Phebe Waterman's Signature

Here it is. The signature of my maternal 4th great-grandmother, Phebe (Barker) Waterman. I wrote about her in a previous post. 

Phebe (Barker) Waterman was the wife of my 4th great-grandfather, Dr. Luther L. Waterman, who served as a surgeon in the Revolutionary War.

I found Phebe's signature at the bottom of Page 3 in her husband Luther's Revolutionary War pension file.¹ She was 82 years old at the time she signed this document.

In this document, dated 8 September 1838, Phebe appeared before an Associate Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Athens County Ohio. It looks like Phebe was unable to appear in court. The bottom paragraph states the following:

Sworn to and subscribed before me on the day & year above written. And I hereby certify that the said Deponent is a credible person, and that she is unable from bodily infirmity to appear in open court.

Geo. Walker, Associate Judge

The purpose of this document was to obtain a widow's pension due to Luther's service in the Revolutionary War. In the document, Phebe gave an account of Luther's service during the war to the best of her ability. She also explained where and when she and Luther were married and that she remained a widow since Luther's death.

I have added Phebe's signature to the My Ancestors' Signatures tab at the top of this blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2025 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 “U.S. Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800-1900," database with images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/ : accessed 13 January 2013), (W. 4,379 Conn. Continental), pg. 3, headed “U.S., Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800-1900,” entry for Luther Waterman; citing Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, compiled ca. 1800 - ca. 1912, documenting the period ca. 1775 - ca. 1900, National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication, Record Group 15, NAID: 111514579.^↩

Phebe (Barker) Waterman ~ Revolutionary War Pension Payment Record

 Happy Veterans Day!

Today is the perfect day to share an interesting document related to my maternal 4th great-grandfather's Revolutionary War military service. This particular document is a pension payment record for Revolutionary War widows.¹

My 4th great-grandfather, Dr. Luther L. Waterman, was a surgeon in the Revolutionary War. His wife's name was Phebe Barker. I highlighted her name and information in yellow on this document. This is a great document that provides valuable information.

Information gleaned from this record:

Widow's Name: Phebe Waterman

Name of Husband (Revolutionary War Veteran): Luther

Rank: Surgeon

Half Yearly Allowance: 150

We also have some writing on the right of the document indicating Phebe's death date of 2 February 1843.

I ordered Luther's Revolutionary War pension file years ago and have that in my possession. Now Fold3.com has Luther's Revolutionary War pension file on their website, which is amazing! The copy of Luther's pension file that I ordered years ago only contained 12 pages. Luther's pension file on Fold3.com contains 63 pages! So, if you ordered and received a pension file for your Revolutionary War ancestor, make sure to check out Fold3.com too. You never know. Maybe you will discover more pension file pages like I did.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 "U.S., Revolutionary War Pensioners, 1801-1815, 1818-1872," database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 November 2020), entry for Phebe Waterman, image 107 of 195. 15: Widow Pensions, 1831-1843, page 133, (Washington, D.C.: National Archives, Record Group Number 217; Series Number T718, Roll Number 15.^↩

52 Ancestors: #47 ~ Lucinda A. Waterman

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.



Today, I'd like to introduce you to Lucinda A. Waterman. She was the ninth child born to my 4th great-grandparents Dr. Luther L. Waterman and Phebe Barker.

Lucinda was born in about 1803. She was most likely born in New York. Every census I've seen her listed in states her birthplace as New York. Also, her brother, David Bassett Waterman, who was the eighth child born to Luther and Phebe was also born in New York. And Luther passed away in New York in 1807, about four years after Lucinda's birth.

Lucinda married Daniel Bicknell, son of Isaac Bicknell and Sarah Green, on 17 July 1833 in Athens County, Ohio.

According to the book Waterman Family, Descendants of Robert Waterman, Volume 1 by Donald Lines Jacobus, Lucinda and Daniel had no children. On page 569 of this volume is the following paragraph.¹

Mr. Bicknell was a farmer. He and his wife were listed in the 1850 Census at Troy, Athens co., Ohio. No children were listed, and descendants of a brother of Lucinda state that she left no children.

Mr. Jacobus mentioned that Lucinda and Daniel were listed in the 1850 census living in Troy, Athens County, Ohio.² I also found them in the 1860 and 1870 US censuses as well. In the 1860 census they were still living in Troy, Athens, Ohio.³ But by the time the 1870 census was taken, they had moved to Olive Township, Meigs County, Ohio.⁴

Here's Lucinda and Daniel listed in the 1870 US Federal Census. They are at the very bottom of the page at lines 39 and 40.



And here's a cropped portion of the census page to get a better view of Daniel and Lucinda Bicknell's listing in the 1870 census.



Lucinda passed away on 20 June 1879. She was buried in the Reedsville Cemetery located in Olive Township, Meigs County, Ohio.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Jacobus, Donald Lines, and Edgar Francis Waterman. The Waterman Family. Vol. 1. New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939. 569. Print.^↩
2 Year: 1850; Census Place: Troy, Athens, Ohio; Roll: M432_660; Page: 65A; Image: 134. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.^↩
3 Year: 1860; Census Place: Troy, Athens, Ohio; Roll: M653_934; Page: 106; Image: 216; Family History Library Film: 803934. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.^↩
4 Year: 1870; Census Place: Olive, Meigs, Ohio; Roll: M593_1242; Page: 104A; Image: 211; Family History Library Film: 552741. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.^↩

52 Ancestors: #46 ~ "Child" Waterman

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.



Over the past several weeks, I've been introducing you to the children of my 4th great-grandparents, Dr. Luther L. Waterman and Phebe Barker. One of their nine children passed away before reaching adulthood.

Unfortunately, I don't even know the name of this child, or when he or she was born. I say "he or she" because I don't know if this child was a boy or a girl. He or she was only listed as "Child" in the book Waterman Family, Descendants of Robert Waterman, Volume 1 by Donald Lines Jacobus.¹

Even though I don't know much about this little child, he or she deserves to be remembered just as much as the other children of Luther and Phebe Waterman. And so, here's what I know about the little Waterman child known as "Child" Waterman in my family tree.

This little child is listed along with the other children of Luther and Phebe Waterman on page 297 in Volume 1 of Mr. Jacobus' book about my Waterman family as follows.

1. Samuel, b. 4 Apr. 1778; d. 28 May 1857.
2. Erastus, b. 6 May 1780; d. 13 Apr. 1859.
3. Child, d. at Franklin, Conn., in 1784.
4. Jerusha, b. 8 June 1786; d. 1 June 1867.
5. Phebe, b. 22 Jan. 1789.
6. Asher, b. 26 Oct. 1791; d. 19 Jan. 1785.
7. Eusebius B.
8. David B., b. abt. 17 mar. 1798; d. 3 Mar. 1851.
9. Lucinda, b. abt 1803.

You can see "Child" Waterman listed as number 3, stating that he/she passed away in Franklin, Connecticut sometime in 1784.

I also found the following record on Ancestry.com. It's a page from Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920 for Franklin, Connecticut.²

The entry near the bottom shows a record of death for one of Luther Waterman's children. The child died in 1784. Unfortunately, this record doesn't indicate whether this child was a male or female or when he/she was born.



This is cropped from the page above.



I went back a few pages in the record on Ancestry.com and found the title page. Here is a cropped portion showing the title of the record.



Perhaps someday I'll be able to find information regarding the birthdate for this little child and whether the child was a male or female.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Jacobus, Donald Lines, and Edgar Francis Waterman. The Waterman Family. Vol. 1. New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939. 297. Print.^↩
2 Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: 2013. Volume 36. Page 4. Franklin, Connecticut. Pautipaug Hill Congregational Church. Original data: Connecticut. Church Records Index. Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Connecticut.^↩

52 Ancestors: #45 ~ Another David Bassett Waterman

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.



In September, I shared a 52 Ancestors post about my 5th great-grandfather, David Bassett Waterman. Today, I'd like to introduce you to another David Bassett Waterman in my family tree. I actually have four David Bassett Waterman's in my family tree!

The David Bassett Waterman I'm introducing you today is my 3rd great-granduncle and son of my 4th great-grandparents, Dr. Luther L. Waterman and Phebe Barker. Luther's father was the David Bassett Waterman I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

Ya, it can get confusing. Perhaps this small descendancy chart will help.



From now on in this post, I'll be referring to Luther's son David, and not to my 5th great-grandfather.

David Bassett Waterman was born on 17 Mar 1798 in New York. He married Maria Frederica Eckhart on 19 August 1827 in Athens County, Ohio. Maria was born around 1805 in Munich, Germany to her parents John Jacob Echkart and Mary Fein.

David and Maria were the parents of seven daughters.

1. Mary Maria Waterman (1827-?)
2. Martha Anne Waterman (1833-1910)
3. Amelia  Melissa Waterman (1837-?)
4. Josephine Lovina Waterman (1837-1911)
5. Louisa Lucette Waterman (1839-1907)
6. Lucinda Emily Waterman (1842-1898)
7. Phebe Hannah Waterman (1846-?)

I found some interesting information about David Bassett Waterman in the book Waterman Family, Descendants of Robert Waterman, Volume 1 by Donald Lines Jacobus.¹

On pages 567-568 is the following:

From an old family account: "David Bassit Waterman, named Bassit for Captain Bassit, an ancestor that was killed on board his ship by pirates. He married Maria Fredericka Eckhart. Of this union seven children were born. Seven girls, namely, Mary, Martha, Amelia, Mellissa, Josephine Lovina, Louisa Lucetta, Lucinda Emily, Phoebe Hannah, named Hannah for a great aunt, Hannah Brewster.* They were strict Methodists and always the M. E. preachers made their home with them during the quarterly meetings and revival meetings, the church house being on their farm very near to their dwelling house. The children listened to a great deal of witty talk and many college stories from these divines, as well as much praying and reading of the Bible. The mistress of the house was handsome, humble, dignified, and reserved, as well as a good cook, and hospitality was a characteristic of both master and mistress of the place."
_______________________________________________________________
* Her great-aunt was Hannah Barker; but the Barkers had Mayflower ancestry.

I'm so thankful that Donald Lines Jacobus researched and wrote about my Waterman ancestors. I've been able to find some wonderful and interesting genealogical treasures in these books.

David Bassett Waterman passed away on 3 March 1851 in Coolville, Athens, Ohio. He was almost 53 years of age at the time of his death. He was buried in the Bethel Cemetery, which is located in Coolville, Athens County, Ohio.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved
_______________________________________________________

1 Jacobus, Donald Lines, and Edgar Francis Waterman. The Waterman Family. Vol. 1. New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939. 567-568. Print.^↩

52 Ancestors: #43 ~ Phebe Waterman - Research and Questions

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.

Phebe Waterman was one of the children born to my 4th great-grandparents Dr. Luther L. Waterman and Phebe Barker. She was born on 22 January 1789. At this time, I'm not sure where Phebe was born. In the 1850 Federal Census¹ her birthplace is listed as Connecticut. But in the 1870 Federal Census² her birthplace is listed as New York. Two of her siblings, one born before her and one born after her, were born in Dutchess County, New York.

Phebe married Nathaniel Pierce. Unfortunately, I don't know the date or place of their marriage.

I'm also not sure who their children were. FamilySearch has eight children listed in their family. But, without sources proving they were in fact Phebe and Nathaniel's children, I hesitate to list them here.

I had hoped to find information about Phebe Waterman in the book Waterman Family, Descendants of Robert Waterman, Volume 1 by Donald Lines Jacobus.³ But, in the section about Phebe, Mr. Jacobus stated that Phebe's family was not traced. He did say that they were living in Clayton, Illinois.

I feel fairly certain about the identities of two of Phebe and Nathaniel's children that were included in the list on FamilySearch. They were:

1. Amanda Pierce (About 1821-1909)
2. Edwin Barker Pierce (About 1833-1907)

I found Phebe in the 1850 Federal Census living with her husband Nathaniel and son Edwin. This image of the 1850 census shows Phebe and Nathaniel's family living next to their daughter Amanda (Pierce) Selby and her family.

1850 United States Federal Census
Houston, Adams, Illinois

See the far right column? It states that Phebe was deaf. Interestingly, in the 1870 Federal Census, there is no indication that Phebe was deaf. I wonder why. I also wonder if Phebe was born deaf or if she became deaf later in life.

If she was born deaf, I wonder what her life was like as a child. What were her educational opportunities? How did her family communicate with her?

An article in Wikipedia called "History of deaf education in the United States" states the following:

"Before the 1800s, few, if any, educational opportunities existed for deaf children in America. Some wealthy families sent their children to Europe's schools, but many non-high class children had no access to education."

The article also stated that deaf education began in the early 1800s in the United States.

I was hoping to find Phebe in the 1860 Federal Census⁴ to see if she was listed as deaf in that census as well. So far I haven't found her. I did find her husband and two of her children however. But, Phebe wasn't listed as living with her husband Nathaniel in this census. I wonder where she was.

As you can see from the image below, Nathaniel Pierce was still living next to his daughter Amanda (Pierce) Selby and her family. Nathaniel was also living next to his son Edwin and his family.

1860 United States Federal Census
Houston, Adams, Illinois

By the time the 1870 Federal Census was taken, Phebe's husband Nathaniel had passed away. In this census, Phebe was listed as living with her daughter Amanda and her family.

1870 United States Federal Census
Houston, Adams, Illinois

As you can see, I have many unanswered questions about Phebe and her family. Hopefully I will be able to answer these questions through further research.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Year: 1850; Census Place: Houston, Adams, Illinois; Roll: M432_97; Page: 119B; Image: 246. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.^↩
2 "United States Census, 1870," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12391-221369-79?cc=1438024 : accessed 27 Oct 2014), Illinois > Adams > Houston > image 31 of 32; citing NARA microfilm publication M593.^↩
3 Jacobus, Donald Lines, and Edgar Francis Waterman. The Waterman Family. Vol. 1. New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939. 565. Print.^↩
4 Year: 1860; Census Place: Houston, Adams, Illinois; Roll: M653_155; Page: 979; Image: 635; Family History Library Film: 803155. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.^↩

52 Ancestors: #40 ~ Samuel Waterman, A Revolutionary War Surgeon's Son

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small. 

In last week's 52 Ancestors post I shared a photo of Dr. Luther L. Waterman's grave marker. Luther was my 4th great-grandfather and served as a surgeon in the American Revolutionary War. He and his wife, Phebe  Barker, were the parents of nine children. Samuel Waterman was their oldest child.

Samuel was born on 4 April 1778 in Connecticut. He married Lydia Edgerton, daughter of Zebulon Edgerton, Jr. and Abigail Palmer.

Samuel and Lydia were the parents of eight children.

1. Betsey M. Waterman (1804-1869)
2. John Barker Waterman (1806-1845)
3. Luther Waterman (1812-1852)
4. Anna Waterman (1814-After 1869)
5. Caroline Waterman (1816-1851)
6. David Waterman (1820-1896)
7. Zebulon E. Waterman (1823-1883)
8. Reuben Waterman (1828-?)

In 1850, Samuel and Lydia Waterman were living in Troy Township, Athens County, Ohio.¹ The image below is a cropped portion of the 1850 federal census for Troy Township, Athens, Ohio. At the time this census was taken Samuel was 72 years old. His occupation was listed as a farmer, his property was valued at $1,000, and his birthplace was Connecticut.

Some of Samuel and Lydia's children were living with them in 1850 – Betsey, Anna, Caroline, David and Reuben. David's wife, Mary Ann, and their baby, James, were also living with them as well.



The image below shows the full page from the 1850 census that lists Samuel and Lydia Waterman and their family.



When looking at census records, it's important to see who's living next to or near our ancestors. On this page we see that Samuel's younger brother, David Bassett Waterman, was living next to him. He's listed as D. B. Waterman.

Samuel Waterman passed away on 28 May 1857 in Coolville, Athens, Ohio.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved 

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1 "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11779-141880-28?cc=1401638 : accessed 04 Oct 2014), Ohio > Athens > Troy > image 14 of 34; citing NARA microfilm publication M432.^↩

52 Ancestors: #37 ~ Phebe Barker – Wife of a Revolutionary War Surgeon

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.



My maternal 4th great-grandfather, Dr. Luther L. Waterman was a surgeon during the Revolutionary War. This is the second page from his pension file.¹

I've written about Luther before on this blog. Today, I'd like to introduce you to Luther's wife, and my 4th great-grandmother, Phebe Barker.

Phebe Barker was born on 22 August 1756 in Norwich, New London, Connecticut, and was the daughter of Dr. John Barker and Phebe Hyde.²

Phebe married Luther Waterman on 1 January 1778 in Franklin, New London, Connecticut.³ They were the parents of nine children.⁴

1. Samuel Waterman (1778-1857)
2. Erastus Waterman (1780-1859)
3. Child Waterman (died 1784)
4. Jerusha Waterman (1786-1867)
5. Phebe Waterman (1789-?)
6. Asher Waterman (1791-1875) [my 3rd great-grandfather]
7. Eusebius B. Waterman (1795-?)
8. David Bassett Waterman (1798-1851)
9. Lucinda A. Waterman (1803-1879)

I love pension files! They can provide so much valuable family history information. The page from Luther Waterman's pension file at the top of this post says the following:

Left Side of Page

2945

Ohio

Phebe Waterman decd. widow of Luther Waterman who died on the 9 Sep 1807 of Athens Co. in the state of Ohio who was a Surgeon in the Co. commanded by Captain --- of the Reg commanded by Col Webb in the Conn (? Page ripped) for 15 months increased from $300 p. ann.

Inscribed on the Roll of Cincinnati ? the rate of    Dollars    Cents per ann. to commence on the 4th day of March 1834 (? Page ripped) on the 2 Feby. 1843 the day of her d (probably death).

Certificate of Pension issued the 22 day of July 1844 and sent to A. Ray   (P ?)
Arrears to the 4th of "
Semi-annual allowance ending

Right Side of Page

A? Notified See Let

July 22 1844

Pay to Samuel, Erastus, Asher, Eusebius B., David B. Waterman, Jerusha Smith, Phebe Pierce, & Lucinda Bicknell, children of Phebe Waterman deducting the amount already paid under said (?)

Lt. A. G. Brown
May 26/55

Isn't the right side of this pension file page especially wonderful? It lists the children of Luther and Phebe, including the married names of their daughters.

Luther passed away on 9 September 1807 in Cazenovia, Madison, New York.⁵ Most of Luther and Phebe's children had moved to Athens County Ohio, by the time the 1850 federal census was taken.

I found this interesting paragraph in The Waterman Family, Volume 1.⁶

"The widow Phebe Waterman and her children settled on a farm near Coolville, Athens County, Ohio. It is now on Route 7 out of Coolville. There they laid out a private Waterman graveyard, which is now (1938) on the farm of Mr. John Humphrey, originally part of the old Waterman purchase. One goes from the house through two pastures to reach it. Here there is a stone to the widow, the inscription on which reads: "Phebe Waterman, Consort of Dr. Luther Waterman and daughter of Dr. John Barker, died Feb. 2, 1843, in 87th year."

I wonder if the old Waterman graveyard still exists. If so, I think it would be really amazing to visit it someday.

Phebe (Barker) Waterman passed away on 2 February 1843 in Troy, Athens, Ohio.⁷

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 “U.S. Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800-1900," database with images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/ : accessed 13 January 2013), (W. 4,379 Conn. Continental), pg. 2, headed “U.S., Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800-1900,” entry for Luther Waterman; citing Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, compiled ca. 1800 - ca. 1912, documenting the period ca. 1775 - ca. 1900, National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication, Record Group 15, NAID: 111514579.^↩
2 Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman, The Waterman Family. Vol. 1 (New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939), 294.^↩
3 Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman, The Waterman Family. Vol. 1 (New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939), 295.^↩
4 Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman, The Waterman Family. Vol. 1 (New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939), 297.^↩
5 Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman, The Waterman Family. Vol. 1 (New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939), 294.^↩
6 Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman, The Waterman Family. Vol. 1 (New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939), 297.^↩
7 Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman, The Waterman Family. Vol. 1 (New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939), 294.^↩