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

Probate and Will of Julius Kelsey 1858

Julius Kelsey died April 25, 1858. Presented here is his will and probate. These documents are primarily concerned with the distribution of his cash and real estate. The real estate included the house on the one acre home lot. The primary piece of property was the 100 acre Wright farm. There were 3 other lots and a 10 acre wood lot. Also include were 3 grazing lots. Listed is an inventory for oats, rye, potatoes, corn, hay and a cider mill. The inheritance is for the farm land, its produce and oxen to till the ground. Named are the “Widow Sylvia Kelsey” , “son of the said deceased” John H. Kelsey, James H. Kelsey, Austin Kelsey, Julius W. Kelsey and Cortland Kelsey, “daughter of the said deceased” Polly Davis, Roxa Hopson and Catherine Stevens. Missing is his daughter Mabel who had proceeded him in death who had no children to claim her share. The history of Julius's family is posted separately.

Julius Kelsey of Madison and Killingworth

Julius Kelsey was the oldest child born to Lois Griffin and her husband Stephen Kelsey. Julius married Sylvia Hill. Sylvia was the daughter of James Hill and his wife Eleanor Hull. Sylvia's sister Arta married Julius's cousin Leonard Davis. The Kelsey family records are spread out between the church and town records of Killingworth and Madison. For example the Barbour Collection for Killingworth lists the birth of three of Lois and Stephen’s children; Julius, September 8, 1783, Polly, May 30, 1786 and Stephen, January 3, 1789. There is nothing in Barbour for their daughter Cynthia. The Barbour Collection for Killingworth also contains records for the two oldest children of Julius and his wife Sylvia; Polly, November 29, 1803 and John Hill, November 4, 1805. It also contains the marriage record for the marriages of Julius’s son Julius Worthington to the two Redfield sisters, Polly B. Redfield October 25, 1840 and on her death, her sister Mary H. Redfield, on December 28, 1845. Missing are the remaining seven children in Julius’s family. Even though Lois and Stephen are buried in Killingworth they lived the majority of their life in Madison. Both Stephen and his son Julius Kelsey’s wills were filed in Madison. The question now becomes why can’t we find any record of Julius’s other children in either the Killingworth or Madison town records? Any family history search for this part of Connecticut usually starts the genealogical collection compiled by Alvan Talcott which we have referenced any number of times on the Blog. Doctor Talcott, a contemporary of Julius Kelsey, served as a physician to most of the families in Guilford and Madison over a sixty-year period. He collected genealogical data on most of the original families. In his retirement he collated and refined his collection adding to his material from the town records. His original hand written notes are available on microfilm and have been published in a two volume set titled Families of Early Guilford. In the original hand written records you can see were he added a note on a marriage or a death to an existing file. In his collection Doctor Talcott has the following notes on Julius’s family. -----Polly, mar. Thorit Davis. ------John Hill, b 4 November 1805; died August 4, 1878, mar Caroline Hill------James, died 19 September 1877; mar Mary E. Camp------Austin, b 15 January 1810; mar Maria Bristol------ Julius Worthington, b 31 January 1812, died 8 May 1881; mar Polly Redfield------Roxa, b 25 June 1844; mar John Hopson-----Mabel, died 20 June 1844; mar Fredric Chittenden-------Catherine, died August 1859; mar Julius P. Stevens------Cortland, mar Sarah Hoyt.------ My experience with the Talcott material suggests that the absence of dates indicates that there were no town records available for reference. So where were the children born? The first hint in our current search came from a death record for Leonard Davis who was Julius’s first cousin. The death record noted that Leonard Davis (Azubah Griffin’s son) was an “Episcopalian”. We have documented the involvement of our Griffin Clan with the Congregational Societies any number of times on the Blog. It had never occurred to me that some family members might have joined other denominations. While reviewing the Episcopal records in Killingworth we were surprised to find that brothers Stephen and Julius Kelsey had joined along with Leonard Davis and his son Henry. The Episcopal Congregation was formed about 1800. It was made up of two separate congregations one from North Madison, referred to at the time as North Bristol, and Killingworth. Unlike the pastor dominated Congregational Societies the Episcopalian congregation was maintained primarily by lay readers. Leonard Davis played a prominent role in the congregation. Austin Kelsey also served as a” reader”. There were regional traveling ordained pastors who also preached on occasions and on those occasions they performed the Sacraments. One such pastor was the Reverend David Baldwin. The Reverend Baldwin baptized most of Julius’s children. In all likelihood Julius was part of what was referred to in the census records as the North Bristol Society.------ We present those baptismal records here. The record for James Hill dated 27 December 1807 is very hard to make out. The others are fairly distinguishable. We have also included the original record from Alvan Talcott’s notes. -----Julius Kelsey / Lois Griffin / Samuel-Marah / Samuel Griffin.

Leonard Davis of Killingworth, Church records

In March of 2013 we posted a collection of documents for the family of Azuba Griffin and her husband Henry Davis. Part of that collection was the baptismal records for their children that are found in the records of the Killingworth Congregational Second Society. The historical evidence suggests that Azuba and Henry were faithful members. Because of their membership the Society clerks added marriage and death notations for their children including the death of their son Leonard. As part of the record of Leonard’s death the clerk added the notation “Episcopalian”. I had reviewed this collection of records many times and that simple notation had escaped my attention. Its discovery led us to expand our search for the family of Leonard Davis. Leonard’s children were born during the 30-year span in which there are almost no surviving records from Killingworth. I had never considered the fact that any of the Griffin clan would stray from allegiance to the Second Society. These two circumstances limited the scope of our previous searches. The recovery of his probate file changed all of that. Armed with a collection of names relating to Leonard’s family we began a new search of the Killingworth records that resulted in our discovery of the Episcopal connection. Much to our delight we found that the Episcopal records from that time frame had survived and were available for our review not only that we found a treasure of information in them for Leonard’s family. The Killingworth Episcopal movement received its start from the Episcopal congregation that started in nearby North Madison in what was termed North Bristol. The Killingworth and North Bristol Episcopalian Societies united as The Union Society in 1800. A prominent feature of the universities of the day was a divinity school. These divinity schools provided a steady supply of ordained ministers for the Congregational Societies. The same was not true for the Episcopalians. Many parishes were instead led by lay readers. Such was the case in Killingworth. The "readers" were chosen by the members at the annual parish meetings. The “readers" assumed the responsibly for religious instruction and preaching normally handled by the university trained clergy. Both Leonard Davis and Austin Kelsey, Julius Kelsey’s son, at times assumed this role. Occasionally a ordained clergyman would visit for the purpose of baptizing the children and administering the Holy Communion. The Reverend David Baldwin, who resided in Guilford, assumed responsibility for the Killingworth Parish and it was he who baptized most of Leonard’s children. Within the Killingworth Society Leonard Davis assumed a leadership role. Several times Leonard was elected as the moderator for the annual meetings. Leonard and his son Henry were both part of the parish as were his 1st cousin Julius Kelsey, son of his aunt Lois Griffin, from the North Bristol Parish. Leonard's wife Arta and Julius's wife Sylvia were sisters.------ Included in the collection of documents we present here are; The baptismal and confirmation records for his children including the two sons he names Joel Hobart (note the previous article on Leonard ), the membership record for Leonard and his wife Arta, several documents that highlight Leonard’s involvement in the parish.------Eleanor February 11, 1816, Orpha July 2, 1820, Joel Hobart April 27, 1823, Henry Dennison April 22, 1827, Joel Hobart July 6, 1834 / Leonard Davis / Azuba Griffin / Samuel-Marah / Samuel Griffin.