JACOB DUNHAM (1727-1779)
of
LEBANON, CONN. and MAYFIELD, N. Y.
HIS DESCENDANTS AND ANCESTORS
with
FIVE GENERATIONS OF ENGLISH ANCESTORS
also
ANCESTORS AND DESCENDANTS
of
STEPHEN SHEW
with
HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS OF THE SHEWS, SAMMONS, AND DUNHAMS.
Copyright applied for.
Compiled by
Sophie Dunham Moore,
Kalamazoo, Michigan
October, 1933.
starting on Page 58
(III) CATHERINE, 3rd Generation
Catherine Shew, b. Sept. 16, 1792, married Jacob Dunham, Dec. 30, 1820, at Johnstown, N. Y. Their line is given under the Dunham genealogy, page 25.
In 1803, Stephen Shew married (2) Susannah Wells at Providence, Saratoga Co., N. Y. Her sister, Betsey Wells, married Jacob Armstrong of Johnstown, N. Y. She also had a brother whose name I think was John. The Wells family probably lived near Johnstown and Mayfield as all of Grandfather’s tales were located in that vicinity. Grandfather always looked upon Susannah as a real grandmother, never as a step-grandmother and he loved to tell the stories of his early ancestors. One of grandfather’s favorite stories was about grandmother Susannah’s brother John (Wells). Although I have found no authentic account of the episode, I will tell it just as grandfather told it to me dozens of times.
When this lad was about 16 years old, he was captured by the Indians and tied to a stake to be burned to death. Even though he was a young boy, he had acquired fame as a runner and as a hunter. While the enemy were gathering faggots for the fire to burn him, this lad, with almost superhuman strength wrenched one hand loose and with it free, was quickly able to loosen his fastenings and set himself free from the stake to which he had been tied. He had started for the block-house when the Indians saw that he was loose, but so swiftly did he run that he reached the safety of the blockhouse before his enemies could recapture him. He had pulled off a digit from his hand in pulling it free and subsequently lost the use of the entire hand.
Susannah Wells Shew brought up three step-children and seven children of her own. One of her grandsons, who is still living, Asa Story of Watsonville, Cal., dimly remembers Susannah and wrote this description of her in a letter:
“Grandmother lived with Aunt Mary in Wilna, N. Y., except that one summer she lived with my mother, who was a widow and lived at Antwerp. Grandmother Susannah was blind at that time. She was small and had a very quick movement for it kept me hustling to keep up with her as (?) her “eyes” when we went out stalking every days. (sic) I was eight years old then.”
I think the above description of this little old blind-grandmother, who when younger instilled in all her children and step-children such a love for patriotism and pride of family, is worth repeating and handing down.
Stephen Shew and wife, Susannah Wells Shew had the following children:
I. Mary (Polly), b. Jan. 28, 1803
II. Nathaniel, b. Dec. 12, 1806.
III. Henry, b. Oct. 14, 1809
IV. Elizabeth, b. Oct. 19, 1812
V. Martha, b. June 8, 1815
VI. Stephen, Jr., b. Mar. 24, 1805
VII. Jacob Wells, b. Aug. 22, 1818. Lived at Hartford, Conn. Deacon of the Wethersfield Ave. Church. Considered a very wealthy man. Married Rhoda Maria Winship, his employer’s daughter, sister of Martha Delia Winship, who m. (1) Charles J. Shew; m. (2) J. Wilson Shew. Jacob Wells Shew left no family.
(I) Mary Shew, 3rd Generation
Mary, b. Jan. 28, 1803, m. Phillip Ford, lived at Wilna, N. Y. Issue:
1. Phillip, b. Ju (?) 3, 1832, d. Nov. 13, 1886, m. Mary Ann Risdell. Issue:
(l) Ida Ford Comer of Castorland, N. Y. - One son, Leon Comer;
(2) Alice Ford Higby, Black River, N. Y. - one son, Warren, deceased
(3) Henry Ford, deceased, unmarried;
(4) Hattie Ford Hammond, W. Carthage, N. Y.
(5) Libbie Ford French, deceased - Six children: Roy, Harold, Clarence, Mary, Ruth,
Clara, (of) Theresa, N. Y.;
(6) William Ford, deceased. - one son;
(7) Mary Ford Hammond, W. Carthage, 39 Madison Square. No issue.
2. Henry Wells Ford, b. Dec. 25, 1834; d. Oct. 16, 1910, m. Mary Jane McNeal. Henry Ford served in the Civil War. Issue:
(1) James Ford, dead, left one son, Glenn Ford, Cadwell St., Watertown, N. Y. Has 2 children;
(2) Mabel Ford Fulton*, Brownsville (sic), N. Y. No children;
(3) Frank Ford, 610 Main St., Watertown, N. Y. No issue;
(4) Miss Nettie (sic) Ford** of Brownsville (sic), N. Y.;
(5) Mary Ford Townsend, dead. - One son, Alonzo, died in infancy.
3. Mary Elizabeth, b. May 24, 1837; d. Oct. 30, 1886. m. Charles Townsend, of Denmark, N. Y. - one son, deceased.
4. John S., b. May 3, 1840; d. Feb. 13, 1884, m. Jane Olds. John Ford served in the Civil War. Issue: (1) Cora Ford Carpenter, dead - left a daughter, Gladys, deceased. (2) Vernon, deceased, Needles, Cal., - left three sons. (3) Raymond Ford of Los Angeles.
5. Lucinda, b. Feb. 21, 1842; d. Aug. 9, 1867, m. July 18, 1861 John Beezer of Denmark, N. Y.; d. Aug. 16, 1897 - Issue: Mary Beezer, b. Aug. 10, 1863; m. Sept. 14, 1897 to Locke D. Pierce, Denmark, N. Y., who d. Feb. 11, 1932.
6. Ames Alonzo, b. Dec. 1, 1846, d. Ju. 28, 1885; m. Jennie Clinstman. Alonzo Ford served in the Civil War. - Issue: (1) Edward Ford, 318 North Hamilton St., Watertown - no issue; (2) Hattie Ford Durr, Rome, N. Y. - No issue.
(II) Nathaniel Shew, 3rd Generation
Nathaniel Shew, b. Dec. 12, 1803, m. Louise Webber of Wis. Issue: (1) William, Civil War veteran; (2) Loren.
III. HENRY SHEW***, 3rd Generation
Henry Shew, b. Oct. 14, 1809, m. Margaret Stata of Pa. He had a son, Wilson, who lived with Henry’s brother, Jacob Wells Shew at Hartford, Conn. Henry Shew was a machinist and had a factory. He was captured at the Battle of the Windmills across from Ogdensburg, N. Y., during the Patriot war in Canada. He was for many years a prisoner of war on Van Deman’s (sic) Island.
In telling the story of Henry Shew, both my grandfather, John Dunham, and great-aunt Delphine Slate always said that Henry Shew had spent 14 years on Van Deman’s Island before escaping. Henry had a jack-knife and he and a man named Wallace* took turns whittling out small hollow casks over a period of years. When they had a sufficient number so that when fastened around their bodies under their clothing, they would help keep them afloat, they made and executed plans for their escape. Henry finally reached his home in Wilna, only to find that his wife, who long since had given him up for dead, had remarried and had two children by her second husband. Henry, then visited all of his kin and disappeared again without breaking up the home that had been established during his years of imprisonment.
Asa Story, a nephew, writes: “One of mother’s brothers, Henry Shew, was captured at the Battle of the Windmills across from Ogdensburg, N. Y., where he lived; in what was called the Pepinaw and McKenizies Rebellion in Canada. He was captured there by the British and sent to Van Deman’s land, a penal colony. After many years working on the government roads, he finally escaped and made his way back to Aunt Mary’s in Wilna, N. Y. His barbarous treatment had broken his health, and he had the shaking palsy. I well remember coming home from Aunt Mary’s once (we lived at Antwerp then) when Grandmother Susannah was with us and told about some of her relations being tied to the stake and burned to death while two British officers looked on and saw it done. I distinctly remember of her telling of her brother being tied to a stake and of how he escaped being burned by swimming the St. Lawrence on two fence rails tied together, though he had a badly hurt hand in escaping.” This brother Susannah referred to was doubtless the brother John (Wells) of page 58 (Second paragraph under III. Catherine, 3rd Generation).
(IV) ELIZABETH, 3rd Generation
Elizabeth, b. Oct. 19, 1812, m. in 1827 to William Vebber of Woods Mills, N. Y. Wm. Vebber, b. Oct. 22, 1810, d. Apr. 5, 1878. Elizabeth d. Mar. 15, 1878. Issue:
l. Elihu, b. Nov. 20, 1828, d. 1823(V) MARTHA, 3rd Generation
Martha, b. June 8, 1815, d. 1897 at Montevideo, Minn., m. (1) Amos Story, (b.) Sept. 27, 1835, who died Oct. 1845; m. (2) Traux (sic); m. (3) Osterhout. Issue:
1. Martha Ann(Story ?), b. Sept. 17, 1836, m. Feb. 22, 1859 to Alfred Shumway, Creston, Ore. Issue: 2 daughters who died while young. (1) Frank, b. Jan. 11, 1867, m. Lillian ----. Oct. 28, 1890. They have 8 sons and two daughters, Live at Creston, Ore.
2. Mercy, b. June 4, 1839, m. George Lawton, a Civil War Veteran. She is an old lady, but wrote about her family including telling of her Uncle Henry coming home from a long imprisonment on Van Deman’s land. Live at LaFargeville, Jefferson Co., N. Y. Lived with widowed daughter, Mrs. Mattie E. (?) Brown. She died July, 1931.
3. James Clarke, b. Ju. 25, 1845, d. May 26, 1847.
4. Asa Alonzo, Jan. 27, 1847, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. He lives at 127 Ford St., Watsonville, Ca. - m. Jan. 25, 1865 to Eliza Clow who died Feb. 24, 1918, aged 70 years. Asa Story enlisted in the 3rd Battaliion, Fifth, N.Y. Heavy Artillery. He was captured with about 250 others at the Battle of Cedar Creek, and sent to Libby Prison and later sent to Salisbury Prison, North Carolina. In his 83rd year, he edited a small book of poems and a pamphlet of his war experiences which would do credit to anyone. Issue:
(1) Amos Justin, b. Mar. 3, 1867, lives at Camrose, Alberta, Canada;
(2) Renoa Pot, b. Jan. 2, 1874, d. Jan. 4, 1895.
(3) Asa Wells, b. Sept. 20, 1883, m. Madge Billingham June 19, 1907. Lives at Watsonville, Cal.
(4) Mattie Helen, b. Aug. 7, 1885, m. G. O. Billingham, Mar. 22, 1905. Lives at Watsonville, Cal.
VI. STEPHEN, 3rd Generation
Stephen, Jr., b. Mar. 24, 1805, m. at the house of David Starr, Champion, N. Y. to Thankful Babcock, Mar. 7, 1851. Issue: (a) Charles Jackson Shew, b. 1828. Moved to Hartford to be with Uncle Jacob Wells Shew, m. May 7, 1851 to Martha Delia Winship (b) May 16, 1821, d. 1896). She was the daughter of his employer. He was accidentally shot and instantly killed by a small boy. After the death of Charles Jackson Shew, his widow married his brother James Wilson Shew. Charles Jackson Shew and Martha had:
1. Emily Amelia, b. Oct. 23, 1852, m. Rev. Edward (sic) C. Starr, Jan. 12, 1876, of Cornwall, Conn. Issue: (a) Charles Comfort, b. Feb. 12, 1879, m. Rose Mary Bonchard, Feb. 12, 1907. Charles Comfort is a mining engineer. They have a daughter, Frances Emily.
2. Edward B., b. Apr. 29, 1884 (farmer) m. Mary Young Feb. 20, 1911, and has 6 children: Adelaide, b. Feb. 14, 1912; Sherman, b. Sept. 10, 1913; Edward, b. Ju. 8, 1915; William (Dec. 1917-1918); John, b. Mar. 30, 1916; Hope, b. May 12, 1922; Norman Winship, b. Aug. 20, 1923. (? - was Norman Hope’s husband?)
3. Mary Mable Emily, b. Aug. 27, 1905. Registered nurse.
II. Mary Ann, m. Israel Lake. (Typist’s Note: It is questionable as to where Mary Ann belongs. Typist can't follow the numbering system))
III. James Wilson, b. Mar. 18, 1833, d. Dec. 27, 1906, m. Martha Delia Winship, widow of Charles Jackson Shew. Issue:
I. Adelaide Elizabeth, b. Feb. 7, 1862, d. Jan. 10, 1901. m. James Tucker. Both deceased, No issue.
II. William Arthur, b. Aug. 19, 1864, m. Gertrude Dickenson, Issue:
1. William D., b. July 24, 1901; graduated from Yale;
2. John, b. Oct. 8, 1903;
3. Helen Evangeline, b. Aug. 17, 1906.
IV. Emily Amelia, adopted by Simeon Fulton, after her father’s accidental death. She was born Aug. 25, 1836, m. Mar. 3, 1858 to Gilbert Weatherhead. Issue:
1. Rosalie, b. Wilna, June 20, 1862; m. Lalor Sarney, Dec. 25, 1863. Issue: 1) Merle R., b. Oct. 19, 1885; (II) Dell W., b. Oct. 4, 1889. (III) Emma A., b. Oct. 11, 1891, Res. Carthage, N. Y.
2. Chas. Wilson, b. Apr. 7, 1865, m. 1890, d. Aug. 1923. One son, Leon, Jr., b. 1891, lives at Natural Bridge, N. Y.
3. Otis W., b. Nov. 24, 1867, Lives at Natural Bridge, N. Y.
(This may be incomplete) -- Sent to me by Victoria Windsor, as an accompaniment to my Patriot War files where Henry Shew is named as a participant. (by typist, Shirley Farone)
* (By Sitehost): Mabel Ford Fulton is mentioned many times throughout my Grandmother’s Diaries, also located on this website. Mabel lived at Brownville, N. Y., not Brownsville, N. Y.
** (By Sitehost): Also, in my Grandmother’s Diaries, located on this website is mention of
Nellie Ford -- the sister of Mabel Ford Fulton. Note the genealogy refers to Nellie as Nettie.
***(By Sitehost): Henry Shew was one of the participants of the Patriot War and his name is found many times throughout the information I have on my website concerning that War. Please be reminded, though, that in some instances the copy from which my material originated erroneously spelled Henry's surname as "Shaw."
NOTE: This material was sent to the sitehost by Victoria Windsor of Virginia. Both she and her brother have sent comments regarding their Patriot War ancestor, Henry Shew.
NOTE: (May 10, 2006) - The sitehost received a note from a Mr. Les Lambert, who stated that Henry Shew was his great-great-granduncle. More information may soon be found in my section concerning correspondence received from Patriot War Descendants.
SAMPSON SAMMONS
Maternal grandfather of Catherine Shew Dunham
I.
Johannes Thomasen Sammons, m. Oct. 31, 1677 to Aachtje Jacobs.
II.
Jacob Richard Sammons, son of Johannes and Aachtje, bap. June 11, 1783, m. on May 27, 1706 to Catalyntje Bensen. Their son, Frederick was murdered by Indians in 1760.
III.
Sampson Sammons, son of Jacob Richard and Catalyntje Sammons b. Greenwich, N. Y., (now a part of the city of New York) Dec. 4, 1722, d. in Montgomery Co., N. Y., Oct. 17, 1796. Sampson Sammons m. in 1750 to Rachel Schoonmaker of Rochester, N. Y. (b. Nov. 22, 1726, d. Dec. 5, 1881). Rachel was the 4th generation of Schoonmakers from Hamburg, Germany.
In 1769, Sampson Sammons moved from Marbletown, Ulster Co., where he first settled, to Tryon Co., and established his home between Johnstown and Fonda, N. Y. Frothingham in his “History of Fulton and Montgomery Counties” states, “The homestead of this distinguished Sammons family is in the town of Mohawk, Montgomery Co., south of Johnstown and is now occupied by Col Simeon Sammons. Here his grandfather settled prior to the Revolution and the famiy burial ground now contains four generations.” This book, written in 1893, also gives a picture of this old family homestead.
During the first years of the Revolution, Sampson Sammons was a member of the Committee of Safety of Tryon Co. In 1777, a Corps of Exempts was organized under Col. Jellis Fonda as Captain. Sampson Sammons was Lieut. of this company. In 1772, the Corps was reorganized with Sampson Sammons as Ensign. Sampson Sammons and his three sons played heroic parts during the Revolution.
After Sir John and his raiding band were expelled from the Johnstown locality, Sampson Sammons, who was considered a very wealthy man for the times, was lessee and occupant of Johnson Hall at an annual rental of 300 pounds. This hall had been built by Sir William and at that time, was the only baronial hall in America. Here Sir William lived in all the elegance of an English Baron.
Sammons entertained at the Hall, the Council whose session was held at that place, Mar. 9, 1779. Its members numbered V. F. Douw, James Duane, General Schuyler, and also Lafayette, and other earnest patriots. Among the purchases which Sampson Sammons made at that time was the slave William, who had helped Sir John Johnson bury his silver plate which filled two barrels. William aided in finding the buried treasure in 1780 when it was brought out of its place of concealment. It was distributed among 40 soldiers, the quartermaster making a memorandum of names of each article of plate entrusted to him. In this way, it was safely carried to its former owner in Montreal. William remained in the service of his new master until the estate was sold by the Committee of Sequestration. At this hall, the family repeatedly met French Nobleman.
Thomas, Jacob, and Sampson Sammons are all on the Roster of Oriskany heroes. Frederick was an officer in the army and served under Gen. Gates in the Battle of Saratoga. Each of Sampson’s seven daughters married men who served in the Revolution, such being the father’s special request.
It is interesting to note that fourteen descendants of Sampson Sammons fought under the Union flag during the Rebellion.
The burial ground of the Sammons family is situated on a hill on the original Sammons farm in the town of Mohawk, which is now called Sammonsville. This burial ground is an elegy to the deeds of brave men. Col. Simeon Sammons distinguished himself during the Civil War and near the center of the cemetery is a beautiful memorial erected in his honor. A bust of Col. Simeon Sammons is on top of this monument. The large bronze tablet beneath the bust gives in detail the brave deeds of Col. Simeon Sammons. A bronze tablet on another side tells the heroic deed of Frederick Sammons, on another of Jacob Sammons, and on the fourth side of the father of the latter two boys, Sampson Sammons. The cemetery is enclosed with an iron fence, the gate of which holds another bronze tablet erected in honor of the Sammons family.
In this sacred place lies Rachel Sammons whose headstone says, “Rachel Sammons, wife of Stephen Shew. Born Apr. 19, 1758, died Apr. 10, 1800.” Great-grandmother Catherine Shew told her children she remembered dimly her lovely mother Rachel, who died when Catherine was a little over seven years of age. Standing beside her grave, I was deeply stirred with pride in all those heroic ancestors, and with reverence for the lives they led amid such trials and sorrows, and with hope that perhaps a bit of their courage and loyalty has come down through the generations.
The children of Sampson Sammons and Rachel Schoonmaker Sammons were:
I. Jacob, b. Apr. 23, 1752, m. July 2, 1777 Eve Veeder d. Nov. 4, 1816. Had son Simeon. Other children probably.
II. Elizabeth, b. Feb. 7, 1754, m. July 22, 1779 Hendrick H. Vrooman.
III. Catherine, b. Apr. 22, 1756, m. ---- Jansen.
IV. Rachel, b. Apr. 19, 1758, d. 1800. m. Stephen Shew. Their daughter, Evelyn m. Soloman Foster. Their descendants are given under the Shew section, page 55. Their daughter Catherine m. Jacob Dunham. Their descendants
are given under the Dunham section, page 24.
V. Frederick, b. July 4, 1760 m. Ruth Shottenkirk.
VI. Thomas, b. Oct. 29, 1762; m. Mary Wood Dec. 16, 1792.
VII. Eve, b. Oct. 1, 1764; m. _____ Hasbrook.
VIII. Ginny (Jane) b. Oct. 29, 1766; m. Peter Cantine.
IX. Lydia, b. Dec. 20, 1768; m. Jacob Wilson.
V. (above) FREDERICK SAMMONS
Frederick Sammons, b. July 4, 1760, d. May 22, 1838, m. Ruth Shottenkirk (Dec. 24, 1771 - Mar. 25, 1838). Frederick suffered all his life from the cruelties of his imprisonment by the British. While a prisoner, one of his legs was worn to the bone by a chain and the knee joint permanently stiffened and rendered useless. In 1836, Frederick was chosen a Presidential elector. Frederick and his wife Ruth had ten daughters and two sons. His oldest son, Jacob, was a Lieut. in the war of 1812 and distinguished himself during the storming of the Battery at Queenstown Heights, Oct. 13, 1812 under the command of Capt. Wool, who later became General Wool. Jacob d. Nov. 20, 1832.
One of Frederick’s daughters, Jane Sammons married William B. Sammons. Their daughter Mary Sammons m. Nathaniel Peabody and had a daughter Ella Peabody who m. Oct. 25, 1892 Walter Blinks. They live at 1040 Inkster Ave., Kalamazoo, Mich.
Issue:
I. Lawrence Rogers Blinks, b. Apr. 2, 1900, m. Ann Hoff. Issue:
John Rogers Blinks; Lawrence Rogers Blinks is Associate Professor of Biology at Leland Stanford University.
II. William Nathaniel, b. June 1902.
VI (above) Thomas Sammons
Thomas Sammons was born in the town of Florida, Oct. 29, 1762, and died in the town of Mohawk Nov. 20, 1838. His wife, Mary Wood, was born Feb. 23, 1773, and died Dec. 15, 1857. They were married Dec. 16, 1792.
Thomas Sammons assisted in establishing American Independence while acting in the capacity of Private, with Captain McKeen’s Co. (company) at the Battle of Klock’s Fields. On May 21, 1780, after this battle, he was taken prisoner with his father and his brother by Sir John Johnson and his raiding band, but was finally released. He was in a group that pursued Sir John and his flocking troops for many hours.
Thomas held several military commissions under various Governors of the State of N. Y. and was also a member of the Council of Appointment, a feature of our government which wielded a vast importance. He represented the district in Congress from 1803 to 1807 and was again elected in 1809 to 1813. His Congressional services terminated in 1813 and 64 years afterwards, his grandson Commodore John H. Starrin, took his seat as Representative of the same district. Thomas Sammons was also honored by other marks of public confidence and honor. He died Nov. 20, 1838.
The children of Thomas Sammons and Mary Wood are:
1. Sampson Sammons, b. Nov. 3, 1793; m. Nelly Fonda.
2. Sarah, b. Oct. 27, 1795. Unmarried.
3. Rachel, b. Sept. 1, 1797, m. Mynert Starrin. Had son, Commodore John H. Starrin, Representative 1879 and for a number of succeeding years.
4. William F. (Sammons), b. Mar. 5, 1800; m. (1) Julia Shuler; (2) Rebecca Sadler; (3) Emeline Steele.
5. Jacob (Sammons), b. May 29, 1802; m. (1) Margaret Vrooman; (2) Katie Vrooman; (3) Emma Marshall; (4) Anne Smith.
6. Thomas (Sammons), b. Apr. 24, 1805; m. Barbara Crotzenberg (sic).
7. Lydia, b. May 22, 1807, m. Adam F. Fonda.
8. Frederick, b. Mar. 6, 1809; m. Louraine H. Yost.
9. Simeon (Sammons), b. May 23, 1811; m. Barbara Gross.
10. Stephen (Sammons), b. Nov. 5, 1814; m. Hannah M. Caldwell.
Thomas (6) above, had five sons in the Union Service, one of whom, Adam, was among the victims of the war. William (4) had two sons and a son-in-law in the same service. Frederick (8) had two sons in the service, one of whom, William, was also a victim. And (10) Stephen held the rank of major in the 153rd Regiment.
Col. Simeon Sammon’s (9) regiment was in the most exposed part of the Battle at Oulstec during the Civil War. He was severely wounded there. The report of Gen. Seymour to Gen. Sprague said, “Col. Sammons and Col. Moore are both hurt. Col. Sammons behaved like one of the heroes of old and he has my respect forever.” Sammons was invalided home until the recovery of his wound and then returned to the army and was again wounded in the Battle at Cemetery Hill.” Col. Simeon Sammons and wife Barbara Gross had:
I. Henry Gross Sammons.
II. Grace Magdalene, b. Jan. 2, 1802, who m. Sept. 21, 1887 Jay Schuyler Wilson; Res. Fonda, N. Y.