Capt. Ebenezer Couch, Jr.

Notes:

John Wood, Jr. is a D.A.R. certified veteran of the American Revolutionary War, serving for Connecticut: A026420

Boyce Cemetery Information

COUCH LOT Click Image for Full Boyce Cemetery Listing

Capt. Ebenezer Couch, also Ebenezer Couch, Jr.
Military Service: Captain Revolutionary War
Burial: North Milton Cemetery, Saratoga County, NY

Will Records of Saratoga County, New York 1796-1805
Will Records of Saratoga County, New York

OSPage: 82
Name: Ebenezer Couch
My wife, Sarah My oldest son, John My sons: Ebenezer, Aaron, Joel Bostwick, and John My daughters: Anne Whitlock, wife of Henry; and Elizabeth Benedict, wife of Benjamin My daughter, Sarah My son, Ebenezer and wife, Sarah, Exe. Probated: 17 August 1800

Article Title: Ebenezer Couch (Capt.), B.1733, Connecticut Periodical: American Monthly Magazine

Darren Couch of Girard, KS said he paid to have Ebenezer Couch, Jr's grave stone set upright again after it fell over...set in gravel rather than on base.

Ebenezer married Elizabeth MCCARTY on 29 Jul 1761 in Greenfield, Fairfield Co, CT. Elizabeth was born before 8 Aug 1742 in Redding, Fairfield Co, CT. [Group Sheet]

1. John COUCH was born on 05 May 1762 in Redding, Fairfield Co, CT; died on 12 Jun 1812.
2. Levi COUCH was born on 25 Aug 1763.
3. Anna COUCH was born on 28 Apr 1765.
4. Ebenezer Couch, III was born on 26 Mar 1768 in CT; died on 20 Aug 1853 in Pompey, Onondaga Co, NY.
5. Abner COUCH was born on 24 Mar 1770.
6. Aaron COUCH was born on 17 Jun 1772.

Ebenezer married Sarah KINNEY on 04 Nov 1777 in New Preston Congregational Church, New Preston, CT. Sarah (daughter of Jacob KINNEY) was born on 27 Mar 1750 in New Milford, Litchfield Co, CT; died on 09 Nov 1822 in Milton, Saratoga Co, NY; was buried in North Milton Cemetery, Milton, Saratoga Co, NY. [Group Sheet]

1. Elizabeth COUCH was born on 15 Apr 1781.
2. Joel Bostwick COUCH was born on 15 Apr 1781 in Washington, Litchfield Co, CT; died on 10 Oct 1842; was buried in Kelloggsville Cemetery, Sempronius, Cayuga Co, NY.
3. Levi Couch was born on 22 Jun 1783 in New Preston, Litchfield Co, CT; died in 1875 in CT.
4. Caswell COUCH was born on 14 Oct 1785.
5. Electra COUCH was born on 15 Jun 1788; died on 12 Jul 1799 in Saratoga Co, NY; was buried in North Milton Cemetery, Milton, Saratoga Co, NY.
6. Sarah Kinney COUCH was born in 1789 in Milton, Saratoga Co, NY.

Notes:

Ebenezer Couch, Sr. is a D.A.R. certified veteran of the American Revolutionary War, serving for Connecticut: A026419

Ebenezer (Sr.) was also Chairman of the Observation Committee for Fairfield. In the Revolutionary War, that makes him the head of the Culpepper Spy ring in Fairfield, CT. The British became so angry over the success of spies in Fairfield as you may already know, they came w/Hessians across Long Island Sound in 1779 and burned Fairfield to the ground, house by house. That is why Captain Ebenezer and his younger brother, who was a private migrated together to Milton, NY, where they are buried, side by side. Later Sarah Kinney would be buried next to him. Many of the former residents of Fairfield, Ct migrated together to NY.

Ebenezer Couch was a member of the Safety Committee, his son who had several businesses in Fairfield, Conn., served as a Captain in the Revolutionary war, his son John, played the fife in his company and his son Ebenezer Jr., worked as a waiter for the company. One of their winter encampments in Connecticut is to this day undisturbed and military historians and archaeologists are trying to raise the funds to preserve the 50 plus acre site.

Captain Ebenezer Couch lost everything to include his wife, businesses, home, as a result of his service. The British wanted to teach the colonists a lesson and selected Fairfield, Connecticut as the place to demonstrate their brutality. The town was burned to the ground and innocent women and children were killed. George Washington addressed the sacrifice of the residents of Fairfield, Conn. Joel Bostwick who served under Captain Ebenezer Couch, died, and his wife, Sarah Kinney Bostwick, and Ebenezer would marry after the war. They would move the family to Saratoga, New York, and live on rented lands.

Christened:
History of Fairfield, V2, First Extant Parish Record of Christ's Church, Fairfield, p.479

Ebenezer married Ann CRANE on 18 May 1731 in Fairfield, Fairfield Co, CT. Ann was born on 24 May 1711 in Windham, Windham Co, CT. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

"The General Assembly met on the 12th of October, [1710] when Mr. James Rennet and Mr. Samuel Couch represented Fairfield. Mr. Samuel Couch was confirmed captain, Mr. John Osborn lieutenant and Mr. Benjamin Rumsey ensign of Green's Farms train-band." - The History of Fairfield County, Connecticut, 1700-1800, Vol. II

Capt. Samuel Couch, death also given as 1725 but will dated 1739, birth also given as abt.1670 (1666 date from Frost Gen.)

"The History of the Town of Catharine, Schuyler County, New York"
by The Tuttle Publishing Co. Inc., Rutland, Vermont, 1945.

Ensign, west company, Fairfield, June 1709; Lt. Oct 1709; Capt. Oct 1710;
Deputy (Fairfield), Oct 1710; Oct 1712, May and Oct 1720, May 173, Oct 1734;
Justice 1723-39.

Will 12 May 1739, proved 3 Dec 1739; advanced in years; legacies to sons Samuel,
Benjamin, John (at College, to have out of his estate education for four
years), and Ebenezer; daughters Eunice wife of Reuben Taylor and Abigail Couch;
grandson Joseph Jackson; residue equally to children, Samuel, Benjamin,
Ebenezer and Solomon Couch, Mary Couch, Edry Frost, Eunice Taylor, Elizabeth
Todd and Abigail Couch.

Samuel, Benjamin, Ebenezer and Solomon Couch, Joseph Crane and wife Mary, Joseph

Frost and wife Adra, Nathaniel Hibbard and wife Abigail, all of Fairfield,
Reuben Taylor and wife Eunice of Norwalk, and Rev. Jonathan Todd and wife
Elizabeth of Guilford, conveyed 15 June 1741 to brother John Couch of
Fairfield, land in Redding.

All information from:
"History & Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield"
by Donald Lines Jacobus, Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter DAR, Fairfield, CT, 1930.
Allen Co. Public Library, Ft. Wayne, IN. Gc 974.602 F161j

Samuel married Edrea HURLBUT. Edrea (daughter of Thomas HURLBUT and Mary Brown) was born in 1674 in Woodbury, Litchfield Co, CT; died on 24 Nov 1737 in Westport, Fairfield Co, CT. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

birth also given as abt 1674, age 65 at death > 1737 death minus 65 years gives 1672 birth year from gravestone (1668 birth date from Frost Gen.)

Also given as Edra, and dau name is Edra.

http://www.bjpeters.com/bj/PS01/PS01_126.htm
Name *Edrea HURLBUT95 <../PS_SRC.htm>, 7G Grandmother Birth abt 1668, Jacobus states abt. 1674. Of, Fairfield, CT95 <../PS_SRC.htm> Death 24 Nov 173795 <../PS_SRC.htm> Occupation CLICK NAME FOR NOTES Father *Thomas HURLBUT , II <../PS05/PS05_023.htm>

Notes:

Simon treated slavery as indentured servitude. He became a free man in 1665 having endentured himself to the Andrews family for his passage over from Plymouth. Plymouth is close to Cornwall, England. By the time of his death, he owned two neighboring "bankside farms," on Long Island sound in CT and had 3 businesses. In his will, his slaves were to be set free and were each given 8 acres of the farm lands.

Unfortunately, when I copied the above statement about Simon Couch's treatment of slaves, I did not record the source. It is important to note that despite any benefit received by indentured people (of all colors including white), indentured people were essentially owned and treated poorly. Some did become free and climb to success, but this was not typical. If they did not in their "owner's" view prove to be loyal, many were sold into slavery. During Simon's lifetime, freeing slaves and giving them land may have been a good thing, and yet it was really only a small thing compared to what slaves endured in slavery. In later years, slave owners were required by law to support slaves they had liberated, and were also required to give them 50 acres each...so Simon's gifts, while perhaps better than many slave owners of his time, were not special and good, but were minimal, and could easily leave his freed slaves to a life even worse than slavery in his care. In fact, it was practices such as his, of freeing slaves and not necessarily assisting them afterward, that prompted the passing of laws to prevent such practices or penalize them to ensure freed people could survive without criminal activities they were often forced to engage in just to stay alive.
— Footnote by Doug Couch, 2020

Buried at Couch Burial Hill, Fairfield Co., CT

Will 22 Dec 1687, proved 15 Mar 1687/8; wife Mary; eldest son Thomas; 2nd son Simon; 3rd son Samuel; brother's son Thomas Couch that lives with me; brother's daughter living at John Grumman's; cousin Susannah Couch living at Milford; eldest daughters, Mary and Martha; daughters Sarah and Hannah. - "History & Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield" by Donald Lines Jacobus, Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter DAR, Fairfield, CT, 1930. Allen Co. Public Library, Ft. Wayne, IN. Gc 974.602 F161j

Simon Couch was made a freeman 13 Oct 1664 - "History of Fairfield Vol 1 1889" pg 364 ("50 Puritan Ancestors")

The History of Fairfield Co, CT 1700-1800 Vol.1 gives Simon's will as 22 Dec 1687, proved in 1689. If his death date is 15 Mar 1687/88, the sequence is correct, allowing for transcription errors in how the dates were to be recorded.

Name:

Previously, the parents of Simon were given here with his father as Lewis (as received from someone who visited England and did research there). Upon later reviewing (as the records became available to me as "The Register Baptisms Marriages & Burials-Parish of Hartland Devon {England}), the Lewis who married in Hartland, Devon, England and had a son, Symon, I do not believe this Symon born 1615 is our Simon born 1633. Even though I have unlinked them, you can still view that lineage here.

In further support that our Simon Couch (by any spelling) was not born in Hartland, Devon, England in 1633, I'm providing the pages showing the baptisms for Hartland in 1633. Reviewing other years back several decades also do not show him, except for Symon born in 1615.
View 1633 Baptisms — For now, I am retaining the birth information for Simon as 1633 in Devonshire, England because various sources give this date...and because Devon is a very large area, with Hartland being only a very small town as part of it at the time. Devon West District and the middle of Devon overall is roughly 40 miles from Hartland; which lies further west and north. Simon could have a birth record elsewhere in Devon (Devonshire).

Died:
Simon Couch - Will 22 Dec 1687, probated 1689.

Simon married Mary Frances Andrews in 1664 in Fairfield Co, CT. Mary (daughter of Francis ANDREWS and Anna SMITH) was born about 1645 in Fairfield, Fairfield Co, CT; died in 1691 in Fairfield, Fairfield Co, CT. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Inventory of Mary Couch, 22 May 1691, exhibited 27 Dec 1691. Adm'n granted to
Simon and Samuel Couch. Order to distribute to the children: Thomas ("if he
never come to this Country again"); Simon; Samuel; widow Mary Grumman; Martha,
Hannah and Sarah Couch.

Mary Couch conveyed 1689 to brother Thomas. Samuel Couch receipt 1694 to
brother Simon for legacy from mother Mary dec'd. Abraham Finch receipted 1697
for legacy from father-in-law Couch. Peter Coley receipted 1703 for legacy of
Hannah Couch, his present wife.

All information from:
"History & Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield"
by Donald Lines Jacobus, Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter DAR, Fairfield, CT, 1930.
Allen Co. Public Library, Ft. Wayne, IN. Gc 974.602 F161j


Died:
• He [re will of Simon Coucn I] caused his sons to provide a fixed & ample allowance yearly for their mother.
• His [Simon Couch I's] s. Thomas sailed for England in 1689 ; & made his will of 8. April the same year, in which he gave his mother [Mary Andrews Couch] the use of his lands during her widowhood, & at her death to his brother Simon's eldest son, & if he had no son, to his brother Samuel's eldest son. His [Thomas Couch's] will was probated 2. Dec. 1691.
• Mary the widow of Simon Couch [I] died in 1691, & the use of the land left her by her s. Thomas, fell to the eldest son of her s. Samuel.
——— History of Fairfield, Vol. I, p.364 (re Simon Couch I, commentary on his will and subsequent family history facts related to the widowhood period of wife, Mary's life up until her death)

Notes:

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/bluffs/2473/data/dat51.htm#16
web page gave Wethersfield, CT as birth place.

http://www.bjpeters.com/bj/PS01/PS01_126.htm
Gives as Thomas HURLBUT II

Thomas married Mary Brown. Mary was born on 10 Feb 1655 in Farmington, Hartford Co, CT; died about 1714 in Woodbury, Litchfield Co, CT. [Group Sheet]