|
Historic 1888 Shaftsbury Signature QuiltQuilt Block #17 - Quilt Signers: May P. (Barton) Huntington (Mary) Mrs. Abia (Andrus) Bottum  May P. Barton/ Mrs. Abia Bottum Bennington (Grand Niece and Grand Aunt)May/Mary P. Barton is the daughter of Myron and Abia Elizabeth (Fisk) Barton. When May/Mary's name was added to the quilt she would have been twenty-one years old. She married John G. (Grant) Huntington BLOCK: 31 in Shaftsbury on 16 December 1891, about three years after the quilt was signed. May/Mary was the grand niece of Mrs. Abia (Andrus) Bottum. Abia (Andrus ) Bottum and Freelove (Andrus) Fisk were sisters. Freelove named a daughter Abia Fisk. Abia Fisk marries Myron Burton and they name one of their daughters Mary P. Barton, hence the signers on this block are grand niece and grand aunt.John and Mary's marriage license was signed by her father, Myron Barton, as he was Shaftsbury's Town Clerk at that time. John was the son of Algernon Olin and Sarah Elizabeth (Niles) Huntington. John was also the brother of Rena and Sydney O. Huntington BLOCK: 16. Myron first marries Adeline Galusha, daughter of George and Lucy (Burnham) Galusha on 1 September 1846. They have one child together, Arthur Sedgewick Barton 17 April 1848. Adekine passes on 1 September 1849 five months after giving birth. Myron next marries Abie Bottum who was born in Shaftsbury 6 November 1825 and they have two girls, May P. Barton and Alice May (Barton) Bottum who signed this block. An 1880 Census shows May P. (12) living in Shaftsbury with her parents Myron (59) and Abi E. (47), and her grandfather, Hiram Barton (85). Another Census of 1880 shows her future husband John Grant (12) living in Shaftsbury with his parents Olin A. (43), Sarah H. (34) and siblings Alice S. (15), Mary G. (13), Sidney O. (8), Charles H. (5), and Irene Blanche (3). Another member of the household is John's uncle, Edward R. Huntington (48). In 1892 Mary and John have an infant child who passed at birth. They have no other children. When the census of 1900 was completed John (31) and Mary (32) were still living with Olin (62). The census of 1920 records A. Olin (82) as head of household and John (51) and May (52), daughter-in-law, living on “Cald (Cold) Spring” Road in Shaftsbury. John's occupation is arestianure (auctioneer). When the census of 1930 was taken John was one of 51 patients living at the Brattleboro Retreat. John died October 24, 1937 (age 69) at the Retreat, suffering chronic myocarditis and manic depressive psychosis (depression for 12 years). According to the Deer Field Valley Times, printed in Wilmington, VT on 29 October 1937, John Huntington enjoyed an excellent reputation as an auctioneer. He was in failing health after the death of his father in 1927. Mary died three years later on 16, January 1940 at the age of 72 years, 3 months, and 17 days. She passed three years after John. John is buried in the Center Shaftsbury Cemetery. Mary Parks (Barton) Huntington is buried in Center Shaftsbury Cemetery. Others buried in the Huntington family plot are John's parents Algeron Olin Huntington (1837-1925), and Sarah Elizabeth (Niles) Huntington (1845-1897), his thirteen year old brother Charles Henry (1873-1888) and Irene Blanche (Huntington) Bottum (1876-1913). His other siblings are found in different cemeteries. Alice (Huntington) Niles (1865-1957) in Elmwood Cemetery, Troy N.Y., Mary Grace (Huntington) Bottum (1866-1951) at Pleasant Hills Cemetery, Benedict NY, and Sidney Olin Huntington (1871-1907) in Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, NY. May P. Barton/ Mrs. Abia Bottum Bennington (Grand Niece and Grand Aunt)According to Find-a-grave, Mrs. Abia/Abiah (Andrus) Bottum was born 9 February 1803 to David Andrus/Andrews (1779-1861) and Mary (Parks)Andrus/Andrews (1787-1839). Abia marries Lemuel Bottom, the son of Simon and Margaret A. (Douglass) Bottum, on 4 May 1819 when she was sixteen years old. He was 19. Lemuel was the son of Simon and Elizabeth (Huntington) Bottum who were from Connecticut. Lemuel was born in Shaftsbury. The Federal Census of 1850 records Lemuel (50) and Abia (47) living in Shaftsbury with two of their four children, H.B. Bottum (22) and Edward (17). A daughter Mary Elizabeth had died at 15 in 1838 and a second daughter Caroline Amelia (Bottum) Douglas (1828-1919) is buried in a different family plot in Center Shaftsbury Cemetery. Also, in the 1850 Census were four other people included in the household count: Jeremiah Bowen (24) laborer, Michael Karnough (22) a laborer born in Ireland, Thomas Uvien (20) a laborer and Margaret Kelley (35) a servant who was from Ireland. Another member living in the house is Abiah/Abia/Abi E. Fisk (17). Abi Fisk is Abia Bottum's niece. She was the daughter of Abia's sister, Freelove (Andrus) and Turman Fisk. Freelove and her husband Truman Fisk had moved to Castile, New York which is about 300 miles from Shaftsbury. During the 1830's Castile grew rapidly and was famous for its Sanitarium also called the “Water Cure”. The Federal Census of 1850 lists Truman living in Castile with his second wife Phoebe A. (Stratton) Fisk as his first wife Freelove died 3 January 1841. In the census 1870 Truman is listed as a farmer. Perhaps, Truman and Freelove's move to Castile had been precipitated by her illness. Both she and Truman are buried in Hope Cemetery in Perry, New York. Abia Fisk marries Myron Barton. They in turn have a daughter May P. Barton who marries John G. Huntington. Abia Bottum had seven siblings: Freelove (Andrus) Fisk (13 June 1807- 3 January 1841), Oretta (Andrus) Huntington (1805-1859), John Parks Andrus (1808-1829), Martin Andrus (1811-1892), Horatio Nelson Andrus (1813-1859), Columbus Parks Andrus (1822-1907), and David Oatman Andrus (1825-1909). Lemuel had two siblings: Nathan Huntington Bottum (1793-1855) and Elizabeth (Bottum) Galusha (1796-1880). The Census of 1880 records Lemuel (79) living in Shaftsbury with Abia (77). It documents him as being sick with paralysis. Lemuel dies on 14 July 1880 at the age of 79 from Apoplexy (unconsciousness or incapacity resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke). Abia dies in Bennington on 7 September 1889 from “old age”. When Abiah's signature was placed on the quilt she was an 86 old widow. She dies shortly afterwards on 7 September 1889 from “old age”. Both she and Lemuel are buried in Center Shaftsbury Cemetery. Included in this biography is a brief history of the the family name of “Abiah/Abia”. It appears to be a well loved, respected and often used in the lineage of the Andrus/Andrews family. One of the first “Abiah's” was born in Tisbury, Massachusetts 22 September 1693. |
|
May P. (Barton) Huntington (Mary)
Mrs. Abia (Andrus) Bottum
All research for this web tour was provided to the Town of Shaftsbury by: Carol Corey-Dziubek. She would like to credit: Ancestry.com, findagrave.com
