Levi Sumner appeared to drift
into Mexico, Oswego Co., NY between 1841/50. An older man, he was
alone without any skill but farming. He found a place to work in
the Wellwood area on the farm of Joseph Whitney who worked primarily as
a cooper. He needed a farm hand. Unless a neighbor had business
with Joseph and visited his farm, it is likely they never met Levi.
When the 1850 Mexico census was taken Levi?s name was listed. No
one in the 1850 census was identified except by occupation. Many
single men were enumerated as farm laborers through Oswego County.
When these men moved on, they were likely forgotten. So was Levi
Sumner.
But everyone had a story.
Levi?s been waiting 150 years to get his told. Levi?s arrival in
Mexico was not random. Like most emigrants they traveled with people
they knew; went to meet people they knew; or where scouting ahead for people
they knew to join them later. Levi was typical. He was not
a bum, a hobo or a tramp. But to start at the beginning ?
Back in 1604/05 in Oxfordshire,
England William Sumner was born on 22 January. He arrived in America
before 1662. On 7 November 1662 he wed Mary Baker of
Northampton, MA where the couple began living.
Their son Ebenezer Sumner was
born there on 9 December 1673. Ebenezer married Abigail Lovett on
18 January 1704/05. They lived in Mendon, MA where his son Daniel
was born on 24 June 1709.
Daniel spent his life in Mendon
where he wed Beriah Clark on 15 October 1731. His son Daniel, Jr.
was born 26 January 1739. Daniel, Jr. had some wanderlust.
He lived in Woodstock, CT before he wed on 14 March 1761 Lydia Fairbanks
of Holliston, MA. Lydia was the daughter of Jabez Fairbanks and Susannah
Cornell Corning. Jabez Fairbanks and his family spent the entire
Revolutionary War at Framingham, MA. His son Corning, born 1759,
died at Bunker Hill. The Fairbanks were allowed by the Town Council
to lease a farm which had been confiscated from a Loyalist family named
Brinley.
Daniel and Lydia?s oldest son
Joel Sumner was born at Holliston, MA, but by 1763 they resided in Framingham
where other children were born. During 1772 the family may have resided
in Princeton, MA. Their eighth child Levi Sumner was born on 13 February
1772, possibly at Princeton as some researchers believe.
In 1773 this family removed
to Halifax, VT where five more children were born. On 31 July 1810
Daniel Sumner, Jr. died there. Lydia died 30 August 1814.
Levi grew up in Halifax, but
he married Mary (Polly) Jackson of Coleraine. Some family researchers
place the date of the marriage in 1802, but that date cannot be true.
In the 1800 Whitingham, VT census Levi and Polly were already in residence.
They had a son and a daughter under 10. They had married before 1798.
Again some researchers believe they had 12 children. Checking the
records that still exist like the Whitingham census of 1820, 1830 and 1840,
they verify the existence of at least 8 births.
By 1840 most of the girls had
died young or were married and left home. Levi and Polly lived with
one son age 20-29 and two young females, not likely daughters, but possibly
granddaughters. Polly was age 64, far past childbearing.
On 11 July 1841 Polly died
at age 65. She was buried in Cutting Cemetery at Whitingham.
Levi had already buried his daughter Lucy J., born 1806 who died 29 September
1836 and her sister Asenath, born 1808 who died 6 August 1815. The
rest of his family had moved away. One of the original reasons Levi
had settled in Whitingham, was to live near his brother Ephraim, another
resident with his wife and family. But after Ephraim?s wife died,
he married again and with his new wife and brother John Sumner they relocated
to Darien, NY.
In 1820 Levi?s son Tyler Sumner,
born before 1800, lived at Whitingham near his father. He had married
on 25 August Olive Eames, born April 1798. He
seemingly did not reside in Whitingham
any longer. However, he did not go to Darien, NY.
Levi?s namesake son Levi, Jr.
had married on 22 February 1827 Deborah Waste at Heath, MA and settled
there. Levi, Jr. had several children by 1841. They likely
had no space for an old man.
Apparently the lonely old man
was offered a shelter with his daughter Jerusha, born 1798, who had wed
on 3 June 1822 Joseph Whitney of Mexico, NY. Levi was welcomed into
their home.
In the 1850 Mexico census enumeration
the Whitney family were described thusly:
Whitney, Joseph -51-cooper-MA
Whitney, Jerusha ?57-wife-VT
Whitney, Alston ?9-son-NY
Sumner, Levi ?78-father-in-law-MA
After the census Levi died.
He was buried at Wellwood Cemetery, Mexico.
The stone gave only his date of
death, ?1851?. In 1852 his daughter Jerusha died also. She was buried
at Wellwood. Her stone read: ?Jerusha Sumner Whitney, 1798-1852.?
During the Civil War Alston
Whitney, Levi?s grandson, fought with the 81st New York Infantry who were
also called the ?2nd Oswego Regiment?. Later on 9 February 1891 he
received pension #772310.
On 2 June 1863 Alston wed Julia
Howard, born 1840 in Mexico. She was the daughter of Levi Howard
of Ft. Ann, NY and Rebecca Stevens of Whitestown, NY.
After the war this family removed
to Washington, DC. The 1870 Washington census showed the following:
Whitney, Alston T.
?30-Huckster-NY -$2400
Whitney, Julia H. ?30-wife-NY
Whitney, Nellie R. ?4-daughter-MD
Whitney, Joseph ? 72-father-MA
The census actually called Joseph,
not father, but ?one of the family?. They also had a female servant.
Elsewhere Alston was always called Alston C.
Joseph Whitney died in 1871.
He was returned to Mexico for burial at Wellwood among the many other Whitney
graves. His stone read: ?1798-1871.?
In the 1880 Washington census
Alston?s family was altered. It appeared that daughter Nellie R.
had died young.
Whitney, Alston C.
?40-watchman-NY
Whitney, Julia H. ?40-wife-NY
Whitney, Nena C. ?7-daughter-DC
The Washington, DC City Directory
in 1890 listed Alston at two locations selling butter in the South East
part of town.
Levi Sumner?s son Levi, Jr.
was enumerated in the 1850 Heath, MA census.
Sumner, Levi ?47-farmer-VT-$3000
Sumner, Deborah ?43-wife-VT
Sumner, Melissa L. ?17-daughter-VT
Sumner, Marietta ?9-daughter-MA
Sumner, Addie M. ?7-daughter-MA
Sumner, Oscar A. ?3-son-MA
Sumner, Arminta ?2-daughter-MA
By the 1870 Heath census the family
was altered. The listing showed:
Sumner, Levi ?67-farmer-VT-$4900
Sumner, Deborah ?63-wife-VT
Sumner, Oscar A. ? 23-son-MA
Oscar wed Kate E. _____.
By 1920 this couple who were then retired lived at Shelburne, MA.
In 1930 Oscar was 83 and Kate was 76.
Family researcher Joan Guilford
Kaiser has compiled a list of those she believes were the children of Levi
and Polly Sumner. She described this data as ?sketchy information
from various sources regarding the family of Levi Sumner, son of Daniel
and Lydia (Fairbanks) Sumner.?
1. Tyler Sumner, b. 179-;
m. 25 August 1819 Olive Eames.
*Notes say ?See Adams, Berkshire,
Mass.?
2. Jerusha Sumner b. 1798; m. 3
June 1822 Joseph Whitney.
3. Levi Sumner, Jr. b. 8 May 1803;
m. 22 February 1827 Deborah Waste.
4. Lucy J. Sumner b. ca. 1806; d.
29 September 1836 at Whitingham
5. Asenath Sumner b. ca. 1808; d.
6 August 1815.
6. William L. Sumner
d. November 1877.
**?See Stamford, VT.?
***7. Philander Hartwell Sumner b. ca. 1820; m. 21 February
1882 Maggie H. Snyder in Muscatine Co., Iowa; d. 11 September 1885.
8. Emeline Sumner.
*The notes mentioned by Joan G. Kaiser
refer not to Adams, MA, but to
a volume by Andrew N. Adams called
Adams History. Olive Eames was mentioned in this book. She
was an Adams descendant born 10 April 1798 at Framingham, MA. The
book places her parents living in Jaffery, NH, but Framingham records put
Olive?s birth there. Nothing further located.
**William L. Sumner may not
be a child of Levi and Polly?s. It was not possible to confirm this
child. All the other Sumners at Stamford, VT were descendants of
Levi?s brothers Ephraim and John. They removed to Darien, NY.
There was considerable data about them in the 1880 Darien census.
Another location for William could not be determined.
***Philander H. Sumner wed
on 12 March 1840/41 Harriet Putnam according to a descendant. Harriet
had a daughter Carrie Sumner born ca. 1842/45 who later married Elijah
Baker, Jr. on 19 November 1872. Later Philander removed to
Muscatine, Iowa. Philander, age 70, was enumerated in the 1880 Muscatine
census with his wife Harriet E., age 56, born VT. An aunt lived with
them. She was Mary S. Fowler, age 60, born VT. Harriet died
soon after the 1880 census. On 21 February 1882 Philander married
again to Maggie H. Snyder. Philander called himself a retired merchant.
For some time Levi Sumner?s
descendants have searched for his place and date of death. Now they
know. Levi was treated well in his last years by a daughter who loved
him. He had a decent burial in a cemetery that to this day is well-maintained.
Wellwood cemetery can be easily visited. The cemetery was opened
in 1824 and has had continuous burials through the year 2000.
SOURCES:
Adams, Andrew N. Adams History.
Rutland: 1898.
Cemetery Census of the Town
of Mexico, Oswego County, New York. Mexico: Mexico Historical Society,
2002.
Civil War Pension Index. Available
[online] http://ancestry.com [10
April 2004].
Fairbanks, Lorenzo S. Genealogy
of the Fairbanks Family of America, 1633-1897. Boston: American Printing,
1897.
Massachusetts Town Marriage Records.
Available [online] http://ancestry.com
Sumner Family Genealogy Forum.
Available [online] http://genforum.genealogy.com [10 April 2004].
U.S. Census, Washington, DC 1870
& 1880.
U.S. Census, Muscatine, Muscatine
Co., IA 1880.
U.S. Census, Heath, Franklin Co.,
MA 1850, 1870 & 1880.
U.S. Census, Shelburne, Franklin
Co., MA 1920 & 1930.
U.S. Census, Mexico, Oswego Co.,
NY 1850.
U.S. Census, Whitingham, Windham
Co., VT 1800, 1820, 1830 & 1840.
Vital Records of Holliston, Massachusetts
to the End of 1850. Boston, New England Historic Genealogical Society,
1908.
Vital Records of Medway, Massachusetts
to the End of 1850. Boston: New England Historic and Genealogical
Society, 1905.
Washington DC City Directory, 1890.
Available [online] http://ancestry.com
[10 April 2004].
WorldConnect Project. Available
[online] http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com
[9
April 2004].
***************
Biography
of Dean Tubbs of Mexico, NY
Divorce was rare in Colonial
America. One of the early divorces granted by the Court at Plymouth,
MA went to Mercy (Sprague) Tubbs, wife of William Tubbs of Duxbury, MA
on 7 July 1668. William had been born about 1610 in Cambridge, England.
He was in Duxbury by 1654. In America he found Mercy Sprague who
had arrived on the Ann in 1623. They married but after 3 children
they divorced because she was found with another man and fined 50 shillings.
Their son Samuel died fighting
Indians in 1723/24. Then the Tubbs removed to Dedham, MA. The
next generation settled in Bristol Co., MA. They were there
during the Revolutionary War in Berkley, MA. Both Capt. Samuel Tubbs,
Jr. and his brother, Ensign Joel Tubbs served in Col. Timothy Walker?s
Regiment. Their unit served from April 27, 1775 for three months.
These Revolutionary heroes
were the father and uncle of Dean Tubbs, born 6 Jan. 1777 in Taunton, MA.
On 24 Jan. 1805 in Bristol Co., MA Dean married Rhoda Savage, daughter
of Joel Savage. They removed to Fort Ann, Washington Co., NY where
they had 2 children. By 1808 they were living in Mexico, Oswego Co.,
NY where Dean bought lot 59.
The Tubbs family joined the
Mexico Presbyterian Church. They were active members. In 1822
Dean was appointed to a committee which was to find a place to build a
church structure for the congregation which met in various sites they often
shared with the Methodists. But this committee failed. The
new church was not built until 1828/29. It was dedicated at Christmas
1829. In 1830 Dean was elected a Trustee of the Pratham Church.
Dean was a second-generation
shoemaker. He was also a farmer and a tanner. He and wife Rhoda
had 11 children, 9 of them born in Mexico. Dean died 2 Oct. 1851.
He and his wife were buried in the Primitive Cemetery. She passed
away in 1866.
Children of Dean and Rhoda
Tubbs:
1. William Savage Tubbs
b. Fort Ann, Washington Co., NY 26 Mar. 1806; m. 17 Oct. 1833 Emily S.
Tyler; d. 28 Apr. 1876 in Mexico.
2. Joel Tubbs b. Fort Ann, Washington
Co., NY 2 Feb. 1808; m. 5 Nov. 1838 Lorinda Burdick; d. 22 May 1874 Richland,
NY.
3. Charles W. Tubbs b. Mexico 21
Jan. 1810; m. 16 Aug. 1836 Lucy Ann Moore Stow; d. 31 Dec. 1892.
4. Harriet Tubbs b. Mexico 22 Sept.
1811; m. 24 Apr. 1838 William G. Perry; d. 4 May 1891.
5. George Tubbs b. Mexico 28 Jan.
1814; m. Oswego 10 Sept. 1839 Minerva Cushing; d. 9 Nov. 1846 Defiance
Co., OH.
6. Eliza Ann Tubbs b. Mexico 27
Jan. 1816; m. 25 Sept. 1838 Edward Halsey; d. 14 Sept. 1888 Mexico.
7. Asenath Tubbs b. Mexico 1 July
1818; m. Mexico 7 May 1840 Elisha Barse; d. 29 Mar. 1864 Mexico.
8. John Dean Tubbs b. Mexico 8 Jan.
1821; m. 22 Dec. 1847 Elizabeth A. Utter; d. 28 Dec. 1862 Richland.
9. Lewis Tubbs b. Mexico 16 July
1823; m. Mexico 7 Dec. 1850 Cynthia Waters; d. 21 Dec. 1904 Mexico
10. Isaac Tubbs b. Mexico 24 July
1825; m. 27 Sept. 1848 Lucinda Goldsmith; d. 14 Oct. 1874 Eaton Co., MI.
11. Celeste Tubbs b. Mexico
After the death of his father Dean,
William Savage, usually referred to as W.S. Tubbs, continued in the Pratham
Presbyterian Church. He was made a deacon and elder in 1852. He had
been elected Trustee in 1833 and 1855. When it was decided to close
the church and unite as Wesleyan Methodists, W.S. was in the group that
objected. Finally they did allow the removal of the church
spire in 1863. The dissent group also agreed to join the Wesleyan
Methodist Society. At the same time they held the control of the
Congregational Society, the forerunner of the local Presbyterian church.
These loyal members wanted to build a new church, but it never happened.
W.S. married Emily S. Tyler, born
14 Sept. 1813 in Vermont. They had 2 children. W.S. was a tanner
and shoemaker like his father. Both Emily and W.S. died in 1876,
a few weeks apart. They were buried in the Primitive Cemetery.
The pastor who closed down the old
Pratham Church and led his flock into the Wesleyan Methodist Society was
Rev. A. Parke Burgess. Tensions between him and the Tubbs must have
been high, yet 4 months after W.S.?s death Burgess spoke eloquently,
?Wm. S. Tubbs ? died in perfect peace in Prattville, April 28, 1876, aged
seventy years; his wife having preceded him by only a few weeks.
His religious life was his whole life. His eye was single, and generally
his whole body was full of light. His breath was his prayer; his
groans were prayers; his rejoicings were an inspiration to more prayer;
his songs were but another form of prayer; prayer dawned for him with the
morning light and mingled in the stillness of his evening shades; when
he went to the House of God, and returned from it, prayer hallowed his
footsteps, and lifted his thoughts. Religion was to him an atmosphere;
duty a daily fact; eternity a constant reality; the kingdom of Christ his
Alpha and Omega.?
Children of W.S. and Emily:
1.
Alfred Dean Tubbs b. Mexico 23 Aug. 1834; m. 2 July 1864 Carrie Jewett
who d. 8 Dec. 1869; d. 6 Jan. 1865 in Cape Hatien, West Indies.
No issue. A doctor with a practice in Williamstown, NY who joined
the Civil War Navy. A stone has been placed in the Primitive
Cemetery for him.
2.
Elvira De Ette Tubbs b. Mexico 26 Feb. 1841; m. 1 July 1877 Amos Perry,
a farmer. Issue: Luther Perry b. 14 June 1878 and William Frederic
Perry b. 23 Mar. 1880. Residence: Van Buren, Onondaga Co., NY.
Joel Tubbs married 5 Nov. 1838 Lorinda
Burdick, born in Otsego Co., NY on 5 Aug. 1818. Her parents were
Johnathan and Susannah (Stilwell) Burdick. They had 5 children.
He was a farmer in Richland, NY. Joel died 22 May 1874 in Richland.
After she was widowed, Lorinda, lived in the household of her son, Dean
S. Tubbs, his wife Mary J. and their 2 children. Both Joel and Lorinda
were buried in the Primitive Cemetery.
Children of Joel and Lorinda:
1. Rhoda Ann Tubbs b. Richland
23 Sept. 1840; m. 16 Nov. 1866 George Edward Buck;
d. 15 April 1867 Mexico. No issue.
2. Harriet Tubbs b. Richland 2 Feb.
1843; m. 1 Jan. 1862 George Edward Buck;
d. 20 July 1864 Mexico. Issue: William J. Buck b. 1862 and
Dora Buck b. 1864.
3. Rosalie Tubbs b. Richland
16 Mar. 1845; m. 15 June 1864 Fayette Niles, a
wagon maker; d. after 1880. No issue. Residence 1880 in Albion,
NY.
4. Sarah S. Tubbs b. Richland
8 May 1848; d. after 1900. Unmarried.
5. Dean Sewell Tubbs b. Richland
16 Nov, 1852; m. 24 Feb. 1875 Mary Julia
Everts; d. 1896.
Charles W. Tubbs married 16 Aug. 1836
Lucy Ann Moore Stow. He was a farmer who moved his family to Ohio
before 1837. His wife was from Massachusetts. She died 15 Aug.
1870 in Adams Township, Defiance Co., OH. She may have been insane
before her death. She was buried in Locust Grove Cemetery, Ridgeville
Corners, Henry Co., OH. Her parents were William Brown Stow and Lucy
Moore. The Tubbs had 4 children. After her death Charles remarried
25 Feb. 1871 in Defiance Co. to Charlotte Jane Newell who was born 15 Mar.
1838 in Florida, OH. They had 2 children.
Children of Charles and Lucy:
1. William Brown Tubbs b.
Adams Township, OH 6 Nov. 1837; m. Ridgeville Corners, OH 23 Mar. 1862
Hannah Comstock; d. 5 Mar. 1913 in Adrian, MI.
2. Alfred Stow Tubbs b. Adams Township,
OH 30 Nov. 1839; m. 21 Mar. 1861 Rebecca Marihugh; d. Nov. 1862 in Danville,
KY.
3. Charles Dean Tubbs b. 30 Mar.
1844; d. Dec. 1844.
4. Arba Franklin Tubbs b. Adams
Township, OH 17 Mar. 1851; m. 18 Dec. 1872 Sarepta Caroline Lindley; d.
5 June 1925.
Children of Charles and Charlotte:
5. Dean Tubbs b. 1872 stillborn
6. Alice Eva Tubbs b. OH. 20 Feb.
1874; d. 16 Sept. 1963.
Harriet Tubbs married on 24 Apr. 1838
William G. Perry, a farmer in Richland, NY. They had 7 children all
born in Richland. Harriet died 4 May 1891.
George Tubbs married 10 Sept. 1839
in Oswego Co., NY Minerva Cushing who was born 1817. They had 2 children.
He died 9 Nov. 1846 in Defiance Co., OH and was buried in Locust Grove
Cemetery, Ridgeville Corners, OH.
Children of George and Minerva:
1.
Melvin Augustin Tubbs b. Mexico 24 May 1841; d. 9 Aug. 1864 in Willets
Hospital, Long Island, NY. He was a farmer and soldier. No
issue.
2.
Ophelia Tubbs b. OH Oct. 1843; m. 1863 William Allemon.
Eliza Ann Tubbs married 25 Sept. 1838
Edward Halsey. He was born 9 Aug. 1815 in Whitestown, NY. They
had 9 children all born in Mexico. Eliza died 14 Sept. 1899 in Mexico.
Edward died in 1901. They are both buried in Primitive Cemetery.
Their children, Edward, Jr.; Charles; Ellen E.; Albert; Rhoda A.; Dean;
Jason; Frederick; and Julia, are all buried in the Primitive Cemetery.
Asenath Tubbs married 7 May 1840
in Mexico Elisha Barse, born 13 July 1812 in Fayetteville, NY. Elisha
was a farmer in Mexico. She and Elisha were buried in the Primitive
Cemetery. Their daughters Julia and Mary were also buried with their
parents.
John Dean Tubbs married 22 Dec. 1847
Elizabeth A. Utter. She was born in Richland, NY. He was a farmer
who died 28 Dec. 1862 in Richland. John D. and Emily were buried
in the Willis Cemetery in South Richland.
Children of John D. and Elizabeth:
1. George Theodore Tubbs
b. Richland 3 Dec. 1850; m. 18 Jan. 1877 Kittie L. Davis; d. 2 Dec. 1882
in Texas Township, Kalamazoo Co., MI.
2. John Franklin Tubbs b. Richland
20 Jan. 1854; d. 9 Jan. 1880 in Douglas, Butter Co., KS. Grave marked
Franklin J. Tubbs. Unmarried.
3. Mary Blaisdell Tubbs b. Richland
14 Aug. 1856; m. 2 Jan. 1883 Newton Lane.
Lewis Tubbs married 7 Dec. 1848 in Mexico
Cynthia Waters. She was the daughter of Stilworthy Waters and Mary
Pride, born 3 Jan. 1828 in Richland. They had 5 children. She
died 23 Dec. 1893 in Mexico; while he died 21 Dec. 1904. They were
both buried in the Primitive Cemetery.
Children of Lewis and Cynthia:
1. Elvira Alletta Tubbs
b. Mexico 20 Jan. 1850; d. 18 Dec. 1874. Buried in Primitive Cemetery.
Unmarried. An artist.
2. Elgen Alexis Tubbs b. Mexico
23 July 1851; m. 27 Sept. 1882 Genevieve Brown; d. 1905 in California.
3. George German Tubbs b. Mexico
2 Nov. 1853; d. 21 Jan. 1879 Mexico. Unmarried. Jeweler. Buried
in Primitive Cemetery.
4. Ambie Savage Tubbs b. Mexico
25 June 1858; (1) 27 Jan. 1885 Mary Jane Deville; (2) Adrian, MI 27 Nov.
1892 Eudora Seaman; d. 22 July 1921 Mexico.
5. Frank Dean Tubbs b. Mexico 9
Apr. 1864; m. (1) Portsmouth, OH 2 Aug. 1888 Charlotte Isabelle Kerr (2)
Portsmouth, OH 7 Sept. 1898 Euphemia Fowler; d. 23 Feb. 1864 Mexico.
Isaac Newton Tubbs married in New York
Co., NY 27 Sept. 1848 Lucinda Goldsmith who was born 18 Apr. 1830 in Wayne
Co., NY. They had 9 children. In July 1855 this family moved
to Eaton Co., MI.
Children of Isaac N. and Lucinda:
1. Elbert Franklin Tubbs
b. Mexico 1 July 1849; m. 1 Jan. 1874 Alice Christina Kauffman; d. 8 Jan.
1914 Eaton Co., MI.
2. Lafayette Taylor Tubbs b. Mexico
14 May 1851; m. Ingham Co., MI 24 Aug. 1875 Sarah Jane Bishop; d. 2 Feb.
1900.
3. Mary Etta Tubbs b. Mexico 16
June 1853; m. 22 Mar. 1876 Alva Claflin; d. 24 July 1932. Issue:
2 children born in Charlotte, MI.
4. Newton Isaac Tubbs b. Eaton
Co., MI 25 Aug. 1855; m. 2 Dec. 1879 Ruth Etta Lewis; d. 15 Nov. 1930 Grand
Haven, MI.
5. Adella E. Tubbs b. Charlotte,
MI 11 Oct. 1857; m. 28 Mar. 1878 Ames Claflin. Issue: 2 children
born in Charlotte, MI.
6. George Henry Tubbs b. Charlotte,
MI 30 Aug.; 1859; m. (1) 31 Oct. 1882 Melva Irma Arnold; (2) Charlotte,
MI 12 Sept. 1911 Emma Clara Hanes; d. 21 July 1943 Los Angeles Co., CA.
7. Dean Charles Tubbs b. Eaton Co.,
MI 23 Sept. 1861; m. Detroit, Wayne Co., MI 11 Nov. 1890 Elizabeth Schroeder;
d. after 1942.
8. Delia A. Tubbs b. Eaton Co.,
MI 23 Sept. 1861; m. 10 Mar. 1886 Charles Macomber; d. 18 Apr. 1936.
9. Wesley W. Tubbs b. Eaton Co.,
MI 9 Sept. 1867; d. 13 Mar. 1868.
Dean Sewell Tubbs, a mason in Richland,
NY married 24 Feb. 1875 Mary Julia Evarts, daughter of Riley Evarts and
Catherine Quigg. Mary J. was also born in Richland 15 Dec. 1850.
They had 2 children. He died in 1896.
Children of Dean S. and Mary
J.:
1. Gertrude Vivian Tubbs
b. Richland 20 Mar. 1876; d. unmarried.
2. Joel Dean Tubbs b. Richland 9
Oct. 1884.
George Theodore Tubbs, son of John Dean
Tubbs and Elizabeth Utter, married 18 Jan. 1877 Kittie L. Davis of Clinton,,
MI. Many records show him listed as Theodore G. Tubbs. This
couple had 2 children. He died 2 Dec. 1882 in Texas Township, Kalamazoo,
MI and was buried there.
Children of George T. and Kittie
L.:
1. Nellie Tubbs b, Richland
27 Dec. 1879.
2. Bertha Tubbs b. MI 15 Sept. 1882.
Elgen Alexis Tubbs, son of Lewis and
Cynthia Tubbs, married 27 Sept. 1882 Genevieve Brown of Oriskany Falls,
NY. He was a doctor at Oriskany Falls in 1887 where he fathered 2
children. He died 1905 in California.
Children of Elgen and Genevieve:
1. Carrie May Tubbs b. Oriskany
Falls, NY 13 Oct. 1883.
2. Louie Murray Tubbs b. Oriskany
Falls, NY 6 Feb. 1885.
Ambie Savage Tubbs, son of Lewis and
Cynthia Tubbs, married 27 June 1885 Mary Jane Deville of Phoenix, NY.
This couple had 3 children, but only 2 survived. Mary Jane died before
1892. He remarried to Eudora Seaman on 27 Nov. 1892 in Adrian, MI.
Eudora was the mother of 1 child. Ambie died 22 July 1921 in Mexico
after a career as a farmer. He was buried in the Primitive Cemetery.
Children of Ambie S. and Mary
Jane:
1. Earl O. Tubbs b. Mexico
8 Nov. 1885; m. bef. 1909 Viola _____; d. after 1930. Issue:
2 children: Marion and Donald. Residence 1930 in Orwell, NY.
2. Ernest Tubbs b. Mexico July 1887;
d. 4 Oct. 1887 Oriskany Falls, NY. Buried in Primitive Cemetery.
3. Glenn Tubbs b. ca. 1890; d.y.
Child of Ambie S. and Eudora:
4. Ambia Ray Tubbs b. Henry Co.,
OH 13 Sept. 1893.
Another son of Lewis and Cynthia Tubbs,
Frank Dean Tubbs attended Ohio Wesleyan University in 1887. On 2
Aug. 1888 in Portsmouth, OH he married Charlotte Isabella Kerr. Frank
was ordained a Methodist pastor but in 1902 he became a Unitarian.
He served as a missionary in Puebla, Mexico. One of his strong interests
was genealogy. The couple had 3 children. Charlotte died before
1898. He then married Euphemia Fowler of Ironton, OH. They
had 2 children. Frank died 23 Feb. 1939 in Kingston, NY. He
and his wife Euphemia are both buried in Primitive Cemetery.
Children of Frank and Charlotte:
1. Arthur Dean Tubbs b.
Puebla, Mexico 4 May 1890.
2. Margaret Thurston Tubbs b. Puebla,
Mexico 22 Apr. 1891.
3. Agnes Randall Tubbs b. Puebla,
Mexico 17 Oct. 1894.
Children of Frank and Euphemia:
4. Alice Evangeline Tubbs b. Marion,
OH 12 July 1904.
5. Katherine Sybil Tubbs b. Lewiston,
ME 17 Nov. 1907.
SOURCES:
Arnold, James. Vital
Records of Rehoboth. 1897.
Burgess, A. Parke. The Old
Pratham Church. Syracuse: 1877.
Daughters of the American Revolution.
Lineage Books, v. 17, p. 229.
Descendants of #01 Francis Sprague.
Available [online] http://www.sprague.database.org
[1 Jan. 2003].
Foley, Janet Wethy. Early
Settlers of New York State, 1760-1942. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing,
1993.
Historical Register of Officers
of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution. Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing, 1967.
Johnson, Crisfield. History
of Oswego County, New York. Philadelphia: Everts, 1877.
Mandeville, Arthur R.
Genealogy of the Tubbs Family of Luzerne Co., PA. [manuscript]
MA. Plymouth. Court
Records, v. IV, p. 42, 192.
Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors
in the War of the Revolution. v. 16. Boston: Wright & Potter,
1896-1908.
Simpson, Elizabth M. Mexico:
Mother of Towns. Buffalo: Clement, 1949.
Soldiers of the Revolution.
Available [online] http://www.angelfire.com
[1 Jan. 2003].
U.S. Census for Oswego Co., NY.
1850, 1880, 1900, 1920, 1930.
Virkus, Frederick A. The Abridged
Compendium of American Genealogy. v. 12. Baltimore: Genealogical
Publishing, 1968.
WorldConnect Project. Available
[online] http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com
[31 Dec. 2002].
***************
Biography
of John and Nichols Vault,
France > Mexico,
NY
In the
1830?s and 40?s many French immigrants settled in the Colosse area of Mexico,
Oswego Co., NY. John and Nichols Vault, born in France, 1813 and
1807 respectively, decided to try their luck in North America via the Erie
Canal. They came in 1849 with their families. It is uncertain
if they knew anyone in America or decided by chance to end their long journey
at Colosse.
However,
it happened, a land agent?s assistant from the Alsace Lorraine area of
France, met the boats as they arrived at Syracuse. In the French
language he approached them and spoke in glowing terms of the richness
of the area around them. Whatever was said, they ended their long
search. Not too much is known of that occurred on the dock with each
arriving group, but the tired farmers where shown cheap land, good soil,
a Catholic Church, St. Ann?s on French Street built ca. 1845, and plenty
of countrymen ready to aid and assist all in their own language.
The date
of their immigration had been preserved in the 1920 Mexico census when
the then 75-year old son of John Vault said he came to America in 1849
and was naturalized in 1856. John Vault brought a large party with
him. Piecing together his family in 1849 from later census records
the group seemed to include (all born in France):
Vault,
John N ca.36 years old
Catherine
ca. 32 ? ?
wife of John N.
Augustus
ca. 5 ? ?
son of John N.
Constant
ca. 9 ? ?
son of either John or Nichols
Nichols
ca.41 ? ?
likely brother of John N.
Marion
ca.37 ? ?
wife of Nichols
Constant
Vault on 4 May 1861 enlisted in the Union Army. He fought with Co.
D, 24th NY Infantry. He was mustered out on 29 May 1863 in Elmira,
NY. Constant married Mary E. Works before 1865. Mary was the
daughter of Andrus and Alzina Works. Constant worked as a boatman
in 1870 at Granby. This designation meant he worked on the Erie Canal.
In the 1880 census Mary?s sister Charlotte lived in the household to assist
with their large family. The enumeration of the family included the
following:
Vault,
Constant 40
laborer France
Mary
E.
36 wife
NY
Clarance
[sic] 14
son
"
Louise
12 daughter
"
Burten[sic]
6 son
"
Florence
4 daughter
"
Mirtis[sic]
2 "
"
Works,
Charlotte 22 sister-in-law
"
When Constant
died before 1890, Mary E. Vault applied for a widow?s Civil War Pension
which she received on 17 July 1890 on certificate #325381. She took her
family to live in Parish, NY. In the 1892 New York State Census for
Parish Mary Vault, 48, and her children: Florence, 16 and Elsia [sic] A.,
7, were enumerated. Daughter Josephine worked as a domestic during
1900 in the home of Benjamin Stone, a leading wealthy merchant in Mexico.
In 1870
John and Catherine lived at Hasting, NY with their son Augustus, age 26,
and his wife, Mary, age 19, and his son Adolph, age 2. John and Augustus
were both masons. After the death of John the 1880 census listed
an enlarged family living in Palermo, NY:
Vault, Augustus
35 farmer
France
Mary
29 wife
?
Adolphus[sic]
12 son
NY
Julian
9 son
?
Agustus
4 son
?
Loisa
[sic]
2 daughter
?
Josephine
2
?
?
Cathrine[sic]
74
mother France
The original
immigrant John N. Vault died in 1876, age 63. The tombstone was transcribed
?Valtre? as was his wife Catherine?s who died in 1887. They were
both laid to rest in the churchyard at St. Ann?s. All the other tombstone?s
at St. Ann?s said Vault correctly spelled. Augustus?s son Adolph died in
1897 at age 29.
In
1900 Mexico census Augustus and his family had returned to reside in Mexico.
In this census Mary J. declared she had given birth to nine children, but
at that time only seven had survived. The following were enumerated:
Vault,
Augustus 56
Mary
J.
48
Augustus
J. 24
Jennie
M. 15
Lucy
A.
11
Lizzie
E.
5
By the 1920 census
Augustus and his family continued to reside in Mexico. Their enumeration
showed the following:
Vault,
Augustus, Sr. 75
France
Mary
J.
67 wife
?
Elizabeth
E.
25 daughter
NY
Lucas,
Elizabeth E. 39
?
?
Mary J.
died in 1923. Augustus died in 1931. They had a son Charles
V. who died in 1884 at the age of 8 months. They were all buried
in St. Ann?s Cemetery.
In another
1920 Mexico household Augustus? son Augustus J. lived with his family.
Augustus J. had married Mary Reininger, daughter of Henry and Mary (Raush)
Reininger. Their listing was the following:
Vault,
Augustus J. 44
carpenter NY
Mary
42 wife
?
Evelyn
13 daughter
?
Charles
D.
7 son
?
Reininger,
Mary A. 68
mother-in-law ?
Wife
Mary (Reininger) Vault died in 1968. Augustus Julian died in 1955.
They were both buried in the Mexico Village Cemetery. Daughter Evelyn
became a bookkeeper. She died in February 1982 and was buried at
the Mexico Village Cemetery. Charles D. Vault served in World War
II. His grave at the Mexico Village Cemetery was so marked.
He died in 1972.
In yet
another 1920 Mexico household Augustus?s son Julian J. and his wife Carrie
M. Hammacher raised a family who were shown as the following:
Vault,
Julian J. 47 NY
Carrie
M.
43 ?
Mabel
M.
18 ?
Vera
M.
12 "
Vera M.
was born on 27 November 1901. Julian and Carrie also had a son Henry
S. who died in 1899. A sister Verna M. died at 8 months in 1906.
They were both buried at St. Ann?s Cemetery. Their son Francis A.
Vault, born ca. 1897, married Helen who was 23 in 1920. This couple
lived in Oswego. Francis, who was called Frank, became a clothing
salesman by 1930. His wife, Helen M. became the mother of Elizabeth
J. and Nancy G. In 1930 the girls were 8 and 2 respectively.
Frank died in May 1975 in Oswego.
Carrie
M. died in 1939. Julian died in 1958. Julian and Carrie were
both buried in the Mexico Village Cemetery. Daughter Mabel M. died
a year after her father in 1959. She was buried near him.
Nichols
Vault was age 72 in 1880 Mexico census. The listing for his family
was as follows:
Vault,
Nichols 72
stone mason France
Marion
68 wife
?
Josephine
29 daughter
NY
Frank
2 grandson
?
Marion was buried in the Colosse Cemetery in 1900. She was 86.
It was likely that Nichols was the father of Gustavus/Agust Vault who headed
an 1880 household in Mexico which was enumerated as follows:
Vault,
Agust [sic] 28 RR laborer NY
Martha 23 wife
?
Claud
5 son
?
Frank
3 son
?
Maud
1 daughter ?
In the 1870
census Agust was given as Gustavus, age 19. He worked as a farm hand
for Freeborn Nichols. Agust died before 1900. His widow Martha
(Snell) Vault, born in 1858, had been married to Agust for 26 years.
In addition to the children listed in the 1880 census, the 1900 Mexico
census added the names and ages of the following children: Grace, 18; Ella
E., 15; Blanche M., 11. Plus another daughter Maud S., 20, who had
married ______ Church, was included. She had been wed for two
years before she was widowed. Also living there was Sarah S. Snell,
born in 1837, the mother of Widow Martha.
Constant
Vault?s son Burton, born in 1873, married Marie _____ and resided in Syracuse
by 1920. Their children were Howard, 23, and Edna, 20. Burton
and Howard were both bookkeepers. Edna was a saleswoman. Howard,
born on 14 September 1896, died October 1980 in Phoenix, NY.
Clarence
Vault, another son of Constant, also lived in Syracuse in 1920 with his
wife Mary. He was a factory watchman.
SOURCES:
American
Civil War Soldiers. Available [online] http://ancestry.com
http://ancestry.com [25 December 2003].
Cemetery
Census of the Town of Mexico, Oswego County, New York. Mexico: Mexico
Historical Society, 1984.
Civil
War Pensions. Available [online] http://www.ancestry.com
[25 December 2003].
Hazel
B. Allen?s Birth Records. Available [online] https://sites.rootsweb.com/~nyoswego
[25 December 2003].
Social
Security Death Index. Available. [online] http://ssdi,rootsweb.com
[25 December 2003].
U.S.
Census, Syracuse, Onondaga Co., NY 1920.
U.S.
Census, Granby, Oswego Co., NY 1870.
U.S.
Census, Hastings, Oswego Co., NY 1870.
U.S.
Census, Mexico, Oswego Co., NY 1870, 1880, 1900, 1920 & 1930.
U.S.
Census, Oswego, Oswego Co., NY 1920.
U.S.
Census, Palermo, Oswego Co., NY 1880.