Analysis: A Rosetta Stone related to Rufus

Thanks, Mary, for reminding me we needed this piece of the story too. The excitement here is that:

1. The known dau of Rufus Adams and Sarah Douglas, named Sarah E Adams, is known to have married Samuel Shaw Bent.

2. The known dau of Alfred Adams and Jane Scott, named Harriett or Hattie Adams, is now seen to be living with Samuel Bent and his wife Sarah.

(If you look at the census records for 1860, there are some errors: Sarah is listed as Susan, and Hattie as being 18. Hattie was born in 1847 and is 13. We see these sorts of errors on the part of census takers all the time. The verification of the facts we are presenting here can be found in the 1870 census, when Sarah is the name of Samuel's wife, and Harriett is now 23 as she ought to be.)

So Alfred's dau was living with Alfred's sister after the death of her mother in about 1856. That ties the families together beyond any doubt.

Here's my message to Karen on March 18. 

"Back a week ago, a long time ago, when I found a Hattie Adams living in Rye, you said she might be there with some family, and I was thinking how Augustus was there, or at least in Port Chester. Hattie was the dau of Alfred and second wife Jane....

I just came across my note. It says: "Hattie Adams living Rye NY @23 1870 census b CT  living w/ family of Samuel Bent @ 38. No occupation. 2 servants in household. So Hattie was living with Rufus's daughter Sarah E Bent. 

That clinches it. She is not a servant, but living as an unwed female member of the family. 

Time to look around in Rye some more! "

So Sarah is our Rosetta Stone: on the one hand, she has a known relationship to Rufus Adams: she is his daughter. And on the other hand she has a known relationship to Hattie Adams: Hattie lives in her house and is the right age as the known Hattie Adams, dau of Alfred. Therefore Alfred is related to Sarah, and since we know Sarah had a brother of Alfred's age from the 1840 census, we can conclude that Alfred is the son of Rufus and Sarah.