Josiah Willis Seaver (1777 - 1847)

Born 12 Apr 1777 in Norwich, Windsor, Vermont, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Hannah (Goodwin) Seaver — married 29 May 1809 in Berwick, York, Maine, United States

Husband of Abigail Stetson — married 3 Jul 1822 in Kingston, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States

Died 29 Sep 1847 at age 70 in Rochester, Monroe, New York, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Randy Seaver [send private message]

Biography

Josiah Willis Seaver was born April 12, 1777, at Norwich, Vermont, the son of Captain Nathaniel Seaver and Mary (Bush) Seaver. He graduated Dartmouth College in 1804.

For nine years, Josiah was a Preceptor of South Berwick Academy, the oldest private school in Maine. He was a Collector of the United States Internal Revenue, High Sheriff of York County for eight years and repeatedly a Representative in the Legislature of South Berwick. He was a member of the Senate for five years and also Postmaster for twenty years.

In June 1809, Josiah married Hannah Goodwin, daughter of General Ichabod Goodwin, of Berwick.

On July 3, 1822, Josiah married, secondly, Abigail (?nee) widow of Captain Oakman Sprague of North Yarmouth, Maine.

Josiah left Maine for Rochester, New York, in 1844. He died September 29, 1847, at Rochester, at the age of seventy.

Researcher's Notes

Mrs. Elaine (Bush) Prince of 74 Dennison Avenue, Framingham Ma, letter dated 4 Oct 1995. She is a descendant of Timothy Bush, who was ancestor of Mary Bush, mother of Josiah Willis Seaver.

Additional data was received from Michael T. Meggison of Rochester, New York who has worked on a Bush family genealogy.

MARRIAGES:

1) 29 May 1809 Berwick, York, ME to Hannah Goodwin. (VR, p 135), daughter of Gen. Ichabod and Elizabeth (Scammon) Goodwin of Berwick. Married by Rev. John Tompson, intentions 12 May 1809, certificate 25 May 1809 (VR p 54). Josiah was of Berwick at time of marriage.

2) 3 July 1822 Kingston, Plymouth MA to Abigail "Naba" Stetson Sprague, relict of Captain Oakman Sprague and daughter of Theophilus and Abigail (Prince) Stetson. (Source: "Sprague Families in America" by Warren Vincent Sprague, MD, 1913, p 191

CENSUS:

In the 1810 United States Census, Josiah W. Seaver was a head of household residing in Berwick town, York County, Maine. The household included one free white male aged 26 to 45, one free white female aged 16 to 26 and one free white female aged 26 to 45 (1810 United States Census Population Schedule, Berwick, York County, Maine, Page 951, FHL Microfilm 0,218,683).

In the 1820 United States Census, Josiah W. Seaver Esq. was a head of household residing in South Berwick, York County, Maine. The household included one free white male aged 26 to 45, two free white females under age 10, one free white female aged 16 to 26 and one free white female aged 26 to 45 (1820 United States Census, York County, Maine Population Schedule, South Berwick town, Page 635, FHL Microfilm 0,281,243).

In the 1830 United States Census, Josiah W. Seaver was a head of household in South Berwick, York County, Maine. The household included one free white male aged 50 to 60, three females aged 15 to 20 and one female aged 40 to 50 (1830 United States Census, York County, Maine, Population Schedule, South Berwick, Page 376, FHL Microfilm 0,497,948).

In the 1840 US census, Josiah W. Seaver (indexed as "Jonah" W. Seaver) was a head of household in South Berwick, York County, Maine. The household included one free white male aged 60 to 70, one free white female aged 50 to 60, and one free white feamle female aged 70 to 80. The male was a learned professor and engineer. The older female was a Revolutionary War Pensioner, Mary Chambertin, age 80 ( 1840 United States Census, York County, Maine, Population Schedule, South Berwick, Page 206, FHL Microfilm 0,009,710)

• Josiah W. Seaver graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1804, and was a teacher. He left Norwich, Vermont at age 21 and settled in South Berwick, Maine, where he married and raised a family.
• He resided in South Berwick ME until after 1840. He was preceptor of South Berwick Academy for nine years. He was a landowner, high sheriff of York County for eight years, and collector of internal revenue. He was repeatedly elected a Representative in the Legislature for South Berwick, was a member of the State Senate five years, and postmaster for twenty years.
• In 1844, he left Maine for Rochester NY with his wife, his daughter's family and possibly his widowed mother. His widowed mother lived with him in Maine and New York. In 1846, Josiah W. Seaver was a postmaster in Rochester. In the 1847 Rochester City directory, he is listed as "Josiah W. Seaver h. Elmwood Cottage, Genesee."

• Josiah's will was dated 29 Sept 1847. He left one third of his estate to his wife Abigail and to Abby M. (Sprague) Paine (daughter of Josiah's second wife, Abigail, by her first marriage) and her children all his real estate on Troup Street with a mortgage from W.S. Bishop for $2000 as well as title, formerly owned by W.S. Bishop. It was his will "that all the balance be vested in and become property of my daughter Abby H. Harding during her life and after to her children and those that she might hereafter have as wife of Robert Harding." E. Paine and Robert Harding were named executors. The witnesses were Henry Bush of Monroe Co. and George Kimball. (Source: FHL Microfilm 1,004,277)

Marriage

Husband: Josiah Willis Seaver

Wife: Hannah Goodwin

Marriage:

Date: 29 MAY 1809

Place: Berwick, York, Maine, United States^[1]

Husband: Josiah Willis Seaver

Wife: Abigail Stetson

Marriage:

Date: 3 JUL 1822

Place: Kingston, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S263
2. ↑ Source: #S543

• Biography from Sketches of the Alumni of Dartmouth College: From the First Graduation in 1771 to the Present Time, with a Brief History of the Institution, by George Thomas Chapman, Riverside Press, 1867, page 120
• Source: S487 Abbreviation: Vermont Birth Index, 1909-2008 (Ancestry) Title: "Vermont Birth Index, 1909-2008," indexed database, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com, citing Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, Montpelier, Vermont) Repository: #R11
• Repository: R11 Name: Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com) (Provo, Utah, USA) Address: Web Address: http://www.ancestry.com
• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 12 January 2022), memorial page for Hon. Josiah Willis Seaver (12 Apr 1777–29 Sep 1847), Find A Grave: Memorial #192303428, citing Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USA ; Maintained by 47117651 (contributor 47117651) .

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Randy Seaver for creating WikiTree profile Seaver-192 through the import of Robert Seaver Descendants - 6 generations.ged on Dec 13, 2013