Section 8 – The Huntoon Family, Part 1

Written by Sandy Kinter, from Waterford Genealogical Society E-Newsletter Volume 18 Number 6

In 1872 much of Section 8 is owned by the Whitfield family, Waterman P. Grow, and Emily Huntoon. Waterman P. Grow resided in Waterford Village and he is reported with other village residents.The Huntoon family has a large presence in Sections 5 and 8. All of the family is reported on in Section 8 with a two-part series.

Today the farmlands of Section 8 are covered by homes with some small businesses along Williams Lake and Airport Roads

The Huntoon Family, Part 1

In 1832, Daniel Huntoon and his uncle, Josiah Huntoon, (1)(2)(6) both of Monroe County, New York, purchased land in Waterford Township. (3) Josiah’s land was in Section 5 and Daniel’s property was in Section 8. (3) Josiah died before 5 October 1833 when Daniel applied to Oakland County Probate Court asking to be made administrator of the estate. (4)

It was difficult to decide what section to place the report on the Huntoon family. Daniel Huntoon’s estate record shows that he resided on Josiah’s property, in Section 5. (10) An 1857 plat map of Waterford Township shows Daniel Huntoon’s Section 8 property is now owned by Waterman P. Grow, and Philetus Huntoon is the owner of the Section 5 farm. (5) To further complicate the decision, Daniel’s son Horace is shown on the 1872 plat map with property in Section 6, along the eastern shore of Maceday Lake, and Emily Huntoon, widow of Philetus, is recorded in Sections 8 and 9. The decision was made to place the family in the Section 8 reports since that was the location of Daniel Huntoon’s original purchase.

Daniel Huntoon was born 17 December 1797, in Andover, New Hampshire, the son of Phineas Huntoon and Mehitable French. (2)(6) He married, as his first wife, Melinda Norris, 2 September 1819, in Boscawen, New Hampshire, now part of Merrimack County. (7) Melinda died before 18 November 1845 for on that date Daniel married his second wife, Mary (Stanlake) Marshall, in Oakland County. (8) The marriage record clearly says Daniel Huntoon married Mary Morris, but this is incorrect. More on that mistake a little later. Daniel died 14 February 1851, in Waterford Township. (11) There is a Find A Grave entry for Daniel that says he is buried in the Waterford Village Cemetery, but like many burials in that cemetery, there is no longer a headstone. (20)

Melinda Norris was the first wife of Daniel Huntoon. She may be the Melinda Norris, born 23 January 1800 in Boscawen, New Hampshire, daughter of James and Sally Norris. (12) The death date of Melinda is unknown but she is certainly deceased before November 1845 when Daniel marries his second wife.

The second wife of Daniel Huntoon was Mary (Stanlake) Marshall, not Mary Morris as given in the marriage record. (8) A Shiawassee County history has a biography of George A. Huntoon, the only child of Daniel and Mary. The biography says that George’s mother’s maiden name was Stanlake and her first husband’s surname was Marshall. (9) Mary’s maiden name is also confirmed by George Huntoon’s death certificate and a marriage record. (12)(14) Mary Marshall with children, John and Jane, arrived at the port of New York, 18 July 1836, on the ship Ontario.(16) There is a Jane Marshall living with Daniel and Mary Huntoon in the 1850 census. (15) The death certificate of Mary’s son, John Marshall, says he was born in Warringdon Parish, Devonshire, England, and his parents are John Marshall and Mary Stanlake. (17) The 1870 census records Mary and George Huntoon as residents of Shiawassee County, Michigan. (18) Mary is living with her son John Marshall in the 1880 census. (19) Mary died sometime after 1880.

Daniel and Melinda Huntoon had three adult sons who all lived near the family farm in Waterford Township. The eldest of these sons is Philetus Huntoon. (2)(9) The Find A Grave entry for Philetus Huntoon claims he was born 24 March 1824 and died 31 July 1869, but no proof of either date is given and the inscription on the headstone is not legible in done almost 100 years ago, provided some of the proof for Philetus’ birth and death dates. (27) The reading done for Drayton Plains Cemetery has Philetus Huntoon, died 31 July 1869, age 45 years, 4 months, and 7 days. If the date and age at death are correct, this figures out to a birth date of 24 March 1824. (27) Philetus was probably born in New Hampshire since that is the place given in the censuses. The obituary of his wife, Emily, says he had died from typhoid fever. (24)

No date was found for the marriage of Philetus Huntoon and Emily Cotharin. The death certificate of William Philetus Huntoon, oldest child of Philetus and Emily, says he was born in 1854 and his mother’s maiden name was Cotharin. (22) Philetus and Emily would have been married about 1852-1853. In the 1860 census, Emily’s mother, Leah Cotharin is residing with the Huntoon family. (23)

In the 1870 census Emily Huntoon is a widow of not quite one year. She is 38 years old and born in New York. Recorded with her are her children, William P. age 15; Malinda A., age 13; Benjamin E., age 8; Charles E., age 4; and Kittie L., age 4 months, born in February. All the children were born in Michigan. Also with the family is domestic servant, Mary Lawrence, age 19, born in Canada. The 1872 plat map shows the Huntoon property was located in Sections 8 and 9, along Airport and Hatchery Roads and north to the south shore of Huntoon Lake.

The Find A Grave entry for Emily (Cotharin) Huntoon says she was born 25 December 1831. (21) But, like her husband’s Find A Grave entry, no source is given and it cannot be confirmed. In the censuses Emily is always born in New York. The 1850 census reports Emily Cotharin residing in the household of Benjamin and Eliza Cotharin. (26) Also in the household is Leah Cotharin. Benjamin’s death certificate says his parents were Samuel Cotharin and Leah Dutcher. (25) Find A Grave says Emily Huntoon died 19 November 1877, but has no headstone picture to confirm this date. (21) The old Drayton Plains cemetery reading says Emily Huntoon died 19 November 1877, age 45 years, 9 months, and 24 days. (27) This gives her a birth date of 26 January 1832, very different from the Find A Grave entry. Emily’s obituary says she died from typhoid fever, 20 November 1877. (24) She is buried with her husband in the Drayton Plains Cemetery, Waterford, Michigan. (21)

The Huntoon Family will be concluded in next month’s newsletter

Sources:

1. Sheppard, Jr., William Lee, “The Descendants of William Fifield”, The American Genealogist,
   Volume 19, 1942, page 93, AmericanAncestors, www.americanancestors.org
2. Genealogy of the Greely-Greeley Family, George H. Greeley, 1905, Boston, MA, page 236,
   Internet Archive, www.archive.org
3. Daniel Huntoon Certificate #5760, Josiah Huntoon, Certificate #5761, Bureau of Land
   Management, General Land Office Records, www.glorecords.blm.gov
4. Probate Records, Oakland County, Michigan, Volumes 1-4, 1822-1836; Volume 3,
   1830-1835, pages 289-291, Images 491-492, FHL #0640301, FamilySearch,
   www.familysearch.org
5. 1857 Plat Map, Waterford Township, Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland History Center,
   www.ocphs.org
6. The Huntoon Family in Colonial America, Allan F. Abrahamse, 2nd Edition, 2003,
   pages 40, and 99-100, FamilySearch, www.familysearch.org
7. New Hampshire, Marriage and Divorce Records, 1659-1947, Marriage Pre-1901,
   Hammond-Hood, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com
8. Record of Marriages, Oakland County, Michigan, Volumes A-C, 1827-1849; Volume C,
   1839-1849, page 360, Image 496, FHL 0973979, FamilySearch, www.familysearch.org
9. Portrait & Biographical Album of Clinton and Shiawassee Counties, Michigan,
   Chapman Bros., Chicago, 1891, pages 889-890, Hathitrust Digital Library, www.hathitrust.org
10. Probate Records, Oakland County, Michigan, Volume 18, 1851, pages 74-75, Image 55,
    FHL #0973908, FamilySearch, www.familysearch.org
11. Probate Records, Oakland County, Michigan, Volumes 16-17, 1849-1858; Volume 16,
    pages 333-334, Images 179-180, FHL #0973907, FamilySearch, www.familysearch.org
12. New Hampshire, Births and Christenings Index, 1714-1904, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com
13. Death Certificate, George A. Huntoon, #19-969, Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1952;
    Clinton County, 1921-1926, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com
14. Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952; Shiawassee County, page 258/14,
    1888, Montcalm-1889, Baraga, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com
15. 1850 Census, page 124, Waterford Township, Oakland County, Michigan, indexed on
    Ancestry as Dan’l Hartson
16. New York, Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island),
    1820-1957, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com
17. Death Certificate, John Marshall, Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1952;
    Clinton-Traverse City, 1911, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com
18. 1870 Census, page 318, Middlebury, Shiawassee County, Michigan
19. 1880 Census, page 412A, Middlebury, Shiawassee County, Michigan
20. Waterford Village Cemetery, Waterford, Michigan, Find A Grave, www.findagrave.com
21. Drayton Plains Cemetery, Waterford, Michigan, Find A Grave, www.findagrave.com
22. Death Certificate, William Philetus Huntoon, #363-6424, Michigan, Death Records,
    1867-1952; Oakland (Pontiac), 1930-1936, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com
23. 1860 Census, page 389, Waterford Township, Oakland County, Michigan
24. Obituary, Mrs. Philetus Huntoon, Pontiac Gazette, Pontiac, Michigan, Friday,
    23 November 1877, page 4; Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal, Clarke Historical Library,
    Central Michigan University,
    www.cmich.edu/library/clarke/Pages/Michigan-Digital-Newspaper-Portal.aspx
25. Death Certificate, Benjamin Cotharin #626, Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1952;
    Crawford-Houghton, 1898, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com
26. 1850 Census, page 303, Springfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan