My third-great-grandmother, Elizabeth (Freeburn) Alfont, is said to have been the daughter of Robert Freeburn. The source for this assertion is the sketch of Elizabeth run in the Greenfield (IN) Republican, published under the heading of “Our Pioneer Sketches” 19 Aug. 1890 [“Source A”]. This sketch states the following:
Miss Elizabeth Freeburn was born in New York City February 10, 1805. Her parents were Robert and Elizabeth. She was one of seven children and she was next to the oldest. Her only sister is dead, and she knows nothing of her brothers. Her father was a sea-faring man. When she was ten years old she went to Philadelphia to live with her sister. At 13 she was married to William Alfonte, a contractor and builder of “The City of Brotherly Love.” They continued to live there until the fall of 1834, when they removed to a farm just south of Alfonte...
Philip Hardin was born in Delaware, and was but a boy when his parents removed to Philadelphia, Pa. He there engaged in the tobacco business with his brother William, but in 1839 removed to Huntsville, Ind., in wagons, the journey taking six weeks. He bought a farm of eighty acres near Alfonte, but only resided thereon for one year, there engaging in agricultural pursuits, removing to Huntsville, where he learned the wagon-maker's trade. He carried on a wagon making and blacksmith shop for many years with his brother, John, and died in the faith of the Baptist Church, Feb. 5, 1878, at Huntsville. His wife passed away in April, 1887, in Pendleton, at the home of her daughter, Margaret. Mr. Hardin was married in Philadelphia, to Mary Freeborn, born April 22, 1822 [note: Mary’s gravestone in Hunstville, IN, in which she is named as Mary Freeborn Hardin, gives her date of birth as 22 April 1808, and states that she died 6 Apr. 1889], daughter of Robert and Mary (Ingham) Freeborn, and to this union there were born children as follows: Elizabeth, Margaret, Catherine, Mary L. and Charles V., all born at Philadelphia, and John, William and Evelyn, born at Huntsville. Robert Freeborn, father of Mrs. Hardin, was of Scotch stock, was a seafaring man and captain of a vessel. He resided in New York City, where his children--Robert, Elizabeth and Mary--were born, but after the death of his wife removed to Philadelphia, where until his death he made his home with his daughter, Elizabeth. . . .
A similar sketch of Charles Hardin’s son, Fred N. Hardin, appears in History of Hancock County, Indiana, Its People, Industries and Institutions by George J. Richman, (Federal Publishing Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, 1916), pp. 1061-1064 [“Source C”] It contains the following:
Philip Hardin, the fifth son of Isaiah, and the grandfather of Fred V., was born in Delaware, but removed with his parents to Philadelphia when but a small boy. . . . He died on February 5, 1878. He was an active member of the Baptist church. His widow survived him for several years; she died in April, 1887, at the home of her daughter, Margaret, in Pendleton, Indiana. His wife's maiden name was Mary Freeborn, who was born on April 22, 1808, the daughter of Robert and Mary (Ingham) Freeborn. The other children in the family of Robert and Mary Freeborn were: Elizabeth, Catherine, Margaret, Mary L., and Charles V., all born in Philadelphia; John, William and Evelyn were born in Huntsville.
Robert Freeborn, father of Mrs. Hardin, was of Scotch ancestry. He was a seafaring man, being captain of a vessel, and followed this vocation for the most of his active years. After the death of his wife he made his home with his daughter, Elizabeth, in Philadelphia.
Mrs. Mary Hardin appears as a widowed head of household in the 1880 census of Huntsville, Madison co. IN. The census indicates she was 72 (i.e., b. ca. 1807/08), born in New York; father born Scotland, mother Canada. It seems likely that in the sketch of Fred Hardin, the several children named as children of Robert and Mary (Ingham) Freeborn were, in fact, the children of Philip and Mary (Freeborn) Hardin.
A sketch of Reuben Milton Alfonte, youngest son of William and Elizabeth (Freeburn) Alfont, which appeared in Commemorative Biographical Record of Prominent and Representative Men of Indianapolis and Vicinity (1908), does not name Elizabeth’s father, but it states that “the father of Mrs. [William] Alfont was born in Scotland, and was a seafaring man in early years, serving in the British navy.” The next sentence says “He married Frances Davis, and in 1832 settled where the village of Alfont now stands...” and goes on to talk clearly about William Alfont [“Source D”].
These four sources, all secondary accounts, have areas of agreement and disagreement. Let us outline first the areas of agreement:
(1) Sources A, B and C name the father of Elizabeth (Freeburn) Alfont as Robert Freeburn/Freeborn (A explicitly, B and C implicitly). Source D is silent on his name.
(2) All four state that Robert Freeburn/Freeborn was a “seafaring man,” with D specifying that he was in the British navy and B and C suggesting that he was a ship’s captain.
(3) Source B suggests that Robert Freeburn/Freeborn lived in New York City, and then in Philadelphia. B states this explictly, saying that he moved “after the death of his wife.” Source A makes clear that his daughter Elizabeth, and one other daughter, were in Philadelphia by about 1815. The wording is a little strange here, perhaps suggesting that Elizabeth went to live with an older sister in Philadelphia without her father? Source B may hint at this as well, stating that Robert went to Philadelphia and “made his home with his daughter Elizabeth”; if Elizabeth went to Philadelphia when she was 10 years old, it sounds as if her father didn’t come until some time later. The 1830 census for William Alfont in Philadelphia does show an older man (age 50-60) who may be Robert Freeburn. If Robert in fact died in Philadelphia, it was probably before the Alfonts moved to Indiana ca. 1834.
The primary area of conflict or disagreement among the sources is the name of Robert’s wife. Source A says Elizabeth, Sources B and C say Mary Ingham, and Source D says Frances Davis. Source D seems generally the most problematic, since this paragraph has apparently conflated a good bit of information. For example, it seems very unlikely that Robert Freeburn ever moved to Indiana; indeed, Source B makes it clear he died in Philadelphia. Family information provided some years ago by Eugene Alfonte claimed that Frances Davis was the mother of William Alfont; and William’s probable father, John Alfont, is likely the John Alfond who married Mary Davey in Cecil co. MD in 1798. It is possible that Source D has mixed up all these relationships. One would think that Source A was probably based on an interview with Elizabeth (Freeburn) Alfont herself, while obviously Sources B and C were based on information that was another generation or two removed from Robert Alfont. On the other hand, Source A clearly has some problems; the statement that Elizabeth was “next to the oldest” in her family seems unlikely, based on census records (see below). She in fact seems to be “next to the youngest.”
It should be noted that The Pioneers of Madison and Hancock Counties contains a sketch of Philip Hardin which states that “Mr. H. was born in Pennsylvania about the year 1810. Came when a young man to Huntsville, Indiana, and carried on wagon-making for several years. He was married about the year 1833 to MARY ALFONTE.” It seems certain that this is incorrect, and that the writer has mixed up “Alfont” and “Freeborn”--perhaps having been told something like “Mrs. Hardin is a sister of Mrs. Alfont.”
The 1880 census for Madison co. IN lists Elizabeth Alfont, age 75, in the household of her son [Reuben] Milton, and indicates she was born in Pennsylvania; birthplaces of parents are left blank. The 1860 census also gives her birthplace as Pennsylvania, but the 1850 and 1870 census records give it as New York. Also in Madison co. in 1880, in Huntsville living as a widowed head of household, is Mary Hardin, 72, born in New York, father born in Scotland and mother in Canada. She also appears, with her husband, in the censuses for the several prior decades; in 1860 and 1870 her birthplace is given as New York, but in 1850 it appears to read “NC” (North Carolina? Or perhaps New York City?).
Another puzzling statement is that in source A that Elizabeth’s “only sister is dead.” Mary (Freeburn) Hardin had died in 1887, so she was dead at the time the article was written. But it was clear in the article that Elizabeth went “to Philadelphia to live with her sister.” That certainly sounds like she went to live with an [older] sister already living there, but Mary was younger than Elizabeth. Does the article simply mean that Elizabeth and Mary both went to live in Philadelphia? What took them there?
In searching primary records for Robert Freeborn, the following have been found:
1800 Census of New York City, p. 133:
Robert Freeborn: males, 1 under 10, 1 26-45
females, 1 under 10, 1 10-16, 1 26-45
1800
1801/02 Directory of New York City: Freeborn, Robert, mariner, Lumber St.
8 July 1803 New York American Citizen carries list of “Letters remaining in the Post-Office, New-York, July 1, 1803” that includes Robert Freeburn.
1805/06 Directory of New York City: Freeborn, Robert, mariner, 81 Lombard St.
28 Apr. 1807 Court of Common Pleas, New York, records naturalization of Robert Freeburn, rigger, subject of Great Britain; rec. by Alexander Lamb, hairdresser. From Early New York Naturalizations: Abstracts of Naturalization Records from Federal, State and Local Courts 1792-1840 compiled by Kenneth Scott.
1810 Census of New York City, p. 197:
Robert Freebourne: males, 2 under 10, 1 10-16, 1 26-45
females, 3 under 10, 1 16-26
1815/16 Directory of New York City: Freeborn, Robert, waterman, 65 Cherry St.
1819 New York City Jury Census, Ward 4, p. 40:
Robert Freeborn, age 49, Rigger
1820 Census of New York City, p. 139:
Robert Freeborn: males, 2 10-16, 1 45+
females, 1 45+
There is a Philadelphia death record for one John Freeburn, d. 11 May 1826 age 50, bur. St. John’s Methodist Burial Ground. Ancestry.com lists all the records for Robert Freeburn in Philadelphia as “may also be relevant.” Familysearch.org shows the digital image of this burial record, and it is clearly “John Freeburn” (and notes he died of “intemperance”!).
11 Sep 1846 NY Surrogate’s Court. File includes nespaper notice:
Public Administrator’s Office, No. 25 John street. Notice is hereby given to the relatives and next of kin of Robert Freeborn, late of the city of New York, seaman on board brig Port Boon, deceased, and who is alledged to have died intestate, that the effects of the said intestate in the hands of the Public Administroa, will be administered and disposed of by him according to law, unless the same be claimed by some lawful executor or administrator of the deceased by the tenth of August next. New York, July 9th, 1846. [Note: This seems unlikely to be our guy; he supposedly has moved to be Philadelphia long before this, and it appears this man actually died on board ship, so more likely a younger man.]
On the other hand, the 1820 Robert could hardly be the son, if this man was over 45. He is apparently married, but was not married in 1810 (if they are the same man). In the 1810 census, Robert Freebourne is enumerated next to a “Widow Davis.” Is it possible that he married this widow after the death of his wife? Could that be the source of the statement in Source D that Elizabeth (Freeburn) Alfont’s father “married Frances Davis”?
A Margaret Freeborn married William Cobb 7 Jan. 1810 in the First Reformed Church of Philadelphia. Notice that Mary (Freeborn) Hardin named a daughter Margaret. Could this Margaret Freeborn be an older daughter of Robert Freeburn, one of the two listed on the census of 1800? Could this have been the sister with whom Elizabeth went to live at age 10 in 1815? If so, why was she in Philadelphia?
Considering all the above, the scenario of this family might look like this: Robert Freeborn/Freeburn, b. ca. 1770, married Elizabeth or Mary Ingham ca. 1788, and had the following children:
i. daughter, b. ca. 1790, possibly Margaret who m. William Cobb. (Note: a William Cobb appears in the 1810 census of Philadelphia, North Mulberry Ward, with a wife—both of them in 16-26 age bracket—and no children [i.e., likely recently married]. The census taker kindly noted that he was a carpenter. Possibly the same couple is still in Philadelphia in the 1850 census (Spring Garden Ward 6), he listed as 65 and still a carpenter, she 60, both born Pennsylvania; several others in their household, seemingly unrelated except for a Thomas Cobb, age 24.)
ii. son, b. ca. 1794.
iii. daughter, b. ca. 1796.
iv. son, b. ca. 1800.
v. dau., b. ca. 1802, perhaps d. young.
vi. son, possibly Robert, b. ca. 1804.
vii. Elizabeth, b. 1805, m. William Alfont.
viii. Mary, b. 1808, m. Philip Hardin.
Perhaps Robert’s wife died ca. 1808/09, and he remarried ca. 1812, so that by the 1820 census, only the two youngest sons were in his household, one of whom was Robert who shows up in the 1825 Directory. Perhaps about 1815, the two youngest daughters had gone to live with their married sister in Philadelphia, while the two youngest sons were still in their father’s household in 1820. Perhaps the second wife died not long after 1820, and Robert went to Philadelphia to join his daughters.
Another angle:
There appears to be a Freeburn family in Dauphin co. (Harrisburg area, so some distance from Philadelphia) that includes a Robert Freeburn, b. ca 1775 d. ca 1831, allegedly son of a Hill Freeburn and Martha Glyn. This Robert appears in the 1810 census of Dauphin co.: 2 males 26-44, 4 males under 10; 2 females 16-25, 1 female under 10. This correponds to the statement that our Elizabeth Freeburn had several brothers, but does not allow for both Elizabeth and Mary to be listed in the household.
In Halifax UMC Cemetery, Halifax, Dauphin co. PA there is a gravestone for Elizabeth, wife of Michael Freeburn, d. 28 Mar 1847, age 42. Findagrave.com note says she was daughter of John Meetch and Elizabeth Brubaker, and married Michael Freeburn, son of Robert Freeburn & Elizabeth Bowers. So here is apparently another Robert and Elizabeth Freeburn. A findagrave note for [apparently] this Michael Freeburn says: “There is a bible on ebay (10/13/2011) with the name of Michael Freeburn in it. He was born May 4, 1805. Also included:
Sarah Jane Freeburn b 4/11/1815
Joseph Freeburn b 11/12/1834
Asbury E Freeburn b 5/14/1838
John M Freeburn b 10/17/1845
Lewis Bronson b 6/2/1809
Aurelia Bronson b 2/29/1812”
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