Abijah Barnum (1743 - 1818)

Born 24 Dec 1743 in Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Orpha (Hamilton) Barnum — married 20 Oct 1763 in Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 31 Dec 1818 at age 75 in Ovid, Seneca, New York, United States

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Biography

This profile is part of the Barnum Name Study.

Abijah Barnum has been listed in various sources as Abijah Beman, Abijah Beeman, Abijah Beaman, and Abyah Barnum.

• In 1808 Abjiah and Orpha were living in Ovid, now Seneca County, NY. Two sons, Silas and Noah were also living in Ovid in 1808.
• Abijah Barnum, Sr. was the son of Benjamin and Sarah Ann (Hoyt) Barnum.

We know from both the "History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield" and the "Administration of Joseph (W.) Forward's Estate" that Ann (also An or Anna) Forward was the second daughter of Joseph Forward and Lydia Gregory and she was born on 15 March 1699/1700; Ann named, as her first husband, Benjamin Barnum before 1723. Lydia, Ann's mother, remarried after her husband's death on 3 October 1704, Thomas Wildman who died in 1752. (Calkins)

We also know from the "Genealogical Record of the Barnum Family Presenting a Conspectus of the Male Descendants of Thomas Barnum, 1625-1695" that Benjamin3 Barnum (Richard2, Thomas1) had three sons, i.e. Forward4, Benjamin4, and Abijah4 Barnum and that his wife was Anna Forward; however, a review of Danbury. CT. probate records reveals a slightly different set of facts. In examining the 1779 Last Will and Testament of Benjamin Barnum we find the following heirs:

Sarah Barnum. the deceased's wife

Forward Barnum, eldest son

Benjamin Barnum, 2nd son

Abijah Barnum, youngest .son

Abijah Barnum, grandson and son of Abijah

Bulah Barnum, granddaughter, and daughter of Abijah

Lydia Barnum, daughter

Olive Barnum, daughter

Ann Barnum, deceased daughter's children (not named)

As we can see from the list of heirs, Benjamin Barnum's last wife was named Sarah, not Ann or Anna, and Abijah Barnum was his youngest son. A review of the "Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records" established that Abijah Barnum Married Orpha Hamilton on 20 Oct. 1763 and that their first two children were:

Beulah Barnum, daughter, b. 16 July 1764

Abijah Barnum, son, b. 14 April 1766

The foregoing information agrees with the list of heirs in Benjamin Bamum's will; therefore, there can be no doubt that Abijah Barnum was Benjamin's son and that Abijah married Orpha Hamilton. Assuming Abijah was at least 21 at the time of his marriage, his birth would have occurred before 1743.

The 1779 distribution of Ann Barnum's Real Estate provides us with the following information:

Ann Barnum was Benjamin Barnum's wife and she died intestate with real estate, in her name, valued at £885

Ann's heirs at law, in birth order were:

Forward Barnum, son of the deceased

Ann Stevens' heirs, daughter of the deceased and the deceased wife of Lt. Ezra Stevens

Olive Barnum, daughter of the deceased and the wife of Samuel Barnum

Lydia Barnum, daughter of the deceased and the wife of John Stevens

Benjamin Barnum, son of the deceased.

Based on the distribution of Ann Barnum's real estate, we know that Abjjah4 Barnum was not Ann (Forward) Barnum's son and heir and that Ann died before Abijah's birth.

Name

Abijah Barnum

Birth

1742 Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut (Sons American Rev.)

Residence

1800 Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut (1880 Census)

1820 Romulus, Seneca, New York (1820 Census)

Marriage

20 OCT 1763 Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut (Barbour Collection)

Death

31 Dec 1818 Ovid, Seneca, New York (Find A Grave)

1824 Ovid, Seneca, New York (Sons American Rev.)

Sources

• Find A Grave: Memorial #49771108
• The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records - White, Lorraine Cook, ed. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1994-2002) Vol. Danbury, Page 8.

• BARNUM Abijah, m. Orpha Hamilton, d. Capt. Silas, Oct 20, 1763
• Also see Marriage Returns, 1820-1852

• AGBI: American Genealogical-Biographical Index Godfrey Memorial Library, comp. American Genealogical-Biographical Index. Middletown, CT, USA
• 1800 United States Federal Census: Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut; Roll: 1; Page: 114; Image: 67; Family History Library Film: 205618
• 1820 United States Federal Census: Romulus, Seneca, New York; Page: 332; NARA Roll: M33_75; Image: 78
• U.S. Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970: SAR Membership Number: 98614.
• Calkins, Frank L., Was Ann Forward the Mother of Abijah Barnum of Danbury, CT?, The Connecticut Nutmegger (Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Glastonbury, Connecticut, 1999) Vol. 32, Page 2.
• Hutchins, Marvin Clayton. Nicholas Hutchins of Lynn and Groton, Massachusetts (C. Boyer, Santa Clarita, Calif., 1989) Page 274: Birth date given as "24 Dec. 1743".
• Marriage Returns, 1820-1852 (Danbury, Connecticut, Town Clerk) Image 122.