Ens. Jonathan Edgerton

Jonathan Edgerton was born at Norwich, Connecticut on August 24, 1726, the eldest son of Richard Edgerton III and his first wife, Hannah Calkins. He was presumably named for his maternal grandfather, Jonathan Calkins. Jonathan was baptized at the First Congregational Church of Norwich on February 19, 1726/7.

During his childhood, Jonathan moved with his parents to Lebanon, Connecticut (just north of Norwich). On October 31, 1751, he was married at the Goshen Church in Lebanon to Freedom Buell, eldest daughter of John and Freedom (Strong) Buell of Lebanon. Freedom was born at Lebanon on June 23, 1729.

Jonathan and Freedom (Buell) Edgerton had a family of nine children – eight sons and one daughter. The births of three of the elder sons (Jedediah, Jonathan Jr. and James) were entered together in the Lebanon Vital Records (VR 1:81). The three eldest sons (Jedediah, Abijah and Jonathan) were baptized at the Goshen Church.

Jonathan Edgerton served in the French and Indian War as an ensign (later a commissioned officer) in Capt. Nathan Whiting’s Second Regiment of Company 11, under the command of Capt. Joshua Barker. He enlisted from Lebanon, Connecticut in March of 1758. Jonathan was also listed as a sergeant in Col. Nathan Whiting’s Third Regiment of Company 6, under the command of Capt. Amos Hitchcock (see Bates, Albert C., ed.; Rolls of Connecticut Men in the French and Indian War, 1755-1762, Vol. I, 1755-1757; Hartford, Conn.: Connecticut Historical Society; 1903).

Jonathan Edgerton also served in the Revolution, as did two of his sons, Jedediah and Richard. He was listed as a private in the DAR Patriot Index (Part I, pg. 928). The entry states that Jonathan was born “8-24-1726 CT”, and died “11-11-1796 CT”. According to the Revolutionary War Muster Rolls, Jonathan Edgerton was a Corporal.

Jonathan and Freedom Edgerton were members of the Goshen Church in Lebanon, where their marriage had taken place. They were admitted to communion at the Church on June 10, 1753 (ChR 2:11) and their eldest son, Jedediah, was baptized there on the same date. Their next two children (Abijah and Jonathan) were subsequently baptized at the Goshen Church, each shortly after birth.

Circa 1760, Jonathan, together with his father, Richard, removed from Lebanon to Simsbury, in Hartford County, Connecticut, having bought land there in the western district the previous year. Jonathan’s land in West Simsbury was contigious with that of his father. In 1778, shortly before his father’s death, Jonathan and his son, Jedediah, bought the remainder of Richard’s land in West Simsbury, which was described as “on the west side of the river”.

Jonathan’s younger four sons (Richard, John, Isaac and Amos) were presumably born in West Simsbury. Unfortunately, there are no entries for the Edgerton family in the Simsbury Vital Records. The estimated birthdates of these younger sons are derived from later records (ie. birth, marriage, death, census, etc.).

Mrs. Freedom (Buell) Edgerton died at West Simsbury, Connecticut on June 22, 1771, probably shortly after the birth of her youngest son, Amos. A record of her death is found in the family bible of her son, Jedediah Edgerton, which states that “Freedom Edgerton Jonathan Edgerton’s wife Died June 22nd 1771”. Freedom’s death was also entered in the burial records of the North Canton Cemetery, the entry reading: “The 39th was Freedom Edgeton the wife of Mr Jonathan Edgeton who Died July 22nd 1771 aged in the 43rd year of her age” (see “North Canton Cemetery Inscriptions, 1754 – 1855”; The Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin; Vol. 29, No. 2; April 1964; p. 60).

Jonathan Edgerton married as his second wife, Mrs. Mary (Reade) Bunce, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Hill) Reade and widow of Phineas Bunce. No record has been found of the marriage, but it probably took place in Simsbury, Connecticut circa 1773. Mary was born in Simsbury, Connecticut on January 10, 1724/5. There is no record that Jonathan and Mary had any children together. Mary’s daughter by her first marriage, Sarah Bunce, was later married to Jonathan’s eldest son, Jedediah, in 1779.

Jonathan Edgerton was listed as a head of household in the 1790 Federal Census of Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut (pg. 460), reisiding adjacent to his eldest son, Jedediah. Jonathan’s household was enumerated with the following individuals:

1 male “of 16 years and upward” (Jonathan); 1 male “under 16 years of age” (? – possibly a stepson); and, 2 females (second wife Mary and ?).

Jonathan Edgerton died at West Simsbury, Connecticut on November 11, 1796. The date of death is provided by the bible record of his son, Jedediah (aka. Jediah) Edgerton (see Revolutionary War Pension Files, #R3235) and corroborated by the aforementioned entry in the DAR Patriot Index . Jonathan’s eldest son, Jedediah, was appointed administrator on the estate of “Ensign Jonathan Edgerton” on January 10, 1798, but no distribution of the estate was filed with the probate court.

Mrs. Mary (Reade) Edgerton died at West Simsbury, Connecticut on March 28, 1800 (according to the family bible record of Jedediah Edgerton). Her estate was appraised on April 16, 1800 by Israel Wells and Judah Case, both of Simsbury.

Five of Jonathan’s sons – Jedediah, Richard, John, Isaac and Amos – later settled in central and western New York State. Son Jonathan Jr. died at West Simsbury in 1780. There is no further record of the other two sons, Abijah and James; it is presumed that they died in childhood. The only known daughter, Freedom, was married to Oliver Strong of Lebanon and removed with him to Thetford, Orange County, Vermont.

Sources

• https://sites.rootsweb.com/~edgerton/Jonathan1726.htm
• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Dec 12 2016, 3:35:55 UTC