The memorialist is not a descendant of Abisha Bingham, but multiple inquiries by apparent descendants regarding his mother's memorial prompted additional research. Abisha's purported family is portrayed by multiple secondary references with inconsistent vital dates with minimal primary record documentation.
In the early 1860s William L. Weaver, editor of the Willimantic Journal newspaper, began to publish Windham family genealogies, including the large Bingham family. Weaver resided at Windham and would have had access to all of the extant primary records regarding the Bingham family at greater Windham. But, when it came to Abisha no reference to any detail was provided except for son Abisha, Jr., whose marriage and children are recorded in the Windham records. And, neither Abisha, Jr's birth nor those of his claimed siblings are recorded at Windham, but other persons have given specific dates of birth claiming they were all born at Windham. The alternate claim that Abisha died in and the children were born at Scotland, Conn. is an error, as the Town of Scotland, formerly the Third Church Society of the Town of Windham, did not become a separate incorporated town until 1857.
As Abisha Bingham descends from Gov. William Bradford of the 1620 Mayflower passage, factual primary source information should be the order of the day. To that end:
Abisha (q.v. Abishai) Bingham, eldest s. of Samuel Bingham and his first wife Faith Ripley, was b. of record Jan. 29, 1709/10 at Windham, Conn. The actual typed Barbour vital record of his birth is: "Abishai, s. Sam(ue)ll & Ffaith, b. Jan. 29, 1710/9" [WindTR,1:3] in which the "0" in the year 1710 is an overtype of an initial typed number "8." This is not the only example in which the higher year number in the old Julian calendar is handwritten over the lower year number in original handwritten town records. That "1710/9" [i.e., 1709/10] is correct versus being misread as 1718/9 is borne by the record that Abishai m. his only known wife, Mary Tubbs, in Dec. 1731. Obviously he did not marry the then 21 year old Mary when he was 12 years old, or that his first known child, dau. Jerusha, was bapt. in Feb. 1732/3 when he was only 14 years old.
On Dec. 28, 1731 Abisha Bingham, as "Abithai Bingham of Windham," was m. by Rev. George Griswold at the Lyme, Conn. First Church to Mary Tubbs [re: Bailey: Conn. Marriages before 1850, 3:132]. Mary was b. of record Apr. 2, 1710 at Lyme, the "d. of Isaac & Martha" [Barbour: Lyme VRs]. They had five documentable children, whose births do not appear in the Windham town records. However, the children are of baptism record at either the Windham 1st Church or at Windham's Scotland Society Ch. (Windham's 3rd Society Ch.)
Abishai and wife Mary were admitted covenant members of the Windham 1st Church (i.e., owned the half-way baptism covenant) Feb. 25, 1732/3, the same day their first known child was baptized:
• i. Jerusha Bingham, bapt. Feb. 25, 1732/3 (by Rev. Thos, Clapp, Windham 1st Ch. Rec.) No known further record.
• ii. Abisha Bingham, Jr. bapt. May 26, 1734 (by Rev. Thos. Clapp, Windham 1st Ch. Rec.). The claim that this child died as an infant and a subsequent child named Abishai was b. Feb. 28, 1734/5 appears an error. No second Abishai appears of baptism record at either the Windham or Scotland Society church. The only valid conclusion is that this is the only Abisha Bingham, bapt. May 26, 1734, who m. of record in Feb. 1755 (day missing) at Windham, Anne Sawyer, dau. of Elijah Sawyer and Hannah Terrell, b. of record at Windham, Feb. 28, 1734/5. As a widow, Anne (Sawyer) Bingham has an extant gravestone at Windham, whereas no known gravestone exists for Abisha and their respective deaths are not recorded in the Windham town records. Eight children b. of record at Windham.
• iii. Abner Bingham; subsequent writings claim he was probably not a child of the family. However, he is of baptism record at the Scotland Society church: "Abner, s. of Abishai, bp. [date missing], by Rev. Ebenezer Devotion. (2-15.)" The pagination of baptisms at this church is highly suggestive he was bapt. in the year 1736. [Abisha's father Samuel had his last known child, dau. Abigail by his 2nd wife Elizabeth, being Abishai Bingham's youngest half-sibling, bapt. at the Scotland Ch. Aug. 8, 1736, and recorded at church book 2-15.] He is likely the Abner Bingham who died intestate in Walpole, Cheshire County, NH prior to Mar. 10, 1774, the date his widow Sarah was granted letters of administration as well as the inventory of Abner's estate inventory was taken. Solomon Gee, Jr, Abner's brother-in-law, was appointed guardian of Abner and Sarah's three minor children: Ripley, John and Faith. The widow Sarah was still living in 1680 when she gave receipt for distribution of her thirds in the estate [Cheshire County, NH Probate Records].
• iv. Reuben Bingham, bapt. Apr. 9, 1738 (by Ebenezer Devotion, Scotland Society Ch. [2-16].)
• v. Martha Bingham, bapt. Aug. 10, 1740 (by Ebenezer Devotion, Scotland Society Ch. [2-18]); m. Dec. 24, 1758 at Lyme, Conn., Solomon Gee, Jr. [Barbour: Lyme VRs].
• vi. purportedly, Abigail Bingham, claimed to have been b. Mar. 13, 1742/3 and died young; she does not appear in either the Windham vital records, the Winddam or Scotland Ch. baptism records.
No record of the death of Abisha or wife Mary is found at Windham, Conn. and neither of them are found in the Hale Connecticut Cemetery database. The Windham land records have not been researched by the writer to provide further evidence that he resided at Windham at his death. No probate record in Connecticut is found for either of them.
Edited 7/6/2018
In the early 1860s William L. Weaver, editor of the Willimantic Journal newspaper, began to publish Windham family genealogies, including the large Bingham family. Weaver resided at Windham and would have had access to all of the extant primary records regarding the Bingham family at greater Windham. But, when it came to Abisha no reference to any detail was provided except for son Abisha, Jr., whose marriage and children are recorded in the Windham records. And, neither Abisha, Jr's birth nor those of his claimed siblings are recorded at Windham, but other persons have given specific dates of birth claiming they were all born at Windham. The alternate claim that Abisha died in and the children were born at Scotland, Conn. is an error, as the Town of Scotland, formerly the Third Church Society of the Town of Windham, did not become a separate incorporated town until 1857.
As Abisha Bingham descends from Gov. William Bradford of the 1620 Mayflower passage, factual primary source information should be the order of the day. To that end:
Abisha (q.v. Abishai) Bingham, eldest s. of Samuel Bingham and his first wife Faith Ripley, was b. of record Jan. 29, 1709/10 at Windham, Conn. The actual typed Barbour vital record of his birth is: "Abishai, s. Sam(ue)ll & Ffaith, b. Jan. 29, 1710/9" [WindTR,1:3] in which the "0" in the year 1710 is an overtype of an initial typed number "8." This is not the only example in which the higher year number in the old Julian calendar is handwritten over the lower year number in original handwritten town records. That "1710/9" [i.e., 1709/10] is correct versus being misread as 1718/9 is borne by the record that Abishai m. his only known wife, Mary Tubbs, in Dec. 1731. Obviously he did not marry the then 21 year old Mary when he was 12 years old, or that his first known child, dau. Jerusha, was bapt. in Feb. 1732/3 when he was only 14 years old.
On Dec. 28, 1731 Abisha Bingham, as "Abithai Bingham of Windham," was m. by Rev. George Griswold at the Lyme, Conn. First Church to Mary Tubbs [re: Bailey: Conn. Marriages before 1850, 3:132]. Mary was b. of record Apr. 2, 1710 at Lyme, the "d. of Isaac & Martha" [Barbour: Lyme VRs]. They had five documentable children, whose births do not appear in the Windham town records. However, the children are of baptism record at either the Windham 1st Church or at Windham's Scotland Society Ch. (Windham's 3rd Society Ch.)
Abishai and wife Mary were admitted covenant members of the Windham 1st Church (i.e., owned the half-way baptism covenant) Feb. 25, 1732/3, the same day their first known child was baptized:
• i. Jerusha Bingham, bapt. Feb. 25, 1732/3 (by Rev. Thos, Clapp, Windham 1st Ch. Rec.) No known further record.
• ii. Abisha Bingham, Jr. bapt. May 26, 1734 (by Rev. Thos. Clapp, Windham 1st Ch. Rec.). The claim that this child died as an infant and a subsequent child named Abishai was b. Feb. 28, 1734/5 appears an error. No second Abishai appears of baptism record at either the Windham or Scotland Society church. The only valid conclusion is that this is the only Abisha Bingham, bapt. May 26, 1734, who m. of record in Feb. 1755 (day missing) at Windham, Anne Sawyer, dau. of Elijah Sawyer and Hannah Terrell, b. of record at Windham, Feb. 28, 1734/5. As a widow, Anne (Sawyer) Bingham has an extant gravestone at Windham, whereas no known gravestone exists for Abisha and their respective deaths are not recorded in the Windham town records. Eight children b. of record at Windham.
• iii. Abner Bingham; subsequent writings claim he was probably not a child of the family. However, he is of baptism record at the Scotland Society church: "Abner, s. of Abishai, bp. [date missing], by Rev. Ebenezer Devotion. (2-15.)" The pagination of baptisms at this church is highly suggestive he was bapt. in the year 1736. [Abisha's father Samuel had his last known child, dau. Abigail by his 2nd wife Elizabeth, being Abishai Bingham's youngest half-sibling, bapt. at the Scotland Ch. Aug. 8, 1736, and recorded at church book 2-15.] He is likely the Abner Bingham who died intestate in Walpole, Cheshire County, NH prior to Mar. 10, 1774, the date his widow Sarah was granted letters of administration as well as the inventory of Abner's estate inventory was taken. Solomon Gee, Jr, Abner's brother-in-law, was appointed guardian of Abner and Sarah's three minor children: Ripley, John and Faith. The widow Sarah was still living in 1680 when she gave receipt for distribution of her thirds in the estate [Cheshire County, NH Probate Records].
• iv. Reuben Bingham, bapt. Apr. 9, 1738 (by Ebenezer Devotion, Scotland Society Ch. [2-16].)
• v. Martha Bingham, bapt. Aug. 10, 1740 (by Ebenezer Devotion, Scotland Society Ch. [2-18]); m. Dec. 24, 1758 at Lyme, Conn., Solomon Gee, Jr. [Barbour: Lyme VRs].
• vi. purportedly, Abigail Bingham, claimed to have been b. Mar. 13, 1742/3 and died young; she does not appear in either the Windham vital records, the Winddam or Scotland Ch. baptism records.
No record of the death of Abisha or wife Mary is found at Windham, Conn. and neither of them are found in the Hale Connecticut Cemetery database. The Windham land records have not been researched by the writer to provide further evidence that he resided at Windham at his death. No probate record in Connecticut is found for either of them.
Edited 7/6/2018
The memorialist is not a descendant of Abisha Bingham, but multiple inquiries by apparent descendants regarding his mother's memorial prompted additional research. Abisha's purported family is portrayed by multiple secondary references with inconsistent vital dates with minimal primary record documentation.
In the early 1860s William L. Weaver, editor of the Willimantic Journal newspaper, began to publish Windham family genealogies, including the large Bingham family. Weaver resided at Windham and would have had access to all of the extant primary records regarding the Bingham family at greater Windham. But, when it came to Abisha no reference to any detail was provided except for son Abisha, Jr., whose marriage and children are recorded in the Windham records. And, neither Abisha, Jr's birth nor those of his claimed siblings are recorded at Windham, but other persons have given specific dates of birth claiming they were all born at Windham. The alternate claim that Abisha died in and the children were born at Scotland, Conn. is an error, as the Town of Scotland, formerly the Third Church Society of the Town of Windham, did not become a separate incorporated town until 1857.
As Abisha Bingham descends from Gov. William Bradford of the 1620 Mayflower passage, factual primary source information should be the order of the day. To that end:
Abisha (q.v. Abishai) Bingham, eldest s. of Samuel Bingham and his first wife Faith Ripley, was b. of record Jan. 29, 1709/10 at Windham, Conn. The actual typed Barbour vital record of his birth is: "Abishai, s. Sam(ue)ll & Ffaith, b. Jan. 29, 1710/9" [WindTR,1:3] in which the "0" in the year 1710 is an overtype of an initial typed number "8." This is not the only example in which the higher year number in the old Julian calendar is handwritten over the lower year number in original handwritten town records. That "1710/9" [i.e., 1709/10] is correct versus being misread as 1718/9 is borne by the record that Abishai m. his only known wife, Mary Tubbs, in Dec. 1731. Obviously he did not marry the then 21 year old Mary when he was 12 years old, or that his first known child, dau. Jerusha, was bapt. in Feb. 1732/3 when he was only 14 years old.
On Dec. 28, 1731 Abisha Bingham, as "Abithai Bingham of Windham," was m. by Rev. George Griswold at the Lyme, Conn. First Church to Mary Tubbs [re: Bailey: Conn. Marriages before 1850, 3:132]. Mary was b. of record Apr. 2, 1710 at Lyme, the "d. of Isaac & Martha" [Barbour: Lyme VRs]. They had five documentable children, whose births do not appear in the Windham town records. However, the children are of baptism record at either the Windham 1st Church or at Windham's Scotland Society Ch. (Windham's 3rd Society Ch.)
Abishai and wife Mary were admitted covenant members of the Windham 1st Church (i.e., owned the half-way baptism covenant) Feb. 25, 1732/3, the same day their first known child was baptized:
• i. Jerusha Bingham, bapt. Feb. 25, 1732/3 (by Rev. Thos, Clapp, Windham 1st Ch. Rec.) No known further record.
• ii. Abisha Bingham, Jr. bapt. May 26, 1734 (by Rev. Thos. Clapp, Windham 1st Ch. Rec.). The claim that this child died as an infant and a subsequent child named Abishai was b. Feb. 28, 1734/5 appears an error. No second Abishai appears of baptism record at either the Windham or Scotland Society church. The only valid conclusion is that this is the only Abisha Bingham, bapt. May 26, 1734, who m. of record in Feb. 1755 (day missing) at Windham, Anne Sawyer, dau. of Elijah Sawyer and Hannah Terrell, b. of record at Windham, Feb. 28, 1734/5. As a widow, Anne (Sawyer) Bingham has an extant gravestone at Windham, whereas no known gravestone exists for Abisha and their respective deaths are not recorded in the Windham town records. Eight children b. of record at Windham.
• iii. Abner Bingham; subsequent writings claim he was probably not a child of the family. However, he is of baptism record at the Scotland Society church: "Abner, s. of Abishai, bp. [date missing], by Rev. Ebenezer Devotion. (2-15.)" The pagination of baptisms at this church is highly suggestive he was bapt. in the year 1736. [Abisha's father Samuel had his last known child, dau. Abigail by his 2nd wife Elizabeth, being Abishai Bingham's youngest half-sibling, bapt. at the Scotland Ch. Aug. 8, 1736, and recorded at church book 2-15.] He is likely the Abner Bingham who died intestate in Walpole, Cheshire County, NH prior to Mar. 10, 1774, the date his widow Sarah was granted letters of administration as well as the inventory of Abner's estate inventory was taken. Solomon Gee, Jr, Abner's brother-in-law, was appointed guardian of Abner and Sarah's three minor children: Ripley, John and Faith. The widow Sarah was still living in 1680 when she gave receipt for distribution of her thirds in the estate [Cheshire County, NH Probate Records].
• iv. Reuben Bingham, bapt. Apr. 9, 1738 (by Ebenezer Devotion, Scotland Society Ch. [2-16].)
• v. Martha Bingham, bapt. Aug. 10, 1740 (by Ebenezer Devotion, Scotland Society Ch. [2-18]); m. Dec. 24, 1758 at Lyme, Conn., Solomon Gee, Jr. [Barbour: Lyme VRs].
• vi. purportedly, Abigail Bingham, claimed to have been b. Mar. 13, 1742/3 and died young; she does not appear in either the Windham vital records, the Winddam or Scotland Ch. baptism records.
No record of the death of Abisha or wife Mary is found at Windham, Conn. and neither of them are found in the Hale Connecticut Cemetery database. The Windham land records have not been researched by the writer to provide further evidence that he resided at Windham at his death. No probate record in Connecticut is found for either of them.
Edited 7/6/2018
In the early 1860s William L. Weaver, editor of the Willimantic Journal newspaper, began to publish Windham family genealogies, including the large Bingham family. Weaver resided at Windham and would have had access to all of the extant primary records regarding the Bingham family at greater Windham. But, when it came to Abisha no reference to any detail was provided except for son Abisha, Jr., whose marriage and children are recorded in the Windham records. And, neither Abisha, Jr's birth nor those of his claimed siblings are recorded at Windham, but other persons have given specific dates of birth claiming they were all born at Windham. The alternate claim that Abisha died in and the children were born at Scotland, Conn. is an error, as the Town of Scotland, formerly the Third Church Society of the Town of Windham, did not become a separate incorporated town until 1857.
As Abisha Bingham descends from Gov. William Bradford of the 1620 Mayflower passage, factual primary source information should be the order of the day. To that end:
Abisha (q.v. Abishai) Bingham, eldest s. of Samuel Bingham and his first wife Faith Ripley, was b. of record Jan. 29, 1709/10 at Windham, Conn. The actual typed Barbour vital record of his birth is: "Abishai, s. Sam(ue)ll & Ffaith, b. Jan. 29, 1710/9" [WindTR,1:3] in which the "0" in the year 1710 is an overtype of an initial typed number "8." This is not the only example in which the higher year number in the old Julian calendar is handwritten over the lower year number in original handwritten town records. That "1710/9" [i.e., 1709/10] is correct versus being misread as 1718/9 is borne by the record that Abishai m. his only known wife, Mary Tubbs, in Dec. 1731. Obviously he did not marry the then 21 year old Mary when he was 12 years old, or that his first known child, dau. Jerusha, was bapt. in Feb. 1732/3 when he was only 14 years old.
On Dec. 28, 1731 Abisha Bingham, as "Abithai Bingham of Windham," was m. by Rev. George Griswold at the Lyme, Conn. First Church to Mary Tubbs [re: Bailey: Conn. Marriages before 1850, 3:132]. Mary was b. of record Apr. 2, 1710 at Lyme, the "d. of Isaac & Martha" [Barbour: Lyme VRs]. They had five documentable children, whose births do not appear in the Windham town records. However, the children are of baptism record at either the Windham 1st Church or at Windham's Scotland Society Ch. (Windham's 3rd Society Ch.)
Abishai and wife Mary were admitted covenant members of the Windham 1st Church (i.e., owned the half-way baptism covenant) Feb. 25, 1732/3, the same day their first known child was baptized:
• i. Jerusha Bingham, bapt. Feb. 25, 1732/3 (by Rev. Thos, Clapp, Windham 1st Ch. Rec.) No known further record.
• ii. Abisha Bingham, Jr. bapt. May 26, 1734 (by Rev. Thos. Clapp, Windham 1st Ch. Rec.). The claim that this child died as an infant and a subsequent child named Abishai was b. Feb. 28, 1734/5 appears an error. No second Abishai appears of baptism record at either the Windham or Scotland Society church. The only valid conclusion is that this is the only Abisha Bingham, bapt. May 26, 1734, who m. of record in Feb. 1755 (day missing) at Windham, Anne Sawyer, dau. of Elijah Sawyer and Hannah Terrell, b. of record at Windham, Feb. 28, 1734/5. As a widow, Anne (Sawyer) Bingham has an extant gravestone at Windham, whereas no known gravestone exists for Abisha and their respective deaths are not recorded in the Windham town records. Eight children b. of record at Windham.
• iii. Abner Bingham; subsequent writings claim he was probably not a child of the family. However, he is of baptism record at the Scotland Society church: "Abner, s. of Abishai, bp. [date missing], by Rev. Ebenezer Devotion. (2-15.)" The pagination of baptisms at this church is highly suggestive he was bapt. in the year 1736. [Abisha's father Samuel had his last known child, dau. Abigail by his 2nd wife Elizabeth, being Abishai Bingham's youngest half-sibling, bapt. at the Scotland Ch. Aug. 8, 1736, and recorded at church book 2-15.] He is likely the Abner Bingham who died intestate in Walpole, Cheshire County, NH prior to Mar. 10, 1774, the date his widow Sarah was granted letters of administration as well as the inventory of Abner's estate inventory was taken. Solomon Gee, Jr, Abner's brother-in-law, was appointed guardian of Abner and Sarah's three minor children: Ripley, John and Faith. The widow Sarah was still living in 1680 when she gave receipt for distribution of her thirds in the estate [Cheshire County, NH Probate Records].
• iv. Reuben Bingham, bapt. Apr. 9, 1738 (by Ebenezer Devotion, Scotland Society Ch. [2-16].)
• v. Martha Bingham, bapt. Aug. 10, 1740 (by Ebenezer Devotion, Scotland Society Ch. [2-18]); m. Dec. 24, 1758 at Lyme, Conn., Solomon Gee, Jr. [Barbour: Lyme VRs].
• vi. purportedly, Abigail Bingham, claimed to have been b. Mar. 13, 1742/3 and died young; she does not appear in either the Windham vital records, the Winddam or Scotland Ch. baptism records.
No record of the death of Abisha or wife Mary is found at Windham, Conn. and neither of them are found in the Hale Connecticut Cemetery database. The Windham land records have not been researched by the writer to provide further evidence that he resided at Windham at his death. No probate record in Connecticut is found for either of them.
Edited 7/6/2018
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