Samuel, Bethany, and Their Children
Introduction
Samuel Sergeant and Bethany Smalledge were married on September 19, 1765, in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Family stories say that Samuel Sr. drowned in Boston, but no other records have been found for him. “Bethene Sargant and Son” were admitted to the Almshouse in Boston on January 25, 1781. There are no records of Bethany being discharged, but there is an indenture record for a “Thomas Sargant” just two weeks later. If Bethany died in the Almshouse, there are probably no records of that event, and no other records have been found for her.
The Children of Samuel Sergeant and Bethany Smalledge
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Sally Sergeant was born about 1766, and she was baptized as Sarah Sergeant on April 24, 1766, at Christ Church in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. The record was marked “private,” and a baptism done privately in those days might have been because the child was not expected to live. Sally was baptized 7 months, 5 days after her parents were married, so if she was born premature, it is unlikely that she could have survived.
The family stories about Sally varied; some said she married, but had no children, while others said she never married. All seemed to agree that she stayed in Boston when her brothers moved to New York. A Sergeant Saga said that Sally was only known to have married a Mr. Birdsall; however, there are no records of any Birdsall’s in all of Massachusetts during this time. No further information has been confirmed for her.
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Samuel George Sergeant was born about 1768, and he was baptized on November 20, 1768, at the Second Church of Boston in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Both of Samuel’s parents probably died by the time he was about 13 years old. The family stories said that he worked for an uncle, but we have not found any records to confirm that. Nothing else is known about Samuel’s early years until he was listed on the 1800 census in Chenango County, New York.
Samuel married Catherine Marvin about 1799, and they had six children: William Samuel, Hiram, Harley, Wells Ely, Sally M. and Rhoda. By 1800, they had settled in South New Berlin, Chenango, New York, and for the first few years of their marriage, Samuel worked for Catherine’s father, Enoch Marvin. By 1828, Samuel had purchased 64 acres of land, and that farm was later transferred to his son, Hiram. Samuel and Catherine were married about 35 years until her death on October 3, 1834. She would have been about 64 years old. Samuel died at about age 70 on February 23, 1841, and he is buried next to his wife at the Riverside Cemetery in South New Berlin.
See Samuel and Catherine’s complete biography under Our Forebears.
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Thomas Sergeant was born about 1770, and he was baptized on March 7, 1779, at the Second Church of Boston in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts with only his mother listed. It was not uncommon in those days for only one parent to be listed on the baptism record, but we suspect that his father had died by then. The family stories said the three siblings were born about two years apart, which would put Thomas’ birth about 1770. Some churches in Boston were shut down during the Revolutionary War, so we are guessing that is why Thomas was baptized so late.
In the Boston Almshouse records, “Bethene Sargant and Son” were admitted to the poorhouse on January 25, 1781. There is an indenture record for “Thomas Sargant” just two weeks later. In those days, a young child orphaned in the poorhouse would typically be bound out, or indentured for an apprenticeship. The legal agreement expired when the male apprentice turned 21, while for females it was 18. The expiration of Thomas’ indenture on September 21, 1791, indicates that his birthday was September 21, 1770. The age at death on his tombstone is 64, which also indicates that his birth year was about 1771.
We do not know anything else about Thomas’ early life until he is recorded on the 1810 census in South New Berlin, Chenango, New York. On the next two censuses, he is living in Butternuts, Otsego, New York. The family stories say that Thomas married Sarah (Sisson) Deforest about 1800. They had five children: James, John Arnold, Lewis A, Elizabeth and Lucy Ann.
Thomas died at age 65 on February 18, 1835, and is buried at the Riverside Cemetery in South New Berlin, Chenango, New York. Sarah died at about age 73 on March 7, 1843, and she is buried next to her husband.
