HILLYER, Betsy Melissa^{[1, 2]}

1813 - 1902  (89 years)

• Name	HILLYER, Betsy Melissa
  Birth	12 Jun 1813	Granby, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA   [3]
  	In the statement attributed to Martha Charlotte, she states in paragraph three that Betsy Melissa was born 18 June 1813 in Granville; and then in paragraph five she [Martha Charlotte] states that Betsy Melissa was born 12 June 1813 in Conn. I note that correspondence I had with Mrs. Ernest Wileder Halstead Jr. of Ocean Springs, Miss. back in the 1980s indicated Betsy Melissa as having been born in Conn. also. It appears the 12 June 1813 is the correct date, and most often quoted. I do not know for positive where Betsy Melissa Hillyer was born. One source says she was born in Granville...which I presume to be Granville, NY. Granville, NY does not appear to be highly probable to me [however, I have been known to be wrong before] as if the Hillyers did indeed migrate from here to Ohio, it would seem that New Paltz in Ulster County, NY would be out of the way for the wagon train the Hillyers moved west in and the Halsteads joined in the journey. If the construction of Betsy Melissa Hillyers ancestors ties to John Hillier of Windsor, CT as we are being led to believe, I do note that a number of individuals, including Holcombs and I believe Hillyers, migrated from Windsor to Granby and Simsbury [a couple of neighboring communities], CT and as a result I postulate that it may have been that Betsy Melissa Hillyer was born in Granby, Hartford County, Connecticut. Note 22 Jan 2007, Betsy appears in most all of the census records as born CT, therefore I would surmise that Granby, CT was her birth place. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Carl Hillyer wrote a ltr to John & Flo Dougherty in 1980 listing data he had gotten from Elsie Hillyer Shaffer listing the birth place for Betsy Melissa Hillyer as "6/12/1815 Granby, Conn" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Note from Sandy Hagen: "Just in case you have an doubts about Betsy Melissa being related to Philetus Hillyer, I found a letter in Grandma’s file that I believe is from Ernest W. Halstead Jr. that mentions Philetus, Bazilla, etc.. the letter is hard to read, understand and not signed." [Sandy's grandmother was Iva Halstead] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Carl Hillyer's comment: "I can still hear my grandfather, Ermine Hillyer [son of Erastus Lyman and Mary Lois [GILKESON] Hillyer] tell how Philetus Hillyer walked all the way from Connecticut, took up a spot on the river between Johnson and Kinsman, established a mill powered by waterwheel and erected a home and then went back to Connecticut and brought the family to Ohio." I believe this item places Philetus and family at Connecticut, and migrating from there to Ohio. Thus I feel fairly certain Betsy Melissa Hillyer was born Granby, CT. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ reply from Sandy Hagen: "Hi cuz, I agree with your statement, but have searched for months trying to find the proof, to no avail ;~( I have not found any record of Philetus Hillyer’s marriage or Betsy’s birth. However, as I have stated before all the census records, with the exception of one (when she was living with here son) have her birth place listed as Connecticut. Due to the consistency of the census records we can use that as a starting point for verification. ~ Sandy 28 May 2003 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Gender	Female
  Census	1 Jun 1860	Montgomery, Marion County, Ohio, USA
  Census	1 Jun 1860	Montgomery, Marion County, Ohio, USA   [4]
  Betsy Holsted 48 F CT
  Census	1 Jun 1870	La Rue, Marion County, Ohio, USA
  Census	1 Jun 1870	La Rue, Marion County, Ohio, USA   [4]
  Halstead, B. M. 58 F W keep house CT
  Census	1880	Fort Dodge, Webster County, Iowa, USA
  Census	1880	Fort Dodge, Webster County, Iowa, USA
  Betsy HALSTEAD Fort Dodge, Webster, IA 67 <1813> New York Female Mother
  Census	6 Jun 1900	Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi, USA
  Census	6 Jun 1900	Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi, USA   [4, 5]
  Betsy states in the census that she was born Connecticut, that her father was born New York, and her mother Connecticut ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``` Halstead, Betsy M mother W F Jun 1813 86 wid 10/6 CT NY CT
  _UID	A8A813D20CDAF84082C86305219AB6D2486D
  _UID	A8A813D20CDAF84082C86305219AB6D2486D
  Death	2 Aug 1902  [6]
  Burial	Aft 2 Aug 1902	Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi, USA
  	buried at Evergreen cemetery
  Person ID	I39176	HalstedMaster
  Last Modified	13 Nov 2025

  
  

  Marriage	10 May 1811	Granby, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA   [7, 8]
  	Carl Hillyer data gives "May 10,1811 Granby, OH"
  Family ID	F13492	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	HALSTEAD, Reverend David Demaree,   b. 24 Feb 1811, New Paltz, Ulster County, New York, USA d. 3 Dec 1887, West Ft Dodge, Webster County, Iowa, USA (Age 76 years)
  Marriage	22 Nov 1832	Johnson, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA   [1]
  Notes	David Demaree Halstead, b. Old Paltz, NY moved w/parents by wagon train to Johnson Township, Trumball Co, OH in 1816; in this same wagon train Betsy Melissa Hillyer and her parents also moved west.David D. and Betsy m. 1832 and remained Johnson Township until they relocated to Marion Co in 1836, then Greensburg, OH in 1840, and to Ft. Dodge, IA in 1872, where they remained. [1, 9]
  Children	1. HALSTEAD, Eleanor Melinda,   b. 27 Mar 1837, Johnson, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA d. 21 Sep 1860, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA (Age 23 years)   2. HALSTEAD, Chloetilda Caroline,   b. 11 Oct 1838, Greensburg, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA d. 28 Feb 1890, Ft Dodge, Webster County, Iowa, USA (Age 51 years)   3. HALSTEAD, Martha Charlotte,   b. 11 Jul 1840, Johnson, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA d. 7 Jan 1917, Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska, USA (Age 76 years)   4. HALSTEAD, David Wileder,   b. 2 Mar 1842, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA d. 28 Aug 1918 (Age 76 years)   5. HALSTEAD, Dwight Wilson,   b. 17 Mar 1844, Greensburg, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA d. 24 Jun 1844, Greensburg, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA (Age 0 years)   6. HALSTEAD, Orange Billings,   b. 2 Nov 1846, Mecca, Trumball County, Ohio, USA d. 5 Dec 1930, Oroville, Butte County, California, USA (Age 84 years)   7. HALSTEAD, Joshua Bascom,   b. 30 Oct 1849, Johnson, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA d. 11 Jan 1912, Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio, USA (Age 62 years)   8. HALSTEAD, James Oakland,   b. 27 Jul 1851, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA d. 3 Aug 1859, La Rue, Marion County, Ohio, USA (Age 8 years)   9. HALSTEAD, Jane Elizabeth,   b. 28 Jun 1853, Greensburg, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA d. Oct 1945, Concord, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, USA (Age 92 years)   10. HALSTEAD, Charles Mace,   b. 5 Sep 1855, La Rue, Marion County, Ohio, USA d. 14 Dec 1935, Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, USA (Age 80 years)
  Family ID	F13277	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	13 Nov 2025

  
  

• Sources

  [S17615] "350 Years of Halsteads In America". [S17614] File (merged): J:\JH-Family-History\Family-Historian7-Projects\Isaac-Halstead-1763\Isaac-Halstead-1763.fh_data\Isaac-Halstead-1763.ged, (OF NO USE - simply identifies for us when two Gedcom FIles have been merged). Record originated in... [S17629] Statement of Martha Charlotte (Halstead)Stevenson. statement. There are Granvilles in both New York and Ohio; however, David Demaree was five years old when his family travelled with the same wagon train the Hillyers took to Ohio in 1816. And if Betsy was born in 1813, it would have had to be in New York. Therefore, the Hillyers migrated from Granville, Washington County, N.Y. [S17785] Census rolls. [S17640] e-mail. [S17626] Donna Fife Deavers of Nebraska. [S17652] family records. [S17658] letter from... [S17614] File (merged): J:\JH-Family-History\Family-Historian7-Projects\Isaac-Halstead-1763\Isaac-Halstead-1763.fh_data\Isaac-Halstead-1763.ged, (OF NO USE - simply identifies for us when two Gedcom FIles have been merged).