98 ELIJAH OATMAN

98 ELIJAH⁵ (Benjamin⁴, George³, John², Johannes¹), son of Benjamin and Bethia (Smith) Oatman, was born 29 August 1778, died 29 January 1860, Adams Center, New York, and is buried in State Road (Honeyville) Cemetery, Adams Center, Jefferson County, New York.

He married 1) Polly Horth, who was born 10 August 1784, and died 30 July 1824. He then married 2) Lydia Richards, daughter of Hezekiah and Sinai (Mills) Richards, who was born 9 July 1803, Herkimer County, New York, and died 28 April 1896 at Adams Center, New York. Polly and Lydia are both buried at State Road (Honeyville) Cemetery beside Elijah.

The 1840 census of Adams shows Elijah, aged 50-60, with two males 5-10, and two males 10-15, as well as a female aged 30-40 (Lydia). This indicates two more sons born between 1825 and 1830. In the 1830 census is a male under 5 years of age, and one aged 15-10.

Elijah served in the War of 1812, as shown from a claim for $33.00 which he submitted for military clothing and equipment used in his service.

History of Jefferson County, New York [1878], p. 249, states:

"After the completion of the railroad, a hotel was built near the depot by E. Oatman, which is generally used for this purpose [an inn]."

It has not been determined whether "E. Oatman" referred to Elijah or possibly to his brother Elias (#99).

Children of Elijah and 1) Polly (Horth) Oatman, all b. Adams, Jefferson Co., NY:

420 Lovina, b. 1808; d. 1899, Adams Center, Jefferson Co., NY; m. 1) Timothy Bunce in 1825. He was b. 1805 in Adams, NY, and died there 7 Apr 1848, son of Theodore Hudson and Jemima (Barber) Bunce. Both Lovina and Timothy are buried in State Road (Honeyville) Cem. at Adams Center. Children, all b. Adams, Jefferson Co., NY, surname Bunce:

A Justice, b. 18 Mar 1828; d. 10 Jul 1828; bur. State Road (Honeyville) Cem., Adams Center, NY

B Jesse P., b. 4 Aug 1831; d. 2 Nov 1894; bur. Union Cem., Adams Center, NY; m. 1) Lucinda O'Dell in Sep 1849 (she was b. 1831); they had a daughter Alice, b. 1852; he m. 2) Harriet E. Enos (b. 1827, d. 1897). He was living with brother Levi in 1870.

C Emeline, b. 1835; m. James Hannahs

D James R., b. Sep 1838; d. 11 Mar 1845; bur. State Road (Honeyville) Cem., Adams Center, NY

E Levi, b. 1840; d. 1913, Adams, NY; bur. Union Cem., Adams Center, NY; m. Martha Blount (b. 1844; d. 1920). She was a dressmaker. Levi and his brother Jesse were butchers by trade. Levi and Martha had a daughter Grace E. Bunce, who was b. and d. in 1873, Jefferson County.

F Alzina, b. 1841; d. 1927; m. Willett W. White, who was b. 1834; d. 1897; bur. with Alzina in Union Cem., Adams Center, NY. Children, surname White:

I Nellie, b. ca 1861, NY

G Ellen (Bunce), b. 1843

H Zebe Buell, b. 16 May 1847; d. 1922 (1925 per records of Union Cem. where he is buried with his wife); m. Frances Wilder, 2 Nov 1868. She was b. 1845; d. 1912. Children, surname Bunce:

I Clinton A., b. 1872, Adams Center, NY; d. 1901; m. Myrtle E. Maloney, b. 3 Mar 1882, d. 12 Aug 1967, daughter of John and Anna Belle (Wright) Maloney; both bur. Union Cemetery, Adams Center, NY. Clinton was a druggist. No children.

II Vernon Wilder, b. 3 Jul 1879, Adams Center, NY; d. 1936, Adams, NY; m. 1) Rena Glass, b. 1880, d. 23 Mar 1910, daughter of Albert and Alzina (Crosby) Glass; she is buried in Union Cemetery, Adams Center, NY. He m. 2) Lottie Caulkins, from Worth, Jefferson Co., NY, in 1916. No children from second marriage. Vernon and Rena both attended schools in Adams Center and were married right out of high school. The only other formal schooling they had was when Vernon went to barbering school in Syracuse in 1909. He did not pursue this, but went into the restaurant business in Pulaski; he left this to become a bank cashier in the Farmer's National Bank in Adams, NY, where he worked until he died of a heart attack. Children from first marriage, surname Bunce:

a Mabel, b. 1897; d. 4 Nov 1920 in childbirth; bur. Union Cemetery, Adams Center, NY; m. Grover Bartell. Children, surname Bartell:

I Rose, b/d 1920; bur. with her mother, Mabel, in Union Cemetery, Adams Center, NY.

b Paul, b. 2 Feb 1901, Adams Center, NY; d. 9 Jan 1960, Adams, NY; bur. 12 Jan 1960, Union Cemetery, Adams Center, NY; m. 1) Beatrice Walton, 1 Feb 1922, in Philadelphia, Jefferson Co., NY, daughter of John Walton. They were divorced ca Sep 1946, and he m. 2) Mrs. Muriel Grasse McHenry, widow of Stanley McHenry, 18 Apr 1947, in Watertown, Jefferson Co., NY. Muriel was b. 4 Feb 1903, Camden, Ontario, daughter of Christopher and Ethel (Coulter) Grass(e); she d. 18 Jun 1974, Rochester, NH. Paul had one son by his first marriage, surname Bunce:

I Donald P., b. 1924

c Karl Maurice, b. 4 Jul 1909, Adams, NY; m. 27 Oct 1928 in Jefferson Co., NY, Helen Finney, b. 1909, daughter of George and Maria (Comins) Finney.

Karl attended schools in Burrville and Watertown. After he and Helen were married, they moved to the family farm in Burrville where they stayed until 1940. To supplement the farm income Karl trucked coal from Scranton, PA, and feed from Buffalo, NY, to Bisonette Feed Co., Watertown. From 1935-1939 he was Trustee for the Burrville School. His major accomplishments while Trustee was to put lights in the school and to hire a qualified teacher called Francis Brown Moore. During this period he served as Trustee and Deacon for the Burrville Congregational Church. Karl then did farming for Everett Barrett until he went to work for Parish Oil Co. in Watertown. In March 1943 Karl and Helen bought their home one mile south of Burrville in which they lived until 1950 when they moved to Watertown to become Plant Manager for Parish Oil Co. While they were living here he served on the Brownville School Board 1950-1956. At this time the family became members of Emmanuel Congregational Church on Hamilton Street in Watertown. He was Deacon for many years and was elected to become an honorary life member of Board of Deacons. Karl was an active Masonic member for many years and was a 32nd Degree Mason in Scottish Rites. While working for Parish Oil Co., he was a member of the Watertown Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club. He was a member of two Canadian hunting and fishing clubs: Jeff-Canadian Club, and the Clear Lake Club. He retired as Plant Manager for Parish Oil Co. in 1974. At this time he and Helen lived at Adams Cove outside Dexter, Jefferson Co., NY. In 1953 they bought property at Adams Cove and built a log cabin-style home. This was sold in 1969 to buy a retirement home at Adams Cove. They remained there until poor health forced them to move to Alexandria Bay in 1985 where they still reside (1989).

III Eugene Hannahs (Bunce), b. 6 Jan 1883, Adams Center, NY; d. 1 Jan 1952, at Jefferson County Hospital in Watertown, NY; bur. 4 Jan 1952, Union Cemetery, Adams Center, NY; m. Elizabeth C. Jones, 27 Jun 1906, Pulaski, Oswego Co., NY; she was b. 14 Dec 1882, Pulaski, Oswego Co., NY; d. 21 Feb 1958, at Jefferson County Hospital, Watertown, NY, daughter of Herbert A. and Arvilla (Brown) Jones.

Eugene attended school in Adams Center and then clerked in Farmer's Market store until he went to work for Rice's Company in Adams, NY. Elizabeth taught school at the age of 16 in a country school, teaching children of lumbermen outside of Pulaski. She then went to teach high school in Adams Center and then in Adams. Eugene and Elizabeth went to operate the Farm School outside of Burrville, Jefferson Co., NY, in 1913. In 1922 they became managers for the Jefferson County Children's Home in Watertown. They left this in 1940 to retire to their farm in Burrville. For a few years Elizabeth resumed teaching in the one-room school house in Burrville. They were parents to hundreds of children who passed through the Farm School and Children's Home. They also parented Karl Bunce, their nephew by Vernon.

On 31 Mar 1849, Lovina Bunce of the town of Adams petitioned for Letters of Administration of Timothy Bunce who d. 28 Nov 1848 of natural causes. On 18 Nov 1849, Lovina married 2) Alonzo Green(e). Alonzo was b. 2 Dec 1808, Berlin, Rensselaer Co., NY. His first wife, Lydia Greene, to whom he was married in 1831, daughter of Edward Greene and Martha (Sheldon), had d. 2 Sep 1848 at the age of 38; their children were: 1) Milton, b. 25 Aug 1832, Adams, NY, d. Lacona, Oswego Co., NY, m. ca 1852 in NY to (unk); 2) William Duane, b. 24 Jul 1834, d. Troy, Rensselaer Co., NY, m. 17 Jan 1866 in Adams to (unk); 3) Eveline, b. 1836, who m. Racey; 4) Homer N., b. 20 Aug 1838, d. 20 Oct 1864, Sandy Hook Hospital, MD, bur. Union Cem., Adams Center, NY; 5) Alzina and/or Luthena (both names are mentioned in census records, both indicating a birth date of ca 1841); and 6) Ellen, b. 1843.

Lovina and Alonzo had one more child, surname Green(e):

I Elizabeth L. "Libbie", b. 13 Mar 1851, Jefferson Co., NY; in 1870 she was living with her half-brother Levi Bunce and his family. She m. Charles A. Curry, 2 Sep 1876, Adams Center, NY, and had children, surname Curry:

I William, b. 1879

In 1850, Adams, NY, Lovina and Alonzo, both 42 years old, had the following children living with them: Eveline (Emeline?) Bunce, 14; Levi Bunce, 10; Alzina Bunce, 9; Ellen Bunce, 7; Zebe Bunce, 3; Duane W. Green, 16, a farmer; and Homer Green, age 12.

By 1855 the state census lists Lorenzo, 45, living on a farm valued at $600, with Lovina, 45; Honor, 17 (Homer); Alzina, 13; Ellen, 10; Zebe, 8; and Elizabeth, 2. By 1860, only Ellen, 17, Zeba, 13, and L. L. (Libbie), 7, were living at home.

The 1865 state census lists Alonzo, 56, born in Rensselaer and married twice, Lovina, 56, born in Jefferson County, also with two marriages and 13 children, which apparently includes Alonzo's children by his first marriage; Levi Bunce, 24, a stepson now in the Army; Elizabeth Green (Libbie), 12; and Lutheria Green, 25, a tailoress.

Alonzo died 31 Oct 1880, age 71 years, 11 months, making his birth date 30 Nov 1808. He is buried with his first wife, Lydia, in Union Cem., Adams Center, NY, next to their son Homer.

421 Elijah W., b. ca 1818, Adams, Jefferson Co., NY; d. 1877, Jefferson Co., NY; m. 29 Aug 1847, in Lorraine, Jefferson Co., NY, to Harriet F. Moore, who was b. 29 May 1827 in NY, and d. 11 Nov 1911 in Adams, NY, the dau. of Richard J. Moore and Keziah Phelps. Children, surname Oatman:

A Mary V., b. ca 1848, Jefferson Co., NY

B Oscar E., b. ca 1850, Jefferson Co., NY; d. ca 22 Mar 1911 of an electrical shock.

C Frances Keziah “Fanny,” b. ca 1855, Adams, Jefferson Co., NY; d. of heart trouble on 30 Jun 1925, Adams, NY; bur. Elmwood Cem., Adams, NY; m. Charles D. Grimshaw. Children, surname Grimshaw:

I Hattie M., m. Fred Isham. Two children, Edna and George.

II Edna, d. young

III Allen D., b. ca Jun 1885, NY

Children of Elijah and 2) Lydia (Richards) Oatman:

425 Lorin M., b. 2 Dec 1831, Adams, Jefferson Co., NY; d. 28 Oct 1905, Adams Center, NY; bur. Union Cem., Adams Center, NY; m. Clarissa Getman, b. 1832, d. 1914, bur. Union Cem.

426 William W., b. 1834, Adams, Jefferson Co., NY; d. May 1896, Adams, NY, of typhoid pneumonia; bur. Union Cem., Adams Center, Jefferson Co., NY; m. Helen M. Tyler, who was b. 1835 and d. 16 Dec 1901 in Watertown, NY. Children, surname Oatman:

A Etta C., b. 1860, CN (MI per 1900 census); she was a teacher.

B Elmer S., b. 1862, NY; d. Rochester, NY, 7 May 1913, from a long illness. Bur. Union Cem., Adams Center, NY, with parents.

In Adams, NY, 1900 census, living with Helen are her daughter Etta, and a grandson Tyler Oatman, b. Sep 1884, NY, possibly Etta's son.

427 Julie, b. ca 1841

428 Harriett E., b. 1849

Sources: Bernie Capron Hayes, Calcium, NY

Helen B. McDonald, Alexandria Bay, NY

Will of Helen H. Oatman, 15 Feb 1897

"Index of Awards on Claims of the Soldiers of the War of 1812" [1969]

1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870,1880 census, Adams, Jefferson Co., NY

1880 census, Lorraine, Jefferson Co., NY

Vital records, Jefferson Co., NY

Death notice of Elijah Oatman (12 Feb 1860)

Death notice of Mrs. Lydia Oatman (28 Apr 1896)

Information from Alida Isham Millham, Gilford, NH

1850 census, Ellisburgh, Jefferson Co., NY

1855 New York State Census, Town of Adams, Jefferson Co., NY

1880 census, Lorraine, Jefferson Co., NY

1910 census, Adams Town, Jefferson Co., NY

Obituary of Mrs. Charles D. (Fanny) Grimshaw, 1 Jul 1925

Obituary of Mrs. Harriet F. Oatman, 15 Nov 1911

Obituary of Oscar E. Oatman, 22 Mar 1911

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