The first Jotham Ives was born in Wallingford Township, Connecticut on 20 August 1745. He moved to Litchfield County around 1768 and was a farmer. He married on 10 May 1769 to Anna Foster, who was born 14 August 1747 in Wallingford, CT, daughter of Thomas Foster and Mary Clark. Anna died on 22 February 1795 and Jotham married on 28 September 1796 to Lydia Mix, who was born 23 April 1753 in New Haven, CT, daughter of Samuel Mix and Lydia Todd. Jotham died on 1 April 1825 in Torrington, CT and Lydia died on 14 January 1832 in New Haven. Jotham and Anna are both buried in Torrington, CT. Jotham was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and is listed in the DAR Index as a private from Connecticut.
Children of Jotham Ives and Anna Foster:
1) Joel Ives, b 13 May 1770 and died in 1804 of yellow fever with most of his family in Brookfield, NY. He married Anna Goodwin.
Children:
Julia b 1796, d 1885; married Marvin Scott
Lucy b 1802, d 1844; married Benjamin Maxson and lived in Hounsfield, Jefferson Co., NY
Children: (Maxson)
Sophia married Jay Dimmick of Hounsfield
Rufus Leonard married Azelia Warren
Sarah Baker Hall, wife of Hiram Hall
2) Anna Ives b 26 Sept. 1773 in Torrington and baptized 1 October 1775; died August 1859; she married Samuel Hall
3) Lucy Ives born 1775 and baptized 1 October 1775; married Nathan Phelps.
4) Jotham Ives (Jr.) also written as Gotham Ives, was born 8 June 1777 in Torrington, CT and died 5 April 1841 in Watertown, Jefferson Co., NY. He was a veteran of the War of 1812. He married Amy Scott, born 1777, died 1864 in Watertown At his death, his estate was probated and he named his heirs:
Wife, Amy Ives
John Ives, son
Garrett Ives, son; wife: 3) Eliza Stewart , b 1824, d 1894. Garrett b 1806, d 1889 wife 2) Louisa Reed b 1807, d 1847; wife 1)Lorinda Lamon b 1811; died 1831.
Amanda White, wife of Harry White of Watertown, NY
He also named his grandson, Francis Ives
5) Titus Ives born 16 October 1778 and died 12 February 1847 in Watertown. His wife, Mary Phelps Ives survived him. He left no will.
Children:
Willard Ives born 7 July 1806 and died 19 April 1896. He married Charlotte Winslow on 27 Dec. 1827, who was born 1806 and died 13 October 1861 at 55 years. He married as his second wife, Lucina (Lucy) M. Eddy, who died on 3 December 1905 at 85 years. All three are buried in Watertown. No children. Lucina was of Philadelphia NY, formerly of Oswego Co. She was the daughter of Zepheniah and Sally Eddy, her father a native of Rhode Island.
6) Erastus Ives was born 2 November 1780 and died 3 September 1828 in Watertown, NY; he married Lucy Paine/Payne. Erastus died without a will and she petitioned the court to recognize her dower rights in the property that he left at his death.
Children:
A) Joel Ives was born 20 Oct. 1806 CT, and died in 22 Feb.1871; he married Sarah Dodge, daughter of Asa Dodge and Julia Collins, (1st wife, married 1830 Mary Ingalls Ives b 1812, d 1843; 2nd wife, Sarah Dodge b 1823, d 1891, married Dec.1843) and had the following children:
Julia Hall; married Solomon Hall. Julia b 1838 and d 1902. Solomon b 1831 and d 1912.
Mary A. Ives b 19 Jan. 1847, d 1922
Lucy A. Ives b 1849; when her will was probated in 1873, she mentioned her sister, Mary A. Ives, although Julia Hall and James J. Ives were also next of kin. Lucy b 1849; died 1873.
James I. Ives b 1848; d 1893
Louisa Horr, wife of Riley Horr of Missouri/Wisconsin
B) Jerome Ives d 1877 at 67 years; married Chloe Holloway. Jerome was Captain of Militia.
Children of Jerome and Chloe:
Franklin E. Ives, b 26 Sept. 1845 in Hounsfield; m. Emma Coon, b 24 Aug. 1875 in Watertown. Franklin d 17 June 1957 St. Lawrence Co., buried in Watertown.
Children of Franklin E. Ives and Emma Coon:
Marie G. Ives b 11 Aug. 1902
Vernon Arthur Ives
Lucy Ives, married Ebenezer A. Ayers of Watertown; he b 29 Jan. 1827
Children of Ebenezer Ayers and Lucy Ives:
Charles E. Ayers
Ebenezer married 2) Jane Warren, daughter of Thomas W. Warren of Hounsfield and Diadamia Miller (came to Jefferson Co from New Brunswick);
Children of Ebenezer Ayers and Jane Warren:
Lucy A.
Jesse W.
Edward A.
Henry L.
Mary E.
Adelia Ives wife of Francis Ives
C) Julia Ives
D) Henry Ives; born 1820, d 1867
Jotham Ives and his wife, Amy Scott Ives, were listed in the land books as early as 1808, although descendants claim he was in Jefferson by 1801. In the 1810 census, Jotham had:
1 male 0-10, 1 male 16-26, 1 male 26-45, 1 female 0-10, 1 female 26-45
Erastus Ives and wife, Sarah, were buying land in 1810, from Nicholas Low of New York City, who sold a number of parcels to the Ives brothers. In the 1810 census, Erastus had:
2 males 0-10; 1 male 26-45, 1 female 0-10 and one female 10-16; one female 26-45
Dr. Titus Ives and Mary Phelps Ives, who were the parents of Willard Ives, were in Jefferson Co. early. The first land transaction for Titus was in 1810 when he purchased from Hounsfield and Kemble. He continued to buy and sell land until a year before his death in 1847. In the 1810 census, Titus had:
1 male 0-10, 1 male 16-26, 1 male 26-45 and 1 female 26-45.
Although named as a doctor, it is believed that he did little in the way of practicing medicine in Jefferson County, although he did serve in the legislature for one term. His focus seemed to be on buying and selling lands for a profit, a trait he passed on to their only child and son, Willard Ives.
Willard Ives was the notable philanthropist of Jefferson County in his time. In his will, which was administered in part by his second wife, Lucina M., a long list of charitable organizations received the benefit of his endeavors with his specific directions from the Willard Ives Foundation:
The American Bible Society
The Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church
The Ives Seminary at Antwerp, NY (an educational facility founded by Willard Ives)
The Freedman's Aid Society of the ME Church
The Methodist Episcopal Hospital in Brooklyn, NY
The American University in Washington, DC
The Union Missionary Training Institute
The Board of Church Extension of the ME Church
His investments in real estate seemed to follow the principle of: buy cheap and sell high. The focus of his land investments centered in and around Watertown, New York. An example of that principle is exhibited in one tract of land that he purchased for $1,000 in 1824; by 1844 he and wife, Charlotte, sold the land for $10,000, it being in one of the blocks in Watertown, but also included other holdings in the county. They were generous to family members as Titus and Mary sold a parcel to Jotham Ives, a lot of 72 acres for $200, on 27 Dec. 1813. The land buying/selling was not confined to the Ives family alone but included corollary families such as the Winslows and the Ayers. Charlotte Winslow Ives was the daughter of Samuel Winslow of Watertown. Her sister, Hannah, married Jonathan Ayers and after his death, to John Graves. In reviewing the deeds for one branch of the family, other allied family names appear in the listings. In a land transaction dated in 1833, Elizabeth Winslow, who was the widow of Samuel Winslow, released her right of dower for the consideration of $800, which was paid to her by John Winslow, Willard Ives, Nancy Winslow and Laura Winslow, Charlotte Winslow as the wife of Willard Ives. Property was sold by the Ives men to Charles and Jesse Ayers, children of Hannah Winslow Ayers Graves, for nominal sums, no doubt to get them started in the absence of their deceased father.
Titus Ives, father of Willard, did not leave a will. It appears that he divested himself of all real estate and converted it to cash or managed to pass it along to Willard thus bypassing the estate taxes. When Willard died, a list of "cousins" in the probate packet contained the names of 44 individuals as heirs or next of kin. They must have been disappointed that he left nothing to any of them, but the list is a very important genealogical tool for those descendants who are seeking their Ives roots. Everything that Willard Ives accomplished for his community within Jefferson County and beyond, touched the lives of many such as the Ives Seminary, an educational facility in the county that was the beginning of new careers for many residents of Jefferson County.
Sources: Durant & Peirce, Steve Condarcure, Arthur Coon Ives, VIR Connecticut, cemetery records and stones, Jefferson Co. Wills and Land Deeds, census records, Winslow and Ayers family records, DAR records, NNY Gen. In Stone.
This information about the Pioneer Ives family was contributed by volunteer Marilyn Sapienza.
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