WHERE THEY WERE IN 1808

After Lisa’s meme asking where our ancestors were in 1908,
Donna over at What’s Past is Prologue has taken it a step
further back and asks her fellow genealogy bloggers where
their ancestors were a century earlier in 1808!


Well, on my Mom’s side my brick walls are high. All I can say
with some certainty is that the McFarlands and Whites were
in Ireland and the Offlingers were in Germany.


On my father’s side the veterans of the Revolutionary War
had moved from Essex, Middlesex, and Plymouth counties
mostly to what would eventually become Oxford County in
northwestern Maine.

Jonathan Barker and his wife Nancy Swan were in Newry,
Maine along with at least three of Jonathan’s brothers:
Benjamin, Jesse and Symonds Epes Barker. Jonathan and
Nancy's son Nathaniel Barker would be turning 14 years old
that year.

Moses Coburn, his wife Esther Spaulding and their son
Westley Coburn (Wesley) were also in Newry


Nathaniel Barker’s future bride Hulda Hastings and her
parents Amos Hastings and Elizabeth Wiley were living in
Bethel, Me.


John Ellingwood and Zerviah Abbott and son John
Ellingwood Jr. likewise resided in Bethel.


Amos Upton and son Francis had settled in Norway, Me.
with their wives and families.


Moses Houghton and Martha Haskell had moved from
Western Massachusetts with Martha’s parents Mark Haskell
and Ruth Safford. Moses' father Elisha Houghton remained
behind in the town of Adams in Berkshire Co., Ma. Sally
Houghton was not born yet, but hermarriage would be one of
those that brought the families from northern Massachusetts
together with those from southern Massachusetts.


Philip Peirce Richardson and Lydia Dow were living in Bow,
Hillsboro, Nh where their youngest son was born in August
1808. Middle son Philip Richardson (Jr?) was around 9 years
old. His future wife’s parents John Laughton and Amata
Greenleaf were still teenagers living in Mercer, Me.


John Ames and Lydia Phelps had been in Canton, Oxford
Co., Me. for sometime now and their son Jonathan Phelps
Ames had married Mary “Polly” Griffith the year before.
Polly was the daughter of John Griffith and Mary Boyden
who’d moved to Oxford County from Windham County Vt,
but John was originally from Rochester, Plymouth County,
Ma.


James Dunham and his wife Cynthia Packard were also from
southern Massachusetts and were living in Hebron, Oxford
County, Me. Their son James Thomas Dunham was born
there in 1805 and he would marry Sally Houghton.

Asa Barrows and Content Benson had been among the
early settlers of Oxford County and daughter Rachel
Barrows had been born there in 1795. Her marriage to John
Ellingwood Jr. was the other meeting of my northern and
southern Massachusetts ancestors.


As to my ancestor, the Elusive John Cutter West, he was 6
years old and ….well… somewhere in Plymouth County…

…being elusive.