The Children of Jonathan Belcher Continued
tracy — Tue, 08/29/2006 - 19:19
In our first article, The Children of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Tuttle) Belcher, we looked at the information listed in the book he 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. The research we did in that article seems to verify many of the statements given in the book. We now have evidence supporting most of the children's births, Jonathan's birth and death information, the death date of Mary Belcher, and the marriage of Joseph Belcher to Rachel Shute. In this installment, we will try to find information for marriages and death dates for the other Belcher children.
The first thing we do is search the New England Historic Genealogical Society's database, Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Our first search will be on marriage records from 1885 to 1800, a reasonable timespan given the birth years of the children.
| Year | Family Name | Record | Record Type | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1786 | Belcher | Eliza[beth] and Ezra Glover of Dorchester, June 1, 1786. | Marriage | Chelsea |
| 1786 | Belcher | Priscilla and John Tuttle, int. Dec. 30, 1786. | Marriage | Chelsea |
| 1786 | Belcher | Sally and Joseph Burril, Feb. 14, 1786 | Marriage | Chelsea |
| 1787 | Belcher | David and Eliza[beth] Sargeant, Feb. 20, 1787. | Marriage | Chelsea |
| 1787 | Belcher | Patty and Eben[eze]r Burrill, May 3, 1787. | Marriage | Chelsea |
This search confirms the first marriage date for Elizabeth, David and Martha. Our next search will be of the death records.
| Year | Family Name | Record | Record Type | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1794 | Belcher | David, 8th day, 9th mo., 1794. (a. 47 y. Drowned, G.R.1.) | Death | Chelsea |
| 1796 | Belcher | Eliza[beth], wid. of -, bur. Dec. 5, 1796, a. 79 y. C.R.1. | Death | Chelsea |
| 1808 | Belcher | Jonathan of Pullin.s; Point, June 24, 1808, a. 65 y. C.R.1. | Death | Chelsea |
| 1833 | Belcher | Abigail, Dec. 29, 1833, a. 67 y. G.R.4. | Death | Chelsea |
| 1814 | Burrill | Martha, w. of Ebenezer, Nov. 6, 1814, a. 62 y. G.R.1. (59 y., C.R.1.) | Death | Chelsea |
The information for Elizabeth (Tuttle) Belcher and David Belcher match the information from the book. Given the age at death for the Jonathan entry, there is a fair chance that he is the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth. The entry for Abigail is a different story though. We would just need more information about the family to decide. Finally, the age for Martha, wife of Ebenezer Burrill is pretty close, although further research may be necessary.
That winds up this portion of the research the children of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Tuttle) Belcher. Future entries will focus on each of these children and identifying their families.
