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Stephen PERRY (b 1811)

I know very little of Stephen Perry or his wife Martha Merrill. A published family history of the Averell family states that Stephen Perry was the son of Stephen Perry and Patty Hilton of Alna, Maine and that he was born on 15 Mar 1811. His mother died in 1815. Could this be our Stephen Perry? A family tree on Ancestry says that the Stephen Perry who married Martha Merrill was born in New Hampshire. I do find a Stephen Perry in Cheshire County, NH in 1810 with a household composition that could possibly be a match, but I do not find a Stephen Perry in Lincoln County, Maine that year. In 1820, there is a Stephen Perry in Hebron, Oxford County, Maine with a household composition that looks like it could fit but Hebron is still far downstate from either Alna or St Albans where Stephen appeared in 1840.

Our Stephen Perry appears in the list of households in St Albans, Somerset County, Maine in the 1840 US Census. The composition of the household in that year corresponds to the household that appears in the same town in 1850, when all of the members of the household will be named. In 1840, the household was composed of Stephen (age 29), Martha (age 28), Elizabeth (age 4) and Melvin (age 2). The household composition also suggests that Stephen and Martha were married before 1836. In fact, the couple were married in St Albans (Somerset) Maine on 12 May 1833.

The first census in which Stephen's family appears with names is the 1850 Census. He was that year already age 39, married, the father of four children, and living in St Albans, Somerset County, Maine, a town between Pittsfield and Dexter, Maine. In 1850, Stephen's occupation was given as F W B Elder. This was almost certainly a reference to the Free WIll Baptist church, and the post of elder might well have entailed the responsibility of pastor of a congregation. The youngest child in the household, Henrietta (age 3) would die before the end of 1850.

In 1860, the family was found in Corinna, Penobscot County, Maine, just a few miles to the east of St Albans. Stephen's occupation in 1860 was given as medical doctor. It would be interesting to know where and when he might have trained in medicine. His three living children were all members of his household. Elizabeth, the eldest, then age 24, was married. Her husband, Simeon Treadwell Robbins (age 25) and Elizabeth's first child, Walter S Robbins (age 1) were members of the household. The census reported that son Eugene could neither read nor write and was identified as 'idiotic'. One can only guess that Eugene might have been a Down Syndrome child,.

Son Melvin was age 22 in 1860. In June of 1863 he appeared on a list of men subject to serve in the Civil War. He reported that he was married and worked as a millman. Melvin enlisted in December of 1863 as a private in the 1st Maine Heavy Artillary, Company A. He died of smallpox on 18 Jan 1864 in the District of Columbia, shortly after enlisting, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

With Melvin's death at the start of 1864, Stephen and Martha had only two children still living--Eugene, their disabled son, and daughter Elizabeth Robbins. By 1865, Elizabeth and her husband Simeon had moved to Huntington, Suffolk County, New York. There is no sign of Stephen or Martha in the 1865 New York Census so it is not likely that they followed Elizabeth and Simeon.

There is also no sign of Stephen or Martha in the 1870 US Census. Son Eugene, however, appears in the household of Martha and Benjamin Cook in Palmyra, Somerset County, Maine. I had wondered for a time if Martha Cook could be Martha Merrill, but the 1880 US Census shows Martha Cook still in Palmyra in the home of her son Daniel. This Martha is definitely not Martha Merrill. Could Stephen and Martha have been outside the United States in 1870 or were they simply missed by the census. Could Martha have died in the decade 1860 to 1870?

Son Eugene died in 1872 and was buried next to his sister Henrietta in the Palmyra Village Cemetery. One can only wonder if his parents were present at his burial.

Stephen Perry was found by the 1880 US Census in Huntington, Suffolk County, New York, near the home of his daughter Elizabeth Robbins. Elizabeth, the last of Stephen's children, had died in 1879. Stephen was married in 1880, but his wife was no longer Martha Merrill but Sarah A Perry, age 50. Stephen again gave his occupation as medical doctor.

I have found nothing that shed's light on the date of Martha Merriill's death. It seems likely that she died before 1870 and that son Eugene had been given over to the older Cook couple for care. Martha certainly died before 1880 when Stephen appeared in the census with a different wife.

I have been unable to find anything that would reveal where or when Stephen Perry died. There appears to be no record of his burial in Huntington where he was living in 1880 and there is no record of a grave belonging to him in Find A Grave. About the most that I can say is that he likely died before 1900. He is not found in the 1900 US Census.

Sources:

Averell Family History referencing Stephen Perry (b 1811): Citation: Ancestry.com. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Book Title: The Averell-Averill-Avery family : a record of the descendants of William and Abigail Averell of Ipswich, Mass. Content: A published family history states that Stephen Perry was the son of Patty Hilton (b 29 Sep 1793 at Alna, Maine; m at Alna, 1810, d 1815 at Alna) and Stephen Perry (of Alna). He was born on 15 Mar 1811. He had a sister, Mary H Perry born on 27 Jun 1813 who married Alden Flye.

1833 Marriage Record for Stephen Perry and Martha Merrill: Citation: Maine Marriages, 1771-1907, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4DR-QLW : 14 January 2020), Stephen Perry, 1833. Content: An 1833 marriage record from St Albans (Somerset) Maine states that Stephen Perry married Martha Merrill on 12 May 1833 in St Albans. Both of this town.

1840 US Census, Household of Stephen Perry (b c1811): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Year: 1840; Census Place: St Albans, Somerset, Maine; Roll: 151; Page: 241; Family History Library Film: 0009708. Content: The 1840 US Census of St Albans, Somerset County, Maine on 01 Jun 1840 lists the household of Stephen Perry (possible spelled Peary) composed of males (1 under 5, 1 age 20-29) and females (1 under 5, 1 age 20-29), a total of 4 persons.

Find a Grave Memorial 25473467 for Henrietta F Perry (b c1847).

1850 US Census, Household of Stephen Perry (b c1811): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Year: 1850; Census Place: St Albans, Somerset, Maine; Roll: 268; Page: 149a. Content: The 1850 US Census of St Albans, Somerset County, Maine on 09 Sep 1850 lists dwelling (651/696) with a household composed of (1) Stephen Perry, age 39, male, F[ree] W[ill] B[aptist] Elder, real: $1100, born Maine, (2) Martha Perry, age 38, female, born Maine, (3) Elizabeth F Perry, age 14, female, born Maine, in school, (4) Melvin Perry, age 11, male, born Maine, in school, (5) Henrietta Perry, age 3, female, born Maine.

1860 US Census, Household of Stephen Perry (b c1811): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Year: 1860; Census Place: Corinna, Penobscot, Maine; Page: 74. Content: The 1860 US Census of Corrina, Penobscot County, Maine, lists dwelling 559 with a household composed of (1) Stephen Perry, age 49, male, M[edical] D[octor], (real:$1500; pers: $1070), born New Hampshire, (2) Martha Perry, age 48, female, born Maine, (3) Melvin Perry, age 22, male, born Maine, farm laborer, (4) Eugene Perry, age 8, male, born Maine, idiotic, (5) Simeon T Robbins, age 25, male, no occupation, (real: $500, pers: 275), born Maine, (6) Elizabeth [Perry] Robbins, age 24, female, born Maine, and (7) Walter S Robbins age 1, male, born Maine.

Find a Grave Memorial 32303546 for Pvt Melvin J Perry (b 1838).

1870 US Census, Household of Benjamin Cook (b c1797) with Eugene Perry (b c1852): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Year: 1870; Census Place: Palmyra, Somerset, Maine; Roll: M593_559; Page: 315B. Content: The 1870 US Census of Palmyra, Somerset County, Maine on 27 Jun 1870 lists dwelling (191/200) with a household composed of (1) Benjamin Cook, age 73, male, farmer, (real: $500; pers: $300), born Massachusetts, male voter, (2) Martha Cook, age 58, female, keeping house, born Maine, (3) Eugene Perry, age 18, male, born Maine, cannot read or write, idiotic. Note: I had speculated that the Martha Cook in this household could be Martha Merrill since her age is about right. However, Martha Cook appears in Palmyra in 1880 in the household of a son Daniel Cook. Benjamin has apparently died during the previous decade. This sheds no light on the mystery of where Martha and Stephen were in 1870.

Find a Grave Memorial 25473454 for Eugene Perry (b 1852) .

1880 US Mortality Census record for Elizabeth Robbins (b c1836): Citation: Ancestry.com. U.S., Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. New York State Education Department, Office of Cultural Education; Albany, New York; U.S. Census Mortality Schedules, New York, 1850-1880. Content: An 1880 US Census Mortality Record for the year ending May 31, 1880, page 789, for Huntington (ED320) (Suffolk) NY, line shows that Elizabeth Robbins (from HH 237), age 43, female, white, married, born Maine, parents born Maine, keeping house, died in June 1879 of pneumonia (duration 16 days), attended by Dr B Banks.

1880 US Census, Household of Stephen Perry (b c1811): Citation: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA:Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Year: 1880; Census Place: Huntington, Su olk, New York; Roll: 935; Page: 282A; Enumeration District: 320. Content: The 1880 US Census of Huntington, Suffolk County, New York on 25 Jun 1880 shows dwelling (530/573) with a household composed of (1) Dr Stephen Perry, white, male, age 69, Medical Doctor, born Maine, parents born Maine, (2) Sarah A Perry, white, female, age 50, wife, keeping house, born Maine, parents born Maine.