Thirteenth Generation

1898. Alonzo Chatfield was born about 1812 in Roxbury, Washington Co., Vermont, USA. He appeared in the census in 1840 in Addison Co., Vermont, USA. He appeared in the census in 1860 in Troy, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. Alonzo appeared in the census in 1870 in Rochester, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. He died on 30 March 1878 at the age of 66 in Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. He was buried in Mount Avon Cmtry., Rochester, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. Find A Grave Memorial# 155478930
=====
There is a query about this man.

In 1840, Alonzo bought 50 acres of land in Ripton. The same year, Lewis Chatfield of Roxbury bought 100 acres in the same lot as Alonzo. Alonzo sold 10 acres in 1845 to Amasa French. Then in May of 1949, he sold his remaindering 40 acres to Lewis. In Oct. 1849, Lewis sold the land to Lucina and her children. (Why?????) He was in Ripton in 1850 according to the census and in 1851 a timber transaction is recorded (in conjunction with Lucina). In 1855, Alonzo sold 10 more acres - no record that Lucina agreed to this sale. Then right after being elected assistant superintendent of schools, Alonzo left Ripton very abruptly. There is a note in Ripton town records a couple of months after the election that they need to appoint a new assistant superintendent because Alonzo has left town.

He walked out on his wife in 1855 and was never heard from again. Some trees say he ended up in Michigan, others give him another wife there. An ancestry tree has a poem about Martha Lucinda Billings Chatfield called The Widows Clearing.

Wonder if is the same Alonzo born Roxbury, Washington Co.,Vermont, USA 1812 who left his wife 1855 and was believed to have died after 1870 is the same man.

[It's unlikely that Alonzo (Michigan) was the spouse of Martha Lucina Billings in Vermont. That Alonzo was born about 1812. Whereas the Michigan Alonzo according to the 1870 census was born about 1830. He must have been related in some way as his son Benjamin Gould Chatfield in Michigan has the middle name from Alonzo 1812's mother, Sally Gould. Unless he was a good liar and hair like Ronald Reagan had.] Probably was the same man.

[The only other thought I have is that Alonzo c1830 was an illegitimate son of Alonzo c1812 born before he had married Martha Billings. Alonzo 1812 would have been 18 when Alonzo 1830 was born. Alonzo 1830 then felt justified in using his grandmothers surname for his son. I like this theory better than any other I have seen so far over the years.] Discounted theory.

It looks as though Alonzo left Vermont, went to Michigan and shortly met Mary Fox, 26 years his junior. They lived together and had three children.
-----
USA Census, 1840
Name: Alonzo Chatfield
Event Place: Not Stated, Addison, Vermont
Page Number: 54
Affiliate Publication Number: M704
Affiliate Film Number: 538
GS Film number: 0027438
Digital Folder Number: 004409703
Image Number: 00112
-----
USA Census, 1850
Name: Alonzo Chatfield
Event Place: Ripton, Addison, Vermont
Gender: Male
Age: 38
Birthplace: Vermont
Birth Year (Estimated): 1812
House Number: 34
Family Number: 37
Line Number: 39
Affiliate Publication Number: M432
Affiliate Film Number: 920
GS Film number: 27446
Digital Folder Number: 004191106
Image Number: 00382
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Alonzo Chatfield M 38 Vermont
Lucina Chatfield F 33 Vermont
Elizabeth Chatfield F 10 Vermont
Horace Chatfield M 7 Vermont
Ann Chatfield F 6 Vermont
Parsons Chatfield M 4 Vermont
-----
USA Census, 1860
Name: Alonzo Chatfield
Minor Civil Division: The Township Of Troy
Age (Expanded): 46 years
Birthplace: [FamilySearch has his birth place as Vermont.]
Page: 68
Household ID:
Affiliate Publication Number: M653
GS Film number: 803556
Digital Folder Number: 4232709
Image Number: 00498
-----
Census 1860: (THIS COULD BE THE ALONZO FROM VT b: 1812, WHO DISAPPEARED)
RESIDENCE: Troy, Oakland, Michigan; Roll: M653_556; Page: 494; Image: 494; Family History Library Film: 803556
Alonzo Chatfield 46 abt 1814 Vermont Male
Mary Chatfield 22 abt 1838 New Jersey Fem
-----
Census 1860.
This one record I believe should read "Wife" not daughter named Mary. [Cheryl Chatfield Thompson]
Oakland County, Michigan Vital Records:
Name: Chatfield, Alonzo
Birth Date: 1814
Birth Place: Vermont
Children: Mary, B. NJ 1838
Residence: Troy, MI
Occupation: Laborer
-----
USA Census, 1870
Name: Alonzo Chatfield
Birth Year (Estimated): 1830
Gender: Male
Age (Original): 40y [Copy of original attached to this man shows 40 clearly]
Race: White
Birthplace: Vermont
Event Place: Michigan
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Alonzo Chatfield M 40y Vermont
Mary Chatfield F 30y New Jersey
Benjamin Chatfield F 7y Michigan
William Chatfield M 4y Michigan
Rosa Chatfield F 7m Michigan [Rose]

Alonzo Chatfield and Martha Lucina Billings were married on 31 December 1838 in Middlebury, Addison Co., Vermont, USA. Vermont, Vital Records
Name: Alonzo Chatfield
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 31 Dec 1838
Event Place: Middlebury, , Vermont, USA
Gender: Male
Spouse's Name: Lucinda Billings
GS Film number: 27478
Digital Folder Number: 004542955
Image Number: 00076
Martha Lucina Billings, daughter of Parsons Billings and Eunice Alden, was born in 1818 in Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont, USA. She died in 1897 at the age of 79 in East Bethel, Windsor Co., Vermont, USA. She was buried in Galvin Cmtry., Ripton, Addison Co., Vermont, USA. NAME: On her marriage record it is LUCINDA, on her gravestone it is LUCINA.

Lucinda (Billings) Chatfield, 1818-1897.
While Lucinda was born in Tunbridge, she married Alonzo Chatfield in Middlebury in 1838. They moved up to his home in Ripton, and in 1839 they started farming the plot of land which we now call "The Widow’s Clearing". Local records indicate that their farm was rather poor, even by Ripton hill farm standards. When this site became known as “Widow’s Clearing” is not in the information which I have at my disposal, but it is clear that Lucinda was not widowed immediately – she was abandoned by her husband! In 1855 Alonzo left her and their four children, and moved to Michigan where he lived the rest of his life with his second wife. Accounts from that time also indicated that Lucinda was not openly distraught about this. Whether this was stoicism on her part, or a case of “good riddance”, we can only speculate. She owned and operated the farm until 1882, in later years with her son Parsons and his family, although it is not clear if she actually lived there all those years. It must have been a challenging hardscrabble existence for Lucinda and her family, as an 1871 map of Ripton shows “Mrs. Chatfield’s farm” as the most remote, and probably highest altitude farm in Ripton. Nonetheless, local records also show that by this time, the farm was more successful than it had been during the years of her marriage. In 1882, Lucinda, Parsons, and his family relocated to Middlebury, and there is no record of anyone living at the clearing after that time. The widow passed away in East Bethel, VT in 1897 at the age of 79, and was buried in the Galvin Cemetery in Ripton alongside her parents. Kind of an interesting little story of the challenges of mountain life in Vermont!
-----
"A poem about Martha Lucinda Billings Chatfield called 'The Widows Clearing'."
THE WlDOW‘S CLEARING

Aunt Lucina Chatfield lived on Chatfield Hill,
But no one lives there now and no one ever will.
There broken fields of stump and stone
With fresh green trees are now o‘ergrown
While summer breeze and winter blast
Worn, "Nothing here can ever last."

Their youthful dreams have vanished, their brightest hopes have fled,
And those who made their clearing are numbered with the dead.
They built a house, a barn they made,
Their children came and romped and played.
Here they toiled, laughed, suffered, cried,
Then some of them left and some died.

But Aunt Lucina lived there still,,
Alone woman on a lonely hill.
Why she stayed I cannot tell;
She seemed chained by a magic spell
As hoping those who had gone away
Would soon return and with her stay.

But those she looked for never came.
Now all that's left is Lucina's name
On a slab of marble cold and bare—
All that's left of a mother's prayer.
It tells so little what is past,
But speaks so loud: "We cannot last."

If you find the Widow's Clearing,
Mute your voices, strain your hearing.
At fall of night near close of day
Perhaps you'll hear Lucina pray:
"Dear Lord God, if it be thy will,
I'll die right here on Chatfield Hill."
-----
There is a road in Ripton named "Billings Farm Road"
-----
The Middlebury Trailrunner
A blog for runners in and about Addison County, VT, USA
June 5th, 2010 at 10:15 am
The Widow’s Clearing
Posted by Jeff in Running

Between numerous signs labeling the Widows Clearing trail, the Widow’s Clearing trailhead, and the Widow’s Clearing itself, upon my return to my vehicle, I began to wonder, who was the eponymous widow? I was not able to find any information on my own, so I emailed my favorite expert on local history, Jan at the Sheldon Museum. She was not familiar with this mysterious widow, but she did some research, and eventually connected me with William J. Powers, Jr. of Lake Dunmore and Rutland. All of the following information comes from Bill and is the result of his unpublished research on the topic. This is just a brief synopsis of a much larger body of his work. Bill has also authored a history book on another of my favorite running destinations, Silver Lake, and those who are interested in learning more about the history of the lake and its surroundings can purchase his book at the Sheldon Museum.

Finally, Bill’s research also uncovered a picture of the view from the Widow’s Clearing, circa 1870. The wide open land stands in sharp contrast to the fully recovered forest of modern times.

Elmer Luther Chatfield was the great grandson of the widow of Widow’s Clearing. He passed away in 1997.

Alonzo Chatfield and Martha Lucina Billings had the following children:

Probably unmarried as first wife still alive. May have been divorced by desertion.
Mary Fox, daughter of Joseph Fox and Catherine Smith, was born in 1838 in New Jersey, USA. She appeared in the census in 1850 in Avon Twp., Rochester village, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. She appeared in the census in 1860 in Troy, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. Mary died on 26 January 1918 at the age of 80 in Rochester, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. She was buried in Mount Avon Cmtry., Rochester, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. She appeared in the census 1870/1880 in Rochester, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. Mary appeared in the census 1900/1910 in Avon Twp., Rochester village, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. Michigan, Deaths and Burials
Name: Mary Chatfield
Gender: Female
Death Date: 26 Jan 1918
Death Place: Rochester, Oakland, Michigan
Age: 80
Birth Date: 1838
Birthplace: New Jersey
Occupation: Housewife
Race: White
Marital Status: Widowed
Father's Name: Joseph Fox
Father's Birthplace: N. Jersey
Mother's Name: Katherine Smith
Mother's Birthplace: N. Jersey
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: B51869-6
System Origin: Michigan-EASy
GS Film number: 973984
Reference ID: v 4 p 241 rn 5304
-----
Burial Plot: 1-084
Find A Grave Memorial# 104240670
=====
USA Census, 1850
Name: Mary Fox
Event Place: Avon, Oakland, Michigan
Gender: Female
Age: 13
Birthplace: New Jersey
Birth Year (Estimated): 1837
House Number: 868
Family Number: 882
Line Number: 16
Affiliate Publication Number: M432
Affiliate Film Number: 359
GS Film number: 443575
Digital Folder Number: 004200034
Image Number: 00144
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Joseph Fox M 56 Pennsylvania
Catharine Fox F 49 Pennsylvania
Jacob Fox M 25 Pennsylvania
Joseph Fox M 18 New Jersey
Peter Fox M 15 New Jersey
Mary Fox F 13 New Jersey
Rosetta Fox F 9 New Jersey
-----
USA Census, 1860
Name: Mary Chatfield
Minor Civil Division: The Township Of Troy
Age (Expanded): 22 years
Page: 68
Affiliate Publication Number: M653
GS Film number: 803556
Digital Folder Number: 4232709
Image Number: 00498
-----
USA Census, 1880
Name: Mary Chatfield
Event Place: Rochester, Oakland, Michigan
Gender: Female
Age: 43
Marital Status: Widowed
Occupation:
Race (Original): W
Ethnicity: American
Relationship to Head of Household: Self
Birthplace: New Jersey
Birth Date: 1837
Father's Birthplace: New Jersey
Mother's Birthplace: New Jersey
Page: 26
Page Letter: D
Entry Number: 2341
Affiliate Film Number: T9-0598
GS Film number: 1254598
Digital Folder Number: 004241738
Image Number: 00504
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Self Mary Chatfield F 43 New Jersey
Son Benjamin Chatfield M 18 Michigan
Son William Chatfield M 14 Michigan
Dau Rosa Chatfield F 10 Michigan
-----
USA Census, 1900
Name: Mary Chatfield
Event Place: ED 81 Avon township Rochester village, Oakland, Michigan
Birth Date: Mar 1837
Birthplace: New Jersey
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Father's Birthplace: New Jersey
Mother's Birthplace: New Jersey
Race: White
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Widowed
Mother of how many children: 3
Number of Living Children: 3
Page: 3
Sheet Letter: B
Family Number: 66
Reference ID: 79
GS Film number: 1240735
Digital Folder Number: 004120247
Image Number: 00436
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Mary Chatfield F 63 New Jersey
Son Ben G Chatfield M 38 New Jersey
Son William Chatfield M 34 Michigan
Dau Rose Chatfield F 31 Michigan
-----
USA Census, 1910
Name: Mary Chatfield
Event Place: Avon, Oakland, Michigan
District: 117
Gender: Female
Age: 64
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Birth Year (Estimated): 1846
Birthplace: New Jersey
Father's Birthplace: New Jersey
Mother's Birthplace: New Jersey
Sheet Number and Letter: 12A
Household ID: 320
GS Film number: 1374681
Digital Folder Number: 004330166
Image Number: 00076
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Mary Chatfield F 64 New Jersey
Son William Chatfield M 30 Michigan

Alonzo Chatfield and Mary Fox had the following children:

+3356	i.	Benjamin Gould "Ben" Chatfield.
3357	ii.	Rose D Chatfield was born in December 1869 in Michigan, USA. She lived in Avon Twp., Rochester village, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA in 1900. She died on 4 December 1905 at the age of 36 in Rochester, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. Rose was buried in Mount Avon Cmtry., Rochester, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. She lived in Rochester, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA 1870/1880. 7 months old in the June 1870 census. ----- Michigan, Deaths and Burials Name: Rose Chatfield Gender: Female Death Date: 04 Dec 1905 Death Place: Rochester, Oakland, Michigan Age: 35 Birth Date: 1870 Birthplace: Mich. Occupation: Spinner Race: White Marital Status: Single Father's Name: Alanza Chatfield Father's Birthplace: Mich. Mother's Name: May Fox Mother's Birthplace: Mich. Indexing Project (Batch) Number: B53275-5 System Origin: Michigan-EASy GS Film number: 973984 Reference ID: v 3 p 82 rn 1250 ----- Find A Grave Memorial# 104240670 ===== Unmarried. ----- Rose Chatfield in household of Mary Chatfield, "USA Census, 1900" Event Place: ED 81 Avon township Rochester village, Oakland, Michigan Birth Date: Dec 1869 Birthplace: Michigan Relationship to Head of Household: Daughter Father's Birthplace: Vermont Mother's Birthplace: New Jersey Race: White Gender: Female Marital Status: Single
+3358	iii.	William Chatfield.