Caleb Huntington (β 1757-07-10 – 1837) and Jane Turner (say 1775 – 1851) were my 4th-great-grandparents, being the parents of John Huntington. Caleb was born in Ashford, Connecticut, the son of Caleb Huntington and Zerviah Case.

Caleb’s family migrated to Cornwallis, Nova Scotia when he was probably two years old⁠^⟮1⟯, as part of the wave of settlers known as the New England Planters who occupied this area after the expulsion of the Acadians. See his parents’ entry for more background. Caleb grew up in Cornwallis, and later moved to Cape Breton, to an area now called Grand Mira. Eleanor Huntington (see below) calls Caleb Grand Mira’s first British settler.

Sources

Primary sources on this family are sparse. A search of vital and church records in Nova Scotia turned up very little.

The Huntington Family in America book (HFA) says this about Caleb:⁠^⟮2⟯

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.

Most other secondary sources I have found rely on the limited information in this paragraph. Notably, HFA does not specify which wife was the mother of which of their ten children, leaving only guesswork based on the gap between the second and the third child.

Eleanor Huntington c.1980

A better source is the work of Eleanor Stuart Huntington (EH; 1904–2004)⁠^{⟮3⟯Find a Grave memorial for Eleanor Huntington}, a great-great-granddaughter of Caleb and Jane through both of her parents, who were second cousins. In 1958, she wrote a brief account of Caleb’s life, including nearly⁠^{⟮4⟯The year of Jane’s death is not in the cited EH article, but she may have still provided it.} all of the details in the HFA paragraph above, which I surmise was therefore derived from EH’s information. EH may have relied on primary sources, but likely mostly related her own family’s knowledge of their history, which she would have access to, still living in the same area along with her extended family. She also worked as a reporter, employed by the Cape Breton Post for 23 years, and her article distinguishes known facts from speculation. Thus, there is every reason to believe that she is a credible source for the details of her family.

There are some primary sources, such as land records, which are consistent with EH’s account. For example, Jane is explicitly noted to be Caleb’s wife in the early 1800s, and an Eleanor Turner (see below) is a witness to some deeds.

Lives

EH and HFA state that Caleb was born in Ashford, CT in 1758. A Caleb Huntington was baptized at the First Congregational Church in Lebanon, CT on 1757-07-10⁠^{⟮5⟯FamilySearch}, who is very likely our Caleb, in which case the 1758 date is off by a year, which is a common discrepancy. The births of Caleb’s older siblings were recorded in Lebanon⁠^{⟮6⟯FamilySearch}. If he was indeed born in Ashford, his family may still have taken him to the same church for baptism.

EH describes Jane’s mother as still alive and active in 1826, from which we suppose that Jane was not too old when she married in 1798.

Caleb lived in Cornwallis for much of his life, and there with Jane for a few years after marrying. In a land record dated 1806-06-18, Caleb is “of Cornwallis”.⁠^{⟮7⟯FamilySearch} He is “of Sydney” in Cape Breton on 1809-07-03⁠^{⟮8⟯FamilySearch}, so the family must have moved to the island in that interval.

Family

Caleb’s first wife is identified by HFA and EH only as “Miss Sohne”, with no other details. A search of records for this surname, and spelling variants thereof, yielded nothing, leaving her rather mysterious; the surname may have been corrupted by a copying error or the like. The best lead may be a 1794 deed where Caleb buys land from his brother Ezra⁠^{⟮9⟯FamilySearch}, which is witnessed by an Elizabeth Huntington. There is not any member of this family at this place and time, nor any wife of them, known to be named Elizabeth; Ezra’s own wife is named as Hannah on the deed. Thus, Caleb’s first wife may have been named Elizabeth.

This couple had two children:

• Caleb Huntington (1791-11 – c.1815). EH says he was “lost at sea” while returning from visiting relatives in Connecticut.
• Sarah Huntington (1793 – 1796); died aged 3.

Presumably this first wife died within a couple of years of Sarah’s birth. Based on the above, she has no living descendants.

Caleb secondly married Jane in 1798 (EH). Her mother is named as Mrs. Eleanor Turner, maiden name Stuart or Stewart. She is apparently of Scottish extraction, and likely grew up there, since EH says that she was able to converse in Gaelic with Scottish settlers.

EH says that Eleanor was “said to be” the daughter of James Stuart, a member of the House of Stuart who fled to Quebec after participating in the final 1746 failed attempt to restore the Stuarts to the English throne. This story is at least plausible, and if true, means their children are somehow descended from this royal house. More research is needed here.

No information is provided about Jane’s father, who perhaps had died much earlier. Early records of Cornwallis do show a few men named Turner, but as yet I have not found evidence that any were married to Eleanor. There are frequent contacts between the Huntingtons and a John and Lydia Turner; perhaps this John is a relative of Jane.

Caleb and Jane had eight children, including my ancestor John:

• Ann Huntington (1799-03-17 – c.1821). She married to Christopher Welton, but died two years later along, if I read EH correctly, with her newborn. She was survived by a then year-old daughter Lavinia.
• John Huntington (1801–01-11 – 1884-04-20), my great-great-great-grandfather.
• James Huntington (1803 – 1803×4), “died aged five months”.
• Zerviah Huntington (1804 – 1812); named for Caleb’s mother.
• Lydia Bathsheba Huntington (1806-11-30 – 1893-12-12). These birth and death dates for a Lydia come from HFA, her grave says Lydia died on that dated aged 87⁠^{⟮10⟯Find a Grave memorial for Lydia}, and there is a marriage record of Lydia to William Galen Shepherd⁠^{⟮11⟯FamilySearch}. There is baptism of a Bathsheba aged 14 months on 1808-02-07⁠^{⟮12⟯FamilySearch}, who, if those dates are accurate, must be the same person. Most researchers combine the two names; it is unclear if this is only because of this or from direct knowledge that she had this double name.
• William Huntington (1809-03-08 – 1889-06-13), the dates from HFA. His baptism on 1810-03-04⁠^{⟮13⟯FamilySearch} has his age as 9 months, so this birth may be inaccurate. He married Esther Spencer.
• Mary Elizabeth Huntington (1812-12-14 – 1858-08-09). HFA has her year of birth as 1813, but her baptism says she was baptized 1813-07-04 aged 6 months⁠^{⟮14⟯FamilySearch}, so presumably this year was off. She married Donald MacDonald in 1843.
• Jane Lisby Huntington (1815-02-11 – 1893-11-24). She married Arnold Martell.

The name Lisby is unusual and may reflect some family relationship.

Memorial

EH says,

Only a common field boulder marks Caleb’s place of rest beside the tiny lake on his old farm, but the impress of his life upon the community of which he was the founder constitutes a more enduring monument than any inscription carved upon cold marble.

Ancestry of Caleb

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

See

• Eleanor Huntington, “Grand Mira’s first British settler” (1958); available at FamilySearch⁠^{⟮15⟯FamilySearch}.

Footnotes

1. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/sources/viewedit/7NYF-FGK?context
2. ↑ https://archive.org/details/huntingtonfamily00hunt/page/764
3. ↑ Find a Grave memorial for Eleanor Huntington
4. ↑ The year of Jane’s death is not in the cited EH article, but she may have still provided it.
5. ↑ FamilySearch
6. ↑ FamilySearch
7. ↑ FamilySearch
8. ↑ FamilySearch
9. ↑ FamilySearch
10. ↑ Find a Grave memorial for Lydia
11. ↑ FamilySearch
12. ↑ FamilySearch
13. ↑ FamilySearch
14. ↑ FamilySearch
15. ↑ FamilySearch