Britton/Britten/Brittain NY to Hillsdale and St. Joseph Co. MI to IL
Replies: 6
Britton/Britten/Brittain NY to Hillsdale and St. Joseph Co. MI to IL
 zinda1
(View posts)
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Posted: 16 Aug 2009 2:11PM GMT |
Classification: Query
Surnames: Brittain, Britten, Britton, Parker, Golden, Sherman
My Britton brick wall is my gg-grandfather, John Britton (Britten, Brittain). He was born in NY sometime between 1814 and 1823 (approx. year of birth different acc. to census records, marriage certificate, and census mortality schedule).
John married Elmira (aka Almira, Alminda) Wilder (aka Wyldson) on Feb. 18, 1842, in Hillsdale Co., MI (marriage cert.). She’s always listed as having been born in Ohio; I haven’t been able to find any record of her before her marriage to John.
John and Elmira’s children were Lucy J. (m. Golden), Mary Ann (“Annie”; m. Sherman], Alonzo H., Charles H., Jairus Parker, and William). All were b. in MI, between 1843 and 1860.
John and Elmira were in Pittsford Twp. on the 1850 and 1860 censuses. Between 1860 and 1861 they moved to Galva, Henry Co., IL, where John died in Sept. 1879 (“killed by a horse” acc. to the 1880 census mortality schedule).
Someone named Dolly Barret (Banet?), age 67, b. NY, is listed with them on the 1850 census. I have no idea who she was, but perhaps Elmira’s mother had remarried and had come to live with them. Abigail Brittain, b. ca 1787 in NJ, is listed with them on the 1860 census. Just to compound the confusion, there’s a John R. Britten family in Pittsford Twp. on the 1850 census with an Abigail in the household, b ca 1770 NJ, and an Abram Britten (b. 1792 NY) with an Abigail in the household (not his wife), b. ca 1783 NY.
All the Brittens I could find listed on the 1850 census for Pittsford Twp., MI, are Jacob, John R., Richard R., another Richard, Nathaniel, and Abram. I know I can’t assume my John is related to any of the other Brittons in Pittsford, but it was a small town and they all came from NY, so it certainly seems possible. I’d love to know which one(s), if any!
Have any of you researched these Hillsdale/St. Joseph County Brittons? Does anyone know where in NY my John Britton came from and/or who his father was? Or if he was related to any of the other Brittons of Hillsdale or St. Joseph County?
Another mystery is the name of John Britton’s second-youngest son, my great-grandfather: Jairus (spelled Jarius, Jerris, Jerius, Jervis on various documents) Parker Britton, b. MI, October 1855. On the 1845 MI census there’s a Jairus Parker (from NY) and Jairus Parker, Jr., in Sturgis, MI, and the 1860 US census lists a Jairus Parker, 67, b. NY, in White Pigeon with his wife Sarah (nee Whaley, b MA). Family tradition has it that Jairus was b. in White Pigeon.
I can’t find a connection between these Parkers and my Brittons, but it would seem they might be related or connected by marriage. Or maybe John Britton admired Jairus Parker so much that he named his son after him. I understand that in some cultures (e.g., Irish) children born out of wedlock were named after the father even if the mother didn’t marry him, but since Jairus was John and Elmira’s 5th child, that seems unlikely.
Sorry this is so long, but I figure the more info I provide, the easier it will be for others to see if we have a connection. Thanks in advance for any help or clues anyone can give me.
Today is my dad’s 90th birthday, and I’m posting this in his honor. He’s the one who started me on this family history journey when he started researching the Brittons the old-fashioned way (pre-Internet) back in the early 70s.
John married Elmira (aka Almira, Alminda) Wilder (aka Wyldson) on Feb. 18, 1842, in Hillsdale Co., MI (marriage cert.). She’s always listed as having been born in Ohio; I haven’t been able to find any record of her before her marriage to John.
John and Elmira’s children were Lucy J. (m. Golden), Mary Ann (“Annie”; m. Sherman], Alonzo H., Charles H., Jairus Parker, and William). All were b. in MI, between 1843 and 1860.
John and Elmira were in Pittsford Twp. on the 1850 and 1860 censuses. Between 1860 and 1861 they moved to Galva, Henry Co., IL, where John died in Sept. 1879 (“killed by a horse” acc. to the 1880 census mortality schedule).
Someone named Dolly Barret (Banet?), age 67, b. NY, is listed with them on the 1850 census. I have no idea who she was, but perhaps Elmira’s mother had remarried and had come to live with them. Abigail Brittain, b. ca 1787 in NJ, is listed with them on the 1860 census. Just to compound the confusion, there’s a John R. Britten family in Pittsford Twp. on the 1850 census with an Abigail in the household, b ca 1770 NJ, and an Abram Britten (b. 1792 NY) with an Abigail in the household (not his wife), b. ca 1783 NY.
All the Brittens I could find listed on the 1850 census for Pittsford Twp., MI, are Jacob, John R., Richard R., another Richard, Nathaniel, and Abram. I know I can’t assume my John is related to any of the other Brittons in Pittsford, but it was a small town and they all came from NY, so it certainly seems possible. I’d love to know which one(s), if any!
Have any of you researched these Hillsdale/St. Joseph County Brittons? Does anyone know where in NY my John Britton came from and/or who his father was? Or if he was related to any of the other Brittons of Hillsdale or St. Joseph County?
Another mystery is the name of John Britton’s second-youngest son, my great-grandfather: Jairus (spelled Jarius, Jerris, Jerius, Jervis on various documents) Parker Britton, b. MI, October 1855. On the 1845 MI census there’s a Jairus Parker (from NY) and Jairus Parker, Jr., in Sturgis, MI, and the 1860 US census lists a Jairus Parker, 67, b. NY, in White Pigeon with his wife Sarah (nee Whaley, b MA). Family tradition has it that Jairus was b. in White Pigeon.
I can’t find a connection between these Parkers and my Brittons, but it would seem they might be related or connected by marriage. Or maybe John Britton admired Jairus Parker so much that he named his son after him. I understand that in some cultures (e.g., Irish) children born out of wedlock were named after the father even if the mother didn’t marry him, but since Jairus was John and Elmira’s 5th child, that seems unlikely.
Sorry this is so long, but I figure the more info I provide, the easier it will be for others to see if we have a connection. Thanks in advance for any help or clues anyone can give me.
Today is my dad’s 90th birthday, and I’m posting this in his honor. He’s the one who started me on this family history journey when he started researching the Brittons the old-fashioned way (pre-Internet) back in the early 70s.