His uncle James Anson Marsh
James Anson Marsh was born July 17, 1796, in St. Albans, Franklin, Vermont.[i] He was living in Rochester, New York, in the 1830 census with a wife and children.[ii] He also had a man living with his family that was 20-30 years old. A history of Joseph Marsh says that he walked to Rochester to live with his brother, James, in 1823.[iii] It is probable the man in the home in the 1830 census was Joseph.
The deeds found for James were as follows:
There was an obituary for James printed in the “Christian Palladium", August 1832. - Died at Rochester, N.Y. on the 16th [old print hard to read], Mr. James J. [evident misprint] Marsh. He was one of the subscribers to the Palladium, has long been a liberal Christian, and trusted in his Redeemer to the last."[x]
An obituary for James Anson appeared in the Vermont Chronicle, Sep. 7, 1832. "In Rochester N.Y., on the 15th, inst. of Cholera, James A. Marsh, aged 36. He was a native of St. Albans, Vermont."[xi]
James died without a will, and that is not surprising as cholera took a person within twenty-four hours. His wife, Wealthy, petitioned for guardianship of their children in Rochester, May 15th, 1833.[xii] There was a Jehiel Barnard listed with Wealthy as being bound to these children also; he lived quite close to the Marsh family in the 1830 U.S. census. The guardianship papers said James had real property, but there was no paper in the probate file showing where land was divided among the heirs. Wealthy later married David Allen and had other children.
I wondered for a while if Jehiel Barnard could have been Wealthy's father, but I later found a history of him over the internet for Rochester, and that showed they were not relatied in that way. It appears that Jehiel and his wife, Delia Scranton, were just friends of the Marshes. Jehiel did own a store in Rochester, so James A. Marsh could have had something to do with the same business. It is interesting that James A.'s son also was a store owner.
There were no burials in Mount Hope Cemetery before 1838, so whether or not James A. Marsh's remains were later moved to that location or a monument honoring him was simply that, is not known.[xiii] James C. Marsh and Charles Vaill purchased all of lot 3 in Section V on November 5, 1856.[xiv] There are two monuments on the lot. One has the surname Marsh engraved on the base. The east side reads "James A. Marsh died Aug. 15, 1832; the west side says, "James C. Marsh died May 17, 1859; and the north side reads "Margaret Ann Marsh wife of the late James C. Marsh and daughter of Moses and Elizabeth Staats Kenyon born Aug. 25, 1819 died April 12, 1909. The south side has no inscription.
The other monument on the lot has the name of Vaill on one side and Kenyon on the other. Charles Vaill and James C. Marsh seem to have been brothers-in-law through their marriages to Kenyon sisters. Charles Vaill, and his wife, Hannah Kenyon, named a child James Marsh Vaill who died at the age of 22 (1872).[xv]
The deeds found for James were as follows:
- 23 October 1821 - James A. Marsh purchased the north half of lot 119 on Hart Street from William and Ann Fitzhugh for $100.[iv]
- 20 January 1826 - James A. Marsh purchased from Frederick and Rebecca Backus for $50.00 a strip of seven feet by one hundred and twenty on the south part of lot 120, also on Hart Street.[v]
- On the same day - James A. Marsh sold either the same land or a piece like it off of his lot, 119, to Asa Sibley.[vi]
- 26 November 1847- James C. and Margaret A. Marsh, Harriet Marsh, David and Wealthy Allen, sold to Hector Hunter for $2100 all of the above mentioned land. The three transactions were named in this last deed, as well as their previous owner, James A. Marsh.[vii]
There was an obituary for James printed in the “Christian Palladium", August 1832. - Died at Rochester, N.Y. on the 16th [old print hard to read], Mr. James J. [evident misprint] Marsh. He was one of the subscribers to the Palladium, has long been a liberal Christian, and trusted in his Redeemer to the last."[x]
An obituary for James Anson appeared in the Vermont Chronicle, Sep. 7, 1832. "In Rochester N.Y., on the 15th, inst. of Cholera, James A. Marsh, aged 36. He was a native of St. Albans, Vermont."[xi]
James died without a will, and that is not surprising as cholera took a person within twenty-four hours. His wife, Wealthy, petitioned for guardianship of their children in Rochester, May 15th, 1833.[xii] There was a Jehiel Barnard listed with Wealthy as being bound to these children also; he lived quite close to the Marsh family in the 1830 U.S. census. The guardianship papers said James had real property, but there was no paper in the probate file showing where land was divided among the heirs. Wealthy later married David Allen and had other children.
I wondered for a while if Jehiel Barnard could have been Wealthy's father, but I later found a history of him over the internet for Rochester, and that showed they were not relatied in that way. It appears that Jehiel and his wife, Delia Scranton, were just friends of the Marshes. Jehiel did own a store in Rochester, so James A. Marsh could have had something to do with the same business. It is interesting that James A.'s son also was a store owner.
There were no burials in Mount Hope Cemetery before 1838, so whether or not James A. Marsh's remains were later moved to that location or a monument honoring him was simply that, is not known.[xiii] James C. Marsh and Charles Vaill purchased all of lot 3 in Section V on November 5, 1856.[xiv] There are two monuments on the lot. One has the surname Marsh engraved on the base. The east side reads "James A. Marsh died Aug. 15, 1832; the west side says, "James C. Marsh died May 17, 1859; and the north side reads "Margaret Ann Marsh wife of the late James C. Marsh and daughter of Moses and Elizabeth Staats Kenyon born Aug. 25, 1819 died April 12, 1909. The south side has no inscription.
The other monument on the lot has the name of Vaill on one side and Kenyon on the other. Charles Vaill and James C. Marsh seem to have been brothers-in-law through their marriages to Kenyon sisters. Charles Vaill, and his wife, Hannah Kenyon, named a child James Marsh Vaill who died at the age of 22 (1872).[xv]
Photos special courtesy of Frank Gillespie, The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery
Children of James Anson and Wealthy Marsh
I. Miss Marsh born c. 1821 in New York.
II. James C. Marsh born 29 May 1823 in New York died 1859 of diabetes, according to cemetery records. He owned a lot of property; there were numerous land transactions for him in the Rochester land records, and his probate file was large. He died at the same age his father did (36). By that time, his mother was married to David Allen, James C. was married to Margaret Ann Kenyon (no children), and Harriet was married to Calvin Brooks. The relationships were stated in the will. There was a half-sister named on one page of the probate. Her name was Emily M. Allen Kalbfleisch. She was married to John Kalbfleisch, and the couple lived with her parents. The Mount Hope Cemetery records show that David and Wealthy had other children who died young. The Allen’s daughter, Emily, named children for her deceased siblings, and it may be important to future research that Clifford was a name continued through the Kalbfleisch family, which brings up the question of whether the “C” in Wealthy C. Marsh’s name, and the “C” in James C. Marsh’s name meant that Wealthy’s maiden name was Clifford. Ancestry.com says the name was Clark – no source provided.
III. Harriet Marsh, born 25 November 1826, married c. 1850 Calvin (Culvin, Colvin) Brooks c. 1813 Massachusetts. Calvin Brooks must have been previously married, as in the 1850 census, there was an Amelia Brooks c. 1834 and a Wellington Brooks c. 1841 living with the newly married couple, and Harriet was not old enough to have been their mother. As mentioned above, she was named in her brother's will, and she was of Ellicotville, Cattaraugus, New York, at that time. She and her husband moved to Gates, Monroe, New York, by 1860 to take over the farm left to her by her brother. The Gates Business Directory of 1869 shows "Calvin Brooks, Rochester lot 35, grocer, and farmer, 21". Harriet was also given her brother's store, in fee, after the death of their mother, and it appears from the 1880 census, that Harriet and her husband may have moved into Rochester where the store was located. Harriet and her mother, Wealthy, had a land deal between them in 1858. The graves of Calvin and Harriet Brooks were not located in the Mount Hope Cemetery records.
It appears that Calvin Brooks had a brother named Marsena, who was living next door to Calvin in the 1850 census in Cattaraugus County. The two were also living next door to each other in the 1840 census of Sacketts Harbor, Jefferson, New York.
There was a Crandall Brooks (23) living with the Calvin Brooks family in the 1870 census. He was not listed with the family in other census records. After finding the marriage record of the Brooks’ daughter, Wealtha, over Rootsweb, it seems that "Crandall Brooks" was her husband written incorrectly by the census taker. The age was just right.
II. James C. Marsh born 29 May 1823 in New York died 1859 of diabetes, according to cemetery records. He owned a lot of property; there were numerous land transactions for him in the Rochester land records, and his probate file was large. He died at the same age his father did (36). By that time, his mother was married to David Allen, James C. was married to Margaret Ann Kenyon (no children), and Harriet was married to Calvin Brooks. The relationships were stated in the will. There was a half-sister named on one page of the probate. Her name was Emily M. Allen Kalbfleisch. She was married to John Kalbfleisch, and the couple lived with her parents. The Mount Hope Cemetery records show that David and Wealthy had other children who died young. The Allen’s daughter, Emily, named children for her deceased siblings, and it may be important to future research that Clifford was a name continued through the Kalbfleisch family, which brings up the question of whether the “C” in Wealthy C. Marsh’s name, and the “C” in James C. Marsh’s name meant that Wealthy’s maiden name was Clifford. Ancestry.com says the name was Clark – no source provided.
III. Harriet Marsh, born 25 November 1826, married c. 1850 Calvin (Culvin, Colvin) Brooks c. 1813 Massachusetts. Calvin Brooks must have been previously married, as in the 1850 census, there was an Amelia Brooks c. 1834 and a Wellington Brooks c. 1841 living with the newly married couple, and Harriet was not old enough to have been their mother. As mentioned above, she was named in her brother's will, and she was of Ellicotville, Cattaraugus, New York, at that time. She and her husband moved to Gates, Monroe, New York, by 1860 to take over the farm left to her by her brother. The Gates Business Directory of 1869 shows "Calvin Brooks, Rochester lot 35, grocer, and farmer, 21". Harriet was also given her brother's store, in fee, after the death of their mother, and it appears from the 1880 census, that Harriet and her husband may have moved into Rochester where the store was located. Harriet and her mother, Wealthy, had a land deal between them in 1858. The graves of Calvin and Harriet Brooks were not located in the Mount Hope Cemetery records.
It appears that Calvin Brooks had a brother named Marsena, who was living next door to Calvin in the 1850 census in Cattaraugus County. The two were also living next door to each other in the 1840 census of Sacketts Harbor, Jefferson, New York.
There was a Crandall Brooks (23) living with the Calvin Brooks family in the 1870 census. He was not listed with the family in other census records. After finding the marriage record of the Brooks’ daughter, Wealtha, over Rootsweb, it seems that "Crandall Brooks" was her husband written incorrectly by the census taker. The age was just right.
A. Wealthy Brooks, named for her grandmother, 27 July 1850 Ellicottville, New York. She married 20 December 1869 Francis Marion Crandall (census says Frederick) born 21 September 1846 in Canandaigua, New York. She died 17 January 1943 in Rochester. The known Crandall children are Bertha Gertrude Crandall 4 Feb 1871, Frederick Marion Crandall 1 Mar 1876, Charles Francis Crandall 3 Jun 1879, and Frank Eugene Crandall 21 Aug 1881.
B. Flora Brooks c. 1853 New York, from combined census records.
C. Hattie Brooks c. 1855 New York. She married 8 Sep 1886 in Johnston, Rhode Island, Eugene Franklin Hamburg, son of Lambert F. and Dorothea Brehm Hamburg. Hattie and Eugene had a daughter named Florence B. Hamburg, born 1891 in New York.
D. James Brooks c. 1860. He may have died before 1870.
E. Fanny E. Brooks c. 1865 New York. She married 5 June 1883 A. A. B. (Bennett) Paige; about 1863, born in Rochester, the son of James L. Paige and Jane E. Bennett. (Rochester marriages on the web.) Calvin and Harriet were living with the Paiges in the 1900 census of Rochester. The known Paige children are Garnier Page, Nov 1887, Marsh B. Paige, Jun 1889, Leander M. Paige, abt 1891, Lawrence Victor Paige, Sep 1895, Mabel M. Paige, Sep 1898, Ruth L. Paige abt 1904.
IV. Eunice Marsh c. 1830. Eunice was the right age to be the small daughter listed in the census for 1830 and was also listed as a two- year old that died in the cholera epidemic in Rochester.
B. Flora Brooks c. 1853 New York, from combined census records.
C. Hattie Brooks c. 1855 New York. She married 8 Sep 1886 in Johnston, Rhode Island, Eugene Franklin Hamburg, son of Lambert F. and Dorothea Brehm Hamburg. Hattie and Eugene had a daughter named Florence B. Hamburg, born 1891 in New York.
D. James Brooks c. 1860. He may have died before 1870.
E. Fanny E. Brooks c. 1865 New York. She married 5 June 1883 A. A. B. (Bennett) Paige; about 1863, born in Rochester, the son of James L. Paige and Jane E. Bennett. (Rochester marriages on the web.) Calvin and Harriet were living with the Paiges in the 1900 census of Rochester. The known Paige children are Garnier Page, Nov 1887, Marsh B. Paige, Jun 1889, Leander M. Paige, abt 1891, Lawrence Victor Paige, Sep 1895, Mabel M. Paige, Sep 1898, Ruth L. Paige abt 1904.
IV. Eunice Marsh c. 1830. Eunice was the right age to be the small daughter listed in the census for 1830 and was also listed as a two- year old that died in the cholera epidemic in Rochester.
[i] Correspondence with St. Albans record office, P.O. Box 867, St. Albans, Vermont, 05478-0867.
[ii] 1830 U.S. census, Rochester Ward 1, Monroe, New York, James A. Marsh.
[iii] Parker, Jane Marsh, “History of Joseph Marsh” on file with the author, courtesy of Sheron Long.
[iv] Monroe County, New York deeds, 1825-1826, bk. 5 pg. 511, FHL #825,769.
[v] Monroe County, New York deeds, 1847, bk. 75, pg. 547, FHL #825,839.
[vi] Monroe County, New York deeds, 1827-1828, bk. 11 pg. 188, FHL #825,775.
[vii] Monroe County, New York deeds, 1847-1848, bk. 78, pg. 18, FHL #825,842.
[viii] “The Cholera Epidemic of 1832 in Rochester”, mcnygenealogy.com/vr.cholera.htm.
[ix] Frank R. Gillespie with The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery.
[x] Marsh, Joseph, August 1832, Christian Palladium, courtesy of David R. Graham.
[xi] Sep. 7, 1832, “Vermont Chronicle”, Middlebury College Library, Middlebury, Vermont; obtained through
correspondence with Sylvia Manning.
[xii] James A. Marsh, Rochester Probate Office in Rochester, New York.
[xiii] Frank R. Gillespie with The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery.
[xiv] Ibid.
[xv] Ibid.
[ii] 1830 U.S. census, Rochester Ward 1, Monroe, New York, James A. Marsh.
[iii] Parker, Jane Marsh, “History of Joseph Marsh” on file with the author, courtesy of Sheron Long.
[iv] Monroe County, New York deeds, 1825-1826, bk. 5 pg. 511, FHL #825,769.
[v] Monroe County, New York deeds, 1847, bk. 75, pg. 547, FHL #825,839.
[vi] Monroe County, New York deeds, 1827-1828, bk. 11 pg. 188, FHL #825,775.
[vii] Monroe County, New York deeds, 1847-1848, bk. 78, pg. 18, FHL #825,842.
[viii] “The Cholera Epidemic of 1832 in Rochester”, mcnygenealogy.com/vr.cholera.htm.
[ix] Frank R. Gillespie with The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery.
[x] Marsh, Joseph, August 1832, Christian Palladium, courtesy of David R. Graham.
[xi] Sep. 7, 1832, “Vermont Chronicle”, Middlebury College Library, Middlebury, Vermont; obtained through
correspondence with Sylvia Manning.
[xii] James A. Marsh, Rochester Probate Office in Rochester, New York.
[xiii] Frank R. Gillespie with The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery.
[xiv] Ibid.
[xv] Ibid.