Abigail Bradley Halbert 1799-1867

Abigail Bradley was the daughter of Samuel Cornel Bradley and his wife Abigail Brownson. She was the baby in the family named after her mother. In the records of the Essex Congregational Society we have a record of her baptism, the daughter of Samuel Bradley. The key document from her life is her death record. Dated October 3, 1867 it records the death of Abigail Halbert at the age of 68 years 4 months and 12 days. That information suggests a date of birth of May 21, 1799. The death record notes that she was born in Essex, Vt. the daughter of Samuel & Abigail Bradley. Her marriage is found in Volume 1 of the town records “On the 15th day of September 1822 Horace Halbert & Abigail Bradley both of Essex were duly joined in marriage. ”________________Horace Halbert was born in Massachusetts, September 16 1797. A record of the family of John and Asenath Halbert, Horace’s parents, is found in a collection of family records located in the last pages of Volume 1 of the Essex town records. It would seem that the town clerks at that time gathered family histories for some of the earliest families to arrive in Essex and entered the data on those pages. The entry records the birth of part of the family in Massachusetts and starting in about 1803 the remainder of the family in Essex. Horace was a prominent farmer and his name appears any number of times in the town records serving in one office or another. His name is also prevalent in the Congregational records. Horace and Abigail are buried in the Essex Common Burial Ground next to his parents. His headstone reads, Horace Halbert Dec. 6, 1883 age 87 yrs. For Abigail, Abigail Bradley Oct 3, 1867 wife of Horace Halbert age 68 yrs. ________________ The Halbert’s only had one child, a son they named Alfred Bradley Halbert. There is a nice biography for him written in, The History of Chittenden County. “Halbert, Hon. Alfred B. deceased, Essex, was born in Essex, Vt., on January 13, 1826. He was the son of Horace and Abigail Bradley Halbert. His paternal grandparents were John and Asenath Webb Halbert, who were natives of Hinsdall, Mass., and settled in Essex, Vt., in 1807. His maternal grandfather, Samuel Bradley, was also a pioneer of Essex, VT. Alfred B. received an academic education and always took an active part in all public affairs of the town. He was justice of the peace for twenty nine years in succession, assistant judge of the county court in 1867-77 and 1878, represented his county in the State Senate in 1869 and 1870, was a member of the State Board of Agriculture from its organization, for many years. He was married to Lois A. Page, a daughter of Ephraim R. Page and Louisa Boynton Paige, of Fairfax, Vt. Mr. Halbert was an upright man and prominent in his own town and county. A public trust of some kind was ever in his hands and he was universally respected and beloved. All social and moral reforms had in him a strong advocate. He died universally respected and beloved.” Alfred died April 25, 1884. His death is recorded in the Essex Town records. It lists him as Alfred Bradley Halbert the son of Horace and Abigail Bradley Halbert. His cause of death is listed as Typhoid Fever. Alfred and Lois are buried together in the Mountain View Cemetery in Essex. Lois passed away May 2, 1891. Alfred and Lois did not have any children. In his will Alfred pays a glowing tribute to his wife to whom he leaves his entire estate. His father lived as a widower for sixteen years. Many of those years were probably spent as part of Alfred’s household. There is a notation in his will, “And should my father survive me I confide him to her care”, speaking of Lois.