18th Century
The 18th
Century---Revolution!
America is
steadily growing. What once was a good-sized piece of
property in a lightly populated area in Connecticut has
become smaller-sized lots of land in a bustling
township. Westover Plain is still known throughout
Simsbury and the surrounding area, but John Westover, second
to the youngest child of Jonas and Abigail Westover, was not
the big inheritor, which left him able to move. And he
did. John's life isn't very well documented, but there
is certainly enough to note his timeline here.
25 December 1735: Marries Rachel Morton (born 15 Aug 1717 to
Thomas and Hannah (Wilcoxson) Morton in Simsbury) Children are listed in the timeline.
Early 1736: John and Rachel move to Sheffield, Berkshire,
Massachusetts in the second wave of settlers (his uncle, Jonathan Westover being in the first).
11 December 1736: Rachel born in Sheffield. (She dies
18 Oct 1737)
12 August 1738: John David born in Sheffield.
29 February 1740: Abigail born in Sheffield.
23 April 1742: Job born in Sheffield
24 March 1744: Moses born in Sheffield
4 August 1745: Rachel born in Sheffield
11 March 1746: William Morton born in Sheffield
16 November 1749: Joanna born in Sheffield
6 August 1751: Noah born in Sheffield
1753: Amos born in Sheffield
3 October 1754: Rhoda born in Sheffield.
18 April 1784: John dies in Sheffield. No will or
burial location known at this time.
20 February 1801: wife Rachel dies in Sheffield. Burial location
unknown at this time.
Now, the nation is starting to
heave. Grumbles about the taxes made higher and higher
from a governing nation that is nearly a month by ship away
are simmering through townships and plantations. The
question now is: are you ready to break away from the
overbearing hand of England in war, or are you loyal to the
King?
This is the world our next ancestor,
Moses, was born into. His decisions, and the decisions
of others in the family, permanently separates them in two:
one branch remaining in America, the other fleeing to
Canada. Let's follow Moses and see what happens.
2 December 1767: marries Elizabeth Holmes (born 14 Aug 1751,
to John and Rachel (Fellows) Holmes in Berkshire,
Massachusetts) Children are listed in the timeline.
3 December 1768: Moses born in Sheffield
6 September 1770: Asa born in Sheffield
30 January 1772: Silas born in Sheffield.
22 January 1774: John born in Sheffield
18 March 1774: Moses signed two deeds on this day. One
to a Robert Green and another to a Nathaniel Downing.
It is unknown how much land this included.
15 May 1776: Amasa born in Sheffield
1 August 1777: Moses entered military service for the
Continental Army. "Westover, Moses. Private,
Capt. Enoch Noble's col., Col. John Ashley's (Berkshire Co)
regt; entered service Aug. 1, 1777, discharged Aug 20, 1777;
service, 20 days; company marched to Bennington by order of
Brig. Gen. Fellows and Committee of Safety at request of Gen
Stark. Roll certified at Sheffield."
18 Sept 1777: Elizabeth born in Sheffield (dies 9 March
1778)
14 March 1779: Lyman born in Sheffield
28 November 1780: Clarissa Clary born in Sheffield (dies 24
Aug 1781)
10 September 1782: Elizabeth born in Sheffield
About 1785:
Moved the family to Caldwell Manor, Sutton, Quebec (now known as St.
Georges de Clarenceville) with his brother, John David. It is
said they were loyal to the king, and left because of ever increasing
persecution of those who remained neutral or were loyal. The land
in Caldwell Manor was a temporary grant from the King while the English
government scrambled to figure out what to do with the 171 immigrants.
John David soon after moved to rural Missisquoi County,
Quebec. Moses went on to be a surveyor, laying out the boundaries
of Brome County with his son, Stephen.
24 November 1786: Stephen born in Caldwell Manor, Sutton,
Quebec, Canada
December 1786: Moses appears as
one of 381 persons who signed the Oath of Allegiance to the King.
"Moses Westover, on Caldwells Manor N. of Line, "No Corps"
7 April 1792: Erastus born in Caldwell Manor (died 21 Jul
1793)
1796: Moses moved to North
Sutton, Brome County, Quebec (just over the Canada/Vermont border),
settling in Lot 16 of Range 10, east of Sutton Junction. He built
a home that housed his family, his son Stephen's family and grandsons
Roswell and Stephen.
22 July 1809:
Writes will (listed in the Brome County Historical Society
Archives). According to this document, he gave his son Stephen
150 acres of the home lot, 50 acres to grandsom Samuel (son of
Amasa). His six other sons received 15 Spanish Milled dollars,
which was to be held in situ by Stephen until two years after Moses'
death. His widow was to be supported by Stephen. Samuel is
given a milch cow of middling size and value, and a new and decent suit
of clothe if he would stay home and work until he was aged 21.
21 Oct 1826: Moses amends
his will after Stephen's untimely death by drowning. He deeds Dorinda,
the widow of Stephen and the mother of his much beloved grandchildren
Roswell and Stephen Egbert, 3/4 part of Lot 15, range 10 in Sutton,
with the exception of 1/2 acre set aside as a burial ground: today's Pettes-Asletine Cemetery.
23 November 1826: Moses dies in Caldwell Manor. He is
buried in the Pettes-Asletine
Cemetery, which is on part of his land.
5 March 1827: Will ratified by Elizabeth Homes, Widow.
"Be it known and remembered that on the Fifth Day of March,
in the year of our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and
Twenty Seven; Before this Subscribing Notary Public,
residing in St. Armand in the District of Montreal, in the
Province of Lower Canada, personally appeared Elizabeth
Holmes, of the Township of Sutton, in the said District,
widow of Moses Westover, late of Sutton aforesaid,
Gentleman, deceased, which said Elizabeth exhibited to the
said Notary an authentic Copy of the Last Will &
Testament of the said late Moses, dated the Twenty Second
day of July AD One Thousand Eight Hundred and Nine executed
before Louis Barbeau, Notary Public, and certain Witnesses
hereinafter named read to the said Elizabeth, who declared
to have well understood it's contents and to be content
& satisfied with every the provisions & dispositions
therefore consents and agrees that it be executed according
to the intent & meaning of the Testator, and declared
further that whereas Stephen Westover, her son, late of
Sutton aforesaid, Esquire, hath departed this life, and was
by the said late Moses, his father, constituted his
residuary Devise & Legatee, and by the said Will
enjoined to fulfill and perform certain charges and
conditions therein set forth, which since his decease
Dorinda Ball his Widow hath undertaken & actually
commenced performing the said Elizabeth therefore doth
hereby voluntarily declare that she is willing and ever
desirous that the said Dorinda for herself and the Children
issue of her marriage with the said late Stephen avail
herself of every dispositions of the said Will which were
meant for the benefit and advantange of the said late
Stephen, the Same as he would have done if he had survived
said father. Moreover, by the request of the said
Elizabeth, the said Notary next read to her an authentic
copy of a Deed executed under private Signatures, dates the
21st day of October last past and afterwards, to wit, the
23d day of the same month, deposited in the office of the
said Notary, by which the said late Moses Westover hath
transferred to and vested in the said Dorinda Ball, in trust
for Roswell Westover and Stephen Egbert Westover, his sons,
minors, all his the said Moses Westover's Rights, Titles and
Claims whatsoever in and to the equal Southwesterly,
Southeasterly & Northeasterly quarters or fourth parts
of Lot Number fifteen in the tenth Range of Lots in the
Township of Sutton aforesaid, which said Deed the said
Elizabeth declared she has also well understood the contents
of and forthwith did and doth hereby approve ratify and
confirm. In testimony of all which the said Elizabeth
hath requested this act and after it being duly read, hath
there under set her usual mark, a cross....X....in the
presence of Michael Preston; John Porter Esq the said
Witnesses, who with me the said Notary have also set their
names there under the say & year aforewritten."
4 November 1828: Elizabeth dies. She is buried
alongside Moses in the Pettes-Aseltine
Cemetery, Sutton. (*clicking on the links takes
you to their findagrave.com memorials)
Home Westovers of the 19th Century