Happy birthday, Lt. Jerathmel Bowers Swasey
1752–1826
Birth 10 MAY 1752 • Somerset, Bristol, Massachusetts Colony
Death 4 FEB 1826 • Somerset, Bristol, Mass
my 4 times great grandfather
married to: Sarah Hellon born: 1752
I recently found a new (to me) fourth cousin, who responded to my blogs. She traces her ancestry to the Swasey family, where her great great grandmother was sister to my great great grandfather. So we both descend from Jerathmel Bowers Swasey, (who was grandfather to both these siblings.)
And new-cousin, Linda has been to visit the Rhode Island museums and cemeteries, and Somerset MA homes of the Swasey family...so I'll be sharing more about them soon, with her permission!
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| Jerathmel Bowers Swasey and Sarah Hellon Swasey marker in Somerset MA |
I keep learning more about Jerathmel and his family. Somerset MA became a town in 1790, during his lifetime. It had been settled as early as 1677 on Shawomet lands. It is on a river, and was a major seaport.
The Swasey's did have a nautical connection, with his son Alexander G. Swasey "a
wood carver by trade but engaged for many years in command of ship to
the coast of China." There are other relatives who
compiled a publication about the Swasey family, "Geneology of the Swasey Family" 1910 by Benjamin Swasey, an ebook that is available on line.
The booklet gives more information on Jerathmel's father which is also of interest.
Joseph Swasey, shipwright,
Bapt(ized) in Boston, Mass. Aug. 12, 1714; died in Somerset, Mass; bef.
1801; married daughter of Jonathan & Ann Sylvester Bowers, of
Swansea, Mass. She was of Spanish descent. Joseph, removed with his
family to Salem, where he lived until 1749. He followed there the trade
of hatter. In that year he bought (in) Swansea of John Palmer, 10
acres of land on Taunton River for which he paid ~1300 O.T.
He put up a set of buildings, including a
hat shop, built a wharf & engaged in shipbuilding, floating his
craft down to Fall River. The dwelling house occupied by the family for
3 generations was taken down several years ago [written in 1910]. The old cellar &
the broad stone step still remain to mark the site. The "Swasey burying
ground" occupied about an acre of the original lot, upon which are many
tombstones that mark the resting place of his descendants.
In 1758-9, he was a
private in his Majesty's service from the Province of Massachusetts, in
Capt. Stephen Whipple's Co; Col. Jonathan Bagley's Regt; for the
reduction of Canada. In 1801, his estate was divided among his heirs
which included the widow, sons Jerathmel & Joseph, heirs of his son
Samuel, & daughter Hannah.
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| 323 Main St, Somerset, MA, (not sure the connection to the Swaseys, but this picture was included with ebook) |
- Blogger's note: "She was of Spanish descent." I can't find any of her ancestors who was Spanish, so I wonder if her mother, Ann Sylvester Bowers, was considered Spanish. I don't know where Nathaniel Sylvester really came from, her father who was in shipping.
2 comments:
I can't wait to add to the Swasey information which Linda has brought to my attention.
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Looking forward to hearing from you! If you leave your email then others with similar family trees can contact you. Just commenting falls into the blogger dark hole; I'll gladly publish what you say just don't expect responses.