The

Edgerton

Database

Index

Sources

Obadiah Smith Edgerton, son of Uriah and Anna (Smith) Edgerton.

born:	October 8, 1791; Bennington, Bennington Co., VT.
died:	January 3, 1851; Bennington, Bennington Co., VT. (GI)
buried:	Hinsdillville Cemetery; Bennington, Bennington Co., VT. (GI)

married:

Laura Woods

born:	September 10, 1790. (from age at death, Bennington VR 2:81 – “ae 66y, 8m, 1d”)
died:	May 11, 1857; Bennington, Bennington Co., VT. (VR 2:81) (GI)
buried:	Hinsdillville Cemetery; Bennington, Bennington Co., VT. (GI)

Children:

Harriet M., b. January 19, 1815; Bennington, Bennington Co., VT.

Obadiah Smith Edgerton was born at Bennington, Vermont on October 8, 1791, the son of Uriah and Anna (Smith) Edgerton. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Obadiah Smith. He was referred to variously as “O. S. Edgerton”, “Smith Edgerton” and “Obadiah S. Edgerton”.

The age at death listed on Obadiah’s headstone indicates a birthdate in 1788 (ie. “died January 3, 1851, aged 62”), however a number of census enumerations agree with a birthdate in 1791. The specific date listed here is provided by the Noyes family records, currently in the possession of the descendants of Obadiah’s daughter, Harriet M. (Edgerton) Noyes. A transcript of these records is on file at the Bennington Genealogical Library in Bennington, Vermont.

Obadiah Smith Edgerton was administered the Freeman’s oath and admitted as a Freeman at Bennington, Vermont in December 1812 (see Bennington Proprietors Records, Book 2, page 293).

Very little is currently known about Obadiah Smith Edgerton. From census and cemetery records it is known that his wife was named Laura Woods, but her parentage and ancestry are not known. She was born on September 10, 1790, in either Massachusetts or Wilmington, Vermont. The death record of Laura’s daughter, Harriet, (Bennington VR 3:71) states that Harriet was born in “Old Hadley, Mass.” The family probably resided there for a time and this may have been the hometown of Mrs. Laura (Woods) Edgerton.

Only one child has been conclusively documented for Obadiah and Laura Edgerton – a daughter, Harriet M. Edgerton, who married Henry Noyes in 1834 and resided in Bennington her entire life. There may have been other children who died young, as indicated by the 1830 and 1840 census enumerations of the family (see below). Apart from Obadiah’s two elder siblings, Erexene and Jabez, the Bennington Vital Records list virtually no Edgerton births prior to 1862.

The household of “O. S. Edgerton” was recorded in the 1820 Federal Census of Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont (pg. 110), with the following enumeration:

2 males “of 26 and under 45” (Obadiah and ?);

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

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

1 female “of 16 and under 26” (?); and,

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

The household of Obadiah S. Edgerton was recorded in the 1830 Federal Census of Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont (pg. 43), with the following enumeration:

2 males “of 30 and under 40” (Obadiah and ?);

2 males “of 20 and under 30” (?);

1 female “of 30 and under 40” (wife Laura);

1 female “of 20 and under 30” (?);

1 female “of 10 and under 15” (daughter Harriet); and,

1 female “under 5 years of age” (daughter ?).

The household of “O. S. Edgerton” was recorded in the 1840 Federal Census of Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont (pg. 269), with the following enumeration:

1 male “of 40 and under 50” (Obadiah); and,

1 female “of 40 and under 50” (wife Laura).

The household of “Obediah S. Edgerton” was recorded in the 1850 Federal Census of Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont (pg 188; dwelling #97; family #100; enum. September 11, 1850), as follows:

Obediah S. Edgerton	58	b. VT	carpenter $500 real estate
Laura	60	b. MA

Obadiah Smith Edgerton died at Bennington, Vermont on January 3, 1851. He was buried at the Hinsdillville Cemetery in North Bennington, where his gravestone was inscribed: “O. S. EDGERTON / DIED / Jan. 3, 1851 / Aged 62 yrs”.

Mrs. Laura (Woods) Edgerton died six years later, on May 11, 1857. According to the Bennington death record (VR 2:81), Laura was a widow, aged 66 years, 8 months and 1 day, and had been born in Wilmington, Vermont. The cause of death was listed as “old age & trouble”. Laura was buried beside her husband at Hinsdillville Cemetery; her gravestone there was inscribed: “LAURA / Wife of / O. S. EDGERTON / DIED / Mar. 11, 1857 aged 62 yrs”.

Original Source Documents:

1820 Federal Census – household of Obadiah Smith Edgerton; Bennington, Bennington Co., VT.

1830 Federal Census – household of Obadiah Smith Edgerton; Bennington, Bennington Co., VT.

1840 Federal Census – household of Obadiah Smith Edgerton; Bennington, Bennington Co., VT.

1850 Federal Census – household of Obadiah Smith Edgerton; Bennington, Bennington Co., VT.