David Trowbridge II
David Trowbridge II
Born: July 11, 1743, Morris Township, (Trowbridge Mountain), Morris Co., New Jersey
Died: 1840-42, Washington Co., Indiana
Parents: David Trowbridge & Lydia Holmes
Marriage: about 1773, Morristown, Morris Co., New Jersey
First Wife: Tabitha Trowbridge
Born: about 1745, Morris Co., New Jersey
>Died: about 1763, Hanover, Morris Co., New Jersey
Buried: Old Whippany Burying Ground, Whippany, Morris Co., New Jersey
Second Marriage: before 1767, Frederick Co., Virginia?
Second Wife: unknown
Born: New Jersey or Virginia
Died: unknown
Children:
(David Trowbridge II & unknown second wife)David Trowbridge IIIJonathan TrowbridgeIsaac Trowbridge
Born: 1774, Frederick Co., Virginia
Died: unknown
Silas TrowbridgeBorn: 1776, Frederick Co., Virginia
Died: unknown
Tabitha TrowbridgeBorn: 1780, Frederick Co., Virginia
Died: unknown
Elizabeth TrowbridgeBorn: 1783, Frederick Co., Virginia
Died: unknown
DAVID TROWBRIDGE II AND HIS WIVES
To this day there confusion over the identity of the two wives of David Trowbridge II. And to further add to this confusion is the uncertainty of several documents, because we do not know if they are referring to David Trowbridge II, or his son, David Trowbridge III. The things that are know for certain about David is that he settled Frederick Co., Virginia with his brother Samuel during the late 1760s. He lived there until maybe the 1780s, when he removed to Indiana, where he spent the rest of his life. The records on his family are unreliable, because at times it is hard to tell if these records are of David, or his son, David III. And because of this, there is uncertainty as to the identity of his two wives. It is known that David's first wife was named Tabitha, because of an inscription on her headstone in the Whippany Old Burying Ground in Whippany, Morris Co., New Jersey which reads: "Here Lyes ye Body of Tabitha Wife of David Trowbridge" There is no date on the headstone, but the style of it matches other headstones in the cemetery dating from the 1760s-1770s. Aside from her first name, nothing else is known about her. The only information regarding her is in Francis Bacon Trowbridge's "The Trowbridge Genealogy" published in 1909. But F.B. Trowbridge lists her as a daughter, thanks to inacurrate information he received from a Brooklyn based genealogist named William A. Eardley, who obtained his information from the family Bible of David II's father, David Trowbridge. This Bible, which was in the possession of the David Wilson family at the time, is confusing. The names of several children are duplicated, possibly because grandchildren are mixed in with the children (the youngest, Lydia Trowbridge II, was born when Lydia Holmes was in her mid 50s). The list includes two Josephs, two Lydias, and two Tabitha's. It possible, but confusing, to identify David II's wife from the list. F.B. Trowbridge lists an incomplete inscription David's wife "Aged 21 years 8 mo.", from the Whippany Burying Ground. Eardley, F.B. Trowbridge's source, probably copied the information from the David Trowbridge Bible. not the headstone. But to further confuse matters, the inscription is listed with Tabitha II, who would have died after David Trowbridge II went to Virginia. My belief is that David II's had a sister named Tabitha, but that she was Tabitha II, and Tabitha I was his wife. So either Eardley, or whoever wrote the record in the family bible, transposed the two records. This would not be the only notable error in F.B. Trowbridge's list of David Trowbridge II's brothers and sisters. David II apparently had another brother named Crispus, whose name shows up with Lydia Holmes, David II's mother, in a quitclaim deed in Trenton, New Jersey. He may have been omitted from the list because Crispus was a Loyalist during the American Revolution, and was probably disowned by the family. Tabitha must have died before 1765, because David II's first child, David Trowbridge III was born in Frederick County, Virginia, indicating that David II had remarried. Unfortunately there seems to be no record of the identity of his second wife, although a gedcom at rootsweb.com, believes David's second wife could have been Mary Scott, daughter of Jacob Scott of Morristown. The following is an excerpt from this gedcom:
"[CLBTREE.GED] [kkgedcom.ged]--Marriage Bond between David Trobridge and Jacob John Scott
to "His Excellency the Governor of Virginia" and signed David Trowbridge and Jacob Scott. Relationship not stated."
The only problem with this conjecture is Mary Scott was the name of the wife of David II's son, David Trowbridge III. The gedcom did not give year this record. Until something else turns up, the facts about David II and his wives will remain sketchy.
The headstone of Tabitha Trowbridge, which is the oldest surviving Trowbridge headstone in Morris County
(Picture courtesy of Charlie Scott.)
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