In the last two weeks, I have been making some pretty big discoveries on my Downer and Brigham lines. Let me set up what I had previously known about these two families, including how they fit into my tree:
Elyse Doerflinger
Thomas Dugger
Sharon Doerflinger (1959 – 2010)
Herbert Hoover Dugger (1927 – 2003)
Nancy Jean Rogers ( 1924 – 2002)
George M. Rogers (1882 – 1956)
Julia Margaret Morris ( 1893 – 1982)
John Morris (1861 – ?)
Josephine Frank (1862 – ?)
William Morris (1827 – between 1901 – 1910)
Julia Ann Downer (1831 – ?)
Zacheus Downer (1799 – ?)
Harriet (1802 – ?)
Zacheus Downer (1756 – ?)
Bethiah Brigham (1757 – 1838)
Based upon some published family histories in Google Books and on the internet, I was exploring the possibility of Uriah Brigham as being the father of Bethiah Brigham. I really didn’t have much to go on. So I decided to go to my local Family History Center and see what I could find. I don’t have the money to order microfilm at the moment, but I was willing to explore the offerings of the Family History Center.
I sat down to search Family History Library Film Number 0,599,303. I started scrolling and found “Births, Marriages, Baptisms, and Deaths from the records of the town and churches in Coventry, Connecticut 1711 – 1844; Copied from the records by Susan Whitney Dimock”. I went to the section of called “Marriages from Records of the First Church, Coventry, Connecticut, from 1763 to 1843.” I found what I was looking for on Pg. 253.
1782
Jan. Zacheus Downer (Sharon) and Bethiah Brigham, of Coventry.
Finally – a marriage month and year. Zacheus Downer and Bethiah Brigham were married in January 1782.
Then I decided to check the section “Copy of Births taken from Town Records, in Coventry, Connecticut from 1711 – 1840″. I found what I was looking for on Pg. 14:
Brigham
Children of Uriah and Anne (Richardson) Brigham
Roger b. Oct 28 1755
Bethiah b. July 14 1757
Anne b. Oct 14 1759
Norman b. Dec 2 1761
Don Carlos b. Feb 21 1764
Cephas b. Dec 7 1765
Marcha b. Jan 28 1770
Lieushe [Not sure what this name is, but this is the best I can make it out] b. 6 Nov 1771
Needless to say I was absolutely thrilled to find this information. I just added a bit more to my family tree. (Note: Obviously, I need to see the actual town records in order to know for sure. But for the moment, this will do).
Are we related? If you have any of these lines in your tree, please email me! I’d love to hear from you.