Erastus Bingham

Erastus Bingham (1800-06-21 – 1883-04-21) was my 4th-great-grandfather, being the father of Permelia Bingham almost certainly by his second wife Sarah Lewis (1795-06-13 – 1868-03-10), daughter of Samuel and Sarah Lewis^ref. He was born in Springfield, Vermont the son of Horatio Bingham and Sarah Johnson^ref, and died in Monkton, Vermont^ref.

Records

Records are limited. We have to rely heavily on counts from the early Federal censuses:

Year	Place	Counts	Inferred births
1830^ref	Cavendish, VT	1 ♂ 5–9, 1 ♂ 20s, 3 ♀ <5, 1 ♀ 30s	1790–1800 ♀ 1800–1810 ♂ 1820–1825 ♂ 1825–1830 ♀♀♀
1840^ref	Ticonderoga, NY	1 ♂ 20s, 1 ♂ 30s, 1 ♀ <5, 2 ♀ 10–14, 1 ♀ 40s	1790–1800 ♀ 1800–1810 ♂ 1810–1820 ♂ 1825–1830 ♀♀ 1835–1840 ♀

There is an unaccountable male in both censuses, perhaps the same one born right on the cusp of 1820, but if so it is hard to see how he could be Erastus’s son. Alternatively, the male in 1830 could have been a son born in 1824×5, so that the male in 1840 is someone else.

The third girl under 5 in 1830 is also unaccounted for.

In the census return dated 1850-07-29, Erastus (aged 50) and Sarah (aged 55) are living with Mary, aged 14.

Family

Erastus apparently married three times.

Sibbal

His first marriage was to Sibbal Kendall on 1824-01-01 in Weathersfield, Vermont.^ref^ref His residence was Springfield and hers was Weathersfield.^ref

This marriage is shrouded in mystery, perhaps in part because documentation in this time and place is sparse. I can find no other record of this Sibbal Kendall; there is a woman by that name who lived in Vermont and died old and single, but her record says single, not divorced, and anyway she did not live that close.

Furthermore, Erastus’s marriage to Mary below is stated on the record to be his second, as though this marriage never happened. But it is very unlikely that this is somehow a different Erastus Bingham in the same location. Also, the child count and estimates for Harriet’s birth imply children born before his marriage to Sarah. One theory is that the marriage was annulled somehow, but this seems unlikely.

These are their inferred children:

Possible boy (1824×5 – 1830s). As noted above, the census shows a boy born 1825 at the latest, absent by 1840. Chronologically, it would make sense if he were the first child with Sibbal.
Harriet Jane (1826-02-26 – 1888-04-13), married Asa Lamson. Her married name is miscopied as Campson on her death record.^ref Her mother on this record is “not given”, but if the birthdate supplied is accurate (see Permelia’s article for why it may be), it would seem to make her Sibbal’s child.

Sarah

He secondly married Sarah Lewis on 1827-02-16 in Weathersfield, Vermont.^ref^ref His residence is notated as nearby Reading and hers as Weathersfield.^ref Sarah was the daughter of Samuel Lewis and Sarah Stiles, and almost certainly my 4th-great-grandmother. Children:

Permelia (c.1828 – 1889-12-29), my great-great-great-grandmother. Her maternity is a tricky matter, but it seems she could not be a daughter of Sibbal. Even if Harriet’s birthdate is inaccurate, it would be a very tight timeline to have both girls born to Sibbal before Erastus was (presumably) widowed and remarried. Only serious juggling (such as making Harriet a younger sister) would make this even slightly plausible. So I’m fairly confident of this placement.
Sarah M. (1830 – 1835-04-16)^ref. The burial record with age of death 4y10m confirms the 1830 census showing another female under 5 not present by 1840. The census is supposed to be taken relative to 1830-06-01, which would put her birth in late May (but early June is possible too).
Mary C. (1836-08 – 1911-07-25), married Spencer E. Fuller, and ultimately moved to Florida. Her year and month are from the 1900 census, although in the 1850 census she is listed as 14, while this date would make her a few days shy of it.

The Sarah in the 1850 census is presumably her, supporting the claim that this is the same Erastus (in addition to the lack of evidence for any other one).

Mary

Erastus’s third marriage was to Mary (née Pemberton^ref) Whitney (c.1814 – 1901-05-22^ref), on 1874-07-26 in Monkton, Vermont. However, as noted above, the record states that it was his second marriage.^ref It is also said to be Mary’s third, although I cannot find records of her prior to it; maybe these numbers were mixed up? Unlike the others, Erastus’s parents are named on the marriage record, leaving no question about his identity.

There is no evidence of children from this marriage, and, considering Mary’s reported age on the marriage record was 60, it can be assumed that there weren’t any.