Family of MOSES and BETSEY (NOYES) FIFE of Chatham, NH.
Compiled by David A. Crouse, February 2000.
3. MOSES FIFE (2. William; 1. John of Pembroke, NH);
son of William & Phebe (White) Fife;
born 1783, in Pembroke, NH;
died 1859; buried with wives at Chandler Cemetery, No. Chatham;
married (1st), 22 January 1809:
6. BETSEY NOYES (5. Daniel; 4. John; 3. Samuel; 2. John; 1. Nicholas of
Newbury, MA.
daughter of Daniel & Abigail (Ames) Noyes;
b. 9 January 1778, in Pembroke, NH;
d. 17 July 1843, probably in Chatham.
Moses married (2nd), ALPHA A. __________, who was born 1804, and
died 1848.
Moses and Betsey settled in Chatham soon after their marriage in
1809, according to the obituary of their son, Moses Jr. The 1810 census
of Chatham lists a Samuel Fife, which is probably an error, and should be
Moses Fife, who is in Chatham in 1820 and 1830. Moses is in Stow, ME, in
the 1840 census, probably located just east of Cold River on what is now
the road to Evergreen Valley (West Stoneham), on the place later occupied
by his son, Peter Fife.
Seven children of Moses & Betsey (Noyes) Fife, as follows:
(1) MARY FIFE, dau. of Moses & Betsey, b. 18 June 1809, in Chatham; d.
1839, in Chatham; buried with husband at Chandler Cem., No. Chatham; m.,
6 or 10 Nov. 1831, IRA AMES (1803-1863), possibly son of Stephen & Lydia
(Head) Ames of Stow, ME. Ira and Mary had three children. Ira m. (2nd),
29 Dec. 1839, Phebe Day (b. 30 April 1810; d. 11 Jan. 1881), dau. of
Benjamin & Ruby (Barker) Day of Fryeburg, ME.; and they had two children:
(1) Mary F. Ames, 1840-1916, m. Micajah Fife (See #6.1, below); and (2)
Seth Ames, b. about 1844, m. Lydia J. McKeen. The three children of Ira
and Mary are as follows:
(1.1) LOUISA AMES, dau. of Ira & Mary (Fife) Ames, b. about 1832.
(1.2) BETSEY AMES, dau. of Ira & Mary (Fife) Ames, b. about 1834.
(1.3) NOYES AMES, son of Ira & Mary (Fife) Ames, b. about 1838.
(2) PETER FIFE, son of Moses & Betsey, b. 15 January 1811, in Chatham;
d. 13 March 1876, in Gorham, NH; buried with wife at Chandler Cem, No.
Chatham; m., 18 Dec. 1849, LOUISA R. GORDON (b. 3 April 1829, probably in
Chatham; d. 9 April 1908, in Chatham), dau. of Joseph H. & Mary (Dresser)
Gordon of So. Chatham. They were living in Stow, ME, in 1850 and 1860,
probably on the farm of his father. In 1868 he sold his place to Stephen
Chandler (son of David H.), and in 1870 they were living with Horace
Chandler in North Chatham. They later moved to Gorham, NH. After
Peter's death Louisa moved back to live with the Horace Chandler family.
Peter served as a selectman of Stow, 1857, and 1864-1866. They had no
children.
(3) BETSEY FIFE, dau. of Moses & Betsey, b. 10 Feb. 1812, in Chatham; d.
17 Feb. 1884, in Stow, ME; buried at Riverside Cem., No. Fryeburg, ME;
m., 2 Dec. 1834, JOHN CHANDLER (b. 11 March 1807, in Chatham; d. 12 Nov.
1892), son of Paul & Susan (Hardy) Chandler. Resided in Chatham and
Stow; six children (see family of Paul Chandler for further data).
(4) NOYES FIFE, son of Moses & Betsey, b. 13 August 1813, in Chatham; d.
1834, in Bridgton, ME; buried with parents at Chandler Cem., No. Chatham.
Never married.
(5) WILLIAM FIFE, son of Moses & Betsey, b. 4 April 1816, in Chatham; d.
17 Feb. 1891, in Chatham; buried with first wife at South Chatham Cem.;
m. (1st), about 1841, ORPHA PITMAN GORDON (b. 14 July 1820, probably in
Chatham; d. 15 June 1877), probably dau. of Joseph H. & Mary (Dresser)
Gordon of So. Chatham. They lived first in Stow, ME, then at South
Chatham. Three children. William m. (2nd), 4 Feb. 1880, Mrs. MARY D.
(GORDON) WILEY (b. 9 Oct. 1818, in Chatham; d. 16 Sept. 1901; buried with
first husband at Black Mtn. Cem., Sweden, ME), dau. of Joseph H. & Mary
(Dresser) Gordon and widow of William Wiley. Children of William and
Orpha as follows:
(5.1) ELMORE R. FIFE, son of William & Orpha, b. 2 Oct. 1842, in Stow,
ME; served in the Civil War (Co. B, 17th NH Regiment, and Co. C, 2nd NH
Regiment; wounded severely in the Battle of Gettysburg); residing in
Lowell, MA, about 1895. No further information.
(5.2) NELSON FIFE, son of William & Orpha, b. 13 Dec. 1844, in Stow, ME.
No further information.
(5.3) AURILLA (or ORILLA) FIFE (apparently known as Rilla), dau. of
William & Orpha, b. 1856, in Chatham; d. 1945; buried with husband at
South Chatham Cem.; m., 15 Dec. 1878, SETH WEBB (b. 1857, in Chatham; d.
15 Aug. 1922, in Chatham), son of Edward & Deborah (Gordon) Webb of South
Chatham. Resided in So. Chatham; one child: Inez E. Webb, 1886-1910, m.
Ned H. Bryant.
(6) MOSES FIFE, JR., son of Moses & Betsey, b. 8 Feb. 1818, in Chatham;
d. 25 Aug. 1890, in Chatham; buried with wife at Chandler Cem., No.
Chatham; m., 1839, his first cousin, ELIZA WYMAN (b. 15 Feb. 1818; d. 18
May 1908, in Chatham), dau. of Jonas & Sally (Noyes) Wyman of North
Chatham [See family of Jonas Wyman]. They lived at North Chatham and had
four children, as follows:
(6.1) MICAJAH N. FIFE, son of Moses, Jr. & Eliza, b. 16 Oct. 1840, in
Chatham; d. 20 July 1925; buried with wife at Chandler Cem., No. Chatham;
m., 3 May 1868, MARY F. AMES (b. 27 Oct. 1840; d. 9 Oct. 1916, in
Chatham), dau. of Ira & Phebe (Day) Ames of No. Chatham [See #1, above].
Micajah was a farmer at North Chatham and served in the Civil War (Co. B,
17th NH Regiment and Co, C, 2nd NH Regiment; participated in the Battle
of Gettysburg). He was also Postmaster at North Chatham for many years.
One child: NOYES AMES FIFE, b. 23 Nov. 1877; living with parents,
unmarried, in 1910.
(6.2) MARY FRANCES FIFE, dau. of Moses, Jr. & Eliza, b. 1844; d. 1931;
buried in her brother Seth's lot at Pine Grove Cem., Fryeburg, ME;
apparently never married.
(6.3) SETH WYMAN FIFE, son of Moses, Jr. & Eliza, b. 10 Dec. 1846, in
Chatham; d. 15 January 1915, in Fryeburg, ME; buried with wife at Pine
Grove Cem., Fryeburg; m., 11 July 1874, Mrs. ELIZA GORDON (FARRINGTON)
FURBISH (b. 18 Sept. 1843; d. 1929), dau. of Vere R. & Hannah (Barker)
Farrington of Fryeburg, and former wife of Frederick Furbish. Seth
graduated from Harvard Law School in 1869, and opened a law office in
Fryeburg in 1870, where he practiced the remainder of his life. He and
his son took over the Burbank Seed Company of Fryeburg from its founder,
Ezekiel W. Burbank, and ran it until Seth's death. Seth was general
manager, clerk, and a director of the Fryeburg Horse Railroad. He served
three years as School Supervisor of Fryeburg. Eliza operated a millinery
store in Fryeburg Village for many years. One child: FRED ROYCE FIFE,
b. Jan. 1877, in Fryeburg; was clerk for the Secretary of State in
Augusta, ME, about 1907.
(6.4) SARAH NOYES FIFE, dau. of Moses, Jr. & Eliza, b. 17 Nov. 1854,
probably in Chatham; d. 28 March 1922, probably in Fryeburg, ME; buried
with husband at West Fryeburg Cem.; m., 1877, HAZEN WALKER STEVENS (b. 7
July 1839; d.10 May 1901), son of Samuel & Mary Stevens of Fryeburg. He
was a farmer in West Fryeburg. Three children: (1) Lloyd A. Stevens,
1878-1942; m., 1902, Mae W. Andrews; (2) Charles F. Stevens, 1879-1964;
m1, 1902, Hattie Gilpatrick and divorced; m2, 1924, Mrs. Winifred
(Hammond) Hanscom; (3) Frank A. Stevens, b. 1883; m.,1914, Ruth E.
Sargent.
(7) DANIEL FIFE, son of Moses & Betsey, b. 21 Sept. 1819, in Chatham; m.
ELECTRA A. __________ (b. about 1827, in NH). He was a farmer, living
near his brother, Peter, in Stow, ME, in 1850. At least two children, as
follows:
(7.1) ELLEN A. FIFE, dau. of Daniel & Electra, b. about 1849, probably
in Stow, ME.
(7.2) EDWIN A. FIFE, son of Daniel & Electra, b. 1850, probably in Stow,
ME.