(1)  John Washbourne, born about 1500, is the earliest ancestor which can be supported by existing documentation.  Although for well over a century, genealogists have claimed he was the son of John Washburn and Joan Mytton of Bengeworth and Wichenford, and thus of royal lineage through his mother, there is no concrete documentation of such a relationship.  In 1538, when registration became compulsory, John Washbourne and his wife, Emme, appear recorded as residents of Bengeworth, a suburb of Evesham, six or eight miles northeast from Little Washbourne and about 20 miles southeast of Wichenford in Worcestershire, England.  In his will, 1546, John describes himself as “John Wassheburne, husbandman.”  He had fields in Bengeworth and a house and buildings in town, enough for the comfortable living of the family but not for luxuries.  The arms of the Wichenford Washbournes were blazoned on the south window of the church as benefactors.  In his will he directs that his “body be buried in ecclesiastical sepulture of my parish church of Bengeworth and brought to sepulture with solemne dirge and mass for my soul and all Christian souls”.  He bequeaths to the church aforesaid two strikes of wheat and two of barley, after which follow bequests of small domestic and farm belongings, of his lands and houses to his eldest son John, of small annuities to the other children, and trifles to his grandchildren.  His chattels inventory 26-8-8.
        Of John’s wife, Emme, it is only known that she lived with her husband until her death in 1547, bore him children and made a will disposing of her property at her death.  Her will reflects more the religious feelings and customs of the times.  She says:

“I bequeathe my soul unto Almighty God, the glorious virgin Saynt Mary, to the company of all the blessed Angels and Saynts in hevyn, and my body to be buried within the Churchyard of Bengeworth”.

Children (provided by John Maltby):

1. John, mentioned below
2. William, the second son, who married Margaret Harward on 2 October 1541 in Badsey, Worcestershire, which adjoins Bengeworth only a couple of miles to the east, and they settled in Bretforton, which is just on the other side of Badsey in Worcestershire. William Washborne was buried in Bretforton on 21 April 1588. His will and inventory are in folio #55 for 1588 in the Worcester Probate Registry. Margaret was probably the one buried on 3 June 1592 in Bengeworth.
3. Alice; married Robert Marten, glover, died testate in Bengeworth in 1555, and his will is folio #18 for 1555 in the Worcester Probate Registry.  From Emme Washborne's will we learn that Alice had at least three children: John, William, and Margaret Marten.
4. Katherine, who married Daniel Hide. They had one son by 1546, who was not named in the wills. A Daniel Hyde, who was Vicar of Haselor died testate in 1571, may be the same person.

        (2) John Washborne; married on 21 April 1542 Jone Bushellin Bengeworth, Worcester, England. She died in 1556-7 and was buried in Bengeworth on 4 April 1557 and John remarried to Jone Whitehead, presumably the widow of William Whitehead who died in 1559 in Bengeworth, and the daughter of John Shepey, of Bengeworth, on 8 March or May 1561 in Bengeworth.  She was buried on 23 April 1567 in Bengeworth.  The imperfect records do not show with certainty that he had children by either wife, though he and his wife officiated as godparents at half a dozen baptisms of the children of the Ordeways, Dacles, Bennetts and other well-to-do families.  He, however, certainly had one child.  John apparently married a third wife before 1577-78 by whom he had three children, “Radigone Washborn, daughter of John Washbourne bap. Feb  21st 1579”;  “Daniell, sonne of John Washborn bap. June 17, 1582”;  “Mary, daughter of John Washborn bap. December 7, 1584”.
        John Washborne died intestate in 1593. He was buried on 13 October 1593 in Bengeworth; the inventory of his estate was dated 20 September 1593, according to Davenport, and administration of his estate was granted to his son and heir John Washburne, who had been baptized on 31 January 1551 in Bengeworth. The administration and inventory is in folio #58b for 1593 in the Worcester Probate Registry.
 
 
 

(3) John Washborn, was baptized in 1566 according to the register of Bengeworth baptisms:  “Item;  the first daye of August - Wasborn . . . ;  willm Roberts, Evans Marten godfathers and Agnes Horton godmother.”  John was grown and received letters of administration at his father’s death in 1593.  He married 6 July 1596 Martha Timbrell Stephens and had at least two sons and also a daughter who married Isaacke Averell;  and another, Jane, who probably died unmarried.  John Washbourne was esteemed a man of weight and worth in Bengeworth.  He was a member of the first board of Burgesses appointed by King James when he first granted a charter to Evesham, including Bengeworth in it as a suburb in 1605, and granted the town two representatives in Parliament.  Towards the close of his life John was blind, as is shown by the following passage from his will:

“In witness of all which, John Washburn being blind, and not able to set his hand hath authorized his brother John Tymbrell for him and his in his stead to subscribe to these presents with his name and mark.  3 August 1624.”

        (4) John Washburn, was baptized 2 July 1597; married on 23 November 1618 Margery Moore, baptized 3 November 1588, daughter of Robert Moore and Ellen Taylor. On 18 December 1624, Margery's father made his will and he mentioned her in it. On 3 October 1619, Mary, daughter of John Washbourne, was baptized. No further record of her is found, and as she did not accompany her mother to America she probably died before that event. On 26 November 1620 John, son of John Washbourne, and on 2 June 1622 Phillip, son of John Washbourne, were baptized Phillip died on the 7th of the same month. The Phillip who emigrated is not recorded. A blank of 30 years occurs after 1622, and, altogether, for the 17th century the records are very badly kept. John was a church warden in 1625. He was 26 years old or more at the death of his father in August 1624 when he was made executor and charged to settle the estate within six years, paying off the legacies to the other children, while he came into possession of the real estate. As John, his father, was a husbandman with considerable holdings of land and over 200 pounds worth of chattels to dispose of, with his mother dying two years later and leaving property to be looked after, he could hardly have closed up the estate and disposed of his own rights and possessions much before 1630. It seems probable that in that year or the following he emigrated to New England. The following transciption may fittingly complete the English record of the family:

"XII Aprilis, 1635 In the Elizabeth and Ann, Mr. Roger Coop bound for New England pr. cert. from the Mayor of Evesham in Co. Worcester and from the minister of the parish of their conformity -- Margery Washborn 49; John Washborne 14, Phillipp Washbourne 11, 2 sonnes."

        (5) John Washburn, son of John Washburn and Margery Moore, was born in Bengeworth parish Evesham, England, and baptized 28 November 1621. He accompanied his mother, Margery, in emigrating and in the settlement of the family in Duxbury. He was a tailor by trade. John was one of the six men who went first from Duxbury in an expedition to quell an uprising of the Narragansetts and their allies and was elected constable in 1659. He moved to Bridgewater somewhat later, where he was the second largest landholder in town, having "four proprietary shares" located in the east, south and west quarters of the town, and rights in the undivided lands equivalent, altogether, to about one twelfth of the original purchase from Massasoit. He sold the land his father gave him at Green’s Bay in Duxbury in 1670. He married in 1645 Elizabeth Mitchell, "a youth of the goodly company of Leyden," and a granddaughter of Francis Cooke of the Mayflower and his wife Hester le Mahieu.
        John and Elizabeth had seven sons and three daughters. Of the sons, Benjamin went as a soldier in the expedition of Sir William Phipps against Port Royal in 1690 and never returned. John’s children’s names are gathered from his will; the number of his sons is made certain by a sentence in a letter from Thomas Mitchell of Amsterdam, Holland, to his cousin Elizabeth.
        John made his will in 1686 and died November 12 of the same year.

Children of John Washburn and Elizabeth Mitchell:

1. John, mentioned below
2. Thomas
3. Joseph
4. Samuel
5. Jonathan
6. Benjamin
7. Mary
8. Sarah
9. Jane
10. James
11. Sarah

        (6) John Washburn, son of John Washburn and Elizabeth Mitchell, was born probably in Duxbury or Bridgewater about 1646 and died in Bridgewater in 1719, aged 73 years. John married in Bridgewater 16 April 1679 Rebecca Lapham, baptized in Scituate 15 March 1645, died in Bridgewater about 1717. In a deed dated 1 July 1697, John Washburn of Bridgewater sold land in Bridgewater to Thomas Snell, Sr., mentioning his (John’s) brothers-in-law Joseph and Thomas Lapham.
        On 28 November 1716, John Washburn gave to his son, John Washburn of Bridgewater, land in Bridgewater, it being part of his "house farm."  On 17 February 1718/19, John Washburn, yoeman, sold to his son John Washburn of Bridgewater, yoeman, his homestead house where he was living and other lands in Bridgewater.  On 6 April 1719, John deeded two acres of land to the " . . . Inhabitants of the Southerly part of Bridgewater . . . to build them a meeting house on . . . ." He died the same year. No Plymouth County probate record record has been found for John Washburn.  In a deed dated 11 April 1724, acknowledged in June 1731, John and Rebecca’s children, Josiah and William Washburn and Abigail Leonard quitclaimed to brother John Washburn.  In a deed, dated and acknowledged 5 September 1720, John Washburn is named as "Jr.". Despite the fact that the deed of 5 September 1720 reads John Washburn, Jr., it must refer to John Washburn, son of John and Rebecca, even though he should at that time have been referring to himself as John Washburn, rather than John Washburn, Jr., since his father had died in 1719.
 
 

Washburn Family Plot First Cemetery, Summer & Plymouth Sts., Bridgewater, Mass. © Mark A. Wentling, 27 September 2003.
John Washburn's & Rebecca Lapham's headstones, with Bridgewater State College in background.	John Washburn's & Rebecca Lapham's headstones silhouetted against the current meeting-house.
John's headstone reads: "John Washburn 3d was born 1646, married Rebecca Lapham 1679, died 1719, aged 73 years. He gave the land for this Burying-yard and meeting-house."	Rebecca's stone reads: "Rebecca, wife of John Washburn, died about 1717, her age is unknown. She was the first person buried in this yard."

Children of John Washburn and Rebecca Lapham:

1. Josiah, born 11 February 1679/80
2. John, mentioned below
3. Joseph, born 7 July 1683; presumed dead by April 1724, as he did not participate in the deed mentioned above.
4. William, born 16 February 1686
5. Abigail, born 2 June 1688

        (7) John Washburn, son of John Washburn and Rebecca Lapham, was born in Bridgewater 5 April 1682 and died in Bridgewater 6 July 1746, in his 65th year. In Bridgewater on 16 February 1709/10, John was married to Margaret Packard, born probably in Bridgewater in the period 11 December 1682-10 December 1683 (calculated from age at death), died in Bridgewater 10 December 1743 in her 61st year, daughter of Nathaniel Packard of Bridgewater and Lydia (Smith?/Kingman?). The will of Nathaniel Packard, yoeman, dated 24 April 1720, proved 12 March 1723, names daughter Margaret [surname not given] together with other children.
        In a "love and affection" deed dated 25 November, acknowledged 28 November 1716, John received from his father 50 acres of land, being parte of my home farme."
        The will of John Washburn of Bridgewater, Gentleman, dated 3 April 1746. proved 8 July 1746, names sons John, Nathaniel, Robert and Abishai, daughters Jane and Content and ". . . the heirs of my daughter Margarett Holmes deceased." Son Nathaniel was the sole executor.

Children of John Washburn and Margaret Packard:

1. John, born 9 July 1711
2. Nathaniel, born 3 September 1713
3. Robert, mentioned below
4. Abraham, born 19 April 1717, died before 3 April 1746
5. Margaret, born 22 August 1718, married Ephraim Holmes
6. Abishai, born 16 June 1720
7. Jane, born 28 March 1722, married Thomas Tomson
8. Content, born 22 April 1724

John's headstone reads: "In memory of Lieut. John Washburn, who departed this life July ye 6th, 1746, in ye 65th year of his age.

Margaret's stone reads: "In memory of Mrs. Margaret Washburn, wife to Mr. John Washburn, who deceasd Decem. ye 10th, 1743, in ye 61st year of her age."

        (8) Robert Washburn, son of John Washburn and Margaret Packard, was born 23 May 1715. He married in Bridgewater 6 May 1739/40 Mary Fobes, born in Bridgewater, 1 March 1717. Robert and Mary were the first in this line of Washburns to permanently leave Bridgewater since John Washburn, the immigrant, settled there. Robert first bought land in the town of Plainfield, Windham County, Connecticut, from Isaac Cory of Providence County, Rhode Island, on 27 February 1753. In the deed, he is called "Robert Warshburn of Bridgewater . . . yoeman". On 8 June 1753, Robert sold land in Plainfield to Curtis Spaulding, in which deed he is called "Robert Washburn of Plainfield," indicating that he and his family had established residence in Connecticut by the summer of 1753. In two separate transactions, he again sold land on 4 February 1754 to Thomas Pierce and Thomas Stevens. Robert and Mary had altogether seven children. The name of one of them has been lost.
        The entire family, except sons Calvin and Robert, the eldest, moved sometime soon after 1754 to Livingston Manor, Columbia County, New York. The county records show a John Washburn, fence viewer, in Taghkanic, 1803, wife Jane, and a Luther Washburn of the town of Canaan made his will, 1813, in which he mentions sons Stephen, Zadock and daughters Susan, Cady and Sarah Kinne.

Children of Robert Washburn and Mary Fobes:

1. Robert, mentioned below
2. John, born 1743
3. Calvin, born 1745
4. Luther, born 1747
5. Martin, born 1750
6. Betty, born 1752
7. a son, name unknown

        (9) Robert Washburn, born 9 January 1740 in Bridgewater, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts, died 24 April 1831, buried in Wilton, Saratoga Co., New York.  He married first on 9 February 1764, in Plainfield, Lucy Farnum. Their only child, recorded in the vital records of Plainfield, was Stephen, born 28 February 1766. Their marriage was a short lived one -- Lucy died on 7 April 1766, just two months after Stephen's birth. Robert married secondly on 16 February 1769, Adah Bennet[t], born 3 January 1744, died 28 November 1816, probably of Preston, New London County, Connecticut. Robert married third Mary E. Bates on 24 October 1829, according to the DAR bible records of Mrs. John Sarle of Schuylerville, New York.  Preston records show that on 15 January 1770, Mr. John Bennet, presumably Adah's father, sold land to "Robert Washburn of Plainfield". Robert later sold land in Preston back to John on 31 May 1771, Benjamin Coit witnessing.  Robert and Adah share the same headstone "erected by affectionate son Rev. Robert Washburn."

Children of Robert and Lucy Washburn:

1. Stephen, mentioned below

1. John, born 1770, died 4 July 1848 in Wilton, Saratoga Co., New York; married Sophia Strong
2. Noah, born 15 October 1773 in Plainfield, Windham Co., Connecticut
3. Ephraim, born 1776 in Columbia Co., New York, died 10 August 1865 and is buried in Hudson Falls, New York; married in 1807 in Fort Ann, New York, Sarah Martin, died 24 January 1865, age 77, in Hudson Falls, New York
4. Daniel, born 19 December 1779, died 11 August 1848 in Wilton, Saratoga Co., New York; married Hannah, died 3 May 1816, age 35.
5. Luther, born 1781 in Dutchess Co., New York, died 22 August 1871 in Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York; married first Elizabeth Martin, born 1784, died 24 January 1825, age 41, buried in Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York; married second Mrs. Hannah Garrison
6. Rev. Robert, born 15 January 1783 in Columbia Co., New York, died 25 May 1872, buried in Schuylerville, Saratoga Co., New York, as one of the town's oldest residents, according to his obituary.  The 1855 census for Northumberland said that Robert had lived in the town for 50 years as Clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  Married 1 March 1806 Mary H. Phelps; married second  on 24 October 1829 Mary E. Baker, born 1800 in Rhode Island, died 4 January 1870 in Wilton, Saratoga Co., New York; married last Mary H., born 10 February 1787, died 19 August 1827.

        (10) Stephen Washburn, son of Robert Washburn and Lucy Farnum, was born 28 February 1766 in Plainfield, Windham County, Connecticut. Stephen sold land in Preston to Reuben Partridge on 16 April 1790, Benjamin and Betty Coit witnessing. Stephen probably received this land from his father.
        Stephen married Salinda, daughter of Elijah Wethy and Mercy Jones, widow of Azariah Gates, of Preston, New London County, Connecticut, and four of their children’s names are known: Dyer, Schuyler, Robert and Elijah. Sometime between 1816 and 1820 they moved to New York, probably first to Albany or Columbia County, then later to Schoharie County where they both died. Several years of research by family and, most recently, a professional genealogist in Connecticut, has failed to uncover any legal documentation of marriage of Stephen and Salinda or the births of their children. For the present, we must rely on other evidence which confirms their union:
        In Hamilton Child’s Gazetteer of Jefferson County, New York: 1684-1890, published in Syracuse in 1890, a sketch of Robert Washburn’s family of Hounsfield opens: "Stephen Washburn lived and died in Schoharie County. His wife Salinda bore him seven children, among whom was Robert, who settled on a farm in this town about 1825. . . ." Child’s information can be considered reliable because in the book he profiles several Washburn families descended from Stephen and Salinda living in Hounsfield. At the time of Child’s writing in 1890, the children of Stephen and Salinda themselves had dozens of their own children living in Hounsfield; thus the people from whom Child got his information were likely right because they had received it from none other than the very children of Stephen and Salinda.
        Furthermore, in his will, Elijah Wethy calls his daughter "Selandy Washburn." While there were many Washburns living around Preston who would have been eligible for Salinda to marry, it seems more than coincidence that there was also a Stephen living in town at the same time, and that tradition names "Stephen and Salinda Washburn" as the immediate progenitors of the Hounsfield Washburns of New York.
        In addition, the naming patterns of the Washburns of Hounsfield incorporate the names of the immediate relatives of the Stephen Washburn and Salinda Wethy of Preston, Connecticut, in question, which, when taken together, are quite striking.  Sons Robert and Elijah bore the names of Stephen’s and Salinda’s fathers respectively.  The unusual names of their sons Dyer and Schuyler break the pattern and do not show up in the immediate genealogy of Stephen and Salinda; however, there are some possible explanations. The given name Dyer was the surname of a large old New England family and Stephen and Salinda may have been trying to honor friends by that name.  The appellation Schuyler became popular in the years following the American Revolution because of the successful military campaigns of General Schuyler in New York against the British; records show that many parents during that time named their children Schuyler and so were called many towns.  Stephen's half-brother, Rev. Robert Washburn was one of the oldest residents of Schuylerville, Saratoga Co., New York.  Judging from the fact that Stephen and Salinda named two sons Schuyler and Robert, it may be assumed that they had quite an emotional attachment to the minister.
        When Elijah Wethy died 7 February 1816, he left all of his substantial real estate to his daughter, Salinda. It seems likely that after Elijah’s death, Salinda stayed in Connecticut only long enough to settle the estate and sell off the property, for all evidence indicates that Stephen & Salinda’s family were in New York no later than 1820. Unfortunately, no records have been uncovered specifically mentioning a Stephen or a Salinda Washburn in New York State at that time, particularly in Schoharie County where they reportedly settled.
        However, a Schuyler Washburn is mentioned in the 1820 census of the town of Carlisle, Schoharie County, New York. He is the only Schuyler Washburn in all of New York State in that year, thus he was probably the Schuyler who was son of Stephen & Salinda Washburn. The fact that this Schuyler is not listed in the 1810 census, indicating that either he was not of age to be counted or that he was not yet residing in New York, makes it more likely that he was indeed the son of Stephen and Salinda, who was just 11 years old in that year and his parents were still living in Connecticut.
        Upon close inspection of federal census records, it seems likely that Stephen & Salinda lived at the home of their son, Schuyler. While the federal census did not include the names of every individual living in each home until 1850, the 1820 census recorded the ages of each person in each household. In 1820, one male and one female, each in the age category of "45+" years were reported as living in the home of Schuyler Washburn of Carlisle, Schoharie County. Himself 21 years old in 1820, Schuyler had no children yet. While the older couple may have been his wife Elizabeth’s parents, it has not been proven that he was married yet either. Both Stephen and Salinda were over 45 years of age in 1820, therefore it is probable that they were indeed in Schoharie County by 1820 and living in Schuyler’s home -- explaining why Stephen never appears as head of household in any census records. The 1820 census also lists two farmers in Schuyler’s house, but a recent search of county records failed to yield any land titles or record of transfer of land from when Schuyler left the county a few years later.
        Child’s history of Jefferson County indicates that Robert Washburn, son of Stephen and Salinda, moved to Hounsfield about 1825. Contemporary manuscripts, wills, land, census and cemetery records indicate that at least two brothers, Dyer & Schuyler, accompanied him and settled on adjacent properties. The brothers’ migration to Hounsfield suggests that Stephen & Salinda might have been dead by 1825, leaving no reason for their children, especially Schuyler if he was their caretaker, to remain in Schoharie County. By 1830, Schuyler was listed among the residents of the town of Hounsfield, Jefferson County, New York, in the federal census, with his brothers Dyer & Robert. Again, Schuyler is the only Washburn of that name in all of New York State for that year.
        During the years between 1810 and 1860, a Silas Washburn appears in the town of Jefferson, Schoharie County. Silas was Stephen’s distant cousin. The fact that Stephen and Salinda’s son, Robert of Hounsfield, named his son Silas provides further evidence that Stephen and Salinda brought their family to Schoharie County before 1825 (and probably knew Silas well).
        No death record, wills, or graves have ever been found for Stephen and Salinda Washburn.

Children of Stephen and Salinda Washburn:

1. Elijah, born 1790 in Connecticut, died 23 July 1854 in West Troy, New York; married 1809 in First Congregational Church of Lower Griswold, Lydia Green, born 1794 in Lower Griswold (Preston), Connecticut, died 11 July 1859 in West Troy. (Information provided by Carla Mace).

Children:
1. Lydia, born 1813, Lower Griswold, Conn., died 1890; married Adolphus Harrison, born 1805 in Braut, Erie County, New York
2. Stephan F., born 30 November 1810 in Lower Griswold, Conn., died 10 August 1893 in 1417 Fourth Ave., Watervliet, NY; married 1839 Frances E., born 9 April 1821 in Westbrook, CT, died 9 March 1907 in Albany Hospital, Albany, NY
3. Martha M., born 9 October 1815, Conn., died 29 September 1872, West Troy, NY; married Robert T. Noble, born 25 July 1839, West Troy, NY, died 31 August 1873, West Troy, NY
4. Sarah Jane, born 1822, Albany, NY
5. Elizabeth C., born 1825, Albany, NY, died 12 November 1892 in 320 Madison Ave., Albany, NY; married --- Hills, died 1859
6. Frances A., born 29 June 1828, Albany, NY, died 29 March 1905, Watervilet, NY; married 20 September 1843, Watervilet, NY, Hewitt Chard, born June 1823, Ireland, died 15 December, 1911, West Troy, NY
7. Jane, born 1829
8. David E., born 6 December 1829, Albany, NY, died 27 January 1851, West Troy, NY
2. Dyer Washburn, born 1790, Connecticut, died 23 October, 1861, buried Rice’s Corners Cemetery, Town of Adams, Jefferson County, New York; married Annie Bass, born 1789, Connecticut. (Information provided by Patti Wagner).

Children:
1. Annie Valitta, born New York, died 21 February 1899, Watertown, NY, buried Sulpher Springs; married James Harris. Parents of:
   1. Lonson Dyer Harris, (at right; photo provided by Mary Martin) born 8 June 1856, died 21 October 1936; married Effie Estelle Orchard, born 7 January 1862, died 26 August 1935, daughter of Benjamin Orchard and Armenia Barnes.
2. Robert Washburn, farmer, born 1828 in Hounsfield, Jefferson Co., New York, died at age 84 years, 9 months, according to his obituary published 5 March 1913 in the Watertown Daily Times; married Lucy Warren.  He resided in Adams for the last 40 years of his life.  His funeral was held Friday morning at 11am, Rev. C.V. Havens officiating.  The remains were placed in the vault at Adams Center.  Parents of:
1. Layton D., born in Adams, died 17 April 1929 at 4am in his daughter's home in Adams.  He owned and operated a farm in Adams for many years and was a life-long resident of the village.  His funeral was held Friday at 2pm at his daughter's home in Smithville.  Interment was in Union Cemetery, Adams Center.  In 1872 at the Clark home in Hounsfield, he married Angerine Clark, born 1 April 1855, died December 1938, daughter of Roswell and Amelia Clark.  The Rev. A. B. Prentice, pastorof the Seventh Day Baptist Church of adams Center officiated.  Her funeral services were held Thursday at 2pm from the Smithville Baptist Church with Rev. Ivan M. Cash, pastor, officiating.  She was buried in Union Cemetery, Adams Center.  Parents of:
1. Eugene, resident of Black River, Jefferson Co., New York.
2. Edith; married George Hess, and resided in Sackets Harbor.
3. daughter; married Howard Phelps, and resided in Adams Center.
4. daughter, died October 1937 in Adams Center; married Walter Squires.
2. daughter; married Byron D. Walsworth, resided in Sackets Harbor.
3. daughter; married E.D. Holloway, and resided in Dexter and Orleans Four Corners.
4. Warren, resided in Adams, Jefferson Co., New York, and Syracuse, Onondaga Co., New York.
3. Irene; married Merrick A. Manley
4. Mabel; married Mr. Whittacker
5. Schuyler,  (at right; photo provided by Patti Wagner), born 1823, died 29 June 1905 in town of Hounsfield, Jefferson Co., New york; married first in 1854 Sarah, born 1827, died 1864, buried in Sulpher Springs Cemetery, Hounsfield, Jefferson Co., New York; married second 30 November 1865 Susan Eveleigh, born 1843, died 14 January 1914.  He was a member and trustee of the Sulpher Springs Church for many years and his funeral was held there, Rev. C. Rathbun and Rev. Mr. Niles officiating, with the choir from Sackets Harbor singing.  He was buried in Sulpher Springs Cemetery.
3. Schuyler, born about 1800, died 3 June 1854, buried Lakeside Cemetery, Sackets Harbor, New York; married Elizabeth, born 1799, died 30 August 1852, buried Lakeside Cemetery.  (Information provided by Patti Wagner).

Children:
1. Julia, born 1824, died 26 February 1846; married George B. Washburn
2. Eliza, born 1832, died 28 June 1849
3. Dyer, born 1821, died 10 August 1879; married Martha M.
4. Luther, born 1831, Jefferson County, New York, died 11 October 1872; married Caroline Torrey
5. Amy; married Samuel N. Dodge
6. Jane; married 27 December 1854, Henry C. Crandall
7. Maria O., born 1850, died 20 August 1853[?]; married George Parker
4. Robert, mentioned below

        (11) Robert Washburn, son of Stephen Washburn and Salinda Wethy, was born about 1804, in Greenbush, Renssalaer Co., New York, died 18 September 1875, and buried in Sulpher Springs Cemetery, Hounsfield, Jefferson County, New York. He married Emeline Manley, daughter of Asa Manley. Robert's niece Irene Washburn married Emeline's younger brother Merrick A. Manley. Emeline was born in 1810 in Jefferson County, New York and she died 23 November 1887.
         In 1822, the first land transaction by this Washburn family in Jefferson County occurred when Dyer Washburn purchased land from his in-laws, Samuel and Catherine Bass of Northampton, Montgomery Co., New York. The property consisted of 100 acres of unimproved land with no dwellings, situated on Old Salt Point Road, between Sulpher Springs Road and The Town of Adams line, in the neighborhood known as Camp's Mills. Robert, by then about age 23 or 24, joined his brothers Dyer and Schuyler in clearing the lot and erecting homes.
        The first house was built on the east side of the road. As family members grew of age, they erected more homes in the vicinity. Land ownership maps from 1855 indicate that Dyer Washburn owned the main house in that year and Robert owned a house on the west side of the street, which today no longer stands. When land ownership maps were again made in 1864, they had traded homes, this time permanently. The Washburns depended on one another for their livelihood. For over 150 years it was typical for each succeeding generation to live and die on the home farm. The house and farm were continuously inherited by the descendants of Robert and Emeline until it passed out of the family in the 1970’s. (The present owners encourage and receive frequent visits to the home by Washburns who still share fond memories of years spent on the farm with family.)
        The door of the house once contained a chime which would play a pleasant melody whenever the knob or a key was turned. Inside, the home had six bedrooms and a root cellar. The most spectacular room was the parlor which was guarded by solid wood double sliding doors. In this room the family spent most of its time. All the Washburn children in this line of descent were born there until 1916. When a family member died, they were laid out in the parlor and the memorial and funeral services were conducted there in the home with the whole family present, the last occurring in 1972.
 

The Robert Washburn house, built ca. 1825 in Camps Mills

        Robert Washburn did not leave a will and it seems that he was unable to. A document discovered recently among the land deeds of Jefferson County says the following:

"This Indenture made this 23rd day of March 1874 between Robert Washburn by Emeline Washburn & Theodore Washburn, Committee of the person and estate of said Robert Washburn appointed by the Jefferson County Court of the first part, and Randall Dingman of the Town of Hounsfield Jefferson County New York of the second part. Whereas at a Special Term of the said Jefferson County Court held at the Chamber of Hon. Azariah H. Sawyer in the City of Watertown said County, it was among other things ordered that the partys hereto of the first part be and they thereby were authorized and directed to sell the premises hereinafter described for the purpose of paying the debts of . . . the person and estate of Robert Washburn a lunatic . . . ."

The rest of the document spells out a transaction in which Randall Dingman (their son-in-law) pays $4,000 in exchange for hundreds of acres of land owned by Robert and Emeline in order to pay off debts which Robert apparently accrued. Interestingly, the land transferred in the document is described as "lot No.17 in Township No.1 in great lot No.5 of Macomb’s Purchase." Macomb was the proprietor who purchased all of what is now Jefferson County and opened it up for settlement at the turn of the nineteenth century.
        At any rate, the conclusion can be drawn that Robert was mentally incapacitated in his old age, thus requiring his wife and his son Theodore to make decisions for him regarding finances and real estate. The family farm was apparently a much larger tract of land at one time. Robert died a year and a half after the land was sold.
        After Robert's death, Emeline remained on the family farm, which by then had passed to son Silas. In the 1880 census, she was enumerated as "Evaline" Washburn in Silas's household. When she died, she was laid to rest next to Robert at Sulpher Springs Cemetery about two miles from their home.

Robert and Emeline's graves in Sulpher Springs Cemetery.

 

Children (all born on the family farm at Camps Mills, Hounsfield, Jefferson Co., New York):

1. Hiram, born 1832, died 19 July 1865, buried in Rice's Corners Cemetery, town of Adams, Jefferson Co., New York; married Mary.  Hiram served in the Civil War; the Town of Hounsfield Clerk's enumeration of veterans in 1865 indicated that Hiram "died or committed suicide by poisoning."
2. Stephen, born 5 December, 1836, died 18 April 1873; married Mary Ann Evans, whose family gave its name to the present-day town of Evans Mills.  Parents of:
1. John R., born 14 December 1860 in Camps Mills, died of pneumonia about noon on 27 November 1931 at his farm home in Hounsfield, age 71 (obituary published the following day in the Watertown Daily Times).  He was a member of Sulpher Springs Star Grange No. 9.  His funeral was held from the Sulpher Springs Methodist Episcopal Church Sunday at 2pm.  Services were held at the home at 1:30, Rev. A. Leslie Potter, pastor of the Dexter and Sulpher Springs Methodist Episcopal Church officiating.  Interment was made in the family plot at Sulpher Springs Cemetery.

        In 1883, he married Kate Ressiguie, born 18 April 1861, daughter of Belden Ressiguie and Thurza Delavergne.  Parents of:
1. daughter; married Mr. Eveleigh.  Parents of:
1. Guy Eveleigh of Hounsfield.
3. Silas, mentioned below
4. Newton M., born 1841, died 1913; married Valtaline VanWinckel.
5. George Herbert, born 1843, died 15 June 1928; married Mary Jane ---
6. Wallace E., born 1848, died 10 November 1917; married 4 August 1885 Georgina Connelly.  His obituary, published 12 November 1917 in the Watertown Daily Times (p.5, col. 5), says "he was the last survivor of the family," however, his brother George Herbert appears to have died several years after him.  In the early 1880's, Wallace moved to Watertown where he engaged in various businesses, until his old age when failing health made it impossible for him to continue.  With G.C. Martin he opened the first store in what is now known as the Taggart block on Public Square un der the firm name Martin & Washburn, dealers in shoes.  Later he was in partnership with the late John Clark in the grocery business in the same block.  He was also at times in the employ of O.B. Cadwell and A. Bushnell & co.  In August 1885, he married Georgiana Connolly and took up residence at 157 Academy Street, which was his last residence.  He died at 3pm on Saturday, 10 November 1909, at the age of 69 years, after an illness extending over four years.  Parents of:
1. Naama Washburn.  She willed her ornate grandfather clock to her nephew William, who gave it to his daughter Marjorie, where it is today.
7. Lydia, born 1851; married Randall E. Dingman. In the 1880 census of Town of Lyme, Jefferson Co., New York, they were enumerated as residents of Three-Mile-Bay, he as a 32 year old farmer, and she as a 29 year old housekeeper; no children.
8. Theodore, born 1845, died April 1912; married Jeanette Rice, born 1848, died 1919, daughter of Gen. Albert Rice of Adams, after whom Rice's Corners Cemetery is named.  Parents of:
1. Albert R., (at right),  born 1875, died 1912; married Wedenesday, 11 September 1901 Winifred Armstrong Vincent of Point Peninsula, at her home, Rev. F.H. Richardson officiating.
2. Arthur Davis, born 26 October 1879, died 7pm at his home on the Friday before 12 February 1938, when his obituary was published in the Watertown Daily Times; married in 1907 at Camps Mills, Gertrude Ethel Harris, born 9 September 1884 at Battersea, Ontario, Canada, died 6 July 1977 4:10am at the House of the Good Samaritan Hospital, Watertown, a daughter of Christopher Harris and Sarah Smith.  Her family immigrated to the United States about 1900.  The couple resided in Camps Mills all of their married life.

        Arthur was a farmer all of his life on the Washburn homestead, Sackets Harbor-Adams Center Road.  He was a member of the Sulpher Springs Star Grange.  He had been in failing health since the July before his death and had suffered several strokes, finally succumbing to coronary thrombosis.  Funeral services were held in the family home the following Monday at 2pm.  Burial was in Union Cemetery, Adams, Rev. Paul Roy of the Dexter Methodist Church officiating.  After Arthur died, Gertrude removed to Adams Center.  Parents of:
1. Mildred; married Carl Atwater, and resided at 1801 Holcomb St., Watertown.
2. Margaret; married Mr. Pelton, and resided in Chicago, Illinois.  Her existence is only known from her brother John's obituary.

	(12) Silas Robert Washburn, born 21 May 1838, in Hounsfield, Jefferson County, was educated in the public schools and farmed the land inherited from Robert and Emeline until his death in February 1911. On 24 April 1863, Silas married Esther Stoodley, born 1841 in Hounsfield. Esther's family immigrated from Hawkchurch, Dorset, England, to Hounsfield a few years prior to her birth, and settled in Sulpher Springs adjacent to Silas' uncle, Schuyler Washburn, on what today is a section of the Eveleigh Road that no longer exists. Like several of her sisters, Esther was a school teacher.         Silas inherited the family house and farm from his parents, and used it as his place of business even before thier deaths. In Child's 1864 Business Directory of Hounsfield is listed "Washburn, Silas R., (Sackett's Harbor) r 66, 13 cows, 150 sugar trees, farmer 90" which indicated that Silas participated in the dairy trade as well as in maple sugar production.          In 1911, Silas died, leaving the homefarm to the care of his eldest son, William Wallace Washburn, then age 34.          Esther died in August 1920 at age 79 yrs. 7 mos. 24 days. Her funeral was held at 1pm the following Tuesday "old time" at the Washburn residence in Hounsfield. Interment was in Union Cemetery, Adams Center, Jefferson County.
	Children: William Wallace, mentioned below Homer T., (at right), born 1873, died 1924; he lived on the family farm until his death.

 

William Wallace Washburn	Homer Theodore Washburn

 
Homer & William Washburn at work on the home farm, ca. 1915

(13) William Wallace Washburn, was born 26 October 1867, in the town of Hounsfield on the family farm; married 20 December 1905, Ada Stokes, born 8 October 1876. The ceremony was performed by Rev. W.H. Niles at her home in the town of Hounsfield, and on their honeymoon they rode the train from Watertown to Sackets.         Ada's father immigrated when he was four years old, from England, where his parents were natives of the same village as William's mother's family.          The couple lived out their days on the Washburn family farm following their marriage.        William was a member of Star Grange and of the Sackets Harbor I.O.O.F. and lived and farmed on the homestead for 75 years. He died at his home on the Adams Center-Camps Mills road at 11:10 the night of 5 May 1951 after a long illness. Funeral services were held at the home, as was family custom, Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock and burial was in Union Cemetery, Adams Center.         Ada attended local schools and worked as a dressmaker in her younger years. She was a charter member and Golden Sheaf member of Star Grange, Sulpher Springs, and a member of the United Methodist Church and of the W.S.C.S. class of the church.          Ada outlived her husband by more than 20 years, and relied on her children in her old age, particularly on her son Leon who stayed on to run to farm after his father's passing. She died at the age of 95 on 9 May 1972, Saturday evening, in Mercy Hospital, Watertown, where she had been a patient for two weeks. The funeral was held Tuesday at 2 o’clock at the family home, Rev. Miles Hutchinson, pastor of Lorraine-Mannsville United methodist Church, officiating. Burial was in Union Cemetery, Adams Center. Arrangements were with the Piddock Funeral Home, Adams. Children: Leon Silas Washburn, born 1906, died 1989.  He lived on the family farm until it was sold in the 1970's. Marjorie Washburn, died 29 September 2002; married Donald Gordonier. Esther Lydia Washburn, born 1910, died 13 December 2002; married Elmo Fee, born 1907, died 1997. Beulah Ethel, born 2 April 1916, died February 1980; married Donald Thorp Jenkins

William Washburn & Ada Mae Stokes with  children Leon, Margery and Esther, about 1915.

"Down Home" 1940: From left to right, Beulah, age 24; Margery, age 28; Mickey;  Don Gordonier; Leon, age 33; Ada in her rocking chair; father William on the porch.

 

The Washburn Homestead in summer 1997.