The Children of Elisha and Catherine Shipman

Yesterday, 7 Apr 2017, I wrote about Elisha Shipman. Today I want to give my conclusions about who his children were.

Using the information from the 1837 letter writer from Ashtabula County Ohio, one of Elisha's children was Joseph Lester Shipman. Joseph's birthdate has been given as 25 Jan 1808. So he should have been in Elisha's household for the 1820 census. However Elisha is found in Lyme, New London County, Connecticut with 1 male age 26-44, 1 female age 26-44 and 3 females under 10. The adults fit, but Joseph is not there. I still believe Joseph is a son and could be living with some relative or working for someone.

What about the 3 females under 10? I believe we can identify them, even though their ages are a little bit off: Mehitable, born about 1809/10, Philena born 1811 and Zeriah born about 1814.

Mehitable was married to Alexander Wright. By 1850 Elisha and Catherine are living with them in Leroy District, Lake County, Ohio. Mehitable and Alexander were still there in the 1860 census, but by 1870 Alexander is in Chikaming, Berrien County Michigan and Mehitable is on the mortality schedule there with a death date of Aug 1869. It is interesting that Joseph's son Joshua Rodney Shipman was in Chikaming on the 1860 census, but had moved to Mercer County Illinois by 1865.

Philena was married to George Chase and in 1850 they were living next door to Joseph Lester Shipman and his family in Cherry Valley Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio. Philena and George were in Berrien County Michigan in 1860 and in 1870. By 1880 Philena is living with her son James in Mercer County Illinois.

Zeriah was married to George Mather. She seems to be the one child who remained in Connecticut. George is listed in the 1840 census in Lyme, New London County, Connecticut with a female in the household the right age to the Zeriah. They are still there in 1850 and are in Old Lyme (formed from Lyme) in 1860 when Elisha and Catherine are living with them. They are in Old Lyme in the 1870 census and Zeriah (listed as Lotta) was living with her son in East Lyme in the 1880 census.

The family seemed to move around, but there are some common places: Lyme, New London County, Connecticut; Ashtabula County, Ohio; Lake County, Ohio; Berrien County, Michigan; and Mercer County, Illinois.