The Asahel Mosaic
Abner BLANCHARD [1737-c1824]
Asahel BLANCHARD [1771-c1860]
The Line:
Thomas - George(1) - George(2) - William - Abner ?-? Asahel - Charles Henry - . . .
Asahel BLANCHARD, my g.g.g.grandfather, was born in Vermont and was living in New Haven,
Addison Co., VT at census time in 1810,20,30. He was a member of the household of his son Charles
Henry in Saratoga Co., NY in 1850 and 1855 and in Washington, Co., NY in 1860. During the intervening
years, Asahel has proven to be an elusive character in this little story. Records of his birth and death have
been just as elusive.. Various spellings of this given name include: Ashuel, Asaiel, Achabel, Asaph, and Asaphel, however, places
and dates suggest that this is the same person.
Asahel married as early as 1794 and of his seven children, two sons are known to be Charles Henry and Abner
and two daughters are thought to be Sarah and Olive. His wife is unknown and even the death certificate
for her son Charles Henry bears the entry Mother - unknown.
Abner BLANCHARD, born in Killingly, Windham, CT, was one of eight sons of William and Thankful
WEBSTER; a daughter Elizabeth died in infancy. He married Ruth RYAN in Sturbridge, MA where they
lived a short time before migrating to VT. Their first son John Ryan was born in Sturbridge but six other
children were born in VT including known sons Charles, Ezekial, and Abner. Three unknown children,
apparently sons based on census records, were born in a time period matching the known birth year of
Asahel.
Abner served in the Revolutionary War and was at Bennington with his brother Azariel. Abner
married(2) Hannah CURTIS and together with sons Charles, Ezekial, and Abner, Jr. were among the early
settlers (1798) of Tioga Co. PA. Brother William was also in the Revolution and settled in Isle la Motte,
Grand Isle, VT after the conflict. A third brother Asahel, one of Ethan Allen's Green Mountain Boys, was a
long-time resident and large-scale land owner in New Haven, Addison, VT where he died and is buried.
Oh, by the way, the other sons of William and Thankful were Amaziah, Abiather, Adonijah, and Abiel.
To fit more pieces of the mosaic; at the time that the two Asahels were living in New Haven, VT, the younger
man was identified in the census as Asahel(2nd). This notation is sometimes used to distinguish between
father/son where (Jr) might be used and a possible uncle/nephew or cousin relationship.
But there is more. In Abner's pension application, he states that he was a cooper. In census records,
Asahel(2nd) is listed as a cooper.
Was Asahel(2nd) named for his famous Revolutionary War uncle, Asahel? If so, perhaps his father Abner
modestly waited to name his last son after himself. The name Asahel has carried through to later generations
of these BLANCHARD lines; Azariel's grandson Asahel was the founder of Blanchardville, WI.
Was it merely coincidence that Asahel (2nd) named one of his sons Abner or was it done to perpetuate
the name that served the country well at St. Johns, Fort Chambly, and Longueil in Quebec, Lake George
and Bemis Heights in New York and Bennington in Vermont?
If you have read this far, you are either completely bored or fascinated with this little puzzle. Perhaps it is
best to stop here and suggest that those who find a familiar name or place in these BLANCHARD lines might
contact the author so that we can share data in order to put the final piece of the mosaic in place and
confirm the Abner/Asahel connection.
In Memoriam
The Two Coopers
Abner & Asahel BLANCHARD
'Ole' Pickle Barrel
Calef's Country Store
Barrington, NH
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