74     DAVID OATMAN

 

 

74        DAVID5     (Samuel4, George3, John2, Johannes1), son of Samuel and Hannah (Wooster) Oatman, was born 8 January 1772, at Southford, Connecticut, and was baptized at St. James Episcopal Church, Derby, New Haven County, Connecticut, 19 July 1772.  A birth record for him in Vermont gives his birth place as Arlington, Vermont.  However, it was earlier reported that his father, Samuel, did not move to Arlington until later in his life, and it is believed that David and the other children were born in Connecticut.  Another factor to consider are the baptismal records of the St. James Episcopal Church, Derby, Connecticut, where Samuel's first four children were baptized.

 

He married, prior to 1795, Betsy, daughter of Ithamar and Betsy (Heath) Clough; she was born 1777 in Vermont, and died at Hartford, New York, 17 August 1843.

 

Betsy/Betty Heath, wife of Ithamar Clough and mother of Betsy, died 25 February 1826 at the age of 75 years.  Ithamar died 7 May 1843 at the age of 92.  Both died in Hartford, New York, on the farm where they settled.  At the time of Ithamar's death, the farm was occupied by David and Betsy Oatman.

 

David was a Justice of the Peace at the time of his death.  Family records indicate that he left a family of ten living children with his widow to divide an estate of $1,000.

 

In 1830 he had living with him a male, aged 70-80, whose relationship to the family is unknown.

 

David died in Hartford, Washington County, New York, 23 August 1832 at the age of 60 years, 7 months, 15 days.  "Esq. David" and Betsey are buried in the Old Hartford Cemetery, Hartford, New York.

 

The following list of children for David and Betsy was found in 1978 by Barbara Hawthorne in a book on Samuel Oatman4 (#20) and his descendants.  The book was compiled by Lt. Col. Charles E. Banks around 1920.  It is in the New England Historical & Genealogical Society in Boston, and the list was included in a letter dated 25 May 1908 and written to Banks by John H. Raven of New Brunswick, New Jersey, a direct descendant of James6 (#251):  1) Susanna, m. John Ingalls;  2) Betsy, m. William Horth;  3) Philinda, m. Jordan Seeley;    4) Walter;  5) Sally;  6) Hannah;  7) James C.;  8) David W.;  9) Reuben C.;  10) Lyman;  11) Phebe; and 12) William Henry.

 

The above list has been integrated with the original list, giving us one list possibly more accurate than previously shown.  However, there is still some confusion concerning David's children. 

 

Children of David and Betsy (Clough) Oatman:

 

245      Susan/Susanna, b. 15 Oct 1795; d. probably before 1867, as she is not listed in her brother David's property settlement; m. John Ingalls, 10 Sep 1812.  He was b. ca 1785 in NY.  John was a farmer by trade.  The names of his children are not known.  In 1830 his household contained one male 10-15, one male 40-50 (John), one female 10-15, and one female 30-40 (Susanna).  In 1850 he and "Susan" were still living in Hartford, NY.

 

246      Betsy, b. 11 Oct 1797; d. 3 Nov 1869, Nashville, Davidson Co., TN; m. 1) 7 Jan 1813, William Horth; he b. 8 Feb 1792, to Francis and Lucy (Dickson) Horth; 2) Roswell Burrows Rexford, 23 May 1828.  Children, surname Horth:

 

A         Melissa, b. 22 Nov 1813; d. 26 Mar 1893, age 79 yr, 4 mo, 4 da, Lansing, Ingham Co., MI; m. 1) Lewis Case;  2) Hiram Converse, 11 Nov 1849

 

B         Lucy, b. 17 Jan 1817; d. 28 Jul 1895, Jackson Co., MI; m. 1) Albert Case (brother to sister Melissa's first husband);  2) Charles Birdsall.

 

The death records on Melissa and Lucy list their father as John Horth.  However, 1) John Raven's letter listing David's children shows their father as William Horth.  2) The dates for Melissa's birth and of the marriage for William work out about right; 3) their second child was Lucy, and William's mother was Lucy Dickson; 4) when Lucy married, she named one son Francis (for William's father's) and one son William; 5) no one--Betsy, Melissa or Lucy--had a John, nor did Francis and Lucy Horth have a son named John.  (Information from Louise Carpenter)

 

Children, surname Rexford:

 

C         David Oatman, b. 16 Nov 1828, Hartford, Washington Co., NY; d. 29 May 1853, San Francisco, CA; m. Elizabeth Avery, 23 Feb 1851

 

D         James Preston, b. 3 Oct 1830, Hartford, Washington Co., NY; d. 3 Aug 1873, Nashville, Davidson Co., TN; m. Ann Adelia Carmer, 15 Feb 1864.  James was a Civil War veteran.

 

E          William Henry, b. 15 Sep 1835, Napoleon Township, Jackson Co., MI.  He m. Caroline Ingersoll 18 Jun 1862, and in 1869 was living in Mobile, AL.  He was a Civil War veteran, badly injured.

 

247      Philinda, b. 30 Jan 1800; d. 1880 Hartford, Washington Co., NY; m. 1) Jordan Rexford Seeley, 8 Jan 1817.  He was b. 1794, CT, was a Justice of the Peace of Washington Co., NY, in 1832 and 1836 (Washington Co., NY, Gazetteer, p. 161);  2) _____ Lee, before 10 Dec 1867.  Philinda was living in Hebron, Washington Co., NY, in 1867.  She and Jordan Seeley lost two or three children of typhoid, but they also had the following children, surname Seeley:

 

A         Samuel

 

B         John, b. 13 Jan 1824; d. 10 Apr 1893.  John was a farmer.  He m. Avis A. Oatman, daughter of Elisha Oatman (#110).  See #513.

 

C         David

 

D         Walter

 

E          Betsy, m. Robert Copeland

 

F          Electa, b. 17 May 1822; d. 10 Oct 1889, Creston, IL; m. Russell G. Swain in 1841 and moved to IL.  He was b. 1816, Hartford, Washington Co., NY, and d. 1891, Creston, IL.  Children, surname Swain:

 

  I         James Jordan, b. 22 Dec 1841; d. 1922; m. Selina Cross who d. 1902 in North Creek.

 

 II        John W., b. 4 Jan 1843; d. 15 Jul 1882; m. Martha E. Johnson of Glens Falls, NY, in 1863/4.  He was a Civil War veteran, enlisting in Warrensburg, NY.  He is buried in Creston, IL.

 

III        Henry T. (Swain), b. 5 Apr 1846, Johnsburgh, NY, d. 1934, Alta, IA; m. Elizabeth Hudnut who d. 22 Aug 1934, Alta, IA.

 

 IV       Mary E., d. 31 Dec 1850 at the age of 1 yr., 6 mo., 11 dy; bur. North Creek Cemetery

 

  V       Selden Oatman, b. 1850 at Johnsburgh, NY; m. Kate Gould of WI in 1879; d. 1916 in Creston, IL.

 

248      Walter B., b. 30 May 1802, NY; "Walter Oatman, Esq. of Cleveland, O." m. 21 Sep 1837, in Northampton, MA, Julia W. Russell; she was b. ca 1813 in MA; Walter was a bookkeeper and in 1860 was living in Buffalo, Erie Co., NY.  Children, surname Oatman:

 

A         Edward, b. ca 1840, NY

 

B         Frank, b. ca 1848, NY

 

249      Sarah/Sally, b. 15 Sep 1804; d. 19 Aug 1823 (per gravestone, Hartford, NY); m. Walter Seeley.  Children, surname Seeley:

 

A         Walter

 

250      Hannah, b. 20 Mar 1807; m. Henry M. Scott.  Hannah was living in Middletown, Rutland Co., VT, in 1870 census.  Children, surname Scott:

 

A         Walter, b. ca 1839, NY; d. bef. 1900; m. 1) Georgianna ??, b. ca 1840, NY.  Children: Helen, b. Feb 1866, NY; and Mary, b. 1870, VT.  Walter m. 2) Bessie C., b. ca Sep 1852, CT.  Child: John H. Scott, b. Dec 1878, NY

 

                        B         Betsey O., b. ca 1843, NY; m. Dexter C. Sears, b. ca 1833, NY.  Children, surname Sears:

 

                                      I         Charles, b. ca 1867, WI

 

                                     II        Walter, b. ca 1873, WI

 

                                    III        Bessey, b. ca 1879, VT

 

                                     IV       Helen G., b. ca 1883, VT

 

251      James C., b. 2 Jun 1809; d. 16 Jan 1887; living in Jersey City in 1867. 

 

252      David W., b. 17 Nov 1811, Hartford, Washington Co., NY; d. 29 Nov 1867, Napoleon Twp., Jackson Co., MI; m. 1) Ann Jane ??, who d. 2 Sep 1859;  2) Julia C. Anderson, widow of George Elliot; she d. 14 Sep 1898, Napoleon Twp., Jackson Co., MI.

 

253      Reuben Clough, b. 8 Jul 1814, NY; m. Elvira ??, who was b. ca 1818, NY. Reuben was m. at Adamsville, NY, and is buried there.  In 1850, he was farming in Hartford, NY, with real estate valued at $4,400.  By 1860, the value of his real estate had reached $13,000.  By 1867, he was living in Sandy Hill, NY, according to his brother's estate papers, and in 1870 was listed in the census in Kingsbury, Washington Co., NY.  Children, surname Oatman:

 

A         (Daughter), d. young

 

B         Griffin, b. 1845, NY

C         Sarah M., b. 1848, NY

 

254      Lyman, b. 21 Oct 1816, NY; d. 9 Sep      , in Angola, Erie Co., NY; m. Desire Barrell

 

255      Phebe, b. 16 Jun 1819, NY; d. 26 Sep 1820 (gravestone, Old Hartford Cem., Hartford, NY)

 

256      William Henry, b. 9 Nov 1821, NY; d. between 1880-1889; m. Sophia Wheeler.  She was b. ca 1820, Bolton, NY, and died 5 Nov 1889 in Queensbury, NY.  He was an attorney in 1850 in Hebron, Washington Co., NY, and had the following children, surname Oatman:

 

A         Julia, b. 1842, NY

 

B         Ann, b. 1843, NY

 

C         Mary, b. 1848, NY

 

D         Susan, b. Mar 1850, NY

 

                        E          Reuben, b. ca 1852, NY

 

                        F          Henry, ca 1854, NY

 

                        G         Hannah, b. ca 1858, NY; d. aft 1893; m. William Hezekiah Wheeler.  Hannah died soon after her daughter Bertha was born in 1893.

 

                        H         Ida, b. 1860, NY

 

257      John, about whom nothing is known.  He is said to have removed to TX.  He is not listed as one of the surviving children.

 

 

Sources:           Gravestones, Hartford, Washington Co., NY

Letter from Orlin L. Oatman, Buffalo, NY

Records of Barbara Hawthorne

New England Historical & Genealogical Society

Letter dated 25 May 1908, John H. Raven to Charles E. Banks

Michigan DAR Bible and Pioneer Records, Vol. 10, p. 24-25

                        Oatman family records

"Illustrated Historical Atlas of Erie County, New York" (F. W.

Beers & Co., 1880)

1800 census, Washington Co., NY

1830, 1850 census, Hartford, Washington Co., NY

1860 census, Washington Co., NY

1870 census, Kingsbury, Washington Co., NY

1850, 1860 census, Jackson Co., MI

Louise Carpenter, Jackson, MI

Estate papers of David W. Oatman (#252)

Birth record for David Oatman

Deed dated 9 Feb 1833, Washington Co., NY

Brayton, The Story of Hartford, a history, 1929

                        1850, 1860 census, Fort Ann, Washington Co., NY

                        1870 census, Tinmouth, Rutland Co., VT

                        1880 census, Middletown, Rutland Co., VT 

                        Georgia Anderson in email dated 20 June 2003

 

 

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