I0223: Alden BRIDGHAM , Jr. (ABT 1823

Alden BRIDGHAM , Jr.

ABT 1823 - 23 OCT 1893

NAME: Alden Wilder BRIDGHAM [851]
RESIDENCE: 1850, Twp 14, Washington, Maine [858]
RESIDENCE: 1830, 13th Plantation, Washington, Maine [859]
RESIDENCE: 1840, Marion, Washington, Maine [860]
BIRTH: ABT 1823, Hebron, Oxford, Maine [852] [853]
BIRTH: 23 DEC 1828 [854]
BIRTH: ABT 1839, Wright Co., Minnesotta [855] [856]
DEATH: 23 OCT 1893 [857]
DEATH: AFT 1850
REFERENCE: 223

Father: Alden BRIDGHAM
Mother: Margaret DOWNES

Family 1 : Harriet S. BUTLER

                                             _John BRIDGHAM ______+
                                            | (1729 - 1820) m 1754
                       _Joseph BRIDGHAM ____|
                      | (1766 - 1851) m 1789|
                      |                     |_Joanna COMER _______
                      |                       (1731 - 1810) m 1754
 _Alden BRIDGHAM _____|
| (1793 - 1870) m 1818|
|                     |                      _____________________
|                     |                     |                     
|                     |_Betsy LANE _________|
|                       (1770 - 1840) m 1789|
|                                           |_____________________
|                                                                 
|
|--Alden BRIDGHAM , Jr.
|  (1839 - 1850)
|                                            _____________________
|                                           |                     
|                      _____________________|
|                     |                     |
|                     |                     |_____________________
|                     |                                           
|_Margaret DOWNES ____|
  (1797 - 1874) m 1818|
                      |                      _____________________
                      |                     |                     
                      |_____________________|
                                            |
                                            |_____________________

INDEX

[NI0223] The first piece of documentation to appear on Alden W. Bridgham was an LDS record (AFN: C260-Z4), showing he was born about 1839 in Wright Co., Minnesotta, and was married to "Jennie," who was born in Wright Co. about 1843. This made it difficult to determine Alden's parents, since there was no record of any Bridghams in Minnesotta prior to this time. Gradually other pieces of information emerged. An 1880 Minnesotta census shows that A. W. and Jennie Bridgham lived in Minneapolis with children Hattie, Albey and Charles. This is certainly the same Alden W. and Jennie. But the census showed that A. W. was born in Maine about 1828, and Jennie was born about 1851 in Ohio.
Given the Maine connection, it is very likely that Alden W. is the same Alden Bridgham, Jr., son of Alden and Margaret (Downes) Bridgham, who was born "about 1923." Alden W.'s middle name is "Wilder". Alden Jr. had a sister, Sarah, whose middle name is "Wilder". Alden Jr. had a Aunt Sally who married Lewis Wilder (perhaps this was the source of the "Wilder" middle names?). And at some unknown point, Lewis and Sally Wilder, and their nice and her husband, Andrew and Sarah Wilder (Bridgham) Willey moved to Minnesotta. It is likely that they also took Sarahs' brother Alden and his wife Harriet with them. There are no more census records for Alden Jr. in Maine after 1850.
This would mean, however, that Harriet must have died at some time between the birth of her two children in the 1850's, and the birth of the first child of Alden and his second wife, in 1865. We can find no record of Harriet's death.
It is thought that five Bridgham men left Bridgton, Maine for Minnesotta in the mid 1800s. We know of only these three, and cannot make a connection to Bridgton.

[NF0114] Alden is listed living in his father's household in the 1850 census. There is no mention of a Harriet Bridgham. From this, I conclude that Alden did not marry until after 1850.
Record of this marriage can be found at the Maine State Archives county marriages roll 7, volume 1, page 50.

[851] [S095115]