1. EBENEZER BRITTON (son of WILLIAM & LYDIA (---) BRITTON) was born 1 June 1715 in Raynham, Bristol Co., Massachusetts. He was the fourth son of his parents. He lived about 55 years in Raynham, going to Westmoreland, New Hampshire, in 1771. He bought one hundred acres of land there July 6 of that year, and also purchased a grist and saw mill with twelve acres -- the first mills built in that town. The grantor was James Minot, of Putney, "province of New York," the jurisdiction of Vermont then being in dispute. Putney is on the opposite side of the Connecticut River from Westmoreland.
Ebenezer Britton was a warm patriot in revolutionary days and signed the "association test." When his neighbors were troubled about the depreciation of continental money, he said: "I am not afraid of continental money; it will be redeemed in good time; redeemed or not redeemed, no soldier who has fought under George Washington shall go hungry while I have corn to feed him!"
Several of his sons were enlisted in the army. He was active in church and town matters, serving as deacon and many times as selectman, and was representative in 1776, 1777 and 1778, and member of the Continental Congress 1777-1778. He died 21 January 1788 in Westmoreland, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire, where he is buried in North Cemetery.
He married (1) 20 May 1735
TABITHA LEONARD, daughter of SETH LEONARD, his cousin, who died in
1749.
Children of EBENEZER BRITTON and TABITHA LEONARD, BRITTON:
2 i EBENEZER BRITTON
3 ii DAVID BRITTON
4 iii ABIGAIL BRITTON
5 iv WEALTHY BRITTON
6 v TABITHA BRITTON
He married (2) on 20 February 1749/1750 in Raynham or in Providence, Rhode
Island
SARAH H. BULLOCK, born 12 September 1731 in Rehoboth, Bristol County,
Massachusetts, died 19 September 1790 in Westmoreland where she is also
buried in the North Cemetery.
Their sons Samuel, Calvin and Luther and several grandchildren settled in Jefferson County, New York.
Children of EBENEZER BRITTON and SARAH BULLOCK, BRITTON:
7 i KEZIAH BRITTON married
8 ii JOB BRITTON married ABIGAIL CHAMERLAIN
9 iii JAMES BRITTON married
10 iv MERCY BRITTON married
11 v SAMUEL BRITTON
12 vi ASA BRITTON
13 vii STEPHEN BRITTON married SYBIL FULLER
14 viii SQUIRE BRITTON
15 ix SARAH BRITTON
16 x CALVIN BRITTON, a brigadier-general in the Revolutionary War,
accompanied his brothers in the settlement of
Jefferson Co., New York
17 xi LUTHER BRITTON settled in Jefferson Co., New York
18 xii MARTIN BRITTON
8 JOB BRITTON (son of EBENEZER & SARAH (BULLOCK) BRITTON) was born 20 February 1755 in Raynham, Bristol County, Massachusetts. Job's Revolutionary War record indicates that he served under Col. James Reed. He enlisted in Westmoreland, New Hampshire, his residence, in 1775. For one year he served in Capt. Jacob Hind's company of Col. James Reed's regiment. He was wounded in his right shoulder at the Battle of Bunker Hill and was under a surgeon's care until December. He then marched to Canada and was ill with smallpox during Col. Bedel's affair at the Cedars. He returned home in October 1776. In the spring of 1777 he substituted for his brother, Samuel, who was ill and served four months. On 13 January 1783 he substituted for his brother-in-law, Ephraim Stone, in Capt. Ellis' company for six months. He died 15 December 1804 in Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire where he is buried.
He married 3 February 1774, in Westmoreland
ABIGAIL CHAMBERLAIN who was born after 1756 in Westmoreland, and died
after 23 April 1846 in Chili, Monroe County, New York. She is known to have
been aged 88 years in 1844. On 19 June 1838, Abigail Britton applied for a
widow's pension (New York Widow's file #17338, Rev. War), thus indicating
that Job was dead by that time. Her residence at the date of application was
Rochester, Monroe County, New York, and her claim was allowed. She reported
her age in 1844 as 88 years.
Children, BRITTON:
19 i OTIS BRITTON
20 ii STILLMAN BRITTON
21 iii JONAH BRITTON
22 iv JOSHUA BRITTON
23 v WILLIAM BRITTON
24 vi JOAB BRITTON married ELIZA SHERMAN
19. OTIS BRITTON (son of JOB & ABOGAIL (CHAMBERLAIN) BRITTON) was born 6 October 1775, in Westmoreland, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire.
In the year 1800, CHARLES WELCH and OTIS BRITTON made their decision to become pioneers, and followed what was to become an increasingly popular trail from New Hampshire to Remsen, Herkimer County, New York. From there, they headed for the North Country where JACOB BROWN and his bride, the former PAMELA WILLIAMS, had settled earlier the same year.
CHARLES and OTIS took a job chopping out a road from a point on the river at Brownville to the ferry at Chaumont -- a distance of ten miles. They began this work in November, but before it was completed a heavy snowfall came. Their shoes were worn out, but they could get no others, and so they were obliged to finish their work and travel back to Herkimer County, a distance of more than 80 miles, in their bare feet. Before leaving, however, they assisted SAMUEL BRITTON, an uncle of OTIS, in erecting the body of a log house. By some mishap, OTIS broke his leg, and was drawn on an ox sled to Floyd, CHARLES preceding the team with his axe to clear the road.
The following fall, CHARLES WELCH married EUNICE, daughter of MOSES COLE of Newport, settling in Brownville, and keeping house in the little log cabin built by the BROWNS and used for a smoke-house. NATHAN, twin brother of CHARLES, joined them, and they took up a farm in the Parish neighborhood, where a son was born to CHARLES and EUNICE, the first white child born in the new town north of the Black River. By this marriage, CHARLES WELCH and OTIS BRITTON became brothers-in-law, for OTIS had earlier married in 1795 MOSES COLE'S daughter, DIADEMA. (See pioneer COLE {CLICK} He died 1814, at Brownville, Jefferson County, New York and is buried in the Taylor Cemetery there.
He married 1795
DIADEMA COLE, who was a daughter of MOSES & MARY (SPERRY) COLE.
She was born 18 November 1775 in Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts, and
she died 28 June 1845 in Cape Vincent, Jefferson County, where she is buried in
Taylor Cemetery. Judging from her late birth year and from the fact that she was
born somewhere other than her siblings, it seems that Diadema may have been the
daughter of a later, unidentified wife of Moses Cole. Mary Sperry would have
been about 50 years old if she gave birth to Diadema in 1775 -- a full nine years
after the previous child. It is certain that she was at least Moses' daughter.
Children, BRITTON:
25 i NANCY BRITTON married
26 ii ABIGAIL BRITTON
27 iii EUNICE BRITTON
28 iv LYMAN BRITTON
29 v WARREN BRITTON
30 vi LUCINDA BRITTON
28. LYMAN BRITTON (son of OTIS & DIADEMA (COLE) BRITTON) was born on 16 December 1801 in Brownville, Jefferson Co., New York, and very early in life joined his great-uncle Brigadier-General Calvin Britton in the lumber business, cutting the tallest pine trees and shipping them down the St. Lawrence River by raft to Montreal. He died in 1882
He married 31 January 1830
ELIZA BANFORD, who was born 6 October 1811, and died 1863 in Jefferson
County.
Children (all born in Jefferson Co., New York from census schedules) BRITTON:
31 i OTIS BRITTON
32 ii WILLIAM BRITTON
33 iii CLARISSA BRITTON married BYRON CARTER
34 iv BETSEY BRITTON
35 v CALVIN
36 vi ADELINE BRITTON (possibly Emeline, below?)
37 vii EMELINE BRITTON
38 viii GEORGE BRITTON
For further information, contact:
Mark Wentling
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