Sunday, December 23, 2012

William Britton Sr. and Sally (unknown surname)

Note:  It is my belief that Family Search has two families mixed up.  On Family Search, they have William Britton married to Mary Belton with five children, including Alexander C.

Alexander C Britton is claimed by both Family Search and on ancestry.com, this family (to read more, follow the only still-working link I have under Alexander's name).

Note 2018:  all but one of the links to the ancestry boards are broken, but I left them because I did use those links back when I was researching this line so I will leave them.

William Britton Sr.
Born 15 Oct 1756 Unity, New Hampshire
Alternate place of birth:  Massachusetts
Headstone for William
Parents Possibly William Britton, son of William Britton and Lydia Leonard - needs more research
Married Sally (unknown surname)
Died 5 Feb 1840 Big Island, Marion, Ohio
Buried Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Big Island Marion, Ohio

Military Record:
Pvt. William Britton served from Massachusetts (Massachusetts Revolutionary Pension #S42097) in the American Revolution for seven years and six months.

After living in New Hampshire, William settled in Essex County, New York, between 1804 and 1810, remaining until 1835.

After his wife's death, he followed his sons William Britton, Jr. and Alexander Britton to Big Island Township, Marion County, Ohio, where he remained with William, Jr., until his death on February 5, 1840.

William Britton's military records show correspondence dated January 9, 1821, regarding his pension. At the time he was a resident in the town of Keene, Essex County, New York, where he had lived for seven years; he also gave his age as 60. He stated in his affidavit that he had been a private in the Massachusetts line for six years. He had served in the companies of Captain Wiley and Captain Asa Coburn, under the command of Colonel Alden and Colonel John Brooks. He further stated that he owed $35.00 to Doctor Bartlet for his wife, "now deceased." He lists his personal property (which wasn't much) and says his daughter ("one of my daughters that lives with me who is married and two small grandchildren who I have to assist in supporting.") is Mary Parker, age 22. A transcript of this affidavit follows:

Second headstone
On August 3, 1836, William Britton requested a transfer of his pension from New York to Ohio, giving these reasons: All his children were in Ohio. His wife had died, and being alone he "removed" to Marion County, Ohio, to live with his children.

In a letter from Marion, Marion County, Ohio, John Bartram, J.P., wrote:
On this third day of August 1836 before me the subscriber a Justice of the Peace within the County of Marion, Ohio personally appeared William Britain, who, on his oath, declares that he is the same person who formerly belonged to the company commanded by Captain Asa Coburn in the Regiment commanded by Colonel John Brooks in the service of the United States, that his name was placed on the pension roll of the state of New York from whence he lately removed; that he now resides in the state of Ohio where he intends to remain, and wishes his pension to be now payable in future. The following are his reasons for removing from the state of New York to the state of Ohio. All his children had removed to the state of Ohio previous to his going there, and his wife having died and he being left alone he removed to the state of Ohio to live with his children.

To the Secretary of War
Your applicant William Britton Pensioner late resident of the state of New York but now a resident of the state of Ohio desires that his name should be transferred from the Pension roll of the former state to that of the latter, where he now resides and intends & intends to remain &wishes his Pension to be payable in the future. Respectfully
Submit his William X Britain mark

With the papers is a letter dated December 14, 1858, from an attorney for "Alexander Britton and Mary Edmunds, two of the four heirs of William Britton dec'd." This letter was from Angola, Steuben County, Indiana, and requested the rest of the pension due William Britton. Follows a note from the Treasury Department that $8.00 per month has been paid from March 18, 1818, to February 5, 1840, and that the remaining unclaimed money was paid September 1859 to one of the four heirs of William Britton.

An addition given by the Bureau of Pensions, which handled this material before it was turned over to the National Archives states:
"He (William Britton) enlisted at Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 1, 1777.
Battles: at the surrender of Burgoyne and Cornwallis.
He served until June 10, 1783."
Sources
Book:  Secretary of the Commonwealth, Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, Vol. 2, Boston: Wright and Potter Printing Co., 1896, pp. 461, 552, 554, 556
1790 US Census for Newport, Cheshire, New Hampshire page 117
1810 US Census for Keene, Essex, New York page 25
1830 US Census for Elizabethtown, Essex, New York page 343
http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol
Sally (unknown surname) 
Born abt 1756

CHILDREN

Jonathan and Sally (Britton) Slyter headstone
Sarah (Sally) Britton
Born abt 1787 New Hampshire
Married Jonathan Slyter (Sliter) about 1805
Children:  Lucy
Died  04 Dec 1868 Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan
Buried Fulton Cemetery, Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan, USA
Plot: Block 4 lot 13 W
Sources
Headstone:  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61557182/sally-slyter
1810 US Census for Champlain, Clinton, New York
1820 US Census for Troupsberg, Steuben, New York
1830 US Census for Peru Township, Clinton, New York
1850 US Census for Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan
Note:  Surname spelled Slighter
1860 US Census for Kent, Michigan page 160 (age 73)
Note:  Name spelled Sallie Sliter
 http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol

William's headstone
William Britton (Jr)
Born 2 Jan 1790 Concord, Cheshire, New Hampshire
Occupation:  Farmer
Married abt 1810 Sarah James in Essex County, New York
Children: Benjamin, James and ten others
Died 25 Jan 1872 Big Island, Marion, Ohio
Buried Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Big Island, Marion, Ohio
Sources
1820 US Census for Fearing, Washington, Ohio page 217
1860 US Census for Big Island Township, Marion, Ohio page 175 (age 68)
1870 US Census for Ohio (age 79)
Note: son James and his family are living with him
Headstonehttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32449823/william-britton
Samuel and John's headstone
note that their mother's name is Sally
Samuel Britton
Born abt 1793 New Hampshire
Died 20 Feb 1801 Unity Township, New Hampshire (age 8)
Buried East Unity Cemetery, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Sources
Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/102753245/samuel-britton

http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol



Alexander C Britton
Born 9 June 1795 Newport, Concord, New Hampshire
Married 1) Amanda Avery 24 Jan 1820 Fearing Township, Washington, Ohio
Children: Richard, Thomas, Elizabeth, Harriett, William

Possible Problem: There has been a Phoebe Coffin listed as Alexander's second wife here: http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol
According to my research, it could not be this Alexander because the man that married Phoebe Cotsin 22 Mar 1838 in Stueben, Indiana, was named MURDOCK ALEXANDER BRITTON.

I found Alexander in the 1850 Census - with all the children listed above. His wife was listed as "Sousanna" in that census. Could "Sousanna" be a mistake in extraction for Amanda? Yes, but it could be another marriage so I've listed it as such.

2) Susanna (unknown surname) who would have died pre-1856
3) (widow) Rachel Sowle 18 May 1856 Steuben County, Indiana
Children: William, Jane, Lydia, John, Phoebe, Alexander
Married 1) Walter Ingersoll
Children: Rosetta
Died 19 Oct 1864 Indiana
Buried No stone found
Sources
1820 US Census for Fearing, Washington, Ohio page 217 (one free white male, one free white female)
1830 US Census for Big Island, Marion, Ohio page 145
1840 US Census for Steuben, Steuben, Indiana page 100 (one male age 40-50, one female under 5y, 2 females 20y and under, and one female age 20-30)
1850 US Census for Rockport, Spencer, Indiana (age 40, with wife SUSANNA)
Note:  Claims birthplace is Virginia
1860 US Census for Steuben, Indiana page 72 (age 65, with wife, Rachel)
Note:  the Census only used his initials, A.C.
Marriage to Amanda: Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994 p 111 Film 941958
Mary Britton
Born 4 Mar 1796 Newport, Cheshire, New Hampshire
Married 1) Mr. Parker  abt 1813 New York
Two children

2) Thomas Edmunds  9 Dec 1819  Keene, Essex, New York
Died after 1860
Buried
Sources
Her father's will

1860 US Census for Pleasant Township, Steuben, Indiana page 111
Note:  Surname spelled Edmond in census
John and Samuel's headstone
John Britton
Born abt 1799 Unity Township, Cheshire, New Hampshire
Died 7 Feb 1804 Unity Township, Cheshire, New Hampshire (age 4)
Buried East Unity Cemetery, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Sources
http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=3648&p=localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.counties.bristol