Caleb Huntington (1758 – 1837) was my 4th-great-grandfather. His wives and the assignment to them of his children are both obscure. I am descended from his son John, probably by Caleb’s second wife Jane Turner (✝ 1851). Caleb was the son of Caleb Huntington and Zerviah Case, and the latter Caleb was son of another Caleb.

Maternity of children

The Huntington Family in America book says this about Caleb:^ref

Caleb Huntington, born in 1758, in Ashford, Conn.; married, first, a Miss Sohne; married, second, Jane, daughter of Eleanor (Stewart) Turner. She died in 1851, in Salmon River, Cape Breton, N.S. He was a farmer and lived in Cape Breton, N.S., where he died in 1837. They were Presbyterians.

So far as I can tell, all other sources rely on the information in this paragraph. It is unusual, one wife identified only as “Miss Sohne”, and the other with her mother’s maiden name known but not her father’s name, nor any other details. To my knowledge, no one has made any progress in identifying these women.

Ten children are listed for Caleb, but without specifying which wife bore them:

1. Caleb (1791-11 – c.1815), “lost at sea”.
2. Sarah (1793 – 1796).
3. Ann (1799-03-17 – c.1821).
4. John (1801–01-11 – 1883×4-04-20), my great-great-great-grandfather.
5. James (1803 – 1803×4), “died aged five months”.
6. Zerviah (1804 – 1812).
7. Lydia (1806-11-30 – 1893-12-12).
8. William (1809-03-08 – 1889-06-13).
9. Mary (1813-12-14 – 1858-08-09).
10. Jane (1815-02-11 – 1893-11-24).

Based on the distribution, particularly the gap between Sarah and Ann, it is generally assumed that Miss Sohne is the mother of the first two, and Jane the remaining eight, including my ancestor John. But this is not exactly proof.

Ancestry of Caleb

Caleb’s father has a double descent from Simon and Margaret Huntington.