Amos Babcock letter to A H Babcock dtd 6 Jan 1879

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Iowa

Contents 1 Introduction 2 People Mentioned in Letter 2.1 Transcript 3 Sources

Introduction

Tradition says that great grandfather, Amos Babcock of Amos Babcock (1811-1887) came over with two brothers, Stephen and Timothy. I could find no sources to support the existence of these brothers.

People Mentioned in Letter

A. H. BABCOCK, Esq., residing in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 6, 1879. Could not locate there in 1870/1880 US. Census.

Amos Babcock, great grandfather of AMOS BABCOCK for whom no records have been located.

Amos Babcock Esq. (abt.1716-1790), grandfather of AMOS BABCOCK.

Amos Babcock (1811-1887), the author of this letter, residing in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 6, 1879.

Amos Babcock (1748-1815), grand uncle of the author of this letter and brother to the author's grandfather.

Elijah Babcock (1745-1816), grand uncle of the author of this letter and brother to the author's grandfather.

Babcock-, grand uncle of the author of this letter and brother to the author's grandfather..

Babcock-, grand uncle of the author of this letter and brother to the author's grandfather..

Babcock-, grand aunt of the author of this letter and sister to the author's grandfather.

Babcock-, grand uncle of the author of this letter and brother to the author's grandfather..

Babcock-, grand aunt of the author of this letter and sister to the author's grandfather.

Babcock-, grand uncle of the author of this letter and brother to the author's grandfather..

Babcock-, grand aunt of the author of this letter and sister to the author's grandfather.

Annah W. (Babcock

Elijah Babcock (1745-1816), father of AMOS BABCOCK.

Stephen Babcock, brother to Amos Babcock, great grandfather of AMOS BABCOCK. No records have been located for these three brothers. Great grand uncle of Amos Babcock (1811-1887), the author of this letter.

Timothy Babcock, brother to Amos Babcock, great grandfather of AMOS BABCOCK. No records have been locatedfor these three brothers. Great grand uncle of Amos Babcock (1811-1887), the author of this letter.

James Chamberlain (1766-1814), husband of Annah (Babcock) Chamberlain (1769-1804)

Transcript

Concerning the Babcocks, the following may be of interest to the descendants of Maj. James and Annah W. (Babcock Chamberlain:^[1]

“CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, Jan. 6, 1879.

“DEAR SIR: About the beginning of the eighteenth century my great grandfather, Amos Babcock, came over from England and settled in Providence, R. I., and, tradition says, two brothers, Stephen and Timothy, came with him. Timothy took an active part in the Indian wars; but Stephen was a person of literary tastes and habits, who considered “the pen mightier than the sword.” My grandfather was also named Amos, and was born about 1715 to 1718; was sent to England to finish his education; returned to Providence about 1735 to 1740; married Miss Annah Watkins; settled in Ashford, Windham county, Conn., and had a family of children as follows: 1. Stephen, who m. Prudence ____. 2. Elijah, who m. for his first wife Elizabeth Bassett. 3. Sally, who m. Shubal Gear. 4. William, who d. in his sixth year. 5. Amos, who m. Peggy Peabody. 6. Horace, who m. a Miss Berry. 7. Roswell, who married a Miss Holt. 8. Miriam, who m. a Mr. Keyes. 9. Annah W., who m. a Mr. Wales.

“Elijah Babcock, the second son and child, b. in Ashford, Conn., about 1745, m. first, about 1762-3, Elizabeth Bassett, by whom he had, in Ashford, Conn.: 1. Roxanna, who m. Col. Jacob Newkirk. 2. Linda, who m. Peter Campbell. 3. Hettie, who m. Col. Baldwin. 4. Anna Watkins, who m. Maj. Chamberlain. 5. William, who m. Rhoda Hull. 6. Elizabeth, who m. George Steele, 7. Ralph, who d. July 15, 1859, unmarried. 8. Prudence, who also m. George Steele, husband of her sister Elizabeth, deceased. And by second wife, Ruhama [Zeruiah] Hare: 9. Anna Watkins (again), who m. Dr. Harvey Burritt, and d. in South Toledo, Ohio, Feb 4, 1879, aged about 70. 10. Amos, who was b. Oct. 22, 1811, m. Caroline Lucas, and resides (1879) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

“It is related of my grandfather, that while attending college in England, and on a wager with his fellow students, he threw one of the king’s guards off his horse, mounted the animal and made his escape. On another occasion, at the queen’s levee she held out her hand for the students to kiss as they passed by, but he audaciously kissed her cheek. The offense was forgiven on his assurance the the salutation was according to the mode adopted in the Colonies.

“When he returned to Providence he began to pay his addresses to Miss Annah Watkins, whose father, a proud old Englishman, claiming royal blood in his veins, promptly forbade him his house, and shut his daughter up in the second story. But grandfather, illustrating the adage that “love laughs at locksmiths” stole away with his sweetheart on horseback to Connecticut, married her, and became a prominent man in Windham county. Was a representative for twenty-six years in the Colonial Legislature, and a Selectman, Deacon and Judge. I remember well the “coats of arms” painted on the back of our “old shay”--two fighting cocks in the act of sparring.

“My father, Elijah Babcock, went to Virginia in 1775, joined Gen. Ethan Allen, and helped take Fort Ticonderoga; continued as soldier through the war; was captain of a company of men he raised in Connecticut, who marched under Gen. Arnold to Quebec; was the last man Gen. Montgomery spoke to just before the fatal bullet struck him; and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis.

“I never heard that my great grandfather had any other children than my grandfather, but suppose he probably raised a large family.

“Respectfully submitted,

“AMOS BABCOCK.

“To A. H. BABCOCK, Esq., Des Moines, Iowa.”

Sources

1. ↑ Information from page 199 of Source. No copyright found: Source: Cleveland, Horace Gillette (1832-1888); A genealogy of Benjamin Cleveland, a great-grandson of Moses Cleveland, of Woburn, Mass., and a native of Canterbury, Windham County, Conn Published 1879 in Chicago for the compiler. Excerpt form page 199.