| Sources:
1a. LDS. Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service:
IGI - International Genealogical Index (online at FamilySearch.org).
Benjamin BRUCE
Spouse: Philadelphia WHEELAR
Marriage: 22 Mar 1781, Berlin, Worcester, Massachusetts
Source: Vital Records of Berlin, Massachusetts, to the End of the
Year 1899. Eaton, Frances L. 1935, Newcombe & Gause, Salem, MA |
Benjamin BRUCE
Spouse: Philadelphia WHEELER
Marriage: 10 May 1781, Bolton, Worcester, Massachusetts
Source: patron submission |
The former is an "intention to marry"; the latter is the marriage itself.
1b. Frederic W. Bailey, 1897-1914. Early Massachusetts
Marriages Prior to 1800. 3 vols. Bureau of American Ancestry, New Haven,
CT (online at Ancestry.com):
Jun 24, 1738, Part of Lancaster established as Bolton. First (Unitarian)
Church organized 1740. Friends, 1799. Officiating clergymen mentioned:
Rev. Thomas Goss, Rev. John Walley...
Benjamin Bruce, Jr., & Philadelphia Wheeler, May 10, 1781 |
2. 1790 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image
#1 of 2; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):
| 1790 |
MA |
Worcester Co. |
Bolton |
Roll M637_4 |
p. 91/214 |
Ln. 30R |
Benjamin Bruce |
1-1-4-0-0 |
These data indicate:
| Gender and Type |
Age Class |
Therefore Born |
Individuals Inferred |
| 1 free white males |
16 or over |
in or bef. 1774 |
= Benjamin (b. 1759) |
| 1 free white males |
15 or under |
1774-1790 |
= Jonah (b. 1785) |
| 4 free white females |
all ages |
in or bef. 1790 |
= Philadelphia (b. 1758)
= Polly (b. ca. 1783/4)
= Ann (b. ca. 1788)
= Philadelphia (b. ca. 1790) |
Listed four lines from brother, Timothy
BRUCE.
Other Neighbors:
27R Obediah Wheeler 3-0-1-0-0
28R Abraham Wheeler 1-2-2-0-0
31R Josshua Wheeler 2-0-5-0-0
32R Josshua Wheeler Jr 1-3-4-0-0
3. 1800 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image
#1 of 2 — indexed "Benjn Bruce"; extracted
by Diana Gale Matthiesen):
| 1800 |
VT |
Windsor Co. |
Baltimore |
Roll 52 |
p. 294 |
Ln. 3 |
Benja Bruce |
10001-22011-00 |
These data indicate:
| No. & Sex |
Age Class |
Therefore Born |
Individuals Inferred |
| 1 male |
9 or under |
1790-1800 |
= Joseph (b. 1796) |
| 1 male |
45 or over |
in or bef. 1755 |
= Benjamin (b. 1759) |
| 2 females |
9 or under |
1790-1800 |
= Hannah (b. 1794/5)
= Philadelphia (b. ca. 1790) |
| 2 females |
10-15 |
1784-1790 |
= Ann (b. ca. 1788)
= Polly (b. ca. 1783/4) |
| 1 female |
26-44 |
1755-1774 |
= Philadelphia (b. 1758) |
| 1 female |
45 or over |
in or bef. 1755 |
= mother? mother-in-law? |
Where's Jonah? He would be only 15, though I suppose that makes him
old enough to be "working out." Could not find Benjamin's brother,
Timothy. Obadiah, Asa, Moses, Abraham, Daniel, Joshua, and Peregrine
WHEELER are still in Bolton. This is a "re-bound"
county, so I've little confidence that no pages were lost, and for
which reason I did a page-by-page search of entire Worcester Co., MA.
The Benjamin BRUCE (husband of Nancy McBRIDE) who was in Berlin in 1790
is still there, just as he is still there in 1810, so he is clearly not
our subject (he is in association with Hugh BRUCE in both years).
4. 1810 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image
#4 of 4; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):
| 1810 |
NY |
Essex Co. |
Jay |
Roll M525_27 |
p. 22 |
Ln. 5 |
Benj Bruce |
01001-01001-0-1-200 |
These data indicate:
| No. & Sex |
Age Class |
Therefore Born |
Individuals Inferred |
| 1 male |
10-15 |
1794-1800 |
= Joseph (b. 1796) |
| 1 male |
45 or over |
in or bef. 1765 |
= Benjamin (b. 1759) |
| 1 female |
10-15 |
1794-1800 |
= Hannah (b. 1794/5) |
| 1 female |
45 or over |
in or bef. 1765 |
= Philadelphia (b. 1758) |
| 1 |
Looms |
| 200 |
Yards of Cloth |
Listed one line below son, Jonah BRUCE.
5. 1820 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image
#1 of 7 — indexed "Bruer"; extracted by Diana
Gale Matthiesen):
| 1820 |
NY |
Essex Co. |
Jay |
Roll M33_69 |
p. 419 |
Ln. 19 |
Bruce Jonah |
410021-21111-0-400 |
These data indicate:
| No. & Sex |
Age Class |
Therefore Born |
Individuals Inferred |
| 4 males |
9 or under |
1810-1820 |
= |
| 1 male |
10-15 |
1804-1810 |
= |
| 2 males |
26-44 |
1775-1794 |
= Jonah (b. 1785)
= ? |
| 1 male |
45 or over |
in or bef. 1775 |
= Benjamin (b. 1759) |
| 2 females |
9 or under |
1810-1820 |
= |
| 1 female |
10-15 |
1804-1810 |
= |
| 1 female |
16-25 |
1794-1804 |
= |
| 1 female |
26-44 |
1775-1794 |
= Sally |
| 1 female |
45 or over |
in or bef. 1775 |
= Philadelphia (b. 1758) |
| 4 |
persons engaged in agriculture |
Our subjects appear to be living with their married son, Jonah.
6. 1830 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image
#19 of 20; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):
| 1830 |
NY |
Essex Co. |
Jay |
Roll 114 |
p. 298 |
Ln. 12 |
Jonah Bruce |
321 110 000 100 - 001 000 100 100 |
These data indicate:
| No. & Sex |
Age Class |
Therefore Born |
Individuals Inferred |
| 3 males |
4 or under |
1825-1830 |
= |
| 2 males |
5-9 |
1820-1825 |
= |
| 1 male |
10-14 |
1815-1820 |
= |
| 1 male |
15-19 |
1810-1815 |
= |
| 1 male |
20-29 |
1800-1810 |
= |
| 0 males |
40-49 |
1780-1790 |
= Jonah (b. 1785) |
| 1 male |
70-79 |
1750-1760 |
= Benjamin (b. 1759) |
| 1 female |
10-14 |
1815-1820 |
= |
| 1 female |
40-49 |
1780-1790 |
= Sally |
| 1 female |
70-79 |
1750-1760 |
= Philadelphia (b. 1758) |
Our subjects appear to be living with their son, Jonah, and his family,
but was Jonah mis-tallied or omitted? Jonah's wife is there (or at
least someone her age is).
7. Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 1,
p. __ (online at Ancestry.com):
| Benjamin BRUCE |
Jay Cem |
Jay NY 15 |
8. Email from Janet (Bruce) Nelson, including:
| Benjamin and Philadelphia signed a quitclaim deed 15 August 1804
at Springfield, Vermont... They were "of Baltimore, Windsor County,
VT" on the quitclaim. |
9. H.P. Smith. 1885. History
of Essex County [New York]. D. Mason & Co., Publ., Syracuse,
NY (online at Ancestry.com). On p. 717:
| Bruce. The Bruce family is among the first families of Jay.
Their ancestor, Benjamin Bruce, first settled in Jay in 1804.
He was a shoemaker by trade and a soldier of the Revolution. He died
September 11th, 1839, leaving six children: Joseph, Jonah,
Anna,
Polie,
Phila,
and Hannah. Joseph was married to Rebecca Houghton, a native
of Vermont... |
A lot is riding on whether this bio is accurate, at least with regard to
our subject's children. At best, the informant was our subject's
grandson, Joshua F. BRUCE, or may even have been Joshua's wife or one of
his children, in which case an error is possible.
10. WorldConnect / Ancestry World Trees (online at RootsWeb.com/Ancestry.com).
11. Messages posted to the Bruce Family Genealogy Forum
(online at GenForum.com). A message there from Susan J. Mulvey clears
up the mystery about two marriage dates (the one in Berlin is an "intent"
to marry). The Benjamin BRUCE in the 1790 census of Berlin is the
one who married Nancy McBRIDE (in 1768 in Bolton). There are no birth
records for children of Benjamin & Philadelphia in Berlin or Bolton.
12. Messages posted to the Wheeler Family Genealogy Forum
(online at GenForum.com). |