Samuel Houghton Sr. (1755 - 1819)

Born Sep 1755 in Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Husband of Sally (Cooke) Houghton — married 25 Mar 1784 in Keene, Cheshire County, New Hampshire

Descendants

Died 24 Aug 1819 at age 63 in Fairlee, Orange, Vermont, United States

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Biography

It is important to note that the Houghtons of Fairlee, VT and the Houghtons of Brattleboro/Guilford, VT were different families; those of Fairlee descended from immigrant John and those of Samuel of Guilford descended from the immigrant Ralph Houghton. Both families had a Samuel Sr. with sons Samuel Jr. and Roswell but a study of censuses, marriages and other data makes it clear that these were 2 different families.

Regarding these immigrant Houghtons (John and Ralph), despite some sources describing them as "cousins" they are not actually closely genetically related. The Houghton DNA Project has proven that they were not genetically related, despite ending up in Lancaster MA together. The project has more than 6 DNA samples in each line, and they do not match. John is haplogroup RM269 and Ralph is IM253. See https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Houghton/?iframe=ydna

Samuel Houghton Sr "of Fairlee" descended from John Houghton the immigrant (John, John, Jacob, Benjamin, Abijah).^[1] according to the intensively researched work by Marshall Loring McClanahan (hereafter "MLM") to update the classic "Houghton Genealogy" by John W. Houghton (hereafter "JWH")^[2]

Unfortunately one of the errors of JWH was to fail to list the above Benjamin, who married Ruth Wheelock, as a son of Jacob (person #10) and therefore all his descendants, including this Samuel Houghton Sr. That error was corrected in MLM.

Samuel was born September 1755 (not 1759; the last "5" is smudged but close examination shows it is a 5) in Leominster, Massachusetts. He was the son of Abijah Houghton (MLM person # 384 born 8 Sep 1723) and Alice Joselyn;^[1]. Note that on page 48 of MLM he and his twin sister Elizabeth were accidentally included as children of Abijah's sister Relief Houghton and her husband John Fairbank(s); while they did have a son Samuel Fairbank(s) this was a mistake in the book. Samuel Houghton is shown correctly on page 91 as a son of Abijah Houghton and Alice Joselyn.

He was in military service in 1779 Revolutionary War: Pvt MA WPNS; enlisted 1779, and served eight months as private under Capt. Stearns, Col. Wood, Mass. troops; 1780, served under Capt. Levi Warner, Col. Thomas Marshall, 3rd Virginia Reg (see Houghton Surname Project reference below).

Samuel married Sally Cooke on 25 Mar 1784 in Keene, Cheshire County, NH. Her name is spelled with and without the trailing 'e' in various records and she went by Sarah in censuses and was so listed when probating Samuel's estate with son Samuel Jr.

Note that names (other than the householder) associated with census entries prior to 1850 are placed there for ease of research, the censuses themselves did not provide names beyond the householder.

The family appears in Fairlee, VT on the 1790^[3] census listing 1 male < 16 (Roswell), 1 male > 16 (father Samuel Sr), 1 female (mother Sarah/Sally Cooke).

The 1800 census entry^[4] lists 1 male 10-15 (Roswell age 15/16), 1 male 26-44 (Samuel Sr. age 44/45), 2 females < 10 (Elizabeth and either another daughter who had died by 1810 or possibly a young relative), 1 female 26-44 (Sally/Sarah Cooke age 35).

The 1810 Fairlee census^[5] was the last appearance for Samuel Sr. His known children with Sarah Cooke were:

1. Roswell b. 14 Sep 1784 Norwich, VT very close to Fairlee^[6]
2. Elizabeth b.~Feb 1793 Fairlee, m. Luther Mower ~1816, d. 7 Sep 1884^[7]
3. Samuel Jr. b.~1800 Fairlee, died after 1880.
4. Abiatha L. b.~1803 Fairlee, m. Mary Drake Stratton, d.3 Oct 1883^[8]
5. Elvira b. 1 Jun 1805 Fairlee,^[9] married Stephen Fulton, d. 10 Jan 1891
6. Henry A. b. 23 Sep 1809 Fairlee, married Adaline P., d 4 Nov 1886 in Auburn, NH^[10]

More information and sources for all these are in the profile of Samuel Jr. Based on census entries, there may have been another daughter born around the time of Elizabeth as the 1800 census had 2 females under 10 but only 1 of the same age range in 1810 so this other female may have died or may have been a relative who lived with them in 1800.

Another unknown male appeared only on the 1810 census, either under 10 years old or between 10 and 15 depending on exactly when Henry A. was born.

He died 24 Aug 1819 according to a note on his Revolutionary War Veteran payment ledger.^[11] On 28 Sep 1819, widow Sarah and son Samuel Jr. were assigned as administrators of his estate in Fairlee.^[12]

After his death, widow Sarah appeared as a household head in 1820, then on the census of son Samuel Jr. in 1830, then on the census of son Abiatha L. in 1840; she died in 1848 and son Henry A. probated her estate 5 Nov 1850.^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} John and Beatrix (Joselyn) Houghton of Lancaster, Massachusetts : and some of their descendants by Marshall Loring McClanahan https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/413293
2. ↑ The Houghton genealogy : the descendants of Ralph and John Houghton of Lancaster, Massachusetts; with an introduction giving the Houghton families in England from the time of William the Conqueror, 1065, to Lord Henry Bold Houghton, 1848 by Houghton, John W. (John Wesley), 1834- https://archive.org/details/houghtongenealog00houg/page/n13
3. ↑ United States Census, 1790 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH2M-GMB
4. ↑ United States Census, 1800 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRQ-L5V
5. ↑ United States Census, 1810 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHLM-DC5
6. ↑ Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFVV-VH9
7. ↑ Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFX6-NSM
8. ↑ Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N757-BRC
9. ↑ Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFVV-FD7
10. ↑ New Hampshire, Death and Disinterment Records, 1754-1947 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/5242/41267_309366-00264
11. ↑ United States Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WB-QTKC
12. ↑ Vermont, Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999 for Samuel Houghtonhttps://www.ancestry.com/interactive/9084/004479004_00311
13. ↑ Vermont Wills & Probate Records https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/9084/005547524_00148

• Houghton Surname Project http://www.houghtonsurnameproject.com/g0/p135.htm#i4025
• Jefferson County, New York; Pioneer Roswell Houghton Family (http://jefferson.nygenweb.net/houghton.htm ) Accessed: October 20, 2012.