Chloe Davis and Nathan Fowler

In March of 2013 we posted a history for the family of Azuba Griffin and her husband Henry Davis. In the article we noted the difficulty we were having documenting the lives of their daughters. We have recently posted a history for Rebina. We would like to take up the case for their oldest daughter Chloe whose birth is recorded in the Killingworth town records on June 11, 1786. Starting in 1844 the cities in Connecticut, responding to state mandate, began keeping detailed records of births, deaths and marriages. For most family history researchers one of the great features of these records is the tradition of naming the parents in both birth and death records and in some instances marriage records. Such is certainly the case for Rebina. Her parents are identified as Henry Davis and Azubah Griffin. Sadly for us we do not have such a record for Chloe. There is no single document that says I am Chloe Davis daughter of Henry and Azaba. There are a number of families that have posted their family history that trace their linage back to the family of Chloe Davis and Nathan Fowler. Nathan’s linage is easily traced. Working backward through history without that single connecting document they have understandably hit a wall at Chloe. Working down through history offers a different perspective. One of our goals in the blog was to explore the original documents concerning our family’s history. What an original document represents is a moment in time for a real person a moment in time for one of our ancestors. Every time I find a new document I enjoy, along with the moment of discovery, the realization that a real person was writing down that information with the mental picture of the persons involved. That exercise brings those people to life. If you spend time in small places like Killingworth you can gain an appreciation of the mindset of the town and church clerks. You notice that in a town, where a father and son share the same name, the clerks, with an eye to their audience, always make the distinction between Sr. and Jr.. In the spirit of small town oral tradition they add a newspaper function adding the notes, son of, daughter of, widow of etc. In marriages, for example, they always note the place of birth of a spouse that was not born in the hometown. It is from this perspective that we offer our observations on the history of Chloe Davis. The starting point for this journey begins with marriage records found in the ledgers of the Congregational Second Society and the private journal of Deacon Abraham Pierson. Deacon Pierson’s private journal in particular concerned itself with his neighbors in Killingworth. He must have had a somewhat close relationship with the Griffin clan. He chose to be buried next to them in what was at the time a family cemetery the Union Cemetery. These two sources record the marriage of Chloe Davis to Nathan Fowler. In Pierson’s journal under the listing for marriages in 1801 we find “Jan 5 Nathan Fowler 2nd & Chloe Davis”. The “2nd” is written in both documents as a “2” with a small “d” written a little above. In the Second Society ledgers under the year 1801 “January 5 Nathan Fowler 2nd Guilford & Chloe Davis”. These two documents are telling us that the authors were introducing Nathan Fowler the son of Nathan Fowler from Guilford who married our own Chloe Davis, whose family we document throughout these records, the daughter of Henry Davis and Azuba Griffin. ------As with most of our histories from this time frame we again turn to the work of Alvan Talcott to provide us with a background. The extended Fowler family is well documented in Talcott’s family histories. Nathan’s own family is documented in great detail. Talcott, in addition to his own compilation of notes, had the family record from the Guilford town records to draw on. In the Guilford town records the family of Nathan Fowler Sr. and his wife Sarah Kimberly has been gathered and is presented in one concise little record including their son Nathan born June 1, 1780. Noted in Talcott after his date of birth on June 1 is the fact that Nathan married Chloe Davis. In a separate entry Talcott then documents the family of Nathan Fowler and his wife “Chloe Davis”. He then notes that “Chloe Davis” was the daughter of Henry. Of their children he writes, Sally, mar. Martin Griswold,------ Betsey, mar. Eliakim Wyllis Hull,------ Louisa, mar. Richard Fowler,------ Nathan, ------Maria Achsah mar. Uriel A Ayers,------ Jane Azuba, mar. Cyrus Kelsey, ------ Rachel, mar. Bishop Atwater, ------Henry. In this instance it seems that Talcott did not have any other records available to provide dates of birth. The only date he lists is for Maria, March 31, 1812. Note that Chloe named a daughter Azuba and a son Henry. Talcott also adds a note that has led to a good deal of confusion for those researching this family “lived in Durham, Conn.”. Most of the histories written for Nathan and Chloe incorrectly list Durham as the place where they were married and the place where all of their children were born. Nathan and Chloe only lived the last few years of their lives in Durham, thus Talcott’s notation. They are buried in the New Cemetery in Durham. The definitive source for the Durham vital records for our time frame is the volume, History of Durham, which was published by the town of Durham in 1866 and edited coincidently by William Chauncey Fowler. To the best of my knowledge there are no surviving original records. The history includes detailed birth records for the time frame in which Nathan and Chloe’s children were born but the only records for the Fowler family in the entire work are the marriage records for Betsy found on page 435 and the marriage of Jane to Cyrus Kelsey found on page 436. So where did Nathan and Chloe make their home and where are the birth records for their children? The answer starts with a geography lesson. Guilford was one of the original plantations from which a number of other towns sprung. The original Guilford Plantation included the area that makes up present day Guilford, Madison and parts of Wallingford and Durham. As with most of the early towns political divisions occurred along the lines drawn by the boundaries of the Congregational Societies. As these early towns expanded outward at some point in time distance and population dictated the formation of additional Congregational Societies. The Fowlers grew up in the Second Society in Guilford, which became defined as East Guilford. Eventually Guilford included five Societies. The northern most, the home of the Fowlers, was called the North Bristol Society. North Bristol became part of a new township when the former East Guilford became Madison. North Bristol then became know as North Madison. North Madison and the northern part of Killingworth are bounded by the township of Durham. Durham is only four miles wide. In many ways this area acted in concert as a separate community. In the 1810 census. Nathan Fowler and Nathan Fowler 2nd are listed under Wallingford. In the 1820 census Nathan Fowler Jr. is listed in the North Bristol Society. The 1830 census lists Nathan Fowler in Durham. Still at home is their son Nathan and 2 daughters Jane and Rachael. There is also a boy listed under the age of 10. That child is Nathan Fowler Griswold their grandson. We will take up that story later in the narrative. The number and ages of the children listed in the census records are a match for the family of Nathan and Chloe. There is a history, The History of North Madison, written by Merritt Cleaver, which chronicles the history of this unique area. The Fowlers, junior and senior, appear numerous times in its pages documenting their presences in the community. The town map, which is printed in the volume, identifies the location of Nathan’s home lot. In identifying the “where” it would seem that finding birth records would easily follow but such is not the case. The primary reason is that in a world dominated both secularly and ecclesiastically by the Congregational Societies Nathan Fowler Jr. was an Episcopalian. In the articles written on the families of cousins Julius Kelsey, and Chloe’s brother, Leonard Davis we chronicled their involvement with the Union Episcopal Society. The Union Society was made of the two separate societies that were founded in North Bristol and nearby North Killingworth. The clerk of the North Bristol Society was Nathan Fowler. The title page in the Episcopal Ledger reads, “This Book belongeth to the Episcopal Society by the name of the Episcopal Society of North Bristol Purchased for a Record Book Delivered to Nathan Fowler Clerk”. Nathan’s name appears numerous times in the records. In 1811 there is a document that would seem to indicate that he was withdrawing from the combined Union Society and returning to the North Bristol Society. The last entry for him is in 1812 where he is noted as having paid his dues. But for some unexplained reason, unlike Julius and Leonard, there are no records for his children. There is but a single baptism record for Sally listed as the child of Nathan Fowler Jun dated in November of 1802. This historical mosaic seems to tell the story of the Fowler family of North Bristol crossing paths with the Davis family of Killingworth in the Episcopal Society. The result was a marriage in 1801 in Killingworth. Nathan and Chloe raised their family in North Bristol/North Madison moving a short distance to Durham late in life. We do have the death records for 4 of their daughters, Louisa, Maria, Jane and Rachael. All of the records note that the girls were born in Madison. Jane’s is more specific noting that she was born in North Madison. Nathan and Chloe are buried in the New Cemetery in Durham along with their son Nathan and daughters Louisa and Betsy. Her headstone reads, “Fowler Chloe, wife of Nathan, died Oct. 22, 1843, age 57. Those dates are a perfect match for her birth date of 1786. Nathan’s headstone reads Fowler Nathan, died Dec 31, 1834, age 53. Those are the same dates that are recorded in a document housed in the Connecticut State Library titled “Durham Deaths”. _________________So what do we know concerning their children? Talcott lists their oldest child as Sally who married Martin Griswold. Their marriage record is found in the ledger of the North Madison Congregational Society. Dated September 22, 1822 “Married Mr. Martin Griswold of Killingworth to Miss Sally Fowler of Guilford”. There are no other records that document the life of Sally. But we do have a source of information on her life. The marriage produced a son who they named Nathan Fowler Griswold. Nathan grew up to become very prominent in the manufacturing of silverware. The history of Meriden, a center for the silverware industry, includes a detailed biography of Nathan Fowler Griswold. The American Silversmiths also has a biography, which includes his genealogy. The story told is that Nathan was born in Lockport, New York, which had attracted men from Connecticut to help build the locks for the Erie Canal. His biography reads “Nathan Fowler Griswold was born in Lockport, NY and his mother dying after his birth, he was taken to Durham CT and placed in the care of his grandparents until age six, when his father remarried”. This provides the explanation for the young boy that is part of the household of his grandfather Nathan Fowler in the 1830 Census. Of his parents the biography reads “”Martin the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in the old Griswold homestead in Killingworth he married Miss Sally Fowler daughter of Nathan and Chloe Davis Fowler”. Martin married for the second time to Mary Post in Middletown, Connecticut August 2, 1829. Nathan’s biography notes that his father Martin Griswold and his second wife eventually moved to Ohio. Young Nathan stayed in Connecticut. His biography notes that he lived for a time in the household of his Aunt Maria and her husband Urial Ayers after the passing of his grandparents. The genealogy written by the American Silversmiths notes that his father Martin died in Summit Co. Ohio in 1882. That death is also recorded in the Ohio death records. Some histories incorrectly link Nathan Fowler Griswold to the Martin Griswold buried in the Indian River Cemetery in Clinton. That particular Martin Griswold was married to Lucy Redfield. Their information is available in the Barbour records. _________________ Betsy Fowler married Eliakim Wyllis Hull. Their marriage record is found on page 435 in The History of Durham dated November 25th 1819. Betsy is buried near her parents in Durham. Her headstone reads, “Betsy Hull Fowler wife of Eliakim W. Hull Sept. 29, 1833, age 29. That suggests a date of birth in 1804. In the Guilford records Eliakim marries for the second time on April 12, 1835 to Ruhamah Davis. The record notes that he was from Durham. His death is also found in the Guilford records dated February 2, 1885. ____________________Louisa Fowler married a distant cousin Richard Fowler. Louisa was Richard’s 2nd wife. He had previously married Belinda Ford on February 6, 1817. That marriage is recorded in Volume 6 page 202 of the Guilford town records. Belinda died August 30, 1828. Richard Fowler died May 14, 1863. In the 1870 census Louisa is part of the household of Nathan Fowler Griswold listed as a housekeeper. Louisa is buried with her parents her headstone reads, “Fowler Louisa A. wife of Richard Fowler died March 9, 1884, age 77 ( 1807). Her death record in the Durham town records lists Madison as the place of her birth. It lists her parents as Nathan Fowler and Chloe Davis. __________________Nathan Fowler is also buried in Durham. From his headstone, “Fowler Nathaniel D. died Jan. 1, 1864 age 65 (1809). Nathan seems to have been handicapped. He lived with his parents until their death. In the 1850 census he is part of his sister Rachael’s household. _____________________ Mariah Achsah, name after her mothers sister, was born February 27, 1812. Her headstone reads “”Ayers Maria A. wife of Urial A, died Mar. 16, 1890 age 79”. Maria married Urial Ayers. The marriage is part of the Barbour records for Middletown “Urial A. Ayers of East Haddam m. Maria A. Fowler of Durham March 24, 1835”. Maria and Urial lived in East Haddam until after his death February 2, 1880. Maria moved to Meriden near her sister Jane. Her death record in Meriden provides the following information, death March 16, 1890, maiden name Fowler, age 78 years, born Madison, parents Nathan & Chloe. ________________Jane Azuba, named after her grandmother, married Cyrus Kelsey. Cyrus was the grandson of Jane’s great aunt, Lois Griffin Kelsey. Their marriage is found in the Durham history dated May 12, 1835. Information from her death records places her birth in February of 1813. Her death record in Meriden lists a date of death October 5, 1898. The record also list her place of birth as North Madison her parents as Nathanial Fowler and Chloe Davis. The death records for this time frame are usually written across two pages in a ledger so the documents on the deaths of the sisters are posted in two parts. Cyrus was born in Killingworth September 12, 1812 he died December 24, 1896. His death is also recorded in the Meriden town records. _______________Rachael Jennett Fowler married Bishop Atwell. The Atwells lived in Durham. Information found in her death record indicates a date of birth on about December 11, 1815. There is a very nice headstone in the New Cemetery near her parents in Durham. Her headstone and death records both note a date of July 27, 1894. Her death record found in the Durham town records notes that she was born in Madison, daughter of Nathan Fowler and Chloe Davis. Bishop Awell’s death record is also found in the Durham records dated March 13, 1892, born Durham, parents Jessie Atwell and Phebe. The Barbour records note a date of birth on December 4, 1812. _____________________ Henry Fowler, there is no information on Henry, named after his grandfather, other than his name in the Talcott records. My assumption is that he only lived for a short time. The pattern of the Talcott records would seem to indicate a date of birth in about 1817._________________ Chloe Davis Fowler/ Azuba Griffin Davis / Samuel-Marah / Samuel Griffin. Click on images to enlarge.

The Family of Rebina Davis daughter of Azuba Griffin

In March of 2013 we posted the birth and baptismal records for the family of Azubah Griffin and Henry Davis. Those records document the birth of their daughter Rebina on June 14, 1796. We do not have a marriage record for Rebina but it is fairly easy to find evidence of her marriage to Joseph Porter Lane woven in the fabric of the Killingworth records. In the records of the Killingworth Congregational Second Society we find a record for Joseph Porter Lane and his wife Rebina as having been granted Full Communion. Joseph Porter was the son of Joseph Lane Jr. and Elizabeth Porter. He was named after both of his parents. His birth is part of the Barbour collection noted as February 7, 1787. Joseph’s baptism is noted in the Second Society records as well as the private records of the Deacon Abraham Pierson. Rebina and Joseph are buried in the Stone House Cemetery near her parents. Her headstone reads “Rebina Lane, wife of Joseph P., died December 31, 1875, age 79”. His reads “Joseph Porter Lane, died September 27, 1875 age 84.” They passed away 3 months apart. Their deaths are noted in the town records spread across two pages in the ledger the dates listed a few lines apart. For Joseph P. Lane the date and age are noted, as is his birthplace of Killingworth. The record notes that he was a farmer having died of old age. It also list his parents Joseph and Elizabeth. The record for Rebina notes that she was the daughter of Henry Davis and Azubah Griffin. It records that she was the widow of Joseph P. Lane she too having died of old age. Within the probate files there is found a will for both Rebina and Joseph. Rebina’s will starts, “In the name of God, Amen. I Rebina Lane of the town of Killingworth in the county of Middlesex and the State of Connecticut being of sound mind”. She then gives directions to settle her final affairs. Rebina then leaves most of her remaining property to Sherman Nettleton and his married daughter. I have been unable to discover the connection. Joseph, who died first, wills most of his estate to Rebina. He then leaves a bequest to five religious societies including the American Missionary Association and the American Bible Society. Conspicuous by their absence is any reference to children or heirs. None of the previous histories written for Rebina and Joseph list any children nor at first glance are there any buried in the family plot. But, as part of the treasure trove of family data that we found in the Episcopal records we find a baptismal record dated 17 August 1817, “Elizabeth daughter of Porter Lane”. Elizabeth was apparently named after her mother’s sister Elizabeth. It seems that Rebina and her husband had joined the Episcopal Society with her brother Leonard only to return to the Congregational Society later in life. We were left to wonder what had happen to Elizabeth Lane then we made a discovery in the Hull family history, which lists a marriage of Hamlet Hull to an Elizabeth Lane. Their history suggests that her parents were Joseph Porter Lane and Rebina Davis although they do not site any original sources. In the Second Society ledger we find a record of their marriage on June 30, 1839 Hamlet Hull to Elizabeth Lane. The marriage is also found in the town records. There is also a death record for Hamlet and Elizabeth in the Congregational ledgers, “Hamlet Hull October 15, 1842” and by a coincidence on the line next to her uncle Leonard Davis “Episcopalian” (see the story on Leonard Davis) dated August 28, 1840 “Elizabeth Lane Hull, church member, age 23 ½” (a match for the 1817 baptismal date). Following a familiar family pattern we find the couple buried in the Stone House Cemetery near her parents and grandparents. The cemetery is named after Azuba and Henry Davis’s stone house and probably served as a family “burying yard”. Their headstones read “In memory of Elizabeth Hull, wife of Hamlet Hull, who died August 28, 1840, aged 23”. Those dates again indicate a birth in 1817. There is also a headstone for Hamlet, “In memory of Hamlet Hull, who died October 16, 1842, ”. Elizabeth Lane Hull / Rebina Davis Lane / Azubah Griffin / Samuel-Marah / Samuel Griffin.

Austin Kelsey North Madison and Kansas

Alvan Talcott in his genealogical collection traces three generations of the Kelsey family. He starts with the family of Stephen Kelsey and Lois Griffin. In the next generation he traces the families of their sons Julius and Stephen. Stephen named a son Samuel Griffin Kelsey. We noted Talcott’s material on Julius previously on the Blog. He then traces the families that belonged to Julius and Stephen’s sons. For Julius’s son Austin he recorded------ “ Austin Kelsey. Son of Julius and Sylvia Hill, was born 15 January 1810. He married 19 June 1836 Maria Bristol who was born 14 March 1812. Lived in North Madison, Conn. and Kansas. Children: Smith Ulysses, b 1 September 1838------Elizabeth Maria. b 29 February 1840; mar Alonzo Norton------Austin Hough, b 9 May 1841------Harriet Eliza, b 9 April 1846------Egbert, b 22 January 1849------Frank Henry, b 11 January 1855”. Austin grew up in North Madison. This area at one time was also referred to as North Bristol. Madison much like Killingworth and Clinton, was divided into two sections with two Congregational Societies. Due to their proximity the histories of North Madison and Durham have seen some overlap. At the time the Kelseys were living there, North Madison and the northern part of the Killingworth Second Society, in many ways, acted as a single community. At the turn of the 19th Century Congregationalism had lost much of its domination in the old New England Colonies. The Episcopal and Methodists movements had grown to maturity. An Episcopal Society had sprung up in both North Madison and Killingworth. In 1800 these two congregations merged to become the Union Episcopal Society of Killingworth. Cousins Julius Kelsey and Leonard Davis, having married sisters, were very much a part of this new congregation. We have previously posted the baptismal records for Julius Kelsey’s children that we found in the Episcopal records including that of Austin. This new congregation in its early years was not able to find or support a full time minister. As a result the congregation selected what they termed “lay readers” to assume the task of religious instruction. We find the young Austin Kelsey being selected to help fill this role. It seems that Austin had a good deal of religion in his soul. His religious fervor would play a major role in his life’s journey. At some point Austin switched his religious affiliation back to the Congregational Societies. We find his marriage to Maria Bristol recorded in the records in North Madison Congregational Society. ------ “This is to certify that Austin Kelsey & Maria Bristol both of Madison were married by me on the 19th day of June AD 1836. Stephen Hays pastor of the Church in North Madison”. We also find their church membership record. Each pastor at some time in his tenure would make an inventory of his membership. What we see is such a record for Austin Kelsey and Amy Maria Kelsey it notes that they were accepted into membership March 5th 1843. Note, they were admitted on “Profession”. We have previously published copies of the Profession of Faith and the church Covenants. What this means is that on their entry into the Society Austin and Maria publicly “Professed “their acceptance of the Congregational tenants. They not only joined the Congregational Society for the years 1847 through 1853 Austin served as the Society Clerk. The three dominating voices in any Society were, the Minister, the Deacons, and the Clerk. All of the Society records were organized and written by the Clerk. It is interesting to note that the clerks wrote in everyone else’s name then he attested to the validity of the content and the signatures. Thus on the document we have posted what we see is Austin Kelsey’s actual signature from the Society ledger. ------ We also find a record for the baptism of their three oldest children who they had baptized all on the same day, June 4th 1843. “Ulysses Smith, Elizabeth Maria & Austin Hugh children of Austin & Amy M. Kelsey”. In the Madison town records we find the birth records for Egbert and Frank Henry. Both are identified as the children of Austin and Maria Kelsey. In the early days of towns like Killingworth and Madison the civil and ecclesiastic worlds merged. Births, marriages and deaths were recorded in the church ledgers. In many towns that information was collected and recorded as concise little family records usually noted down in the ledgers that recorded the land deeds. One off set of this circumstance was the fact that if you were not part of the Congregational community no one may have made record of your children or your family history. I think it is because of this bias, intended or otherwise, that we have difficulty finding original birth records for all of Austin’s children. The same is very much true for the other families that belonged to the Union Episcopal Society. That information simply did not get transfered to town records. Without the work of Alvan Talcott the history of many families would have been left incomplete. But we do have a documentary trail for Austin and it creates for us the image of a real ancestor. ------ The real history for Austin’s family is written in Kansas. ------------The Kelsey family in Kansas maintains its own Internet site “Kelsey Family Tree”. The easiest way to find it is to do an Internet search for Smith Ulysses Kelsey of Wabaunsee, Kansas. They have detailed material on Austin and his generations and more importantly the story of the move to Kansas. To quote from their web page------ “In 1856, following a rousing abolitionist speech by Henry Ward Beecher, the Connecticut-Kansas Company was formed to send men to Kansas to establish a colony where families from New Haven and the surrounding areas could relocate and participate in the historic vote that would make the Kansas territory into a free state”. As part of this movement Austin moved his family to Kansas and became very much a part of the American drama that came to a head in Kansas and Missouri and ended with the Civil War. I highly recommend that you read the full story on the “Kelsey Family Tree”. ------Austin Kelsey / Julius / Lois Griffin-Stephen Kelsey / Samuel-Marah / Samuel Griffin. Click on images to enlarge.

Mercy Griffin Pelton 1774 to 1844

Mercy Griffin was born in Killingworth, Connecticut on April 3 1774. She was the 2nd child born to Samuel Griffin and his third wife Mercy Bailey. She joined the Griffin clan in the house on Roast Meat Hill. There is a very faint trail for her existence in Killingworth. Her parent’s marriage is found in the Congregational Second Society ledger, which notes the marriage of Samuel Griffin to the widow Mercy “Bailey” Stevens. Notice of her birth is also found in the Second Society records, as is her marriage to Ithamar Pelton from nearby Essex. Recently we have been investigating the Episcopal and Congregational records from North Madison. North Madison and Killingworth share a boundary line. In many ways the far north of Killingworth and North Madison were one community. There were two Congregational Societies in Madison. In the North Society there is a record that indicates that the Peltons were granted Full Communion on August 12th 1792. At some time soon after Mercy and Ithamar made the move with her father to Essex, Vermont, as did a number of Ithamar’s kin. Pelton family records suggest that their oldest child Eunice was born in Essex in 1792 but there is a chance that she was actually born in North Madison. Such may be the case for some of their other children as well. We have a baptismal record from the North Madison, at that time named North Bristol, Congregational Society for the birth of "Betsy" daughter of Ithamar and Mercy. Is Betsy actually Flora or is this another child? Flora 1793, Oritta 1795. By 1797 when Achsah was born I think the Peltons were definitely living in Essex, Vermont as part of the growing Griffin Clan. Family records show four more children born in Essex, Josiah 1799, Lester 1801, Elizabeth 1803, and named after his grandfather, Samuel Griffin Pelton in 1805. By the time Hiram was born in 1807 family history indicates that the family had made the move to Gustavus, Ohio. In Ohio four more children were born Albert in 1809, Lucius 1822, Ithamar 1816 and Charles in 1818. The Pelton family established a generational presence in Gustavus and the surrounding area and maintains an active family history. Mercy and Ithamar’s headstones can be found online at Ancestrtry.Com