John and Rachel (MASON) MALTBY
His Parents - Captain Jonathan MALTBIE and Elizabeth (ALLEN) MALTBY
Spouce's Parents -
Kids - Sally Ann , Elizabeth and Rebecca
CHA-AA. John MALTBY. bpt. April 30, 1769, Fairfield, Ct. (Jonathan 4, Jonathan 3, Jonathan 2, Wm.1). In his father's will, 1798, John is called "eldest son."
Mrs. S. B. Doggett, a Maltby descendant, sent: "Black Rock Seaport--of Old Fairfield, 1644-1870, p. 174"---
"Maltbie, John. 1769-1809; son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Allen) Maltbie or Maltby. He m. Sept. 8, 1803, Rachel MASON, daughter of Salathiel and Huldah (Wheeler) Mason, and was first keeper to the Black Rock Light on Fayerweather Island, where he died in 1809. His widow later left Black Rock and her name appears on various deeds as Rachel Elder of N. Y. City." (Note. Elder was evidently mis-read for Eden or Edden).
(p. 74) Mar. 21, J. Maltbie and 6 men besides go in a boat to Nor- walk Islands, to dig off a vessel. (They got her off). "1809. Jan. 8, Died at the Lighthouse (of which he had the care) John Maltbie, sick of cramp about 30 hours.
By formentations and bathing his feet in warm water the cramp was driven from his side a few moments before he died and supposed to have struck his heart, when he groaned but once, and spoke nomore."
"John Maltby married at Trinity Church, 8 Sept. 1803, Rachel Mason. Died at Fairfield, Jan. 8, 1809 aged 40." Administrationgrant- ed to William Maltbie, dower set out to widow Rachel, Feb. 9, 1810." (Hist. of Families of Old Fairfield, by Donald Lines Jacobus). Mrs. Anna Gray Taylor of Fairfield Historical Society, writes "Mr. Jacobus secured his records from our collection." (Vol. 26. Fairfield)
"Distribution of John Maltbie to Rachel of Black Rock, in Feb. 1810."
Mrs. Taylor also sent "From the Records of the Episcopal Church," "Sally Ann and Elizabeth, children of "Capt. Jonathan Mallbby, bapt. Dec. 3, 1807."
Note. These would be Sarah, b. 1804 and Elizabeth, b. 1806, given as sisters of "Rebecca Wheeler, b. 1808, who mar. as his 2nd wife, Governor John Lide Wilson, of South Carolina. I do not under- stand why John is called "Jonathan" in this record. Jonathan brother of John is not mentioned in his father's will 1798.
A description of the house where John Maltbie lived was furnished by Mrs. S. B. Doggett. (Following page).
(p. 130, Hist. of Fairfield)
"Capt. Joseph Silliman (1732-1788) build on Grover's Avenue, a house for his bride, Christiana Hubbell, dau. of Richard and Penel- ope (Fayerweather) Hubbell. (Christiana, always called "Christian" in early records). He, Capt. Joseph Silliman, died in 1788, and his only son, Capt. Nathaniel Silliman was murdered in Spain in 1795. Chloe Silliman, the younger widow, remarried, but Christiana Silliman remained in the house until she died in 1805.
The house (which was burned about 1900) was a quaint little house with a sloping roof across which sprawled a trumpetvine, accent- ing with bright flowers, the silver gray weathered shingles. Lilacs clustered at the door.
The next owner, John Maltbie, whose wife was Abiel Wheeler's grand-daughter, Rachel Mason, lived only a few years after his mar- riage. He was first keeper of the Black Rock Light, established in 1808. He died the following year and his widow married again and moved to New York. (Subsequent owners were Capt. Walter Thorp; Capt. Charles Penfield and H. W. Fancher.")
Children of John Maltby and Rachel Mason:
CHA-AAa. Sally Ann Maltbie, bp. Dec. 3, 1807, Epis. Ch. Fairfield.
(Miss Yates states she was born 1804, a year after
John's marriage).
CHA-AAb. Elizabeth Maltbie, bapt. Dec. 3, 1807, Epis. Ch. Fairfield.
(According to Miss Yates, "born 1806." She calls both
"sisters of Rebecca.")
CHA-AAc. "Rebecca, dau. to John Maltbee, bapt. on 10 Jan. 1809."
(Episcopal Church. Fairfield.)
(Miss Yates calls her "Rebecca Wheeler, born 1808," and
states "She mar. Gov. John Lide Wilson of South
Carolina.")
Rachel Mason Maltbie, wid. of John, mar. (2) Medeef Eden of New York, and the three children were adopted by Mr. Eden.
Gov. John Lide Wilson was great-grandfather of Miss Ethel C. Yates of Camden, South Carolina. She writes: "Aaron Burr was guard- ian of the three daughters, Sarah, Elizabeth and Rebecca Wheeler."
An account of Aaron Burr, in "The Tuttle Family, p. 406," states: "Proteges of Aaron Burr. The Misses Eden. Medeef Eden, a wealthy New York brewer, died leaving a large amount of real estate to his two sons, to be equally divided; but if one died unmarried, the survivor to have the whole.
These young men were somewhat fast, and having need of much ready money, borrowed it of sharpers at heavy interest, secured on first mortgages. The loans were called in, and in default the lend- ers took the property at forced sale. There was crookedness in some of these transactions. The Eden young men were reduced to poverty. After suffering a while they took the case to an old friend of their father's named Alexander Hamilton. His decision was that they had been unfairly done, done out of their property but that they could not recover it.
Afterwards they submitted the case to Aaron Burr, who agreed with Hamilton as to the wrong, but differed with him as to recovery. He told them they could get it back, but for some reason the brothers failed to prosecute, lost hope and took to drink.
After Burr's return from Europe (he returned in June, 1812) he happened one day to read a notice of the death of one of the Eden
brothers, and the whole matter came back to his mind. He hunted up the survivor, whome he found with a wife and two little girls, liv- ing miserably in a hovel in Westchester County. He at once removed the family to his own home in New York and supported them until the long, protracted law suit which he began and carried through, was won and restitution made.
He directed the education of the daughters, corresponding with them regularly, and his letters to them would form an interesting and valuable treatise on female education. Besides recovering the estate, his guardianship was of inestimable value to the Misses Eden."
Miss Yates wrote: "The record in our family Bible has been lost. We always understood that Mrs. Eden, the wife of Medeef Eden of New York, married first a Mallbie of Fairfield, Conn., and her three daughters, Sarah, b. 1804; Elizabeth, b. 1806 and Rebecca Wheeler, b. 1808, were adopted by Mr. Eden and they changed their name to Eden to inherit the fortune which Aaron Burr reclaimed for them in the celebrated Medeef Eden Case in New York. We also had the impression that Mrs. Maltbie-Eden was born Rachel Mason."
(This letter caused the compiler to obtain the previously given records from Fairfield).
Miss Ethel C. Yates, 1417 Broad Street, Camden, South Carolina, sent the compiler two fine photographs copied from portraits done by Benjamin Trett:--Rachel (Mason) Maltbie-Eden is wearing a silk dress of "soft lavender." Dark hair parted in the middle, is a mass of curls at each side. On her head is a "frilly" lace cap tied with soft bow, beneath the chin, with fairly long ends. A wide lace col- lar, frilled, is also worn.
The miniature of Elizabeth Maltbie-Eden, is charming. A lovely young girl--"Her hair is brown, she has blue eyes," the low-neck bodice is of some soft white material,--like chiffon--and a sheer scarf of lavender is draped over the shouldrs. Her hair, parted in the middle is arranged much in present day style--beautifully dressed, with loose curls at the sides, and worn shoulder length at the back in a cluster of curls; broad forehead, low pencil-arched eyebrows, wide space between the eyes, nose slightly long, the shape of the face rounded-oval. She is very lovely and sweet.
Miss Yates writes "Elizabeth married a Guilette." (I think this is "Mr. Gillette of New York City).
CHA-AA
Parents
Sally Ann