Ancestor Unbirthday - abt 1785 - Seth Hayes

Seth Hayes was my 3rd gt-grandfather. I am uncertain about his date of birth, but when he filed for his Oregon donation land claim, he used 1785 and on the 1850 census for Locust Grove Township in Jefferson County Iowa his age was listed as 64 which would be an about 1785 birthdate. The 1830 census in Burton, Geauga County, Ohio showed Seth as between 40 and 50 so this fits a 1785 birthdate.

Where was Seth born? In his Oregon donation land claim papers Seth listed New York. On the 1850 census it showed his birthplace as New Hampshire. This was the same place that his wife was born, so maybe this caused an incorrect entry. A Hayes family history manuscript listed his birthplace as New York State, probably Stephantown, Albany County.

The same family history stated that his parents were Pliny and Priscilla (Whipple) Hayes. A county history for Geauga County Ohio said that Seth moved there in 1800 with his uncle, also named Seth Hayes, and his sister Hannah. Then Seth and his brother Ebenezer went back east in 1810 and brought their mother to Geauga County. The county history gives this notation about his father: "1st elopement in the Hayes family was her husband, Plynn Hayes, who prior to 1800, run off with a woman into the wilds of Pennsylvania."

While Seth was living in Geauga County, he enlisted in Captain Parkers Company of the Ohio Militia and served in the War of 1812. About 40 years later he received 40 acres of bounty land in Iowa.

He married Lydia Jewett, the daughter of Joseph and Huldah (Fenton) Jewett, 17 Dec 1818 in Geauga County. They lived in Burton township where 7 children were born: Huldah (died at age 3) Hannah, Lydia Louisa, Seth Whipple, Huldah (2nd child named Huldah and my 2nd gt-grandmother) Ebenezer and Sybil Ann. Before 1837 the family moved to Indiana where their youngest child, Priscilla, was born. The family moved to Jefferson County Iowa by 1840 and in 1853 the family left Iowa and traveled over the Oregon Trail to settle in Linn County Oregon in the area that later became the city of Halsey.

The 1860 US Census mortality schedule showed that Seth died in April of 1860 in Linn County Oregon. It listed his birthplace as Massachusetts (which was the probable birthplace of his father) and his age as 74, which again is a birthdate of about 1785.

One of the problems in researching Seth is that his gt-granddaughter. Ruby (Hayes) Standish, gave a WPA interview in 1940 and she gave incorrect information about the wives names, assigning Seth's mother as his wife and assigning Seth's wife to his son. Since these interviews have been published online it can be confusing to researchers. So we always need to verify information given in an oral history.

Consider the Names of Lydia and Seth's Children

Naming Baby

Since Seth and Lydia (Jewett) Hayes had their first child almost 200 years ago (1820) we can't know why they gave their children the names they did. However, we can look at their family trees and make some educated guesses as to who they honored when they named their children.

1. Huldah -- Lydia's mother was Huldah (Fenton) Jewett. Since they reused this name with child No. 5, it seems it was an important name to her.

2. Hannah -- Lydia's grandmother was Hannah (unknown) Jewett. Lydia also had a sister named Hannah and Seth also had a sister named Hannah.

3. Lydia Louisa -- Of course the Lydia is for Lydia herself and Louisa was her sister.

4. Seth Whipple -- Seth would be for Seth and Whipple is the surname of Seth's mother.

5. Huldah -- See No. 1.

6. Ebenezer -- Seth had a brother Ebenezer Hayes. He also had an uncle Ebenezer Whipple.

7. Sybil Ann -- Seth had a sister Sybil Hayes and his grandmother was Ann (Hough) Whipple.

8. Priscilla -- Seth's mother was Priscilla (Whipple) Hayes.

So it appears that Lydia named No 1, 2, 3 and 5 and Seth named 4, 6, 7 and 8. I enjoy finding a family where most of the names come from family connections. However it does make it more difficult sometimes to be sure you have identified the correct individual.

Ancestor Birthday - February 4th - Priscilla Whipple 1759-??

Priscilla Whipple's page on my website has even less information than Reuben's did from yesterday. Priscilla is almost a mystery woman. There are quite a large number of family trees posted on-line which include her, but the majority have no sources except other family trees. I am thankful that in 1909 my 2nd great-grand aunt, Sybil (Hayes) Windom wrote some of her memories for Oregon Historical Society and I was able to get a copy. She named her father's parents: Pliny Hayes and Priscilla Whipple. So you see Priscilla is my 4th great-grandmother.

I believe she was born in Groton, Connecticut to Daniel Whipple and Ann Hough. She was the youngest child, born 4 Feb 1759. Her father went to Brattleboro, Vermont, around 1770. Since she would have been a young teenager, maybe she went there also. Somewhere along the line she married Pliny Hayes, who was a Revolutionary War soldier. I have not found any marriage record for them, but their oldest child, Hannah, was said to have been born around 1776 in New York. Pliny and Priscilla had at least four more children, maybe more before Pliny left her for another woman between 1790 and 1800, running off into the "wilds of Pennsylvania." Then it appears Priscilla married Libeus Herrick, who may have been married before. Did they have any children? Maybe.

Since the early census records only give the name of the head of household, I can guess which ones may have Priscilla as one of the females.

• 1790 Pleny Hayes Stephentown, Albany County, New York
• 1800 Not found
• 1810 Lebeus Herick Petersburg, Renssalaer County, New York
• 1820 Lebbius Herrick Burton, Geauga County, Ohio

It was soon after the 1810 census that two of her children who had moved to Geauga County went east and brought her back.

Libbeus Herrick has a tombstone in Memorial Cemetery in Burton, Geauga County, Ohio showing a death date of Oct 1821. So it would appear that Priscilla then became a widow at about age 62. Where did she go or who did she stay with? I don't know.

Many on-line family trees give a death date for her of 26 Aug 1838 and they show the place as Burton, Geauga County, Ohio or Rochester, Monroe County, New York or Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania or Pottstown, Chester County, Pennsylvania. So with all these differences I don't trust the date either. So it is still a part of the mystery.