The 1840 and 1850 census for Perinton in Monroe County lists an Asahel Barber as head of household. Is anyone familiar with this family? I am trying to determine if Asahel is the father of Mary Jane Barber, wife of Timothy Eddy. Timothy was the son of Eli Eddy and Lydis Lane of Clarkson in Monroe Township. Eli and Lydia, along with Timothy and Mary Jane, moved to Michigan circa 1849, shortly after Timothy and Mary Jane married. Mary Jane's death certificate from Michigan lists her parents are Asahel Barber and Sylvia Burt. I am trying to confirm the parentage.

Steve Lay
Hackettstown, N.J.

Interestingly enough Asahel Barber is listed in the 1818-1850 Rochester newspaper index as dying in 1836; and there is only a Jemima Barber and family living in Perinton in the 1855 state census of that area. The 1850 census has:

1850 United States Federal Census
about Asahel Barber
Name: Asahel Barber
Age: 76
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1774
Birth Place: Connecticut
Race: White
Gender: Male
Home in 1850(City,County,State): Perinton, Monroe, New York
Household Members:
Name Age
Asahel Barber 76 born CT
Gemima Barber 51 NY
Gemima Barber 16 NY
Smith Barber 14 NY
Mary Barber 10 NY

but there is no Asahel listed in the 1851-1897 newspaper index. The local historians are listed at:
http://www2.libraryweb.org/orgMain.asp?orgid=215; the Perinton historian may have more information.

Going to Google and searching "Asahel Barber", one of the hits is for a Google Books reference to a court case involving a flood of his land by the Erie Canal. Jemima is listed as the administratrix.

The state court document is dated early February 1851; the incident occurred in 1847. So Asahel must have died in 1850 or very early 1851. In fact here's a page with the following information:
http://mcnygenealogy.com/cem/bushnell.htm -

BARBER

Ashael; d June 7, 1850 aged 75y 5m

Jerusha, wife Ashael; d March 21, 1833 aged 57y (so, who's Jemima!?)

If Jemima was the administratrix, there should be a court document appointing her as such, and also naming the children.

Answering my own question., several entries in Worldconnect say that she was Jerusha BURR. Check the information there, as she would like have been the mother of any children. But be careful, the dates given there don not make sense with a 57 year old dying in 1833(= born about 1776), marrying in 1780. It would make sense marrying closer to 1800.

Thanks for the information. The dates for Jerusha Barber, and also Asahel Barber, don't quite fit for having a daughter born in the early 1830s. I wonder of Asahel had a son born between 1800 and 1810 who by 1850 had moved out of Monroe County? That would fit better on the timeline. Guess I will have to make a trip to Monroe County some time and see if I can find a probate record for Asahel from 1850.

We have a couple sets of books giving the wills and administrations for Monroe County 1821-1873. These Barbers were not in them. So, it looks like Asahel died in 1850, but left no will or his estate was not administrated. That doesn't mean that it wasn't ever sold by heirs. If he did die and any property was sold by children or others who had a legal interest in the property, their names may appear on a deed. Notice we said MAY, not WILL. Those deeds would be on file in the county clerk's office, which is not online back at that time.

You best best is to do a head count of people mentioned in the censuses - remember that Perinton was in Ontario County in 1800, 1810, and 1820, as Monroe was not created until 1821.

Of course when one looks in Ancestry one finds:

1820 United States Federal Census
about Arabel Barber
Name: Arabel Barber
Township: Palmyra
County: Ontario
State: New York , which could make sense because Palmyra is very close to Perinton. When one clicks on that link one is taken to VICTOR, Ontario County (!), and there appears quire clearly Asahel Barber (rendered by the indexer as Arabel), with a lot of youngsters in the family. Take a look at that.

This reference (http://www.ourancestry.org/tng/getperson.php?personID=I2034&...) shows an Asahel Barber born about 1809, moving to Michigan. But his father was Lemuel Barber.

This one (http://raims.com/deedsb.html), shows land purchases on record in Ontario County NY:
1815 Barber Asabel Abbott Israel 24 91
1823 Barber Asabel Hayshier James 41 325
1823 Barber Asabel Beach Thomas 41 326
1823 Barber Asabel Davis Lory 41 442
1823 Barber Asabel West Thomas 41 498
1802 Barber Asahel Smith Nicholas 8 66
1809 Barber Asahel Drown Samuel 14 31
1809 Barber Asahel Ewan Levi 14 32
1813 Barber Asahel Brace Reuben 19 135
1813 Barber Asahel Barber William 19 508
1830 Barber Asahel Deall Sarah 50 175
1830 Barber Asahel Wilworth Lyman 50 183
1836 Barber Asahel Harrington Peter 60 139
1836 Barber Asahel Rose Peter 61 98
1821 Barber Ashael West Thomas 38 514
1821 Barber Ashael Moore Ashael 38 515
(those are very early deed books)

This one: (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~saustin/ou...
Descendants of Benjamin Rose*(A)

1 Benjamin Rose*(A) b: Bet. 1750 - 1760 d: Abt. 1840
. +Judith Clark*(A) b: Bet. 1769 - 1772 RI
2 Benjamin Rose
2 William Rose b: October 10, 1794
.... +Anna Barber b: 1802 Father: Asahel Barber Mother: Jerusha ---
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http://genforum.genealogy.com/kinsley/messages/145.html, has in part:
Peter Rose ( b. 1798) NY son of Benjamin Rose and Judith Clark, married Lucy Barber daughter of Asahel Barber and Jerusha.

---

The Pioneers of Mendon: early history of the town and its settlers by Anah B Yates
Page 33 - bottom left-hand corner of page has a transcritpion of an abandoned ground on a farm outside of Mendon. Ashael and Jerusha Barber are listed here along with several others. Could they have been relocated?

http://content.ancestry.com/browse/bookview.aspx?dbid=12024&...