Their child: |
Individuals in this page: |
Their parents: |
||
Sylvester G. Easton |
{ |
|||
{ |
& |
|||
Sarah M. Everett |
{ |
Sylvester G. Easton (Daniel, Lesbe) was born about 1819 in
Ovid, Seneca County, New York MI4. Based
on his age at the time of his death as recorded on his death certificate,
Sylvester was born on or about February 24, 1818 in New York. His death
certificate stated that his occupation was a farmer, and his parents were
Daniel and Lezlie Easton. His name was recorded as “Selvester G. Easton” on the
April 1911 Berrien County death certificate for his son, Albert, and Cora
Disbrow stated that her father’s birthplace was New York, when she was
enumerated in the 1940 census.
An article written
by E.O. Taylor (Emory O. Taylor HI8)
was printed in the Benton Harbor, Michigan News-Palladium on June 25,
1958, and was a reproduction of a letter (or series of letters) about life in
the wilderness of Michigan in 1844 TA7.
This same information appeared in the Hartford Day Spring newspaper on
February 19, 1930, and was entitled “The History of Hartford”, by Charles A.
Spaulding. The 1958 article was a rephrased, but almost verbatim version of the
1930 article. A portion of the 1958 article has been copied here TA7:
There were sixteen families living in the
township at that time... The winter was very light. On
the 10th of December the snow fell about 8 inches
deep and remained two weeks. We had no more during the winter. We hired S.G.
Easton to dig us a well. He came from home in the morning 3 miles from our
place and commenced digging the well. My brother and I
cut a white oak tree the same morning and got out the curbing while one man
tended the digger at night. The same day Mr. Easton had dug to water 20 feet
and curbed it up and went home. In the morning he came back and sunk a box
which completed the well.
At some point, he was a supervisor for Hartford Township RO26. Sylvester was the treasurer of Hartford
in 1845 through 1847 HI8, and
he married Sarah Everett on October 12, 1848 in Hartford, Van Buren County,
Michigan DO2. S.G. Easton, age thirty of Hartford, married S.M. Everet, age
twenty-one of Hartford, in a ceremony officiated by A. Rowe, M.G. on October
12, 1848 at the home of P. Williamson in the Town of Hartford, Van Buren
County, Michigan VA12. Witnesses were O.F. Parker and Harriet
Potter VA12. The 1850 non-population agricultural census recorded that he owned
thirty improved acres, fifty unimproved acres, one milk cow, two working oxen,
one “other” cattle, seventeen sheep, and five pigs, but by the 1860
agricultural census, he owned sixty improved acres, twenty unimproved acres,
one horse, three milk cows, seven “other” cattle, and five pigs. He appeared on
the 1864 US IRS tax assessment list because he had “one beef slaughtered”.
In October 1941, the
recently widowed Mrs. Warren Easton of Inglewood, California,
who was Cora Alice (Easton) Disbrow’s sister-in-law, visited Hartford and
brought with her a collection of documents which she had discovered among her
husband’s possessions RA7. Two
of the documents were signed by S.G. Easton; the first
was a bond approved by C.H. Boynton, moderator, and S.G. Easton, director, for $100,
dated September 17, 1866, and was given by George Walling, the school district
assessor RA7. The second document regarded a teaching
contract for Josiah Miles and was dated October 15, 1866, which was signed by
S.G. Easton, director, and G.W. Walling, assessor, and was approved by C.
Boynton, moderator RA7.
A copy
of his death certificate issued by the Van Buren County clerk stated that he
died on February 7, 1868, at the age of forty-nine years, eleven months, and
eleven days in Hartford, Michigan. The cause of his death was “Congestion of
Lungs”. Gilbert Conklin, Henry Brainard, and Augustus N. Spaulding
appraised the estate of Silvester G. Easton on April 2, 1868 MI26. An inventory of “all the Real Estate, Goods and Chattels… of
Silvester G. Easton” was made by the administrator of his estate, Pulaski
Easton, which included MI26:
The
S.E. ¼ of Sec 21 T 3 So R16 W [the southeast quarter of Section 21, Township 3
South, Range 16 west], 160 acres [with a value of 4500.00]… 1 chest and books…
1 chest… 2 beds… 1 looking Glass… 1 clock… 2 flat Irons… 1 table and stand… 9
chairs… 1 cook Stove and furnature… 11 bags 2 cubbards and dishes… 1 sash saw
[a type of backsaw possibly used for furniture manufacturing]… 4 barrels of
vinegar stuf… seed corn… 1 bitting rig [this is used to train horses to accept
the bit of a bridle]… flour and corn meal… 1 close [clothes] ringer… 1 chease
hoop… 2 beds withhe out fether beds… 1 sasage [sausage] cutter 3 sheep pelts..
1 calf hide 1 molases Keg… golon [perhaps “gallon”] Jars 2 churns… 1 barel and
one tub part full of Pork… 1 Pareing machine and candel molds… 2 axels and
steel traps 2 hoes 1 Shovel 1 spade… 2 chains 1 hand cart 1 grind Stone… 2
barels and Salt 1 keg 1 Plow… 1 pair bob Sleighs… 1 bit stalks Sh?ing ?nife
[perhaps “shearing knife”] and handsaw… 3 augers 1 Square 1 sithe and snath… 1
sider [cider] mill 1 broom machine Staple and ring… 1 hand sleigh 1 cultivator and things over head in the shop… 2 hives of
bees 1 box of old irons… wood in hand lumber on premeses… 5 hay forks rig for
weighing hay… 1 Skoop shovel half bushel and wind mill… 1 Allens Mower… Hay Seeld [probably meant to
be hay “seed”] Buck wheat… 1 bag and 1 Plow… 12 hens Potatoes… 10 hogs… 1 pare
of horses harness and Wagon… 1, 5 year old colt… 1 3 year old colt… 1 yoke of
stears… 2 cows… 2, 3 year old heifers… 1, 2 year old heifer… 1 2 year old bull…
a yearlings… corn on hand… cash uc of S.M Easton 1 hay rake… 2 cow bells 2 Jugs
An
inventory of the real estate and goods of Albert, Delbert, Wilber, Cora, and
Warren Easton was conducted by the minors’ guardian, Augustus N. Spaulding, and
included some items that were mentioned in the
inventory conducted by Pulaski Easton MI26:
SE ¼
Sec 21 T 3 R 16 W 160 Acres land valued at $5600.00… 3 Cows one 8, two 3 Years
Old… 2 Horses one 16 one 7 years Old… 1 Double harness… Hay Rake… Cultivator…
Five Forks… Two Ploughs 1 point… 1 Square Drag & Clevice [a clevis is a
metal connector that is shaped like a “U”, through which a bolt or a pin can be
fastened]… Steelyard rope & Block… Cayuga Chief Mower [this was attached to
a harness and was used to mow and rake a field of hay]… hand rake… Fanning Mill
[a machine with sieves that separates grain from small pebbles and dirt]… Scoop
Shovel… half bushel… long handled Shovel… One Ax… Lumber wagon Neck yoke &
whiffletrees [these equalize and distribute force to prevent wagons or plows
from toppling from an unbalanced load].… Hand Cart… Spade… ½ Barrel Salt… Grind Stone… Cider Mill & Press… Pork Barrel… Bob
Sleighs… Work Bench & Screw… Brace & 3 bits… Two Rimmer bits [also
called reamer bits, these are used to perfect a hole which has already been
drilled, making it more precise]… Two saws 1 hand, 1
Stiff back… Square… Three Augers 1 two 1 one ¼ 1 one Inch… Box Old Iron… Hand
Sled… Two Chains 36 ft. long… 6 Swarms of Bees… 300 hd ft Lumber… 7 hogs… 5
spring pigs… Three rat traps… two 6 gallon crocks, one
5 gal one 4 gal one 2 gal… one 6 gallon stone churn… one gallon jug… candle
moulds… two cupbourds and Dishes… Cook Stove… Box Stove… Apple parer… Nine
Kitchen Chairs… one Clock… two flat Irons… two hives… spring calf… bush Sythe…
8 bedsteads and Bed… one Bed quilt… Two sheets… straw Tick… Feather bed… two
pillows… Looking Glass… Clothes Ringer… Sausage mill… one Riding Bridle &
bitting rigs… Bell & stap… one Barrel ½ full vinegar… four flannel sheets
two quilts… 1 Bed… Eight grain bags… one Chest… American Statesman by A.W.
Young [The American Statesman: A
Political History, by Andrew W. Young, published in 1856]… Illustrated
Encyclopedia of Animated Nature [perhaps Grand
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Animated Nature, by John Frost, published in
1855]… The American Conflict Greely Volume 1 & 2 [The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United
States of America, 1860-’64, by Horace Greeley, published in 1865]… Every mans Law Book by Wells [probably written by
John G. Wells, who wrote Wells’ Every Man
His Own Lawyer and United States Form Book, published in 1860]…
Book little Cotton Thieves [perhaps Among the Cotton Thieves, by Edward Bacon,
published in 1867]… The Great Rebellion [perhaps The Great Rebellion: A History of the Civil War in the United States,
by Joel Tyler Headley, published in 1866]… Knowles on
American Liberty [perhaps Perils and Safe
Guards of American Liberty, by James Davis Knowles, published in 1828]…
Table… Broom Machine… Monkey Wrench
Pulaski
Easton, the administrator of the estate, made a notation on the bottom of one
of the records for expenses for 1868 and 1869: “The Expences of carrying on
farm [caring for the farm] were much Greater on Acount of 3 Acres of hops
tended in (1868) Which cost over two hundred Dolors more than they brought.
they were sold for $11 (Eleven Dolors) A Bail Which was all that could be got” MI26.
·
1850 US
Census: lived in Hartford, Van Buren County, Michigan.
·
1860 US
Census: lived in Hartford, Van Buren County, Michigan.
Sarah M. Everett (William, Sarah) was born circa 1828 in
New York UN10, UN12,
UN13 or about 1829 in New
York UN11. The 1880 census stated that her father
was born in New York and her mother was born in New Jersey, although the 1850
census for William and Sarah Everett indicated that they were both born in New
Jersey. Sarah has been linked with her father in a roundabout way. The May 28,
1881 edition of The Hartford Day Spring stated “Richard Everett of
Keeler, has been visiting his sister, the widow Easton, this week. He is one of
the early settlers, having moved to this town in 1838” TH8. Additionally, the chapter about the
history of Hartford in History of Berrien and Van Buren Counties, Michigan
stated “In the fall of 1837 William Everett and his son Richard B. came in and
settled on section 26” HI8. From
this information, it can be inferred that Sarah M. Everett was the daughter of
William Everett, because she was the sister of Richard B. Everett.
She was the mother
of Albert G., Adelbert William, Wilbur A., Cora Alice, Warren Sylvester, and
probably Annie Easton. Albert G. Easton
was born on August 17, 1849 in Hartford Township, Van Buren County, Michigan,
and was said to have been the eldest of six Easton siblings AG1. The Berrien County, Michigan death
certificate for Albert G. Easton stated that he was born to Selvester G. Easton
and “Saral M. Everith” on August 17, 1849 in Michigan. His death certificate stated that he was
unmarried (single), and died at age sixty-one from pneumonia, with La Grippe, which is influenza, as a
contributory factor on April
5, 1911 in Watervliet Township, Berrien County, Michigan.
The Berrien
County, Michigan death certificate for Adelbert
William Easton stated that he was born on September 23, 1857 in Hartford,
Michigan to Sylvester Easton and an unknown mother. The marriage record for
Adelbert W. Easton and Eva C. Fay lacks most of the
basic information, including their wedding date and their parents’ names, but
because it is written amongst other marriage records which occurred in Berrien
County in at the end of September in 1890, they probably married in the last
week of September, 1890 in Berrien County, Michigan MI23. At the time of his brother’s death in
1911, he resided in Watervliet, Berrien County, Michigan AG1. He died at age seventy-five from a
cerebral hemorrhage and “Arterio Sclerosis” on April 3, 1933 in Pipestone
Township, Berrien County, Michigan.
According to his
Berrien County, Michigan death certificate,
Wilbur A. Easton was born in Michigan on June 9, 1859 to Sylvester Easton
and Sarah M. Everett. He was called “Webb” LO7.
He married Rachel Ann Irey on March 4, 1885 MI23, LO7 in Hartford, Van Buren County, Michigan in a ceremony
officiated by W. Woodmancy MI23,
but his obituary stated that this wedding occurred in Fairmont, North Dakota LO7. His Berrien County, Michigan death
certificate stated that Wilbur died at the age of sixty-four on August 11, 1923
in Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan from heart disease and coronary
sclerosis, but acute gastroenteritis was a contributing factor in his death.
Cora Alice Easton was
born on August 13, 1864 in Hartford, Michigan MR3, MI5. Sarah Everett and Silvester Easton were
named as the parents of Cora Alice Disbrow on Cora’s death record, dated March
22, 1847 MI5. Warren Sylvester Easton was born on February 23, 1866 in
Michigan to a mother whose maiden name was Everett CA83. Although the 1900 US Census indicated
that Warren and Mattie had been married for seven years UN14, and they were each born in Michigan,
there was no record of their wedding in the marriage record books for Van Buren
County, Michigan for the years 1892, 1893, and 1894. Mattie’s maiden name was most likely Mills, because in 1900, George
D. Mills resided in Warren Easton’s household, and was described as his
brother-in-law UN14. Warren and Mattie A. Easton lived in
Forest, Richland County, Wisconsin in 1900 UN14, Utica, Crawford County, Wisconsin in 1910 UN15, Mount Sterling, Crawford County,
Wisconsin in 1911 AG1,
and by the time of the 1920 US Census, they had relocated to Inglewood, Los
Angeles County, California where Warren was a laborer in the oil mills UN16. They remained in Inglewood where they
were enumerated in the 1930 and 1940 US Census UN17, UN18. Warren died on July 1, 1941 in Los
Angeles, California CA83.
A gap of eight years
between the birth of Sarah’s first child, Albert, and the birth of her next
child, Adelbert, indicates that she may have sustained the loss of three or as many as four children. If this assumption (and it is an assumption) is true, these
children were either miscarried or they died at very young
ages, because these phantom children did not survive until the time of the 1860
census. Yet another child may have been born between the births of Wilbur and
Cora. While a daughter, Annie, was
cited by O.W. Rowland RO27, her
birth and death records have not been located. She may have been the unnamed sister who was mentioned in
the obituary for Albert Easton: “one sister died in infancy” AG1.
On
February 17, 1868, Sarah Easton stated in a petition to the probate judge for
Van Buren County that she was the widow of Silvester G. Easton, who died at
Hartford on Friday, February 7, 1868, leaving no last will and testament, and
that he was possessed of real and personal estate with an estimated value of
$4000 MI26. She named the children of both her and her late husband, who
were Albert G. Easton, Delbert W. Easton, Wilbur A. Easton, Cora A. Easton, and
Warren Easton MI26. She requested that
the administration of the estate be granted to Pulaski Easton and signed her
name as “Sarah M. Easton” MI26.
The ages of the children at the time of the petition were listed. Albert G.
Easton was twenty, Delbert W. was twelve, Wilbur A. was eleven, Cora A. was five,
and Warren S. Easton was four MI26.
Sarah requested that Agustus N. Spalding of Hartford should be appointed as a
guardian for her minor children, which was granted MI26. Sarah was forty-two years old and she
lived in Hartford, Van Buren County, Michigan, at the time of the 1870 census.
Her profession at that time was “keeping house” and her children were Albert
and Adelbert, who worked on the farm, Wilbur, who attended school, and Cora and
Warren, who were six and four.
In October 1879,
Simeon and Clifford Whipple rented her farm, but in March 1880, Marcus Tuttle,
who had for three years previously worked on shares there, bought out the
Whipple men and arranged to pay rent of $200 per year for three years for the
right to farm the land TH3, TH5.
The January 10, 1880 edition of The Hartford Day Spring reported “the
widow Easton is quite sick” and “the widow Easton has a new board fence across
the front of her lot” TH4.
Sarah died sometime between
June 1881 and January 1883, as she reportedly received her brother, Richard
Everett, as a guest during the last week of May 1881 TH8, but the probate order for her orphaned
children was made on January 29, 1883 PR10.
A request for a copy of her death certificate from the Van Buren County clerk
was unsuccessful, as it was not on file at that location.
·
1850 US
Census: lived in Hartford, Van Buren County, Michigan.
·
1860 US
Census: lived in Hartford, Van Buren County, Michigan.
·
1870 US
Census: lived in Hartford, Van Buren County, Michigan.
·
1880 US
Census: lived in Hartford, Van Buren County, Michigan.
