Cyrus Baldwin, son of Loammi and Mary (Fowle) Baldwin, born at Woburn, June 22, 1773,[1] died at Chelmsford, June 23, 1854;[2][3] married April 28, 1799, Elizabeth Varnum, born September 5, 1782, died December 7, 1853, daughter of Bradley and Rachel (Butterfield) Varnum, of Dracut.[4][5] He was for many years the agent of the Middlesex Canal Company, and resided at the head of the canal in Chelmsford. He was appointed inspector and sealer of gunpowder at the factory which was first Hale's and afterwards Whipple's, at Lowell.[6]
Children (all of whom died young):[7]
The estate of Cyrus Baldwin of Chelmsford, who died intestate, entered probate in 1834, his wife Elizabeth declining administration, and the papers specify there were no children. Administration of the estate was then assigned to his brother James F. Baldwin of Boston. The estate was inventoried on 27 Aug 1834 and included nearly 250 acres of land, and totaled over $16,000 in value. Interestingly, there were shares held in several companies which were valued at about $1600. There were quite a few luxury goods: an organ and a harpsicord, lots of silverware, mahogany furniture, a chandelier, carpets and rugs, etc., which suggest this was a very comfortable household. The additions made to the inventory, which were mainly notes due the estate, were signed by the widow Elizabeth's possible brother, Joseph Butterfield Varnum.[8] Joseph B. Varnum was the son of Bradley & Rachel Varnum.[9] Inventory of Cyrus' estate mentions his date and age at death: 23 Jun 1834 at age 61 years 21 days.[10]
The Varnum genealogy suggests that this Elizabeth was the daughter of Abraham Varnum (1710-1760) and his wife Rachel who was born in 1741.[11] That seems unlikely, since Cyrus Baldwin's wife Elizabeth had children in 1808 & 1813 in Chelmsford, far too late for a daughter of Abraham. He also lists the wife of Cyrus Baldwin as the daughter of Bradley and Rachel (Butterfield) Varnum, so his genealogy is confused on this line.[12]
A Baldwin genealogy states that Cyrus married Elizabeth Sumner, but a marriage recorded in both Dracut and Woburn clearly gives her name as Varnum, and no Sumner/Varnum marriage is found to provide her with a previous marriage. It also states they had no children, but there was one child, Elizabeth, who was born in Woburn May 14, 1813 and died in Chelmsford on 27 May 1815 at age 2.[13]
See also:
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