Three Problems In One: The Incomplete Story of the

Widow Zerviah West

of Westerly, R.I.

by

Caroline Lewis Kardell, Historian General

General Society of Mayflower Descendants

In researching this line, the genealogist must avoid taking anything at face value except the Westerly Council & Probate Record Books (hereafter called Westerly C&P) and the few Westerly vital records of this family. There are two genealogies in print, both of which contain errors concerning them. There has been no marriage record found for any Zerviah _______ to any _______ West, and there are no birth records for the children.

They probably belonged to the Seventh Day Baptist (Sabbatarian) Church of Westerly. Correspondence with the Archival headquarters of this church in Janesville, WI has produced no baptisms or marriages. A saving factor is the will of the widow, Survior (Zerviah) West. I excerpt the following:

"In the fear of God Amen this Twenty Second Day of February Anno Dom 1775 I Survior West of Westerly ... Give and bequeath unto my Two beloved Daughters named Margaret and Sarah all my wearing apparel to be Equally Divided between them According to Quantity & Quality when they respectively arrive to the Age of Eighteen years and then to be to their own Disposal .... I give and bequeath to my Beloved Daughter Cinthia Pendleton a Black & white Coverlid in Addition to what I have already given her .... I give and bequeath to my four children Namely Adam Margaret Sarah and Ammi after my just Debts .... all the Residue or Remainder of my Estate to be equally Divided between them according to Quantity & Quality to be Delivered to them by my Executor that is to Say to each of my Afores^d Sons when they respectively Arrive to the Age of Twenty one Years their equal part and to my s^d Daughters their equal part when they respectively Arrive to the Age of Eighteen Years ... and Ordain my Trusty Friend Joseph Gavit .... Sole Executor of this my last Will & Testament"

 

Survior X West (Her Mark)

Witnesses:

Elisabeth Bliven (wife of Nathan Bliven)

Elisabeth Bliven (wife of John Bliven)

James X Gavit (His Mark)

The witnesses appeared before the Council on 27 March 1775, at which time Joseph Gavit was granted adminstration on the deceased's estate (Westerly C & P, 6:255,256).

The first published error appears in "Brian Pendleton And His Descendants", Everett Hall Pendleton, 1910, pp 192,193. Pendleton says that the wife of Nathaniel⁶ Pendleton was Cynthia West, daughter of James & Zerviah West of Westerly. He presents his case, but is only correct when he cites the will of widow Zerviah West. The James West who died at Westerly on 29 September 1764 was not the husband of Zerviah. James married 18 December 1751 to Susanna Pullman, and had children from 1752, including a posthumous child born in 1765 (Vital Records of Rhode Island, James N. Arnold, Providence, 1894, 5:68,142). The names of his children do not match the names of any of the children of widow Zerviah West. This correction leaves us with no known given name for the father of Cynthia (West) Pendleton.

In "Elder John Crandall of Rhode Island and his Descendants", John Cortland Crandall, New Woodstock, NY, 1949, p. 10, the author lists the children of ^#18, (Col.) John Crandall, and his two wives as follows:

Children of John & Mary (Crandall) Crandall

Hannah b. prob. 1730/1 (m. Enoch Crandall ^#234)

Jonathan b. 1732

Mary (Marcy) b. Feb 1734

Lewis b. Aug 1738

Children of John & Esther (Lewis) Crandall

Ann (Thirsa) b. Aug 1741

Esther b. Feb 1742 (sic)

*Adam b. 1746

John b. 14 Jan 1753

*Amherst (adopted) b. 1756

*Sally

*These three, namely, Adam, Amherst, and Sally, are children of the widow Zerviah West. They are not the children of Col. John & Esther (Lewis) Crandall, although they used Crandall as their surname, and were raised in this household after the death of their West father. The following gives us proof of their identity:

Received December 3^d Day 1776 of Joseph Gavit Executor to the last Will & Testament of my honored Mother Zurvia West late of Westerly Deceased One Quarter part of the Remainder of my deceased Mothers Personal Estate after her just Debts and funeral Charges we paid to the value of Ten Shillings two pence 2 farthings in Consideration of which I as a legatee Named in s^d Will to hereby Acquit & Discharge the Estate of my Mother & s^d Executor of & from all further Demands whatsoever Respecting the Legacy given to me as afores^d In Witness Whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand & Seal the Date Above Written

Adam Crandall — Seal

In presence of

Elizabeth Bliven

Nathan Bliven

Received December 3^d Day of 1776 of Joseph Gavit Executor to the last Will & Testament of my honored Mother Zurvia West late of Westerly Deceased One half of my Mothers Wearing Apparel to the Value of One pound Six Shillings & one half penny Together with One Quarter part of the Remainder of my s^d Deceased Mothers personal Estate after her just Debts and funeral Charges were paid to the Value of Ten shillings two pence .....

Jan 1st 1777 Date entered

Peggy X West (her mark)

In presence of

Adam Crandall

Elizabeth Bliven

 

Both of these distributions appear in Westerly C & P, 6:340. Adam having reached 21, was b. ca. 1755, and Peggy having reached 18, was b. ca. 1758.

Sally Crandal Daughter of Zurvier West Dec^d appeared before this Council and made Choice of Adam Crandal (her Brother) to be her Guardian which Choice is approved of by the Council he Complying with the Law (Westerly C & P, 6:356).

Amherst Crandal (so Called) Son and & Orphan of Zurvia West of Westerly late Deceased appeared before this Council and made Choice of his Brother Adam Crandal as his guardian which Choice is approved of he Complying with the Law (Westerly C & P, 6:404.

 

We now have proof of the identity of the five children of Zerviah West. We are left with the problem of an unknown Zerviah marrying an unknown West. There are some clues to be found in the Crandall Genealogy. Why did a man nearly 70 years old, with a large family of his own, take in three more children to raise? One perhaps, possibly two, but three children seems to indicate some close relationship to these children. Next, taking a closer look at the list of Col. John's children, we see that the dates and order of the births, in most cases, are guesses. This list obviously doesn't come from a Family Bible or Westerly Vital Records. Hannah is listed as the first child, born about 1730/1. She married 24 March 1773 (Crandall Genealogy, p. 60) to Enoch Crandall, who was born 1 November 1752. Rather than being the oldest child of Col. John, she is much more likely to have been one of the youngest of his children. Otherwise, she would have been twenty-two years older than her husband, and have borne her last child at age 52.

We now have a space where one of the other children listed may belong, that is, the position of eldest child of Col. John. We look next at Ann (Thirsa), b. Aug. 1741. I have no doubt that Ann may have been born about 1741, but how many times does one see a girl with two names as early as 1741? Are two daughters listed as one? Is Thirsa actually the eldest child, born about 1730/1, and is Thirsa not a misreading for Zerviah (Survia)? I submit the possiblility that the widow Zerviah West was the eldest child of Col. John and Mary (Crandall) Crandall. When her husband died, possibly even before the birth of Ammi, the widow Zerviah was left with many small children. She may have kept the two oldest girls with her, since there is no indication that Cynthia and Peggy every used any surname but West. Perhaps Ammi was kept at home until he was old enough to go with Adam & Sally to their (possible) grandfather's household. Hopefully, a Bible or some other instrument for Col. John Crandall and his family will be found to help prove or disprove this hypothesis.

Now we're faced with the problem of the identity of Zerviah's husband and what may have happened to him. The West family is a genealogical shambles. Some of the Stonington/Westerly Wests are well recorded, but without his given name, I find no likely candidate among them, or rather too many possibilities.

The name of Zerviah's last child holds a clue to the possible fate of her husband. He called himself Amherst. In Zerviah's will, the children were carefully given their correct names. For instance, Peggy & Sally were specifically called Margaret & Sarah. Ammi was called Ammi, and I believe that was his correct name. The clue as to what may have happened to his father is reflected in the name he called himself. This is the earliest instance I have seen of someone named in honor of Lord Jeffrey Amherst. Could our unknown West have been among the Westerly and Stonington men who wer at Crown Point with Amherst? And was he one who died of illness or wounds in that campaign? Knowning he was going off on a dangerous journey, one supposes that he must have made a will, but I have not found it.

 

SUMMARY:

Family record of _______ West, m prob early in 1749 Zerviah _______ b. ca. 1731 (perhaps a daughter of Col. John & Mary [Crandall] Crandall), d. at Westerly between 22 February and 27 March 1775.

Children, prob. b. Westerly:

i. Cynthia West, b 12 December 1749, d. prob. Northport, Maine 13 April 1810 (Gravestone), m. prob. Westerly Nathaniel⁶ Pendleton, removed to Islesboro Maine. (Perhaps unknown child, b. ca. 1752, d.y.)

ii. Adam West (Crandall, so-called), b. ca. 1755, d Hartland, Vermont 14 April 1796, age 40 (Gravestone), m. (1)* Stonington, Connecticut 29 Nov 1781 Eunice Blodgett; m. (2) Hartland, Vermont 1788 Charlotte Willard.

iii. Margaret (Peggy) West, b. ca. 1758, still living Jan. 1777, n.f.r.

iv. Sarah (Sally) West (Crandall, so-called), b. ca. 1761, m. int. Westerly, Rhode Island 6 June 1779 Nicholas Davis. I find no marriage or further record.

v. Ammi (Amherst) West (Crandall, so-called), b. ca. 1763/4, possibly posthmously, m. Hopkinton, Rhode Island 1 November 1787 Mary (Polly) Maxson.

*Possibly Adam was married to an earlier wife, but I find no proof.

 

Anyone wishing to correspond with Ms Kardell about this article may reach her at this address:

Caroline Lewis Kardell, Historian General

General Society of Mayflower Descendants

P.O. Box 3297

Plymouth, MA 02361

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