Holbrook line: Josiah Whittemore 1784-1870

When I started to research Josiah Whittemore, I thought I knew what story I would find.  I thought I would find that he had served in the War of 1812.  After all, he was of the right age, and lived in the right location.  I'm still not convinced that he wouldn't have served, in some capacity, but I haven't found him in any of the dozen or so databases and lists I've checked.  So, was he a closet British sympathizer?  It doesn't seem likely, since both his father and his father in law had served in the Revolutionary War.  Or did he have some sort of physical condition that prevented him from serving?  Or was he considered crucial to the war effort, and therefore excused?  So far, I have no answers to those questions.

I do know that Josiah was born in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts, on October 28, 1784.  I don't yet have documentation for that but I do have records showing he was baptized there on May 29, 1785, the son of Josiah and Lucy Whittemore.  Lucy was Lucy Snow, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Stevens Snow.  Leominster had a population of 1189 in the 1790 US census, so this was very much a small town.  Josiah was one of eleven children so it is easy to see why his father quickly remarried, after his mother died when Josiah was about 10 years old.  His stepmother was Martha Purkhurst Rider, widowed herself, and she and Josiah had four more children.  So it was one big and we hope happy family.

Well, perhaps the family wasn't all that fappy, or perhaps Josiah just wanted to strike out on his own.  In 1805 we find him in Mooers, Clinton County, New York, where (probably) he married Betsy Foster, the daughter of Jude and Lydia maiden name unknown Foster.  Jude had died in 1787 so both Josiah and Betsy knew loss as young children.  Josiah and Betsy had 9 children together. 

Josiah was a farmer by occupation, and soon after their marriage the young couple moved to Hartford, Washington County, New York.  Josiah is shown there in several censuses up to 1850, when he was shown in the household of Josiah Whittemore, his son, in Clinton, Erie County, New York.  His wife Betsy didn't die until 1854, so I can only guess that Josiah had left Betsy in the care of sy died his son John (she is listed in his household in the 1850 census) while Josiah went across the state to help his son Josiah with farming chores.  Betsy died March 13, 1854, and Josiah was living with son John in Hartford, Washington County when the state census was taken in 1855.  He is listed as a farmer, so he was probably helping John as best he could.  By this time, he was 71 years old.  The census does state that Josiah had lived in Hartford for 48 years, and this is where he voted so apparently the 1850 census report from Erie County supports the idea that he was there for a brief visit of some sort.

Josiah lived until May 17, 1870, by which time his residence was listed as "South Hartford".  I haven't found a will or estate papers, nor have I found land records to help us locate the Whittemore farm.  But I have found a family man who cared enough to cross the state to help his son, and that is more than I knew when I started this post.  Josiah Whittemore was apparently another of our quiet ancestors, but perhaps I will someday learn more of his story.

The line of descent is

Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Myers
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants