The family of Jude Foster 1759-1789

This is the last post in the Foster family series, because Jude Foster, the son of Nathan and Elizabeth Lansford Foster, had five children, all female.  He was born in 1759 and died in 1789 in Paxton, Worcester, Massachusetts.  He actually lived in Rowe, as noted in the town records but probably had been either visiting or staying with his brother, Rev. Joel Foster, when he died.  He was just thirty years old, but he had been involved in some of the hard campaigns of the Revolutionary War, and had just received pension approval at the time of his death.   I don't know whether he actually made it to Canada or not, but he seems to at least have been at Fort Ticonderoga and possibly other battles.  He would have been in his late teens then.

There is confusion about the identity of his wife.  Some say she was Sally Goodenough or Goodnow, and it's possible that she was his first wife but died early.  Some say she was Lydia Goodenough, the daughter of David and Mary Bent Goodenough.  In the Rowe records, she is noted simply as "Lydia M." and I have found no records that would further identify her.  However, Lydia is recorded as being the mother of all the daughters.

The daughters themselves have also been a bit of a mystery to trace.  Sally was the first one, in 1780.  She married Luke S Blackmun, the son of Andrew and Deliverance Hill Blackmun.  Their children are Polly, William, Delia, Jude, Samantha, Andrew, and Martin.  Sally died in 1827 in Mooers, Clinton County, New York.  (I have seen other dates as 1854 in a different part of Massachusetts, but that woman is clearly identified as Sally Foster, not Blackmun, and I think these were two different women.)

Next was Lydia, born in 1782 and died in 1802 in Hartford, Washington County, New York.  

I am not absolutely sure about Polly.  Her name in the Rowe records is clearly Polly, not Mary, but there are a lot of sites that list Mary (Polly) as the daughter of Jude and Lydia.  Polly was often a nickname for Mary so I am including the information about "Mary" here, although I am not 100% sure this is correct.  Mary/Polly was born in 1784 and married William L. Bull, the son of Nathaniel and Sarah Bartholomew Bull.  Their children are Sophronia, Laura, Nathaniel, Sarah, Betsy, Lydia, Sarah, John, Caroline, Mary, William and Minerva.  Mary died in 1869 in Otto, Cattaraugus County, New York.

Betsy was born in 1787 and married Josiah Whittemore, the son of Josiah and Lucy Snow Whittemore.  Their children are Josiah, John Dexter, John Foster, Mary Elizabeth, and Martha.  I have written of this family earlier. Betsy died in 1854 in South Hartford, Washington County, New York.  

Finally, there is the big mystery of Judith, who was born in 1789, a few weeks after her father died.  All that I can find of her is that she was still alive in 1801, when Lydia was appointed guardian for her three youngest daughters.  If there are marriage records for her, they would probably be in Washington County, New York, but I have not located them there, or anywhere else.  

So our mysterious Lydia was left to raise five daughters.  As mentioned earlier, I don't know what happened to her.  I don't know what the "M" stood for in the Rowe documents that recorded her family.  I only know that I would certainly like to find out more about her, and Judith, too! Jude was a Revolutionary War hero, but Lydia certainly fits the definition of heroine.