COLBATH, George

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1839, Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA
• Residence: 1840, Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA
• Residence: 1850, Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA

Notes:

There are many online trees that connect George Colbath, son of Pitman Colbath, with a marriage to a woman named Jane and 4 daughters. These trees also indicate that George died in Barnstead in 1843. The problem is that I can find zero evidence of any of this other than a Betsey C. (Colbath) Garland, widow, born in 1794, who died in Medland, MA in 1863 of a lightning strike, and her parents are listed as George and Jane.

Now, there is a Betsey C. Colbath among the four daughters attributed to George Colbath, but she was living with her son Isaac Garland in Gilmanton, NH in both 1850 and 1860. It is possible that she had moved to Medland or was visiting Medland in 1863 when this lightning strike killed her, but it is also quite possible that her parents names were listed incorrectly.

Also, I can find no evidence that George, son of Pitman Garland, had any connection with Barnstead. He didn't actually die in Barnstead in 1843, he died in Portsmouth in 1853. Also, if he ever married a woman named Jane, there is no record of it. In fact, the Portsmouth Athenaeum (The Athenæum houses an outstanding collection of documents and artifacts relating to local history. It also preserves what is undoubtedly the finest collection in the state of materials relating to the history of New Hampshire’s only major seaport.) has a record for George (https://athenaeum.pastperfectonline.com/byperson?keyword=Colbath%2C%20George%2C%20c1759-1853) in which it attributes no children and lists him as unmarried (with a question mark).

The other daughters attributed to him are Jane Colbath born in 1782 in Barnstead, who married Daniel Sherburne.

Also a Hannah Colbath born in 1792 who married an Ezra Straw. They moved to Ohio and Hannah died theire in 1886. She was born in Portsmouth according to her obituary, but was married in Barnstead.However, Ezra was born in Barnstead, so this may account for that fact.

Finally, there is my ancestor Sarah Sally Colbath, born in 1789 in Barnstead, who married Ebenezer Adams Jr. of Barnstead in 1805, and died in Portsmouth in 1864. Ebenezer died in 1820 leaving her with young children to raise, and she never remarried, It would have been very difficult for a single mother in those years, so it makes complete sense that she moved her family to Portsmouth where there would have been more work than in Barnstead.

There are a few issues in resolving all of these inconsistencies, and the most significant is that the early vital records from Barnstead were lost in a fire. The second is that most of the early founding families of Barnstead had family ties in the Portsmouth/Newington areas, and I've found a lot of fluidity among them.

In my tree I have left George "married" to Jane, but only for research purposes, and have listed the four daughters I found in online trees. I have also listed Jane and Sarah Sally with Dependence and Eleanor, again, to aid with research, as explained below.

It is my belief that Jane and Sarah Sally were**very** likely the daughters of Dependence Colbath and Eleanor Walker. Dependence is from a branch of the family that was well established in Barnstead and the 1790 census lists them as having 2 sons and 5 daughters. We know they had one daughter Lydia, born in 1788 and died (unmarried) in 1832. She is buried with her parents in Barnstead. The two sons, it is believed were John and Dependence/Independence Jr. The names of the other four daughters living in 1790 are lost. As stated, I believe that two of them are Jane and Sarah Sally.

Family/Spouse: Jane. Jane was born about 1770; died in Barnstead, Belknap, New Hampshire, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. COLBATH, Jane was born in 1782 in Barnstead, Belknap, New Hampshire, USA; died after 1839 in Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA.
2. COLBATH, Sally was born in 1789 in Newington, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA; died on 26 Feb 1864 in Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA.
3. COLBATH, Hannah was born on 21 Apr 1798 in Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA; died on 16 Feb 1886 in Amherst, Lorain, Ohio, USA; was buried in Amherst, Lorain, Ohio, USA.
4. COLBATH, Betsy Caroline was born in Mar 1794 in Barnstead, Belknap, New Hampshire, USA; died on 11 Aug 1863 in Medway, Norfolk, Massachusetts, USA.

Pitman married HODGDON, JaneNewington, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA. Jane was born in 1730 in Newington, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA; died in Apr 1821 in Newington, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: George Colbath "Colbreath" Sr
• Birth: 1690, Ulster, Donegal, Ireland

George + PITMAN, Mary. Mary was born about 1690; died on 17 Jan 1753 in Somersworth, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

This is not Mary Ann Pitman born in 1703 in Lee, NH to Joseph Pitman and Elizabeth Ham. Many online trees have listed her as such, but that Mary Pitman married Daniel Downs, and she would have been far too young to already be married and having children in 1712.

Our Mary Pitman was likely born around 1690.

John married HOLLONSHEAD, Susanna in 1690 in Ulster, Donegal, Ireland. Susanna was born in 1670 in Ulster, Donegal, Ireland; died in 1708 in Ulster, Northern Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]