Esther Varney dau. of Moses Varney / Esther Chick

Esther Varney was the daughter of Moses Varney and Esther Chick. Based on family chronology her birth is placed in 1756 in Rochester, New Hampshire. Esther married James Place May 23, 1776 in Rochester. Even though the marriage record has survived there is a real lack of information about the marriage, or the existence of any children in the Varney family historical traditions. With most of their contemporaries their children left a large enough footprint that their existence can be traced. Such is not the case for the marriage of Esther Varney and James Place.----------- There are three sources for information that supply us with some details of the marriage. All of them however are attached to her husband James Place. One of them is referenced as the “Guy S Rix manuscript of Place Genealogy. It can be found in the open source library on the Internet. That volume often quotes a second source the, Journal of Elder Enoch Hayes Place. The third source is the history of the Hayes family, “John Hayes of Dover, N. H., A book of his Family”. Both of the books were published at the turn of the Twentieth Century. It should be noted that the authors make note that many of their sources had first hand knowledge of the people they were recording their personal experience reaching way back into the 1800’s.----------- The Place Genealogy is the most informative. There are substantial details for James and his family tree. The genealogy notes that James Place was the son of John (Lucy Jeness), born in Rochester, N.H. Feb 25, 1755. It notes that he married first Ester Varney, May 23, 1776. It notes that after her death he married Abigail Hayes, Sept 26, 1785. Given the traditions of the time Esther probably died within 1783/84. The history gives a date for death for James Place January 2, 1837. The Hayes history uses a date of January 24, 1837. ---------- Of the marriage the Place genealogy records;----------- “He married first, Esther Varney by whom he had six or eight children, none of whom lived three months.”---------- James Place and his second wife Abigail Hayes had eight children. Their lives are record in detail in both family histories. That fact supports the notion that Ester’s children did not survive very long.----------- The Place genealogy notes that James Place was buried on the farm he purchased in1783 on Dry Hill in Rochester. It also notes that there was no headstone there for Esther. It remains for some researcher to find her burial in Rochester. Hopefully it is surrounded by six or eight small headstones.

Benjamin Varney- Martha Tibbets- Dover, NH

Benjamin Varney- Martha Tibbetts---------------- There is very little direct documentary evidence for Benjamin Varney. As indicated in his father’s will he was dead before his father’s will was filed in March 1832. The family traditions have Benjamin Varney married to Martha Tibbets the daughter of Samuel Tibbets. There was enough evidence within the town and church records for early Dover historians to also make that connection. The existing genealogies reference three main sources, the Tibbets family histories, “A Genealogy of Some of the Descendants of William Varney of Ipswich Mass. 1649 and more Particularly of his son Humphrey Varney”, and the “Varney Family Bible” held by R. G. Varney of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The genealogies list the children of Benjamin and Martha as; Moses, Phebe, Esther, Ichabod, Benjamin. The family tradition says Martha married a “Whitehouse”, first name unknown, after Benjamin’s death. There are deed records between an Edward Whitehouse and Moses Varney.------------------- In the will of Samuel Tibbets he lists all of children both living and dead. In the will we find the following,-------------------- “Item I give to my grandson Ichabod Varney his heirs and Assign all my right and Intent in the Said Town of Rochester.” “I give all my household Goods & movable Estate both within doors & without to my four daughters, Rachel Lego, Martha Whitehouse, Mary Whitehouse and Ester Tibbets”. So in the will we find listed Martha Varney now married to a Whitehouse and her son Ichabod Varney. The will is certainly a strong argument for the marriage of Martha Tibbets to Benjamin Varney.---------------- In the land ledgers we find three deeds written back to back where Benjamin’s children are selling their share of their inheritance to the same gentleman. The wording in the deeds expresses a clear connection between Benjamin and his children.-------------- “Know ye that I Moses Varney Senior ……….To ye homestead place of his father Benjamin Varney Late of Summersworth. On the second page Moses referes to "My mother Martha Whitehouse”------------- “Richard Hussy Jr of Dover in ye province of New Hampshire in New England, yeoman and Phebe his wife daughter of Benjamin Varney Late of Summersworth.”---------- “Ester wife of Elijah Tuttle daughter of Benjamin Varney”-------------