Increase Leadbetter III (abt. 1749 - 1842)

Born about 20 Oct 1749 in Stoughton, Suffolk, Province of Massachusetts Bay [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth McCurdy (Calderwood) Leadbetter — married before 27 Oct 1774 in District of Maine, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 25 Jun 1842 at about age 92 in Leeds, Kennebec, Maine, United States

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Biography

Birth

According to a transcription of his death record, Increase Leadbetter was born at Stoughton, Massachusetts, on 20 Oct 1749, the son of Increase Leadbetter and Katherine (Babcock) Leadbetter.^[1] His birth does not appear in the 1896 edition of the Stoughton vital records.^[2] In his Revolutionary War pension application, he gives his birthplace as Dorchester, Massachusetts.^[3]

Marriage

The death record of Increase Leadbetter gives the name of his wife as Elizabeth McCurdy Calderwood.^[1] Their first known child was born on 27 Oct 1774.^[4]

Residence Before 1785

Where Increase and Elizabeth were married, where they lived in the first decade of their marriage, and where their first six children were born is uncertain. The 1901 Leeds history says that they were married at Camden, Maine, and that their children were born there,^[5] and a list of those children in a transcription in the Leeds vital records also gives their birthplace as Camden.^[6] Camden, however, was not incorporated until 1791.^[7] The 1917 Leadbetter family genealogy says that they lived on the Fox Islands in the town of Vinalhaven off the Maine coast.^[8]

Revolutionary War Service

The death record of Increase Leadbetter says that he was a Revolutionary soldier.^[1] On 11 May 1818, he was granted a veterans' pension of $8 per month, and his pension application says that he served on the ship Boston under Master Hector McNeal for a period of 13 months, from January 1777 through February 1778. His pension application describes his service in detail, including his imprisonment after the Boston was captured by a British frigate.^[3] The DAR recognizes him as a Patriot ancestor.^[9]

Move to Livermore and Leeds

In 1785, Increase and Elizabeth Leadbetter and their oldest six children moved to that portion of Livermore, Maine (then in Massachusetts), that was attached to Leeds in 1802.^[5] According to the 1901 history of Leeds:

In 1802, that portion of Livermore sourth of a line extending from the Androscoggin River to the western boundary of Wayne, of which the north line of the farm of Increase Leadbetter ... was a part, was annexed to Leeds.^[10]

Death

Increase Leadbetter died at Leeds, Maine, on 25 Jun 1842. His death record gives his age at his death as 93 years.^[1] A gravestone at the Knapp Cemetery in Leeds has the same date of death and age, but it is does not look like a contemporary stone.^[11] (It dates from at least 1917; a photo appears in Ames' book Leadbetter Records'.^[8])

Research Note

In 1917, Jessie Ames published a volume called Leadbetter Records, which includes a section on Increase Leadbetter and his family.^[8] As was typical of similar works of the time, she cites few sources. Some of the information she gives is contradicted by other sources; for example, she says that his earlier children were born at Vinalhaven, Maine, whereas the Leeds history and the Leeds vital records both give their birthplaces as Camden, Maine (see the discussion above). It also says that Increase and Elizabeth were married in 1768-69, which is unlikely since their first known child was not born until 1774, and Elizabeth was not born until 1754. It gives their son John Leadbetter's birth date as 1772, but other, better sources have it in 1779. (Bloom-1124 01:20, 15 September 2019 (UTC))

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Transcription of death record of Increase Leadbetter, in Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921, database with images, FamilySearch, Vital records prior to 1892 > Lary-Legrow, 1836 > image 2020 of 4225; Division of Vital Statistics. State Board of Health, Augusta.
2. ↑ Frederic Endicott, editor, The record of births, marriages and deaths and intentions of marriage, in the town of Stoughton from 1727 to 1800, and in the town of Canton from 1797-1845, preceded by the records of the South precinct of Dorchester from 1715 to 1727 (Canton, Mass. 1896) The 2008 volume (David Allen Lambert, compiler, Vital records of Stoughton, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1850' (Braintree, Mass., 2008)) has not been checked.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Revolutionary War pension application of Increase Leadbetter, starting at S, 37164, page 2 (subsciption required)
4. ↑ Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921, database with images, FamilySearch, Delayed returns for vital records 1670-1891 > Langton, 1802-Leduc, 1874 > image 3252 of 4894; Division of Vital Statistics. State Board of Health, Augusta.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} J. C. Stinchfield, History of the town of Leeds, Androscoggin County, Maine, from its settlement June 10, 1780 (Lewiston, Maine, 1901), page 106
6. ↑ Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921, database with images, FamilySearch, Delayed returns for vital records 1670-1891 > Langton, 1802-Leduc, 1874 > image 3252 of 4894; Division of Vital Statistics. State Board of Health, Augusta.
7. ↑ "Camden, Maine" Wikipedia article
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Jessie Ames, Leadbetter Records (n.p., 1917), starting at page 113
9. ↑ DAR Patriot Search database, Ancestor #A067905
10. ↑ J. C. Stinchfield, History of the town of Leeds, Androscoggin County, Maine, from its settlement June 10, 1780 (Lewiston, Maine, 1901), page 1
11. ↑ Photo of gravestone of Increase Leadbetter (Find A Grave: Memorial #53209976)

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Leadbetter-17 created through the import of Tom.ged on Jun 1, 2011 by Tom Elliott. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Tom and others.