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Laura,
I have a lot of information on this family although not everything is 100% verified yet. It is still a tangled web we are pulling apart. It appears that Roswell B. Alford was brother with Chauncey Alford and two additional sisters and another brother (I believe the brother may have been Amasa Alford jr. who shows up in court records in Essex County, NY). I believe their father was Amasa Alford b. Sept. 11, 1764 in Becket, MA. Amasa was the son of Elijah Alford b. Dec. 14, 1732 in Simsbury, CT and Hannah Higley b. Mar. 11, 1737 in Simsbury, CT. You will find ancestries for both of them posted on Ancestry.com.
Elijah died January 16, 1771 in Becket, MA and is buried in the 1st Congregational Church Cemetery. I have a picture of the tombstone which is still standing behind the church if you would like a copy. Elijah and Hannah had seven children all born in Becket, MA: Elijah jr. b. April 13, 1757 died April 11, 1832 Windham, OH; Asahel b. Nov. 22, 1760 died June 25, 1853 Herkimer County, NY; Amasa b. Sept 17, 1762 died January 25, 1764 Becket, MA; Amasa b. Sept 11, 1764 died after 1840 probably in Scioto County, OH; Abner b. Jun 29, 1767 died May 10, 1832 near Turin, Lewis County, NY; Amos b. Jan 25, 1769 died Sept 11 1769 Becket, MA; and Hannah b. May 14, 1771.
After Elijah's death, Hannah married James Gaines and they had a son James Gaines, jr. Their marriage intention was filed May 7, 1775 in Becket, MA and they were presumably married soon after. I do not have a death date for James Gaines Sr. but Hannah married a third time on Sept 23, 1784 to Seth Porter in Castelton, Rutland County, VT. She had moved there to be near her brother Brewster Higley III. He was an early settler in Castelton and his house is now owned by the local Historical Society. Hannah died in nearby Rutland, VT on Jan 27, 1823.
Of Elijah and Hannah's children, Elijah Jr. and Asahel both served in the Revolutionary War serving first in Boston, then deserting to return home, then re-joining. Asahel was camped at Valley Forge. Amasa, only 11 at the beginning of the war, served as a "minuteman" in the militia and later applied for a pension in 1837 when he had moved to Tioga County, PA. Land records in Castelton, VT show that Hannah's third husband Seth Porter purchased land from Ethan Allen, leader of the Green Mountain Boys.
Hannah's brother Brewster Higley, III served as an ensign in the Connecticut Militia during the Revolutionary War having been commissioned by their father's first cousin Jonathan Trumbull, the Governor of Connecticut. The Governor's son, John Trumbull was the renowned painter and also served as an Aide-de-Camp to George Washington.
When Hannah moved to Castelton, VT it is likely that Amasa moved with her since she arrived there sometime before he was 20 years of age. I have not yet found a marriage record for Amasa. I do believe however that he is the "Amos Olford" listed in the 1790 census for Castleton, VT. That record lists one male over age 16, two males under age 16, and three females.
In 1800, the census shows Amasa Olvord still living in Castelton, VT. At this time he had two males under age 10, one male 10 through 15, one male 26 through 44 (himself), two females 16 through 25, and one female 26 through 44 (his wife).
By 1810, the family had moved to Essex County, NY and there are seperate records for Amasa Alford and Roswell (spelled Raswell) B. Alford.
By 1820, both families had moved to Tioga County, PA.
In 1830, Roswell B. Alford is living in Portsmouth, Scioto County, OH. The census lists him as Roswell B. Alfred in 1830, Roswel B. Alford in 1840, and R. B. Alford in 1850.
He died in Portsmouth, OH Feb 4, 1855.
In 1830, Amasa Alford (spelled Amosy Alforord in the census) was still living in Delmar Township, Tioga Couty, PA. He and his wife Prudence sold property to Jonathan Webster in Tioga County on April 28, 1831. This is the only information I have on his wife's name. Whether she was his only wife or the mother of his children I don't know yet. In 1837, a petition was filed for his revolutionary war pension but there is no record I have found of it ever being issued.
Also in 1830, his son Chauncey Alford (spelled Chancy Alford in the census) also appears in the census for Tioga County, PA. One of Chauncey's children was Chauncey Higley Alford (I found his middle name in his Civil War pension file), Higley of course being Amasa's mother's maiden name. Chauncey had been living in Tioga Couty during the 1820s and married Harriet J. Spencer, daughter of Uriah Spencer and I believe his first wife, Deborah Eliot based on her birthdate of Feb 21, 1800 which comes from Richard Cooper, a descendant living in San Francisco who had gotten the information from family that still lives in Ohio.
By 1840 Chauncey and his family had moved to Scioto County, OH. In the census it appears that Amasa is now living with Chauncey as there is a male age 70-79 in the household although no similar aged female. According to Richard Cooper, Chauncey died October 20, 1845.
By 1850, Chauncey's wife Harriet and the children had moved to Hamburg, Calhoun County, IL just north and across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Roswell's family also appears to have migrated to Calhoun County or the St. Louis area by 1850. Roswell's oldest son Chauncey Willard Alford lived just ten doors away from his aunt Harriet and his cousins in Hamburg.
I have a lot more information on the family and many of their descendants. I also have many of the paternal ancestors of Roswell B. and his brother Chauncey Alford and many of the ancestors of Chauncey's wife Harriet Spencer. Please feel free to email me.
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