RISLEY, Jonathon b. 17 Oct 1749 Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States d. 4 Apr 1813 Madison, Madison, New York, United States

1749 - 1813 (63 years)

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Name	RISLEY, Jonathon
Birth	17 Oct 1749	Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Christening	17 Oct 1749	Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Gender	Male
Burial	Apr 1813	Tarrytown Cemetery, Waterville, Oneida, New York, United States
Death	4 Apr 1813	Madison, Madison, New York, United States
WAC	16 May 1935	SLAKE
_TAG	Reviewed on FS
Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
Person ID	I21579	Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith
Last Modified	19 Aug 2021

Father	RISLEY, Nathaniel , b. 1723, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesd. 25 Jun 1777, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States (Age 54 years)
Mother	CALDWELL, Ruth , b. 1726, Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesd. 1762, East Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States (Age 36 years)
Marriage	1743	Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Family ID	F11769	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family DAMON, Phebe , b. 1753, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesd. 10 Oct 1833, Tarrytown, Westchester, New York, United States (Age 80 years)

Marriage 1773 Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Children 6 sons and 2 daughters

	1. RISLEY, Benjamin , b. 22 Nov 1774, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesd. 15 Nov 1830, Glastonbury, Hartford, Connecticut, United States (Age 55 years)
	2. RISLEY, Jonathon , b. 9 Jan 1777, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesd. 4 Apr 1827, Tarrytown, Westchester, New York, United States (Age 50 years)
+	3. RISLEY, Elizabeth , b. 22 Dec 1779, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesd. 13 Sep 1841, Hubbardsville, Madison, New York, United States (Age 61 years)
	4. RISLEY, Hannah , b. 5 Apr 1783, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesd. 30 Oct 1872, Brookfield, Madison, New York, United States (Age 89 years)
	5. RISLEY, Ebenezar Eleazur , b. 17 Sep 1787, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesd. 2 Feb 1858, Volney, Oswego, New York, United States (Age 70 years)
	6. RISLEY, Louisa , b. 11 Nov 1789, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesd. 1 Sep 1801, Brookfield, Madison, New York, United States (Age 11 years)
	7. RISLEY, Chauncey , b. 3 Sep 1792, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesd. 16 Sep 1855, Connecticut, United States (Age 63 years)
	8. RISLEY, Sylvester , b. 12 Jan 1797, Brookfield, Madison, New York, United States Brookfield, Madison, New York, United Statesd. 16 Sep 1855 (Age 58 years)

Family ID F11669 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 24 Jan 2022

Photos At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

Notes

PHEBE DAMON RISLEY
By Roy D. Gould

For the descendants of Jonathan Risley (220 DRR) the identity of his wife Phebe had long been a question that had gone unanswered. In the Risley Family History, 1909 Edwin H. Risley Stated: Jonathan married"Phoebe Deming in 1773, h. 1753; d. Oct 10, 1833. Phoebe Deming was a lineal descendant of John Deming who was one of the persons named in the Connecticut charter of Charles 11 of England." This statement has been proved to be incorrect. Phebe was a Damon or Daman with no relationship to John Deming of Wethersfield, Connecticut.

Phebe is buried in the West Hills Cemetery, between Sangerfield and North Brookfield, Madison County, NY, next to Jonathan. Her headstone says: "In Memory of Phebe, wife of Jonathan Risley, died Oct. 10,1833, aged 80 years." It provided no clue to her identity other than the year she was born. The Genealogy of the Descendants of John Deming of Wethersfield, CT by. Judson K. Deming, 1904 revealed no Phebe in1753 in any of the families covered. Nor could we find a record of her birth in other vital record sources. The author did provide a clue however. Deming lamented that "a large number of persons and families bearing the name Deming, are descendants of ancestors of various names that changed to Deming. Most frequent among them are the descendants of John Damon of Scituate, Mass, a contemporary of John Deming of Wethersfield, Conn."

Then out of the blue, the marriage record for Jonathan and Phebe was discovered in the vital records of Somers, CT by cousin, Robert J.Irwin. It states: "Phebe Deman, m. Jonathan Risley, both of Hartford,April 25, 1774, by Thomas Pitkin, of Bolton, Conn." We now knew for afact she was from Hartford, that there had to be a Deman, Damon, or Daman family living there. Indeed there was, the vital records of Hartford record the marriage of Benjamin Dammon of Hartford, married to Mercy Palmer of Windham November 5th 1740, and the birth of a son in 1744, but, no mention of a daughter. Additionally, the ear mark for the creatures of Benjamin Daman Jr were entered Dec 6, 1749.

The will of Benjamin Daman Jr provides us with the answer. It was written August 28, 1787, he was then living at East Hartford, Conn.,and admitted for probate shortly after his death on November 4, 1807.He made the following bequest: "Item: I give to my beloved daughter,Phebe Risley the sum of five shillings lawful money to be paid out of my estate." Thus the wife of Jonathan Risley was Phebe Daman or Damon.It should also be noted that Jonathan and Phebe named their first child and eldest son, Benjamin, in deference to her father.

There was another Phoebe Risley in the family, but she could not be confused for Jonathan's spouse. She was Phoebe (Bills) Risley born July 24, 1761, a daughter of John and Irene (Swetland) Bills, who married Jonathan's first cousin, Elijah Risley Sr [215 DRR] in 1779,they lived at Fredonia, NY.

Phebe's ancestry is as follows: she was a daughter of Benjamin Damon Jr, born 6 Mar 1723, Reading, MA, died 4 Nov 1806, East Hartford, CT,he married 5 Nov 1740 at Hartford, CT Mercy Palmer who died 30 Dec1781; granddaughter of Benjamin Damon, born 30 Apr 1693, at Reading,MA, died 21 Aug 1771, Reading, MA, he married Mercy Flint, a daughter of George 2 and Elizabeth (Putnam) Flint, born 7 oct 1692 and died 26 Apr 1740, at Reading, MA; great granddaughter of Samuel Damon, who was born 23 June 1656, Reading, MA, died 12 Jan 1723/4 Reading, MA, he married in 1680, Mary (Davis) Grover, a daughter of George and Sarah(Clark) Davis, born 16 Jan 1657/8 and died 29 Nov 1727, Reading, MA;2nd great granddaughter of John Damon, who is said to have come to America in 1635, settling first at Scituate, MA, removing to Reading,MA where he died on 8 Apr 1708, he married, Abigail Sherman, a daughter of Richard and Elizabeth ( ? ) Sherman, she died 25 Dec 1713,at Reading, MA. Her father resided at Dedham, MA.

Jonathan and Phebe settled at Brookfield, Madison County, NY in 1792,where they were first settlers. She may not have known of her father's passing. The confusion about her origins is directly attributable to the several spellings of the surname as it appears in various record sources. All is now clear.