Jeremiah Sheffield

Notes:

In the 1850 Federal Census, Jeremiah & Hannah are living at Ellisburgh, Jefferson Co., NY, with their four children; two others have died by then. Jeremiah is a farmer, age 48. His son Oscar, age 26, is shown as a merchant, while Daniel, 18, is "farming." The family is next door to Allen & Palmyra Remington and their two children, Lois 17 & Oscar 13. Even though he is younger, Allen Remington age 46 is actually Jeremiah's uncle, youngest brother of Jeremiah's mother, Martha (Remington) Sheffield.

On 1 April 1860, Jeremiah & Hannah signed a deed selling a parcel of land to Gardner Marsh, Jr. This deed was written and witnessed by Edmund Remington, Justice of the Peace, and was recorded by the town clerk on 17 May 1860 at 2 PM. Edmund Remington was Jeremiah's first cousin, being a son of Jonathan Remington, brother of Jeremiah's mother Martha. The land defined in the deed had been previously bought by Martha (Remington) Sheffield on 8 March 1825, from the Wardwells and the Manns. It consisted of 71 acres, and was purchased by Martha for $599.60. When she died in August 1828, Jeremiah took possession of this land, and lived on it with his family from that time until he sold it in 1860. (A copy of this deed is recorded at Jefferson County, NY, Deed Book 142, pp. 335 & 336; a photocopy of these pages was kindly furnished by Mary Jones of Graeagle, CA, a descendant).

Jeremiah married Hannah Gardner Smith 1823. Hannah (daughter of Willard Smith and Amy Gardner) was born 17 Nov 1803, MA; died 26 Jul 1898, Spring Prairie, Walworth Co., WI. [Group Sheet]

1. Oscar Smith Sheffield was born 12 Feb 1824, Mannsville, Jefferson Co., NY; died 23 Jan 1916; was buried , Hazel Ridge Cemetery, Elkhorn, Walworth Co., WI.
2. Cordelia Sheffield was born 9 Apr 1826; died 1828.
3. Martha Elizabeth Sheffield was born 7 Jun 1828, NY; died Aft 1 Jun 1880.
4. Hannah Janette Sheffield was born 30 May 1830; died 1844.
5. Daniel Jeremiah Sheffield was born 1 Mar 1833.
6. Celestia Annette Sheffield was born 1 Nov 1839, NY.

Notes:

Berkshire Probate Court records show that Martha Remington was married to and divorced from Elisha Sheffield. However, her son's death record names his father as John Sheffield. She may have married John, then he died, and Elisha married her.

Elisha married Martha Remington Abt 1801. Martha (daughter of Allen Remington, I and Diadama Unknown) was born 1782, Hancock, Berkshire Co., MA; died Aug 1828, Mannsville or Ellisburgh, Jefferson Co., NY; was buried , Maplewood Cemetery, Ellisburgh, Jefferson Co., NY. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Berkshire Probate Court records show that Martha Remington was married to and divorced from Elisha Sheffield. However, her son's death record names his father as John Sheffield. She may have married John, then he died, and Elisha married her.

Notes:

Allen & Diadama were on the membership list of the First General Baptist Church of Richmond, RI, on 17 Sept 1810. (source: James N. Arnold's "Vital Records of RI," Church Records, p. 411) However, this is confusing because Allen was already widowed by 1809, and probably married his second wife Margaret about this time. Perhaps the church leaders had not heard that Diadama had died by then, and retained the names on the list of members.

Allen, probably born at Portsmouth, RI, appears to have married or at least had children in MA. However, Allen and his first wife may have been back in RI at some point and had some association with the Baptist Church in Richmond. (see above). Their children probably married in MA; at least some of them moved westward.

"A Scattered People: An American Family Moves West" by Gerald W. McFarland, p. 81 (Google Books) says that Allen Remington and his father had briefly lived at Exeter, RI; Allen came to Hancock, MA, from RI after the Revolution.

Boyd Scott Remington includes a second son named William born in 1820, but I don't think it is accurate, as there was already another son named William. Allen's estate documents mention one son named William.

Allen died intestate, and the numerous legal documents pertaining to the settlement of his estate in Berkshire Co., MA, mention the names of his children and stepchildren, as well as his second wife Margaret, who died not long after Allen did.

Allen married Diadama Unknown 1781. Diadama was born Abt 1763; died Between 1803 and 1809. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I am not sure when or where Diadamia actually died. Although she and Allen are listed on the membership roll of First General Baptist Church of Richmond, RI, in 1810, supposedly Allen married a second wife in 1809. It may be that the church leaders in southern RI had not heard that Diadama had died, until after the membership rolls were updated.

Notes:

The exact identity of this Jonathan is unclear (see notes below). It is possible that he was a son of a Remington family of Prudence Island, and married an Allen girl from there. Both the Remingtons and the Allens lived on Prudence Island, Portsmouth, and had family connections and land connections.

There is a marriage record for Jonathan Remington, of Jonathan & Susannah (or Luranah?) Remington of East Greenwich, 18 Oct 1753, to Mary Thurston (RI Friends' Records). At first it was unclear to me whether this might be a first marriage for this particular Jonathan (mother's name unclear); however, Mary (Thurston) Remington died between 1777 and 1782, probably after her husband Jonathan died. See notes for Mary Thurston.

Jonathan was probably born in East Greenwich, or at least spent part of his youth there, since his birth is registered there. At some point, probably before 1741, his family moved to Massachusetts. He may have married there or in RI, but apparently at some point probably moved to Portsmouth, RI, because at least two of his children were born there; at least, their births were registered there. I am not sure when or where Jonathan and his wife died. He is very possibly the Jonathan Remington listed in the 1790 Federal Census at Hancock, MA. His son Allen lived in both MA and RI.

"A Scattered People: An American Family Moves West" by Gerald W. McFarland, p. 81 (Google Books) says that Allen Remington and his father (Jonathan) had briefly lived at Exeter, RI; Allen came to Hancock, MA, from RI after the Revolution.

Boyd Scott Remington's chart shows this Jonathan married to Prudence. However, according to an unpublished manuscript of "Family Notes" at the Knight Memorial Library in Providence, "Jonathan Remington, b.1726 Hancock, MA, married Pruda, b.1731, and had a son Allen who married Deidama; they in turn had a son Jonathan who married Diana Hall." This is clearly the same family group, but unfortunately appears to be different Jonathans, because this one was born at East Greenwich, RI, in 1730 (at least the birth was recorded there). Which is correct? (See notes for Allen's son Jonathan b.1784) See also DAR ID Number: 25799, Mrs. Sarah M. Remington Taylor; this says Jonathan was born 1726 at Hancock, MA.

BSRs chart shows the son Allen as having lived and then dying at Hancock, MA. However, James N. Arnold's "Vital Record of RI" shows Allen & Diadama Remington on the membership list of the First General Baptist Church of Richmond, RI, on 17 September 1810. Possibly Jonathan's family, and/or one or more of his children, moved to RI and then back to MA. But was Jonathan, father of Allen, born in MA or RI? This Jonathan needs more research. See notes for his father, implying that he may have moved out of state (his land was sold at public auction to pay outstanding debts).

James N. Arnold's Vital Record of RI, Richmond, lists the following Remingtons as church members in 1770: Hepsibeth, Jonathan, Lydia, Martha, Prudence, and William. This would appear to support part of this family group in BSRs chart; but who is William? At the present I am assuming he is another son, and thus adding him to the list of Jonathan's children, pending further research. However, the possibility remains that these were two different but related Remington families.

Jonathan married Prudence "Pruda" Unknown Abt 1756. Prudence was born 1731. [Group Sheet]