RICHARD and POLLY WARNER
Richard Warner was born in 1771 near Waterbury, Conn. He is said to have been the son of Joseph and Huldah (Nichols) Warner, but documentary proof of this remains elusive. (1)
Married Polly Hickcox. He was born March 4, 1777, to Gideon Hickox Jr. and his wife, Philena (Smith), who lived in what is now Naugatuck, but was known as Salem at the time. (2)
Children: (3)
Obadiah Warner, born April 13, 1793. Married Lucy L. Sperry.
Sheldon Warner, born Nov. 20, 1794. Married Lucy Carter.
Adna Warner, born April 9, 1796. Married Lucia Carter.
Minerva Warner, born Jan. 22, 1798. Married Elijah Fenton.
Edward Warner, born May 14. 1799. Married Sophronia Sales.
Maria Warner, born Dec. 3, 1800. Married John Hinman.
David H. Warner, born Feb. 5, 1802. Married Almira Robbins.
Curtis Warner, born July 4, 1803. Married Caroline Hyde.
Rachel Warner, born July 4. 1805. Married Orlando Pierce.
Electa Warner, born July 5, 1807. Married John Robbins.
Lucina. born July 5, 1809. Married Norman Burnham.
Calvin Warner, born in August, 1812. Married Delia Knight.
Florilla Warner, born July 6, 1815.
Elmina Warner, born Sept. 21, 1817. Married George P. Swan.
Richard P., April 16, 1819. Married Lucy Parks, and later Helen Debell.
Richard and Polly started their lives together in Salem. (4) They moved to Chenango County, N.Y. around 1800 seeking better opportunities.
Their story is told in several sources. “Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County, Connecticut” gives the most complete account in a profile of Lucian Warner. It says Richard and Polly “were poor, and finding life in Connecticut by no means a bed of roses, in their comparative youth they migrated overland in a wagon to Pitcher, Chenango county. N.Y., a locality then considered the ‘far West.’ There they settled, sharing bravely the toil and danger attending the establishment of a new home in the forest.” The book “Men of Mark in Connecticut” restates some of this information in its own profile of Lucian Warner. “Grandfather and father in the year 1800 went into what was then the wild West and settled in Pitcher, Chenango County, New York. … Like most pioneer settlers of those times they had many obstacles to overcome and secure a living only by the greatest of diligence, as the family was a large one of 15 children.”
The timing of their move to New York is uncertain. It’s described as “about 1798,” 1800 and 1801. A Richard Warner is listed in Oxford in Chenango County’s 1799 tax records. (5) However, he doesn’t appear to be listed in the county in the 1800 Census.
When Richard and Polly moved west, at least one of their children remained behind in Connecticut for a time. A biographical item on their son Edward in 1883’s “The History of Hardin County, Ohio” says: “Edward Warner was born in New Haven, Conn., May 14, 1799, and when a lad, his parents, Richard and Polly Warner, removed to Cortland [sic] County, N.Y., but he remained with his grandfather in Connecticut for some time, after which he went to his parents in New York.” (6)
The best concise description of the family’s moves after arriving in New York appears in “History of Chenango and Madison Counties, New York,” published in 1880. It states: “Richard Warner came from Waterbury, Conn., in 1801, and settled on 50 acres in Taylor, then Solon, and in 1810 removed to Pitcher, to the place now occupied by John Dryer, a half mile south of the village. He afterwards removed to the village.”
Richard does not appear to be listed in the 1810 Census. In the 1820 Census, Richard appears in German Township, Chenango County. His household contained one male under 10, one male 16-18, three males 16-26, one male 26-45, one male 45 or older, two females under 10, three females 10-16 and one female 26-45.
In the 1830 Census, Richard appears in Pitcher, Chenango County. His household contained one male 5-9, one male 50-59, one female 15-19 and one female 50-59. The household of Shelden Warner appears on the same page, with one male 5-9, one male 30-39, one female 10-14 and one female 30-39.
A profile of Pitcher in “History of Chenango and Madison Counties, New York” states: “Among the early settlers were Benjamin and Abel Fairchild, Ebenezer Wakely, Jonas Hinman, Silas Beebe, George Taylor, Elijah Fenton, Jonathan Chandler, Abijah Rhines, Gideon Peet, M. Millard, Lewis and Philo Blackman and Richard Warner.” (7) Some of the Warner children married into the families on this list.
By 1840, several of Richard’s children had moved to Ohio. Edward and Curtis appear in Jackson Township, Hardin County, Ohio, in the 1840 Census and David appears in the same township in the 1850 Census.
In the 1840 Census, Richard is again listed in Pitcher, where his household contained one male age 20-29; one male 60-69; one female 20-29; and one female 60-69. One person was employed in agriculture.
Polly died Sept. 24, 1849. Polly’s death seems to have affected Richard deeply. He wrote his will a few months after she died. In it, he states that “considering the uncertainty of this mortal life, feeling that I must soon die, but being yet sound in mind and memory though weak and feeble in body.” However, he lived another eight years. (8)
In the 1850 Census of Pitcher, Richard is listed as a 79-year-old farmer. The only other person listed in the household is his daughter Florilla Warner, age 35.
The census’ agricultural schedule describes Richard’s farm. It covered 90 acres of improved land and 10 acres of unimproved, with a value of $2,500. His farming implements and machinery were valued at $100. He owned two horses, 12 milk cows, four “other cattle” and four swine, worth a total of $400. In the previous year, his land had produced 90 bushels of Indian corn, 100 bushels of oats, 48 pounds of wool (even though no sheep are listed among his livestock), 60 bushels of Irish potatoes, $15 worth of orchard produce, 1,200 pounds of butter, 30 tons of hay, 200 pounds of maple sugar and $70 worth of animals that were slaughtered.
In the New York state census of 1855, Richard is listed as an 84-year-old farmer in Pitcher. He had lived in the village for 41 years. (9)
Richard died March 25, 1857.
In his will, Richard left to Florilla his house and the lot it sat on, his household articles and a cow. He also left a cow to Rachel. All the rest of his real estate and good were given to his son Richard.
The Warners are buried at Pitcher Congregational Church Cemetery.
(1) Although the Barbour Collection of Connecticut records is very comprehensive, it doesn’t contain mention of Richard’s birth and marriage. The only primary sources for his birth information that has turned up so far are: the 1850 Census of Pitcher, Chenango County, N.Y., which says that Richard was 79 years old and was born in Connecticut; and the 1855 New York state census of Pitcher, which says he was 84 years old and was born in Connecticut. Both would indicate that her was born in 1771. A birth year of 1772 and Richard’s connection to the Naugatuck, Conn., area are mentioned in several secondary sources. The date and place cited here are from “Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County, Connecticut,” by Beers & Co., published in 1902, page 480. This source seems to be the most reliable when names and dates are checked against primary sources. As a result, it seems very likely that its data came from a family Bible or another solid source. The information is repeated in “Men of Mark in Connecticut: Ideals of American Life Told in Biographies and Autobiographies of Eminent Living Americans,” Vol. IV, edited by Col. N.G. Osborn, page 303. The information in both books comes from biographical notes on Lucian D. Warner, Adna’s son, so they probably both relied on the same source. Richard was born in New Haven, Conn., and was 85 years old when he died on March 25, 1857, according to “History of Chenango and Madison Counties, New York,” by James H. Smith, published in 1880, page 432. The possible link to his parents appears in “History of John Warner of ‘Increase’ 1635,” compiled by James A. Warner, pages 55 and 119. However, no Richard is listed among Joseph’s children in the Barbour Collection or in “The Town and City of Waterbury, Connecticut,” by Sarah Prichard, 1896, page 145 of the appendix. In that book, a “Jonson” is listed as having been baptized on June 21, 1772. It’s uncertain whether this is a reference to Richard, it’s a mistake or Richard had no direct connection to Joseph. “Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County” seems to provide clues about Richard’s origins. It states: “Richard Warner, his grandfather, was born in Salem (now Naugatuck), Conn., in 1772, and was one of a large family, the others being Obadiah, Ransom, Eri, Wakely, Walter, Philena, Carolina and Roxana.” However, Obadiah is the only name that matches any of the other lists of Joseph Warner’s known or suspected children. Wakely and Walter don’t appear in birth records from the Waterbury area and most of the other names on the list are listed only once, as children of Joseph Warner’s son Obadiah. It seems likely that this was a list of Richard’s nieces and nephews and not his brothers and sisters. (2) While there does not appear to be a marriage record for the couple, a Polly is listed as Richard’s wife in all of the sources cited above as well as in the cemetery list for the Pitcher Congregational Church Cemetery (available on Roots Web at www.rootsweb.com/~nychenan/ptchcngr.htm) and in a biographical item on this son Edward Warner in “The History of Hardin County, Ohio,” published in 1883 by Warner, Beers, & Co., page 673. The link to Polly’s parents appears in “Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County, Connecticut,” and in “History of John Warner of ‘Increase’ 1635.” Polly Hickcox’s birth is listed at “Connecticut Town Birth Records, pre-1870,” which is available at Ancestry.com. (3) Birth records for the children have not turned up. The secondary sources cited above offer the same basic list of children, but most drop at least one of names. This list is based on “Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County, Connecticut,” which includes their birth dates and spouses. Many of the birth dates – or at least the birth years – are confirmed in the list of graves at Pitcher Congregational Church Cemetery. Lists also appear in “History of Chenango and Madison Counties, New York” and “History of John Warner of ‘Increase’ 1635,” page 119, which cites the Chenango history as a source information on Richard but obviously uses additional sources. Lucena is not mentioned in the Chenango history and Elmina is not mentioned in the New Haven biographies. Elimina’s birth year is listed as Sept. 21, 1817 in “John Warner,” but as Sept, 21, 1818 in her obituary. If her brother Richard’ birth date was actually in April 1819, the 1817 date is more likely to be accurate. (4) Naugatuck is listed as Adna’s birthplace in “Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County” and Elmina’s obituary states that her parents came from “Salem (now Naugatuck).” The obituary is available at Findagrave.com and originally appeared in the Binghamton (N.Y.) Republican on June 29, 1899. (5) “New York, Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804,” available at Ancestry.com. (6) “The History of Hardin County, Ohio,” published in 1883 by Warner, Beers & Co., page 673. (7) Page 431. (8) Chenango County Will Book H, page 283, which is available through FamilySearch.org. (9) “New York, State Census, 1855,” available at Ancestry.com.
EDWARD and SOPHRONIA WARNER
Edward Warner was born May 14, 1799, in Connecticut to Richard and Polly Warner. (1)
Married Sophronia C. Sales. Sophronia was born July 24, 1806, probably in New York State. After Sophronia died in 1840, Edward married Mary Adams, who was born Dec. 11, 1804, in Ohio. (2)
Children of Sophronia: (3)
Mary Othelia Warner.
Edward C. Warner, born Aug. 1, 1826.
Bellva Warner. Married George M. Love.
Maria Warner.
Adeline Warner. Married George Ketch.
Lemira Warner, born about 1833. Married Andrew Clark.
Artemissa Warner, born April 9, 1834. Married John McDaniel.
Calvin Elijah Warner, born May 22, 1836.
Joseph D. Warner, born about 1838.
Children of Mary:
Sophronia C. Warner, born about 1840. Married a man named Meeks.
Charles Warner, born about 1842.
“The History of Hardin County, Ohio,” which was published in 1883, contains a brief biographical sketch of Edward. “Edward Warner was born in New Haven, Conn., May 14, 1799, and when a lad, his parents, Richard and Polly Warner, removed to Cortland County, N.Y., but he remained with his grandfather in Connecticut for some time, after which he went to his parents in New York. In the fall of 1828, he removed to Seneca County, Ohio. Before leaving New York, he married Sophronia Sales. In the fall of 1835, he removed to this county and settled on land now owned by Samuel Waltermire, in Section 5, Jackson Township. Here he opened out right in the woods, and commenced to erect a cabin. From the few settlers then in the vicinity, he could get but seven to help him raise his cabin, and as a substitute for men he used oxen to roll up the logs to their proper places. He has now been a resident in the county nearly half a century; has witnessed the wonderful transformation of these mighty forests to fine, cultivated farms and beautiful homes. He was present at the organization of the township, and cast his vote at the first election, and was elected one of the first Trustees. He is now eighty-four years of age, and almost totally blind, having lost his sight about thirteen years ago. He is the father of nine children – Mary Othelia, Edward C., Bellva, Maria, Adeline, Lemira, Artemissa, Calivin E., Joseph V. and Sophronia C., all of whom, who now survive, have moved away.”
In the 1830 Census, Edward Warner appears in Scipio Township, Seneca County, Ohio. His household contained one male under 5 years old, one male 30-39, two females under 5 and one female 20-29.
Sophronia died March 12, 1840, and is buried at Callahan Cemetery in Forest, Wyandot.
In the 1840 Census, the Warners appear in Jackson Township, Hardin County. The household contained two males under 5, one male 10-14, one male 40-49, one female under 5, three females 5-9, and two females 10-14 – for a total of one adult and nine children.
On Aug. 19, 1841, Edward married Mary Adams. (4) According to the 1850 Census, Mary was born about 1805 in Ohio. It’s interesting to note that Mary’s first known child, Sophronia C., apparently was named after Edward’s first wife.
An Edward Warner was among the first settlers of Wyandot County, Ohio. The name appears among those of people who owned real estate in Jackson Township when it was separated from Hardin County in 1845. This is probably Edward C. since he appears in that township in later census records. (5)
In the 1850 Census, Edward is listed as a farmer in Jackson Township with property valued at $2,000. The household contained Edward and Mary along with the younger children, who are listed as Lemyra, Artemecia, Calvin E., Joseph D. and Chas. Sophronia is not listed, but a 10-year-old Sophronia Warner appears in the household of Samuel Southwick of Marion Township, Marion County, which is not too far from the Warners’ home.
In the 1860 Census, Edward is listed as a farmer with real estate valued at $3,600 and personal property valued at $500. In addition to Mary, the household contained an Eliza Warner, age 34, and two children: Ann M. Warner, age 7, and Samuel H. Warner, age 4. It seems likely that these children belonged to Eliza. Since Edward does not seem to have had any children named Eliza, she might be the widow of one of his sons. More research is needed into this matter.
In 1870, Edward is listed as a farmer with real estate valued at $5,000 and person property valued at $250. In addition to Mary, his household contained a domestic servant named Sarah Adams, age 56. It seems possible that she was a sister of Mary’s.
In 1880, Edward is listed as a retired farmer listing in Forest in Jackson Township. The census also indicates that Edward was blind, which is mentioned in the biographical note in the Hardin County history. It also indicates that Mary was “Maimed, crippled, bedridden or otherwise disabled,” and that should couldn’t read or write. In addition to Mary, his household contained his daughter, Lemina Glick, and a servant named Maud Barlett, who was 13.
Mary died Dec. 11, 1889, and Edward died Oct. 28, 1890. They are buried Callahan Cemetery in Forest, Hardin County. (6)
(1) “The History of Hardin County, Ohio,” published in 1883 by Warner, Beers & Co., page 673. Since this account was written during Edward’s lifetime, it would seem to be reliable. An Edward is listed among the children of Richard Warner in from “History of Chenango and Madison Counties, New York,” by James H. Smith, published in 1880, page 432. Edward’s place of birth is listed New York in the death certificates of his children Artemissa and Calvin – see below. However, the 1900 Census of Jackson Township, Hardin County, states that the younger Edward’s father was born in Connecticut. (2) Sophronia is mentioned as Edward’s wife in the Hardin County history and the obituary of her daughter Artemissa. Concerning her birthplace, the 1900 Census of Jackson Township, Hardin County, states that the younger Edward’s father was born in Connecticut and his mother was born in New York. However, Artemissa’s death certificate lists Sophrona’s birth place as Ohio. Sophronia’s death date is recorded on her tombstone, which is recorded at Findagrave.com. Her birth date can be calculated from that because it states she lived 33 years, 7 months, 17 days. Mary’s birth date also is calculated from her tombstone. Both graves – as well as Edward’s are listed at Callahan Cemetery in Forest, Wyandot County. It should be noted that it’s possible that Mary Adams was a widow since she would have been 36 at the time of their marriage. (3) Children’s names are in the Hardin County history. Birth date for Calvin is recorded on his death certificate in Wyandot County, Ohio, dated April 26, 1921. Birth date for Edward is recorded on his death certificate in Marion County, dated Aug. 4, 1922. Other birth years for most come from the 1850 Census of Jackson Township, Hardin County, Ohio. Details on Artemissa come from an obituary clipped from an unidentified newspaper. The obituary also mentions siblings Edward, Calvin and Sophronia, whose last name is Meeks. In addition, the 1860 Census of Jackson Township, shows a 34-year-old Eliza, 7-year-old Ann and 4-year-old Samuel. I am uncertain who this is. It’s possible that she’s the widow of Calvin – but this would be based on the fact that her last name is listed as Warner and both Joseph and the younger Edward were still alive in 1860. However, I don’t know whether Calvin was alive or dead at this point. The marriages of Adaline, Belva and Lemira Mary appear in “Marriage Records of Hardin County, Ohio, From 1833 to 1865, Inclusive,” by the Fort McArthur Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. While this source says Lemina married Andrew Clark, the 1880 Census appears to list her as Lemina Glick. This may indicate a second marriage or one of the references may be a clerical error. The source also lists the marriage of a Mary to John K. Hare, which probably refers to Mary Othelia but might refer to Maria. Finally, a “Chas” is listed in the 1850 Census. I have not found him in other records yet so it’s possible he died young. (4) “Marriage Records of Hardin County.” (5) “The History of Wyandot County, Ohio,” page 835. (6) Findagrave.com as well as the Cemetery Records database at rootsweb.ancestry.com. It is also mentioned in “History of John Warner of ‘Increase’ 1635,” compiled by James A. Warner, page 119.
