Sunday, March 30, 2008

The Elusive Hannah Smith (ca1767-1827, wife of Josiah Sawtell)

It's National Women's History month, so I am posting some of my most elusive women ancestors in hopes that someone will Google their name and find my post. Ideally, the Googlers will provide me with more information about my elusive female ancestor's ancestry. Realistically, they will commiserate with me about the lack of records and wonder why no researcher has figured the problem out yet.

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The Family of Hannah (Smith) Sawtell --

Hannah Smith was born About 1767 in prob. Raby, Hillsborough County, NH, and died 08 February 1827 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA (age 59). She married Josiah Sawtell 05 February 1789 in prob. Raby, Hillsborough County, NH, son of Ephraim Sawtell and Abigail Stone. He was born 24 January 1768 in Groton, Middlesex County, MA, (vr), and died 07 December 1847 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA (VR, 333).

Notes for Hannah Smith:


Hannah Smith's maiden name is known only from a Boston Transcript newspaper article (4th Series, entry #3534):

"(3534) 1. SMITH, SARTELL, BISHOP. Hannah Smith, born Jan. 1 1768, at Amherst, Mass., married Feb. 5, 1789, at Amherst, Josiah Sartell of Hollis, Mass. I wonder if her parents were Noah Smith and Mary, daughter of Edward Elmer, who were married in Amherst in 1766 at Amherst (probably). If this is true, who were Noah Smith's ancestors? The children of Hannah Smith and Josiah Sartell were:

(1) Josiah, Jr. born Brookline, N.H. Nov. 26, 1791 (I believe married Rebecca Manning).
(2) Hannah, born Brookline N.H. Nov. 6, 1789, married Zachariah Hildreth, who was born Townsend Mass. and died at Townsend Jan. 22, 1857; Hannah died at Townsend Jan. 13, 1851, children: Aaron, Clarissa, James, Clarissa 2d, Elizabeth, Milo, Moses, Edward, Harriet and Moses.
(3) Mary (Lee), born Townsend April 11, 1793, and died at Pelham, May 26, 1831, children Enos, Edwin, Samantha.
(4) Chester, born Townsend Aug. 6, 1795, died April 19, 1875; children Sophia and Mrs. Bizel.
(5) Esther, born Townsend May 13, 1797, died Amherst Mass. March 5, 1859.
(6) Horace, born Ashburnham, Mass. July 9, 1799, died Mason, N.H. May 21, 1825, married Sally Saunders, had daughter Elizabeth.
(7) Neuma, born Townsend June 6, 1802, and died Mason, N.H. Aug. 11, 1826.
(8) Walter, born Townsend, March 21, 1806, and died Townsend, Aug. 26, 1857, married Louisa Adams; had a son Perry.
(9) Price, born Townsend, Feb. 2, 1810, married Eliza Bishop at Watertown, N.Y., Feb. 21, 1831, who was born Dec. 12, 1806 at Westmoreland, Vt., and died Feb. 14, 1875 at Milwaukee; Price died Milwaukee, June 5, 1891. (Who were the parents of Eliza Bishop?)."

The writer may have confused Amherst, Massachusetts and Amherst, New Hampshire (just north of Brookline, New Hampshire). Noah Smith and Mary Elmer resided in Amherst, Massachusetts and had a daughter named Hannah Smith born 1 January 1768, but this family remained in Amherst, Massachusetts and that Hannah Smith did not marry Josiah Sartell.

There were many Smith families in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire in the 1760 to 1770 time frame. Joshua Smith was the only one who resided in the town of Raby (now called Brookline), and he lived in the southeast part of Raby on the road towards what is now Pepperrell, Massachusetts. There are many town records of Joshua Smith, and the town history names his two wives, but they do not name a daughter Hannah Smith.

Notes for Josiah Sawtell:

Very little is known about the family of Josiah Sartell. The most information was obtained from a contribution to the Boston Transcript (4th Series, entry #3534).

Children of Hannah Smith and Josiah Sawtell are:


i. Hannah Sawtell, born 06 November 1789 in Brookline, Hillsborough County, NH; died 13 January 1857 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA, (VR, 355). She married Zachariah Hildreth 21 October 1810 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA, (VR, 62); born 10 April 1783 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA, (VR, 276); died 22 January 1857 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA, (VR, 355).

ii. Josiah Sawtell, born 24 November 1791 in Brookline, Hillsborough County, NH. He married Rebecca Manning 29 March 1815 in Townsend, Middlesex, MA (VR, 64); born in Townsend, Middlesex, MA.

iii. Mary Sawtell, born 11 April 1793 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 26 May 1831 in Pelham, Hillsborough County, NH. She married Ezra Lee 25 May 1814 in Townsend, Middlesex, MA (VR, 64); born in Amherst, MA.

iv. Chester Sawtell, born 06 August 1795 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 19 April 1875 in Sacketts Harbor, Jefferson County, NY.

v. Esther Sawtell, born 13 May 1797 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 05 March 1852 in Amherst, Hampshire County, MA.

vi. Horace Sawtell, born 09 July 1799 in Ashburnham, Worcester County, MA; died 21 May 1825 in Mason, Hillsborough County, NH. He married Sally Saunders.

vii. Neuma Sawtell, born 06 June 1803 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 11 August 1826 in Mason, Hillsborough County, NH.

viii. Walter Sawtell, born 21 March 1806 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 26 August 1857 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA. He married Louisa Adams 04 December 1846 in Townsend, Middlesex, MA (VR, 192); born 1815 in probably Malden, Middlesex, MA; died 1869 in Townsend, Middlesex, MA.

ix. Price Sawtell, born 02 February 1810 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 05 June 1891 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI. He married Eliza Bishop 21 February 1831 in Watertown, Jefferson, NY; born 12 December 1806 in Westmoreland, VT; died 14 February 1875 in Milwaukee, WI.

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My own ancestry is through Hannah Sawtell, who married Zachariah Hildreth.

If anyone has additions or corrections to this family data, please, please, please, please (shades of James Brown, eh?) email me at rjseaver@cox.net.

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