Friday, October 6, 2017

Bible of Bethuel Stearns & Sally (Butterfield) Stearns; passed to Timothy Woodward and Polly (Butterfield) Woodward; Wilton, Maine


Bible that belonged to Bethuel Stearns and wife Sally (Butterfield) Stearns and then passed to ownership by Timothy Woodward and wives Polly (Butterfield) Woodward and Jane (Averill) Woodward, all of whom lived at Wilton, Maine.

A paper tucked in the Bible and written by Juliette S. Abbott and C. H. Abbott in 1926 indicates that the Bible was tendered to Timothy Woodward about 1830 as part payment of a debt.  The same paper has information on Timothy's son Miranda Woodward and his wife Sarah D. (Dascombe) Woodward, who died of typhoid fever in 1867, and their son Henry Woodward and wife Melvina (Chandler) Woodward.


The Bible was printed in 1818 by the Collins and Company of New York; stereotyped by B. & J. Collins.  It measures approximately 11" by 9" by 3-1/2".  Four family records pages have entries.


Marriages:



"Bethuel Stearns Married in Wilton, Maine, Sally Butterfield December 27th 1803 by Eben. Eaton Esq."

Births, page 1



  • Bethuel Stearns, born July 4, 1780 in Easton, Massachusetts
  • Sally Butterfield, born November 27, 1782 in Wilton, New Hampshire
  • Bethuel Melvin Stearns, born September 25, 1804 in Wilton, Maine
  • Sally Wild Stearns, born February 23, 1806 in Temple, Maine
  • Lewis Ellison Stearns, born August 6, 1807 in Wilton, Maine
  • Albert Ervin Stearns, born January 19, 1809 in Wilton, Maine
  • Sally Butterfield Stearns, born May 10, 1812 in Wilton, Maine
  • William Hiram Stearns, born August 21, 1813 in Boston, Massachusetts
  • George Pickering Stearns, born October 30, 1814 in Wilton, Maine
  • Charles Westley Stearns, born November 27, 1818 in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Salome Davis Stearns, born July 20, 1819, in Wilton, Maine
  • Climena Rainey Stearns, a twin, born February 10, 1821 in Wilton, Maine [could be the 15th]
  • Claricy Hillman Stearns, a twin, born February 10, 1821 in Wilton, Maine [could be the 15th]
  • Thaddeus Constantine Sobieski Stearns, born April 4, 1823 in Wilton, Maine
  • Pembroke Somerset Beaufort Stearns, born May 22, 1824 in Wilton, Maine

Births, page 2



  • Timothy Woodward, born January 11, 1780 at Dunstable, Massachusetts
  • Polly Butterfield, first wife, born April 17, 1782 in Dunstable, Massachusetts
  • Charles Woodward, born January 7, 1804 in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
  • Mary Woodward, born October 23, 1805 in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
  • Asenath B. Woodward, born April 19, 1808 in Dunstable, Massachusetts
  • Oscar Woodward, born December 29, 1810 in Wilton, Maine
  • Miranda Woodward, born September 21, 1813 in Wilton, Maine
  • Sally Woodward, born July 31, 1816 in Wilton, Maine
  • Frederick Augustus Woodward, born February 18, 1818 in Wilton, Maine
  • Jane (Averill) Woodward, second wife, born September 7, 1788 in Greenfield, New Hampshire
  • Erasmus Darwin Woodward, born May 2, 1822 in Wilton, Maine
  • Charles Laurens Woodward, born July 3, 1823 in Wilton, Maine; not sure of middle name
  • Eugene Byron Woodward, born October 9, 1826 in Wilton, Maine

Deaths



  • Sally Wild Stearns, died June 14, 1806 in Wilton, Maine
  • William Hiram Stearns, died September 8, 1813 in Boston, Massachusetts
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  • Polly (Butterfield) Woodward, died October 8, 1819 in Wilton, Maine
  • Charles Woodward, died November 26, 1819 in Wilton, Maine
  • Mary Woodward, died December 8, 1819 in Wilton, Maine
  • Eugene Byron Woodward, died October 10, 1827 in Wilton, Maine
  • Frederick Augustus Woodward, died August 16, 1849 in Winthrop, Maine
  • Asenath B. (Woodward) Perham, died September 4, 1862 in Wilton, Maine
  • Jane (Averill) Woodward, died October 21, 1858 in Wilton, Maine
  • Timothy Woodward, died October 30, 1871 in Wilton, Maine
  • Miranda Woodward, died October 27, 1910 in Wilton, Maine
  • Sally (Woodward) Johnson, died June 1865 in Turner, Maine

If you have insights to share on these families, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Another item tucked in the Bible is a frustratingly blank form for the entry of children of the "Early Settlers of Tyngtown" (now Wilton), Maine.  Perhaps a reader has information on this project?





4 comments:

  1. Regarding Pembroke Somerset Beaufort Stearns, b.1824.

    Am interested in any connection with this individual and one Pembroke B. Stearns who started the post office at Fourche, Dakota Territory in 1880 (specific location uncertain, but in current Butte County, SD) and received a land patent at current Fruitdale, Butte County, SD in 1883.

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    1. Interesting - and it does appears that this is the one and same Pembroke! I've found references to Pembroke in other places that give the same or nearly the same date of birth and in Maine. His obit mentions, Bangor, Maine, but perhaps he moved from Wilton to the Bangor area at some point, and this fact stuck with whoever did the family genealogy. Find a Grave has a memorial to Pembroke B. Stearns, who, it says, was born at Bangor, Maine in 1825 (but contains an obit with 1823). And, yes, he is buried in South Dakota! https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109955409. Another source, Genealogy and Memoirs of Isaac Stearns and his Descendants" shows that Pembroke was "of" Hampden, Maine, which leaves room for Wilton, Maine: https://archive.org/stream/genealogymemoirs00vanw/genealogymemoirs00vanw_djvu.txt. Please keep us posted on any of your research. The Maine Genealogical Society has a blog, which guests are invited to submit posts to - and this sounds like a wonderful candidate. https://maineroots.org/blog/ to see examples and to submit. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

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  2. I'm interested in purchasing this Bible of Bethuel + Polly Stearns,if for sale
    I belong to the Wilton Historical Society+it would be a good addition to our collection.
    Thank you,maxine Brown

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    1. Email address is under Inquiries in the right margin near the top. Pretty sure I still have the Bible but I can't access it at present.

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