Great-Uncle Jacob Edgerton, Sheriff of Rutland

March 2 – I found Uncle Jacob!  He is Hattie’s great-uncle Jacob Edgerton, her grandmother Esther Edgerton Blakely’s half-brother.  We have old photo albums from the period which probably include a portrait of them, but the photos were left unlabelled.

Jacob Edgerton was elected the 14th Sheriff of Rutland County in 1830, a position he held for many years.  He also held other offices and engaged in business during those years.  He served as Sheriff of Pawlet, starting in 1840 after some years as a Deputy Sheriff there.  He continued simultaneously as Sheriff of Rutland County and as Sheriff of Pawlet until 1861.  He became the U.S.  Assistant Collector of Internal Revenue for Rutland during the administration of President Lincoln, at least in 1865-6.

Uncle Jacob's house (upper left)
north of High School (lower left)

Jacob Edgerton lived at 72 Main Street in Rutland with his wife Narcissa and their children.  In 1850, their teenagers, William Gregory and Catherine Narcissa were living at home.  Two other children, Julia and Rollin, had died as small children. 

By 1867, when Hattie was in Rutland for school, both William and Catherine had left home.  Great-Uncle Jacob was 67 years old, Great-Aunt Narcissa was 62.  According to the 1870 census record, a Kate Allen and her 12-year-old daughter Hattie were living with them.  Kate’s age of 36 years matches Catherine’s birthdate of 1833.  Because Kate is not listed as a “domestic servant” but rather “at home”, it would indicate that she is the grown daughter of the house with her daughter, either visiting or residing with her parents because she has been widowed.  Three years earlier, when Hattie Blakely visited, she did not mention her great-aunt or a cousin who was also named Hattie.  So, probably, Jacob and Narcissa were living alone at that point.

Edgerton family gravestone in Rutland

Jacob’s job as Sheriff involved quite a bit of travel around the county.  This may explain why there is no census a record of him, but it is still a mystery why even Narcissa and the children were left out.  In the census records for this year, many errors have been found.  In 1870, Jacob was the U.S. Assistant Tax Assessor for Rutland.  In 1880, at the age of 80, he was a bank director.  Jacob and Narcissa both died in 1886.