The Elliots of Sandwich New Hampshire

I paid a visit to Sandwich New Hampshire this fall 2011 to see if I could learn anything more about my 3rd great grandmother, the mysterious Sally D. Elliot, born June 1805 in Sandwich, who quite possibly was daughter to Benjamin Elliot & Susannah Drew of Sandwich (the only married couple I could find in Sandwich at that time who were of child-rearing age).  Benjamin & Susannah were married in nearby Madbury.  On Benjamin & Susannah's daughter Susan's death record, it states that Susannah was from Dover.  The 1800 Census for Dover has four Drew-named heads of households, one of whom Susannah may have recently resided with:  Caleb, Francis, Joseph Sr., and Joseph Sr.

As for Benjamin's roots, if we're to assume he also came from Strafford County, then there were only three Elliot heads of household in Strafford for the 1790 Census (William of Barrington, Richard of Lee, and John of Barnstead).  Each of these families had a boy in the house Benjamin's approximate age.

I discovered an Albert Elliott (1821-1881) born in Sandwich (and died in Tuftonboro) to John Elliott and Rebecca Bean of Sandwich (who had moved to Meredith by 1844).  This John was definitely a child of Benjamin, but was Sally?

Sally D. Elliot was my 3rd great grandmother, and married Jonathan Smythe Morrill of Tuftonboro New Hampshire in 1826, and immediately moved to Maine, where they started the very large Morrill family, of which several hundred people can claim ancestry to in southern Maine.

If we are to assume that Benjamin Elliot is Sally's father, it is difficult to pinpoint Benjamin having lived in the Sandwich area after his 1792 marriage.  I looked in the Census for 1800 and 1810 in Dover, Sandwich, and Madbury, and came up with no Benjamins.  The 1820 Census of that County, for some reason, is absent many towns, including these.

There are appropriately aged census records showing a Benjamin Elliot in Rumford Maine and later Oxford Maine, not too far from Sandwich, for the 1800 and 1820 censuses, respectively.  Not sure if that would be him, especially records show that Sally was born in Sandwich (1805), and was 'of Sandwich' when she married Jonathan Morrill (1826).  Now, Benjamin of Rumford's father was Cotton Elliot of Rumford, born in Concord, NH, same age as my Benjamin of research, and Cotton was the son of Benjamin Elliot and Abigail Webster.  Therefore, it's somewhat possible that my Sally Elliot's father was Benjamin (born 1775), whose father was Benjamin (born 1747).  If this is accurate, then it is already proven that Benjamin (born 1747) descends from the Amesbury, Massachusetts Elliot family (more on the early Elliot families at the end of this post).

For the 1830 Census, Jonathan S. Morrill appears first in Westbrook (a portion of Westbrook later part of Deering, later annexed into Portland), living next household over to a Benjamin Elliot, who is of the right age indicated on this census (although he is now without wife).  See yellow highlighted names below:

Now, for the 1840 Census, Jonathan moved to Washington Avenue in the East End of Portland, and was one of the very first Morrills to arrive in Portland.  Benjamin, however, appears to have left Westbrook, and didn't move to East End Portland with Jonathan.  I did find a Benjamin Elliot having moved north to Windham for the 1840 Census, and it appears that the ages match the ten year advance in age of the previous census.  See below:

In this 1840 Census, Benjamin would be the one person in the "Males 70-79" column.  There is one male in their 20's and one in their 30's living with him, and one female 60-69 (the wife came back?).  Now, one person is listed here as "Insane and Idiots at Private Charge" as well.  I wonder if Susannah was mentally ill, and if she may have been living in some facility during the 1830 census?

As one would expect, Benjamin doesn't appear in the 1850 Census, as he likely had died of old age by then.

The kind folks at Sandwich Historical Society let me have a look at their library.  After a day of research, I found nothing that made me scream "Eureka!", but I did learn the following:

-There is a large presence of Elliots in Sandwich, most of whom descend from John Elliot (born about 1796 in Sandwich, as mentioned above), and his only son Albert.  However, many subsequent generations moved to nearby Tuftonboro and Moultonboro.  It is understood that John's parents were actually Benjamin & Susannah.

-Benjamin & Susannah definitely had two other sons, Jedediah (12 Feb 1793) and Francis (18 Jun 1794).

-According to a NH surname publication, the surname Eliot and all its permutations originates from only FOUR different ancestors:  (1) Reverend John Eliot from Roxbury Mass, apostle to the Indians; (2) Ebenezer Eliot of Newton, Mass; (3) Edmund Eliot of Amesbury Mass; and (4) Andrew Eliot of Beverly Mass.  It appears from this publication that Edmund had several descendants who were pioneers of various New Hampshire towns, but the other folks don't appear to have any NH descendants (from available documentation).  Perhaps I'll one day establish a link between Edmund (and Benjamin) to my Sally...

BEAUTIFUL VIEW FROM SANDWICH INTO WONALANCET

CARROLL COUNTY NEW HAMPSHIRE