The 1847 murder

I was aware of the name change of Stephen Leathers to Stephen Freeman.A few years ago, I attempted to uncover more information about Stephen's murder.Here is a newspaper piece that I found in "The Dover Gazette" dated 17 July 1847:

"Row in Barrington -- Accompanied With Death"

"On the night of the 28th of June last, as Mr. Stephen Freeman and Henry Danforth were returning from work and, passing through what is called Leathersville in Barrington, they had occasion to pass by the house of Ebenezer Leathers in order to go to Freeman's house which was situated above.It seemed there had been some hard talk and threats used by Ebenezer Leathers and his son, Ebenezer Jr., and Robert Leathers, brother of the old man, towards this Danforth, for some reason, and in passing up, when they had got opposite the house of the old man, there was some hard talk between the wife of old Ebenezer Leathers and this Danforth, and Mr. Freeman interefered, and, as was sworn to before the Justice, throwed rocks at the house, at which time Robert and younger Ebenezer interefered; and, as young Ebenezer confessed on the trial before the Justice, he struck Mr. Freeman on the head with a club which produced a wound of which he died on the morning on July 1st... scull [sic] was fractured by the blow from the club and after the small pieces of bone had been taken from the wound, the aperture was 4 1/4 inches in length one way, and 3 1/4 inches in another...."

"Trial set for first Tuesday in August for young Ebenezer, old Ebenezer and Robert discharged..."


There is no mention in this article that Stephen Freeman was the brother of Ebenezer Leathers Sr. and Robert Leathers.But the book, "Edward Leathers and His Descendants" [by Rev. Dr. A. H. Quint, reprinted from the Dover Enquirer, 1891], clarifies:

"Ebenezer Leathers who m. 14 May 1804, Huldah Sawyer, was unfortunately implicated with his son Ebenezer and brother Robert Leathers in an affray in front of his own house, 25 June 1847, which resulted in the death of Ebenezer's brother Stephen.For this, at the trial 22 January 1848, the three were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced, each to 3 days solitary, and Ebenezer Sen. to 10 years in State Prison, and Ebenezer Jr. and Robert each to 20 years.We believe that Ebenezer Sen., an old man, was soon pardoned out.Ebenezer Jr. died in prison January 1854, age 45."

"Stephen Leathers who took surname FREEMAN, married a Hanscom, was killed as stated."

The 1850 census of Barrington does indeed confirm that Ebenezer Leathers Sr. had been released from jail:

BARRINGTON, Strafford Co., NH, 1850:
#751--
Oliver Leathers, 26
Sally, 25
Ebenezer, 4
Samuel, 1
HULDAH LEATHERS, 77
EBENEZER LEATHERS, 78, basketmaker
Robert Leathers, 40, basketmaker
Sally Leathers, 8

Just two houses away was Elizabeth /"Betsey" (Hanscom) Leathers-Freeman (b. 1796), widow of the murdered Stephen:

#753--
BETSEY FREEMAN, 54
David Freeman, 30, farmer
Hannah, 32
Stephen R., 2
Adeline J., 1
Jeremiah Freeman, 14
Wilbur Freeman, 10
Miles Freeman, 28
Lucinda, 22
Azariah, 2

Ten years later, Betsey (Hanscom) Leathers-Freeman was living in the home of her daughter, Betsey (Freeman) Randall, in Lee, NH:

LEE, Strafford Co., NH, 1860:
Richard Randall, 35, laborer, $800 + $100
Betsey, 32,
Nehemiah, 14
John R., 13
Frank P., 7
Orissa J., 10
Austin, 1
BETSEY FREEMAN, 64

Here is what I have on the family of Betsey (Hanscom) Freeman:

ELIZABETH /"Betsey" HANSCOM, b. Barrington, NH, 1796; living in Lee, NH, 1860.She m. in Barrington, 6 Sept. 1818, STEPHEN LEATHERS of Barrington, b. Stratham, NH, later known as "Stephen Freeman"; murdered by nephew, 25 or 28 June 1847.

Five children:
1.DAVID D. FREEMAN, b. c.1820; d. in Barrington, 6 November 1890, of "typhoid pneumonia".He m. in Barrington, 30 June 1845, HANNAH GRAY, b. c.1818, and had two known children: Stephen R. (b. c.1848) and Adeline J. (b. c.1849)

2.MILES FREEMAN, b. c.1822.He m. in Barrington, 11 May 1845, LUCINDA WILLEY, b. c.1828, and had one known son:Azariah (b. c.1848).

3.BETSEY FREEMAN, b. c.1828.She m. in Barrington, 25 Dec. 1844, RICHARD RANDALL of Lee, NH, b. c.1825.Five known children:Nehemiah (b. c.1846), John R. (b. c.1847), Orissa J. (b. c.1850), Frank P. (b. c.1853), and Austin (b. c.1859).

4.JEREMIAH FREEMAN, b. c.1836; living 1850.

5.WILBUR FREEMAN, b. c.1840; living 1850.


Here's another family that makes this murder even more of a complicated tale:

JOHN HANSCOM JR., b. Barrington, c.1799, younger brother of Betsey (Hanscom) Leathers-Freeman (b. c.1796), was m. in Barrington, 11 November 1824, to SARAH /"Sally" LEATHERS, b. Barrington, c.1805.I'm quite sure -- although I haven't yet proved it -- that Sally was the daughter of Ebenezer and Huldah (Sawyer) Leathers, and therefore the niece of the murdered Stephen [who was also her husband's brother-in-law], and the sister of Ebenezer Leathers Jr. [who struck the actual blow].

John Hanscom Jr. and Sally (Leathers) Hanscom were not living in Barrington when the 1847 murder happened.Following their marriage, they lived for a time in Haverhill, Mass., then moved back to Barrington.Later, they may have gone to Durham, NH.I think that John Hanscom Jr. was deceased by 1850, and Sally may have remarried.They had two daughters:

1.[DAUGHTER] /unidentified, b. c.1825 [age 5-10 in 1830].

2.HULDAH HANSCOM, b. Haverhill, MA, 22 Feb. 1826; d. Hartland, Maine, 6 Oct. 1917, age 91.She m. in Portsmouth, NH, 8 Sept. 1850, JOTHAM SEWALL WORKS (1827-1898).Among their seven children were two sons by the same name of "John Hanscom Works".The first died in 1855, age 1, and the second died in 1884, age 29.


I have more detailed information on all the descendants of Aaron Hanscom of Barrington, so e-mail me at "rodihan@juno.com" with any questions you may have.