Sergeant Manassah Bixby

Rough Draft of Info 7/1/2015

Biography:

Although Manassah was baptized in Shrewsbury, he may have been born in the neighboring town of Lancaster, in the part of which that later became Sterling. Manassah spent all of his childhood and formative years in Lancaster and Shrewsbury (Sterling and Boylston). As a young adult, Manassah became apprenticed to Ezra Beaman, probably a neighbor and also probably a relative of his future stepmother. As an apprentice living in Shrewsbury, Manassah had service in the French and Indian War. He enlisted on April 5, 1762, aged probably 17, and served until November 19, 1762, in the army "raised to reduce Canada." Manassah afterwards returned to his hometown and began a relationship with a young woman from Lancaster named Elizabeth Dunsmore. They were eventually married in November 1765 in Lancaster, just 2 months before the birth of their second child together. They remained in Lancaster or Shrewsbury for only a few years (their first three children are supposed to have been born in Lancaster, yet he was listed as "of Shrewsbury" in 1766). In April 1766, Manassah purchased 40 acres in the town of Templeton, Massachusetts. They may have moved there at that time, or at least by July 1768. In late 1768 or early 1769, Manassah and his family moved to the remote town of Guilford, in what is now Windham County, Vermont. Some descendants have also claimed that Manassah moved to Guilford from Rehoboth, Massachusetts, yet that seems unlikely. Manassah was one of the earliest settlers of the town of Guilford and he and his family were influential citizens. They appeared on a census there in 1772. They settled on a farm, which in 1884 was owned by a man named Paul Morris and was on "Road 8." Manassah was said to have been one of the original ministers for the town of Guilford (probably in the Congregational Church). He also served as Constable for Guilford in the year 1774. In 1777, Manassah had one month service in the Revolutionary War in Captain David Stowell's Company in Colonel William William's Regiment. Manassah was chosen as surveyor of highways in 1777 and again 1782, when he was also a petit juror. He was a surveyor again in 1789 and fence viewer in 1790.

Manassah and Elizabeth raised a family of twelve children, yet it appears that five of these children died in infancy or childhood. Sadly in 1791, Manassah's wife Elizabeth died, which left him with five young unmarried children. In 1792 in Winchendon, Massachusetts, Manassah married a second time to Hannah Hayward. (How they met or why they were married in Massachusetts is unknown. Perhaps she was somebody he knew before moving to Vermont. Hannah was most likely the sister of David Heywood, who was married to Manassah's cousin Abigail Bixby.) There were no children born to this second marriage. In 1791 and again in 1817, Manassah deeded some land to his youngest son Amasa. It appears though that his son Thaddeus retained use of most of the original farm.

BIXBY, Manassah VT

             Sergeant, Capt. David Stowell's co., Col. Williams regt.;

             from 29 Sep to 21 Oct 1777.  Ref. VT01

Sources:

Participants in the Battles of Saratoga

Service: Listing at D.A.R. Revolutionary War

• Marriage to Eliza Dunsmore: (12 Nov 1765 — Age: 21) Shrewsbury, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
• Military: (1777 — Age: 33) Vermont, USA
• Residence: (1790 — Age: 46) Guilford, Windham, Vermont, USA
• Residence: (1800 — Age: 56) Guilford, Windham, Vermont
• Burial: Guilford, Windham County, Vermont, USA
  • Updated from Ancestry Genealogy by SmartCopy: Jul 23 2015, 0:24:47 UTC

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American Revolutionary War - Battles of Saratoga Veteran.

Sergeant, Capt. David Stowell's co., Col. Williams regt.;from 29 Sep to 21 Oct 1777. Ref. VT01

• Updated from Find A Grave Memorial via mother Mary Bixby (born Buck) by SmartCopy: Jul 24 2015, 23:58:17 UTC

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