Samuel Newbury

Katharine Newbury Manierre wrote [1905-06 in her genealogical manuscript account in Michael Delahunt's collection (2013)] that Samuel Newbury was born after his father had set sail on his last voyage, in 1781, as captain of his own frigate during the American Revolution, and was killed by British naval forces. "Samuel was cared for until nine years old by his mother's family, the Beebes, on Long Island Sound. He left them then because they kept him on a farm instead of letting him build boats, as his father had done. He cared for himself from the time he was ten years old. In 1807 he built the first boat ever built by an American on Lake Champlain. In 1813 he moved to the Packet River on the St. Lawrence. In 1853 he went to Cleveland, Ohio. Then he moved to Indiana, and then to Illinois, where he died at the home of his son John."

Samuel Newbury's son, Rev. Samuel Newbury, and the Rev's family also lived in Cleveland in 1853 [Mary Newbury Adams, Iowa State University Library, Department of Special Collections, Austin Adams Family Papers, MS10, 2-5]. Tamasin Newbury died in 1854. Perhaps the two Samuels shared the same Cleveland household for a time. The Rev. Samuel and his family moved that year to Dubuque, Iowa. The senior Samuel may have accompanied son Samuel part of the way to Dubuque. For some reason he decided to stop for some time in Indiana. Eventually he moved to Illinois, where son John resided. A curious choice. Why did he go to John instead of to Samuel Jr in Dubuque? Whatever the reason(s), Samuel Sr lived an additional 3-4 years — to 1857 — so he had some time to consider his options.

Barbara Timmons (timminsbk@gmail.com), a descendant of Samuel Newbury through his son John Newbury wrote about these men in an August 2009 email to Samuel Newbury (Pittsburg):

I have also attached photos of John and Samuel's parents, Samuel/Stedman Newbury and Tamasin Bishop Newbury. There are conflicting records of the father's name, whether it is Samuel or Stedman. There are other Samuels, and his father was Stedman, so maybe he just alternated.