My Phantom Bible

 

Where, oh where to start? This Bible has been around. It documents Amos and Sarah Hubbard Seward and their family of Guilford, CT. I believe it to have belonged to Ellen Agnes Seward Pinney, as much of her family is contained in the documentation of births of her children: Sarah Agnes b. Oct. 23, 1838; Annie Foster Pinney Bissell b. Apr. 14, 1848 (her data written after her marriage); Ella (Ellen) Reed Pinney b. July 10, 1852.

The Bible was printed in 1875, which was the year after Sarah Hubbard Seward died. Her death is recorded in it as, "Mother died April 12, 1874". Amos was still alive until 1881 when his death is recorded. The entries look to be in a more feminine hand. The other possible owner of the Bible is Agnes Lee (his daughter) and a spinster. Agnes lived at home with her parents Amos and Sarah, all her life until her father's death in 1881. It is just a hunch, but Agnes may have inherited the Bible from her sister Ellen Pinney when she died in 1889. When Ellen's husband John Brooke Pinney died in 1882, Ellen went on to marry Willis Lord in 1884. It was a late in life marriage, at age 68 and she would die 5 years later.

After father Amos died, we lose track of daughter, Agnes from the Guilford home on Harbor St. for 19 years. She turns up again in the 1900 Census with my GG grandparents, Burton Lyman Sperry and Lydia Buell Sperry on State St., as a boarder age 69. With no 1890 Census, it is hard to fill in the 19-year gap. Agnes died in 1904, possibly still a boarder with my GG grandparents. Between 1920-30 Burton and Lydia moved to Whitfield St. They may have stored books in the attic of their son Burton Elwyn on Graves Ave. during the move or possibly the Bible made its way over when Burton Lyman was put in the Guilford Sanitorium around 1940.

From what I can tell, the entries are made by 3 different hands. All lettering appears female. The first page of Marriages has the letter "R" written like a backwards 3 almost. The marriages are all of the children of Amos and Sarah Hubbard Seward.

The first birth page is mostly the children of Ellen Agnes Seward Pinney and are written with the same ornate "R". They are written with a fountain pen and ink well ink and a broad point.

The next births page is written in much finer ink with more open slanting letters done very freely and not with the precision of the first two pages. It contains one entry, Fannie Baylies born Nov. 1833 Died Nov. 1907.

On the last page, the Deaths are written in the same ornate script and ink from a well, as the first pages. This last page is what leads me to believe the Bible might have been Agnes'. The page contains the death dates of Ellen 1889 and other family who died as late as 1897.

Agnes was alive until 1904 and Fannie and William Todd until 1907 Nancy M. died in 1912. Fannie was living in Winsor, CT. in the 1900 Census and her husband Ripley had passed.  Agnes appears to be the only one in the Guilford area and was boarding with my GG grandparents. The last few entries of the deaths of Agnes, Fannie and Nancy are made in light ink possibly ballpoint or fine point pen and totally a different hand, very free flowing. I believe these entries to be made by Lydia Buell Sperry, prior to the Bible ending up at my G grandma May Sperry's attic.

Remember 46 Graves Ave and her first Mistress and Matriarch, Mary Ann Evarts? She married William Beckwith, who built the house at 46 Graves Ave. Purchased by my G grandparents with an assist from my GG grandma Lydia Buell Sperry. That Evarts name is about to come full circle. 

My first ancestor searches were all of my blood relatives and there was no bloodline that I could find back to the Sewards. My ancestors were of Puritan roots and having servants was not the sort of thing that they would have done. Time and time again with all the Seward children and descendants, they had servants, Irish and Polish, in the Census Records. They were Doctors, Lawyers Lumber company owners, University Presidents and Ministers, the upper crust of Society.

I turned my search next to the more prominent spouses of my blood kin and I looked for those that had servants in their history. The Bristols and Dudleys  were my choices. I got lucky with both.

I have found two lines back to the ancestors of, "My Phantom Bible". It has taken over a month of searching, so hold on tight as I take you through this Maze.

My G grandfather, Burton Elwyn Sperry's sister Edith was the key to the first line.

1. Edith Sperry married Robert Deforest Bristol (b. 1879) They had two children. Robert would serve as Postmaster of Guilford from July 1, 1924, to Nov. 23, 1931

2. Robert Deforest Bristol was son of Eugene Bristol and Harriet Perry

3. Eugene Deforest Bristol (b. 1843) was son of Leverett Bristol and Sarah Field.

4. Leverett Bristol (b. 1816) was son of Samuel Bristol V and Sophronia Doude

5. Samuel Bristol V (b. 1788) was son of Samuel Bristol IV and HULDAH EVARTS

6. HULDAH EVARTS (b. 1757) was the sister of ELEAZER EVARTS JR. 

7. ELEAZER EVARTS JR. (b. 1748) married Elizabeth Seward (b. 1745)

8. Elizabeth Seward (b. 1745) was the daughter of Capt. David Seward and Elizabeth Bushnell and sibling of Timothy Seward (b. 1756) 

9. Timothy Seward (b. 1756) married Rebecca Lee their son was Amos Seward (b. 1786)

10, Amos Seward married Sarah Hubbard (THE PHANTOM BIBLE FAMILY)!!!!!

According to my Ancestry site, the connection is from the " Nephew of wife of second G. Grand Uncle of husband of G. Grand Aunt (Edith Sperry Bristol)" This is the most direct link; going from Sperry, Bristol, Evarts to Sewards.

The second route to the family goes up from my Grand Aunt Grace Walker Dudley husband's side Shelton Weld Dudley. The Ancestry site Connection is "Nephew of wife of brother-in-law of 4th great granduncle of wife of 1st cousin 1x removed (Shelton Dudley Jr.) son of my Gr. Grand Aunt (Grace Dudley)" This link is a bit lengthier and goes from Griswold, Dudley, Evarts to Sewards.

My connection to the Sewards goes to the family of Eleazer Evarts Sr. Three of his children, Mary, Huldah and Eleazer Jr married into families that would lead to my link with Amos and Sarah Seward. What are the odds that this Phantom Bible with ties to the EVARTS family would find its way to 46 Graves Ave.: the home of Mary Ann EVARTS Beckwith, the first Mistress? It was, as if, I was supposed to find it and tell the story.

AMOS SEWARD was a rather colorful individual. He was elected Postmaster of Guilford, CT. and served from June 15,1829 to February 26, 1833. He was said to have dealt in the trade of the West Indies. (Alcohol) He was born 13 Nov. 1786 in Guilford, CT and died Oct. 16, 1881, and is buried in Alderbrook Cemetery, Guilford, CT. There is a brief story about him in, "A Yankee Post Office" by Frederick Calvin Norton

He married Sarah Hubbard July 10, 1814, in Guilford. She was born Jun. 12, 1792 and died Apr. 12, 1874.

The children documented in the Bible and elsewhere in Public Records were:

1. Sarah Elizabeth Seward 1815-1839 married Ezekiah L. Hosmer.  She died at age 24 and they had no children.

2. Ellen Agnes Seward 1818-1889 married John Brooke Pinney. Had 7 children He was a Presbyterian Minister and Missionary.

3. Rachel Stone Seward 1817-1882 married Ralph Dunning Smyth (Smith) They had 4 Children. He went to Yale and became a famous Lawyer. Their grandson, Bernard Christian Steiner would become a well-known Historian and write, "The History of the Plantation of Menunkatuck and the Origin of the Town of Guilford, Connecticut." It is written largely from the Manuscripts of the Hon. Ralph Dunning Smyth, (his grandfather).

4. Mary Hedges Seward 1821-1895 married Frederick A Drake They had 2 children one died in first year. Frederick was a Shoe Dealer.

5. Nancy Seward 1822-1826

6. Anna Marie Seward 1826-1827

7. Nancy Maria Seward 1827-1912 married Christian Wolfe Slagle and they had 4 children. Christian was a prominent Iowa lawyer, Regent and eventually President of the University of Iowa.

8. Agnes Lee Seward 1829-1907 unmarried and possible reason the Phantom Bible came to 46 Graves Ave.

9. William Todd Seward 1832-1907 married Sarah Elizabeth Wheaton Had 3 children. Fought in Civil War. Was to be shot in Hawaii as a Revolutionist but got pardoned.

10. Fanny Hubbard Seward 1833-1907 married Ripley Baylies had 3 children. He was a Retail dealer of stoves.

This Bible, The Yankee Post Office Book by Frederick Calvin Norton and the History of Guilford by Bernard Christian Steiner, and information I have gathered on the entire family  will be passed down to my daughter for the enlightenment of our future generations. 

It will be interesting to see where they end up in the next 236 years, that being the length of time it took to come to me! (Marilyn Senecal Cavanaugh)