Ethan WILBUR (1781-17 Dec 1855) +
Phebe LIBBY (7 Mar 1784-26 Nov 1863)

Elizabeth “Betsey” (31 Jan 1803-7 Dec 1881) — m. Cyrus Odell on 17 Feb 1838

Benjamin (7 Nov 1804-18 Oct 1883) — m. Mary Heath on 25 Dec 1832

Rhoda M. (27 Nov 1809-6 Oct 1866) — m. Harrison G. Heath on 19-20 Apr 1842

Eunice (7 Mar 1812-3 Jul 1891) — m. Edward Toothaker on 25 Mar 1834

Jane E. (28 Jul 1814-21 Jun 1895) — m. Joseph B. Beedy on 8 Jan 1834

Isaiah E. (Nov 1816-22 Oct 1849)

Phoebe (19 Jun 1819-20 Jan 1893) — m. Abner Toothaker on 26 Oct 1837

Ethan (2 Feb 1822-22 Dec 1842)

Roxany (5 May 1824-14 Aug 1824)

Nancy C. (7 Jun 1825-26 Nov 1880) — m. Gilbert Stetson on 19 Dec 1847; m. Noah Clough Davenport on 10 Jul 1869

Mary Ann (Dec 1828-21 May 1894) — m. Francis Cushman “Frank” Hewey on 22 Sep 1849

Ethan was born in Rhode Island, parents unknown. His last name is sometimes spelled Wilber.

Phebe was born in Buxton, York County, Maine to Elisha Libby, Sr. (????-Jul 1821) and Eunice ???? (????-5 Sep 1839). An old record giving dates for all her children claims her actual date of birth was 20 Mar 1785.

Ethan and Phebe married on 23 Sep 1802 in Somerset County, Maine. The marriage license got Ethan’s last name as “Willberry”.

The 1810 census listed the family in “Curvo”, Somerset County, which I can’t find on a map, but all of their children, starting in 1803, were listed as born in Phillips, Franklin County. Ethan might have served in the War of 1812, as there was a private named Eathan Wilber in the 3rd Massachusetts Militia.

In the 1840 census, they still had four children at home: a woman in her twenties, a boy age 15-19, a girl 10-14, and a boy under 5. One of the two teenagers would have been Ethan, and the other either Nancy or Mary Ann. The young woman and the younger boy were likely a widowed daughter and the daughter’s child.

The 1850 census listed just Ethan (66) and Phebe (64).

Ethan died in 1855. In 1860, Phebe was living with Benjamin and his family in Phillips. She died in 1863. She and Ethan are buried in Pinkham Hill Cemetery, Phillips, which according to the burial record was also called Dill Cemetery and is on Route 4 near Butterfield Corner. Sons Isaiah and Ethan are buried there also. Their gravestones all use the “Wilber” spelling.

Children

Elizabeth “Betsey” Wilbur (1803-1881)

Betsey married Cyrus Odell (1803-1886) in supposedly 1838, a very late first marriage for a woman of her day. Maybe she had been married before? On the other hand, given the dates of birth for their children, the recorded marriage date is probably a mistake. They had six children of record:

Margaret (1832-????)

Solomon N. (1834-????) — m. Emma E. ???

Cyrus Benjamin (Dec 1838-30 Jan 1904) — m. Betsey Jo Morrison on 16 Nov 1861

Mary G. (1840-????)

Alonzo Jones (18 Nov 1842-11 Mar 1923) — m. Mary Eveline Jewell on 4 Sep 1869

Phoebe Ellen (6 Jul 1844-3 May 1915) — m. William Warren Kempton on 21 Sep 1861

In 1850, Betsey and Cyrus were living with Cyrus’s father Thomas (80) in Farmington. I don’t know where they were in 1860, but I hope they had a place of their own for a while, because in 1870 they were with son Cyrus and family, along with unmarried son Alonzo, and in 1880, they were living with son Solomon and family. Betsey died in 1881 and is buried in North Farmington Cemetery.

Benjamin Wilbur (1804-1883)

Benjamin married Mary Heath (~1805-21 Nov 1896) in 1832. They had eight children that I know of, most of whom died young:

Joel (19 Sep 1833-1924) — m. Lauraett Louisa Howard on 27 Mar 1856

Benjamin Franklin (183x-25 Jan 1837)

Mary C. (4 Jun 1835-25 Jul 1835)

Benjamin Franklin (~1837-16 May 1860)

Daniel Wesley (183x-13 Oct 1840)

Daniel Wesley (17 Jul 1841-22 Mar 1852)

Sanford K. (1844-????)

Mary Octavia (Sep 1847-12 Jul 1916) — m. Jonas A. Badger on 15 Jan 1863

The 1850 through 1880 censuses showed them in Phillips. Benjamin’s mother Phebe was with them in 1860. Benjamin died in 1883 and is buried in Pinkham Hill Cemetery, Phillips, the same place as his parents. Mary died in 1896 and is buried with him.

Rhoda M. Wilbur (1809-1866)

Rhoda married Harrison G. Heath (1811-1872) on 19 or 20 Apr 1842 in Phillips. Children:

Joel H. (30 Jan 1843-20 Jan 1918) — m. Sarah Etta Cushman on 28 Nov 1867

Emma J. (1844-1870) — m. Ezra H. McKeen on 21 May 1887

Phebe E. (1846-????)

Caroline W. (1849-1870)

Mercy (1852-12 Jul 1863)

Charles W. (Jun 1856-after 1940) — m. Nellie Wyman on 21 Nov 1878

In 1850, they were living in Readfield, Kennebec County. In 1860, they were back in Phillips. Rhoda died in 1866 and is buried in Pinkham Hill Cemetery, the same place as her parents.

Eunice Wilbur (1812-1891)

Eunice married Rev. Edward Toothaker (1813-12 Feb 1879) in 1834. They moved to Rangeley. Their children:

Joel Wilbur (5 Mar 1835-1920) — m. Louisa Cogswell in 1857; m. Hattie E. ???

Abigail Q. (1837-4 Feb 1889) — m. Dennis H. Pratt on 2 Jun 1858; m. Martin Van Buren Whitney about 1865; m. Eben J. Gilkey on 5 Mar 1884

Abner T. (30 Oct 1839-27 Jul 1894) — m. Ann Lamb in 1858

Margaret A. (23 Jul 1840-2 Apr 1887) — m. Stephen Pratt on 3 Nov 1879

Lydia R. (12 Sep 1843-30 Jul 1865)

Dexter W. B. (~1847-5 Jul 1927) — m. Elvira E. Pratt about 1870

In 1880, after Edward’s death, Eunice was living with son Abner and his family in Rangeley. She died in 1891 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Phillips.

Jane E. Wilbur (1814-1895)

Jane married Joseph B. Beede/Beedy (11 Mar 1805-1 Mar 1892) from New Hampshire in 1834. Children:

Sarah Frances (15 Oct 1836-????)

Joseph A. (~1840-????)

Nathan Frank (Mar 1843/1845-????) — m. Frances J. McKenney on 31 Mar 1869; m. Olive Jennie Silver on 31 Dec 1894

Emma F. (~1848-????)

Louisa Sarepta (1851-5 Jul 1898) — m. William Ebenezer Chandler on 5 Mar 1881

They appear to have lived in Madrid. Jane died there in 1895, and is buried in Phillips, cemetery undetermined.

Isaiah E. (1816-1849) and Ethan Wilbur (1822-1842)

Isaiah and Ethan both died relatively young and, as far as I know, unmarried. They’re both buried with their parents in Pinkham Hill Cemetery, Phillips.

Phoebe Wilbur (1819-1893)

Phoebe has her own entry in the family tree.

Nancy C. Wilbur (1825-1880)

Nancy married Gilbert Stetson (6 Jan 1815-7 Aug 1865) from Massachusetts in 1847. He already had a son named Allen from a previous marriage. Children:

Helena A. “Lena” (16 Oct 1848-16 Aug 1873) — m. Dexter Waterman French on 4 Apr 1867

Lura E. (~1852-~1867)

Gilbert Wesley, Jr. (~1854-????)

The 1850 census showed them in Phillips with daughter Helena, plus Gilbert’s son Allen. In 1860, they had all three of their children.

Gilbert died in 1865, a few months after the Civil War. He must have served in the Union army, as Nancy later drew a widow’s pension in his name. In 1869 she married again, to Noah Clough Davenport (20 Jan 1814-10 May 1896) from Massachusetts. The 1870 census showed her and Noah in Phillips, with her son Wesley living with them. Nancy died in 1880 and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Phillips.