casey’s Division, 18th Army
Corps, Army of the Potomac. He fought at Fairoaks, Seven Pines, and
Cold Harbor. He was under fire for 71 days. Horace B. was promoted
from private to corporal then to sergeant on 1 February 1865. At
Ft. Monroe, VA he was mustered out on 31 August 1865. On 2 September
1870 he received a Civil War Pension #295554.
Horace B. married Ellen M.,
born ca. 1857. They resided in Oswego where he became a Veterinary
Surgeon with offices at 51 E. 6th Street. In 1920 he lived on a farm
with Ellen.
James A. Ensworth married on
5 January 1890 Ida Lillian Abbott from New Haven, NY. They had eight
children: Lillian R., born 21 August 1891; Grant A., born 30 August
1893; Viola, born 22 October 1894; Violet, born 22 October 1894; Roy E.,
born 9 May 1896 in Palermo, NY; Harry L., born 6 October 1898 in Palermo;
Rhoda, born 24 November 1901 in Volney, NY; and Raymond A., born 13 December
1909 in Volney. Ida L. died in 1913 and was laid to rest in the Mexico
Village Cemetery.
Also in the village Cemetery
were several of James A. and Lillian’s children. Lillian R. died
young in 1898. Viola also died young in 1895. Son Raymond A.
lived to 1957. James A. died after a second marriage which produced
two more children: Arlene G., born 18 December 1917, and James D., born
26 January 1921. James A. passed away in 1943.
Daughter Violet married Francis
Cunningham later having two children. Roy E. Ensworth resided in
Fulton, NY. He died in July 1971. Harry L. Ensworth died in
November 1977 at Kernsville, CA.
SOURCES:
American Civil War Soldiers.
Available [online] http://Ancestry.com
[24 December 2003].
Backus, Reno W. The Backus
Families of Early New England. Privately printed, 1966.
Cemetery Census of the Town
of Mexico, Oswego County, New York. Mexico: Mexico Historical Society,
1984.
Civil War Pensions.
Available [online] http://ancestry.com
[24 December 2003].
Descendants of Moses Cleveland.
Available [online] http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/user/c/i/e/richard-cleveland/GENE8-0107.html
[24 December 2003].
Gundry, Eldon P. Ensworth
Genealogy. manuscript, 1968.
Newspaper Vital Records from
Mexico, N.Y. Available [online] https://sites.rootsweb.com/~nyoswego/misc/leafymarriage/html/
[24 December 2003].
Social Security Death Index.
Available [online] http://ssdi.rootsweb.com
[24 December 2003].
Susan Bradley’s Genealogy
Home Page. Available [online] http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/user/b/r/a/Susan-Bradley/WEBSITE-001/UPH-1278.html
[24 December 2003].
U.S. Census, Fulton, Oswego
Co., NY 1920.
U.S. Census, Mexico, Oswego
Co., NY 1840 & 1850.
U.S. Census, Oswego, Oswego
Co., NY 1920.
WorldConnect Project.
Available [online] http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com
[24 December 2003].