Holbrook line: Nahum Holbrook 1781-1844

Maybe I haven't written about Nahum Holbrook before because he's recent.  Well, he lived 200 years ago, not 400 years, so that makes him somewhat recent.  And he feels closer, because his son died in Cook County, Illinois, just maybe 150 miles from here.  Or maybe, just maybe, I had a premonition that he would be a hard man to track.  I've come up with just a few tidbits that will tell us a little bit about his life, and I'm sharing them now in case they will help someone who is also searching for information. 

When Nahum was born to Amariah and Molly Wright Holbrook on April 2, 1781, the American Revolutionary War was still in progress.  Amariah served several short terms of service during the war but it appears he was home for good by the time Nahum was born.  Nahum was one of 9 children, the third oldest.  However, he was still just 16 when his father died in 1797 nut he was apparently not required to have a guardian.  Six of his siblings were so required, and Henry Holbrook was appointed to that job.  Henry, doubtless an uncle or cousin of some sort, may also have informally kept an eye on Nahum.  Nahum's inheritance from his father's small estate amount to twenty one dollars and twenty cents. 

I've not located Nahum in the 1800 census unless he was one of the three males aged 16-25 living with Molly.  On February 3, 1802, when he was 21 years old, he married Susanna Rockwood, who was the 24 year old daughter of Levi and Deborah Lazell Rockwood.  Levi died in 1806 and Deborah the following year, so perhaps there was enough money left from Levi's estate to allow the young Holbrook family to move to the area of Hartford, Washington County, New York.  Several of Amariah and Molly's sons had gone there and stayed for various lengths of time.  Nahum and Susannah stayed.  They were there in the 1810 census, and the 1830 census.  I haven't found them in the 1820 census or the 1840 census, but there is no reason to think they had left.  Perhaps in 1840 they were already living with one or another of their children.  Nahum and Susanna had seven children, some born in Bellingham and some in New York. 

Nahum was a soldier during the War of 1814.  He was a lieutenant in the 121st Regiment of the New York Militia, indicates he probably enlisted late in the war.  He was paid from September 10 to September 25, 1814, which is precisely when the battle of Plattsburgh was fought.  The actual date of the battle was September 11, so we don't know for sure that Nahum was involved, but I'm guessing that this one pay card is not the only one that was submitted; it's apparently the only one that survived.  The following year, he was appointed captain of his unit, and apparently continued in some military capacity because in 1819 he was paid $46 for his work at courts martial in Washington County.  The only other mention I've found of Nahum was in 1821, when he signed a letter asking the US Postmaster to remove the current postmaster, because he was a person of "vicious tendencies" who also didn't do his job, and replace him with another candidate. 

Nahum died January 24, 1844 and Susanna died July 2, 1840.  They are buried at the Old Adamsville Cemetery, Adamsville, Washington County, New York. 

I haven't yet found Nahum's will or estate papers, which would be ever so helpful in figuring out whether he was able to pass on any wealth to his family.  I don't know his occupation.  I don't know his religion, although his parents were strong Baptists. 

This is what I know of Nahum, other than that his son, Joseph, sat out from New York within a few years of his father's death, to go to Cook County, Illinois, where he became a well to do man.  Was Nahum also well to do?  Inquiring minds would like to know!

The line of descent is:

Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen