Captain Ebenezer Townsend, II

Captain Ebenezer Townsend, II

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125219301/ebenezer_townsend

Captain Ebenezer Townsend, Jr., s. of Ebenezer Townsend and Elizabeth Larmon, b. July 27, 1742 at New Haven, Connecticut. where he d. July 21, 1824, Æ 82 [Connecticut Newpaper Death Notice.] Donald Lines Jacobus [Families of Ancient New Haven, 8-1851] found a record that he was interred at New Haven's Grove Street Cemetery, but the 1934 Hale Connecticut. Cemetery Database does not include reference to a then gravestone. Yet, many of his extended family, including his 1st wife Eunice Atwater and stepson Increase Mather, have extant gravestones at this cemetery.

The following, with modern abbreviations, minor corrections or important [annotations], was astracted from the 1909 published geneaology of the Townsend-Townshend family (p. 39):

Ebenezer Townsend, b. July 27, 1742; d. New Haven, July 21, 1824; will dated Nov. 30, 1812, names wife Thankful Sophia; dau. Sarah Howe, wife of Hezekiah; s. Elihu; dau. Grace, wife of Nathan Starr; and such child of s. Ebenezer as may be living at my death. Son-in-Iaw Howe and son Elihu, exec'rs, but being found insolvent, commissioners were appointed to administer the estate; James and Isaac Townsend, creditors. A pew in the North Church appears in the inventory, valued at $200.

He m. 1) March 18, 1768, Eunice, daughter of Caleb and Mehitable (Mix) Atwater, b. Sept. 10, 1736 [Wallingford, Conn. VRs]; d. July 25, 1784 [g.s.] (She was the widow of Phineas Cook, by whom she had a dau. Eunice, who m. June 14, 1780 [New Haven 1st Church], Captain Stephen Dummer, and had Phineas Cook Dummer.)

He m. 2) November 20, 1785 [New Haven 1st Church], Thankful Sophia, daughter of Ebenezer and Thankful (Nichols) Barnard of Hartford, bap. March 24, 1751 [1750/1, Hart.1stCh.] She was the widow of Rev. Allyn Mather of New Haven, by whom she had Allyn, a lawyer, and afterwards a shipbuilder, and Sophia. She d. in New Haven [Middletown], August 19, 1828 [g.s.]

Mr. Townsend was known at one time as the Great Merchant of New Haven, his ships making voyages to China and London from New Haven.

Children by 1st wife Eunice:

• i. Sally, b. May 25, 1769; d. Dec. 20, 1772.
• ii. Son, b. Jan. 15; d. Jan. 17, 1771.

• iii. Ebenezer, b. Nov. 24, 1773; he was a merchant, banker and ship owner; he d. at IL [Andover, Henry County, Illinois; Connecticut Newspaper Notice], Nov. 29, 1853. He m. abt. 1803 [June 25, 1800, NewH.1stCh.] Clarissa Mix, who d. at New Haven, 1812.

• iv. Sally, b. Oct. 16, 1776; d. Cleveland, Ohio, May 29, 1841 [bur. New Haven]; m. October 1801, Hezekiah, s. of Hezekiah and Hannah (Beers) Howe, who d. May, 1838. He was for 50 years a bookseller at New Haven. Brig. General of Connecticut Militia, and during the war of 1812-14 military commandant of New Haven.

• v. Caleb Atwater, b. Apr. 27, 1779; d.s.p. April 24, 1858, at New Haven; m. June 1801, Nancy Barney, who d. July 7, 1865, ae. 84. He was a man of marked ability, and commanded the ship "Clarissa," an East Indies merchantman; also other vessels in the European and West Indies service.

Children by second wife Thankful:

• vi. Elihu, b. December 6, 1786; d. at New York City, 1853. Firm of Nevins & Townsend, stockbrokers. He was one of the founders and first directors of the New York and Erie RailRoad Company, of the New York and New Haven RailRoad Company, and a director of the New Jersey Central RailRoad Company. He m. Eliza Nevins of Norwich, Connecticut [June 1812, Norwich 1st Church]

• vii. Grace, b. August 28, 1789; d. August 16, 1855 [g.s.]; m. June 25, 1810 [Middletown VRs], Nathan, son of Nathan and Polly (Pomeroy) Starr, b. Middletown, Connecticut, February 20, 1784; d. there August 31, 1852 [g.s.] He was a sword manufacturer.