Ruth Fox 1810 Herkimer County

Ruth Fox is an interesting person!  She married not one, but two Revolutionary War veterans.  And she tried to collect pensions for both!  I almost thought I had found my Joel Fox's mother - and maybe I have - I just need to 'mull' it over.  I'll let you decide if enough evidence exists to link Ruth and Joel.

One of the joys of Internet research can also be one of the frustrations.  You can find a lot of things online, but only the 'tip of the iceberg' is actually showing.  So many more records and documentary evidence has yet to make it to the Internet.  So I'll give you the online version of Ruth Fox's life and hopefully some day I'll be able to  verify my story with on site research.

I'll start with Ruth's application for a widow's pension based on her first husband's Revolutionary War service.  Lemuel Fox is a Connecticut Fox.  Ruth Fox applied for a pension in Onondaga County, New York on 28 Feb 1849 as Ruth Fox.  She didn't mention she had since married two more times.  Ruth states Lemuel Fox entered the service from Dutchess County, New York.

Ruth further declares her maiden name was Ruth Barnum and she married Lemuel Fox on 28 Jun 1789 at Philipstown which she states is now called Nassau, New York.  This is located in Rensselaer County.  Ruth declares her husband Lemuel Fox died on 17 Aug 1808 at the town of Camillus in Onondaga County.  This will give us two chances to locate Lemuel Fox in the census, 1790 and 1800.

Widows always had to prove they were married to the deceased veteran.  If they could not produce a marriage record, they usually would list all of the children they had with their deceased husband as proof of the marriage.  Ruth did even better, she cut the family pages right out of her Bible and submitted them as proof of her marriage to Lemuel Fox.

The image above is from the pension file and is a microfilm copy of the original Bible page!  Obviously this record was written after the birth of the last child and the death of Lemuel Fox as it is in the same handwriting and from the way the record looks, at least to me, was probably written at the same time.

To sum up her family:

• Lemuel Fox m. Ruth Barnum on 28 Jun 1789
• Amos Fox b. 16 Jul 1791
• Sarah Fox b. 16 Jun 1793
• Joel Fox b. 25 Dec 1795
• Daniel Fox b. 23 Mar 1798
• Rebecca Fox b. 17 Jul 1800
• Richard Fox b. 17 Dec 1802
• Polly Fox b. 25 Aug 1805
• Hannah Fox b. 21 Feb 1808

The only death record listed is that for Lemuel Fox who died 17 Aug 1808.  I copied the Map Quest map below to give you an idea of where the Lemuel and Ruth married and the area they settled in.  Notice that even today, you would drive through Utica to get to Camillus.

I became excited with the listing for their child Joel Fox.  The birth age fits perfectly with the Joel Fox living in Deerfield, Oneida County in 1820.  Is this him?