Justus Sr GAYLORD

  General Notes:

Source Citation: Year: 1790; Census Place: , Luzerne, Pennsylvania; Roll: M637_8; Page: 147; Image: 338; Family History Library Film: 0568148.
Source Citation: Year: 1810; Census Place: Wyalusing, Luzerne, Pennsylvania; Roll 49; Page: 698;Family History Number: 0193675; Image: 00166.

Justus Gaylord from Norwich, commenced a settlement in Springfield, on the Wyalusing, before Indian hostilities began, but was obliged to removed down the river, to the more densely populated country.

When the independent companies were raised, two of his sons, Justus and Ambrose, enlisted in that of Capt. Ransom, and served during the war. On return of peace, the old gentleman and his son, Justus, resumed their possession of Wyalusing. While Ambrose established himself at Braintrim. He married Eleanor Comstock, from Norwich, West Farms. (History of Wyoming, by Miner, Appendix XLVI).

"Justus, as we have seen, was one of those who petitioned the same time as his father, 12 May 1757, for town privileges at Norfolk, CT. His name also appears in a deed drawn in 1766. In the old history of Norfolk we read: 'A.D. 1768, Miles Riggs came to Norfolk, and Justus Gaylord lived at the old house near or on the ground where Mr. Atkins lives; house now standing;' 'Miles Riggs thinks he had been told that Samuel Gaylord, the father of Justus Gaylord, had lived in a house a little west of the highway near the grist mill bridge. Thinks the Watsons bought said Justus Gaylord's property.'

Justus Gaylord was one of the earliest settlers in the Wyoming Valley, PA. He was in the company captured by Plunkett in his raid upon Wyoming in 1775, and lodged in the Sunbury jail. Soon after his release he is believed to have come to Wyalusing, living for a short time on the flats below the present village, near where the railroad crosses the line between the old Welles and Stalford estates, altho the reference could pertain to his son, Justus Jr. Returning to Wyoming after the revolution, they remained in the lower valley until their house and effects were swept away in the great ice flood of 1784. The family narrowly escaping with their lives. Soon after this disaster they moved up to Wyalusing. Justus Sr. owned 1200 acres of land in the old Connecticut town of Springfield, now Wyalusing. 300 of which were on the west side of the river in Frenchtown or Lower Asylum, where Richard Gilbert afterwards lived. The deed for the purchase of this latter acreage is recorded at Wilkes-Barre. Daniel Shaw of the State of Pennsylvania, for a consideration of 20 (pounds), received from Justus Gaylord of said county, conveys lot 14, surveyed by John Jenkins, in Shawsborough twp.; lot begins at the lower end of a place called by the name of Shuefeltts Flatt on the Susquehanna river, 100 rods wide, and running back so far as to contain 300 acres; dated 24 February 1790. Lots 20 and 21 in Springfield (now Hemets Ferry) had been purchased by Perrin Ross of Plymouth, and sold to Justus Gaylord 28 May 1777, on which it is likely his sons lived previous to the battle of Wyoming. As their names are on the Springfield list, the accuracy of which is testified to by Justus Jr., the deed dated 28 May 1777, as already noted, says Perin Ross, Lt., of Plymouth District, in the town and county of Westmoreland, and state of Connecticut, for a consideration of 200 (pounds), paid by Justus Gaylord of the same place, conveys land in Springfield, being Lott 20 and 21 bounded on north by line of said town, west by Susquehanna, same was surveyed and laid out by Samuel Gordon, together with 1/2 right in Susquehanna Purchase, granted by Zebulon Butler, Esq., (one of the committee appointed to dispose of rights in said purchase) to John Thompson of Juniatta, and conveyed by said Thompson to Thomas Wigton, and from said Wigton to Phineas Pearce, and from Pearce to Perin Ross, as per record.

The old Springfield line started at the river bank near the center of the Homets Ferry bend, and crossed over the mountains to a corner in the Wyalusing Creek area back of Merryall, the Homets Ferry Village settlement is on this land. Eleazer Gaylord took up the farm on the Frenchtown side of the river, sold the possession to Mr. Gilbert, and removed to Black Walnut in Wyoming County. Timothy Gaylord, d. in Candor, NY., ae 80. The Wigtons lived on the east side of the river near the old railroad depot, and a few rods from the Shoemakers, who lived on the old Miciscum place. About the year 1801 the old gentleman divided a large part of this estate among his children, and also wen to Black Walnut, where he lived until the death of his wife in 1814, when he went to Delaware Co., OH., to live with his son Elihu, where he d. in 1830 at the age of 88.

On one of the old Homets farms, near one of the sheds, were some old field stones, marking some early graves. It has been the belief of some that possibly Elizabeth, wife of Justus Gaylord Sr., may have been buried there. The place is now occupied by the Smith family. There are no graves except those of relatives of the Homet family in the Homet burial grounds elsewhere on this farm. One report says that the unmarked graves were those of a couple of men killed at the time of the building of the North Branch Canal. The old cemetery at Black Walnut, where many of the pioneers are buried, is in a bad state of preservation. Many stones are broken and illegible. A large percentage of the burials are of the Sturdevant family, posterity of Rev. Samuel Sturdevant, who for so many years was pastor of the Braintrim Baptist Church. As the family became scattered, and the old gentleman was buried in Ohio, it is easy to surmise that possible Elizabeth's grave was never marked. Her family name, as already noted, remains unknown. Possibly she belonged to some early Middletown or Norfolk CT., family. It is hoped that a Bible marriage or other reference will be found thru which her identity will be revealed.

Above the lower end of the Fairbanks or Homets Ferry bend of the river were the Gaylord lands, on which were his children, and their families, i.e. Mrs. Wigton, Mrs. Shoemaker, Timothy and Chauncey Gaylord, the latter unmarried. Charles Hemet bought out most of these, and they scattered to various places. Justus Gaylord Sr., and his son Justus Jr., lived on a lot which later formed the lower part of the Welles farm, near the Wyalusing River bridge, coming there previous to 1787. Here he kept a small stock of merchandise until John Hollenback opened his store in 1801. The census of 1790 gives him four white males over sixteen, and two white females. By deed dated 3 November 1789, Justus Gaylord of Springfield purchased of Thomas Wigton of Meshoppen, 600 acres on the waters of the Meshoppen, on both sides, including its mouth.

On 8 June 1791, Justus Gaylord of Braintrim sells to Thomas Gibson of Braintrim, for 48 (pounds), 20 acres in Braintrim called Black Walnut Bottom, bounded north by Samuel Gordon, south by High Conner, and conveyed to Gaylord June 1791, being same bought of Hugh Connor 8 June 1791.

On 3 June 1795, Justus Gaylord of Braintrim sells to John Wort of Kingston, for 20 (pounds), 1/4 of lot 34 in Kingston.

One 21 February 1795, Justus Gaylord of Luzerne County sells to John Shepard of Luzerne County, for 66 (pounds), land in Athens, Luzerne Co., being one 100 acre and one town lot.

on 7 April 1795, Justus Gaylord of Braintrim sells for 140 (pounds) to William Goodrick, 200 acres in Providence twp., joining the Capouse River, being half of lot 33 in said township.

The names of Justus Gaylord, Levi Gaylord and Samuel Gaylord appear on a memorial to the Connecticut Legislature concerning unsettled lands on the Delaware, May 1752. The entire list embraces 424 names, Justus Gaylord Sr., was a taxable inhabitant of Wyalusing in 1796. At the Wyalusing embraced all the territory from Standing Stone Rock to the mouth of the Meshoppen. Justus was in the (now) Wyoming county portion of that territory. Justus' name appears for the first time on the roster of settlers in the Wyoming Valley as an inhabitant of Plymouth in August 1776. Justus Gaylord sustained a loss of 134 (pounds), 14s in Westmoreland between 3 July 1778 and May 1780." (Twigs From Family Trees, Part IV, p. 576-8).

"When the town of Westmoreland, Litchfield Co., CT. (as the Wyoming settlement was then know), held its first town-meeting 2 March 1774, Mr. Gaylord was chosen tythingman. At the commencement of the Revolution he, with four of his sons, entered the army and remained until the close of the war. At the time of the Wyoming massacre, Mrs. Gaylord was sick. After the capitulation the Indians came into the house to look for the boys, who were known to be in the Patriot army. She had the small-pox; whereupon they rushed out of the house pell-mell, more afraid of the loathe some disease than the Yankee bullets. That night Mr. Gaylord took his family down the river to Berwick and thence to Connecticut. Afterwards he returned to Wyoming, where his house and effects were swept away in the great ice flood of 1784, the family narrowly escaping with their lives, Dama, one of the daughters, was rescued from the crotch of a tree, where the raging torrent had carried her. Soon after this disaster he removed to Wyalusing, PA., here and at Black Walnut, Wyoming Co., he resided until after the death of his wife Elizabeth." (Twigs From Family Trees, p. 64)

1777-78 in Capt. Samuel Ransom's Co., engaged in the iron business at Litchfield, CT., with his three brothers

Justus married Elizabeth.