Seward, Levi
Levi SEWARD (1793 - 1880) and Harriet SPENCER (1809 - 1885)
my 3g-grandparents
The parents of Huldah SEWARD were Levi SEWARD and Harriet SPENCER. See the Festus EATON page for more about Huldah SEWARD.
Levi and Harriet SEWARD have a shared stone in Plato Center Cemetery, Plato Center, Kane, IL. Levi SEWARD died on 16 Nov 1880, at the age of 87Y 10M 4D, so his birth date was 12 Jan 1793. His wife Harriet died on 5 Mar 1885, at age 76Y 2M, which gives her a birth date of 5 Jan 1809. [The stone is hard to read, especially Harriet's dates. I'm assuming the person who took the photo was able to read it accurately. Also, if 76Y 2M doesn't mean 0 days, then the 5 Jan 1809 birth date is only approximate.] Joe Frerich, the poster on Findagrave has included a good deal of information from his research. I will examine the other evidence, and I appreciate the pointers to hard-to-find census records.
Their first known child was born about 1832, so they were probably married before then.
Levi SEWARD was 47 when he first appeared in official records. Information about his life before that can only be inferred from later records. He had a family of 6 in Chenango Town(ship), where Binghamton is located. Levi and Harriet had 4 daughters, all under 10, and no sons, in 1840. My guesses are in brackets.
Levi SEWARD's parents were Jedediah SEWARD and Martha SMITH. The evidence is that Jedediah and Martha were about the right age, lived in Chenango, and Levi was mentioned in Jedediah's will.
The parents of Harriet SPENCER were Elisha SPENCER and Thankful SMITH. This information comes from the record of Harriet's second marriage (below).
DNA Evidence
Among my close matches on AncestryDNA, there are 8 who trace their ancestry to Levi and Harriet, including one descendant of Sylvia, one of Ruth, and one of Henry. This provides good evidence that I am also a descendant of Levi and Harriet.
Census Data
Levi and Harriet probably lived in Chenango from 1832 to 1835, when their first two children were born, although their third child was born in OH, 1837. They were back in Chenango by 1840.
1840 United States Federal Census
Name: Levi Seward
Home in 1840 (City, County, State): Chenango, Broome, New York
Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49: 1 [Levi (47)]
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5: 2 [Huldah (3), Sylvia (4), Ruth (o)]
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9: 2 [Almira (5), ?]
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39: 1 [Harriet (31)]
Persons Employed in Agriculture: 1
Free White Persons - Under 20: 4
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 2
Total Free White Persons: 6
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves: 6
By 1850 the family has moved to Kane County, IL. However, the surname is misspelled.
The surname is hard to read, and a transcriber has it as SEWAUX. The first 4 letters are right, and the last 2 could be RD instead of UX. The ages for Levi, Harriet and Huldah are right. Judging by the birthplaces, this family has moved from New York to Illinois between 1845 and 1848.
Names in the 1850 Census.
1855 Illinois State Census for Plato, Kane, IL
Levi SEWARD
Males 10 to 20: 2 [Arnold (10) and ?]
Males 50 to 60: 1 [Levi (62)?]
Females 10 to 20: 3 [Huldah (18), Ruth (15), Sarah (12)]
Females 40 to 50: 1 [Harriet (46)]
Total: 7
The 1855 Illinois State Census for Plato Township agrees pretty well with the 1850 Census, above, except Levi should be 62, not in the 50 to 60 category, and there are 2 boys 10 to 20. One of them would be Arnold, but Henry would only be 7.
In 1860, the family has 4 children. The dates are consistent with 1850, except Huldah should be 22, not 28. Levi is a farmer, with $2,400 in real estate and $800 personal estate.
Names in the 1860 Census
The name Seward is clearly misspelled, unlike the 1850 Census, when it was written sloppily. But this must be the same family.
Levi SEWARD also appears in the 1860 Farm Schedule for Plato, Kane, IL, page 1, line 23, with 80 acres of improved land. The record is hard to read, but it looks like he had 6 milk cows, some other livestock, and a small amount of corn.
The 1860 Farm Schedule for Colesville, Broome, NY also has Levi and Henry SEWARD. These are probably members of the same extended family. However, our Levi SEWARD had been in Illinois since about 1847.
Yet another Levi SEWARD lived in Truro, Knox County, western Illinois, and another in Baltimore, MD. These are distinct from our Levi SEWARD because they appear in several census records at the same times.
1865 Illinois State Census for Plato, Kane, IL
Name: L. Seward
Males 10 to 20: 1
Males 20 to 30: 1
Males 60 to 70: 1
Females 60 to 70: 1
Total: 4
Militia: 2
Value of Livestock: $139
Pounds of Wool: 30
The Kane County Gazeteer for 1867 has C. Lambert SEWARD and Levi SEWARD, both landowners in Plato Center. There does not seem to be any trace of the family in the 1870 US Census. However, in 1880 they are back in Plato Township.
In the 1880 Census, Levi and Harriet live with their daughter Sylvia, who is 44 and married. (Although I think she was widowed.) Curiously, it says that Harriet was born in Connecticut, although Sylvia's mother was born in New York.
Harriet after Levi
Levi SEWARD died on 16 Nov 1880, and Harriet remarried in 1882, when she was 73. The marriage record gives us the names of her parents! They are Elisha SPENCER and Thankful SMITH.
Illinois, County Marriages, 1800-1940
Name: Harriet Seward, Spencer
Age: 73
Birth Date: abt 1809
Marriage Date: 1882
Marriage Place: Kane, Illinois, USA
Father: Elisha Spencer
Mother: Thankful Smith
Spouse: Smith Jamerson
Film Number: 001480744
Illinois, County Marriages, 1800-1940
Name: Smith Jamerson
Age: 84
Birth Date: abt 1798
Marriage Date: 1882
Marriage Place: Kane, Illinois, USA
Father: John Jamerson
Mother: Roda Smith
Spouse: Harriet Seward,Spencer
Film Number: 001480744
Harriet died in Mar 1886. The newspaper report, below, has the order of the marriages reversed. She married Smith JAMERSON or JENNISON after Levi died. It's not clear if she lived with Smith JAMERSON at the time.
Harriet (Spencer) Seward trampled by her cows
Mrs. Levi Seward, living a mile and a quarter south of Plato Center, a widow seventy years old and infirm, on Saturday evening went out to her home to drive the cows to their feed. The drove stampeded, knocked the old lady down and tramped on her. She lived until last night, when she died, after great suffering. She had been married twice, her previous name being Jennison. – [Elgin Courier.]
The Belvidere Standard (Belvidere, IL) Tuesday 24 Mar 1886, page 8
Descendants
1 Harriet SPENCER b: 05 Jan 1809 in NY, d: 05 Mar 1885 in Kane, IL
+ Levi SEWARD b: 12 Jan 1793 in Broome, NY, m: 1831 in Binghamton, Broome, NY, d: 16 Nov 1880 in IL
......2 Sylvia SEWARD b: 1832 in Binghamton, Broome, NY
...... + William WRIGHT b: 1813 in London, England, m: Abt. 1841 in Kane, IL, d: 1872 in Plato, Kane, IL
......2 Almira A. SEWARD b: 1835 in NY
...... + John Henry GATES b: 1834 in NY, m: 29 Jun 1852 in Kane, IL
......2 Huldah Ann SEWARD b: May 1837 in OH, d: Feb 1925 in Elgin, Kane, IL
...... + Festus Morgan EATON b: May 1829 in NY, m: 12 Jul 1862 in Kane, IL, d: 1909 in Plato Center, Kane, IL
......2 Ruth SEWARD b: 1840 in NY
...... + Patrick VAUGHN b: 1831 in Ireland, m: 24 Apr 1859 in Kane, IL, d: 01 Jun 1894 in Kane, IL
......2 Sarah SEWARD b: 22 Mar 1843 in Binghamton, Broome, NY, d: 15 Mar 1931 in Burlington, Kane, IL
...... + William BERTHAUER m: 28 Sep 1861 in Kane, IL, d: 08 Apr 1867 in Elgin, Kane, IL
...... + Swanson JOHNSON b: 1825 in Sweden, m: 25 Mar 1872 in Kane, IL
......2 Arnold E SEWARD b: 10 Jun 1845 in NY, d: 22 Jun 1919 in Kane, IL
...... + Emma JOHNSON b: 16 Nov 1857 in Sweden, m: 24 Feb 1874 in De Kalb, IL, d: 15 Sep 1929 in Kane, IL
......2 Henry SEWARD b: 15 Nov 1847 in Plato, Kane, IL, d: 1927 in Brewster village, Nobles, MN
...... + Jeanette BABCOCK m: 24 Dec 1873 in Plato, Kane, IL
+ Smith JAMERSON b: 1798, m: 1882 in Kane, IL
1. Sylvia SEWARD was born about 1832 in Broome County, NY. She moved with her parents and siblings to Kane County, IL between 1845 and 1848. On 31 Jan 1849, in Kane County, she married William WRIGHT, who was born about 1813 in London, England. He was about 35 and she was about 16.
Illinois, Marriage Index, 1860-1920
Name: William Wright
Marriage Date: 31 Jan 1849
Marriage Place: Kane, Illinois, USA
Spouse Name: Sylvia Seward
Biography of James WRIGHT, son of William and Sylvia (SEWARD) WRIGHT
JAMES WRIGHT, a progressive farmer residing on section 35, Plato township, was born on the farm on which he now resides, March 5, 1859. He received limited schooling in the district school until his fourteenth year, attending three months each winter. His father died at that time, making it necessary for him to shift for himself. He worked for a farmer during his fourteenth year, and attended the winter term of school. Until his eighteenth year he worked by the month for various farmers and then leased eighty acres from his mother, for a period of ten years. The first year his mother kept house for him, after which he kept "bach" for five years, then sold his four-years' leasehold to a brother. The next six years he worked on farms again, saving his money, and one by one bought up the shares of his brothers and sisters in the farm, until he now owns the entire tract, consisting of one hundred and eighty acres of as fine farming land as lies in the Fox River valley. He bought the final share in 1884.
The house first built by his father on his first purchase, in the '30s, was burned some years ago, and our subject now resides in the old house that stood on the hundred-acre-tract, purchased by his father many years after his settlement in Plato township. In the spring of 1898 he built a fine large barn, thirty-eighty by eighty feet, with a high basement stable for the sheltering of his herd of half a hundred milch cattle, and his teams of fine horses. A breeder of fine horses, Mr. Wright owns "Ben," a beautiful white horse, whose grandsire was the famous Percheron "Success," the first of his race to be brought to America. His dam was of Arabian blood, and "Ben" shows the finer qualities of each, and is so gentle a child can drive him. He has the beautiful outlines and finely arched neck of his Arabian sires. In 1899, Mr. Wright designs building a commodious residence to take the place of the one he now occupies, which, though old, is made comfortable and cosy on the inside by the hand of Mrs. Wright.
Like all thrifty farmers, Mr. Wright believes in building first the barn to shelter the stock and store the grain, which will build the house later. His farm is well cultivated and is used for dairy purposes; all the products of the fields are fed upon the place, making it annually more fertile than the previous year. When a youth of seventeen, Mr. Wright worked with a threshing machine, and when eighteen purchased a half interest in a machine, and since that time has been engaged each summer and fall more or less in the threshing business. He early began those habits of thrift which have made him independent in middle life, not owing a dollar and able to pay cash for all he buys. When he first began life for himself he had occasionally to contract debts, but which spurred him on until paid. Independence is the fruit of his labor.
William Wright, the father of our subject, was born in London, England, in 1813, and was the son of a small farmer who was not able to give his son an education. He had early to earn his own living, and when a mere child was employed at a few shillings per month, with board, to drive crows from the fields for the large farmers. While thus employed he was not given enough to eat; but he managed to earn enough to bring him to America, although his earnings were small, and it took a long time to secure the required amount. He reached New York in 1836, with only a shilling in his pocket. As soon as he could earn a small sum he came on to Kane county, and for three years worked at anything that came to his hands. He entered eighty acres on section 36, Plato township, later adding adjoining one hundred acres in section 35. At first he raised grain exclusively, but drifted into dairy farming and that became more profitable. He died in 1872, in his fifty-ninth year. In politics he was a Republican.
After living a bachelor's life for five or six years after coming to Kane county, Mr. Wright married Miss Sylvia Seward, a native of Binghamton, New York, who came to Kane county with her parents when a miss of twelve or thirteen years. She was the daughter of Levi and Harriet (Spencer) Seward. By this union ten children were born, eight of whom are now living: John, living near Plato Centre; William, living in Kansas; Mark, who resides in Nebraska; Sarah, wife of Harry Elmore, of Rockford, Illinois; James, our subject; Huldah, who makes her home with our subject; Jesse; Levi, living at Bafford, Kansas; Katherine, who died at the age of twenty-two, and Frank who died in infancy. The mother of these children died at the age of sixty-seven years.
James Wright, our subject, married, in Geneva, Illinois, December 8, 1885, Miss Harriet Tucker, born in Campton township, Kane county, and a daughter of Charles and Clara (Andrew) Tucker, now residents of Plato township. By this union five children have been born, four of whom are now living: Meerll Elmer, born October 14, 1886; Ida May, born May 8, 1887; Lester Leroy, born April 8, 1894; and Orris L., born July 4, 1897. One child died in infancy.
Fraternally; Mr. Wright is a member of Wasco camp, No. 1701, M. W. A. In politics he is a thorough Republican.
The Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois, 1898, pp. 488-9
In the 1850 Census, William WRIGHT is a Farmer, with a farm valued at $1,200.
The 1870 US Census has the family still in Plato. (Jane should be James.)
2. Almira A. SEWARD was born about 1835 in NY, according to the 1850 US Census (above). She moved with her parents and siblings to Kane County, IL in 1845-8. Almira married John Henry GATES on 29 Jun 1852 in Kane County. He was about 18 and she was about 17.
Illinois, County Marriages, 1800-1940
Name: Almira A. Seward
Marriage Date: 1852
Marriage Place: Kane, Illinois, USA
Father: Levi Seward
Mother: Harriet Seward
Spouse: John Henry Gates
Film Number: 001443734
Illinois, County Marriages, 1800-1940
Name: John Henry Gates
Marriage Date: 1852
Marriage Place: Kane, Illinois, USA
Father: Edward Gates
Mother: Gates
Spouse: Almira A. Seward
Film Number: 001443734
Illinois, Marriage Index, 1860-1920
Name: Almira A Seward
Marriage Date: 29 Jun 1852
Marriage Place: Kane, Illinois, USA
Spouse Name: John Henry Gates
John GATES is found with his parents in the 1850 Census, at age 16. He was born in NY, about 1834. It appears that the family immigrated from England to NY between 1831 and 1834, and moved from NY to IL between 1844 and 1849.
I have not found John and Almira in the 1860 US Census. There are records for a John H. GATES in Kane County after 1852, but his wife was Eliza.
3. Huldah SEWARD was born in May 1837, in OH, and died in Feb 1925 in Elgin, Kane, IL. She married Festus M. EATON on 12 Jul 1862 in Kane, IL. Huldah and Festus were my gg-grandparents. See the Festus EATON page for more information.
Her birthdate is uncertain, as census records vary. One says she was born about 1832, but the rest have her birth around 1835 to 1837, with the 1900 US Census specifying May 1837. All censuses agree that she was born in OH, except the 1880 US Census, which says NY. I don't know why or where the family was in OH, but they were back in Chenango by 1840.
4. Ruth SEWARD was born about 1840 in NY, and died 1919 in IL. She moved with her parents and siblings to Kane County, IL between 1845 and 1848. Ruth married Patrick VAUGHN/VAUGHAN/WAUGHON on 24 Apr 1859 in Kane County.
Illinois, Marriage Index, 1860-1920
Name: Ruth Seward
Marriage Date: 24 Apr 1859
Marriage Place: Kane, Illinois, USA
Spouse Name: Patrick Vaughan
Illinois, County Marriages, 1800-1940
Name: Ruth Seward
Marriage Date: 1859
Marriage Place: Kane, Illinois, USA
Spouse: Patrick Vaughn
Film Number: 001481107
Patrick WAUGHON was an immigrant from Ireland. The 1870 Census says he was illiterate.
The shared gravestone at Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Cemetery in Hampshire, Kane County, has the spelling WAUGHON, so that is probably correct. Patrick died on 1 Jun 1894, at age 63, so he was born between 2 Jun 1830 and 1 Jun 1831.
5. Sarah SEWARD was born 22 Mar 1843 in Binghamton, NY, and died 15 Mar 1931 in Burlington, Kane, IL.
Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947
Name: Sarah Blodgett [Sarah Seward]
Birth Date: 22 Mar 1843
Birth Place: Bingham, N Y
Death Date: 15 Mar 1931
Death Place: Burlington Township, Kane, Illinois
Burial Date: 17 Mar 1931
Burial Place: Plato Center, Kane, Ill.
Cemetery Name: Plato Center
Death Age: 87
Occupation: Housewife
Race: White
Marital Status: M
Gender: Female
Residence: Burlington Township, Kane, Illinois
Father Name: Seward
Father Birth Place: N.Y.
Spouse Name: Joe Blodgett
FHL Film Number: 1653759
Sarah SEWARD married (1) William BERTHAUER on 28 Sep 1861 in Kane County, (2) Swanson JOHNSON on 25 Mar 1872, and (3) Joseph BLODGETT on 7 Nov 1890 in Walworth County, WI. She had 1 child by her 1st husband, and 4 by her second. One of her children died in 1875, and the other 4 died in some tragic event on 21 Feb 1880.
Illinois, Marriage Index, 1851-1900
Name: Sarah Seward
Spouse Name: William Berthaiur
Marriage Date: 28 Sep 1861
Marriage County: Kane
Comments: This record can be found at the
County Court Records, Film # 1481107 - 1481109.
Illinois, Marriage Index, 1860-1920
Name: Swanson Johnson
Marriage Date: 25 Mar 1872
Marriage Place: Kane, Illinois, USA
Spouse Name: Sarah Berthan
The posting on Findagrave by Joe Frerich has been helpful in sorting this out.
6. Arnold E. SEWARD was born on 10 Jun 1845 in NY, and died 22 Jun 1919 in Burlington, Kane, IL, at age 74. He moved with her parents and siblings to Kane County, IL between 1845 and 1848.
Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947
Name: Arnold E. Seward
Birth Date: 10 Jun 1845
Birth Place: New York
Death Date: 22 Jun 1919
Death Place: Burlington Twp , Kane, Illinois
Burial Date: 25 Jun 1919
Death Age: 74
Occupation: Farmer
Race: White
Marital Status: M
Gender: Male
Father Name: Levi Seward
Father Birth Place: New York
Mother Name: Hariet Spencer
Mother Birth Place: New York
FHL Film Number: 1562098
Arnold SEWARD married Emma JOHNSON on 24 Feb 1874 in De Kalb County, IL. Emma was born 16 Nov 1857 in Sweden, and died on 15 Sep 1929, age 71, in Kane County. Arnold and Emma were 28 and 17 when they married. Their shared gravestone is in Plato Center Cemetery.
Illinois, Marriage Index, 1851-1900
Name: Arnold Seward
Spouse Name: Emma Johnson
Marriage Date: 24 Feb 1874
Marriage County: De Kalb
Comments: This record can be found at the
County Court Records located at Sycamore, IL.
The 1880 Census has Arnold and Emma in Burlington Township. They have 1 child. Arnold and Emma are both listed as illiterate.
The growing family was still in Burlington for the 1900 Census. Arnold and Emma had been married 26 years, which would mean they were married in 1873-4. But Emma's age can't be correct. She is just 11 years older than her son. Maybe she tended to under report her age. She has had 11 children, with only 5 still living, so they are the 5 present. Now she is from Denmark, having immigrated in 1875. But we know she was married in De Kalb County in 1874. Arnold has a mortgage on his farm. This time everyone in the family can read and write.
Chart showing the relationship between Bert SEWARD and Ella Rose EATON
Albert SEWARD was a first cousin to George W. EATON, the son of Albert's sister, Huldah. So Albert was a first cousin once removed to George EATON's daughter, Ella Rose EATON, who he married. See the George EATON page for more.
7. Henry SEWARD was born on 15 Nov 1847 in Plato, Kane, IL. Henry married Jeanette BABCOCK at Plato, Kane, IL on 24 Dec 1873. In 1887 the family moved to Hersey, Nobles, MN, where Henry died in 1927, at age 79 or 80.
Illinois, Marriage Index, 1860-1920
Name: Henry Seward
Marriage Date: 24 Dec 1873
Marriage Place: Kane, Illinois, USA
Spouse Name: Jennette Babcock
Henry SEWARD biography
HENRY, SEWARD, of Hersey township has resided in Nobles county for the last twenty-one years. He was born at Plato, Ill., Nov. 15, 1847, the son of Levi Seward and Harriet (Spencer) Seward. The family is one of the old ones of America and is the one to which belonged William Henry Seward, the famous secretary of state in President Lincoln's cabinet during the civil war. The father of our subject was a native of New York state, but took up his residence in Illinois, where he died. Our subject's mother was a native of Connecticut; she died in Illinois five years after her husband's death. Henry Seward's grandfather was a veteran of the war of 1812.
In Illinois Henry Seward was raised, grew to manhood, and lived until 43 years of age. He secured a common school education and when a man grown engaged in dairying and farming, as had his father before him. He was one of the large number of Illinois farmers who came to Nobles county in the late eighties and early nineties in the search for cheap lands. He was one of the first of these in Hersey township, coming in the year 1887. He liked the country and purchased 240 acres in section one, and that has been his home ever since. He carried on a dairying business on a large scale and has a fine farm.
Mr. Seward was married at Plato, Ill., Dec. 24, 1873 to Jeanette Babcock, daughter of Chas. Babock, who also descends from one of the old American families. Mrs. Seward is a direct descendant of General Lee of Revolutionary fame. Her great grandfather and one of his sons served in the war of the Revolution, and her grandfather in the war of 1812. Two of her mother's uncles were also soldiers of that war, and one of them was killed in battle. To Mr. and Mrs. Seward have been born four children: Nellie (Mrs. M. Oaks), who resides in the northern part of Minnesota; Edith (Mrs. R. J. Andress), Kinbrae; Walter and Warren Guy, the two sons living at home.
An illustrated history of Nobles County, Minnesota by Rose, Arthur P, 1908, pp. 619-20
In the 1880 Census, Henry and his young family are listed next to his parents (first section, above). They probably lived on the same farm, if not the same house.
In the 1900 Census the SEWARD family is found in northern Minnesota. The name SEWARD is hard to read, and one transcriber has it as LEONARD. Henry and Gillett/Jenette have been married 26 years. Gillett had had 4 children, and they must be the 2 daughters listed in the 1880 Census and the 2 sons listed here. Henry owns the farm, free of mortgage. All are able to read and write, except Henry, who can read but can't write.
Sources
The Biographical record of Kane County, Illinois, 1898
An illustrated history of Nobles County, Minnesota by Rose, Arthur P, 1908
Jedediah Seward in the Fillmore Family File
Kane County, IL Maps and Gazeteers
Ferslew's Kane County gazetteer, directory, and business advertiser, 1857
Updated 28 Apr 2021 by William Haloupek. Contact haloupek at gmail dot com.