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REUBEN NEWTON (1774 - 1833) By Myron L. Newton Jr.
The first biography written on Reuben Newton was by my late uncle, C. Albro Newton, in his book The Lyman Newton Story. Numerous sources of information, most unavailable to C. Albro at the time of his writing, have provided enough material to rewrite a new biography in its entirety. This in no way should detract from the fine effort of the earlier biography which provided the foundation for this work.
The Newton Family Bible documents Reuben Newton’s birth date as June 17, 1774. This handwritten record is significant since this date unites as one person the two men of that name identified in Ermina Newton Leonard’s extensive compilation, Newton Genealogy. Reuben Newton was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts June 17, 1774, to James and Bathsheba Nurse Newton and was baptized a month later at the Christ Church in Hopkinton. Reuben died in the Town of Mansfield, Cattaraugus County, New York on April 21, 1833, and is buried at the Jerseys Cemetery on Jersey Hollow Road. <photo> On March 11, 1804, Reuben married Eunice Manley in Dummerston, Vermont. She was the daughter of Jesse and Eunice Holmes Manley and was born in Dummerston on June 15, 1782. Eunice’s grandfather was Nathaniel Holmes, a patriot in the American Revolution. Eunice died August 21, 1836, in the Town of Mansfield, Cattaraugus County and is buried with Reuben at the Jerseys Cemetery. Reuben’s father, James Newton, was soldier in the Revolutionary War in 1776 while a resident of Framingham, Massachusetts. It is believed that in the 1780’s James moved his family from Hopkinton, Massachusetts to Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts. The Newton family next traveled north a few miles to the adjoining county of Windham County, Vermont and settled in the Putney and Dummerston areas. James Newton probably didn’t leave Hopkinton, Massachusetts before the baptism of his daughter, Mary, at the Christ Church in Hopkinton in October 1782, but arrived in Putney, Windham County, Vermont prior to the enumeration of the 1790 census. Reuben can be accounted for in the household of his father in the 1790 U. S. Vermont Census for Putney and in the 1800 U. S. Vermont Census for Dummerston. Sometime after the birth of Mary, James’ wife, Bathsheba, died. James then remarried Rachel Greeley and they had one son, Elijah, who was born in 1784. James Newton is listed on an 1802 tax role for the Town of Dummerston and the Town’s history noted that he had a shop and furnace which would be consistent with his reported occupation in metal working. Reuben and Eunice Newton’s first child, Nathaniel, was born in Vermont on November 1, 1804. The couple had eight children, four sons and four daughters. The children of Reuben and Eunice Newton:
After the birth of Nathaniel the Newton family moved from Vermont to New York State. One source stated that Nathaniel was born in Clarendon, Rutland County, Vermont and if this is true then Eunice and Reuben had left Dummerston for Clarendon and either lived there for a short time or were just passing through at the time of Nathaniel’s birth. Either way, the Newton family must have left Vermont shortly after the birth of Nathaniel since their next child was born in New York in late 1805. The logical trip would have taken them south and west to the Albany, New York area. From there they could follow the Great Western Turnpike and Cherry Valley Turnpike further west. Reuben’s destination in New York was the Town of Fabius, Onondaga County, New York (in 1808 the southern half of Fabius was split off from Onondaga County to become the Town of Truxton, Cortland County). In 1807 a third child, Lyman, was born to Reuben and Eunice. According to Lyman’s own biographical record he was born in the Town of Truxton. By the summer of 1810 Reuben and Eunice moved again to nearby Marcellus, Onondaga County, New York. It is unknown if their next child, Elsa, was born in Truxton or Marcellus but all the following children; Jesse, Eunice, Daniel and Sally were born in Marcellus, Onondaga County, New York. The 1810 U. S. New York Census enumerated Reuben Newton’s family in Marcellus. After Reuben left for Marcellus his half-brother, Elijah, temporarily returned from Truxton to Westford, Otsego County, New York to be near his aging father. Around 1820 Elijah brought his father back to Truxton where James reportedly died in 1824. Elijah, with his family and mother, then moved to Medina County, Ohio. Why Reuben and Eunice emigrated from Vermont to New York is unclear, but one possibility was to acquire suitable land to support a growing family. In the early 1800’s there was plenty of land available in Onondaga County, New York since large land grants had been given to past Revolutionary War soldiers. Most of this free land was never settled by these soldiers but instead sold off to land speculators. It is unknown exactly what took place during the first few years in Onondaga County for Reuben. No land records have been found that would indicate that he was a land owner, but it is possible that any land transactions were prior to the local government’s keeping of records. The time Reuben spent in Truxton must have been relatively short since it is known that his son, Jesse Newton, was born in Marcellus, Onondaga County, New York in June 1810. The move from Truxton to Marcellus was short in distance, only about 30 road miles, and must have taken place after Lyman Newton was born in 1807. The 1810 U. S. New York Census confirmed Reuben’s place of residence as Marcellus. Eunice’s father, Jesse, and her brother, Nathaniel, also appeared in Marcellus per that census. Reuben and his family were still residents of Marcellus in 1820 per that year’s U. S. census. Enumerated next to him the census page was Nathaniel Manley. Jesse Manley was found in the adjoining Town of Spafford, which had recently been split from the Town of Marcellus. A history of the Village of Borodino in Town of Spafford noted that Reuben Newton, Jesse Newton, and Nathaniel Manley were early settlers. Eunice’s parents, Jesse and Eunice Manley, are both buried in the Borodino Cemetery. As was the case in the Town of Truxton, no land records can be found in Reuben’s name. Other surnames, linked to Reuben and Eunice, are recorded in the early land records found at the Onondaga Court House in Syracuse, New York. The most recognizable names are Jesse and Eunice Manley; Robert and Bethiah Kidney, whose daughter would wed Reuben’s son Lyman; Rachel Newton (Reuben’s step-mother); Nathaniel Newton, Reuben’s eldest son; and Nathaniel’s future father-in-law, Rowland Hoxsie. Reuben, Eunice and their growing family probably had a farm somewhere between the Village of Marcellus and Borodino. The most logical location would have been near the Rose Hill Baptist Church (originally named Thornhill Church). Transcripts of church records found at the Marcellus Historical Society and Museum note that Lyman Newton, son of Reuben and Eunice, was baptized at this church on March 1, 1823 and Lyman’s future wife, Sarah Kidney, was received into the church by letter on June 22, 1823. Rose Hill Baptist Church is 2.5 miles south of US-20 in the Town of Marcellus and Borodino is about 2.5 south of the church. By the end of 1822 Reuben and Eunice still had eight children living with them, namely: Nathaniel (age 18), Betsey (17), Lyman (15), Elsa (13), Jesse (12), Eunice (10), Daniel (6) and Sally (1). Why Reuben chose to move again is unknown, but perhaps his present farming endeavor could not support this large family. Undeveloped land was still available further west in New York State. Cattaraugus County held large tracts of available land that was still controlled by the Holland Land Company. This land could be had for little or no money down and with only a promise to make payments in cash or an equivalent value of produce or livestock. Settlement of the Town of Mansfield began in earnest in 1818 when a number of land contracts were issued by the Holland Land Company. The History of Cattaraugus County stated that Lyman Newton arrived in Cattaraugus County in 1823, but that same document noted that Reuben arrived with his family (Lyman included) on March 1, 1824. It is possible that Reuben, Lyman and perhaps Nathaniel, preceded the rest the family into Cattaraugus County to clear the land and build a cabin. They then could have returned to Onondaga and moved the rest of the family. A historical memoranda pertaining to Onondaga County related that it was not uncommon for men to arrive in the summer or fall to search for homesteads, but would not move their families until late winter since it was easier to utilize ox-sleds over the snow instead of ox-carts on the heavily rutted roads. Numerous families from Marcellus and surrounding areas in Onondaga County also made the trek to Cattaraugus County. Samuel Harvey was the first reported émigré from Marcellus to reach the Town of Mansfield. He arrived in September 1822 and an account of his travels may offer a hint of what Reuben Newton and his family faced in their emigration from Marcellus. Apparently Mr. Harvey selected his land and then returned to Marcellus and waited for the winter snows in order to use oxen and sleighs for his reentry into Cattaraugus. Finally in March of 1823, without ever getting suitable snows, Samuel and a young assistant started west on foot with teams of oxen. Eventually did encounter heavy snows and were forced to acquire ox-sleds in Warsaw, New York. The next stop was at Zoar, New York which is a small hamlet on the northern edge of Cattaraugus County. From there they attempted to walk south to Mr. Harvey’s land, but heavy snows caused them to return for the oxen and sleds and purchase a new supply of hay. Finally they arrived in the Town of Mansfield and soon were able to begin clearing the land. In April they built a crude cabin and eventually cleared 15 acres that was planted with wheat in the fall. Besides coping with heavily timbered land and wild animals, especially bears, the Newton family would have initially resided in a very primitive living structure. A recounting of an early family that entered Cattaraugus County around 1830 explained that their first effort was to build a shanty. It consisted of logs stacked 12 feet high on one side and 8 feet high on the other and was roofed with 4 foot lengths of hemlock bark. Beds were nothing more than hemlock brush on the floor and the structure was 12 by 18 feet in size. Until a chimney could be erected a cooking fire was built in one corner of the cabin and a piece of hemlock bark above was removed to let the smoke out. Two years later this family built a log house 18 by 20 feet in area and 16 feet high. It would seem that Reuben never lived in a frame house since the first one built in the Town of Mansfield wasn’t until 1835, two years after his death. It is uncertain if Reuben’s eldest son, Nathaniel, ever moved with Reuben to Cattaraugus County or remained behind in Marcellus. A few years later it is known that he was in Onondaga County because on December 27, 1826 Rose Hill Church records noted that Nathaniel married Electa Hoxsie. No Cattaraugus County land records have been found in Reuben’s name but a Holland Land Company Record Index listed one land option taken out in the name of Reuben Newton. Reuben reportedly started with 100 acres of land and it is possible to trace, through the land transactions of his heirs, the town (4), range (7) and lot locations in the Town of Mansfield where he made his home. Reuben’s land was about four miles north of Little Valley, New York and less than a mile south of Five Points. It is very possible that Reuben’s first cabin was built at or near the same location that Lyman Newton built his large home at a later date. Technically, Reuben’s land was originally in the Town of Little Valley. In February 1830 the Town of Cecilius was formed from Little Valley and the first town meeting was held at Reuben Newton’s house on March 2, 1830. Cecilius was renamed Mansfield in June 1831. The Town’s first Church meeting was also held at Reuben’s home. During the first few years of Reuben’s residence in Cattaraugus County there were only a few means to make cash, with the two most prominent being the making of potash by burning the fallen trees left after clearing the land, and the production of maple syrup from the abundant maple trees. Subsistence crops like potatoes were also planted along with wheat, oats and corn. Fruit trees were often planted and it would be presumed that Reuben, being a former resident of an area known for its apple production, used some of his land for this crop. The 1830 U. S. Census for New York, Cattaraugus County, Town of Cecilius (i.e. Mansfield) enumerated the Reuben Newton household with a total of seven persons, four male and three females. Besides Reuben and Eunice the family members were Lyman, Jesse, Eunice, Daniel and Sally. Effectively, only Reuben 56, Jesse 20, and Daniel 14 were available to work the farm beginning in the fall of 1830 since Lyman married and purchased his own 100 acres. Farms like Reuben’s generally grew one or two types of grains, and raised chickens, hogs, and a few dairy cattle. Each farm also needed one or two oxen for working the land. The year 1833 marked the death of Reuben Newton; a New Englander, traveling pioneer, and farmer. His children and future generations proved industrious, adventuresome, and prolific. Eventually there were at least 49 grandchildren of Reuben and Eunice. With the possible exception of Elsa, whose status is unknown, all the children of Reuben and Eunice married and had children. Nathaniel eventually moved to the Ohio. Lyman and Jesse both carried on the farming tradition in the Town of Mansfield. Betsey (Healy) and Sally (Hyde) traveled through Illinois before settling in Wisconsin, and Eunice (King) lived in Ohio. Daniel resided in Illinois and Michigan.
References
The Centenial History of the Town of Marcellus, Israel Parsons (1878)
History of Cattaraugus County, New York, Philadelphia, L.H. Everts. Franklin Ellis (1879)
Holland Land Purchases for Western New York – Index
The Lyman Newton Story, Clarence Albro Newton (1988)
Newton Genealogy. DePere, Wisconsin. Ermina Newton Leonard (1915),
Onondaga’s Centennial: Gleanings of a Century, Vol I. Chapter XLI. The Town of Spafford. Dwight H. Bruce (1896)
Rose Hill (Thorn Hill) Baptist Church Records. Local transcription viewed at the Marcellus Historical Society Museum, Marcellus, New York.
Vermont Historical Gazetteer (Vol V, The Towns of Windham County), Carrie E. H. Page (1891), Retrieved June 9, 2006, sites.rootsweb.com/%7Evtwindha/vhg5/dummerston.htm
Selected GPS readings of place names
Jerseys Cemetery Town of Mansfield, Cattaraugus County, New York: N42 19.704,W078 48.124. Rose Hill Baptist Church, Town of Marcellus, Onondaga County, New York: N42 53.830, W076 20.540. Lyman Newton House, Town of Mansfield, Cattaraugus County, New York: N42 17.636, W078 47.375.
Myron L. Newton Jr updated 1 Dec 2017 |
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