Sarah (Preston) Blake (1766 - aft. 1850)

Born 3 Jul 1766 in Chester, New Hampshire

Ancestors

Wife of Elijah Blake — married 4 Nov 1784 in Strafford, Orange, Republic of Vermont [uncertain]

Descendants

Died after 1850 after age 83 in Topsham, Orange, Vermont, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: GeneJ X [send private message]

Biography

Sarah Presson was born 3 July 1766 at Chester, New Hampshire,^[1] She was the daughter of William Presson and Hannah Healey.^[2] Sarah (Presson) Blake died, probably Topsham, Orange County, Vermont, sometime after 1850 (U.S. Census).^[3][4]

She married at Strafford, Orange County, Vermont, 4 November 1784, Elijah Blake. He was born at Hawke (now Danville), New Hampshire, 9 October 1755, the son of Jonathan Blake and Mary Sanborn.^[5] Elijah died at Chelsea, Orange County, Vermont, 17 November 1839,^[6] in the home of their daughter, then Sarah Minard.

In the matter of Sarah Blake's Revolutionary War widow's pension application, 15 November 1843, "Joseph Preston of Strafford ... aged 69 years" deposed that Sarah Blake "is my sister." Further, he testified saying Elijah and Sarah Blake's "only Child Sally Minard, now a widow."^[7]

In the 1850 U.S. Census, she is "Sarah Blake" ae 84, living at Topsham in the home of her grandson, Henry W. Minard. Also residing there are presumably her daughter, Sarah (enumerated as Sarah "Bullard," ae 64), and her granddaughters, Sarah Bullard (ae 44) and Augusta Green (ae 40).^[8]

Research Notes

Scott A. Bartley, ed., Vermont Families in 1791, 2 volumes (St. Albans, Vermont: Genealogical Society of Vermont-Vol 2, 1997), 2: 165-167, reporting about Sarah, daughter of William Presson/Preston and Hannah Healey, has Sarah's marriage, 04 November 1784 , to Elijah Blake (citing Rev. War. Pension file #W15586), born Danville NH 9 October 1755, son of Jonathan Blake and wife Mary, (citing NH VR). Elijah died Chelsea 17 November 1839 (cites VR); only child as Sarah Blake, b. 21 September 1785 (citing Rev. War. Pension file #W15586).

Rev. War. Pension file #W15586 contains "Elijah and Sarah Blake Family Bible," reporting their marriage "Elijah Blake was maryed to Sarah Pristen" as "Strafford November the 4 1784." Further record as "only child Sarah was maryed to Tomas Minard May the 13 182 [sic]." First page entry continues with various notations about Minard births and marriages. Second page has "Elijah Blake was born in the year of our Lord 1755 October the 9 in the State of New Hampshire in county of Rockingham in Kingston." And also, "Sarah Preston Born in the year of our Lord 1766 July the 3 in the State of New Hampshire, in Webster town." Also, Sarah Blake was born our only child September the 28 day 1785." Page continues with further Minard entries.

Further in Rev. War Pension file #W15586 is sworn statement of Sally Blake Minard,

I am the only child of the Said Elijah Blake & Sarah Blake and was born in Strafford Vermont according to the family records of the Said Elijah Blake hereto attested on the 28th day of September A. D. 1785 at Strafford and that the record hereto annexed is taken from our family bible and is in the writing of the Said Elijiah Blake which has been in the s[ai]d Elijah & Sarah Blake’s family for a long period of years.

Hamilton Child, Gazetteer Of Orange County, Vt. 1762‐1888 (Syracuse, New York: The Syracuse Journal Company, Printers and Binders, 1888); digital images online by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 June 2007), p. 257, entry for Thomas Minard:

Thomas Minard, who served in the War of 1812, came from Massachusetts to Strafford, Vt, about 1798, and later to Chelsea, where he died in 1850, aged fifty five years. He married Lydia Hopkins and their children were Amos, Daniel, and Thomas. The latter married Sarah P. Blake, of Strafford, by whom he has had children as follows: Lydia, Sarah P., Elijah B., Amos M., Augusta M., Thomas H., Selden H., Josiah G., Almira H. and Henry W. The latter married Patience A. Frost, of Groton, Caledonia county, and their children are: Francis H., Orange M., Josie M. and Nellie M. He has resided on a farm on road 7, in Corinth, for thirteen years.”

Sources

1. ↑ Sarah Presson, 03 Jul 1766, "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900"; database with images, FamilySearch.
2. ↑ Scott A. Bartley, ed., Vermont Families in 1791, 2 volumes (St. Albans, Vermont: Genealogical Society of Vermont-Vol 2, 1997), 2: 165-167.
3. ↑ She was living in the home of her grandson, Henry W. Minard, at 1850; he married the following year and at some point, moved to Corinth.
4. ↑ Her name does not appear in the Topsham annual death registers from 1857-1897. These ledgers carry notice "Book 3." The closest entry reviewed was a "Mary Persons," died 14 July 1867, aged 90 years, 1 mo., 9 days."
5. ↑ Citing, "A [State of New Hampshire Vital Records ...],' "J [Town or Church Record as Microfilmed by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ...]," Carleton E. Blake, Descendants of Jasper Blake ... (Baltimore: Gateway Press, Inc., 1980), p. 42 (Jonathan), 52 (Elijah); digital images by registration, OpenLibrary
6. ↑ Elijah Blake pension payment record, "United States Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872"; database with images, FamilySearch, cites NARA microfilm publication T718 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1962), roll 6; FHL microfilm 1,319,386.; entry reports he died 17 November 1839.
7. ↑ Elijah Blake (Sarah) file, no. W[idow's] 15,586 (New Hampshire), Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty‐Land Warrant Application Files, micropublication M804 (Washington : National Archives); viewed as digital image from original archival media, by subscription, Footnote.com (http://www.footnote.com : accessed 19 Jun 2007), Joseph Preston testimony found on filmed page 23 of the pension file.
8. ↑ Henry W. Minard [indexed as Henry U. Minard] household, 1850 U.S. Census, Orange County, Vermont, population schedule, Topsham, sheet 422 (penned at upper left), dwelling 1632, family 1737; digital images, FamilySearch, citing NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• Elijah Blake (1755‐1839) family bible, Elijah Blake (Sarah) file, no. W[idow's] 15,586 (New Hampshire), Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty‐Land Warrant Application Files, micropublication M804 (Washington : National Archives); viewed as digital image from original archival media, by subscription, Footnote.com (http://www.footnote.com : accessed 19 Jun 2007), bible images found on filmed pages 16‐17 of the pension file; some entries are faint, subject to transcription error.