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Edgerton

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Jacob Edgerton, son of Simeon and Abiah (Hough) Edgerton.

Esther Reed, daughter of Eliakim and Sarah (Richards) Reed.

Children:

1. Reed, b. December 9, 1789; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.
2. Esther, b. August 1, 1792; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.

Hannah Sheldon, daughter of Seth and Hannah (Hanchett) Sheldon.

Children:

3. Hannah, b. March 5, 1794; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.
4. Hannah, b. July 14, 1796; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.
5. Sheldon, b. July 6, 1798; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.
6. Jacob, b. August 26, 1800; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.
7. Hiram, b. December 1, 1802; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.
8. George H., b. December 19, 1804; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.
9. Abraham Sheldon, b. February 19, 1807; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.
10. George Hough, b. May 31, 1809; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.
11. Alta F., b. February 5, 1812; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.
12. David, b. March 28, 1815; Pawlet, Rutland Co., VT.

Jacob Edgerton was born in Norwich, Connecticut on October 29, 1760, the second son of Simeon and Abiah (Hough) Edgerton.  He grew up in Norwich and Hebron, Connecticut, and removed to Pawlet, in Rutland County, Vermont, in 1781, along with his father, Simeon, and elder brother, Jedediah.  He made his living as a farmer and laborer. 

During the Revolution, Jacob served in the Vermont Militia, 1780-81, “for the defense of the frontier” and is listed as such in the DAR Patriot Index.  Jacob’s father, Simeon, and his elder brother, Jedediah, also served in the Revolution.

Jacob married first, on February 4, 1789 (presumably in Pawlet), Esther Reed, daughter of Eliakim and Sarah (Richards) Reed of Norwalk, Connecticut.  Jacob and Esther had two children – a son, Reed, and  a daughter, Esther.  Mrs. Esther (Reed) Edgerton died in Pawlet, Vermont on August 12, 1792, and was buried at the Old Pawlet Cemetery. 

Jacob Edgerton married as his second wife, Hannah Sheldon, daughter of Seth and Hannah (Hanchett) Sheldon.  No record has been located of the marriage, but it probably took place in Pawlet circa 1793.  Jacob and Hannah Edgerton had ten children, seven of whom survived to adulthood.  All twelve of the children of Jacob Edgerton were recorded in the vital records of Pawlet.

Jacob Edgerton first appears in Vermont Census records in the 1785 Census of Pawlet.  In the 1790 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland County, Vermont, his household was enumerated as follows: 

2 males “16 years and over”  (Jacob and ?);

1 male “under 16 years”  (son Reed); and,

2 females  (wife Esther and ?). 

The household of Jacob Edgerton was recorded in the 1810 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland County, Vermont (pg. 125), with the following enumeration:

1 male “of 45 years and upwards”  (Jacob);

1 male “of 10 and under 16”  (son Sheldon);

4 males “under 10 years of age”  (sons Jacob Jr., Hiram, Abraham and George);

1 female “of 26 and under 45”  (second wife Hannah);

2 females “of 16 and under 26”  (daughter Esther and ?);

1 female “of 10 and under 16”  (daughter Hannah); and,

1 female “under 10 years of age”  (?)

The household of Jacob Edgerton was recorded in the 1820 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland County, Vermont (pg. 238), with the following enumeration:

1 male “of 45 years and upwards”  (Jacob);

3 males “of 16 and under 26”  (sons Sheldon, Jacob Jr. and Hiram);

1 male “between 16 and 18”  (son Hiram);

2 males “of 10 and under 16”  (sons Abraham and George);

1 male “under 10 years of age”  (son David);

1 female “of 45 years and upwards”  (second wife Hannah);

1 female “of 26 and under 45”  (?); and,

1 female “under 10 years of age”  (daughter Alta).

Jacob’s eldest son, Reed, was already out on his own at this time; he was also listed as a head of household in the 1820 Pawlet Census (pg. 243).

An interesting entry in the records of the Pawlet First Congregational Church tells of the death of Jacob and Hannah’s youngest son David:

“Accounts of Deaths…1828…August 13th…David, son of Jacob Edgerton, an interesting member of the Sabbath School, killed by a stone thrown by his brother at a horse while both were attempting to catch it. Aged 13.  ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’…”

Unfortunately the record doesn’t say which of the brothers threw the fateful stone.

The household of “Jacob D. Edgerton” was recorded in the 1830 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland County, Vermont (pg. 83), with the following enumeration:

1 male “of 60 and under 70”  (Jacob);

3 males “of 20 and under 30”  (sons Hiram, Abraham and George);

1 male “of 10 and under 15”  (?);

1 female “of 50 and under 60”  (second wife Hannah);

2 females “of 15 and under 20”  (daughter Alta and ?); and,

1 female “of 10 and under 15”  (?).

The household of Jacob Edgerton was recorded in the 1840 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland County, Vermont (pg. 111), with the following enumeration:

1 male “70 and under 80”  (Jacob);

2 males “30 and under 40”  (sons Abraham and George); and,

1 female “20 and under 30”  (daughter Alta).

Jacob Edgerton died in Pawlet, Vermont on January 22, 1845, “aged 84 years”, and was buried at the Old Pawlet Cemetery.  His second wife, Hannah, had predeceased him (dying on March 3, 1840), and was also buried at the Old Pawlet Cemetery along with their three children who had died in childhood – Hannah, George H. (1st), and David.

Jacob Edgerton left a Last Will and Testament, dated July 24, 1841, which was proved at Castleton, Vermont on March 5, 1845.  In the will, Jacob instructed that his estate be divided into eight equal shares – one share each to his seven surviving children, Sheldon Edgerton, Jacob Edgerton Jr., Hiram Edgerton, Abram S. Edgerton, George Edgerton, Alta Edgerton, Esther Blakely, and Hannah Blakely, and one share to the heirs of his deceased son, Reed Edgerton.  Jacob also gave detailed instructions on the manner in which the estate was to be valued, accounting for previous sums advanced to his sons Hiram and Reed.  Jacob’s eldest surviving son, Sheldon Edgerton, was named sole executor and he duly accepted the appointment, executing a bond of $15.00 on March 5, 1845.  On the same date, Elisha Allen and Milton Brown were appointed a committee to appraise the estate of “Jacob Edgerton, late of Pawlet”, and they subsequently returned a detailed inventory on April 28, 1845.  These and other probate documents relating to the estate were filed with the Fair Haven Probate District, Volume 20, pg. 71, pp. 85 – 88, pp. 133 –135, and pp. 222 – 223.