Cora A. Betts

Dallas married Sarah A. Beadle. Sarah was born about 1840; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• _TODO: Open

Notes:

Rial P. Betts, Sr, is buried at Pilgrims Rest Cemetery, Savannah, NY. There are two markers for him: Rial P. Betts, 1803-1886 (on a small marker mounted flat in the ground) and Rial P. Betts, Died Mar 4, 1887, Aged 82 yrs. 11 mo. 20 ds. (on a large marker).
The History of Wayne County states that Rial P. Betts is buried in the abandoned Holbrook-Ferris Cemetery in Savannah.

_TODO:
Find Betts references, also ref to Holbrook-Ferris cemetery

Rial married Deborah Sears on 31 Oct 1827 in Probably Wayne County, New York. Deborah (daughter of James Sears and Mehitable Sherwood) was born on 15 Jun 1807 in Probably New York State; died on 6 Oct 1840 in Savannah, Wayne Co, New York; was buried in Hunt's Corners (Briggs Cemetery), Wayne Co, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Nathaniel married Sarah (wife of Nathaniel Betts) [?]. Sarah was born about 1781 in Massachusetts; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• _TODO: Open

Notes:

"James Sears was present in the probate of Jehiel Sherwood's estate" - taken from a letter to Hubert Andrew Arnold from a professional genealogist identified as "Box 480, Salt Point" (Salt Point is a hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, United States. It lies northeast of Poughkeepsie following New York Route 115, the Salt Point Turnpike). This statement is very important with respect to establishing circumstantial evidence that Mehitible Sherwood, James Sears' wife, was the daughter of Jehiel Sherwood.

James married Mehitable Sherwood on 19 Nov 1797 in Probably South East New York. Mehitable (daughter of Jehiel Sherwood and Sarah Squire) was born about Nov 1780 in Fairfield, Fairfield Co, Connecticut; died on 12 Mar 1826 in Wayne County, New York; was buried about 14 Mar 1826 in Hunt's Corners (Briggs Cemetery), Wayne Co, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• _TODO: Open

Notes:

Mehitable/Mabel Sherwood was the daughter of Jehiel Sherwood. She was born about November 1780. The first solid reference to "Mehitable" wife of James Sears, appears on the 1826 gravestone at Hunt's Corners, Wayne Co, New York. Previous references to the wife of James Sears had her name as "Mabel" Sherwood. Is the "Mabel" of South East, New York the "Mehitable", wife of James Sears, at Hunt's Corners? Circumstantially, it is convincing but no specific documentation exists to verify that Mehitable/Mabel Sherwood was the daughter of Jehiel Sherwood. She died 12 Mar 1826 in Wayne County NY aged 45 years and this inscription on Mehitable's gravestone was what I used to arrive at a birth date of approximately Nov 1780. The central problem with Mehitable is that in a Fairfield Church journal of families (not kept in real time), a list of Jehiel Sherwood's family members does not contain either Abigail or Mehitable. This has caused over a century of consternation even leading 19th century DAR applicants to falsify records (in the New York City Public Library) to enable the inclusion of these two children. In fact, Hezakiah Sherwood's name was erased from the Fairfield Church list in order to get Abigail's name in there. There's no justification for doing this. I am able to "fit" birthdates for all without erasing anyone. The burnng of Fairfield by the British in 1779 could well have prevented the recording of Abigail and Mehitable Sherwood's births. From Wikipedia: "On the morning of July 7, 1779, approximately 2,000 enemy troops landed on Fairfield Beach near Pine Creek Point and proceeded to invade the town. When they left the following evening, the entire town lay in ruins, burned to the ground as punishment for Fairfield's support of the rebel cause. Ten years later, President George Washington noted after traveling through Fairfield, that "the destructive evidences of British cruelty are yet visible both in Norwalk and Fairfield; as there are the chimneys of many burnt houses standing in them yet."
The gravestone inscription in the Hunts Corners Cemetery in Wayne County NY is "In memory of/Mehitable/wife of James Sears/ who died March 12, 1826 in the 45th/year of her age." At one time there was a dispute about the year, that it could be 1824, but I have closely examined the gravestone picture and the last digit of the year definitely has a curved top thus it could not be a four.

_TODO:
Cutter looks like he got the list that had deleted Hezekiah in favor of Mabel