Asahel Adams (1754 to 1821)

Asahel’s daughter, Susan, married a man named John Patterson in 1812 in Trumbull County, Ohio, USA. Who was Susan’s first husband? He supposedly died in 1820, but Susan married her second husband in 1818.

Asahel Adams

Born: 13 SEP 1754 in Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, USA

Father: Phineas Adams (1726 to 1779)
Mother: Lydia Fitch (1736 to 1820)

Spouse: Olive Avery (1763 to 1813)

Married: 1779 in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA

The marriage year is an estimate based on the birth of their oldest child.

Children:

Betsey Adams (22 DEC 1780 to 15 AUG 1867)
David Augustus Adams (10 FEB 1784 to 3 OCT 1855)
Asahel Adams (10 JUL 1786 to 11 OCT 1852)
Susan Adams (5 SEP 1792 to 8 OCT 1871)
Mason Adams (24 MAR 1793 to 11 APR 1813)
Olive Adams (5 APR 1795 to 11 APR 1813)
Jay Adams (30 JUN 1797 to 28 NOV 1848)
Adeline Adams (24 FEB 1799 to 26 OCT 1871)

Died: 25 MAY 1821 in Girard, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA

Burial: Girard Liberty Union Cemetery

Timeline:

1779 Death of father, Phineas
1779 Marriage to Olive
1780 Birth of daughter, Betsey
1784 Birth of son, David
1786 Birth of son, Asahel
1792 Birth of daughter, Susan
1793 Birth of son, Mason
1795 Birth of daughter, Olive
1797 Birth of son, Jay
1799 Birth of daughter, Adeline
1800 Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA
1810 Wethersfield, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA
1813 Death of son, Mason, and daughter, Olive
1813 Death of wife, Olive
1820 Girard, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA
1820 Death of mother, Lydia
1821 Death and Burial

Occupation: unknown

Records:

1800 to 1820 United States Federal Census Records
Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 1 and 2
The Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in the State of Ohio
Connecticut, Hale Cemetery Inscriptions, 1675-1934
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

Did You Notice?

Two of Asahel’s children died on 11 APR 1813. His wife, Olive, died 10 days later on 21 APR 1813.

What Happened in 1813?

There are memorials on the Find A Grave website for Asahel, Olive, and their eight children. Olive’s headstone shows the death dates for her and the two children.

The Ohio Genealogy Express website includes a short paragraph about the Epidemic of 1813. The author did not specify what disease spread through the county. In 1812 a disease known as “spotted fever” ravaged New England. It likely spread to the surrounding states and territories.

The Groton Avery Clan:

Olive’s genealogy appears in a publication entitled “The Groton Avery Clan“, Page 204. You can view this book on the Internet Archive website.

There are two items on this page that I believe are inaccurate:

The author indicated that Asahel’s mother was Susannah Woodward instead of Lydia Fitch. Susannah was Asahel’s paternal grandmother.

The author listed Asahel and Olive’s fourth child as Frances Ursula Adams. The birth records for their eight children appear in the Barbour Collection of Connecticut. They were born in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA. There is no entry for Frances Ursula Adams.

Asahel’s Wife:

Olive Avery:

Olive was born on 27 MAY 1763 in Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, USA. She died on 21 APR 1813 in Girard, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA.

Olive Avery’s Father:

Olive’s father was Jonathan Avery. He was born in 1704 in New London County, Connecticut, USA. He died in 1792 in Lisbon, New London County, Connecticut, USA.

Jonathan married Elizabeth Waterman on 16 APR 1724 in New London, New London County, Connecticut, USA. Five known children were born during their marriage:

Elizabeth Avery (1725)
Hannah Avery (1727)
Charles Avery (1730)
Elisha Avery (1735)
Jonathan Avery (1743)

Elizabeth Waterman was born on 5 OCT 1702 in Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, USA. She died on 4 JAN 1750 in Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, USA.

After Elizabeth died, Jonathan married a widow, Deborah Denison Copp, on 18 OCT 1752 in Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, USA. Five known children were born during their marriage:

Anne Avery (1753)
Lucy Avery (1755)
David Avery (1757)
Uriah Avery (1760)
Olive Avery (1763), Asahel’s wife

Olive Avery’s Mother:

Olive’s mother was Dorothy Denison. She was born in 1722 in Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, USA. She died in 1794 in Lisbon, New London County, Connecticut, USA.

Deborah had previously married Ebenezer Rogers in 1737 in New London, New London County, Connecticut, USA. No known children were born during their marriage.

Ebenezer Rogers was born on 6 FEB 1713 in New London, New London County, Connecticut, USA. He died on 20 DEC 1738 in New London, New London County, Connecticut, USA. Ebenezer was 25 years old when he died.

After Ebenezer died, Deborah married David Copp in 1740 in New London, New London County, Connecticut, USA. Three known children were born during their marriage:

Obedience Copp (1741 to 1752)
Dorothy Copp (1745)
Mercy Copp (1748)

David Copp was born on 3 OCT 1702 in Stonington, New London County, Connecticut, USA. He died on 19 MAY 1751 in Montville, New London County, Connecticut, USA.

Asahel and Olive’s Daughters:

Betsey Adams:

Betsey was born on 22 DEC 1780 in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA. She died on 15 AUG 1867 in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA.

Betsey married Camden Cleveland on 25 MAR 1800 in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA. Seven known children were born to this marriage:

Camden Augustus Cleveland (1803)
Eliza Payne Cleveland (1806)
Thankful Almira Cleveland (1809)
Mason Adams Cleveland (1812 to 1816)
Olive Avery Cleveland (1816)
Charlotte Ursula Cleveland (1820)
Harriet Maria Cleveland (1823)

Camden Cleveland was born on 8 APR 1778 in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA. He died on 13 MAR 1826 in Girard, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA.

I found a biography of Camden Cleveland on the Internet Archive website. It appears in the publication entitled “The Genealogy of the Cleveland and Cleaveland Families“, Page 384.

Susan Adams:

Susan was born on 5 SEP 1792 in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA. She died on 8 OCT 1871 in Mesopotamia, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA.

Susan married a man named John Patterson on 7 APR 1812 in Girard, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA. Three known children were born during their marriage:

James A Patterson (1813)
Margaret Patterson (1815)
Augusta Patterson (1818)

Who was Susan’s First Husband?

The only information that I could find on John Patterson came from other family trees:

John Patterson was born in 1791 in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA. He died in 1820 in Mount Vernon, Knox County, Ohio, USA.

I could find no birth entry for John Patterson in the Barbour Collection of Connecticut. The State of Ohio was not required to record deaths until 1867. Ergo, no documents were found to confirm either his birth or his death.

I thought John’s family may have immigrated to Ohio in the 1800s. The National Archive notes that the 1810 US Census for Ohio was lost or destroyed.

The 1820 US Census shows four Patterson families living in Trumbull County, Ohio:

John Patterson of Brookfield was listed as 45 years of age or older. Could this individual be John’s father?

The other three men were listed as 26 to 44 years of age. The tally marks on the census for John Patterson of Youngstown are for a man, a woman, and three children. This coincides with John, Susan, and their three children. James and Isaac Patterson may have been John’s brothers.

Susan’s Second Husband:

Susan then married Warham Gates in 1818 in Girard, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA. Three known children were born during their marriage:

Olive Gates (1819)
Asel Avery Gates (1820)
Shurbin W Gates (1827)

Warham Gates was born in 1797 in New York, USA. He died in 1877 in Parkman, Geauga County, Ohio, USA.

Did You Notice?

The family trees listed John Patterson’s death year as 1820. Susan married Warham Gates in 1818.

This might indicate that John died before 1818 instead of in 1820. Yet, who was the John Patterson of Youngstown on the 1820 US Census?

Could it be that Susan and John divorced? Did John desert his wife and children? I do not know. John could have moved away from Trumbull County to establish a new life.

Olive Adams:

Olive was born on 5 APR 1795 in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA. She died on 11 APR 1813 in Girard, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA. Olive was 18 years old when she died.

Adeline Adams:

Adeline was born on 24 FEB 1799 in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA. She died on 26 OCT 1871 in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA.

Adeline married George Hapgood on 6 APR 1820 in Trumbull County, Ohio, USA. Eight known children were born during their marriage:

Adeline Adams Hapgood (1821)
George Negus Hapgood (1825)
Sarah Hapgood (1827)
Charles Hapgood (1830)
William Hapgood (1832)
Henry K Hapgood (1834)
Laura F Hapgood (1838)
Lucy A Hapgood (1840)

George Hapgood was born on 9 JUN 1795 in Vermont, USA. He died on 2 SEP 1861 in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA.

Notes:

John Adams (1595 to 1633) was the first person with that English surname to immigrate to North America from England. In 1621, John boarded the Fortune. This was the second ship, after the Mayflower, to bring Puritans to North America. In late November of that year, the Fortune arrived at Plymouth Colony. John was the progenitor of all the Adams descendants listed in these posts.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on.  There are also family trees that go “forward into time.”  Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time.  The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!