Ancestor # 63

Joseph Baldwin (1728-1808)

Joseph Baldwin was born in Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts on 20 October[1] 1728 and died on 9 January 1808[2] in Mansfield, Tolland, Connecticut. He is the second son and fourth child of Thomas and Dorothy (Kidder) Baldwin[3]. He married Elizabeth Porter on 16 November 1757[4] in Mansfield. Elizabeth Porter was born in Mansfield on 30 June 1740[5] and died there on 13 March 1808[6].

            Joseph moved to Connecticut with his family about 1736 (his father’s first land transaction was dated 19 February 1736). This Baldwin family descends from John Baldwin, one of the original settlers of Billerica.

            Joseph’s father died in 1750 and left a detailed will with his sons receiving land and his daughters money. Joseph was granted 42 acres[7], part of the homestead farm his father originally purchased from Peter Caudell. Joseph’s land was on both sides of Spring Hill Road in Mansfield. Spring Hill Road is still visible on Google Earth and land along the road is still being farmed. Joseph bought 10 acres of land from his brother Eleazar Baldwin in 1753[8]. He traded land with Jonathan Dimock in 1793[9] and sold to Uriah Hanks in 1801[10]. In 1802 he and his sons John and Thomas sold land to Benjamin Hanks[11]. It is significant that all three signed the sale agreement indicating that this piece of property Joseph had designated as the inheritance for his youngest sons.  In 1802 John was either married or had contracted to marry Asenath Buck and to settle permanently in Ontario, Canada. I am sure that he asked his father for his inheritance so he could establish himself in Dundas County and begin to raise his own family.

            Joseph was enumerated as head of household in the 1790 US census[12]. In his household he had 3 males 16 and over and 3 females 16 and over. The males were probably Joseph and his two youngest sons, Thomas and John, and the females likely were his wife Elizabeth and daughters Anna and Keturah. In 1800, son Thomas is head of household[13]. He has one male under 10, 2 males 16-25 and 1 male over 45. There are also 1 female 16-25, 1 female 26-45 and 1 female over 45. The male and female over 45 are most likely Joseph and Elizabeth. The female 25-45 is probably Keturah and one of the males 25-45 is Thomas. The other inhabitants have not been identified.

            There are stories that Joseph was a Loyalist during the American Revolution and both he and his wife were detained at Fort Ticonderoga for a time. I have not been able to verify this story, but it could be true. His eldest son was definitely a Loyalist and spent several months in jail in Bennington before being released.

Joseph did not leave a will[14]. This is not unusual for this time period especially for individuals who lived a full life. It was practice in this time period to give children their inheritance when they reached their majority or married. Many children moved away from their parents looking for cheaper land they could purchase. All of Joseph’s sons moved to Vermont or New York except for John who went to Canada.

            I have 2 DNA matches where the most recent common ancestor is Joseph and Elizabeth. Both of these matches are through son Thomas. One match is through his daughter Aurora who married Daniel Beattie. The second is through his son Silas whose daughter married Burdette Dewitt. In both cases, I have identified that my matches and I are fifth cousins. According to the Shared cM Project (Version 3) undertaken by Blaine Bettinger[15], the average shared cMs (centimorgans) for fifth cousins is 25 and the range is 0 – 94. One of my matches and I share a segment 14.3 cMs and with the other I share a segment 31.22 cMs. Both are good representatives for fifth cousin matches.

           

Children of Joseph and Elizabeth (Porter) Baldwin, all born in Mansfield:

                    i.            Silas Baldwin, b. 6 Sep. 1758, d. 13 Jan 1837 in Dorset, Bennington, Vermont, m. 8 Feb 1781 in Dorset, Priscilla Cary.

                  ii.            Elizabeth Baldwin, b. 13 Apr 1761, d. 2 Aug 1827 in Hinesburg, Chittenden, Vermont, m. in 1779 Daniel Barnum, b. 1761 in Vermont. This couple had no children.

                iii.            Anna Baldwin, b. 12 Jan 1764, m. a man named Doane.

                 iv.            Joseph Baldwin, b. 4 Jul 1766, d. in Cooperstown, Otsego, New York, m, Elizabeth Suce b. about 1765, died before 1840.

                   v.            Keturah Baldwin, b. 5 Feb 1772, never married.

                vi.            John Baldwin, b. 19 Mar 1774, twin of Thomas, d, 26 Sep 1846 in Mountain, Dundas, Ontario, Canada, m. about 1803 Asenath Buck b between 1778 and 1784 in Sorel, Quebec, Canada and died after 1824 in Mountain.

              vii.            Thomas Baldwin, b. 19 Mar 1774, twin of John, died 4 Jul 1854 in Dorset, m. 14 Apr 1807 in Connecticut, Polly Lanfrere, b. Jan 1788 in Connecticut and d. 26 May 1862 in Dorset.

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[1] “Massachusetts Vital Records, 1621-1850”, birth of Joseph Baldwin 1728; database, AmericanAncestors.org (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 15 Jan 2019), citing Billerica town records.

[2] “Second Congregational Church, Mansfield, Connecticut”, Marriages and Deaths, 1737-1824, death of Joseph Baldwin, 1808, p. 244; digital images, FamilySearch.org (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 17 Jan 2019), film 1,010,746.

[3] Baldwin, Charles Candee, The Baldwin Genealogy from 1500 to 1881 (Cleveland:1881). Stafford, Morgan Hewitt, A Genealogy of the Kidder Family (Tuttle Publishing Co., Rutland, VT:1941), p. 13.

[4] Dimock, Susan W., Births, Baptisms, Marriages and Deathsfrom the Records of the Town and Churches in Mansfield, Connecticut, 1703-1850 (Baker and Taylor Co., New York: 1898), p. 207.

[5] Dimock, p. 143.

[6] Second Congregational Church, death of Joseph Baldwin’s wife, 1808, p. 52.

[7] “Probate file collection, early to 1800”, Probate packets Babcock, N. – Bass, Ebenezer, 1719-1880, probate packet #206, Thomas Baldwin, Mansfield 1750, Windham District; digital images, FamilySearch.org (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 23 Jan 2019), film 1,032,530.

[8] “Mansfield, Connecticut, Land records, 1702-1900”, Eleazar Baldwin to Joseph Baldwin, 1753, Vol. 5, p. 484; digital images, FamilySearch.org (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 15 Jan 2019), film 4,872.

[9] Mansfield, Connecticut, Land records, Jonathan Dimock to Thomas Baldwin and Thomas Baldwin to Jonathan Dimock, Vol. 12, p. 151 and 152, film 4,872.

[10] Mansfield, Connecticut, Land records, Joseph Baldwin to Uriah Hanks, Vol. 14, p. 261, film 4,873.

[11] Mansfield, Connecticut, Land records, Joseph, John and Thomas Baldwin to Benjamin Hanks, 1802, Vol. 14, p. 288, film 4,873.

[12] 1790 US Census, Windham, Connecticut, population schedule, Mansfield, page 262, line 25, Joseph Baldwin; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 Feb 2016), citing National Archives and Record Administration microfilm M637, roll 1.

[13] 1800 US Census, Windham, Connecticut, population schedule, Mansfield, page 860 (written), page 721 (stamped), line 14, Thos Baldwin; ; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Aug 2016), citing National Archives and Record Administration microfilm M32, roll 2.

[14] “General Index to probate records; all districts in Connecticut 1641-1948”, no entry for Joseph Baldwin, Mansfield, 1808 was located; digital images, FamilySearch.org (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 23 Jan 2019), film 166,002.

[15] https://thegeneticgenealogist.com/2017/08/26/august-2017-update-to-the-shared-cm-project/