Genealogy Report - Frances Louise Hagen


Generation Five

WILLIAM LOUIS DEVEREAUX AND HULDA BAILEY

2nd Great Grandparents of Frances Louise Berlin

Parents of Amanda Devereaux

 

26. WILLIAM LOUIS5 DEVEREAUX (Jonathan, #52); b. circa 1769;

The life of William Devereaux.

Most of the information on William Devereaux  was acquired by computer. Several inquiries were made and answered but the following two people mainly contributed to the research: 

1. Nancy Stanger is an excellent reference for the Devereaux family. Her grandmother is a descendant of Polly Devereaux, who was a daughter of William and Hulda Devereaux, and her grandfather was a descendant of Amanda Devereaux, also a daughter of William and Hulda..

2. Eugene Devereaux, is a genealogist researching the Devereaux family. He has been most helpful in the history of the Devereaux name.

Who was William Devereaux? 

The following information was given to me by Nancy Stanger: 

" In 1905, Celestia Weber Nixon, sister of Marshall Webber, wrote to her son the following letter. Only that portion that deals with William is printed here."

"Wm. Devereaux was of French decent,(sic) son of a high French army officer. He was drowned in the Black River in the northern part of NY in the year 1808, when Amanda was 1 year old. He had gone with a company to trap for otter and other furs which were sent to NY and were sold to the Astors. He with the rest of the men had their sleds loaded with a fine lot of furs and they were to start on their journey back to their homes the next morning, when he left the rest of the men to cook supper while he crossed the river on the ice to take to a man some traps that they had borrowed. When he didn't return for supper, they went to look after him and a few feet from the shore they saw a hole in the ice and the pole he took with him to try the ice, lying near. His body was recovered that same night, hours after he left to cross the river to take the traps to the owner and then was returning when he went through the ice."

Eugene Devereaux informed me of a book entitled, "A GENEALOGY OF THE FAMILY OF DEVEREAUX OF THE LINE OF JONATHAN DEVEREAUX" Compiled by Cyril Allyn Herrick and Charles F. Haight, edited and published by Charles F. Haight, Lansing, MI July 1929. I  received a copy of the book through LDS Historical files and copied the pages that appear below. The hard copies of those pages are in my Home Files.

The book on page 17 states:

"William Devereaux, son of Jonathan Devereaux and Unknown Seymour, date of birth unknown, date of marriage unknown, date of death unknown."

On that same page, Mrs. M. D. Case, a descendant of Alvin Devereaux of Depont, NY, is quoted. She is speaking about the children of "Jonathan Devereaux and Unknown Seymour.

"William was the youngest brother and was drowned in Shemong Bay (Caumont County, I take it, at the entrance of the St. Lawrence River in Jefferson County, New York.)"

Some speculation by the author.

 I believe that this is very strong circumstantial evidence that the William Devereaux, who drowned in the "Black River", (see Celestia's quote above) and the William Devereaux who drowned in "Shemong Bay (Caumont County, I take it, at the entrance of the St. Lawrence River in Jefferson County, New York.)" (see Mrs. M. D. Case's quote above) is one and the same. I have been unable to identify any Shemong Bay and there never has been a Caumont County in New York State. I believe that the identification of "Shemong Bay" should be "Chaumont Bay".  This is at the "entrance of the St. Lawrence River in Jefferson County, New York." The "Black River" also enters Jefferson County in this same area. This information seems to be much more than just coincidence. I do not know what it will take to confirm this theory as fact but it is not impossible.

After this 5th Generation was written and published to the Hagen Howler Web page I received some information from Nancy Stanger on October 19, 1999. She had just returned from a trip to Salt Lake City and a full week of research at the Family Historical Library of the Church of  Latter Day Saints. This is new information and I will indicate it as such throughout this history as "Nancy Stanger, 10/19/99".

"Nancy Stanger, 10/19/99"  WILLIAM DEVEREAUX

"Not much more than what we knew other than confirming his parents and  brothers and sisters and finding his children's names. In reviewing some of  our past correspondence, I notice you already had seen a copy of the book  "Genealogy of the Family of Devereaux" compiled by Herrick and Haight. This is  on Microfilm also 1,321,147, Item 1. I am convinced this is our William and his line. There is a summary of the information in this book in The Boston Transcript (Film  14738 pp. 166-167 of 17 Oct 1917 issue and concluded on p. 169 of the 22 Oct  1917 issue)

There is another book entitled "Some Devereaux and White Families of NY,  Ill, Neb. Ok", which is also a reiteration of the research of Herrick/Haight.  However, the author said she included additional information found since  their research. I copied some of this book - the first five generations.

All of the above say the same thing about William - that he drowned,  where he drowned, and that no further information is known. One says he probably never  married, but we know differently." 

Author's Speculation: Due to the above research and all of the circumstantial evidence it brings with it, I am ready to accept that the William Louis Devereaux data that Celestia Webber wrote to her son and the William Louis Devereaux in the Herrick and Haight Devereaux family history, as the son of Jonathan Devereaux and Unknown Seymour, are one and the same.

An interesting history of the Devereaux Name.

Eugene Devereaux sent me the following message: 

"hi dean, I am going to add a lengthy 'history of the devereaux name.' while I can not vouch for the authenticity of this account, I do believe that it has a solid base.

The following article is the one which he attached to his message. I have not confirmed any of this but find it interesting. Notice in the first paragraph the sentence dealing with the "sea-roving Vikings". Is it possible that we have some Norwegians on my mother's side of the family? I shall hold it as hearsay until some research can be conducted to find out its authenticity.

"RESEARCH: I imagine everyone is enthralled and kept spellbound by tales of sea-roving Vikings, castles and Knights, Royalty, and all the stories, good or bad, that's connected with them. I, no less than anyone else, always loved them, and now I'll pass this one on to you. You'll be particularly interested, because this is your story. It starts with land hungry Vikings, transfers to Normandy, France, remains there approximately 176 years, then travels to England, and sojourns in England and Wales about 104 years before arriving in Ireland and America. There are three main branches of the family today. The English branch, the Massachusetts offshoot of that line and the Wexford County Irish line. 

Many years ago, there lived a Norseman by the name of Rollo or Rolf, frequently called in history Rollo du Dane. He, himself, was of high birth. Being of a wild and adventurous disposition, he collected a band of followers, and set out raiding various places from Scotland in the north, to France in the south. In those days Vikings lived by raids. In France they made war on the people. Charles, King of the Franks, known as Charles the Simple, gathered a force and counter-attacked the invaders, to no avail. In 890 Rollo captured Bayeux. Among the defenders of Bayeux, was Count Berenger De Senlis. He was killed, and his daughter Popa taken prisoner, and was allotted to Rollo. He proceeded to contract with her a Danish marriage. In those days, most marriages you'll find were Danish ones, just by written contracts. They had a son, William Longsward, Rollo's successor. The seige of Bayeux by Rollo's army was in 892 (890?). The treaty of St. Claire Sur Epte, whereby Charles the Simple recognized Rollo's sovereignty over Normandy was concluded in 911. Normandy became a Dukedom instead of a Kingdom, and was still considered a part of the royal domain of Charles. As a reward for his conversion to Christianity, Rollo received the hand of King Charles' daughter Gisela in marriage. Perhaps Gisela was a child and died soon after, as nothing more is heard of her. The treaty was endorsed by Duke Robert of Paris, who stood as godfather and gave him his name. Therefore we went from Rollo the Dane to Robert. The title of Duke of Normandy was not regularly assumed until the reign of Richard I. Rollo died in about 930, leaving his son William Longsward, heir. He was carefully educated, and in 930 he fought the Bretons and won, adding Brittany to Normandy. William settled down at Fecamp and contracted Sprota, a Breton girl, in a Danish marriage. Richard I, their son, was born at Fecamp in 933 and became known as Richard the Fearless. He was the first recognized Duke of Normandy, for William and Rollo still bore the title of patrician. Herbert of Vermandois proposed marriage between William and his daughter Luitgarda. Sprota was no difficulty as a Danish Marriage was no legal marriage. Luitgarda bore no children, and William still continued to live with Sprota. William was murdered in 943. Richard I, his son, contracted in Danish Marriage Gunnor, a lady of pure Danish blood and good family. She became the mother of three sons and three daughters, Richard II, Robert, Mauger, Maud, Emma and Hadwisa. In 960 Richard I married Emma, daughter of Hugh of Paris. She died in 962 and left no children. Now to get back to Gunnor's children. Richard II, oldest, inherited the title "Duke of Normandy". He had a son Robert, who became Duke of Normandy after the death of an older brother, Richard III. This Robert I, Duke of Normandy had a mistress named Arletta, who became the mother of William I, the conqueror of England. Emma, the daughter of Richard I, married first Aethred, King of England, and after his death she married Canute, his successor, as King of England, therefore she was married to two Danish kings of England. There were other children, but I'm only highlighting the very famous ones. The second son, and this is very important to us, was Robert. The Archbishop of Rouen (in those days like the Paris of today), had been appointed by William Longsward. When he (the Archbishop) died in 994, Richard I appointed his second son Robert to his place. Robert was a married man, but in those days till the days of Henry I of England, there was no ban on marriage for the clergy. Robert was created, either by his father or perhaps by his brother, Richard II, Compe or Count D'Evreux, after the town he lived in, situated about equal distance from Rouen and Paris, and somewhat to the west of both cities. The Evreux was derived from the Celtic tribal name Eburovices, meaning "the dwellers on the River Ebura or Eure". He, Robert, became the founder of the family name of D'Evreux or Devereux, a 12th century English rendition of the name. Some descendants of one Jonatham Devereux of Connecticut, who for some unwarranted reason began the usage of the same Devereaux, a French rendition actually. That's also true in more recent years, when some of the descendants in Ireland also used the "A". Otherwise it is spelled Devereux. So we see, through historical records and accounts of all kinds, that it was the descendants of Robert I, Count of Evreux, that followed in the train as Knights of William the Conqueror when he invaded England in 1066. As William I of England, he gave large grants to his faithful followers including the Devereux's. One branch of the family remained in England, and was ancestor to the celebrated Robert, Earl of Essex, favorite of Queen Elizabeth. Another branch came to the United States in 1630 and established the Marblehead, MA pedigree. A third branch settled in Wales, till they became followers of Richard FitzGilbert De Clare, surnamed "Strongbow", on his invasion of Ireland in 1170. It is a curious coincident that as the Devereux's descended from a younger (Archbishop Robert) son of the 3rd Duke of Normandy (Richard I), so also Strongbow himself was of the same Ducal stock, the De Clare family being the descendants of Geoffry, another son (some authorities state a natural son) of Richard I. As Strongbow landed on Bannow Bay, County of Wexford, Ireland in 1170, so the name of Devereux has remained there as one of the most powerful and influential families of their time and is still found there in abundance today."

Is it possible that this is where we get the Irish connection? If not we still have Hulda Bailey, below.

The marriage of William Louis Devereaux and Hulda Bailey.

Nancy Stanger states that "William and Hulda were married in 1796 at Stevenstown, Renassler, NY."

There is a question about the above information. I have been unable to find "Stevenstown" in Rensselaer (note the difference in spelling) County, NY. There is however a Stephentown in Rensselaer County. I believe this is what Celestia Weber meant to say. It is understandable since she did not write her letter many years later when she was in Colorado. In the paragraphs below it will be shown that Phebe Bailey, the sister of Hulda lived with her husband in Stephentown, Rensselaer, NY.

The Death of William Louis Devereaux.

William Louis Devereaux died about 1808 in upstate NY.  Cause of death was by drowning. A description of this death is discussed in the paragraphs above.

27. HULDA5 BAILEY;

Nancy Stanger states that William and Hulda were married in 1796 at Stevenstown, Renassler, NY. (See paragraphs above.) I have no information on the life of Hulda before her marriage. I did receive information that give some insight as to some of her background. 

The  information below was forwarded to me by Nancy Stanger.

Ansel Udell b. 1804 Stephentown, NY. His parents were John and Phebe Bailey Udell. 
John and Phebe in 1817 were living in Jefferson, OH.
In a journal that was written by Ansel it shows that in July 1824, his cousins, Lewis Devereaux and Amanda Devereaux, and their mother were in Jefferson, OH visiting with Ansel's family.
In June of 1825 he wrote that he took Amanda and his mother to Busti, Chautauqua, NY.

Some speculation by the author.

This message give strong circumstantial evidence that: 

1. Hulda had a sister named Phebe.
2. That one of Hulda's children was a son named Lewis. "Nancy Stanger, 10/19/99": We now know the names of all of the children, see below.
3. It also gives credence to the theory that Hulda and William Devereaux were married in Stephentown, Rensselaer, NY.

The children of William Devereaux and Hulda Bailey.

 

 

The Ancestors of William Louis Devereaux and Hulda Bailey

Research has failed to locate the confirmed parents of William Louis Devereaux at this time. I cannot officially say whether he was born in this country, was an immigrant from France, or, as the above history of the Devereaux name suggests emigrated from Ireland. However, as stated above I accept that William Louis Devereaux is the son of Jonathan Devereaux and Unknown Seymour as stated in the Devereaux history, "A GENEALOGY OF THE FAMILY OF DEVEREAUX OF THE LINE OF JONATHAN DEVEREAUX" Compiled by Cyril Allyn Herrick and Charles F. Haight, edited and published by Charles F. Haight, Lansing, MI July 1929.

 I do have some information that the parents of Hulda Bailey may have been Comfort Bailey and Hulda Hempstead. I have located three Comfort Baileys but am unable to confirm any of them as to whether they have a connection to Hulda. Hulda Hempstead is only a speculation. Perhaps the future will find some answers.

Because of the above decisions I will report on the ancestry of William Devereaux. I will wait for further evidence before I present the ancestry of Hulda Bailey.

Hulda Bailey Devereaux after the death of William

The following information was given to me by Nancy Stanger.  It is from a letter written by Celestia Webber Nixon to her son.

"Hulda Bailey was an educated woman. After her husband was drowned she taught a select school and supported her five children. She was also a fine tailoress, sewed evenings, and taught school during the day. In the course of a few years she married, a Mr. Nelson. Her grandson is Rev. George Nelson of New York City, who also was Arch Deacon of the Episcopal Churches of New York in 1905. Amelia Nelson Strader of Philadelphia was her granddaughter."

"Nancy Stanger, 10/19/99" The following new information received from Nancy and very important data.

"In the Boston Transcript (Film 14739, 16 Dec 1925, p. 67, we find the following entry (There is no indication who submitted it nor where the information came from.):
After William's death his wife married Timothy Nelson, born England, 1744. They had two children, Larson and Franklin."

1. Larson Darrow

  No information found other than above.

2. Franklin Darrow

  "Nancy Stanger, 10/19/99":
Born abt 1814/15 in N.Y. (1850 Census - Columbus, Franklin, Ohio - Film  44672). You know, of course that he married Elizabeth Jane Asher. In the  1850 Census, his children are listed as Edna Amelia born about 1841 in Ohio,  George (we know he was born 11 Dec 1842 in Granville), Charles W. born abt  1846 in Ohio and Anna, born abt 1848 in Ohio. In this Census Franklin was  living in a boarding house. He was the first one listed, so maybe he was the  proprietor.
In the 1860 Census in Newark, Licking, Ohio (Film 803998) his children  are listed as Amelia, George, Charles, Kitta (age 11) and Ida born about 1857  (no birth place given. I believe Kitta is the same person as Anna or  probably your Katherine. There is a long space between her birth in 1848 and  Ida's in 1857. Don't know if there is any significance to that. In the 1860  Census Franklin was the water superintendent.

George Frances Nelson, son of Franklin Darrow and Elizabeth Jane Asher.

My daughter, Barbara Jane Hagen, did some research for me in Philadelphia and New York. She located and sent to me several pieces of information on the life of Rev. George Francis Nelson. I have been able to establish where he was born and who is parents were, however, I have been unable to make the connection between his parents and Hulda Bailey Nelson. This connection has now been made through the efforts of Nancy Stanger. George Frances Nelson spent about 12 years in the military during and after the Civil War. At the present time I have a query into the proper military departments to obtain his military record. He is an extremely interesting gentleman with a very wonderful life. His story will appear in the link that will deal with "famous and/or interesting persons not in the direct line of the ancestry."

Summary of William Devereaux and Hulda Bailey Devereaux Nelson

Genealogy is an amazing hobby. At one point you think you are banging your head against a brick wall that you will never be able to get through and "Eureka!", a genealogical hit comes up and you are on your way to solutions that you really never dreamed could possibly happen. With the aid of some friends and wonderful cousins, that I never knew I had before this research started, I have been able to enhance my research with some very successful results. William and Hulda are now people that I can visualize in my thoughts, almost feel as if I am in their presence and better able the understand how they lived and died. Those feelings make this a worthwhile project for me. There may be some errors in what is written here but there will always be further research that can prove or disprove the data.

 

2nd Great Grandparents of Frances Louise Berlin

Ammirus Darrow and Sarah Melona Fisher

Parents of Joseph Darrow

28. AMMIRUS5 DARROW (Jedidiah, #56); b. 20 Mar 1761 at CT. 

 Some generalities about Ammirus Darrow.

Ammirus Darrow was born March 20, 1761 in New London County, CT to Jedidiah Darrow and Prudence Bailey. I have no official document that tells me that Ammirus Darrow was born March 20, 1761, or, the identity of his parents.  Other Darrow historians that he was born either in 1762.  I have good circumstantial evidence that indicates that Ammirus is a son of Jedidiah Darrow and Prudence Bailey and that he was born March 20, 1761. This evidence will be presented later in this history. I am not sure of the spelling of his given name. It will be shown throughout the chapter where it is written in various ways. My research tends to believe that the correct spelling is Ammirus.

Much of the information about the early life of both Ammirus and Sarah comes from a book, "History of Reedsburg and the Upper Baraboo Valley". The book was written by Merton Edwin Krug, and published by the author February, 1929.  It is a history of that portion of Sauk County, WI. However, Krug was a great great grandson of Ammirus Darrow and his great grandfather was Henry Ammiras (Krug uses the spelling of Ammiras throughout his book for both of his ancestors) Darrow who came to the Upper Baraboo Valley in 1852. Henry Ammiras was the son of Ammirus Darrow and Sarah Melona Fisher. Much of the information that Krug writes about the Darrow’s appears to be in the words of Henry. However, Henry died in 1886 and Krug was not born until 1907. Krug must have received his information from his mother or grandmother, unless, Henry left some writings of his own that told about his ancestry. It is interesting reading but I tend to believe it is a bit embellished in spots. These will be discussed as they are presented. There are also some inaccuracies which are not flagrant, but, they are apparent because they deal with places and dates. These will also be pointed out as the life of Ammirus and Sarah and their ancestors unfold.

Establishing a birth date for Ammirus Darrow.

To establish a birth date for Ammirus I have researched the following articles:

1. In his "History of Reedsburg, etc.….", Krug writes about the ancestry of Henry A. Darrow: The immigrant ancestor, (first ancestor in America) was George Darrow b. abt 1652. His eldest son was Christopher Darrow b. abt 1678. Jedidiah Darrow b. Aug 10 1721 was the next in the line of descent. Ammiras Darrow, the fourth generation, was born March 20 1761.

2. "Compendium of Early Mohawk Valley Families", a book written by Maryly B. Penrose, C. G., A. S. I.. It was published by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. (No address.) It is in two volumes and the information that I am using comes from Volume I. On page 171 of that Volume there is a copy of a pension abstract filed by Sarah. This application shows that Sarah stated that Ammirus was born 3/20/1761. The pension abstract in it’s entirety will be presented later.

3. Daughters of the Revolution Lineage Book, Volume 77, page 308, #76817. The item shows that a Mrs. Alma Steensen, Great Granddaughter of Ammarius Darrow and Sarah Malonia, his wife, received a DAR certificate and it shows Ammarius Darrow (1761 - 1824). Note by Author: The spelling of the names "Ammarius" and "Malonia" are as listed in the DAR certificate. See below.Click on the picture to see it full size -- then click on the back button of your browser to return to this page.

4. Molly Culver Jones is a descendant of Henry Ammiras Darrow, a son of Ammirus and Sarah. She is in the process of research and writing a book on the Darrows. We are cousins and have been corresponding since early 1998 by telephone, e-mail and snail mail. In April of 1998, Molly sent me a letter written by Edward Everett Darrow, great grandson of Ammirus Darrow and grandson of Jedediah Darrow, a son of Ammirus. The letter was sent  to Adelia Darrow Fish, granddaughter of Ammirus Darrow and daughter of Henry Ammiras Darrow, a son of Ammirus. In this letter, Edward is speaking of the line of descent from Sgt George Darrow down to Adelia. He writes about the 4th generation in descendants from Sgt. George Darrow.

"(4) Amirus (this was the way Edward spelled his great grandfathers name throughout the letter), your grandfather, born March 20, 1761, .....

I believe that I have enough information to confirm that Ammirus was born March 20, 1761, in New London County, CT.

Is Ammirus the Son of Jedidiah Darrow and Prudence Bailey?

Once a birth date is established, we then have to find some parents. Below is some strong circumstantial evidence that Ammirus Darrow is the son of Jedidiah Darrow b. 1721 and Prudence Bailey b. abt 1724. 

1. In 1796, George Darrow, b. circa 1763 in New London, CT, a son of the above Jedidiah and Prudence died in Herkimer County, NY. The following information about his will was located:

George Darrow, b. abt 1763, will was probated in Herkimer, NY, Estate No. 01834, on 22 Feb 1796. George had been late of Steubentown, Herkimer, NY. Amirus Darrow was listed as his executor, with Jedidiah Darrow, in charge of the inventory.

I believe that both Ammirus and Jedidiah are brothers of George, the deceased. 

2. Another item that was discovered was a sale of land from Jedidiah b. 1762, son of the above Jedidiah and Prudence, to his brother, Ammirus, b. 1761 in the year 1803. A copy of that sale is reproduced here and in this case specifically states that Jedidiah is selling this property to his brother, Ammirus:

Know all men by these presents, that I, Jedidiah Darrow of the Town of Minden in the County of Montgomery in the State of New York for and in consideration of the sum of Two hundred dollars received to my full satisfaction of my brother Ammirus Darrow of the Town of Leyden and County of Oneida in the State of New York, have remised, released, and forever quit-claimed, and by these presents for myself my heirs, executors, administrators and assigns forever, justly and absolutely remise, release and forever quit-claim his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns forever all such right or title as I the said Jedidiah Darrow have or ought to have in and to a piece or parcel of land situated lying and being on the west side of Black River in the County of Oneida and State of New York, known and distinguished by No 41, according to a map of the same filed in the Clerk’s office of the County being a survey made by Benjamin Wright, in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety four, to have and to hold the above described premises unto him the said Ammirus Darrow, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, to the only use and behoof of the said Ammirus Darrow, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns forever, so that I the said Jedidiah Darrow nor any other person in my name and behalf shall and will hereafter claim or demand any right or title to the premises or any part thereof, but they and every of them shall by these presents be excluded and forever barred.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twentieth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred, Jedidiah Darrow {LS} Signed sealed and delivered in presence of William Truman, Elisha Grant State of New York, Ss: On the Twentieth day of April in the year one thousand eight hundred & three, before me came Elisha Grant (who was made known to me to be the person by the oath of John Stormes, with whom I am well acquainted) and who being sworn said that he saw Jedidiah Darrow execute this deed, that he knew him to be the person described in the same. I allow the deed to be recorded.

Arthur Bruse, Master in Chancery
Recorded the Twenty first day of April 1803, at Six o’clock A. M. Francis A. Bloodgood

3. Again quoting from the letter written by Edward Everett Darrow b. 1846 to his cousin, Adelia Darrow Fish b. 1835. This time I give the entire line of descent from Sgt. George Darrow down to Adelia.  Edward Everett Darrow writes:

"Now I wish to ask whether you have the list of ancestors clear from the landing in New London down to and I give each a line (1) George Darrow—came from England 1675-birthdate unknown-died 1704,George married Mary Sharswood,widow,1676-eldest son Christopher (2) Christopher, born Dec.1st,1678,date of death unknown.(3) Jedediah (your father’s grandfather): birth, Aug.10,1721: date of death unknown (4) Amirus (your grandfather): born March 20,1761, died March 8th,1824.(5) Henry A., your father), born sept.19th,1791:died: date unknown (to me) (6) Mrs. Adelia Darrow Fish."

Because of the above items I am willing to accept that Ammirus Darrow is the son of Jedidiah Darrow b. 1721 and Prudence Bailey b. circa 1724. 

Ammirus, Birth to Marriage.

Ammirus lived with his parents and five brothers in New London, CT. This was a period when trouble was fermenting between Great Britain and her English Colonies in the new land called America. In 1770 the Boston Massacre was an event that Ammirus probably heard about because he was at the age of nine. The Sugar Act, Stamp Act and Tea Act, all instruments for obtaining taxes from the new colonies were undoubtedly a part of most family discussions during this period. In 1773 when the Boston Tea Party resulted in the destruction by patriots of 340 tea chests on ships in the harbor of the capital of Massachusetts, Krug writes that Ammirus was one of those patriots that slashed open the tea chests, and tossed them overboard into the harbor. Ammirus would have been 12 years old at this time but it is not inconceivable that he could have been a member of the party at that early age. Especially if he was an extreme radical or patriot of his country. Krug then writes that Ammirus as a very young man went to New York. It is supposed that he went to Columbia County, NY. At some later date he joined or was mustered into a regiment of the New York Levies. A statement by his wife, later on in life said about Ammirus, "He enlisted in the Rev. War at Spencertown, Columbia, NY." In the book, "New York in the Revolution as Colony and State, -- discovered, arranged and classified by James A. Roberts, Comptroller in 1897", most of the line military units and state levies are listed. Ammirus is listed in two different regimental units. One of those regiments was commanded by Colonel Morris Graham. The roster shows the name Darrow, Ammerias. His first cousin, Daniel Darrow, is also a member of this organization. The second unit in which he was a member was commanded by Colonel Marinus Willett. I am fairly sure that his service in this unit was during 1782. His name appears on the roster as, "Ammirus Darrow." His brother, Jedidiah, and two first cousins, Daniel Darrow and George Darrow were also members. There are no ranks listed except for the officers. The others are just listed as "enlisted men".

29. SARAH MELONA5 FISHER; Birth to Marriage.

On page 479 of his book, Merton Krug writes about Sarah Melona Fisher and tells us something about her.

" She was born in New London, in 1764. Her father was a native of Ireland, and, like George Darrow, was pressed on board a British man-o-war, which he jumped, and came to New London, where he built and operated a tannery. In 1881, (he meant 1781), when Benedict Arnold burned the town, his establishment was burned to the ground."

On page 229 of this same history it states:

"Mrs. Darrow’s birthdate is the earliest found in connection with the pioneers of this community (He is speaking of Winfield, Sauk, WI). She was born in 1764, in New London, Connecticut, where her girlhood was spent. While still a young girl the Revolution broke out and she was to live to see her father’s tannery burned by Benedict Arnold in 1781, and to marry , as it were, a Revolutionary veteran, become a Revolutionary widow, and receive a widow’s pension. Then she was to survive the death of her husband, whom she married in 1786, which occurred in 1824, in Boonville, Oneida Co., N. Y., was to go to Ohio with a son, Jedediah Darrow, whose son Ammiras was to become the father of Clarence S. Darrow, the world-famous Chicago barrister, and then, eventually, was to come to Winfield where another son, Henry Ammiras Darrow, was a pioneer in 1852, …..."

I researched the Fort Griswold Home Page on the Internet at http://www.revwar.com/ftgriswold/. One of the items that I found there was "The Burning of New London, on the 6th of September, 1781, as printed in the Connecticut Gazette of September 7th, 14th and 21st, 1781.

"During the Revolutionary War, New London harbor on the Thames River was home port for many privately owned armed ships that preyed upon British supply vessels and merchant ships. The privateers were licensed by the State of Connecticut according to the rules established by the Congress. Each year they increased in number and captured more British shipping. Their exploits peaked with the taking of the "Hannah" by the "Minerva" in the summer of 1781. Seizure of the "Hannah's" rich cargo which included personal supplies for the British officers stationed in New York City; helped prompt the events that soon followed.

"New London's bulging warehouses brought great wealth to adventurous ship owners and merchants, but they were a potential target for enemy reprisal. From the earliest days of the war, Connecticut officials had seen the need for harbor fortifications, but construction had proceeded slowly. By 1781, the largest structure on the New London side, Fort Trumbull, was still unfinished and vulnerable to attack from land.

East of the Thames River on Groton Heights, a completed work, Fort Griswold, commanded the harbor and the surrounding countryside. It was somewhat square with protecting fortifications on two corners and a projection on the east side. A deep trench surrounded the fort on three sides. The lower walls were faced with stone and were topped with a barrier of cedar pickets projecting outward. Above this was an earthen wall with openings (embrasures) for cannon. A tunnel-like passageway (sallyport) led to a covered ditch which ended at a battery for cannon southwest of the fort. The gate at the north end was protected by a V-shaped earthen mound. Barracks for 300 men paralleled the innermost wall and the magazine was set into the southwest bastian near the flagpole. The fort was in good condition and the magazine was full in 1781.

"Late that summer the British generals were anxious to distract Washington who was then marching south. They decided to create a diversion by attacking an important northern supply center, New London, and, with the same stroke, destroy the "Rebel pirate ships". The command of the expedition fell to Benedict ARNOLD who had deserted the American cause the year before and who being a native of nearby Norwich, knew the harbor area well.

"At sunrise on September 6th, 1781, the people of the town of New London were awakened with the news that a large force of British Regulars had landed on both sides of the river's mouth and were coming upon them fast. They could do nothing but flee. A number of rigged ships in the harbor caught a favorable breeze and escaped upstream, but the rest were trapped. The 800 men led by Benedict ARNOLD met only scattered resistance as they set about the task of destroying the immense stockpile of goods and naval stores kept at New London. Ships, wharfs and buildings were set aflame. One hundred and forty-three buildings were destroyed.

"The British force of 800 men that landed on the east side of the Thames River was slowed by tangled woods and swamps. A battalion of New Jersey loyalists responsible for moving the artillery could not keep pace with the Regulars who came within striking distance of Fort Griswold at 10:00 A.M. Meanwhile, the fort had been garrisoned with about 150 militia and local men (including Hobart "Elnathan" MASON and Thomas GRIFFIN) under the command of Colonel William LEDYARD. Colonel LEDYARD and his officers, expecting reinforcements momentarily, elected to defend the post against the superior force. Colonel EYRE, the British commander, sent forward a flag demanding surrender. LEDYARD refused. The demand was made again and Col. EYRE threatened that if he were forced to storm the fort, no quarter would be given to its defenders. Col. LEDYARD still refused to surrender the fort.

"The British force immediately spread their ranks and advanced on Fort Griswold. As they neared the ditch, they were met with an artillery barrage which killed and wounded many, but the seasoned and disciplined troops continued their charge. Some tried to gain the southwest bastion, but they were repulsed and Col. EYRE, the British commander, was badly wounded. Under heavy musket fire, another group dislodged some pickets and by hand to hand combat reached a cannon and turned it against the garrison, Another party led by Major MONTGOMERY charged with fixed bayonets. They were met with long spears and the Major was killed. A few of the Regulars managed to reach the gate and open it and the enemy force marched in, in formation. Seeing this, Colonel LEDYARD ordered his men to stop fighting and surrender, but some action continued on both sides.

"According to American accounts, after Col. LEDYARD gave up his sword in surrender, he was immediately killed with it and a massacre ensued. Before the "massacre" it is claimed that less than ten Americans had been killed, but when it was over, more than eighty of the garrison lay dead and mutilated, and more than half of the remainder were severly wounded. The American wounded were placed on a heavy artillery cart, which, as it was being moved down the hill to the river, broke away and smashed into a tree causing terrible suffering. The bleeding wounded men were then carried to the nearby home of Ebenezer AVERY. Prisoners who were able to walk were placed aboard ship. As evening approached, the British troops embarked leaving a detachment behind for an (unsuccessful) attempt to destroy the fort."

On Oct. 12, 1781 the Connecticut Gazette printed a list of the houses and business establishments that had been burned on the 6th of September. This list included the names of the owners of the buildings. I could find no Fisher, Melona or anything close to those name's among the owner list. This does not mean that the tannery of Sarah’s father had not been burned but just that he may not have been the owner of the building.

Who is Sarah Melona Fisher?

Late in 1998 I researched the webpage of Ancestry.com. One of their links contained the 1790 Federal Census. When I searched the State of Connecticut I found the following:

There were a total of eight Fisher families on the 1790 census from within the state.
There were a total of two Melona families on the 1790 census. One of these was listed as being from Woodbridge, New London, CT
I researched the DAR files for Connecticut that stated it had some "Melona’s" listed. I found four cases where Melona was the middle name of four women whom were applying for application to the DAR..

Molly Culver Jones in January of 1999 sent me an interesting message. A portion of it is reprinted here:

Dean, I checked the Barbour Collection, Vital Records of Connecticut and this is what I found: In the New London section of the Barbour Collection on page 209, I found the following:
Volume 3, page 64, New London County, Connecticut.
Melone, William,  m. Ann Weeks, Oct. 6, 1764
Melone, Sarah, daughter b. Sept.11, 1766 
Melone, Alese, daughter   b. Nov. 6, 1768
Melone, Anna, daughter b. July 29, 1771
Melone, Elisabeth, daughter b. July  6, 1776
Melone, William  son  b. Apr. 23, 1779
Melone, Hannah, daughter b. Mar. 31, 1788"

The name "Melone" is very similar to the name "Melona". All records were in handwriting at this time, Melona and Melone in handwriting could look much the same.  The year of birth, "1764", was generally accepted by me and some other historians because that is the way that Krug (see below) wrote it in his book and is the date shown on her cemetery headstone. However, there are two items that have not been considered. The pension abstract submitted by Sarah is reproduced later in this history. This abstract shows that Sarah lists her year of birth as being "1766/7". In the letter written by Edward Everett Darrow to his cousin, Adelia. He writes: "Your grandmother (speaking of Sarah) was born in 1767 and was .......".  This circumstantial evidence seems to establish that it is not beyond the realm of possibilities that William Melone and Ann Weeks were the parents of Sarah Melona Fisher and that this is her family.  Further research has produced the following:

Pages 229 & 479 of Merton Krug's history show that Sarah was born in 1764. The Sauk County, WI Cemetery records show the name on the headstone as:
"Sarah Fisher Darrow" d. Dec 6, 1856 - 92 Y 3 m - Wife of Ammiras Darrow. 
(Note -- This would have her being born in September of 1764. The Barbour record gives the date as Sept. 11, 1766. Perhaps Sarah was only 90 years 3 months old when she died.)

I searched the 1790 census for Connecticut to find a Weeks family to establish the ancestry of Ann Weeks. There was a William Weeks and supposedly his wife living in Woodbridge Town, New London County in 1790. These may be the parents of Ann Weeks, who married William Melone. The family on the census consists of 1 male older than 16 and 1 female. Ann, the daughter, was married to William Melone before 1790 and would not be a member of the family. If there were other children perhaps they had also left the family by that date.

Also in the 1790 census for Connecticut I found a Melona family. They also lived in Woodbridge Town, New London County. This family consisted of:
Head of Family     William Melona
Free white males 16 yrs or older including head of family = 1
Free white males younger than 16 = 1
Free white females (any age) = 2
(Speculation: I believe the family that Molly Culver found and the family on the above census may be one and the same. In 1790, Hannah b. 1788 and William b. 1779 may have been the only ones left with the parents. Elisabeth would have only been 14 but at that age and at that time she may have been working for someone or she may have died between 1776 and 1790. The difference between the name "Melone" and "Melona" is of no great concern. All records were done in handwriting and the name Melone could easily have been interpreted as Melona, or, vice versa. ).

It appears that Molly Culver Jones and I are not the only ones that has wondered about the maiden name of Sarah. Persons who were born many years before us and who had a much better opportunity to find the information were also confused. Again quoting from the letter from Edward Everett Darrow to his cousin, Adelia. Only the portion that deals with the question of Sarah’s maiden name is produced here. Edward Everett Darrow writes:

The following items about Joseph, (He is speaking of Joseph Darrow, son of Ammirus and Sarah), born June 29th, 1803, came to Wis. After the death of his father Amirus at Boonville, 1824 and brought with him his mother, the widow of Amirus. This is your grandmother, Sarah Fisher Darrow, as you call her. And here is something that I wonder whether you can clear up. Was her maiden name Sarah Fisher? For her name has come to my record as "Sarah Melona", Melona sounds like an Italian name, and I thought it more likely that it was Irish instead, corrupted from "Maloney." But there were neither Irish nor Italians at that time in New London. My theory was that she might have been a young widow when Amirus married her or else she married again after his death some one by that name. I hope you can clear up this difficulty for me. I had never seen the name "Fisher" as her maiden name.

All of the above research leaves a few possibilities: 

1. Sarah may have been born with the surname of Fisher and married a Melona prior to marrying Ammirus.
2. She may have been born a Melona/Melone and married a Fisher prior to marrying Ammirus.
3. She may have been born a Fisher and given Melona as a middle name, or, it may have been the family name of her mother.

In Krug’s book the name of Melona is never used. If Fisher was the maiden name of Sarah then she was probably married to a Melona for a very short time before she married Ammirus. 
If it was her middle name then it would seem that Krug would have used it when he was writing about her. In my research I always found the name written (when all three names were used) as Sarah Melona Fisher, except for Krug. If Melona was not her middle name then it appears that her maiden name was Melona/Melone and that she was married to a Fisher prior to her marriage to Ammirus.

Speculation by the author:  I believe that possibility #2 appears to be the logical answer. If I was to write a fictional story of her life I would say:

"Sarah Melona/Melone Fisher Darrow was born Sept 11, 1766 in Woodbridge, New London, CT. She was the daughter of William Melona/Melone and Ann Weeks. I believe in this case the Barbour Collection of Vital Records is correct when he writes the name as ,   William Melone. Sometime prior to 1786 she married an unknown Fisher. There is no information available as to what happened to Mr. Fisher but I am assuming that he died shortly after the marriage. Sarah Melone Fisher married Ammirus Darrow, January 6, 1786."

This may be confirmed when we find Mr. Fisher. 

The Marriage of Ammirus Darrow and Sarah Melona Fisher.

After the war, Ammirus returned to New London, CT. This is where he met Sarah Melona Fisher. Krug writes: "After serving throughout the Revolutionary War in the Continental Army, he returned to New London, Conn, where he married Sarah Fisher, Jan 6, 1786". Click on the picture to see it full size -- then click on the back button of your browser to return to this page.

Helen M. Lu, Dallas, Texas published a pamphlet entitled "Revolutionary War Period, Bible, Family and Marriage Records. Gleaned from Pension Applications, Vol. 9." It was published in 1987

The following pertains to the marriage of Ammirus and Sarah.

"AMMIRIAS/AMMIRAS/AMMIRUS DARROW m. SARAH FISHER MALONA 6 Jan. 1786, New London, CT, by JOSEPH HARRIS, J.P. W-19154;"

(Note from author: Notice the switching of names in Sarah's name. This is the first time I have seen the name written as "Sarah Fisher Malona". This adds to the options when the ancestry of Sarah is researched.)

Ammirus and Sarah apparently remained in the New London area for at least a year because their first child, Sarah, was born there in 1787. By 1789 the family moved to Canaan, Columbia County, NY where their next two children, Prudence and Jedidiah were born in 1789 and 1790, respectively. In December of 1998 I subscribe to Ancestry.com on the Internet and researched the 1790 census. The following census information was found for Stephentown, Albany, NY.

HEADS OF FAMILIES AT THE FIRST CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES TAKEN IN THE YEAR 1790.

Name of head of family: Darrow, Emosas
Free white males of 16 years and upward, including heads of families: 1
Free white males under 16 years: 2
Free white females, including heads of families: 2

I am assuming, of course, that the name "Emosas" is the census takers translation of the name given as Ammirus. I have never seen the name Emosas in any of my research of the Darrows and it is known that Ammiras and his family were living in Stephentown in 1790 because the pension abstract states that was where three of their children were born.

The next three children, Henry Ammirus b. 1791, Alexander b. 1793 and Sophia b. 1795 are reported as being born in Stephentown Township, Columbia County, NY. In Krug’s book using information from Henry Ammirus b. 1791 it states: 

"Ammiras Darrow and his wife lived for some time in New London, but in 1795, they moved to Boonville, Oneida Co., NY, where he had a tannery."  

(Note by author: Actually they moved to Canaan, Columbia, NY [1789],and then to Stephentown, Columbia, NY [1790] before they moved to Leyden, Herkimer, NY. They could not have moved to Boonville, Oneida, NY because Oneida did not become a county until 1798 when it was formed from Herkimer County, and Boonville did not become a township until 1805 when it was formed by a division of Leyden Township.) However, by about 1795 their travels found them in Leyden Township, Herkimer County, NY. Here the remaining six children were born. All of the children will be discussed individually later on in this chapter.

The Pension Abstract below is supposedly the one submitted by Sarah in 1855 after she moved to Wisconsin. Its importance here is to indicate the dates and places of birth of the children of Ammirus and Sarah. This abstract was published in the book written by Maryly B. Penrose, C. G. , A. S. I. entitled "Compendium of Early Mohawk Valley Families".Click on the picture to see it full size -- then click on the back button of your browser to return to this page.

I later found the pamphlet published by Helen Lu of Dallas, TX. Although the two accounts are similar there are some differences. I have been unable to determine why these differences occurred. Ms. Lu's account appears below: 

Copy of Pension abstract compiled by Helen M. Lu, Dallas, Texas and put in a pamphlet entitled "Revolutionary War Period, Bible, Family and Marriage Records. Gleaned from Pension Applications, Vol 9." It was published in 1987

"AMMIRIAS/AMMIRAS/AMMIRUS DARROW m. SARAH FISHER MALONA 6 Jan. 1786, New London, CT, by JOSEPH HARRIS, J.P. 
W-19154; B. L. Wt. 14502-160-55 NY/NY & WI.
Family Record: (Poor condition)

Their first daughter SARAH(?) born New London __ (date illegible), died 31 Oct. 1801, Leyden.-
Our second daughter PRUDENCE born Feb. 178 (?).
Our first son JEDEDIAH born Canaan 16 Oct. __ (?)
Our second son HENRY born Stephentown 19 Sept. 1791.
Our third son ALEXANDER born Stephentown 8 Sept. 1793.
Our third daughter SOPHIA born Stephentown Nov. __ (?).
Our fourth son __ (name illegible) born Leyden 16 Jan. 179 (?), died 6 March 1798.
Our fifth son JOHN BAULDING born Leyden 25 Jan. 1799.
Our sixth son SILAS born Leyden 2 Aug. 1801.
Our seventh son JOSEPH born Leyden 29 June 1803.
Our eighth son BENJAMIN FRANKLIN born 12 July 1805."

Henry A. Darrow, son of Ammirus and Sarah, died in 1886. The person or persons or, maybe Henry wrote his own obituary before he died, added this information of what life was like in those early days in Herkimer and then Oneida County, NY. The obituary for Henry A. Darrow was published by the Reedsburg Free Press, Reedsburg, WI, Dec 9, 1886. Only that portion of the obituary that pertains to life in New York is shown here. The obituary in its entirety appears in the section dealing with Henry Ammirus Darrow later in this section.

"His father, (speaking of Ammirus), was a Revolutionary soldier, and a shoemaker by trade. He removed to Boonville, N. Y. in 1795, when this place first began to be occupied and the early settlers underwent many hardships. There were eleven children in the family, eight boys and three girls. These early settlers were very poor, having but little money to pay the shoemaker, and that which they had was very much depreciated in value, requiring some seventeen dollars of this "Continental Currency" to pay for a meal of victuals. The style of living was quite different from the present. Instead of pantry and kitchen filled with all that is needful and convenient, the old Iron bake kettle, some wooden dishes, perhaps a few pewter plates, a gourd instead of a tin dipper, a few knives and forks, manufactured by the blacksmith, constituted the outfit of the common people.

After 1805 Ammirus and Sarah lived in Boonville Township, Oneida County, NY, because in that year Boonville was formed from a part of Leyden Township. They owned land in the township of Boonville and I assume it was a farm. In 1814 a census of Oneida County was taken. The census form which I located was titled, "Owners of Land in Boonville in 1814." There are 118 names on the form. "Darrow, Ammirus" is one of those names.  So whether Ammirus continued to be a shoemaker primarily and a farmer secondary or vice versa is not known.

The Death of Ammirus Darrow, 1824.

Krug writes on the death of Ammirus Darrow.  ...."There, in the Black River Valley, he died, Aug 8, 1824. ....
The DAR application states that Ammirus died 3/28/24 and Pension abstract just gives the year, 1824.

I found no data that suggests a will, or, an obituary. However, again research on Ancestry.com paid off. While researching a section entitled, "This collection of abstracts of grave sites contains information originally published in the Senate documents of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, as well as the Society magazine." The following information as to the gravesite of Ammirus was found.

Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots: Volume1
DARROW Ammiras Booneville, Oneida Co NY 56. 
The last two digits (56) means the gravesite was located in 1956.

Edward Everett Darrow in his letter to Adelia writes the following about the death of Ammirus:

"Her husband, (speaking of Sarah),  Amirus died ninety nine years ago (the letter was written in 1925) at Boonville,1824. My father (then a boy of seven) his sister Sarah, some three years older, and their father Jedediah were there at his death and had evidently spent several months before it, there. Your grandmother was born in 1767 and was evidently 57 years old at his death. He was 63."

The father that he speaks of is Amirus Darrow, named after his grandfather, Ammirus. Jedediah is the son of Ammirus and Sarah and the grandfather of Edward Everett.

The life of Sarah Melona Fisher after the Death of Ammirus.

Many genealogist state that Sarah Melona Fisher moved to Trumbull County, Ohio and lived with her son, Jedidiah after the death of Ammirus. They also state that she lived in Ohio until the death of her son, Jedidiah, when she moved to Wisconsin to live with her son, Henry A. in Winfield, Sauk, WI. She may have lived in Ohio, but, I have my doubts. 

The letter that Edward Everett Darrow wrote to Adelia gives no indication that this is true. He was born in 1846 and there is no mention of Sarah living in Ohio with his grandfather and her son, Jedediah. Also Jedidiah did not die until 1861 at which time Sarah was already in Wisconsin by 1852 and had died in 1856.

In 1850, Sarah was living with her son, Benjamin Franklin Darrow and his family in Hounsfield, Jefferson, NY. Her name appears on the 1850 Federal census for that township and county as "Sarah Fisher Darrow". It lists her as being the mother of and living with Benjamin Darrow and his family. 

Although I cannot confirm it there is some indication that Sarah Melona Fisher Darrow came to Wisconsin with her son, Joseph Darrow and his family in 1852. This would appear to be feasible since one of her other sons, Henry A. was living in southern Wisconsin at this time. He moved to Winfield, Sauk, WI in 1852, the same year Joseph emigrated to Summit, Juneau, WI. After they arrived in Wisconsin she lived with her Henry and his family.

The Death of Sarah Melona Fisher Darrow.

Sarah Melona Fisher Darrow died in Winfield, Sauk, WI. She was living with her son, Henry Ammiras Darrow and his family. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Reedsburg, WI. 

In Krug’s book he writes, "At the present time the Fay Robinson Chapter is much interested in the forthcoming marking of the grave of Mrs. Sarah Darrow, widow of Ammiras Darrow, a Revolutionary Soldier. This lady died in Winfield, Sauk County, Wis., Dec. 6, 1856, at the age of ninety two years, and is interred in the Greenwood Cemetery."

In another section it shows the deaths for 1856 and the following is listed: "Sarah Fisher Darrow, wife of Ammiras Darrow, a Revolutionary Soldier, December 6, 1856.

Also in Merton Krug’s history the following is found where he speaks about the DAR chapter formed in Reedsburg. It was named the Fay Robinson DAR chapter. The following is found on page 224:

"At the present time the Fay Robinson Chapter is much interested in the forthcoming marking of the grave of Mrs. Sarah Darrow, widow of Ammiras Darrow, a Revolutionary Soldier. This lady died in Winfield, Sauk County, Wis., Dec. 6, 1856, at the age of ninety two years, and is interred in the Greenwood Cemetery.

The Family of Ammirus and Sarah Fisher Darrow.

i. SARAH4 DARROW; 

Sarah was born 1787 in New London, New London, CT, and died October 31, 1801 at the age of 14 in Leyden, Herkimer, NY. The cause of death is unknown.

ii. PRUDENCE DARROW;

Prudence was born Feb 1789 in Canaan, Columbia, NY. She supposedly married a Mr. Munn. Edward Everett Darrow in his letter to Adelia writes: "Doubtless Amirus named the older daughter (Prudence) after his own mother Prudence Bailey (Darrow) wife of Jedediah. She (Prudence)  married there and a descendant still lives in the Black River country (New York) at Mannsville." I have been unable to locate  any other data about her life.

iii. JEDEDIAH DARROW; 

Jedidiah was born in Canaan, Columbia, NY October 16, 1790. He must have left home fairly early in life because he married Laura Wade in Henrietta, NY about 1812. Edward Everett Darrow in his letter also writes that this is where his grandfather and Laura Wade were married. This location is just south of Rochester, NY about 165 miles west of Boonville. His occupation at this time was as a painter and chair maker. In 1825 he moved his family to Farmington, Trumbull County, Ohio where he opened his own chair shop. He appeared on the 1830 census at that location as "head of household".  Information shows that Jedidiah was tall in stature, had a sense of humor and was always a jokester. His religion was Methodist.

Laura Wade's birth date is unknown but she died about 1841 in Mecca, Trumbull, OH from consumption. 

Jedidiah and Laura had 8 children. They were:

1. Mary Darrow - b. 1813 in Henrietta, NY. She married Ezra Lewis and had no known children.
2. Sarah Darrow - b. 1815 in NY. She married Joshua Oatley and they lived in Farmington, OH.
3. Amirus Darrow - b. 11 Nov 1817 in Rochester, NY. He was named after his grandfather and like his grandfather his given name is spelled in many different ways. Amirus married Emily Eddy in 1844. He and Emily are the parents of Clarence Seward Darrow, the noted attorney, and seven other interesting children. Amirus and his family will be reported on in the link to "famous and interesting relatives to Frances Louise Berlin".
4. Lorenzo Daw Darrow - b. 9 Oct. 1819 in Boonville, NY. Lorenzo was a Lieutenant with the 6th Ohio Calvary during the Civil War. For a time, he lived in Ravenna, OH, where he married his first wife, Lois O'Neill, 6 Jul w841 in Ravenna, Portage, OH. They had 5 children but were  divorced sometime after 1850. Lois died 13 Aug 1873, at the age of 55, of Cholera. He married Mary Rowe, 10 Nov. 1863 in Mercer, PA. Lorenzo and Mary had 7 children. Lorenzo was also a house painter. He was buried in Pleasant View Cemetery, Petersburg, MI.
5. Laura Darrow - b. abt 1820 in NY. She married Elijah Champlin/Champlain on 17 April 1844 in Trumbull, OH.
6. Milton Darrow - b. 1824, Boonville, NY. He married Josephine Bennett. Milton was with the 6th Ohio Calvary as a Bugler/Musician during the Civil War. He later became a  painter in Kinsman, Trumbull, OH.
7. Nathan - b. 1828, in either Bristol or Farmington, OH. He married Elizabeth Shepler, 22 Apr 1852 in Trumbull, OH. Nathan also served during the Civil War, where he spent time as a Confederate prisoner of war at the Battle of Kellar's Bridge, KY.
8. Jane - b. about 1830 in either in Mecca or Farmington, OH. She married Jacob Kulp, 13 May 1850 in Trumbull, OH.

H. A. Brown, a Darrow researcher from California, states that Jedediah married Ruth Severance after his first wife's death. 

Jedediah Darrow died 2 March, 1861 in Kinsman, Trumbull, OH.

iv. HENRY AMMIRUS DARROW;

Henry Ammiras apparently was the story teller in the family. The sections about the Darrow family in the book published by Merton E. Krug, contains the past history of the Darrows. Krug was a great grandson of Henry, but he writes it as if Henry is being interviewed by him. This is impossible because Henry was dead by the time Merton Krug was born. Therefore the information must have came from stories told within the family or from writings that were made by Henry prior to his death. I present them here just as they were written by Krug. I have included only those items that pertain to the Darrows. The book is available through the LDS Library, film # 1036178. The italics in parenthesis  are my comments or questions.

Page 396-397—from chapter on early pioneers.

"Another family to come that spring was that of Mr. And Mrs. Henry A. Darrow, whose progeny is more numerous in the town at the present time than that of any other of the pioneers. They had come to Dellona the fall previous, from Walworth County, where they had resided since 1839. Previous to this they had lived in Ohio, going there from New York in 1832. Mrs. Darrow, whose maiden name was Luceba Dann, was a granddaughter of Colonel Rall, the Hessian general who commanded the Hessian troops at the Battle of Trenton. It will do to recall that it was to attack Colonel Rall that Washington made his historical crossing of the Delaware, Christmas night, 1776. The Darrow-Dann genealogy is printed elsewhere in this work.
Henry Ammiras Darrow settled on the farm now owned and occupied by Robert N. Cassity. They had acquired the farm through the sale of their Walworth County property, it having had a previous homesteader, and they found upon it a rude log house. But the Darrow family being large, they soon reared a more commodious frame house. The family at the time consisted of thirteen members: Mr. And Mrs. Darrow, eight unmarried children, Adelia, H. Ammiras, Nathaniel, Sarah, Albert, George, Caroline and John, and Elizabeth, the oldest, who, with her husband, Heman Miller, and their daughter, Evaline, completed the party. Another Darrow girl, Phoebe, came to Winfield later. If thirteen is misfortune for some it certainly was not for this family. For Mr. And Mrs. Darrow lived to see seven of their children comfortably situated on Winfield farms, all within an area of less than three miles. Nathaniel Darrow married Elnora Campbell and occupied the home place, and upon his death it passed to its present owner, Mr. R. N. Cassity. H. Ammiras settled the farm now owned by Jesse W. Churchill, son of Ira, previously mentioned, and died unmarried; George Darrow bought the Trurman Sifford farm about 1871, which farm he still retains. He married Ida Powell, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Fish) Powell; they had a large family of children; Cora, wife of Floyd Webster, Elkhorn, Wisconsin; Edith, (Mrs. Leigh Seamans). Lime Ridge; Howard, Idaho; Thomas Henry (Dick); Burr, Pennsylvania; Adelia, widow of the late Orna F. Cottington, now of Reedsburg; Floyd, Chippewa, Wisconsin; Stanley, Chippewa, Wis.; and Harold, married to Lillian Rhodawald, resident of Reedsburg.

Mr. And Mrs. Heman Miller had a number of children besides Evaline, who married Robert Greenwood, Jr. Among them were: Henry, of recent local memory; Luceba, who married Ed. Cassity, and whose children, Robert N. Cassity and Elizabeth (Mrs. Charles W. Radloff) are of local residence; George, Nathaniel, Silas, Harvey, Arthur, John, William.

We will mention the four maiden daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Darrow a little later."

Page 478-479-Is a direct article about Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Darrow.

"Pioneer days in Winfield. Of the families now residing within that township, more can claim descent from the honored settlers whose name heads this page, than from any other pioneer couple who came into Winfield when her hilly reaches were wrapt in virgin wilderness. Mr. and Mrs. Darrow were among the very earliest of the permanent pioneer families of the town of Winfield and came early in the spring of 1852.
Henry Ammiras Darrow, son of Ammiras and Sarah (Fisher) Darrow, was born in the city of New London, Conn., Sept 19, 1791. (Actually according to research he was born in Stephentown, Columbia, NY.) In 1795 he moved with his parents to Leyden, Herkimer, NY. He lived on the farm with his parents and I imagine did the things that all young children did on the farm in those days.
Henry A. Darrow left his father"s farm in Boonville in 1823, and went into western new York, into the Genesee Valley, where he married, May 10, 1832, Luceba Dann.
This lady was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., Sept. 14, 1808, daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Rall) Dann. Her father, was a son of Nathaniel and Mary (Underhill) Dann. The Underhill family is an old family of Oyster Bay, N. Y., and its founder was Capt. John Underhill, celebrated hero of the Pequot War. Capt. Underhill came to America from England, with Capt. John Mason, in 1630. His wife, whom he married in London, was Elizabeth Feake, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Winthrop) Feake. Elizabeth Winthrop was a sister of Gov. Winthrop. Elizabeth Rall was a daughter of Col. Johannes Rall, Hessian leader, who commanded the Hessian troops at the Battle of Trenton. He was born in Hesse-Cassel, Germany, 1721, and was shot Christmas night, 1776, when Washington crossed the Delaware to attack him and his troops. After their marriage Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Rall) Dann resided in the Genesee Valley, where the mother died in 1857. Nathaniel Dann was a descendant of the House of Sellick, a branch of the Dutch nobility, the first representative of which to come to America was Robert Sellick, was settled in Connecticut about 1635, and intermarried with the Underhill family, probably one Mary Underhill, daughter of the captain. Nathaniel Dann was a captain during the War of 1812.
Upon their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Darrow located in Mecca, Trumbull Co., Ohio, (this is in the same location that his brother, Jedediah and his family lived),where they lived until 1839. A daughter, Adelia, born there, related an incident that happened to her and her sister Clara, while living there, to relatives this summer. She said that once when her father was away from home, her mother had occasion to go to Mecca for provisions, leaving the two little girls at home. Darkness fell before the mother returned and, being afraid to stay alone in the house, she, Adelia, taking baby Clara in her arms, started toward the city. They met the mother half way home. In 1839 Mr. and Mrs. Darrow moved to Walworth Co., Wis., being among the earliest pioneers of the state, where they resided (in Sharron Township) until the fall of 1851, when they set out, with two ox drawn wagons, for Sauk County. Arriving at their destination that fall, they put up for the winter in a very rude cabin in the town of Dellona, and the following spring moved onto a farm in the eastern part of the town of Winfield, where they spent the rest of their lives. He died Nov. 30, 1886; she, March 4, 1882.
Their ten children were: Elizabeth, who married Heman Miller; Adelia, who married Elias Fish; Clara, who died in Ohio; Phoebe who married Lucius Fish; Ammiras; Nathaniel, who married Elnora Campbell; Sarah, who married Lewis Fish; Albert, who married a Miss McCray, and went south; George, who married Ida Powell; Caroline, who married Louis Sherman; and John, who married Elizabeth Senogles."

The following information is an Obituary for Henry Ammiras Darrow, b. Sept 19, 1791 in New London, CT; d. November 30, 1886 in Winfield Twshp, Sauk Cty, WI. It was published in the Reedsburg Free Press, Dec 9, 1886.

Obituary of Henry Ammiras Darrow.

Mr. Henry Amminos (that was the newspaper spelling. DCH) Darrow, of the town of Winfield, whose death occurred November 30th, 1886, was born at New London, Ct., Sept. 19, 1791. His father was a Revolutionary soldier, and a shoemaker by trade. He removed to Booneville, (newspaper spelling, DCH) N.Y., in 1795. When this place first began to be occupied and the early settlers underwent many hardships. There were eleven children in the family, eight boys and three girls. These early settlers were very poor, having but little money to pay the shoemaker, and that which they had was very much depreciated in value, requiring some seventeen dollars of this "Continental Currency" to pay for a meal of victuals. The style of living was quite different from the present. Instead of pantry and kitchen filled with all that is needful and convenient, the old iron bake kettle, some wooden dishes, perhaps a few pewter plates, a gourd instead of a tin dipper, a few knives and forks, manufactured by the blacksmith, constituted the outfit of the common people. The bread was made from corn meal or rye flour. Their clothes either from wool or flax, manufactured from the raw material by each household for themselves. Each farmer made his own wooden plow. All the implements were of a very rude and primitive character Every one had a hard fight for a living. Of course the educating of a family of eleven children, by employing a tutor or private teacher was not to be thought of. It was so expensive, and our present system of free schools had not been originated.
The name Darrow is not of recent origin. It is traceable to the North of Scotland, thence to England, thence to America. The ancestors were large, strong and healthy-quite noted for their size. Several of the men were said to have been about seven feet high and to have weighed nearly three hundred pounds.
Henry A. was the second son and fourth in the family, and was obliged to go out to service quite young. As his father died when he was 20 years old and the other children were married as (unreadable) support of the family, until he was about 32 years of age, when he gave up all his interest in the farm and other property to his sister, and went to what was then regarded as "the far west," that is to the Genesse county, in western New York, and commenced for himself near Rochester. Then he married the oldest daughter of Nathaniel Dann, (a well to-do farmer,) and moved to Ohio and bought a farm. In 1839 he sold his farm and moved to Walworth Co., Wis. In 1851, he exchanged this farm for the one on which he lived until the day of his death. He had very little sickness or suffering, except from rheumatism. His good health and long life, (for he was in his 96th year of age when he died) are no doubt to be ascribed partly to his temperate habits, and partly to the fact that he was descended from long-lived stock. Some of ancestors having lived to be one hundred years old.
He drank no liquors of any kind, made no use of tobacco in any form; he used no profane language; he never allowed himself to get into a passion and scarcely ever punished a child; he seldom fretted, was almost always cheerful and jovial; his thought and care for himself was but little, while it was exercised in large measure for the comfort and enjoyment of his family. He desired that all his children should acquire a good education and assisted them so far as he was able, making home a school for them during the long winter evenings. He subscribed to no religious creed, but he was a constant reader of the Bible and believed all of it. He did not practice family worship, but made his whole life religious, and his children are grateful for his good example and his many good counsels. It is rarely that we meet with one who was spared to such a good old age; to see such a large family of children grown up to manhood and womanhood about him, besides several grandchildren, and to be able, as he was to go back in memory to the days of George Washington, recall the numerous interesting events - remarkable changes - the marvelous progress that has occurred during nearly the century that he lived. A period during which greater advancement has been made in civilization, education and Christianity than in any 2,ooo years of the world's previous history. Though the weather was very cold on the day of the funeral the attendance was large. Three of the sons and four of the daughters and husbands were present, and several of the grandchildren, also a large number of old acquaintances and friends. The text of the funeral discourse was Job 5:26, "Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age like as a shock of corn cometh in his season."

Henry A. Darrow appears to be a most interesting person who lived a full life.

v. ALEXANDER DARROW; 

For the past few years I have wondered who Alexander Darrow was, where he lived and what kind of family he had produced. In May of this year I found a John Christeson and a Jackie Smith on the Internet and through them was to find all the information that I needed. The Net has been a wonderful place for genealogists to obtain and exchange information. The amazing thing is that Alexander actually lived and owned land in Winfield, Sauk, WI. This was during the same time that his brother, Henry A. Darrow was also living in that same township, yet,  Merton Krug never mentions him in his history of "Reedsburg and the Upper Baraboo Valley.

This is the information that I received from John Cristeson:

"Alexander Darrow, son of Amirus Darrow and Sarah Melona Fisher, was born September 8, 1793, in Stephentown, New York.   On an unknown date and location Alexander was united in marriage to Electa Wilcox. Electa was born in New York, of unknown parents , and died prior to May, 1871. Their known children were:

1. Henry A.         born    8 Mar 1831, in New York
Henry A. had an interesting life and along with his siblings below will be discussed in the link of "Famous and Interesting Relatives of Frances Louise Berlin".
2. Jerome B.                             1832, in New York
3. Alonzo                                1838, in New York
4. Marion or Mary                        1841, in New York
5. John (not confirmed)                  1849/50 in NY or Wis.
6. Alma F.

Alexander was a veteran of the War of 1812, having enlisted September 14, 1813, at Brownsville, Oneida County, New York, as a substitute for Robert Bush, and served as a Private from September 14, 1813, to November 9, 1813, in Captain Fortune C. White's Company of New York Militia, when he was discharged on account of sickness. On August 22, 1814, he was drafted to serve three months as a Private in Captain William Hubbard's company of New York Militia. On November 14, 1814, he was discharged on account of sickness at Sackett's Harbor, Jefferson County, New York.
"Following his discharge he returned to Brownsville, Jefferson County, New York, where he lived for the next 36 years. In his life his occupation was that of preacher and farmer. On December 20, 1850, he filed an application for a bounty land grant under the Act of September 28, 1850, and was awarded Bounty Land Warrant No. 25,914-80-50, which he used to obtain 80 acres of land in Winfield Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin. On April 23, 1855, while a resident of Winfield Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, and apparently living on 80 acres of land that he received under the above warrant, he applied for and additional 80 acres of land under the Act of March 3, 1855, and was awarded Bounty Land Warrant No. 18,120-80-55, which he apparently used to obtain 80 acres of land in the town of Grant, Dunn County, Wisconsin.
On May 2, 1871, while living in the town of Grant, Dunn County, Wisconsin, Alexander Darrow filed Application No. S. O. 14,350 for a pension, provided for the Veterans of the War of 1812, under the Act of February 14, 1871. His application was approved December 11, 1871, under Certificate No. 9,430, and he received a veterans pension of $8.00 per month. His Post Office Address at that time was Vanville, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
In the 1860 U.S. Census, Alexander Darrow, was listed as 70 years old and living in Necedah, Juneau County, Wisconsin. Sharing the dwelling was his 28 year old son Jerome Darrow listed as the head of the family, his 21 year old wife Rebecca Darrow and their 2 year old daughter Electa Darrow. Also listed with the family was Alexander's 19 year old daughter Marion Gardner and her 27 year old husband James Gardner. Jerome Darrow was listed as have $100.00 of personal property and James Gardner as having $50.00 worth of personal property. Electa Darrow was born in Wisconsin and James Gardner born in Canada. The rest listed were all born in New York.
In the 1870 U.S. Census Alexander Darrow was listed as 77 years of age and living in the Township of Grant, Dunn County, Wisconsin, with his son Jerome Darrow and his family. The family consisted of his 38 year old son Jerome Darrow, a farmer with $700.00 worth of real estate and $400.00 worth of personal property, Jerome's 30 year old New York born wife Rebecca, and their children Lecta (Electa), age 11, born in Wisconsin; Emma, age 6, born in Minnesota; George, age 4, born in Wisconsin; and 1 year old Jarime Darrow, born in Wisconsin.
In the 1880 U.S. Census, Alex Darrow was listed as an 86 year old widower and Pensioner of War, living in the Town of Sand Creek, Dunn County, Wisconsin, with his 38 year old daughter Mary Gardner, her 50 year old husband James Gardner, a farmer born in Canada of Scottish parents, and their children Electa, age 13; James, age 11; Thomas, age 9; Jeny, age 4; and 2 year old Alex Gardner. 
In the 1880 U.S. Census, Alex Darrow was listed as an 86 year old widower and Pensioner of War, living in the Town of Sand Creek, Dunn County, Wisconsin, with his 38 year old daughter Mary Gardner, her 50 year old husband James Gardner, a farmer born in Canada of Scottish parents, and their children Electa, age 13; James, age 11; Thomas, age 9; Jeny, age 4; and 2 year old Alex Gardner.
Alexander Darrow died November 1, 1887, possibly in Grant Township, Dunn County, Wisconsin, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Barron County, Wisconsin. His military style gravestone is inscribed "Alexander Darrow, New York Pvt. N.Y. State Militia War of 1812 Sept. 8, 1793 - Nov. 1, 1887." 

vi. SOPHIA DARROW; b. 8 Nov 1795 at Stephentown, Columbia, NY.

Most of the information that I have on Sophia comes from the letter to Adelia Fish written by her cousin, Edward Everett Darrow. He wrote the following:

"Sophia was the youngest and the only one of your father’s and my grandfather’s sisters and brothers I ever saw. She had married a Mr. Congdon and they had settled at Union City, Pa. She and her husband drove out to Kinsman, Ohio (some 50 miles) where Grandfather Jedediah then lived to see her brother before he died. It was probably in January 1861 as he died on March 2d, two days before Lincolns inauguration. My father lived a short half mile from him and I frequently went to his house on errands. Both of them well knew this meeting would be the last, Aunt Sophia stayed with us the last night. They kept their horses and carriage in our barn. I was much impressed with her and her conversation."

 

vii. GEORGE DARROW; b. 179? at Leyden, Oneida County, NY;

George must have been the first child born after they arrived at Leyden, Oneida, NY. He is probably the unnamed son shown on both the Pension Abstract and Helen Lu's report. George Darrow died 6 Mar 1798 at Leyden, Oneida County, NY. He was probably 2 years of age.

viii. JOHN BAULDING DARROW; b. 25 Jan 1799 at Leyden, Oneida County, NY.

There is no official information on John Baulding Darrow. It would be interesting to find out why the name Baulding? I did find a will drawn by a John B. Darrow.  The date would not have been reasonable to be John Baulding, however, it could be a son and further research needs to be conducted to obtain plausible data. 

ix. SILAS DARROW; b. 2 Aug 1801 at Leyden, Oneida County, NY; b. 29 Jun 1803 at Leyden, Oneida County, NY.

There are two different birth dates given for Silas. I believe the date of 2 Aug 1801 is correct. The second date is the date of birth of the next son, Joseph. There is no information on Silas at this time.

14 x. JOSEPH DARROW.

xi. ALLEN DARROW; b. 1797; b. 12 Jul 1805;

I have two dates of birth for Allen. Some references claim that Allen and Benjamin Franklin were twins. He does not appear on the pension abstract submitted by Sarah Melona Fisher Darrow. He does not appear on Helen Lu's report. The only place I have found his name other than other genealogists, who do not appear to have a good source, is again the letter of Edward Everett Darrow. In his letter he lists the children of Ammirus and Sarah that are known to him. They are: "Alphabetically arranged their names are (1) Alexander (2) Allen (3) Benjamin (4) Henry (5) Jedediah (6) John (7) Joseph (8) Silas (9) Prudence (10) Sophia." You will notice that although he includes, Allen, he does not include, Sarah and George.
It will be interesting to research the whys and wherefors of Allen.

xii. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN DARROW; b. 12 Jul 1805 at Leyden, Oneida County, NY; 

Most researchers place Allen and Benjamin as twins born 12 July 1805 in Leyden, Oneida, NY. In the 1850 Census for Jefferson County, NY Benjamin was living in Hounsfield, Jefferson, NY. He was married to Mary A. and they had 4 children. The census for 1850 lists Benjamin’s mother, Sarah Fisher Darrow, as a member of the family. This would be about 2 years before Sarah left for Wisconsin.

Summary of Ammirus and Sarah Fisher Darrow

It is difficult to imagine how it would have been to live at the time of Ammirus and Sarah and their family. The constant activity that was needed just for survival appears to be enormous. Yet many of them lived to ages that far exceeded the actuary figures of that particular period and also for the present. Sarah Fisher Darrow must have been an extremely strong woman to have undergone the event of giving birth to twelve children without the aid of a doctor or any other assistance. Sometimes it is just too awesome to realize.

There are many questions about Sarah. Some we have already asked. Many researchers say that after Ammirus died she went to live with her son, Jedidiah, in Ohio. If this were the case it would seem that Edward E. Darrow would have made some mention of it in his letter to Adelia. Am I right in my speculation on her life prior to marriage to Ammirus? The only true evidence that I have of her life is that in 1850 she was living with her son, Benjamin, and his family in New York. The other is that in 1856 she died in Winfield, Sauk County, WI. There are still questions, and, yet, I know much more about her than I did five years ago when I knew nothing.

 

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