Abilene Belding1

#1975, (circa February 1755 - circa 1854)
Relationship3rd great-grandmother of William David Lewis
Father*Ebenezer Belding2 (1714 - 1793)
Mother*Hannah Nash2 (1716 - )

Family

Vespasian Phillips b. 1748/49, d. b 1822
Children 1.Vespasion Phillips Jr+12 (c 1773 - )
 2.Samuel Phillips+12 (c 1773 - )
 3.Ebenezer Phillips+12 (bt 1773 - 1795 - )
 4.Pitts Phillips12 (bt 1773 - 1795 - )
 5.Deliah Phillips12 (bt 1773 - 1795 - )
 6.Abilena Phillips+12 (1776 - 1854)
 7.Ruth Phillips+2 (1779 - 1842)
 8.Elisha Phillips+12 (1786 - 1845)
Birth and/or death dates wrong, suggest age of 104. 
She is numbered in The Nash Family genealogy as 297 - VII.3 
Her married name was Phillips.1 
Birth*circa February 1755She was born circa February 1755 at Deerfield, Hampshire (now Franklin) Co., MassachusettsG.4,5,2 
Baptism2 March 1755She was baptized on 2 March 1755 at First Congregational Church, Deefield, Hampshire (now Franklin) Co., Massachusetts Bay ProvinceG.4 
1766She was in the household of Ebenezer Belding at Ashfield, Franklin Co., MassachusettsG, in 1766.6 
Marriage*7 May 1772She married Vespasian Phillips, son of Richard Phillips and Ruth Pitts, on 7 May 1772 at Franklin Co., MassachusettsG.1 
1790She and Vespasian Phillips appeared on the census of 1790 at Ashfield, Hampshire Co., MassachusettsG; (unk. m <16; neis. Richard Phillips, Spencer Phillips, Thomas Phillips, Samuel Anabel; Smith, Yeoman, Alden, Gay, Whittemore, Wait.)7
between 1799 and 1805She was an early settler in Sempronius (later also Niles), New York between 1799 and 1805; the early settlement of Sempronius (later also Niles), New York.8 
1800She and Vespasian Phillips appeared on the census of 1800 at Sempronius, Cayuga Co., New YorkG; (poss. report for Vespasian Jr. based on ages of children); neis. Chase, Atkins, Crippin, Tupper; Asahel Phillips p. 672, ln. 20; John Ellis Jr. and Abilena p. 672, ln. 25.9 
Death*circa 1854She died circa 1854 at Niles, Cayuga Co., New YorkG.10 
No primary sources for the children of Vespasian and Abilene have been found so far. Biographical Sketches of Richard Ellis is the only secondary source naming them, on pages 111 and 383, as the parents of Abilena, who married John Ellis, Jr. From that book, on page 156, we also learn that Elisha (and by inference, Ebenezer) were Abilena's brothers, in the accounts of their journey from New York State to Indiana. In addition, we can be certain that Ruth is the sister of Abilena, Elisha and Ebenezer, as she and her husband, Rufus Johnson, followed these three to Posey County, Indiana. Next, in 1805, Vespasian conveyed one-half of a 100 acre parcel in Sempronius NY to Samuel Phillips, from which we can deduce that they were father and son. Finally, the 1810 U. S. census in Sempronius has both "Vespatian Phillips," age over 45, and "Vespatian Phillips 2nd," age 26 to 44. While "2nd" may also mean "the younger" e.g., a nephew) as well as "junior" in early census reports, it is likely that this younger Vespasian is the son of Vespasian and Abilene. This still leaves Pitts and Delilah unaccounted for.11 
ChartsAncestors of William D. Lewis

Citations

  1. [S726] New England Historic Genealogical Society, compiler, Vital Records of Ashfield Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1942), Marriages:190. Vespasian Phillips and Abilene Belding, both of A., intentions not recorded, marr. 7 May 1772.
  2. [S263] Ruth Phillips Genealogy, online boards.ancestry.com.
  3. [S727] Rev. Sylvester Nash, The Nash Family or Records of the descendants of Thomas Nash of New Haven, Connecticut, 1640 (Hartford: Case, Tiffany and Company, 1853).
  4. [S726] New England Historic Genealogical Society, Vital Records of Ashfield MA, p. 28. "Abylene, d. of Ebenezer and —, bp. Mar. 2, 1755," citing church record, First Congregational Church.
  5. [S727] Rev. Sylvester Nash, The Nash Family, p. 66, "Very little is known of this family, as no records can be found. The names of their children were furnished by Mrs. Sally A. Shaw of Plainfield, Mass. a grand-daughter. But she does not know the order of their births." and "It is not known where or when Mr. and Mrs. Belding d."
  6. [S733] History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts (Two Volumes) (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1879), p. 744, citing the Valuation List of 1766 with 71 taxable inhabitants.
  7. [S268] 1790 U.S. Federal Census, image viewed online Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.com. Vespatian (16+); 2 m (16+) [Vespasian and Samuel or Vespasian Jr], 3 m <16 [Elisha and Vespasian Jr or Samuel, ____]; 3 f [Ruth, Abilena and Deliah].
  8. [S957] Elliot G. Storke, History of Cayuga County, New York (Syracuse, N. Y.: D. Mason & Co., 1879), 443–45:
    Niles was formed from Sempronius March 20th, 1833....The first settlements were made in 1792....The Conovers settled about a half mile west of Niles, on the David Pratt farm....
    Edward and John Ellis, brothers, came in from Ashfield, Mass., in the winter of 1795, with an ox-sled....
    Settlements were made in 1802, by David Johnson, Hugh McDowell, John Rooks and Joseph Carr. Johnson, who was five years a Revolutionary soldier, being present at the surrender of Burgoyne and the evacuation of New York by the British, came in from Buckland county, Massachusetts, and settled near West Niles or Pennyville, on the farm now occupied by James Duryee. About 1817 he removed to Twelve Corners, to the place now occupied by his son Roswell, where he died June 22d, 1840. He married Prudence Coburn, who was born in Boston, November 13th, 1765, and died February 12th, 1849, by whom he had nine children, only two of whom are living, viz : Clara, wife of Abraham Van Etten, and Roswell, both in Niles, the latter on the homestead at Twelve Corners.
  9. [S269] 1800 U.S. Federal Census. Vespatian (26-44); F (26-44) [Abilene]; m (<10); 3 f (<10).
  10. [S263] Ruth Phillips Genealogy, online boards.ancestry.com, Vespasian Phillips married Abilene Belding May 07, 1772 in Ashfield, MA, daughter of Ebeneezer Belding and Hannah Nash. She was born Abt. 1750 in Dighton, MA, and died 1854 in Niles Cayuga NY.
  11. [S520] VWH.
  12. [S571] Nicholas Phillips and Elizabeth Jepson, online http://www.peculiarpress.com/genealogy/soule/…, "Sixth Generation: 134. Vespasian Phillips was born on 5 March 1749 in Dighton, Bristol Co., Massachusetts. He died before 10 May 1822 in Sempronious, Cayuga Co., New York.
    Vespasian Phillips and Abilene Belding were married on 7 May 1772 in Ashfield, Franklin Co., Massachusetts. Vespasian and Abilene (Belding) Phillips had eight children: Abilena, Vespasian Jr., Ebenezer, Pitts, Ruth, Samuel, Elisha, and Deliah. Abilene Belding was born about 1751 in Ashfield, Franklin Co., Massachusetts."
    source: http://www.peculiarpress.com/genealogy/soule/…