DAGGETT, Mayhew

  General Notes:

The children of Mayhew Daggett (b.1730) are often attributed to his cousin Mayhew Daggett (b.1735). Kay Lundell writes in her biography of Mayhew Daggett (b. 1730): "Mayhew Daggett was born, 10 Jan 1730 (1730/29), in Attleborough, Bristol, Mass. It will be noted that because of the year beginning on the 25th of March, there is some confusion as to his birth year. His parents were married, 29 Jan 1729 (1728/29), and he was born a year later in 1730. (The printed books have 1729 but a very close scrutiny of the original record gave the 1730 date. There is also another Mayhew Daggett born in 1735 and many records of his dates and wives' names have been confused in the printed books with Mayhew Daggett who moves to Dutchess Co.)"

The Mayhew who was born in 1735 married Martha and he died in 1775. He is buried in the Old Hatch Grave Yard in Attleborough, MA near the graves of his father and mother, Elihu and Rebecca Daggett and the grave of his young daugher, Lydia. Mayhew's gravestone reads Mr. Mayhew Daggett, d. May 7, 1775 in 40 y. The gravestone of his daughter indicates that she is the daughter of Mayhew and Martha Daggett. (Online database of Cemetery Inscriptions at the NEHGS website, newenglandancestors.org.)

Contributing to the confusion is the appearance of two Naomi Daggetts. Mayhew and Esther (Atwater) Daggett had a daughter Naomi who married John Mott. Mayhew also had a sister Naomi who married Ebenezer Sweet.

There are two other Mayhew's who are potentially confused. Mayhew (b. 1730) is occasionally confused with his son, Mayhew Junior (b. 1757) and with his uncle, Captain Mayhew Daggett (b. 1686), the brother of his father Thomas Mayhew.

Mayhew Daggett is sort of a key in this family file. There's another Daggett in my line, William Daggett of Saco, Maine of a much earlier date, and I don't know how the two might be related back in English history.

Born and raised in Attleborough, Massachuttes, Mayhew moved to New York State, Dutchess county in the first half of the decade of 1750, whereupon he soon met and married the 18 year old Esther Atwater, the daughter of a blacksmith who herself had just moved from the 'big city' New Haven. Mayhew became a blacksmith, and it is even supposed that he may have apprenticed with his father-in-law Caleb Atwater. Caleb had moved to what was known as North East in Dutchess County.

The French and Indian War was underway about that time, and there is a record in Williamstown, MA that lists 'Mayhew Daggitt' as among those who enlisted to fight under Ephriam Williams. At this time the first of 11 children was born to Mayhew and Esther. In the next decades the biography gives the picture of an active and productive family. Children being born, sisters and brothers marrying and having children, all leading up to the Revolution, in which two of the Daggett's children, Mayhew Junior and Thomas fought, as did Esther's youngest brother, Benjamin Atwater.

Sometime after the Revolution Esther died and the family moved to Pittstown, Rennsalear County, New York. In March of 1787 the first records of the newly fellowshipped Baptist Church of Christ list Mayhew Daggett and Naomi Daggett. In the next year or so Mayhew returned to Attleborough where his mother was near the end of her long life. There he remarried Lucy Hedden, who probably the widow of Mayhew's brother Icahbod, and they are indicated on the 1790 census of that town. That August his mother died and he continued to live in Attleborough, his second wife dying in January of 1798. Mayhew married the widow Margaret Dale that summer, and then evidently returned to New York, where he is listed on the 1800 census of Pittstown along with his son Thomas Daggett and his sons in law, John Mott, Daniel Higgins and Lewis Finch. ⁷

  Noted events in his life were:

• He owned land identified in the Path Master assignments on 3 Apr 1770 in Dutchess Co., NY. ⁸

• He owned land identified in the Path Master assignments on 2 Apr 1771 in Dutchess Co., NY. ⁹

Mayhew married Esther ATWATER, daughter of Caleb ATWATER and Lydia BENHAM, in 1752-1754 in Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess, New York.^{1 2} (Esther ATWATER was born on 31 Jul 1736 in New Haven, Connecticut ¹⁰ and died in 1776-1787 in Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess Co., New York.)

Mayhew next married Lucy HEDDEN on 5 Mar 1789 in Attleboro, Bristol Co., MA.³ (Lucy HEDDEN was born in 1742,¹¹ died on 21 Jan 1798 in Attleboro, Bristol Co., MA ¹² and was buried in Attleboro Falls Burial Yard, Attleboro, MA ¹³.)

  Marriage Notes:

That she was the widow of Ichabod Daggett is confirmed by her gravestone inscription. ¹³

Mayhew next married Margaret DALE on 19 Jul 1797-1798.⁴ (Margaret DALE was born in 1747 and died on 19 Aug 1825 in Lansingburgh, Rennselaer Co, NY.)