Betts: Abigail - Who are her parents?

This blog entry is from a document I created on the last day of 2004 and last updated in 2006.  I posted it or something close to it on one of the genealogy lists and it is still there:

Noah Gates m. Abigail Betts ... late 1700's... who was her father

... I don't consider the question answered!

Abigail Betts

(email: WmAGates@gmail.com)

Abigail Betts was born 1765 April 22^nd, as reported by many researchers, (this calendar date is a Monday) to Thaddeus Betts and Deborah Mead.  Many Gates Family researchers identify that this Abigail married Noah Gates at Wilton CT.

Chamberlain (1982) in developing the genealogy of Annie Rebecca Betts provides details of the family of Thaddeus and Deborah.  Chamberlain’s first source (as she states unless otherwise noted) for the first five generations is “Charles Wyllys Betts – Thomas Betts (1618- 1688) and his descendants”.  Chamberlain’s second source is “David Herman VanHoosear and G. Evans Hubbard, unpublished genealogies of Wilton families, Wilton Historical Society Collection, Wilton CT.”  This information provides that the birth of Abigail is 1765 April 22^nd and presents some difficulties.

Facts from the Chamberlain perspective -

·      The eldest child of Thaddeus and Deborah is Nehemiah, reported born at Wilton 1765 September 25^th.  This is a Wednesday and approximately 5 months after Abigail was born.

·      Abigail is not included among the children of Thaddeus and Deborah, neither by Chamberlain nor by [1934Barbour - Norwalk, Newtown, Ridgefield, Redding, Woodbury, Wilton, and other towns in those volumes but not exhaustively].

·      Thaddeus Betts and Deborah Mead were married 1764 May 10^th.   Abigail was born ~ 13 months later.  Nehemiah was born ~16 months later.  The Barbour Collection [Norwalk] reports the marriage of Thaddeus, Jr. as one year earlier, 1763 May 10^th.

·      The first son (eldest child) of Thaddeus, Nehemiah, appears to be named after his maternal grandfather.

Observations –

·      Chamberlain was working closely with the Wilton Public Library and the Wilton Historical Society.

·     Abigail has been assigned to the wrong Thaddeus or incorrect family.  Barbour records six [in Norwalk] Thaddeus of which one/two others could be the families … Thaddeus and Mary Gould (m 1752) … Thaddeus and Elizabeth Maltby.   Is this the same Thaddeus with a (2^nd wife m. 1754) ?  This is probably not the case since we cannot find Abigail associated with them but migration could account for this!

·      The birth dates for Abigail and Nehemiah are incorrect, one or both.

·    If the marriage date provided by Chamberlain is correct and Nehemiah’s birth date is correct then it is possible that Abigail still fits within the Thaddeus and Deborah family but rather unlikely and one would still have to change her birth date. 

·      Abigail could have been conceived before the marriage, but again this is unlikely for the day and age.  The earlier date of marriage from Barbour does not resolve the issue still, unless the birth date for Abigail is changed.  Deborah was ~25 years of age when married and Thaddeus ~27 years old.

·    In examining the Chamberlain work Thaddeus Betts does not have a parent or grandparent named Abigail.  The errata sheet changing Deborah’s mother should be noted but does not change observations. Both of the lines investigated by Chamberlain do have some Abigail ancestors.  The line of (Daniel Betts – Abigail Patchen, [Jacob Patchen – Abigail Cable], Daniel – Sarah Comstock, Daniel Betts – Deborah Taylor, Thomas Betts – Mary (?) ) has an Abigail tradition but according to Chamberlain has no Abigail in the immediate family of Thaddeus and Deborah … note that the family can be reconstructed from Barbour [Norwalk/Wilton] except for the presence of Abigail.  Abigail is not contained in the Barbour [Norwalk/Wilton] record. 

Perhaps the basic question(s) of when was Abigail born and who were her parents can be resolved by going to original sources or discovering which sources many researchers actually used.

[1982Chamberlain] The Ancestors and Descendants of Annie Rebecca Betts 1850- 1916 Wilton, Connecticut, Marjorie D. Chamberlain printed at Kings Press, Moutlake Terrace, WA 1982.

[1934Barbour] [F104 A58 W48 1994] The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records, Compiled - Marie S Crossley, General Editor - Lorraine White.

[1888Betts] Charles Wyllys Betts – Thomas Betts (1618- 1688) and his descendants, reprinted, indexed.

[18xxVanHoosear] David Herman VanHoosear and G. Evans Hubbard, unpublished genealogies of Wilton families, Wilton Historical Society Collection, Wilton CT.