The Children of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Tuttle) Belcher
tracy — Mon, 08/28/2006 - 19:41
According to the book The Belcher family in England and America, comprehending a period of seven hundred and sixty-five years, with particular reference to the descendants of Adam Belcher of Southfields, Orange County, New York, Jonathan and Elizabeth (Tuttle) Belcher had seven children. In this post, we will seek to verify as much of the information provided about the family using the New England Historic Genealogical Society's online database, Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850.
First, we do a search on Jonathan Belcher from 1717 to 1785 in Chelsea.
| Year | Family Name | Record | Record Type | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1718 | Belcher | Jonathan, s. of Ensign Joseph, bp. June 1, 1718. C.R.1. | Birth | Chelsea |
| 1743 | Belcher | Jonathan, s. of Jonathan and Elizabeth, 8th day, 4th mo., 1743. | Birth | Chelsea |
| 1744 | Belcher | Elizabeth, d. of Jonathan and Elizabeth, 3ist day, 9th mo., 1744 | Birth | Chelsea |
| 1747 | Belcher | David, s. of Jonathan and Elizabeth, 28th day, 3d mo., 1747. | Birth | Chelsea |
| 1749 | Belcher | Mary, d. of Jonathan and Elizabeth, 25th day, 7th mo., 1749. | Birth | Chelsea |
| 1751 | Belcher | Joseph, s. of Jonathan and Elizabeth, 10th day,5th mo., 1751. | Birth | Chelsea |
| 1754 | Belcher | Martha, d. of Jonathan and Elizabeth, 12th day, 3d mo., 1754. | Birth | Chelsea |
| 1763 | Belcher | Elizabeth, d. of Jonathan], bp. July 10, 1763. C.R.1. | Birth | Chelsea |
| 1785 | Belcher | Jonathan, bur. Oct. 17, 1785, a. 67 y. C.R.1. | Death | Chelsea |
| 1742 | Belcher | Jonathan and Elizebeth Tuttle, May 13, 1742. | Marriage | Chelsea |
These results appear to confirm a number of details in the book.
- A Jonathan Belcher did marry an Elizabeth Tuttle on May 13, 1742.
- The first six children mentioned appear to be confirmed. There is a question about what calendar was used for these dates, but the years do align correctly.
- A Jonathan Belcher has a death date of 17 October 1785.
- There is a Jonathan Belcher, son of Ensign Joseph.
However there are a few question raised.
- What calendar is being used? How should we interpret the dates listed where they are listed in the format number day number month year?
- Where is the listing for Abigail?
- Who is the Elizabeth baptized in 1763? Is this an adult baptism? Could she be a daughter of Jonathan or Jonathan's son Jonathan?
The next search we do involves the same time period and location, but instead of searching specifically for Jonathan Belcher, we will look for all Belcher records. Obviously, there are a number of records outside the scope of this family group, but the ones of most interest to us are:
| Year | Family Name | Record | Record Type | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1758 | Belcher | Abigail, d. of Jona[tha]n and Eliz[abet]h, 7th day, 3d mo., 1758. | Birth | Chelsea |
| 1760 | Belcher | Mary, d. of Jona[than] and Eliza[beth], bur. Sept. 24, 1760, a. 12 y. C.R.1. | Death | Chelsea |
| 1781 | Belcher | Joseph and Rachel Shute, Dec. 18, 1781. | Marriage | Chelsea |
This clears up some doubts from our previous search and gives us some additional information.
- There is Abigail.
- However, still no information about Elizabeth Belcher born on 1763. It's possible for her to be the daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth Belcher, but probably unlikely given that Elizabeth would be 45. However, we can't use the previous existence of an Elizabeth Belcher to discount the possibilty that she is a daughter of this couple. The Elizabeth born in 1744 would be aged 42 at her first marriage in 1786 whereas the Elizabeth born in 1763 would be just 23. Obviously, further research is needed on these two Elizabeths.
- We have new information on Mary. It seems she died as a child.
- We have the marriage information for Joseph Belcher.
This is a good start for now. More to follow.
