John Francis Remington

Notes:

I have a copy of his death certificate from the State of Rhode Island. Also, his gravestone has been photographed.

John married Edith Mae Wright 4 Feb 1911, Coventry, Kent Co., RI. Edith (daughter of John Otis Thurston and Mary Elizabeth McNeil) was born 9 Oct 1893, West Greenwich, Kent Co., RI; died 21 Apr 1951, Providence, Providence Co., RI; was buried , Woodland Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

1. Gladys Angeretta Remington was born 20 Jun 1911, Coventry, RI; died 17 Apr 2002, Coventry, RI; was buried 20 Apr 2002, St. Ann's Cemetery, Cranston, RI.
2. Helen Mae Remington was born 4 Feb 1913, Anthony RI; died 11 Mar 2005, Coventry, RI; was buried 14 Mar 2005, Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI.
3. Julia Whitford Remington was born 20 Jan 1914; died Oct 1972; was buried , Woodland Cemetery, Coventry, RI.
4. Barbara Louise Remington was born 25 Jan 1915, RI; died 26 May 2002, West Warwick, RI; was buried , Woodland Cemetery, Coventry, RI.
5. Dorothy Elva Remington was born 11 Aug 1916, Coventry, RI; died 16 Feb 2011, Providence, RI.
6. Donald Francis Remington was born 26 Dec 1918, Coventry, RI; died 9 May 2010, AL; was buried , New Prospect Baptist Cemetery, Samson, AL.

John married Lillian Estelle Stratton Abt 1955. Lillian was born 4 Nov 1895; died 8 Sep 1970, Warwick, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Oakland Cemetery, Maple Ave., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have a copy of his birth certificate from Warwick, RI (Warwick Births, 1850 - 1882, Vol. 2, p. 5); a copy of his official marriage record from the RI State Offices in Providence, as well as the original page from the Town of Coventry marriage record book, p. 89; and his death certificate from Cranston, RI.

The 1880 census lists John A. Remington as age 12 at that time. I have a copy of the page from the census showing his family.

We have a nice portrait of John Allen dressed in his best suit, with a boutonnierre pinned to his right lapel. Perhaps it was a graduation picture, or even a wedding picture, as he was married quite young the first time -- not yet nineteen. His brown hair is neatly parted in the center and combed with a slight wave to either side. He has light eyes, like his father's, and fine regular features in an oval face. I definitely see a bit of his looks in our family, especially my uncles and my dad's cousins. We never knew much about my Great-grandfather Remington; things were left unsaid. His first wife died young of consumption, after only 1 1/2 years of marriage, which must have brought him much grief. Perhaps he took up drinking to cope with the sorrow, and then couldn't get away from it, even after marrying Angeretta, with whom he had two fine sons. For some reason they separated. He died so young, only 28 years old, of some form of cancer, according to the death certificate. I guess the whole story will never be known, so we've left it in God's hands.

John married Angeretta Williams WHITFORD 10 Nov 1891, Coventry, Kent Co., RI. Angeretta (daughter of Charles Carmi WHITFORD and Harty Potter JOHNSON) was born 10 Nov 1870, West Greenwich, Kent Co., RI; died 12 Oct 1958, Warwick, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Woodland Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have a photocopy of her original birth record in the official Book of Births for 1870 in the Town of West Greenwich, p. 20; a copy of the original marriage record from the official Book of Marriages for 1891 in the Town of Coventry, p. 89; a copy of the marriage certificate from the State Offices at Providence, RI; a copy of her death certificate from the State of Rhode Island; and a copy of the newspaper obituary. Her gravestone has been photographed.

Angeretta was a midwife.

I remember occasionally going to visit my Great-grandma Remington in a house on Knotty Oak Road in Coventry, RI, where she lived with "Aunt Ollie and Uncle Allen," who were actually my great aunt -- Angeretta's sister -- and her husband, Allen Hopkins. The older folks would sit around the living room and talk, while we children would sometimes sit and listen, and sometimes amuse ourselves by walking around -- but never upstairs, as I recall. There was a square metal grate in the floor between the living room and kitchen, through which the heat would blow from the basement furnace. Being a small child, I had to take a rather large step to walk, or rather jump, over this grate, and I was somehow worried that I might fall through!

Great-grandma Remington came to stay overnight with us once, and she slept in the room next to mine. When she was in the hospital with her final illness, I was allowed to go up to her hospital room to see her one last time. I was seven years old.

Aunt Ollie lived quite a few years longer, and died when I was sixteen. I have memories of going to her funeral. But the best memories are of the three generations of family sitting around that comfortable living room, where the older folks would talk in their gentle and pleasant voices.

Notes:

Benjamin's birth record is noted as:
REMINGTON, Benjamin F., of Benjamin and Mary, b. 1831 Ti (TiM 1-5)

I have a photocopy of his official death certificate from Tiverton, RI. In addition, I have copies of the family group in the 1860 and 1870 censuses at "Old Warwick" and in the 1880 census at Coventry.

In the 1865 RI State Census, the family is at Warwick. They have six children.

In the 1870 Federal Census, Benjamin & Adeline are living at Old Warwick. They have eight children.

In 1875 the family is in Warwick, still in he section known as Old Warwick. There are 10 children, ranging in age from 2 to 20.

In 1880 Benjamin & "Adelaid" are in Coventry. Seven of their children are in the household.

Benjamin & Adeline lived in Tiverton, Old Warwick/Warwick Neck, Coventry, West Greenwich, and probably East Greenwich. Benjamin's signature is on the West Greenwich voting lists, Burton District, for 1885 to 1888. This record gives his date of birth as 13 Feb 1832, and his birthplace as Tiverton, RI. The Burton District, sometimes referred to as the Button District, was located in the northeastern corner of West Greenwich, in the the area between Carrs Pond and Lake Mishnock where Division Rd., Hopkins Hill Rd., and New London Turnpike intersect. I am not sure exactly where in this area my ancestors lived during these years.

Benjamin's middle name was probably Franklin, although no official document has been found giving the full name. Benjamin is in the 1850 Federal Census at Tiverton, listed with the household of his maternal grandparents, Deacon Benjamin and Peace Hambly, along with his mother, his brother John, and other individuals.

It seems as if he and Adeline named several of their children after relatives, such as Mary Anna, Peace H., David Thomas, Charles Abner, Joseph Ellery, John, and George, as well as after notable American or RI leaders. There is the obvious Benjamin Franklin, probably named after his father and great uncle, as well as the statesman and his maternal grandfather Benjamin. James DeWolf Remington may have been named after James DeWolf (1764-1837), a prominent merchant, shipowner, and manufacturer from Bristol, who was very prosperous in slave trading; but after this was halted by the War of 1812, sponsored a privateer that captured millions of dollars worth of goods from British ships. In 1821, the RI General Assembly chose him to be US Senator. In the words of Patrick T. Conley, "In 1837, after a full life as a lawbreaker and lawmaker, he died on his elegant 1,000-acre Bristol estate."

Cousin Barbara Shaw gave Dad Remington pictures of Adeline and Benjamin. On the back of his she wrote Benjamin Franklin Remington, so if accurate this means he gave one of his sons the same name. The portrait shows him dressed in a three-piece suit. He seems to have had brown hair -- parted on the side, slicked back, and cut below the ears -- and a full beard. His face shows classic features, with light eyes -- possibly blue or gray. I try to see my children, cousins, aunts or uncles in his face. Maybe . . .

Benjamin married Adeline Tripp MANCHESTER 12 Dec 1852, The Amicable Congregational Church, Tiverton, RI. Adeline (daughter of Jeremiah A. MANCHESTER and Mary H. DENNIS) was born 7 Jun 1835, Tiverton, Newport Co., RI; died 10 May 1893, East Greenwich, RI; was buried , Glenwood Cemetery, East Greenwich, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Adeline is one of our links to our Mayflower Pilgrim ancestry, through her maternal grandmother.

The 1850 Tiverton census shows Adeline Manchester as a 15-year-old living in the household of Edward and Elizabeth Wing, ages 78 and 73. There is also Isaac Manchester, age 11, her brother. Others living there are Joseph and Roby Rounds, 22 and 20; and John Keefe, 24, from Ireland. Roby was Adeline's and Isaac's older married sister. Another Tiverton home lists Emeline Manchester, 17; William Manchester, 23; and Lucy A., 7; living with six individuals of the surname Rounds. These other Manchesters were Adeline's siblings, and her mother, Mary, had remarried to Roderick Rounds. I have found the birth entries for all of them except Lucy.

Adeline Remington is 24 in the 1860 Census at Warwick, and 45 in the 1880 Census at Coventry.

Her death is entered in East Greenwich, Vol. 4, p. 76: "10 May 1893, Adlin T. Remington, age 58, birthplace Tiverton, parents Jeremiah & Mary Manchester, cause of death -- pneumonia." I visited the Greenwood Cemetery on 9 Feb 2002, and took some pictures of the gravestone, which is inscribed Adelin T. Manchester (elsewhere she is named as Adeline H. but that is incorrect). It is a very nice memorial stone, in the area over to the left as one enters the gates.

I found Adeline's middle name in James N. Arnold's "Family Notes" Volume R, "Remington" at the Knight Memorial Library, Elmwood Ave., Providence (these papers are now at the Providence Public Library). It is also on son David's death record at Providence, but is misspelled as Krip.

Her picture shows her with light brown hair, parted in the middle and pulled back, probably in a braid or chignon. Her eyes must have been brown or dark blue. Attired very properly and modestly in a dark-colored dress with a high collar and small bow at the neck, and buttons down the front, she appears somewhat tired, but calm and resolute. In her thin oval face and sloping eyebrows I can see a striking resemblance to my Great Uncle Fran, who was her grandson. (Note from cousin Judith Walton: "The picture was done by Morton Artistic Photographer of Westminster St. in Providence.")

There is no way of knowing for sure, but I suppose the pictures could have been taken when they were about forty, perhaps even for their 25th anniversary, around 1877.

I have been trying to determine whom Adeline was named after -- if anyone. There was an Adeline Manchester who married a Rufus Tripp; this Adeline was a daughter of Perry Manchester, who was a son of Peleg & Margaret. I have not found any Tripp ancestry for this branch of the family, although this is a possibility. John Dennis's ancestry has not yet been determined with certainly, although I have researched it to the extent that I am fairly satisfied with the available evidence.

Notes:

I have a photocopy of Benjamin's and Adeline's official marriage record from Tiverton, RI.

Notes:

I have a photocopy of his original birth entry at the Town of West Greenwich. Charles Carmi was named for his two grandfathers, Carmi Whitford and Charles Tibbetts. I also have a photocopy of his death entry in the Book of Deaths for 1910, p. 30, in the Town of Coventry.
We have one picture of my Great-great-grandfather Whitford. This is posted at our family website [www.thesorensens.net]. Also there is a photograph of his gravestone at Maple Root Cemetery.

All of the children and their birth dates are listed in the book "Records of the Bailey Family," p. 61.

In the 1860 Federal Census at West Greenwich, Charles is 25 and living with his parents, along with his married sister, Marcy W. Church, 29. In the 1870 Federal Census, Charles C. 34 and his wife Harty 21 are still living at West Greenwich, RI. They have a child Hattie L., age 1. The family is in the household of Jeremiah & Sally W. Whitford, ages 64 & 61, Charles's parents. The 1880 Census at West Greenwich shows him married, age 45, with his wife and five daughters, again living in the household with Jeremiah and Sally Whitford, Charles's parents. This is probably the family farm on Rt. 3 in West Greenwich, where there is now a motel and gas station, at the intersection of Interstate 95. He is age 65 in the 1900 Census at Coventry, and is listed as the head of the household which includes his children as well as two grandsons, Angeretta's sons. I have photocopies of the pages from these three censuses.

Example -- 1880 Census:
Charles C. Whitford age 45
Harty P. Whitford 30
Hattie L. 11
Angeretta W. 9
Julia E. 6
Lena M. 4
Olive 2

Charles was elected to the Exeter Town Council in 1888 (was this a different Charles Whitford?).

There is a paragraph about Charles C. Whitford and his family on p. 1343 of J. R. Cole's "History of Washington and Kent Counties," published in 1889. Although the writer has made two mistakes (names Charles's grandfather as Jeremiah instead of Carmi, and names his wife as Hattie instead of Harty), he does offer other information that is more reliable. We are told that Charles was born in 1834 in West Greenwich, and that he has been a farmer all of his life, having bought the farm where he now lives in 1884 (probably the farm on Knotty Oak Rd. in Coventry). It says he was married to [Harty] in 1866, and lists his children as: Hattie L., Angeretta W., Julia E., Lena M., Olive L., Charles W., and Nelson J. Lastly, he comments that "the family is said to be of Welsh descent."

Of the individuals in this family, the ones I have personal memories of are Angeretta, who was my great-grandmother Remington; Olive, who was my great "Aunt Ollie"; Charles W., who we called "Uncle Will"; and J. Nelson, who was my great "Uncle Jerry."

My dad, Norman Remington, says he remembers driving by the site of the old family homestead, which was on Rt. 3 between Harkney Hill Road and the present Interstate 95. About where the Best Western/Congress Inn is today, there was a spring. Further up the road, where the plat Wood Estates is now located, there must have been a family burial site, because when the plat was being planned (perhaps in the 1960s?), certain Whitford heirs had to sign, acknowledging there were interments on the property, and giving their permission for the project to proceed.

Charles married Harty Potter JOHNSON 25 Nov 1866, Richmond, RI. Harty (daughter of Philip JOHNSON, Jr. and Tryphena Hoxsie GREENE) was born 12 Apr 1850, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; died 27 Nov 1917, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Maple Root Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

We have a picture of Great-great-grandma Harty Whitford, taken in 1912 in a five-generation group which includes her father. More recently I was given a picture of her as a young mother. These and other family pictures are posted at our family web site [www.thesorensens.net].

I have a photocopy of her original death entry in the Book of Deaths in 1917, p. 51, for the Town of Coventry. Also, her gravestone has been photographed.

I think she must have been named after Harty (Potter) Johnson, wife of her uncle Caleb Johnson.

Notes:

The original marriage entry is at the Richmond Town Hall in the "Book of Marriages and Deaths, 1850-1910, p. 14. It says, "In Richmond, Nov. 25th (1866), Charles C. Whitford born in West Greenwich, age 31 -- a farmer, and Hatty P. Johnson born in Coventry, age 17; parents of each: Jeremiah and Sally W. Whitford, Phillip and Tryphena H. Johnson; married by Gilbert Tillinghast, Minister of the Gospel." It was the first marriage for both of them.

Notes:

Benjamin was a seaman whose name appears on the whaling crew lists at New Bedford Public Library. The information that he was lost at sea came from a descendant, Mrs. Vira Dodge of West Greenwich, and was transcribed in James N. Arnold's "Family Notes" Volume R, an unpublished manuscript located at the Knight Library in Providence, RI (now at Providence Public Library, main branch)

Whaling crew records at New Bedford provide information on some of the whaling voyages he went on. For instance, on 6 May 1820 he departed from New Bedford on the brig Juno, bound for the coast of Africa. The crew's master was Simeon Long, Jr. The roster says Benjamin was age 17, 5'7" tall, fair-skinned, had brown hair, and resided in Tiverton, RI.

On 21 April 1827 he left on the brig Parthian for a whaling voyage, "bound for the the Western Islands and elsewhere in the Atlantic Ocean." They returned on 7 June 1828. The crew's master was John J. (or T.) Parker. Benjamin was age 23, had a fair complexion and brown hair, and was 5' 8 1/2" in height. His residence was still Tiverton. Also on the crew list was Eseck Manchester, age 22, also from Tiverton.

A brig was a large seagoing vessel with two masts and square sails. They usually carried three boats, and were smaller than a ship or bark, which carried four or five whaleboats. The brig Juno was originally registered at New Bedford on 9 May 1818, and was re-registered a number of times after that, such as on 6 May 1820. The owners were: John A, Parker, merchant; Joseph Spooner, New Bedford; and Nathan Church, Fairhaven. As already noted above, the master for this voyage was Simeon Long, Jr.

The brig Parthian was built at Dartmouth, MA, in 1820, and was first registered on 19 April 1821. The vessel measured 119 35/95 tons, length 66 ft. 10 in., breadth 20 ft. 8 in., depth 10 ft. 1 in. When it was re-registered on 21 April 1827, the master was John J. Parker and the owners were Abraham Barker and James Russell of New Bedford.

From the records I have found, it looks as if the Parthinan went on ten voyages, beginning in 1821, then in 1834 the register was lost in a mutiny.

Although the family has passed down the information that Benjamin died at sea, we don't know the circumstances of his death -- whether from sickness, from the many dangers of whaling, or whatever.

Benjamin was not the only one of our family members on the Remington side to be a whaler. His brothers David and Abner also made voyages, possibly his brother John, and possibly his son John. There are numerous other Remingtons listed in New Bedford records as whalers, who may have been among his close or extended family.

(The information in the following two paragraphs is from "The Bounty of the Beast: Why Whales Were Hunted" on the web site of the New Bedford Free Library)

"Although many men died chasing whales, very few profited handsomely. Why, then, did they pursue these great creatures of the sea to the brink of extinction? The answer lies in the whale's enormous economic value. In 'Men and Whales,' Richard Ellis writes that, until the beginning of the twentieth century, whaling was considered an admirable occupation. '. . . it is only through the lens of hindsight that the whaleman's job becomes malicious or cruel . . . Oil was needed for light and lubrication; baleen was needed for skirt hoops and corset stays. That whales had to die to provide these things is a fact of seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century life . . . ' "

Whale oil provided fuel for lighting, slow-burning and with no offensive odor. The oil was also used for clock making; lubricating many types of machinery; manufacturing of soaps, varnish, and paint; and producing special smokeless, odorless candles. The wax from sperm whales was also used in making face and hand creams and skin lotions. The baleen from whales was used in buggy whips, carriage springs, corset stays, fishing poles, hoops for women's skirts, umbrella ribs, and other such applications for which plastic or steel would now be used. A dark waxy substance called ambergris was used in cosmetics, wines, and as a headache remedy.

Many beautifully carved objects of both a practical and decorative use were made from whale bone. Examples of these works of art are on display at the Whaling Museum in New Bedford, a location maintained by the National Park Service.

When whaling ships returned to port, the profits were divided up among the ship's owners and the crew. Ordinary seamen were paid last and received the smallest percentage of the profits. Depending on the success of their voyage, their take-home pay could range from several hundred dollars to about ten dollars. Of course, they might also be taking home some beautiful objects they had carved from whalebone during the long hours, days, and months on the sea.

Benjamin married Mary Anne HAMBLY Abt 1831. Mary (daughter of Benjamin HAMBLY, III and Peace SHERMAN) was born 15 Feb 1811, Tiverton, Newport Co., RI; died 1 Apr 1868, Tiverton, Newport Co., RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

An entry from Beaman's Vital Records/Births From Death Records, vol. 12, A-J:

Mary A. Hambly, dtr. of Benjamin and Peace Hambly, b. 1811 Tiverton;
widow of Mr. Remington; d. 1 Apr 1868 Tiverton [TiD 1-40]

Her middle name was either Ann(e) or Anna. Her son (Benjamin's) first daughter was named Mary Anna; also, there was an Anna Hambly born in 1789 in Tiverton; she was Mary's aunt, a sister of her father, Benjamin Hambly, who was born in 1783 in Tiverton.

In the 1840 census, Mary Anne is probably living with her parents at Tiverton.

The 1850 census microfilm for Tiverton shows Benjamin Hambly, a 64-year-old farmer, and Peace Hambly, age 63. Living with them are Marianne Remington, 39; Benjamin Remington, a 19-year-old laborer; and John H. Remington, 15. Other household members are Gardner Hambly, 29, and Ann/Amy (?) Hambly, 20. They are Marianne's younger siblings.

Notes:

Please note that Jeremiah's parentage has not been proven. Although no birth record has yet been found for a Jeremiah in this family group, Jeremiah A. has been placed here based on the suggestion of professional genealogist John Redfern (contact information available on request). There is some evidence from the names of Jeremiah's children and grandchildren that he may belong to John & Lucy (Almy) Manchester. I have also speculated that he could be a son of John Manchester (1761) and Mary Brayton, or Perry Manchester (1765) and Anna Bennett.

Therefore, this Manchester line has been determined to be a likely possibility based on research by me, Carla Phillips, and John Redfern. Research is ongoing; any leads are appreciated.

However, Jeremiah is not mentioned as a grandchild in the will of Rhoda Manchester, dated 13 Aug 1823. She is mother of Nancy Manchester, first wife of John.

Also, Jeremiah is not mentioned in the will of John Almy, Lucy's brother; John mentions only two of Lucy's children.

Jeremiah A. may be the Jeremiah who was born 27 Dec 1804, son of John & Rhoda Manchester (not the above Rhoda). See notes below.

Jeremiah's middle name may have been Almy or Allen. He had a son named Isaac Allen, and Isaac in turn had a son named Jeremiah Allen. I found Jeremiah's middle initial in son Isaac's VRs at Tiverton, as transcribed in Alden G. Beaman's "RI Vital Record, New Series, Vol. 13 p. 55, which in turn references TiD 1-24A and TiM 1-49. Note that Lucy Almy has Allen family ancestry; her paternal grandmother was Patience Allen, and two of Lucy's brothers were named Allen.

In Emeline's marriage and death records at Tiverton, Jeremiah is called Jeremy Manchester.

Jeremiah & Mary may have had another daughter, born before the 1830 census, as the census data lists a female under 5. In that census, there is 1 male under 5, 1 male 20-30, 1 female under 5, and 1 female 20-30.

In the 1840 Federal Census, Jeremiah Manchester is living at Tiverton, RI. He and his wife are ages 30 - 40. There are 2 male children and 3 female children in the household. Heads of neighboring households include Benjamin Manchester (probably husband of Lucy A. Cook), Joseph Cook, Abraham Manchester (possibly Jeremiah's uncle), Abner D. Bennett, & Giles Manchester. There are two Jeremiah Manchesters living at Tiverton in this census; the other has 1 male under 5, 1 male 30-40, 1 female under 5, a female 5-10, and 1 female 30-40.

I have estimated Jeremiah's birth year. I have not yet been able to obtain proof of when John Manchester married Lucy Almy, but it is a reasonable assumption that he remarried shortly after the death of his first wife in November 1803.

For the present time I am assuming that Jeremiah died before his wife's second marriage, but this has not been confirmed (see notes below and on this tree for other Jeremiah Manchesters). Again, researching the Manchester clan is an ongoing project.

* * * * *

Various individuals named Jeremiah Manchester about the same age who lived during this time period:

Jeremiah Manchester b 22 March 1786 to Zebedee & Deborah (Briggs) Manchester, Little Compton. Little Compton has no further records on him.

Jeremiah Manchester b c1798-1800 possibly RI (see 1870 census, Putnam, IA; see his sons Jabez & William in 1880), married Tryphena, lived at Providence, Saratoga, NY in 1860; had children Jabez, Myron, Josephine, Helen, possibly others. This Jeremiah is probably a son of Jabez Manchester born c1765 RI (see 1850 census at Providence, NY); Jabez is possibly a son of Archer.

Jeremiah Manchester, b Dec 1804, s/o John & Rhoda. Is he the one at Glocester in the 1850 census, living as a single man, a cook? One family tree online speculates that he is our ancestor, the one who married Mary Dennis. However, no divorce record exists at the Judicial Archives, so he cannot be the same individual.

Jeremiah A. Manchester (our ancestor) b c1804 if he is indeed s/o John & Lucy (or if parentage is unknown, could be b 1795-1808).

Jeremiah Manchester, b 20 Dec 1810, s/o Abner Wilcox and Lydia Manchester (not a married couple); he married three times and is found in the town vital records and censuses; marriage and death record identify him as illegitimate son of AW & LM.

Jeremiah D. Manchester, b c 1814, s/o John & Rebecca. He died 2 Oct 1881 at age 67 (RIDI). According to an online family tree, John Mancester and his wife Rebecca P. Taber went west. (Rebecca born 23 Mar 1782) They may have had another son Job.

Jeremiah Manchester, b 11 Sep 1815, s/o John & Rebecca of Bristol. I believe he is Jerem Manchester, carpenter, single, at Providence in 1850, 1870, and at Bristol in 1880.

Jeremiah married Mary H. DENNIS Abt 1825. Mary (daughter of John DENNIS and Robena "Roby" SOULE) was born 7 Jun 1805, Tiverton, RI; died 20 Apr 1866, Tiverton, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

In the 1850 Federal Census, this is the family household: Roderick Rounds 53, Mary Rounds 42, Emeline Manchester 17, William Manchester 23, Lucy A. Manchester 7, Bradford C. Rounds 4, Charles E. Rounds 2, John Rounds 18, & Abraham Rounds 25. This is what we today would call a blended family. The other two children, Adeline & Isaac, are living with married sister Roby Rounds and her husband Joseph, at the home of Edward & Elizabeth Wing.

The 1860 Federal Census at Tiverton, RI, shows a Mary H. Rounds, age 50, living with Lucy A. 18, Bradford C. 14, and Charles E. 11. If accurate ages, this would mean their years of birth were: 1810, 1842, 1846, 1849.

Her death record identifies her as d/o John & Roba.

Notes:

I have a photocopy of his birth entry at West Greenwich. Also, a photograph of his gravestone has been posted on the family tree at our web site [www.thesorensens.net].

In the 1850 Federal Census, Jeremiah is 44 and Sally W. is 41. Their children, Marcy W. & Charles C., are 19 & 15. The family is living in West Greenwich, RI.

In the 1860 Federal Census, Jeremiah, 54, & Sally W., 53, are still at West Greenwich. Son Charles C., 25, is with them, as well as married daughter Marcy W. Church, 29.

In the 1870 Federal Census, Jeremiah & Sally W., ages 64 & 61, are living at West Greenwich, RI. With them is married son Charles C., 34, his wife Harty 21, and their child Hattie L. 1.

In 1880 Jeremiah & Sally W. Whitford, ages 74 & 71, are still at West Greenwich. In the household with them are Charles C. & Harty P., ages 45 & 30, and their five daughters. Jeremiah is a retired farmer; his son Charles is a farmer.

I believe the Whitford farm was up on the hill near the intersection of Rt. 3 and Interstate 95, where a motel is now. This is where my great-grandmother lived as a child. At one time there was a spring there, about where a gas station is now.

Jeremiah married Sally Williams TIBBETTS 24 Dec 1826, Warwick, Kent Co., RI. Sally (daughter of Charles TIBBETTS and Maplet REMINGTON) was born 30 Dec 1808, East Greenwich, Kent Co., RI; died 15 Dec 1899, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Maple Root Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have copies of census pages from 1860 and 1880 showing Sally at ages 52 and 71, also a certified copy of her death certificate from the town of Coventry, as well as a photocopy of the original death record in the Coventry Book of Deaths for 1899. A photograph of her gravestone has been posted on the family tree at our web site [www.thesorensens.net].

Notes:

The marriage of Jeremiah and Sally was recorded in two newspapers: The Providence Journal of 11 Jan 1827, and the Providence Phenix of 24 Dec 1826. (See newspaper announcements transcribed in Arnold's Vital Record of RI)

I have a photocopy of the original marriage entry recorded at West Greenwich Town Hall (p. 46), which reads: "Warwick December 24th AD 1826 -- I hereby Certify that Mr. Jeremiah Whitford and Miss Sally W. Tibbits were Lawfully Joined Together in Marriage by me the Subscriber Jonathan Wilson"

The family Bible says they were married at West Greenwich. It is unclear exactly where they were married, although the record at West Greenwich has a reference to Warwick.

Under that entry the births of their two children are recorded: Mercy Waterman Whitford and Charles Carmi Whitford. Also, according to "Alden G. Beaman's Vital Record of RI, New Series," an infant son was born in 1830 and died 1 April 1830, buried in West Greenwich.

Notes:

We have a nice five-generation picture which includes Philip in 1913, when he was ninety. There is another one taken around the same time in which he has Margaret Estelle Whitford on his lap. The story is that he was blind in his old age.

Philip's gravestone has been photographed. According to the RI Cemetery Database, the Maple Root Cemetery "is a very old cemetery containing many inscribed field stones for the earliest settlers in this area. Records at Town Hall indicate that the first lot in the newer section was sold to Philip Johnson on 7 Nov 1893." I would guess that this was my 3xGreat-grandfather Johnson, or else his son Philip R. Johnson.

In the 1860 Federal Census, Philip & Triphina H. Johnson are living in Coventry, RI. In the home are Hearty P. 10, Philip R. 9, and Triphina 5, as well as Persilla Johnson, 74, Philip's mother.

By 1870 Philip has remarried, and he and Phebe are at Coventry with three children in the household: Ednah P. 9, Patience J. 6, and Zilpha W. 1.

In 1880 they are still at Coventry, and two daughters are with them: Orvilla P. 24 and Zilpha W. 11. Orvilla is Phebe's daughter from her previous marriage to Isaac Paine.

Philip married Tryphena Hoxsie GREENE 25 Nov 1849, West Greenwich, RI. Tryphena (daughter of Hiram GREENE and Abigail JOHNSON) was born 19 Aug 1827; died 9 Jul 1866, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Maple Root Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Her gravestone has been photographed. Her surname has been spelled as Green and Greene, as has the name of the clergyman who married them, Caleb Green(e).

"Tryphena Greene-Johnson, daughter of Hiram, m. her second cousin, Philip Johnson [Philip, Philip, Ezekiel, EIizabeth Greene-Johnson, Usal Greene, John, John]. Their children have five strains of Greene blood. Harty Johnson-Whitford, m. Carmi Whitford. Philip R. Johnson. Has a son and a daughter." (source: "The Greene Family and its Branches" by Lora S. LaMance, Mayflower Pub Co.)

The following is a partial quote from "Acts and Resolves of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" pub. by Henry Ward, Sec'y, 1846, p 7: "Upon the petition of Abigail Greene of Coventry, A. Greene, in this State, guardian of the persons and estates of Tryphenia H. Greene and Benjamin Greene, minors, children of Hiram Greene, late of said Coventry, deceased, praying for the reasons therein stated, that . . . "

Notes:

I have a photocopy of the original record from the official book of the Town of West Greenwich for 1851, p. 77. They were married on 25 Nov 1849 by Caleb Green, Minister of the Gospel, and the marriage was recorded by John James, Town Clerk, about a year and a half later. The minister, Elder Caleb Green(e) (elsewhere it is spelled with a final "e"), was married to Lucetta Nichols, daughter of Susanna Whitford and Ambrose Nichols.