Person Page 223

Abigail Dyer was born on 10 Apr 1718 in Canterbury, ConnecticutG.³ She was baptized on 13 Apr 1718 in Canterbury, ConnecticutG.⁸
     Abigail married Gideon Cobb, son of Capt. Gideon Cobb and Margaret Fish, on 5 Nov 1739 in Canterbury, Windham Co., ConnecticutG.⁴
     At least five of Gideon and Abigail's sons, William and Mary, John, Elkanah, Ebenezer and Joshua moved to the settlement of Stillwater, on the Hudson River in the Saratoga Patent in the Saratoga Tax District of Albany Co., New York. We know that Elkanah was there by 1773, and Ebenezer and Joshua evidently were there by 1777. John may not have arrived until 1779. Excepting Elkanah, the brothers remained in Stillwater at least until 1779. No evidence has been found to indicate whether Gideon and Abigail were in Stillwater with their sons, although the fact that all their sons, save William, later moved to Pawlet with them suggests they may have been.^9,10,11
     Whether or not they were in Stillwater, Gideon and Abigail were in Pawlet by about 1780. Four of their sons, John, Elkanah with his wife and children, Ebenezer with his wife and daughter, and Joshua, arrived about the same time.^12,13,14 Their daughter Wealthy and her husband Thomas Lathrop may have arrived at the same time, but they have not been documented in the area before 1787.^15,16
     Abigail was probably the female under listed in the household of her husband, Gideon Cobb, in the 1790 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland Co., VermontG.¹⁷
     Her husband died on 25 Jul 1798 in Pawlet, VermontG.^18,19,20
     Abigail was probably the female age over 45 listed in the household of Capt. Joshua Cobb, her son, in the 1800 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland Co., VermontG.²¹
     Abigail died on 10 Jan 1808 in Orwell, VermontG, at age 89.^5,6 She was buried in Village Cemetery, Orwell, Rutland Co., VermontG.⁷

William Cobb was born on 21 Oct 1742 in Norwich, ConnecticutG.^1,3 He was baptized on 13 Nov 1743 in First Congregational Church, Norwich, New London Co., ConnecticutG.⁸
     William married Huldah Norton, daughter of William Norton and Sarah, on 22 Dec 1768 in Windham, ConnecticutG.^4,5
     The following notice appeared in the 3 Feb 1769 issue of the New London, Connecticut, dated in Windham, 14 Dec 1769 New-London Gazette:
The notice also states that the legal action asks for money damages, and that Holliday was to appear in court on the fourth Tuesday in February to answer the charges. Sadly, no other details of the scandalous remarks, nor of the ultimate outcome of the suit, have been found.⁹

Moving to the Frontier on the Upper Hudson --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     William and Mary and his four brothers, John, Elkanah, Ebenezer and Joshua, moved from Connecticut to the settlement of Stillwater, on the Hudson River in the Saratoga Patent in the Saratoga Tax District of Albany Co., New York. We know that Elkanah was there by 1773 and that Ebenezer and Joshua evidently were there before 1777. For William we know only that he was there in 1779 when he appears on tax lists.^10,11,12 (See background and map.)
     William appeared on the 23 Oct 1779 tax list of in Saratoga Tax District, Albany Co.G, with personal property valued at $15.¹³
     No evidence has been found of William and Huldah in Pawlet, Vermont, so it seems they did not move there with his parents and brothers. A 1907 family history reported that they lived in Windham Co., ConnecticutG, so perhaps they returned there from Stillwater, New York, if indeed his wife and children ever joined him in New York.¹⁴
     William died in 1792 in New York, New YorkG, at age ~50.^6,7

John Cobb was born on 21 Oct 1744 in Norwich, ConnecticutG.^1,4 He was baptized on 28 Oct 1744 in First Congregational Church, Norwich, New London Co., ConnecticutG.⁹

Moving to the Frontier on the Upper Hudson --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     John and his four brothers, William and Mary, Elkanah, Ebenezer and Joshua, moved from Connecticut to the settlement of Stillwater, on the Hudson River in the Saratoga Patent in the Saratoga Tax District of Albany Co., New York. We know that Elkanah was there by 1773 and that Ebenezer and Joshua evidently were there before 1777, but John may not have arrived until 1779 when he appears on a tax list there.^10,11,12 (See background and map.)
     John purchased 50 acres of land in Pawlet, VermontG, on 9 Nov 1778, stating he was a resident of Canterbury, Connecticut. He paid £50, money of New York.¹³
     John appeared on the 2 Mar 1779 tax list of in Saratoga Tax District, Albany Co., New YorkG.¹⁴ He and his bothers Ebenezer and Joshua joined 51 officers and other residents of Saratoga Tax District, Albany Co.G, in signing a petition to Gov. Clinton dated 27 Apr 1779, citing "daily and hourly incursions of a numerous and savage enemy" and asking him to reverse his order to call men away from the local regiment and to provide relief as he might "judge right."¹⁵

Settling in Pawlet, Vermont --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     He moved to Pawlet, VermontG, about 1780, joining his brothers, Elkanah, Ebenezer, and Joshua, and their father, Gideon Cobb.^16,17,18 (See background and map.)
     John, and his bothers Elkanah, Ebenezer, and Joshua, all participated in Col. Ira Allen's Regiment during military actions in VermontG in 1780 and 1781. Surviving records show that John and Joshua were with Capt. John Stark's Militia Company for seven days during the alarms at Sheensborough and Tyconderoga in Apr 1780, and were joined by Elkanah and Ebenezer "in defence of the Northern frontiers of this State" in Oct, when John was out for 18 days. John was quarter master for Col. Allen's Regiment at Castleton in the alarm in Oct 1781, being out 10 days.¹⁹ He served for six days with the militia when it was called to assist the sheriff in Windham Co.G in Sep 1782. He was then under the command of his brother-in-law, Col. Stephen Pearl, then a lieutenant colonel.²⁰ John was at some point made a captain of the infantry company of the local militia in PawletG.²¹

Public Service --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     John served as constable of Pawlet, VermontG, from 1780 to 1785.²²
     John married Mary Fuller, daughter of Jacob Fuller and Abigail Webb, on 25 Sep 1783 in Rupert, Bennington Co., VermontG.^5,4 John joined his brothers Elkanah, Ebenezer, Joshua, and 45 other residents of PawletG in signing a petition to the General Assembly dated 6 Sep 1785, asking that the Assembly incorporate the Congregational Society of Pawlet. They wanted to tax themselves in order to support "a Minister of the Gospel of the Congregational Order" in the town. Apparently their request was granted.²³
     John served as a town selectman in 1793.^22,24 He was one of 37 subscribers who, in a document dated 4 Jun 1793, pledged to pay John Griswold some £152 in cattle, wheat, or Indian corn, as inducement to become minister of the First Congregational Church. His pledge was £4 of that amount. Rev. Griswold continued as the pastor until 1831.²⁵

Buying and Selling Land --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     John sold a one-acre plot from his farm to the town of PawletG in Apr 1786 for use as a town cemetery. He received £8 for the parcel, which already contained a "burying ground." According to a local history, the first person was interred there in 1776, but if so it seems unlikely he owned the property at the time.^26,27
     John sold a number of other parcels over the years. On 30 May 1786 he sold 23 acres, 43 rods to Eldad Curtis for £32 18s. On 13 Mar 1789 he sold about 1½ acres of his home lot, where he was then living, to Lewis Beebe, his neighbor to the north, for £10. On 28 Dec 1791 he sold a 7½-acre plot to Joseph Cook for £8. On 28 Mar 1793 he sold a 12-acre tract to Ozias Clark for £18.^28,29 In addition to his original purchase in 1778, we know John purchased lot no. 33 on 27 Oct 1784, paying £55. It's size was unspecified, but most original lots were 50 acres. Since he held over 160 acres left when he sold his farm in 1805, it seems likely that there are one or more other purchases that have not been found.³⁰ (For details of all the records that have been found, see the extracted Cobb Deeds in Pawlet Vermont.)
     He also purchased several "pine pitches," the pine groves set aside in the original town grant to be used as masts for the Royal Navy. He purchased half a 60-acre pine pitch from Joel Harman on 29 Apr 1784, paying £12 10s. He purchased two pitches of unspecified size from the heirs of Nathan Niles, for £4 10s, on 8 Nov 1794. For reasons not now clear, he quit-claimed one of them to Edward Davis on 9 Nov 1797 for the full purchase price of £4 10s.³¹
     John appeared on the 1790 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland Co., VermontG, (which was enumerated 4 Apr 1791, after Vermont became a state in Mar 1791) with a household consisting of four males under 16 (sons Henry, William, and John and another), two over age 16 (John and one other), and 3 females (wife Mary and two others.)³ On 24 Mar 1797 John sold 3¼ acres 2¼ rods from his farm, for £100, to the First Congregational Society of Pawlet for the building of a meeting house. The lot was 16 rods (264 feet) from his house, and there were restrictions agreed to about where a building could be located on the property.³²
     John appeared on the 1800 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland Co., VermontG, with a household consisting of two males under age 10 (sons Horace and Gideon), two between 10 and 16 (John and William), one between 16 and 26 (Henry), and one over 45 (himself); and two females under 10 (daughters Sarah and Abigail), one between 16 and 26 (unknown), one between 26 and 45 (unknown), and one over 45 (his wife, Mary.)³³
      On 28 Jan 1805 John sold his 135-acre farm in PawletG to Ephraim Fitch for $3,000. A deed the same date from Timothy Leonard of Sharon, Litchfield Co., Vermont, to John for $28 was apparently to clear a mortgage from 2 Dec 1794, which has not been found. John sold another 26 acres, 33 rods, to John Penfield, Sr., on 4 Mar 1805, for $92.36.³⁴ He and Mary then moved to Orwell, VermontG.^35,36
     John appeared on the 1810 Federal Census of Orwell, Rutland Co., VermontG, with a household consisting of one male age 10 to 16 (son Horace), two aged 16 to 26 (Gideon and John), and one over 45 (himself), one female under age 10 (daughter Maria), one aged 10 to 16 (Sarah), one aged 16 to 26 (Abigail), and one over 45 (wife Mary). The census also recorded that the family had two wheels and a loom, with which they produced 56 yards of woolen cloth and 201 yards of linen, and had 25 sheep.³⁷

His Will --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     John wrote a will dated 10 Sep 1815, in which he left to his wife livestock and furniture for her life. After her death, the furniture was to be divided between his son Horace and daughters Abigail, Sarah, and Maria. In addition, Sally and Maria were to receive, at age 18 or when they married, furniture equal to that given their sister Abigail. He stated that he had already given to his sons William, John, Gideon, and Henry (noting that Henry was deceased) all assistance that justice justified. He appointed his son Horace and Col. William Fuller as his executors.³⁸
     John died on 16 Dec 1815 in Orwell, VermontG, at age 71.^6,7 He was buried in Village Cemetery, Orwell, Rutland Co., VermontG.⁸
     His will was probated on 6 Jan 1816 in Fair Haven District Probate Court, Rutland Co., VermontG, with Col. William Fuller acting as executor since son Horace, the other named executor, was still a minor.³⁹ An inventory was filed 26 Mar 1816, listing real estate valued at $2,000, as well as livestock, and farm and household goods.³⁸ On 3 Feb 1817 the executor reported that the claims against the estate were $803.20, while those in favor of the estate were $186.94.⁴⁰

Ebenezer Cobb was born on 16 Mar 1748/49 in Chelsa, Norwich, ConnecticutG.^4,5 He was baptized on 26 Mar 1749 in First Congregational Church, Norwich, New London Co., ConnecticutG.¹¹
     Ebenezer married Elizabeth Lathrop on 4 Mar 1777 in Newent, ConnecticutG, with Elisha Lathrop, Esq., the bride's uncle, officiating.^6,7

Moving to the Frontier on the Upper Hudson --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Ebenezer and his four brothers, William and Mary, John, Elkanah and Joshua, moved from Connecticut to the settlement of Stillwater, on the Hudson River in the Saratoga Patent in the Saratoga Tax District of Albany Co., New York. We know that Elkanah was there by 1773 and that Ebenezer and Joshua evidently were there before 1777. John may not have arrived until 1779. Excepting Elkanah, the brothers remained in Stillwater at least until 1779.^12,13,14 (See background and map.)

Revolutionary War Service at Saratoga --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Ebenezer and his brother Joshua were evidently engaged in work for the military during the Revolution. On 17 Apr 1777 they had a claim for £17 5s 4p approved for "repairing of Arms on the late invasion to the northward."¹⁵ Ebenezer was an enlisted man in the 13th Regiment of the Albany County Militia. While his exact service dates have been lost, it seems highly likely that he was with his unit at the Second Battle of Saratoga, at Bemis Heights on 7 Oct 1777. The defeat of the British Gen. Burgoyne there forced his surrender ten days later, which encouraged the French to join the American effort, and thus was arguably a turning point in the Revolution.¹⁶
     Ebenezer and his brother Joshua joined about 120 other residents of the Saratoga and Cambridge Districts in Albany Co. in signing a petition to Gov. Clinton, noting that Gen. Burgoyne's forces had penetrated the county and the people were being attaced by "Savages" and British and Canadian troops. They asked for "speedy and effectual measures for their relief." His reply, dated 24 Apr 1778, said he had few resources, had asked Gen. Washington for help, and would send what help he could.¹⁷ They and their brother John joined 51 officers and other residents of Saratoga Tax District in signing a second petition to Gov. Clinton dated 27 Apr 1779, citing "daily and hourly incursions of a numerous and savage enemy" and asking him to reverse his order to call men away from the local regiment and to provide relief as he might "judge right."¹⁸
     Ebenezer appeared on the 2 Mar 1779 tax list of in Saratoga Tax District, Albany Co., New YorkG, with real estate valued at £30.¹⁹
     Ebenezer appeared on the 23 Oct 1779 tax list of in Saratoga Tax District, Albany Co.G, with real estate valued at $20.²⁰
     Ebenezer purchased 50 acres of land in Pawlet, VermontG, on 9 Nov 1779, while a resident of Stillwater, New York, paying £600. The land had been confiscated by the state from the previous owner, Barnabas Hough, because of "his treasonable conduct," apparently during the Revolution.^21,22

Settling in Pawlet, Vermont --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Ebenezer moved to Pawlet, VermontG, from Stillwater, New York, about 1780 with his wife, Elizabeth, and their daughter Clarcy, joining his brothers, John, Elkanah, and Joshua, and their father, Gideon Cobb.^23,24,25 (See background and map.)
     Ebenezer, and his bothers John, Elkanah, and Joshua, all participated in Col. Ira Allen's Regiment during military actions in VermontG in 1780 and 1781. Surviving records show that all four were with Capt. John Stark's Militia Company "in defense of the Northern frontiers of this State" in Oct 1780, when Ebenezer served for 12 days. He also served for 10 days in Capt. Zadoc Everist's Company in the alarm in Oct 1781.²⁶
     Joshua and his brother Ebenezer exchanged two parcels of land on 20 Sep 1781. Ebenezer received the north half of lot no. 17, which Joshua had purchased in 1780, while Joshua received about 5 acres west of the new highway in lot no. 16, for which no purchase deed has been found.²⁷
     Ebenezer joined his brothers John, Elkanah, Joshua, and 45 other residents of PawletG in signing a petition to the General Assembly dated 6 Sep 1785, asking that the Assembly incorporate the Congregational Society of Pawlet. They wanted to tax themselves in order to support "a Minister of the Gospel of the Congregational Order" in the town. Apparently their request was granted.²⁸ He was a delegate to the State Episcopal Convention in 1790, representing the Episcopal Church in PawletG.²⁹
     Ebenezer appeared on the 1790 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland Co., VermontG, (which was enumerated 4 Apr 1791, after Vermont became a state in Mar 1791) with a household consisting of three males under16 (sons Harry, Ebenezer, and Derrick), two over 16 (himself and another), and five females (daughters Clarcy, Susanna, and Betsy, wife Elizabeth Lathrop, and another.)³

Administrator of His Brother's Estate --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Ebenezer was an administrator for the estate of his brother, Elkanah, along with Elkanah's son Gideon. They pursued the case Elkanah had filed before his death for damages to his mill. The case came to trial 16 Nov 1795 and the jury found Roger Stevens, Gilbert Soper, Nathaniel Lewis, and John Shumway Jr. guilty and awarded judgment of £60 and costs. The other defendants were acquitted and awarded their costs of trial. In the meantime the administrators filed a second suit for damages to the dam naming 17 defendants, many of them the same as in Elkanah's suit but several new names, including Simon Francis, apparently Elkanah's former partner in the mill. They sought £200 in damages costs. That suit was tried the same day and the jury found all but one of the defendants guilty and awarded £49 in damages and costs. The defendants in both suits filed a motions appealing the decisions to the Vermont Supreme Court claiming that the administrators had no standing to prosecute the suits.³⁰
     Appeals were to be heard at the 30 Jan 1797 term of the Supreme Court but were not acted upon. The administrators filed a petition with the state Assembly on 20 Sep 1798, asking it to direct the Court to hear and determine the cases as though they had been prosecuted by Elkanah before his death. On 22 Oct 1798 the petition was read to the Assembly, and the petitioners granted leave to withdraw it, with no explanation provided by the record. No record of a decision by the Supreme Court has been found.^31,32
     On 13 Sep 1799, Ebenezer and his nephew Gideon as administrators exchanged halves of a 16½- acre parcel in Wells next to Pond Brook with James Dunscomb, declaring them to be of equal value.³³ The same day they deeded three parcels, "the whole of the real estate of Elkanah Cobb in Wells," to Simon Francis, his former partner. The parcels were of 3 acres, 18 acres, and 50 acres, and excluded the property set off by the court to the widow. The purchase price was $450, the amount by which the debts of the estate exceeded the "moveable estate."³⁴

The Move to Shelburne --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     In 1793, Ebenezer Cobb made a new survey of the town of Shelburne, VermontG, under the direction of the town selectmen, resolving longstanding disputes based on previous conflicting surveys. The original grant of the town charter specified it was to consist of 23,500 acres, a little over six miles square. But later surveys disclosed that its boundaries overlapped those of Burlington to the north. Since the grant to that town had been made a month earlier, it gained priority, and Shelburne's size was reduced to a little over 14,000 acres. The conflicting claims of early landowners were adjusted and resolved.^35,36
      On 3 Mar 1798 Ebenezer sold 75 acres in PawletG to Ezra Shelton of Reuport [Repurt ?], Bennington Co., Vermont, for £430. The parcel fronted on the main road in town, and was near the shop of his brother Joshua. It is not clear from the description property descriptions, but seems likely this was his entire holding in PawletG, as no further record of him has been found in that town.³⁷ On the same date Ebenezer and Joshua exchanged small parcels of land, with Ebenezer receiving one acre, 10 rods, while Joshua received half an acre, 10 rods. It would appear they were re-aligning the boundaries between their neighboring properties in preparation for Ebenezer's sale of his land.³⁸
     Ebenezer and Elizabeth moved to Shelburne before 1800. Ebenezer appeared on the 1800 Federal Census of Shelburne, Chittenden Co., VermontG, with a household consisting of one male under age 10 (son Calvin), two age 10 to 16 (Derrick and Ebenezer), and one over 45 (himself), and one female age 10 to 16 (daughter Betsy), two age 16 to 26 (daughter Susanna and another), and one over 45 (wife, Elizabeth.)³⁹ His sister Wealthy and her husband apparently lived close by, as he is listed next in the census record.⁴⁰ His daughter, Clarcy and her husband, Isaac Tracy, were also apparently close by, as they are listed four households preceding.⁴¹
     Ebenezer appeared on the 1810 Federal Census of Shelburne, Chittenden Co., VermontG, with a household consisting of one male under age 10 (unknown), one age 16 to 26 (son Darick or Calvin), and one over 45 (himself), and one female one age 16 to 26 (daughter Betsy), and one over 45 (wife, Elizabeth.)⁴² His son Ebenezer and his wife were apparently living close by, as they are listed next.⁴³
     On 23 Feb 1810, and several times thereafter, Ebenezer placed a notice in the Burlington newspaper about a red morocco pocket book that had been found on the Lake Road leading from Burlington to Charlotte. The notice said it contained a small sum of money, a Sergeant's Warrant, and sundry other papers, and it could be claimed by proving ownership and paying charges. The owner was to apply to him at ShelburneG.⁴⁴ In 1811 the town selectmen petitioned the General Assembly to establish the public lands in the town according to Ebenezer's survey.⁴⁵ During the War of 1812 he delivered 81 pairs of socks and mittens made by the ladies of ShelburneG for the soldiers, acknowledged in a 8 Dec 1812 letter by Gen. Isaac Clark, then Col. 11th Reg.⁴⁶
     Ebenezer appeared on the 1820 Federal Census of Shelburne, Chittenden Co., VermontG, with a household consisting of one white male over age 45 (himself), and one white female age 16 to 26, and one over age 45 (wife Elizabeth.)⁴⁷ His son Ebenezer and his family were apparently living close by, as he is listed next on the census record.⁴⁸
     When his sister Abigail died intestate, it appears that as her sole surviving brother he was the presumptive administrator of her estate. However he filed a note dated 4 Apr 1822 with the Chittenden Co.G probate court citing his "being advanced in years" and declining to serve.⁴⁹
     Ebenezer died on 1 Jul 1826 in Shelburne, Chittenden Co., VermontG, at age 77.^8,9,10

Administering His Estate --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     On 3 Jul 1826 Ebenezer's widow, Elizabeth, filed a request with the Chittenden DistrictG Probate court to appoint their son Ebenezer as administrator of his estate.⁵⁰ The younger Ebenezer posted a bond of $2,000 with the probate court on 6 Jul 1826, with his sister Susanna's husband Holden Farnsworth acting as surety.⁵¹ The administrator then informed the court that it appeared that the estate was insolvent, and asked the court to appoint a committee to examine the claims of creditors. The Court appointed Burgess Hall and Henry Mayo, but the latter refused to serve. He was replaced by Levi Comstock.⁵²
     On 27 Jul 1826 Levi Comstock and Erastus Tracy filed their appraisal of the real and personal property of the estate with the Court, showing the total value of $458.80. The inventory included a yoke of oxen ($27.50), 14 cows, calves, and bulls, 20 sheep, a horse ($25), and a number of pigs. There were four acres of growing wheat and rye, 37 bushels of wheat ($31.50), 62 of corn ($31.25), 100 of potatoes, 4 tons hay, and other produce. There was a variety of tools and implements, and a long list of furnishings and household goods, including a large Bible ($4), two beds and bedding ($35.10), pots, and dishes. No real estate was listed.⁵³
     The commissioners appointed to examine the claims of creditor filed their report with the Court 19 Jan 1827, showing a total of $128.46 due. This included $47.07 for a note and interest due Thomas Fletcher and half of a note for $15 owed jointly with his son, Ebenezer. The rest was for 14 accounts owed, apparently to local merchants. This would indicate that the estate was actually not insolvent, but no final accounting has been found.⁵⁴

Capt. Joshua Cobb was born on 16 Jul 1751 in Norwich, ConnecticutG.^4,5

Moving to the Frontier on the Upper Hudson --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Joshua and his four brothers, William and Mary, John, Elkanah and Ebenezer, moved from Connecticut to the settlement of Stillwater, on the Hudson River in the Saratoga Patent in the Saratoga Tax District of Albany Co., New York. We know that Elkanah was there by 1773 and that Ebenezer and Joshua evidently were there before 1777. John may not have arrived until 1779. Excepting Elkanah, the brothers remained in Stillwater at least until 1779.^10,11,12 (See background and map.)

Revolutionary War Service at Saratoga --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Joshua and his brother Ebenezer were evidently engaged in work for the military during the Revolution. On 17 Apr 1777 they had a claim for £17 5s 4p approved for "repairing of Arms on the late invasion to the northward."¹³ They joined about 120 other residents of the Saratoga and Cambridge Districts in Albany Co. in signing a petition to Gov. Clinton, noting that Gen. Burgoyne's forces had penetrated the county and the people were being attaced by "Savages" and British and Canadian troops. They asked for "speedy and effectual measures for their relief." His reply, dated 24 Apr 1778, said he had few resources, had asked Gen. Washington for help, and would send what help he could.¹⁴ They and their brother John joined 51 officers and other residents of Saratoga Tax District in signing a second petition to Gov. Clinton dated 27 Apr 1779, citing "daily and hourly incursions of a numerous and savage enemy" and asking him to reverse his order to call men away from the local regiment and to provide relief as he might "judge right."¹⁵
     Joshua appeared on the 23 Oct 1779 tax list of in Saratoga Tax District, Albany Co.G, with real estate valued at $20.¹⁶ Joshua purchased lot no. 17 in Pawlet, VermontG, on 9 Nov 1779, while a resident of Stillwater, New York, paying 400£ in Continental currency and £25 in gold and silver (most lots were 50 ac., but the size of this one is not stated in the deed.)¹⁷

Settling in Pawlet, Vermont --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Joshua moved to Pawlet, VermontG, from Stillwater, New York, about 1780, joining his brothers, John, Elkanah, and Ebenezer, and their father, Gideon Cobb.^18,19,20 (See background and map.)
     Joshua, and his bothers John, Elkanah, and Ebenezer, all participated in Col. Ira Allen's Regiment during military actions in VermontG in 1780 and 1781. Surviving records show that Joshua and John were with Capt. John Stark's Militia Company for seven days during the alarms at Sheensborough and Tyconderoga in Apr 1780, and were joined by Elkanah and Ebenezer "in defense of the Northern frontiers of this State" in Oct, when Joshua was out for 20 days.²¹
     Joshua married Hannah Edgerton, daughter of Simeon Edgerton and Abiah Hough, on 17 Sep 1781 in Pawlet, Rutland Co., VermontG.^6,7
     Joshua purchased lot no. 19 in PawletG on 19 Sep 1781, for £100.²² He evidently had made other purchases as well, because the following day he sold two parcels totaling 150 acres, for which no record of his purchasing them has been found, for £200.²³
     Joshua and his brother Ebenezer exchanged two parcels of land on 20 Sep 1781. Ebenezer received the north half of lot no. 17, which Joshua had purchased in 1780, while Joshua received about 5 acres west of the new highway in lot no. 16, for which no purchase deed has been found.²⁴ Joshua sold another parcel for which no purchase record has been found on 20 Apr 1782, lot no. 60, containing 60 acres, for which he received £100.²⁵

Public Service --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Joshua joined his brothers John, Elkanah, Ebenezer, and 45 other residents of PawletG in signing a petition to the General Assembly dated 6 Sep 1785, asking that the Assembly incorporate the Congregational Society of Pawlet. They wanted to tax themselves in order to support "a Minister of the Gospel of the Congregational Order" in the town. Apparently their request was granted.²⁶
     Joshua was a captain of the cavalry company of the local militia in PawletG, which was formed before the close of the Revolution. At least some of the duties of the unit were ceremonial, as evidenced by his orders in connection with the election on the second Tuesday in Oct 1790:

The Blacksmith --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Joshua took in apprentices, evidently in his blacksmith trade. Apprentices usually were indentured, or bound to their masters, for a period of years. During that time they were to work for their masters in exchange for being taught a trade and their room and board. It was not uncommon for apprentices to run away from their masters before their term expired, as 16 year-old Johnson Story did while apprenticed to Joshua in Apr 1791. He apparently was found, as he ran away again in Jul 1793. Joshua offered a six pence reward for his return in advertisements each time.^29,30,31
     Joshua appeared on the 1790 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland Co., VermontG, (which was enumerated 4 Apr 1791, after Vermont became a state in Mar 1791) with a household consisting of four males over age 16 (Joshua and three unknown others) and five females (probably wife Hannah Edgerton and daughters Abigail, Abiah, Polly, and Drusilla.)³
     Joshua purchased one half of a 40-acre pitch in PawletG on 12 Aug 1791, from John Stark of Pawlet, paying £12. Curiously, another deed with the same date, but not recorded until 1799, shows him purchasing 27 acres for $40 from John Stark, this time identified as of South Hero, Chittenden Co., Vermont. Differences in the wording of the document, currency, and the stated location of the seller suggest the second deed was actually written later and back-dated.³² It may have been an attempt to clear a title, since it appears that Joshua had sold 17½ of that parcel to Joseph Bradford on 17 May 1796 for £50.³³ On 3 Mar 1798 Joshua and his brother Ebenezer exchanged small parcels of land, with Ebenezer receiving one acre, 10 rods, while Joshua received half an acre, 10 rods. It would appear they were re-aligning the boundaries between their neighboring properties in preparation for Ebenezer's sale of his land.³⁴ On 20 Apr 1800 Joshua sold 42 acres to Ezra Sheldon, curiously for $1. On 28 Apr 1803 he sold another 35 acres to Joel Simon Jr., for $30.³⁵
     Joshua appeared on the 1800 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland Co., VermontG, with a household consisting of two males under age 10 (probably sons Joshua D. and Simeon E.), two between 16 and 25 (unknown), and one over 45 (Joshua); and two females under 10 (daughters Hannah and Wealthyann), three between 10 and 15 (daughters Abiah, Polly, and Drusilla), one between 16 and 25 (daughter Abigail), one between 26 and 44 (wife Hannah), and one over 45 (probably his mother, Abigail Dyer.)³⁶
     Joshua appeared on the 1810 Federal Census of Pawlet, Rutland Co., VermontG, with a household consisting of one male age 10 to 16 (son Simeon E.), one aged 16 to 26 (Joshua D.), and one over 45 (himself), one female under age 10 (daughter Claracy), two aged 10 to 16 (Hannah and Wealthyann), and two aged 26 to 45 (wife Hannah and another). The census also recorded, that the family had four wheels and a loom, with which they produced 80 yards of woolen cloth and 100 yards of linen, and had 25 sheep.³⁷
     Joshua seems to have taken out a series of increasing larger mortgages on his farm before finally selling it in 1815. On 18 Feb 1807 he mortgaged 50 acres to Timothy Leonard of Pokipsey [Poughkeepsie ?], Dutchess Co., New York, for $150. The note, written in Grenvill, New York, was payable in 1809. On 16 Jan 1809 he mortgaged 61 acres where he was living, in the center of town, including all his buildings, to Caleb Paris of Danby Co., Vermont, for $800. This note was due in one year, but was apparently repaid, with interest, on 16 Jan 1812, after Joshua gave a new mortgage to the same person that day. This mortgage was for $1,500, and covered 111 acres, the whole farm where he was living, and was payable in three years. It was paid off "by the hand of Ezias Clark" 17 Jul 1817, after Joshua had sold apparently the whole farm to Fitch Clark, on 14 Apr 1815. He received $2,775, apparently including assumption of the mortgage, although the deed does not say that.³⁸ (For details of all the records that have been found, see the extracted Cobb Deeds in Pawlet Vermont.)

The Move to Vernon, New York --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Joshua and Hannah moved to Vernon, New YorkG, shortly afterward, apparently with their son Simeon, since they lived with him there afterword. It appears they were joining their daughters Abigail and Polly and their husbands who had moved there previously.^39,40 (See map.)
     On 20 May 1817, before leaving Pawlet, Joshua and Hannah sold her inheritance from David Edgerton, for $110. He was presumably her brother who had died in 1813. On 21 May 1823, after they had moved to Vernon, they sold their interest in the two acres in Pawlet left to her mother from her father's estate to Simeon Edgerton, presumably her brother of that name, for $36.⁴¹
     Joshua was probably the male age over 45 listed in the household of Simeon E. Cobb, his son, in the 1820 Federal Census of Vernon, Oneida Co., New YorkG, probably with his wife, Hannah, being the female over age 45 in the household.⁴²
     Joshua died between 1820 and 1822.^8,9