The Fay Family: Martha Fay
   
THE FAY FAMILY PAGE

GENEALOGIES
   
Jonathan's page
   
Martha Fay
And her Descendants
   
   
John Fay
John (OPF #2) (11/30/1669 - 1/5/1747) son of John and Mary Brigham
James (OPF #32) (12/27/1707 - 6/12/1777) son of John and Elizabeth Wellington
Daniel (OPF #64) (10/21/1728 - 2/28/1815) son of James and Lydia Child
Jonathan (OPF #172) (4/28/1774 - 1/12/1837) son of Daniel and Mary Crosby
Roswell (OPF p.44) (1795 - 1873) son of Jonathan and Rhoda White
Roswell was the first child of Jonathan and Rhoda White. Orlin has almost nothing about him.
Roswell bought land in Illinois on August 14, 1846. In 1850, Roswell and Persis have a 26 year old male with them whose name is Augustus; he would have been born in 1824 and according to the census, in NY. In 1830, in Salina, Onondaga, New York, there is a child with Roswell between the ages of 5 and 10; this would fit perfectly. As far as I can tell, Augustus does not appear by name anywhere else.
1850: Squaw Grove, Dekalb, IL
Martha Fay was not a Fay by birth; she was a Fay by marriage. Hers has been an interesting line to work with. I started with a modern obituary and went backwards. Each step could be supported, most by census records. There was also another obituary, as well as a family tree that helped. Working backwards, I arrived at 1870. Martha was living in Iowa. She had five children, and was head of house; there was no sign of a husband. Martha was born in New York, but the children were ALL born in Illinois. The earliest birth, according to this census, was 1855, the most recent 1864.
   
1870: Le Grand, Marshall, IA
   
Even as early as 1870, Martha's husband was not with the family. Since Martha and her husband were in Illinois both before and after 1860, they should be there in 1860. Since they had a child as late as 1864, Martha's husband must still have been alive in 1860. It should be possible to find the family in Illinois in 1860. However, I have not been able to find them. I have run every possible search that I can think of. I have been able to find only one entry, and that is the one that connects Martha and Roswell.
   
1860: Squaw Grove, Dekalb, IL
   
"John R. Fay" born in Illinois, 15 in 1870 with his mother Martha, 5 in 1860 with Roswell. Is it enough? I think so. The John R. who is with Roswell is obviously not his son; Persis is far too old to be his mother; and we have already seen that they only had one child. What more natural than a grandson? It was at this point that I looked further into Roswell, and all that I found seemed to fit. There is one further piece of evidence, an Illinois census record.
   
1855: Squaw Grove, Dekalb, IL
One male under ten (John R., a few months old), one thirty to 40 (Augustus, 31), one 60-70 (Roswell, 60). One female 20 to 30 (Martha, 20), one female 50 to 60 (Persis, 52). Not solid proof, but very convincing to me.
   
As an aside, note the initials for John (John R.) and Henry (Henry A.). I have no evidence, but my guess is that it is John Roswell and Henry Augustus. Note also Rhoda, named perhaps for her greatgrandmother Rhoda White?
   
John did marry; he and his wife appear in the census of 1880 in Iowa and 1885 in Nebraska. I have not found them after that.
   
MARTHA AND HER DESCENDANTS
(Augustus is the 7th generation)
   
......8  John R. Fay  b: about 1855
.......  +Annetta  b: about 1862  
......8  Mary Fay  b: about 1856 [last seen in 1870 in IA] 
......8  Henry A. Fay  b: 4/1860
.......  +Flora M.  b: 8/1866
............9  Abbott Eastman Fay  b: 7/23/1890  d: 11/1966
.............  +Ethel
..................10  Keith L. Fay  b: 8/31/1920  d: 8/15/2008
..................10  Abbott E. Fay  b: about 7/1926  d: 3/12/2009
....................  +Joan R.  b: about 8/1926
.........................11  Randy Fay
.........................11  Collin Fay
.........................11  Dede Fay 
..................10  Warren H. Fay  b: 1/3/1929  d: 4/23/1999
............9  Laura E. Fay  b: 7/1895 
......8  Warren Alonzo Fay  b: about 1861
.......  +Gertrude Louise Clark  b: 4/30/1880  d: 6/1977
............9  Dorothy Louise Fay  b: 1912
.............  +Charlie S. Silliman  b: 3/2/1908  d: 4/1965
..................10  Monte J. Silliman  b: 2/8/1940  d: 10/11/2006
....................  +Jan
.........................11  Annette Silliman
.........................11  Laurie Silliman
.........................11  Michelle Silliman
.........................11  Aaron James Silliman
......8  Rhoda Fay  b: about 1864 [last seen in 1885 in NE]