Friday, May 25, 2018

1837 Deaths at Cornish, New Hampshire; from a Handwritten Journal Covering the Years 1826-1850


Note:  Please let me know if you find errors in transcription or information - thanks in advance!

Page from a journal handwritten by an unknown person, but likely by a descendant of William Ripley, that lists the deaths at Cornish, New Hampshire from 1826 to 1850.  This post covers deaths in 1837.

Interestingly, an article in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register of 1917, pages 338-342, describes the project undertaken by William Ripley to record deaths in Cornish, New Hampshire, from 1775 until his death in 1818, upon which the task was given over to subsequent descendants.

The journal here is, I believe, either a copy of the original records, by a descendant of William Ripley, or was kept as the deaths happened by William Ripley's son Col. James Ripley until his death in 1842, leaving no descendants, and then by William Ripley's grandson Deacon James Ripley Wellman, son of Althea (Ripley) Wellman.

See other posts that list deaths in the years:

The journal measures approximately 9-3/4" by 8" and consists of the covers, 8 interior pages, with entries also on the inside back cover.

"Con" might refer to "Consumption", whether tuberculosis or an all-inclusive term for wasting away.  "OA" is presumably "Old Age".  Chm or Cm presumably refer to "Church Member".  Some pages mention "Bm", which might be "Baptist member".

If you notice spelling and interpretation errors and/or if you have clarifying information or alternative identities for any of the people mentioned, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Sources for the information, hopefully correct, that I've added to the listings:
The entries are a bit jumbled, so be forewarned that the deaths might not have occurred in the month noted, and some dates don't match other sources, but are close and may even be more dependable, if this journal is truly a primary source.

January
  • A Mrs. Porter
  • A Child of Mr. Heady [?] - 7 yrs
February
  • 1 [?] - Mr. Levi Follet, 75
  • ? [possibly ditto for February 1] - Mr. James Tasker, Sr.  The photograph attached to his Find a Grave memorial shows a death date of February 24, 1837 at about age 80 or 87 [?].  Mentioned in pages 362 and 363 of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
March
  • A Child of Burnham Jacobs - 3 wks.  The child was Helen E. Jacobs, born in February 1837; died March 21, 1837, daughter of Burnam Jacobs [note spelling of given name in the book] and Eliza (Stearns) Jacobs, as mentioned on pages 228 and 229 of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
  • 3 - Widow Deborah Chase Thompson, Cm.  She was born August 24, 1789, daughter of Nahum C. Chase and Deborah (Freeman) Chase, and the widow of Rev. Lathrop, Thompson, as mentioned on page 78 of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
April
  • Wife of Smith White.  She was presumably Lydia (Westgate) White, born May 4, 1809, daughter of Joseph Westgate and Abigail (Luey) Westgate and first wife of Aaron Smith White; as mentioned on pages 408 and 414 of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
  •  Child of Plorival Bartlett - 7 yrs; born in 1830, child of Plorival Bartlett and Sarah (?) Bartlett, as mentioned on page 24 of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2. 
  • A Child of Joel Royce [?].  The father may have been this Joel Royce, husband of Seba, and the child might have been Harvey Royce.  
  • 19 - Phoebe, daughter of Jesse Wyman.  Phoebe G. Wyman, born February 7, 1815, daughter of Jesse Wyman and Mary (Dorr) Wyman, and shown as having died on May 19, 1837 [as does her gravestone] in History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
The next entry appears to have been for April, but may have been meant for May.
  • 29 - Widow Esther Smith, Chm, 70.  She was born about 1767 and was the widow of Benjamin Smith; her death is recorded as having occurred on May 23, 1837 in History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
May
  • See the prior entry for Widow Esther Smith.
  • An Infant of J. B. Comings.  Perhaps the infant of Joseph B. Comings and wife Sybil (Nevins) Comings, and perhaps this particular infant, who died on May 29, 1837
  • A daughter of James Luey.  Daughter of James Luey and Elizabeth (Sanborn) Luey, as mentioned on page 263 of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.  
June
  • A Grand Child of Mr. D. Ford
  • 18 - Mr. Zebedee Edminster, 90; mentioned as having died on June 17, 1837 in History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
  • [this entry appears after the July entry, apparently missed at first] - A daughter of Harvey Chase, Esq. - 19.  Polly Dana Chase, born February 18, 1818, daughter of Harvey Chase and Eunice (Dana) Chase.  Polly Dana Chase's death date is listed as June 1837 in History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
July
  • 14 - A Child of Burnham Jacobs - 3 yr.  The child was Hannah Jacobs, born in 1834, daughter of Burnam Jacobs and Eliza (Stearns) Jacobs, as mentioned on pages 228 and 229 of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
August
  • 12 - An Infant of Ariel Wood - 2 hrs.  Infant, born August 10, 1837, child of Ariel K. Wood and Emeline (Day) Wood, as mentioned on pages 423 and 424 of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
  • 14 - Versel Burr [or Verill Burr], son of William Rawson's Wife - 11 yrs.  I found a Versel Burr and a Versel Ebenezer Burr on pages 45 and 46 in History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.  According to the narrative, the former died in 1825 and the latter in 1863.
September
  • 3 - Widow Prudence Fitch, Cm, 76.  She may have been Prudence (Read) Fitch, widow of Hezekiah Fitch, but her death date is listed as April 28, 1833 in History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.  Perhaps her stone was set some time after her death and the death date remembered in error?  Or perhaps this widow Prudence Fitch was someone else.
  • 16 - Mr. Thomas Luey, 76; mentioned on pages 263 and 264 of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, Volume 2.
November
  • 26 - Mrs. Anna, Wife of Ichabod Smith - Con, Cm, 71.  She was Anna (Bruce) Smith, born December 22, 1766, wife of Ichabod Smith, born December 9, 1771; mentioned on page 328 of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.
December
  • Wife of Mr. Daniel Ford - Bm, 61.  She was Esther (Deming) Ford, born October 16, 1776 at Pomfret, Connecticut, daughter of Ebenezer Deming and Elizabeth (Dana) Deming and wife of Daniel Ford (1777-1856), as mentioned in History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763-1910, Volume 2.

Whole number in 1837 - 24


If you have corrections to the transcription or information on any of the people mentioned above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

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