John Hartford of Deerfield, New Hampshire

It's funny that I ended up living in New Hampshire after being born in Maine and brought up in California, since it turns out that a good many of my ancestors were early New Hampshirites. I've already written posts on this blog about New Hampshire relatives from my father's side of the family: Abraham Perkins of Hampton, New Hampshire, my 9th great grandfather; and another about his son, also Abraham Perkins, in My 8th Grandfather, "Slayne By Ye Indians".

I recently came across another relative from my father's mother's line who lived even nearer to our adopted town of Candia, New Hampshire. This was John Hartford, my 6th great uncle (see the relationship at the bottom of this post), who was buried in Deerfield, New Hampshire.

But first, I have to tell you that when we were still living in Washington state and wanting to move far from a cranky gun-toting neighbor who shot at dogs, we read the book Safe Places for the 80s and decided on New Hampshire as the place for us. We were captivated by the name of Deerfield Parade, the central part of the town of Deerfield. It sounded like a place we would like, and we ended up not five miles from that very spot. Here is an historical photo. It still looks much the same today.

 Photo from the Deerfield Heritage Commission website,
which contains lots of information about the Parade (1)

Here is what I have been able to find out about my Uncle John Hartford: Born in Dover, New Hampshire in 1724, he was one of the 12 children of Nicholas and Elizabeth Jenkins Hartford.

He married first Bethiah Rollins in 1755, at Newmarket, New Hampshire. He married second Abigail Brackett, and from that union came a son, also called John Hartford, who was born in 1751 and died in 1826. I have yet to find more of John, Sr.'s children, but I'm sure they are out there!

There are many records showing that a John Hartford served in the New Hampshire military during various years, but I believe the most plausible shows a John, perhaps my uncle, serving for a short time in 1757. (2)

John, Sr., died in 1816 at the age of 92 in Deerfield, and was buried in the Sand Hill and Fisk Cemetery just off Middle Road there. In addition to John's grave, there are 11 other Hartfords (perhaps descendants of the same family?) buried in this cemetery. If I had only known when I lived so close by, I could have gone to the cemetery to visit his grave and those of the other Hartfords. For anyone wanting to do so, the directions are listed below in the Sources. (3)

Sand Hill and Fisk Cemetery, Deerfield, New Hampshire
Photo by Stan Garrity (4)

Gravestone for John Hartford
Photo by Stan Garrity (4)

It is interesting to note that John's brother Stephen Hartford (my 5th great grandfather) married a woman called Susannah Wentworth. When I searched around to find more information about her family, I quite accidentally discovered yet another ancestral connection to New Hampshire. This time, ancestors from both my mother's and father's sides of the family were in the same place at the same time, and signed a document to prove it! Stay tuned for the next post...

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Sources

1. Deerfield Parade information and photo from the Deerfield Heritage Commission: http://www.deerfieldnh.org/places/DeerfieldParade.htm

2. Military History of the State of New Hampshire, from its Settlement in 1623 to the Rebellion in 1861 by Chandler E. Potter, Vol. I.  Ancestry.com.

3. Directions to the Sand Hill and Fisk Cemetery, from Find a Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2348112/sand-hill-and-fisk-cemetery

Sand Hill Fisk Cemetery is off of Middle Rd in Deerfield NH. If you are heading north from Rt. 28 in Allenstown take a right onto Deerfield Rd, this road goes to Bear Brook State Park. Continue on Deerfield Rd you will go by the old town hall and some other cemeteries. The name of the road will change to Middle Road when you get into Deerfield. You will come to a dirt road on the right with an old granite flower pot in front. Take a right here, go to the end of the road and park. Walk up on the road to your left, go to the end and you will see the cemetery.
Thank you to Joanne Wasson for her extensive research to make this information possible.

4. Cemetery photos by Stan Garrity come from the Find a Grave Memorial for John Hartford. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50421377.  

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How I am related to John Hartford (1724 - 1816), my 6th great-uncle:

Nicholas Hartford (1680 - 1737)
father of John Hartford

Stephen Hartford (1707 - )
son of Nicholas Hartford

Solomon Hartford (1758 - 1832)
son of Stephen Hartford

Mary Jane Hartford (1791 - 1870)
daughter of Solomon Hartford

Robert Winslow Ellis (1821 - 1876)
son of Mary Jane Hartford

Oscar J Ellis (1852 - 1907)
son of Robert Winslow Ellis

Eva Josephine Ellis (1888 - 1943)
daughter of Oscar J Ellis

Daniel Lawrence Harris (1907 - 1972)
son of Eva Josephine Ellis

Clair Marie Harris
That's me, the daughter of Daniel Lawrence Harris