Joshua Twombly

 

Joshua was born in 1749 according to the death record filed by the Town Clerk of Brownington, Vermont¹.  (This probably came from a gravestone or cemetery record).  Scales’ History of Dover² says the birth date is 1850.  Other sources³ indicate he was baptized on September 26, 1753.

 

A Joshua Twombly was baptized by Rev. Jonathon Cushing at First Church, Dover on July 3, 1743⁴.  I don't think this is our Joshua.  There is another reference to baptizing Joshua and William Twombly, children of William Twombly Tertius on September 26, 1753 by Rev. Cushing³.  I don't know yet who William Tertius is but it could be our Joshua’s father.  It appears that Joshua is the son of the William of Madbury.

 

He married Hannah Willey about 1770.  She was born about 1756.  They had the following children⁵:

Samuel, born August 26, 1772, married Elizabeth Gray

Nathaniel, born about 1775, married Elizabeth Seavey

Jacob, born about 1776, married Tamson Hill

Polly, born about 1780, married James Gray, Jr.

Aaron, born April 10, 1781, married Sarah

Mehitable, born about 1785, married Uriah Henderson

Hannah, born February 13, 1789, married William E. Evans

Abigail, born August 31, 1795, married Peter Hackett

William Smith, born October 18, 1797, married Mary Ricker

Sally, born about 1804, married Jacob Gray

 

There is also some idea that there were three other children – Joshua, Susan, and John⁵.  Could these be children of the other Joshua baptized 1743?

 

According to a deed filed April 10, 1775, in Dover, NH⁶, Joshua Twombly (yeoman) lived in Madbury.  For 40 pounds, he sold to Aaron Waldron 120 acres of land in the 5th range #231 which he previously purchased from Peter Pearse.

 

On the same day, he purchased from Aaron Waldron Lot #232, Range 5 in Barrington⁷.  He then lived in Barrington until his death.

 

The 1790 New Hampshire census lists Joshua Twombly living in Barrington with another male above 16 years of age [Samuel, 18], 2 males under 16 [Nathaniel, 15, and Jacob 14; Aaron would have 9], and 6 females [Hannah, 44; Polly, 10; Mehitable, 5; Hannah, 1; and 2 others?].

 

It appears that neighbors included the Willeys (Isaac and Lemuel), Lemuel Evans, Ebenezer Hanson, and George and Dan Chesley.

 

The 1800 New Hampshire census (page 971) lists Joshua Twombly living in Barrington.  There is a notation several lines above his name that indicates the location is "Evans Mtn".

 

     4 males under 10                William Smith, 3;

     2 males age 26 - 44            Nathaniel, 25;  Aaron, 19?

     1 male 45 or over               Joshua, 50

     3 females under 10             Abigail, 5;

     2 females ages 10 – 15       Hannah, 11; Mehitable, 15

     1 female age 15 – 25          Polly, 20?

     1 female age 26 – 44         

     1 female 45 or over            Hannah

 

Neighbors are Lem'l Willey, Isaac Willey, Paul Tasker, John Langley, Edward Evans, Lemuel Evans.

 

The 1810 New Hampshire census (page 505) lists Joshua and a son still living in Barrington.  The notation several lines above his name indicates "Evans Mt. road".

 

     1 male  age 10 - 15             William, 13

     1 male age 15 - 25

     1 male age 26 - 55              Nathaniel, 35 (?)

     1 male age 45 or over         Joshua (60)

     1 female under 10              Sally, 6

     2 females age 10 -15          Abigail, 15;

     1 female age 15- 25            Hannah, 21 (?)

     1 female age 26 - 44

     1 female age 45 or over      Hannah (54)

 

Neighbors are Stephen Layton, Lemuel Willey, Paul Tasker, John Langley, and Aaron Waldron.

 

They are apparently in the same location as they have the same neighbors as in 1790.  I cannot definitely identify the people who are living with them; perhaps it is one of their daughters and her family.  It could also be Nathaniel and his family because in 1821 he signed a promise to keep his mother and father for their natural lives in exchange for half the land.  Joshua's other sons, Samuel and Jacob Twombly, are shown as living in Sheffield at this time.

 

There is also information in Caledonia County history records⁸ that there were two more children of Joshua's - Daniel who married Sarah Jenness on July 22, 1819 in Sheffield, and Andrew who married Mary Ann Flanders on April 27, 1827 (?) in Sheffield.  I believe this could be another Joshua or these children are actually Jacob Twombly's.

 

On December 16, 1800, while living in Barrington, he bought approximately 140 acres in Sheffield, Vermont⁹ (Lot #16 in the first division purchased for $280), presumably for his son, Samuel, who had moved there around 1796.    He later in 1803 sold this 115 acres of this land to his son, Jacob, who then moved to Sheffield¹⁰.

 

In 1801, Joshua paid $45 for another 13 acres in Sheffield, Vermont¹¹.

 

On March 29, 1815, Joshua Twombly, Barrington husbandman, sold to his son, Nathaniel Twombley of Barrington, one-half of his land (Lots 231 and 232 in the 5th Range of Barrington) including the farm where he lived¹².  Half of the produce was to still go to Joshua until he and Hannah, his wife, died.  The other one-half of his land was sold to his son, Aaron Twombley, under the same conditions.

 

The History of Dover indicates that Joshua's son Samuel moved to Illinois in 1816¹³.

 

On February 10, 1821, Joshua Twombly repurchased the same land from Nathaniel Twombly for $500¹⁴.  This deed would not go into effect if Nathaniel took care of his parents properly (see below).  Joshua was to own the land during his and Hannah's lifetime and then the land would go to Nathaniel.  Nathaniel and his wife, Elizabeth, also signed an agreement promising to take care of Joshua and Hannah Twombly in a "Christian-like manner".

 

Apparently Joshua and Hannah moved to Brownington, Vermont, sometime between 1823 and 1834 where their son, Jacob, and his family lived.  According to the death record filed by the Town Clerk of Brownington¹, Hannah Twombly died in 1834.  This record shows 1754 as her date of birth making her 80 years old.  The same source shows that Joshua Twombly was born in 1749 and died in 1836 at the age of 87.  Both are buried in Center Cemetery, Brownington, VT along with their son Jacob and daughter-in-law Tamson. [Scales¹⁵ shows that Hannah died January 6, 1835 and Joshua died February 20, 1837.]

 

 

Source Notes

1.      Brownington, VT, Certificate of Death, copy recorded October 6, 1921, Joshua Twombly.

2.      Scales, John:  Colonial Era History of Dover, NH, Heritage Books, Inc., 1977, pages 486.

3.      Scales, John: Historical Memoranda concerning Persons and Places of Old Dover, NH, “Baptisms by Rev. Jonathan Cushing 1717-1766”, 1900, page 157.

4.      Scales, John: Historical Memoranda concerning Persons and Places of Old Dover, NH, “Baptisms by Rev. Jonathan Cushing 1717-1766”, 1900, page 150.

5.      Scales, John:  Colonial Era History of Dover NH, Heritage Books, Inc., 1977, pages 485-487.

6.      Strafford County [NH] Deeds, Book 1, page 307, April 10, 1775, Joshua Twombly to Aaron Waldron.

7.      Strafford County [NH] Deeds, Book 1, page 306, April 10, 1775, Aaron Waldron to Joshua Twombly.

8.      Through Hopes, and Dreams, and Evergreens: The Two-Hundred Year Anniversary, Sheffield Historical Society, September 1993, page

9.      Sheffield, Caledonia County [VT] Town Record, December 16, 1800, page 68-69, Joseph Place to Joshua Twombly.

10.  Barrington, Strafford County [NH] Town Record, April 5, 1803, page 127, Joshua Twombly to Jacob Twombly.

11.   Sheffield, Caledonia County [VT] Town Record, January 29, 1801, Jesse Gilbert to Joshua Twambly.

12.  Strafford County [NH] Deeds, Book 83, pages 443 - 452, March 29, 1815, Joshua Twombly to Nathaniel Twombly and Joshua Twombly to Aaron Twombly.

13.  Scales, John: Historical Memoranda concerning Persons and Places of Old Dover, NH, 1900, page 316.

14.  Strafford County [NH] Deeds Book 116, pages 99-100, February 10, 1821, filed December 6, 1822; repeated in Book 117, pages 269-270.