Notes from the Journal of Anne
Catherine Perkins
(born June 10, 1800 in Stanstead,
Quebec, Canada, died
October 13, 1885, in Chenoa, Illinois)
August 28, 1876
The Cossitt Family
My mother’s name was Anne Catherine Cassite
as they use to spell it when I was young, which in French, some say,
would be Cossette and others say that in France, it was called Cassa.
I cannot say which is right—I know they have
altered it since I was a woman, and I believe they all spell it Cossitt
now—I went to Claremont (New Hampshire)* when I was 14 or 15 to school
and lived with my grandmother (Anne Catherine Cole b 1752, d 1828)*.
She used to amuse me of evenings telling me of
her family and grandpa’s.
My grandfather’s name was Ambrose Cossitt,
Grandson of Ranne Cossite who came from France and was cousin to Louis
Capet, King of France.
He was born in Paris.
His father’s name was Capet Cossete.
He was first cousin to the king, his mother
being a princess.
His son, Ranne, after getting his French
education, he was sent to Oxford, England to get an English education.
When throu’he took a passage on bord a vessel
for France.
It was at the time of Robespiere, when he was
driving off or killing the nobility and I believe they were at war with
England.
They would not let the vessel or any passingers land—so
they came on to America—My grandmother told me that the rest of the
family made their escape in one vessel and met on the oceon.
I do not not remember, but the rest of the story
is much like what my cousens have just written me.
I suppose she may
have some old written records which I never see—as she and her brother
John live at the old place, or near it in Claremont, N. H. where our
grandfather lived and died in 1809.
The family made their escape, it
seems, about the time their son wished to land, but could not.
The vessels started for Canada and while on
their way, the brothers from the family vessel went aboard the other to
see their long absent brother and to dine with him.
While at dinner a British war vessel attacked
the vessel where the young men were and took all of them prisoners—while
the vessel his parents and the rest of the family were on, made their
escape to upper Canada—where they purchased a large estate of land, I
presume a township, called a Manner in French—by the name of Kettescone.
After France got at
peace with itself, the family, part of them, went back to France—I don’t
know whether they left more than one, but we heard of an old bachelor
who lived on one half of the Mannor, while the other was left for the
American heirs—we heard this years after.
Ranna Cassite and his brothers (my cousin
wrote as if there was more than one of them, thou’ she did not say there
was) were taken to Middletown Canada as prisoners of war.
As these United
States was provinces of Great briton then, they, with other prisoners of
war were taken to New Haven and were permitted to go at large on parole,
that they would not go out of New Haven until exchanged.
When the war was over, they were all
exchanged, and the brothers all went to Canada, except Ranna Cossite—who
had folen in love with a Miss Ruth Porter, a daughter of an Episcapol
Clergyman.
Her parents were
unwilling she should leave the Provence and the marriage was consumated
on condition that he would not take her out of the then colonies and he
gave his bond to that effect—so he lost nobility, wealth, relitives and
country all for Ruth—never to behold country and kindred again.
He
purchased land in Linsburg Can. But now called Granby—near Salmon
Brook—which name is very familiar to me from my grandma’s tale.
I have a paper copied from a history of the
family by Frederic H. Cossett, which gives the names of several children
as belonging to Ranna—but which I think must be a mistake—and that the
names of Francois (Fransway) Timothy, John, Alexander, Molly, Ruth must
all be Ranna Cosite senior’s children and brothers and sisters of Ranna,
Jr.
For my grandma in talking of them, called them Aunt
Lydia, Aunt Holcass.
I do not remember for certain that my
grandfather’s fathers name was Ranna, but I think it was.
He lived in Grandby—I think, on the original
farm bought by his grandfather, Ranna Cosite who was born in Paris
France. About the year 1690, and died in Granby Can. about 1770 so
Frederic H. says. But he does not make Ranna Jun. as old as my grandma
used to tell my mother, too, used to tell me, how my grandfather’s
father, when in his ninetieth year, got on a horse back and rode up to
New Hampshire to see his son and back—It must be a hundred and fifty or
2 hundred miles, and that he died in his 96th
year.
Ranna Cossit Jun. had some daughters and
four sons, Ranna, Ambrose, Asa and Silas.
I think Silas went West, I believe, to Ohio,
when the country was very new.
Ranna was educated at New Haven College and was
ordained at London, England, as a Episcapol Clergyman about the close of
the Revolutionary war, I see by a Centenial sermon, delivered in
Claremont, N. H. which my cousen sent me, that he was there before 1773,
when he and my grandfather Cole with many other Episcapols were
imprisioned because they would not take either side.
They were kept in
close confinement a while, then guarded and watched until 1779—though
the Rev. K, Cass was allowed to preach.
I think he married in C—had 5 or 6
children, when in 1785, he left this Church and was appointed missionary
at Sidney Cape Breton, where he remained until his death in 1815.
His
oldest son, he sent back to go throu’ collage at Hanover, N. Hampshire,
he followed, but I do not know what business he followed, but I think
his second son, Benjamin was a lawyer.
Rev. came back to see his cousens in
Claremont in 1818 and fetched my aunt Mary, who was then unmarried, and
aunt Ruth Stevvens up to Canada to see my mother.
A few months ago I was at a large party and was
introduced to a Mr. Forbes from St. John.
As we were talking about the country, I observed
that I had cousens in Sidney, by the name of Cossitt.
He had been there
several times and had business with a lawyer by that name—but he is so I
suppose Cousen “B” has gone the way of all the earth.
My grandfather Ambrose Cossitt and his
brother, younger, Asa Cossitt married sisters, Anne Catharine and
Mary—then called Polly Cole—daughters of Samuel Cole Esq. of Claremont,
formerly from Farmington, Can.
He was of English descent and nearly allyed to
the Stewarts and Mary, the unfortunate Queen of Scots.
He had been highly educated and had studied
Theology—but owing to circumstances over which he had not controll, he
could not go to England to be ordained—he was sent by the Episcapol
missionary Society as lay reader, and teacher in the then wilderness of
N. Haven, where the Church in Claremont had been started by a few
Episcopalians.
He married a young widow by the name of Dean in
his young days, by whom he had two daughters.
My grandma and Asa Cossite’ wife.
Asa went back and
lived and died on the old Cossitt farm in Grandby Can.
Mrs. Dean, my grandma, (she died when my
grandma was born) had 2 or 3 daughters by her first husband.
The oldest of which was 6 or 8 years old was
raised in N.York by some relitives.
She, I think, had 2 husbands, the last of whose
name was Croker, or Crosket—I do not know which.
She had but one child, a daughter by her first
husband.
She married a French
gentleman by the name of Prolle—their oldest son, Rev. Thadens or
Theopholis Prole, was a prominent and much celebrated Christian
Episcopal Minister in York Stat—I believe noa a great ways from New York
City.
I never saw any of them but have heard my aunt Mary
Cossitt and Uncle Fransway, who visited them, speak highly of them—and
once when aunt came from N. Carolina, their oldest daughter Eveline came
to Claremont and spent the summer with her.
My
grand father Ambrose Coset Esq. married Anne Catharine Cole, for whom I
was named.
They had 7 children who lived to be men and
women.
My dear mother, Anne
Katherine, Mary Alma, Elizabeth Ruth, Ambrose Cosette Esq., Samuel Cole
Cossitt, Fransway Ranna Cossitt, Charlotte Rosan Cossitt.
My mother, A. Katharine married my father,
John Ayers Perkins and afterwards Ezra Misick.
She lived here in Ill. with me nearly 14 years
and died at the ripe age of 90 years—lacking 7 days.
Mary A. Cossitt, the second child, lived single
till she was nearly 40 years old and then married Joshua Jewett Esq. of
Grandby, Can. and was his third wife.
She had 3 sons, one of whom died young.
The youngest is Judge Patrick Henry Jewett of
Jeffersonville, Indiana.
The oldest, Henry
Lee Jewett of Macon Georgia, merchant.
I was married and came directly to
Ohio and though I loved my aunt Mary dearly, I never saw her after she
was married—Nor have I seen either of her sons, though I have held some
correspondence with them both.
My aunt died in Granby, Can.—some where
about the time my mother died, perhaps a little after.
Aunt Ruth married Mr. Bliss Stebbens and lived
many years in Vermont—Williamstown, where my dear husband was raised and
where I first became acquainted with him.
Aunt Stebbens raised 5 children.
And after Uncle S. died, she married Col. Simon
Wright of Williamstown.
She out lived him
and died at Adrian Mmich at son’s F.K. Stebbens—At the age of 87.
My grandfather’s oldest son, Right Hon.
Ambrose Cossitt lived near the old place, (which he owned and his
youngest son, John occupied) in Claremont where he died several years
ago.
His oldest son George was a banker in Littleton, N. H.
I do not know
whether he is alive or not.
Samuel
C. Cossitt died in Ohio some years ago—I believe he has some sons
living, but I do not know where.
His daughter,
Elizabeth, married Dr. John E. Dalton and lives at Onalaska near La
Cross, Wisconsin.
Fransway Ranna Cossitt, the youngest son of
my grandfather had a Collage education and studied for the ministry of
the Episcopal Church—After being in North Carolina two or three years
teaching an Academy, he went to Kentucky and was President of the
Princeton Colage many years.
He said he joined the Cumberland Prebytrerians
because he thought he could do more good there than in the Episcopal
Church.
While there, he married a Miss Blair, by whom, he had a
family of children—but the wife and all the children are now dead,
except one, Lucinda, which, I believe,was her mother’s name.
While in Kentucky, he married a Miss Matilda
Edwards.
Her brother was governor of
Ill. and she had brothers living at Springfield and Alton.
When he withdrew from Princeton Collage, he
removed to Tennessee and was Proffesor in an industrial Collage at
Lebanon and also edited a religious paper for several years—He died
there some time during the rebellion.
His daughter married
a lawyer by the name of Edward Golloday and he has a granddaughter
living in Lebanon, who married Mr.Golloday’s nephew.
Charlotte
R. Cossiott, the youngest of my mother’s family was only 3 years older
than myself and I loved her like an older sister and looked up to her as
the hight of perfection.
After attending the academy in New Jersey, she
went with her brother F. to North Carolina and taught in the Academy
with her brother.
She became acquainted with a Mr. Jacob Voohees
from New Jersey and came back to her mother’s in Claremont and was
married, I think in 1819.
I saw her then, but not her husband, for my
mother came for me and I had to go home before the marriage was
consummated.
They moved to Tennessee, but in about 3 years
she died in the town of Charlotte, Ten.
She and her brother
Franceway are the only two children of my grandfather’s of which there
was 7, who died in the same State and they nearly 50 years apart.
I never see my cousin Lucinda Golladay, but
I still hold a correspondence with her for her father’s sake.
Also with Aunt Ruth’s son Cortland B. Stebbens
of Lansing, I am acquainted with him and his brother, F.R. Stebbens, of
Adrian.
I also correspond with Uncle
Samuel’s daughter and husband, Dr. Dalton—I believe her sister, Lucinda
Turner, of Doway, is dead.
When
Ranna Cossitt, my grandfather’s brother, went to Cape Briton, he went to
Upper Canada horseback—and through there to Sidney—as there was no other
way of travel then.
He stoped at some town not many miles from
Betiscone, and registered his name in the hotel where he spent the
night.
When he returned, he stoped at the same hotel and the
landlord told him the day after he was there, an old gentleman, a
bachelor, by the name of Cossite, who lived on a large Manor a few miles
from there—saw his name on the register, and found where he was going
and followed him two days—but could not over take him to see him.
But he had been gone so long from his family, he
did not go.
Several years after the family got my father who
was in that country to go and look about it.
He found one half had been occupied and
cultivated.
The other wild
timberland with several families called a squatters, as they did not own
the land and made a scant living by cutting down the timber and making
salts.
When
I was at McDonough County, about 5 years ago, my brother’s only
child—daughter-Ann Lauderman, told me she had heard, I do not know how,
that her Uncle Solomon Steele had gone up there and claimed to be an
heir to the estate and was getting large rentage from it—but I could not
believe it, for he would have to get evidence to sware that he was a
heir to the Cossite’s estate—which would be a positive lie—as he is only
a brother of Henry B. Perkins wife.
Henry B’s mother and my mother was Anne
Katharine Cossite’s only the third generation from Ranna Cossite, who
came from France.
My brother did talk of going up there and seeing
about the Bettescone Estate, but owning to his ill treatment of that
same brother-in-law, did not go.
His brother-in-law
sued him for property, which his parents had given to their daughter,
Hannah (my brother’s wife) many years before—the officer met him, I
think, at Montpelier while on his journey to this country the last time.
Fortunately, he had friends there who loned
him the money, he had sold his properties in Canada and did not get the
pay till another year.
My niece said her
uncle, she believed, would take a false oath any time if he could get
money for it, and she believed, could get a plenty of his brother
Odfellows to swere to it.
My
dear brother had never told me of the trouble he had on his journey—as I
suppose he felt ashamed to expose his brother-in-law meaness.
My
dear and only brother was a Christian—and a Episcopalian and rejoiced
through his long, long distressing last sickness in his faith in Christ
and through his grace, hoped for a happy immorality.
He died some 4 years
or more before my dear mother, who died in 1869.
I
believe I can think of nothing more now—and will sign my name.
Catharine
A. Martin
July 10, 1878
I thought I had written all I could of the
Cossitt family, but last January in opening a box of old letters, I
found the fly leaf of an Old Testament printed in Cambridge, England in
1770, and on the blank side was the marriage of my grandfather, Ambrose
Cossite and Ann Catherine Cole in the Church on Sunday Feb 1st,
1778 by Rev. McViets—just one hundred years ago.
Below it the births and Christening of their
children—My mother was the oldest and if living, would lack only one
year last May of being one hundred years old—She died at the age of
ninety.
I will put this leaf in this book and hope
no one will destroy it.
I cannot say whether it is written by my
grandmother or Grandfather, but I think by the latter and must now be
one hundred years old.
I hope it will be
read by their posterity of the six and seventh generations.
I found old papers almost worn out, that
gave the directions for going to Smithfield Trimble County, Ohio—which
was then called New Connecticut and signed by Epaphroditus Cossit, Ohio,
and on the back signed by Silas Cossitt, Vern, Ohio.
I remember seeing Epaphroditus at Clairmont,
when a child going to school there, but do not know how near a relative
he was, but suppose he must have been first cousin to my mother—and
Silas Cossitt her uncle.
I will put a letter
in this book written by my cousin, Miss Emma Cositt—also a little part
of a history taken from Frederick H. Cossitt of N. York—who once, I
believe, lived in Memphis, ten.
But in his record of the ages of the 2
first Ranna Cossitt, he does not make either as old as My Grandfather’s
father was.
I have often heard my grandma and my mother tell
how he rode on horseback from Granby Can. To Claramont, N. Hampshire at
the age, or in his 90th
year and lived till he was 96 years old.
And my grandfather was raised on the old farm
that the first Ranna Cossitt—the son of the Duke of Cosett, who was the
first that came to America had bought.
And my grandfather
Ambrose Cossitt must have been his son, or grandson.
I can think of no more to write now.
I will mark the
letter no. 2
C. A. Martin
