Joseph Martin of East Haddam

My 3rd great grandfather was one Joseph Martin (1791-1872), who lived his entire life in East Haddam, Connecticut.

Joseph was born to Jonathan and Hannah Martin, who had emigrated from England (possibly Suffolk) at some point prior to 1777 (which was the date of his brother Jonathan's birth in East Haddam).  There is some confusion online about Hannah's maiden name being either Huxford or Fuller.

When Joseph was 4 years old, his father died, leaving him (and five siblings) to be raised alone by Hannah.  Joseph was of appropriate age to have fought in the War of 1812, much like other East Haddam residents.  There wasn't a draft at that time, so it's clear that Joseph didn't feel incentivized to join.

Joseph married Livia Phelps, daughter of Revolutionary War veteran Samuel Phelps, on October 1, 1817 in East Haddam.  They had a great deal of farmland up until around 1850 (lived in the Poor Farm), but recovered and secured land next door to Livia's cousin Hiram Phelps.

Joseph and Livia had seven children in East Haddam:

-Mariette Clark (1819-??)  One girl appears on the 1820 Census, so it's clear she lived that long, but since no girls appear on the 1930 Census, I'm inclined to believe that she had died by then.

-Niles Martin (1820–1893)  Niles moved 200 miles away from home, to start a farm in Bucks County, PA.  He enlisted in the Civil War in 1863 (same time as two of his brothers).  On this record, his occupation was listed as a "Drover" (one who moves animals long distances, like a cattle driver).  He and his wife Elizabeth had a son named Joseph, after his father, and a daughter Sarah.  For the 1860 Census, he was listed as (either a "Tinkerman" or a "Gentleman"), and for the 1870 Census, a "Lumber Merchant".

-Ephraim Martin (1824-1915) Ephraim married Elizabeth Harris and moved to nearby Hartford, where he also ran his own farm.  They had at least one child, Anna.  Ephraim enlisted in the Civil War in the summer of 1863, with two of his brothers.

-Esther Phelps Martin (1826–1901)  Esther married carpenter Leonard Sherman Clark, and they were my 2nd great grandparents.  No girls appeared living with Joseph for the 1830 Census, when she would have been four years old, so I wonder where she may have been at that time.  Legend has it that Esther was the "ugliest woman in East Haddam", and that Joseph was so grateful to get her married in 1843, he gave Leonard a lot of farmland as dowry.  Interestingly, however, Joseph and the rest of his family were the keepers of the East Haddam Poor House as of the 1850 Census. Esther bore Leonard 12 children.  Several hundred of her descendants still live in East Haddam and surroundings to this day.

-Edgar Mandlebert Martin (1830–1894)  Edgar married Azubah Wright.  Not long after Livia died in 1860, Edgar took over the family farm, keeping his father Joseph living with him.  Unlike his three brothers, he did not enlist in the Civil War.

-Catherine Isabella Martin (1834–??)  Isabella appears to have married a Charles Clark in 1857 (in Belfast, Northern Ireland - wonder what the story was there).  Can't find any additional records on her, though.  However, this record may instead match to a different couple (one lawyer named Charles A. Clark and his wife Isabella, both born in Ireland, and living in NYC in 1880).

-Datus W. Martin (1836–1874) Datus enlisted in the Civil War in 1863, fighting in the CT __.   When he returned from the War, he married his wife Adelaide, and started a farm in East Haddam.  They had three children together.  He died at the very young age of 37.  I believe Adelaide may have remarried afterwards, since I cannot find her in any subsequent records.  The 1880 Census has Datus' son Frederick managing his father's farm as a single farmer, at age 16.

Grave of Joseph Martin
Parker Cemetery
East Haddam, CT

SOURCES:

Connecticut Town Records (Barbour Collection)

Nathaniel and Mather Peck, Revolutionary War Patriots

Nathaniel Peck (1723-1780), my fifth great grandfather, was a teamster, landowner, and a fifer from Lyme, Connecticut, who fought in the Revolution as a member of Captain Joseph Hubby's Company in Colonel John Mead's Company Regiment.

His parents were Joseph Peck and Susannah Griffin, both from historical colonial families.  The Peck family had been native to Hartford Connecticut since the mid 1600's, and had been in Lyme since the late 1600's, originally stemming from London, England.  Susannah had been born on Long Island, but her father was Jasper Griffing of Lyme, Connecticut, who had also lived in Marblehead, Massachusetts, but was of uncertain origin prior to 1648.

Nathaniel married Lucy Mather in 1744.  Lucy's family had been in Lyme since around 1660.  Her great grandfather, Samuel Mather, had emigrated from Liverpool around 1640, and settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts.  His son, Richard Mather, had moved west to Lyme around 1660.

GRAVE OF NATHANIEL PECK
DUCK RIVER CEMETERY
OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT

The newspaper published the following concerning Nathaniel's death:

Connecticut Gazette 20 Jul 1781

To Be Sold at Public Vendue

For Hard Money
The estate of Nathaniel Peck,
Late of Lyme deceas'd, confisting of one Tract
of Land of about 50 Acres with a Manfion House
and Barn thereon, in first Society of Lyme
and is well fituated for Trading or Tavernkeep-
ing. Also 40 Acres of Wood Land near adjoin-
ing the Abovefaid 50 Acres. Alfo a fmall Par-
cel of moveable Eftate. The Sale to be at the
Manfion House aforefaid, on the 14th day of
August next.
Mather Peck, Execeutor
Lyme, July 11, 1781 

 ***

Nathaniel and Lucy's son, Mather Peck, (1749-1823) also fought in the Revolution as a private in Lieutenant Colonel Hail's Co of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment commanded by Col. Quebulon Butler.

He was married three times, to Esther Coult, Rhuhama Howell, and Azubah Watrous. His first wife, Esther, was daughter to John Coult, also a Revolutionary soldier from Lyme...and my sixth great grandfather.

Nathaniel and Esther's son, Esther Peck, was my 4th great grandmother. She married Niles Phelps, son to Samuel Phelps, also a Revolutionary patriot from Lyme. Esther and Niles were great grandparents to Niles Martin Clark.

Mather was simply found dead in his bed one summer morning, of no apparent illness, at age 74. He and his family are also buried at Duck River Cemetery.

GRAVE OF MATHER PECK
DUCK RIVER CEMETERY
OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT

Samuel Phelps, Revolutionary War Patriot

Samuel Phelps (1735-1777) was my fifth great grandfather, from Lyme, Connecticut.  Born in 1735 to Charles Phelps and Margaret Tiffany, of the colonial Phelps and Tiffany families of New London County, Connecticut. 

As for Samuel's paternal ancestry, many researchers cite from the book "The Phelps Family in America" by Oliver Seymour Phelps, and determine that Samuel was named for his great grandfather Samuel, who had emigrated to Connecticut from Crewkerne, Somerset, England on the Mary and John in 1630 along with his father William of Crewkerne, Somerset England (not to be confused with William Phelps of Gloucestershire, as many trees have conflated).  This Samuel the immigrant's mother, by the way, was a descendant of King John of Gaunt of the Plantagenet line via the Neville dynasty.

DNA studies have indicated that Crewkerne Phelps Clan (who settled in Windsor, CT) are not of the same family as the Lyme Phelps Clan (of unknown English origin).  It's possible that the Lyme Phelps Clan traces from William of Gloucestershire, but more research is needed here.  Here is a link to a wonderful repository which studies the many Phelps clans of old New England.

Now, back to my ancestor, Samuel of Lyme.  Samuel's wife was Sarah Tiffany, who was some distant relation to his own mother.  Samuel and Sarah had at least six children, including Samuel Jr (1755-1824) and my fourth great grandfather, Niles Phelps (1771-1848).  Niles' granddaughter, Esther Phelps Martin, married Leonard Sherman Clark of East Haddam Connecticut (my 2nd great grandparents).

From a Sons of the American Revolution application, I found the following bit of information about Samuel's career during the War...

Samuel enlisted in the Revolutionary War in Captain Coit's Company in April 1775.  He fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill.  

He re-enlisted in 1776 in a Soldiers Regiment, where he served one year from March 1778 as marine and carpenter on board privateer "Sampson" commanded by Captain David Brooks, which sailed from the Connecticut River.  He was wounded in fight with a British Sloop-of-War named "Sparrow".

Unfortunately, there were several men with Samuel's name living in Connecticut around his time.  One such Samuel who causes the most confusion would be Samuel Phelps of Harwinton CT.

Samuel's son, Niles Phelps (1771-1848) married Esther Peck (1778-1825) in East Haddam, CT in 1790, and had at least five children.  Niles and Esther are my fourth great grandparents, and are buried at Tater Hill Cemetery in East Haddam.

Their daughter, Livia Phelps, married Joseph Martin of East Haddam.