52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES, No. 40, October birthdays: NINE Direct Ancestors

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog based on Themes. Last week's theme was Unusual, and this week is "OCTOBER birthdays/anniversaries".  Counting them all, I have NINE direct ancestors with birth dates in October, including a married couple. They are listed with birthplace, spouse and marriage date, plus number of known children.

1 Oct 1665:  Judith STEVENS, b. Windsor CT, m. Samuel BUEL(L) 1686; 11 children

2 Oct 1687:  Abigail RICH, b. Wenham MA, m. Timothy JEROME 1709; 7 children including my favourite-named son, Zerubbabel.

4 Oct 1770:  Jane [Jennetje] KOEN, b. New Scotland NY, m. Simon TERWILLIGER 1788; 4 children

4 Oct 1803:  Joseph Jacobus KUHN, b. Conewago PA, m. Jane Rebecca McCABE 1826; 9 children

5 Oct 1924:  Mary Marguerite KUHN [my mother!], b. Vancouver BC, m. John GILLESPIE 1941; 3 children

12 Oct 1812:  Francis William [F.W.] PETTYGROVE, b. Calais ME, m. Sophia RULAND 1842; 7 children

22 Oct 1829:  Louis DeBarth KUHN, b. East Berlin PA, m. Amelia PETTYGROVE 1864; 10 children; Amelia is the eldest daughter of FW PETTYGROVE above.

25 Oct 1803:  Jane Rebecca McCABE, b. Downington PA, m. Joseph Jacobus KUHN 1826; 9 children

28 Oct 1716:  Jannetje van VALKENBURGH, b. Schenectady NY, m. Simeon LARROWAY [LeRoy] 1733;  4 children

 Are any of these people your ancestors as well?  If you have any information or details to share, or to correct the details above, I would be very happy to hear from you.  Contact me via email below [bottom of page], or in the Comments section.

The photo up above is in Vancouver BC Canada, facing north - you can see the darker blue tone of the mountains across the harbour. Taken in Falaise Park south of the Grandview Highway by my brother Jake, this is the neighbourhood we grew up in. The Park wasn't quite so tidy and organized back then, with a boggy bottom and a ravine to play in.  

Lately, my Blogger account seems not to allow me to "reply" to your comments, most of the time. Do know that I value your comments immensely. You make my day! Thanks for stopping by to read my weekly post.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS: #2 ZERUBBABEL JEROME

Zerubbabel JEROME - I simply love this name. Four syllables, with the emphasis on the 1st and the 3rd syllables.  What did his mother call him when she wanted him right away?   I have a hard time thinking of a new mother looking at a new little baby boy and saying "Oh, how sweet, I think we'll call him Zerubbabel!"  

My 5th great-grandfather, he was the 3rd child (2nd son) of Timothy (Chauncey) JEROME and Abagail RICH, who were married in Dorchester Massachusetts in about 1709.  Both parents were born in England, possibly frrom Hampshire.

Zerubbabel was born on Wednesday 3 Apr 1715 in Meriden, New Haven, according to the Barbour Collection of births in Connecticut towns. The family had started off settling in Windham, but moved after the first two children were born, to Meriden, where Timothy is shown owning land.  They eventually settled later in Wallingford, CT.

His first marriage was to 1st, Sarah Cook, in about 1735, but she died in 1737 with her first child, Mary Jerome who died also.  The following year, 30 Aug 1738 in Meriden, Zerubbabel married 2nd, Phebe Cook, and they had 11 children: Mary, Robert, Thomas, Jerusha, Zerubbabel (d. young), Chauncey, Asahel, Phebe, Abigail, Zerubbabel, Ruth.  My line goes through Ruth JEROME who married Stephen GRAVES.   Phebe, his 2nd wife, died soon after her last child - those were very tough times for women.

Zerubbabel and four of his sons were known as Tories (pro-Britain) during the Revolutionary War: Robert, Thomas, & Asahel.  In 1777, his other two sons Zerubbabel Jr. and Chauncey were imprisoned in the Hartford jail "as Tories". One wonders how they managed to survive during that turbulent time!  His son-in-law, Moses Dunbar, was the only man hanged for treason in 1777 - the note on Wikipedia states Moses' own father provided the rope!  Sends shivers down my spine...

Zerubbabel died in October 1783 in Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut.  Some records say he died in Bristol, others say Farmington.  His burial place is not known at present, but it is assumed to be in Hartford county.

A small note:  on a Memorial page on FindAGrave, it states:  "Sir Winston Churchill was the 3rd greatgrandnephew to Zerubbabel".  At one point I tracked down the connections, and they are there... but such a collateral line, I haven't bothered to put this into my tree.

If you know of any more details of Zerubbabel & his wives and children, I'd love to hear from you, at calewis at telus dot net.  Leave a comment below.