A One-Name Study for the BARNUM/BARNHAM Surname
The lineage of John (3) was difficult to establish. The disastrous fire that destroyed the center of Danbury during the Revolution burned records which might have clarified this matter. He was not especially prominent in the community except for his marriage to Catherine Barnum, whose family, together with the Amblers, Ruggles, and Knapps, was one of the first in Danbury. Procedures similar to those used for John (2) were employed in this instance. All the contemporary Johns were screened for relevant data. This John, of Simsbury, met all checks and it was discovered that an early and continuing flow of Simsbury people to Danbury and Newtown had begun, late in the 1600's, when a Simsbury cleric, the Rev. Seth Shove, made this move. John's ties to Simsbury were probably finally severed when Joseph (2) left Simsbury to reside in Massachusetts. Important family data was obtained from the Will of John (3) (1786) and post-Revolutionary records. His first marriage to Catherine brought him an association with a prominent family and to his oldest son inheritances from Daniel Barnum, Catherine's brother, and Isaac, her father. Shortly before his death, he purchased from Daniel the remaining half of the double house on King Street which both families had been occupying. B Branch research disclosed a fair amount of information concerning the line of John(3) but was quite disappointing in other respects. John(2) appears briefly but this line provides no firm descending trace. Joseph(2) was a relatively young widower when he left Simsbury and a second marriage in Massachusetts is possible. The tentative assignment of Joseph(3) to this line provides no indication of offspring from his brief marriage to Thankful Hewit. However, the several Seagers/Segurs appearing between 1775 and 1810 in Vermont, western Massachusetts, and eastern New York could be of B Branch origin. Local records, where existent, should prove or disprove this assumption.
A Research Guide to the Genealogy of the Barnum/Barnam/Barnham Family Worldwide
AncientFaces - Family History Photos
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