Jeremiah and Meranda Gillet family

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Permalink Reply by Michael Evans on September 18, 2011 at 10:01am

I was working on my Gillet line.  Jeremiah Baldwin and Meranda Clark are my 4th Great Grandparents through William Clark Gillet who after spending time in Illinios and Minnesota came to Texas between 1880 and 1900.  I was looking at some LDS records that indicated that Meranda parents were Walter Clark and Mary Wilson.  This Walter Clark moved his entire family to Brighton Twp. Northumberland, Ontario Canada in 1845.  So this part of the story corraborates your original post.  My 3 great Grandfather William Clark Gillet was the 1st born in 1829 and indicates on mutiple census he was born in Canada.  So maybe Walter and his family followed Jeremiah and Meranda in 1845. 

I would be interested if you found out any further information.

Thanks Mike Evans

Permalink Reply by Kristy Crane on September 20, 2011 at 10:48am

Hey Mike, 

I'm so glad to hear from you.  Jeremiah and Meranda are also my 4th Great Grandparents through William Clark and then Earnest Bertram...so we are at least 4th cousins.  :)  I have learned more since I posted the above.  I was able to take a trip to Ontario and between all the activities with my family, squeezed in a little genealogy.  The library in Cobourg was very helpful and they identified Jeremiah in the 1842 Cramahe census.  It turns out that the family was never in Cobourg at all...they first settled a little farther east a few miles north of the town of Colborne.  The 1842 census indicated that Jeremiah and his family came to Ontario in 1827, that 2 in the family were born in Canada and 4 in the US.  In the household were 1 male 5-14, 1 female 5-14, 1 single male 14-18, 1 married male 30-60, 1 married female 14-45, 1 single female 14-45, 100 bushels of potatoes, 200 lbs. maple sugar, 4 neat cattle, 5 hogs.  It would appear likely that Jeremiah was following his half-brother Reuben Gillet who was already there in Cramahe.

 

So knowing that they were in Cramahe I also found that the Cramahe assements from the years of 1830 to 1842 were available.  The assessments gave the age ranges for each member of the family, the acres that were cultivated and the lot and concession where the person farmed, as well as all their animals and how much their tax was.  Jeremiah is spotty on these assessments (he doesn't show up every year, but in just over half.)  He lived in the first place until about 1837 and then moved north and a little east to a lot west of Codrington.  I'm not sure how long he stayed, but we know that he was in Reach Township by 1847 when his son Ruell was married (the record is on Ancestry.)

 

The sketch of Jeremiah Gillet published in the history of Blue Earth City states that he had 6 children.  It turns out that William Clark was born third.  Lucy M was born in 1825, Ruell in 1827, William Clark in 1829, Silva Melinda in 1832, Pamelia in 1845, and Daniel Baldwin in 1849.

 

I've been searching for a document that would specifically link Meranda to Walter Clark.  There appears to be no documents in Canton, St. Lawrence, New York. Just the two census entries for Walter Clark in 1810 and 1820.  There is also mention of him being one of the first commissioners of the roads.  I have also found the birth record and marriage record for Walter Clark in Vermont.  The first fairly concrete evidence of Meranda being Walter Clark's daughter is that Walter is also in the Cramahe assessments (more regularly than Jeremiah.)  According to the 1842 census Walter moved his family to Canada in 1828...just a year after Jeremiah and Meranda (this also make sense when you can't locate Walter on an 1830 census.)  According to the assessments he farmed directly across the street from Jeremiah and Meranda when he moved in.  And he actually moved near Codrington a year or so before Jeremiah did.  Then, in Codrington, DeWitt C Clark, who had been living on the same property as his father Walter is found living on the same property as Jeremiah.  That is a good amount of circumstantial evidence that Meranda is Walter's daughter.  

 

We found the Clark Cemetery just north of Codrington, on Walter Clark's old land, and gravestones for many of the Clark family including Walter.  This land which used to be in Cramahe was added to Brighton in 1851 when they formed the Brighton township.  That is why Walter Clark is found in the Brighton Township census in 1851 (which was actually taken in 1852.)  I'm still trying to organize and analyze all the information I gathered on this trip.  We moved less than a month later and we are still getting settled in.  During our move we also stopped in Blue Earth and found where Jeremiah and William Clark farmed while they were there.  I also found Jeremiah's will.  

 

I hope I haven't lost you will all this rambling.  It's hard to keep everything straight with so many people...I'm just excited that I've been able to find so much information.  I'd be willing to send you copies of what I have if you send me your email.  Thanks for responding!

Kristy  

Permalink Reply by Michael Evans on September 21, 2011 at 1:18pm

Thanks Kristy...what great information.  I have a photo of William Clark Gillit - (this is how the family name was passed down).  I will send this to you.  Could you share what you have on the Gillet/Gillit/Gillette line back from Jeremiah?  My email address is mevans@mevansfamily.com.  Thank you so much.  Mike