Jeremiah Gillet (1755 - 1823)

Born 13 Mar 1755 in Connecticut

Died 19 Jan 1823 at age 67 in Alexandria, Grafton, New Hampshire, United States

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Biography

Jeremiah Gillet was born in Connecticut in 1755.^[1]

Jeremiah served in the Revolutionary War.^[2] He enlisted in April 1777 for three years in Connecticut as a Private in the 1st Connecticut Battalion under the command of (Capt.) John Shumway’s Company, (Col.) Samuel Prentice’s Regiment, commanded by (Gen.) Jedediah Huntington, Esq.^[3] He was listed as absent without leave on a muster of 26 Oct. 1777, but was present on 4 Nov. 1777. By May of 1778 he was still in (Capt.) Shumway’s Company, but it was commanded by (Maj.) David F. Sill by May of 1778 and by (Col.) Josiah Starr by Nov., 1778 and until he was discharged on 18 Apr. 1780.

After the War and before marriage, Jeremiah was living in Hanover, NH in 1785 through 1794 where he was party to a number of land transactions. By 1799 he was living in Alexandria, NH at which time he bought land in Hebron, NH.

Prior to 1800, he had married Priscilla Bailey.^[4] No marriage record has been found, but we know that Priscilla was still single in March 1792 (from her father's Will) and it appears Jeremiah was married by the time of the 1800 census, which recorded him in Hebron, NH.^[5] He was recorded in Alexandria, NH, on the 1810 census.^[6] In both these censuses he was recorded with a female of Priscilla's age, but no children. The 1820 Grafton County censuses were lost, but we know from other sources (see below) that Jeremiah was by then living in New Chester, NH.

In fact, in 1818 Jeremiah Gillet of New Chester, NH applied for and was granted an invalid pension about 30 April 1818 at $8.00 per month with arrears from 4 Sep. 1818 of $33.33 and a six months allowance of $48.00 for a total of $18.33 paid him 4 May 1820.^[7] In his pension papers on 25 May 1820^[8] "Jeremiah Gillet, aged 65, resident on 13 Mar. 1820 in New Chester, NH" declared “. . . I am by occupation husbandman in a broken state of health unable to perform much labor . . . and that I have not any children nor friend to depend on for support.” He declared to the pension department his estate, bedding and clothing “excepted”, was worth $15.00 and that he had “No any family of any description.”

Based on this "no family" statement, it is presumed that Priscilla had passed away at some time prior to 1820 (but after 1810). No record of her death or burial has yet been located.

Jeremiah married a second time, by 1821, to Freelove Weed. 1821 is the first time Freelove appeared by her married name, on a land transaction deed.^[9] Freelove was born 25 Aug. 1783 “of Grafton, NH”.^[10] The identity of her parents is still under study, but we know from her Will she had siblings Joseph Weed, Mary Ford, Susanna Ray (Mrs. Thomas Ray) and Hannah Buffom.

Jeremiah passed away in 1823, at age 67.^[11] He was buried with his second wife in Crawford Cemetery, in Alexandria, NH.^[12] Jeremiah had received his military pension right up until his death, but Freelove never applied for a widow's pension. She was probably not eligible, not having been married to the pensioner at the time he was a soldier. On 25 Feb. 1823, Widow Freelove Gillet was appointed Executor of her husband’s Estate.^[13] And on 21 Mar. 1823, the court approved the inventory of said estate.^[14] An inventory taken Mar. 13, 1823 totaled $230.40, a far cry from the paultry $15.00 he claimed three years earlier to the pension department was his estate. The inventory listed no real estate, but included $159.40 in household items and tools and $71.00 in unpaid notes due him.

Widow Freelove Gillet wrote a Will on 10 Apr. 1823, in which she named several heirs, specifically the four siblings listed above, her niece Freelove Ford and a brother-in-law of her husband Mr. Conat of Washington. Her brother-in-law Thomas Ray of Lebanon, NH was named Executor.^[15] Widow Freelove Gillet died 28 Apr. 1833, at age 49. Her will was approved by the Grafton County Probate Court on the third Tuesday of June, 1833. On that day four creditors to Freelove Gillet’s estate noted that Thomas Ray, appointed in her will as administrator had moved to New York before her death and asked the court to appoint Isaac Hill of Alexandria administrator which was granted. The final inventory of her estate was approved 29 June 1833.^[16] Her inventory listed no real estate, but $105.64 in household items. Although it totaled $372.07, $266.43 were primarily notes due her which may have never been fully collected.

Sources

1. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #68886047 for Jeremiah Gillet
2. ↑ Revolutionary War, "Jeremiah Gillit"| Service # S-45554
3. ↑ Connecticut First Regiment[http://valleyforgemusterroll.org/regiments/ct1.asp | First Regiment
4. ↑ A Genealogy of the Descendants of Richard Bailey of Rowley, Massachusetts, by Alfred Poor, 1858, Reprinted in 1986 by Parker River Researchers,| Page 158, middle right-hand column
5. ↑ 1800 United States Federal Census, State of New Hampshire, Grafton County, Hebron, Page 2 of 2, Line 6| 1800 US Census, "Jeremiah Gillet"
6. ↑ 1810 United States Federal Census, State of New Hampshire, Grafton County, Alexandria, Page 1 of 3, Line 5| 1810 Census, "Jeremiah Gillet"
7. ↑ Revolutionary War Pension| Notification Aug. 1820, Certificate Nbr. 3455
8. ↑ Revolutionary War Pension Application| Declaration, Jeremiah Gillet, 1820
9. ↑ New Hampshire, Grafton County, Land Records, Film # 008128835| Land Purchase, 16 June 1821, Image #397
10. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #68886032 for Freelove Gillet
11. ↑ Military Pension Records, with Death Date| Pension Records, Jeremiah Gillet
12. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #68886047 for Jeremiah Gillet
13. ↑ New Hampshire, Grafton County, Probate Records, 1650-1973, Vol. 6-7, 1821-1824| Image 217
14. ↑ New Hampshire, Grafton County, Probate Records, 1650-1973, Vol. 6-7, 1821-1824| Image 357
15. ↑ New Hampshire, Grafton County, Probate Records, 1650-1973, Vol. 13-14, 1831-1834| Image 451
16. ↑ New Hampshire, Grafton County, Probate Records, 1650-1973, Vol. 13-14, 1831-1834| Image 452

See Also:

• Family Search | Jeremiah Gillet
• A Genealogy of the Descendants of Richard Bailey of Rowley, Massachusetts, by Alfred Poor, 1858, Reprinted in 1986 by Parker River Researchers,| Page 158, middle right-hand column

Acknowledgments

• Many thanks to Chris H. Bailey, Accredited Genealogist, Eustis, Florida, for the "Descendants of Richard Bailey of Rowley, Mass.", 2020