Phoebe Ann Pray was born on October 18, 1778 in Foster, Providence County, Rhode Island, a daughter of Rev. John and Deborah (Wade) Pray; she married Silas Ballou in Foster, Providence County, Rhode Island on October 11, 1794; she died on November 8, 1846 in Mattison, Branch County, Michigan.
From Ballou's in America by Adin Ballou:
Silas Ballou and his wife appear to have been an intelligent, enterprising pair, and to have sustained a fair standing in their contemporary class. It is said that he was an officer of militia at the outbreak of the war with Great Britain in 1812. But if so, we know not what service he rendered. He removed from Foster, Rhode Island, soon after the birth of his second child, to Fenner, New York, where his 6 other children were born.
We presume he must have owned and managed a farm, though our information is somewhat meager and indefinite concerning his life there.
But his career was suddenly, mysteriously and deplorably cut short. About the 10th of January 1813, he left home to go to Cazenovia, New York on business, and never returned.
The event was most distressing to his wife and young chnildren. -- to whose number another was added three weeks later. Nothing was heard from him, except that he was seen near a certain house in the outskirts of Cazenovia by some one who knew him. There was naturally much excitement in the general vicinity of Fenner, where he had resided during the last ten years. Wild suspicions, surmises and rumors prevailed for a considerable period.
At length the new inhabitants of the house near which he was last seen discovered the remains of a human being in a shallow grave in their cellar. On exhumation and examination of the skeleton, the remnants of a man's coat were found with metal buttons bearing certain initials.
These were finally recognized as those once worn by Silas Ballou, and were considered by his wife and intimate acquaintances as conclusive evidence that he had been foully murdered. But for what reason, and by whom, is still a gloomy mystery.
So we must take for granted that Silas died by the hand of a murderer about the middle of January 1813, in the 37th year of his age. Mrs. Phebe (Pray) Ballou, his widow, died in Matteson, Michigan.
After her husband died in 1813, Phoebe and some of her children moved to Mattison, Branch County, Michigan. One son, Jefferson, also died in Mattison, Michigan.
Children of Silas and Phoebe (Pray) Ballou are:
1- Lavina Ballou
2- Roxalana "Roxy" C. Ballou
3- Chauncey P. Ballou
4- Minerva Ballou
5- Semantha Ballou
6- Anson Ballou
7- Orson Comstock Ballou
Find A Grave Memorial# 44274239
8- Jefferson Ballou
Find A Grave Memorial# 105515435
From Ballou's in America by Adin Ballou:
Silas Ballou and his wife appear to have been an intelligent, enterprising pair, and to have sustained a fair standing in their contemporary class. It is said that he was an officer of militia at the outbreak of the war with Great Britain in 1812. But if so, we know not what service he rendered. He removed from Foster, Rhode Island, soon after the birth of his second child, to Fenner, New York, where his 6 other children were born.
We presume he must have owned and managed a farm, though our information is somewhat meager and indefinite concerning his life there.
But his career was suddenly, mysteriously and deplorably cut short. About the 10th of January 1813, he left home to go to Cazenovia, New York on business, and never returned.
The event was most distressing to his wife and young chnildren. -- to whose number another was added three weeks later. Nothing was heard from him, except that he was seen near a certain house in the outskirts of Cazenovia by some one who knew him. There was naturally much excitement in the general vicinity of Fenner, where he had resided during the last ten years. Wild suspicions, surmises and rumors prevailed for a considerable period.
At length the new inhabitants of the house near which he was last seen discovered the remains of a human being in a shallow grave in their cellar. On exhumation and examination of the skeleton, the remnants of a man's coat were found with metal buttons bearing certain initials.
These were finally recognized as those once worn by Silas Ballou, and were considered by his wife and intimate acquaintances as conclusive evidence that he had been foully murdered. But for what reason, and by whom, is still a gloomy mystery.
So we must take for granted that Silas died by the hand of a murderer about the middle of January 1813, in the 37th year of his age. Mrs. Phebe (Pray) Ballou, his widow, died in Matteson, Michigan.
After her husband died in 1813, Phoebe and some of her children moved to Mattison, Branch County, Michigan. One son, Jefferson, also died in Mattison, Michigan.
Children of Silas and Phoebe (Pray) Ballou are:
1- Lavina Ballou
2- Roxalana "Roxy" C. Ballou
3- Chauncey P. Ballou
4- Minerva Ballou
5- Semantha Ballou
6- Anson Ballou
7- Orson Comstock Ballou
Find A Grave Memorial# 44274239
8- Jefferson Ballou
Find A Grave Memorial# 105515435
Phoebe Ann Pray was born on October 18, 1778 in Foster, Providence County, Rhode Island, a daughter of Rev. John and Deborah (Wade) Pray; she married Silas Ballou in Foster, Providence County, Rhode Island on October 11, 1794; she died on November 8, 1846 in Mattison, Branch County, Michigan.
From Ballou's in America by Adin Ballou:
Silas Ballou and his wife appear to have been an intelligent, enterprising pair, and to have sustained a fair standing in their contemporary class. It is said that he was an officer of militia at the outbreak of the war with Great Britain in 1812. But if so, we know not what service he rendered. He removed from Foster, Rhode Island, soon after the birth of his second child, to Fenner, New York, where his 6 other children were born.
We presume he must have owned and managed a farm, though our information is somewhat meager and indefinite concerning his life there.
But his career was suddenly, mysteriously and deplorably cut short. About the 10th of January 1813, he left home to go to Cazenovia, New York on business, and never returned.
The event was most distressing to his wife and young chnildren. -- to whose number another was added three weeks later. Nothing was heard from him, except that he was seen near a certain house in the outskirts of Cazenovia by some one who knew him. There was naturally much excitement in the general vicinity of Fenner, where he had resided during the last ten years. Wild suspicions, surmises and rumors prevailed for a considerable period.
At length the new inhabitants of the house near which he was last seen discovered the remains of a human being in a shallow grave in their cellar. On exhumation and examination of the skeleton, the remnants of a man's coat were found with metal buttons bearing certain initials.
These were finally recognized as those once worn by Silas Ballou, and were considered by his wife and intimate acquaintances as conclusive evidence that he had been foully murdered. But for what reason, and by whom, is still a gloomy mystery.
So we must take for granted that Silas died by the hand of a murderer about the middle of January 1813, in the 37th year of his age. Mrs. Phebe (Pray) Ballou, his widow, died in Matteson, Michigan.
After her husband died in 1813, Phoebe and some of her children moved to Mattison, Branch County, Michigan. One son, Jefferson, also died in Mattison, Michigan.
Children of Silas and Phoebe (Pray) Ballou are:
1- Lavina Ballou
2- Roxalana "Roxy" C. Ballou
3- Chauncey P. Ballou
4- Minerva Ballou
5- Semantha Ballou
6- Anson Ballou
7- Orson Comstock Ballou
Find A Grave Memorial# 44274239
8- Jefferson Ballou
Find A Grave Memorial# 105515435
From Ballou's in America by Adin Ballou:
Silas Ballou and his wife appear to have been an intelligent, enterprising pair, and to have sustained a fair standing in their contemporary class. It is said that he was an officer of militia at the outbreak of the war with Great Britain in 1812. But if so, we know not what service he rendered. He removed from Foster, Rhode Island, soon after the birth of his second child, to Fenner, New York, where his 6 other children were born.
We presume he must have owned and managed a farm, though our information is somewhat meager and indefinite concerning his life there.
But his career was suddenly, mysteriously and deplorably cut short. About the 10th of January 1813, he left home to go to Cazenovia, New York on business, and never returned.
The event was most distressing to his wife and young chnildren. -- to whose number another was added three weeks later. Nothing was heard from him, except that he was seen near a certain house in the outskirts of Cazenovia by some one who knew him. There was naturally much excitement in the general vicinity of Fenner, where he had resided during the last ten years. Wild suspicions, surmises and rumors prevailed for a considerable period.
At length the new inhabitants of the house near which he was last seen discovered the remains of a human being in a shallow grave in their cellar. On exhumation and examination of the skeleton, the remnants of a man's coat were found with metal buttons bearing certain initials.
These were finally recognized as those once worn by Silas Ballou, and were considered by his wife and intimate acquaintances as conclusive evidence that he had been foully murdered. But for what reason, and by whom, is still a gloomy mystery.
So we must take for granted that Silas died by the hand of a murderer about the middle of January 1813, in the 37th year of his age. Mrs. Phebe (Pray) Ballou, his widow, died in Matteson, Michigan.
After her husband died in 1813, Phoebe and some of her children moved to Mattison, Branch County, Michigan. One son, Jefferson, also died in Mattison, Michigan.
Children of Silas and Phoebe (Pray) Ballou are:
1- Lavina Ballou
2- Roxalana "Roxy" C. Ballou
3- Chauncey P. Ballou
4- Minerva Ballou
5- Semantha Ballou
6- Anson Ballou
7- Orson Comstock Ballou
Find A Grave Memorial# 44274239
8- Jefferson Ballou
Find A Grave Memorial# 105515435
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