Person:Josiah Seaver (2)

Data from Mrs. Elaine (Bush) Prince of 74 Dennison Avenue, Framingham Ma, letter dated 4 Oct 1995. She is a descendant of Timothy Bush, who was ancestor of Mary Bush, mother of Josiah Willis Seaver.

Additional data was received from Michael T. Meggison of Rochester, New York (email fumetti@@galaxy5.com, dated 16 April 2003) who has worked on a Bush family genealogy.

BIRTH: 12 Apr 1777 Norwich VT (IGI as "Willis"), JMSeaver

12 Apr 1777 Norwich VT: Dartmouth College General Catalogue, 1769-1900.

DEATH: 29 Sept 1847 Rochester, Monroe, NY, age 70.

MARRIAGES:

(1) 29 May 1809 Berwick, York, ME to Hannah Goodwin. (VR, p 135), daughter of Gen. Ichabod and Elizabeth (Scammon) Goodwin of Berwick. Married by Rev. John Tompson, intentions 12 May 1809, certificate 25 May 1809 (VR p 54). Josiah was of Berwick at time of marriage.

(2) 3 July 1822 Kingston, Plymouth MA to Abigail "Naba" Stetson Sprague, relict of Captain Oakman Sprague and daughter of Theophilus and Abigail (Prince) Stetson. (Source: "Sprague Families in America" by Warren Vincent Sprague, MD, 1913, p 191].

CENSUS:

In the 1810 United States Census, Josiah W. Seaver was a head of household residing in Berwick town, York County, Maine. The household included one free white male aged 26 to 45, one free white female aged 16 to 26 and one free white female aged 26 to 45 (1810 United States Census Population Schedule, Berwick, York County, Maine, Page 951, FHL Microfilm 0,218,683).

In the 1820 United States Census, Josiah W. Seaver Esq. was a head of household residing in South Berwick, York County, Maine. The household included one free white male aged 26 to 45, two free white females under age 10, one free white female aged 16 to 26 and one free white female aged 26 to 45 (1820 United States Census, York County, Maine Population Schedule, South Berwick town, Page 635, FHL Microfilm 0,281,243).

In the 1830 United States Census, Josiah W. Seaver was a head of household in South Berwick, York County, Maine. The household included one free white male aged 50 to 60, three females aged 15 to 20 and one female aged 40 to 50 (1830 United States Census, York County, Maine, Population Schedule, South Berwick, Page 376, FHL Microfilm 0,497,948).

In the 1840 US census, Josiah W. Seaver (indexed as "Jonah" W. Seaver) was a head of household in South Berwick, York County, Maine. The household included one free white male aged 60 to 70, one free white female aged 50 to 60, and one free white feamle female aged 70 to 80. The male was a learned professor and engineer. The older female was a Revolutionary War Pensioner, Mary Chambertin, age 80 ( 1840 United States Census, York County, Maine, Population Schedule, South Berwick, Page 206, FHL Microfilm 0,009,710).

BIOGRAPHY:

Josiah W. Seaver graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1804, and was a teacher. He left Norwich, Vermont at age 21 and settled in South Berwick, Maine, where he married and raised a family.

He resided in South Berwick ME until after 1840. He was preceptor of South Berwick Academy for nine years. He was a landowner, high sheriff of York County for eight years, and collector of internal revenue. He was repeatedly elected a Representative in the Legislature for South Berwick, was a member of the State Senate five years, and postmaster for twenty years.

In 1844, he left Maine for Rochester NY with his wife, his daughter's family and possibly his widowed mother. His widowed mother lived with him in Maine and New York. In 1846, Josiah W. Seaver was a postmaster in Rochester. In the 1847 Rochester City directory, he is listed as "Josiah W. Seaver h. Elmwood Cottage, Genesee."

ESTATE:

Josiah's will was dated 29 Sept 1847. He left one third of his estate to his wife Abigail and to Abby M. (Sprague) Paine (daughter of Josiah's second wife, Abigail, by her first marriage) and her children all his real estate on Troup Street with a mortgage from W.S. Bishop for $2000 as well as title, formerly owned by W.S. Bishop. It was his will "that all the balance be vested in and become property of my daughter Abby H. Harding during her life and after to her children and those that she might hereafter have as wife of Robert Harding." E. Paine and Robert Harding were named executors. The witnesses were Henry Bush of Monroe Co. and George Kimball. (Source: FHL Microfilm 1,004,277).