Friday, October 30, 2015

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 96: #118 Stephen Cutter (1745-1823)

Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post Challenge:  52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog.  I am extending this theme in 2015 to 104 Ancestors in 104 Weeks. Here is my ancestor biography for week #96:

Stephen Cutter (1745-1823) is #118 on my Ahnentafel list, my 4th great-grandfather, who married #119 Tabitha Randolph (1752-1841) in about 1768.


I am descended through:

* their daughter, #59 Sarah Cutter (1785-1878) who married #58 William Knapp (1775-1856) in 1804, 

*  their daughter, #29 Sarah G. Knapp (1818-????), who married #28 David Auble (1817-1894).  in 1844.
*  their son #14 Charles Auble (1849-1916), who married #15 Georgianna Kemp (1868-1952) in 1898.
*  their daughter #7 Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977) who married #6 Lyle Lawrence Carringer in 1918.
*  their daughter, #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002), who married #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983) in 1942.
*  their son, #1 Randall J. Seaver (1943-....)

 =====================================================

1)  PERSON (with source citations as indicated in brackets):


*  Name:                       Stephen Cutter[1–15]   
*  Sex:                          Male   

*  Father:                     William Cutter (1722-1780)   
*  Mother:                   Mary Kent (1726-    )   
  
2)  INDIVIDUAL EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
  
*  Birth:                      10 February 1745, Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[1–2]
*  Military:                 1775–1780 (about age 30–about 35), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[3]
*  Census:                  1779 (about age 34), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[4]
*  Census:                  1784 (about age 39), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[5]
*  Census:                  1785 (about age 40), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[6]
*  Census:                  1786 (about age 41), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[7]
*  Census:                  1787 (about age 42), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[8]
*  Military:                1791–1795 (about age 46–about 50), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[9]
*  Census:                 1817 (about age 72), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[10]
*  Census:                 1818 (about age 73), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[11]
*  Census:                 1819 (about age 74), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[12]
*  Death:                   20 June 1823 (age 78), Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[2,13–14]   
*  Burial:                  after 20 June 1823 (after age 78), First Presbyterian Churchyard, Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[2,14]   
*  Probate:               13 August 1823 (age 78), will proved; Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[15]
  
3)  SHARED EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
  
*  Spouse 1:             Tabitha Randolph (1752-1841)   
*  Marriage 1:          about 1768 (about age 23), probably Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[1]
*  Child 1:                Phebe Cutter (1769-1839)   
*  Child 2:                Nancy Cutter (1771-1812)   
*  Child 3:                Stephen Cutter (1773-    )   
*  Child 4:                Mary Cutter (1775-    )   
*  Child 5:                Richard Cutter (1779-1820)   
*  Child 6:                William Whitmore Cutter (1781-1862)   
*  Child 7:                Hannah Cutter (1784-    )   
*  Child 8:                Sarah Cutter (1785-1878)   
*  Child 9:                Samuel Cutter (1787-    )   
*  Child 10:              Mary Cutter (1790-1870)   
*  Child 11:              Thomas Cutter (1793-1817)   
  
4)  NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):   

 The sketch for Stephen Cutter provided below is taken entirely from History of the Cutter Family of New England, by Dr. Benjamin Cutter, published in 1871[1].

"Stephen Cutter and Tabitha Randolph were married by Dr. Azel Roe, pastor of First Church, Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey.  Stephen was a good man, read his Bible every day, and on Sundays spent all his time reading it, but never quoted it in ordinary conversation.  It was too sacred, he said, for outside use.  All men spoke well of him but one, just enough to save him from the curse pronounced against those of whom all men speak well.

"In the Revolutionary War a party of British soldiers from Staten Island came up the creek in the night, and made Mr. Cutter a prisoner. He narrowly escaped being thrown overboard in the middle of the Sound, between the mainland and the island, for refusing to row.  The enemy found Mrs. Cutter an obstinate rebel.  Some soldiers entered her house and shamefully abused her.  They damaged her furniture and created disorder, and finally taking her dinner pot off the fire, strewed the contents over the floor.  This she never forgave.  She allowed no one afterwards to speak in favor of the English in her presence, without giving her sentiments and relating her experience with Englishmen, and with soldiers in particular."

Stephen Cutter and Tabitha Randolph were probably married before 1768, since their first child was born in about 1769.  They had eleven children, all born between 1769 and 1793 in Woodbridge, where Stephen lived out his life.  

The book Index of the Official Records of the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War lists Stephen Cutter on page 32, with a reference to a page 565 of some book[3].  There are no service records or muster rolls available online for Stephen Cutter's service.

Stephen Cutter's widow, Tabitha (Randolph) Cutter,  made an affidavit in 1840 support of a Revolutionary War Pension for Abraham Johnson.  The affidavit includes this sentence:

"Personally appeared the subscriber Tabitha Cutter widow of Stephen Cutter a Revolutionary War soldier who being duly sworn under oath saith that during the Revolutionary War she was intimately acquainted with Abraham Johnson..."

Stephen Cutter's name appears on tax lists in Woodbridge for 1779 and 1784-1787[4-8].  

He is listed in the list of 1791-1795 Middlesex County militia list of Revolutionary War veterans who are buried in First Presbyterian Churchyard[9].

His name appears on the Woodbridge tax lists for 1817 to 1819[10-12].

Stephen Cutter died 20 June 1823 in Woodbridge, and is buried in the First Presbyterian Churchyard[2,13-14].  Stephen is in Section 1, plot number 4; the inscription says:

"Stephen Cutter June 20, 1823, in 76th year."  

Tabitha is in plot number 5, with the inscription of:

"Tabitha Cutter, wid. of Stephen Cutter, d. 26 Nov. 1841, in 89th year."

Stephen Cutter's will was written on 17 June 1823, and was proved in Middlesex County Surrogate's Court by the executors, William Cutter and Samuel Cutter[15].  The will transcript is:

"In the Name of God, Amen. I, Stephen Cutter of the Township of Woodbridge in the County of Middlesex and State of New Jersey being of sound mind and memory, do enable and publish this for my last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say.

"First, I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Tabitha all my personal or moveable estate, a certain Bond or Obligation which Charles and Kelsy Cutter gave to my son Thomas and also a comfortable support and maintenance to be furnished by my son Samuel, in Consideration of the legacies hereinafter given to him during his Natural life.

"Second, I give and bequeath to my son William Cutter his heirs and assigns forever the one equal half part of all my Woodlot of Land, Containing Nine Acres be the same more or less, which is bounded by lands of Peter Melich, Joseph Dunham, John Hood and others also a lot of about Five acres of salt Meadow be the same more or less, which lays on the Easterly side of a Line to be run from the lower button wood tree near the Dock in a direction from said tree to the point of the woods belonging to Kelse Cutter & the heirs of Charles Cutter.

"Third, I give and bequeath to my son Samuel Cutter & to his heirs and assigns forever all the residue of my real estate, Lands, Tenements & hereditaments which I may die seized and possessed of, be the same more or less, and also a certain Bond or Obligation due to me from the Representatives of Charles Cutter and Kelse Cutter drawn payable to my son Thomas Cutter deceased, and in consideration of the foregoing Legacies given to my said son Samuel, I do order and direct him to maintain and support during their natural lives my wife Tabitha & my daughter Hannah and also to maintain &support my sister Mary during her natural life or to aford such part of her support as may be an equitable proportion of her support already done or hereafter to be furnished for her between my brother's children and my self or my representatives, and also to pay to my daughters Phebe Herriot, Sally Knapp, Mary Cutter and my grand daughter Mary Melich the daughter of my daughter Nancy Herriot deceased, One Hundred dollars each without Interest sixty days after the death of my wife Tabitha, and also to pay all my Just debts and funeral expences. The children of my son Richard to take nothing of my Estate, he having been advanced in his life time together with debts of his which I am bound to pay & have paid to the full amount of his share out of my Estate.

"And lastly I appoint my Two  sons William Cutter and Samuel Cutter Executors of this my last Will and Testament.

"In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this seventeenth day of June in the year of our Lord, Eighteen hundred twenty three, 1823.

"Signed, Sealed, Published and declared by the above named    }
Stephen Cutter to be his Testament in the presence of us who    }
have hereunto subscribed our Names as Witnesses in the           }       Stephen Cutter 
presence of the Testator                                                               }
                 John Conway Brown             William Inslee              }
                                         Ichabod Potter"
 
5)  SOURCES

1. Dr. Benjamin Cutter, The History of the Cutter Family of New England  (Boston, Mass. : 1871), page 93, Stephen Cutter sketch.

2. Jim Tipton, indexed database, Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com), First Presbyterian Churchyard, Woodbridge, N.J., Stephen Cutter memorial #147457875.

3. "Index of the Official Records of the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War," indexed database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Stephen Cutter entry.

4. "New Jersey, Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890," indexed database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Middlesex County, Woodbridge Township, September 1779 Tax List, November 1779 Tax List.

5. "New Jersey, Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890," indexed database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Middlesex County, Woodbridge Township, May 1784 Tax List, August 1784 Tax List.

6. "New Jersey, Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890," indexed database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Middlesex County, Woodbridge Township, June/July 1785 Tax List, August 1785 Tax List.

7. "New Jersey, Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890," indexed database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Middlesex County, Woodbridge Township, August 1786 Tax List.

8. "New Jersey, Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890," indexed database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Middlesex County, Woodbridge Township, July 1787 Tax List, August 1787 Tax List.

9. "Compiled Records of the Middlesex County, New Jersey Militia, 1791-1795," indexed database with record images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Burial Records of Revolutionary War Veterans, page 159, Stephen Cutter list entry.

10. "New Jersey, Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890," indexed database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Middlesex County, Woodbridge Township, June 1817 Tax List.

11. "New Jersey, Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890," indexed database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Middlesex County, Woodbridge Township, June 1818 Tax List.

12. "New Jersey, Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890," indexed database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Middlesex County, Woodbridge Township, September 1819 Tax List.

13. Dr. Benjamin Cutter, The History of the Cutter Family of New England.

14. Jane Devlin (transcriber), "Inscriptions, Cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church of Woodbridge [Middlesex County], New Jersey," online database, Dunham-Wilcox-Trott-Kirk (http://dunhamwilcox.net/nj/woodbridge_nj_cem1.htm), No. 4, Stephen Cutter entry.


15. "New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980," digital images,  FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/), Middlesex County, Wills, 1804-1824, Vol. A-B, Volume B, pages 624-626 (images 605-606 of 643), will of Stephen Cutter, 1823.


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