Tuesday, December 23, 2014

David Foss and Anne Richardson of Chester, NH

My last several posts have been about the Foss and Sargent families, this one is about David Foss, the last of his name in my tree.  He was born in Chester, NH in 1744. His parents were John and Tabatha Sargent Foss.  John died shortly after David's birth. Tabatha remarried several years later, her new husband was Hezekiah Underhill.  He  and Tabatha had at least four children.

who was anne 
On 1 September 1767 David married Anne Richardson also of Chester.  Her parentage is undetermined. There were at least three men named Richardson that lived in Chester at the time, they were brothers Thomas, Moses and Daniel.  Thomas had a daughter named Hannah b. 1740 but she is accounted for. Daniel had a daughter named Anna but she married a Gideon Currier. Moses had a daughter named Anne who seems to be unaccounted for.  She might be our girl.

David lived all his life in Chester on the land that he inherited from his father John. He bought additional land in 1780 and in the deed styled himself  'Yeoman'.  So he probably farmed for a living,but listed  in the inventory of his estate were shoemakers tools, so he might have also had a side business in shoe making.  His step-father, Hezekiah was a shoemaker or cordwainer as they were called at that time.

According to Chase's History of Old Chester, David Foss lived on Great Hill, near top in what was known as the Walnut Hill District. There is a cemetery on Great Hill, I wonder if it is on what was once his land? There is not much information about David.  He did sign the Association Test in 1776, but he was not a soldier in the war.

David and Anne had nine children in seventeen years, they were:
1. Elizabeth b. 1768 not named as an heir of David
2. Hannah b. 1770 not named as a heir of David
3. John b. 1772
4. Anna b. 1774, m. Reuben Moore, d. Plainfield, NH 1862
5. Tabitha b. 1776
6. Abigail b. 1778
7. Jonathan Underhill b. 1780, probably named for his Uncle Jonathan Underhill, KIA American Rev.
8. Joseph b. 1782
9. David b. 28 Jan 1785

death of anne
Anne's last child, David, was born in January of 1785.  Her husband David married a woman named Elizabeth on 1 August 1785.  Anne's death was not recorded, or if it was it's been lost.  But, she must have died shortly after giving birth to David, or not long after. She left David to care for at least seven children one of whom was only an infant. David did what any prudent man would, remarry and provide a mother for his children.

hopes dashed
David and his new wife had a daughter, Lucretia, the following July, less than a year after their marriage. But, any happiness her birth might have brought to the family was soon extinguished with the death of her father David, he died on 8 Dec 1786, less than six months after her birth. He left six children, now orphans, under the age of ten.  The oldest son, John, was only fourteen.

Samuel Underhill became administer of David's estate. He was paid by the estate for the keeping of the children that were under seven at the time.  I assume that means he took over the care of them, including Lucretia. The probate court decided that the real estate left by David was only valued at about 50 pounds and should be given to the oldest son John.  He would in turn pay his siblings about 5 pounds a piece.

I am descended through David and Anne's daughter Anna.  She married Reuben Moore of Chester.

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