Saint Clair County MI Archives Biographies.....Justin, Alonzo August 7, 1815 - January 21, 1873
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Don Justin drj1229@yahoo.com January 12, 2009, 1:45 am

Author: Justin Genealogy

Alonzo Justin Sr., Farmer and Lumberjack in St. Clair Township, Michigan
1.  Alonzo was born in the Mohawk Valley area called Farmers Settlement, 
located in the Fairfield-Newport Township of Herkimer County, New York. The 
Chaffee Genealogy of 1909 list his father as "Mr. Justine". Alonzo's Death 
Certificate list his fathers name as "John", name of person making report is 
not known. "Mr. Justine" disappeared from family circa 1815 - 1822. Polly 
Chaffee, Alonzo's mother, is married to William W. Bowman circ 1817-1822. 
There is a strong probability that the marriage took place in 1821-1822 based 
upon a report that William W. Bowman had been married during the 1817-1821 
time period.  Alonzo's family remained in the Mohawk Valley, Herkimer & 
Montgomery Counties until the late 1830's. Alonzo married Sarah Hollenbeck of 
Starkville, Montgomery County and his first child was born in Minden, 
Montgomery County.  Circa 1837-39, the extended Justin-Chaffee-Bowman clan 
migrated to Gorham, Ontario County, New York. A List of Letters remaining at 
the Post Office at Allen's Hill, Ontario County New York on 01 April 1841 
includes a letter addressed to "J.S. Justin", a possible lead to Alonzo's 
father(?).  Polly's brother, Alpha Chaffee Jr., migrated to St. Clair County 
Michigan in 1838 from Ontario County, New York and the extended clan soon 
followed. Polly and the Bowman's settled on 2 farms on what is now called 
Yankee Road in St. Clair Township. Alpha Chaffee Jr., Widow Chaffee (Polly & 
Alpha's mother), Alpha's son and Alonzo settled on adjacent farms. The 
extended Justin-Chaffee-Bowman clans established a family Cemetary on Yankee 
Road that is well maintained and contains many tombstones dating back to the 
1840's.

2.  Alonzo Justin's maternal great grandparent (Atherton Chaffee & Rachel 
Fuller) were the founders of the Town of Westminster, Windham County, Vermont. 
In 1751, John Averill, wife and son; Asa, William Gould, wife and son, John, 
Amos Carpenter and wife, and Atherton Chaffee removed from Northfield, Mass., 
to Westminster, which was then known as " Township No. 1."  They build a 
blockhouse and lived in it with twenty other families for four years during 
the French & Indian War. 

3.   Alonzo Justin's maternal great Grandmother, Rachel Fuller, ancester came 
to America on the Mayflower;
PASSENGERS OF THE MAY FLOWER IN 1620:
A List of the Names of the Passengers of that noted vessel, the “May Flower,” 
on her first voyage to this country, in 1620, and landed her passengers at 
Plymouth Rock, (now in Massachusetts,) on the 11th day of December, O.S., 1620
Fuller:
Samuel Fuller; William Butten, his servant, died Nov. 6, 1620
Edward Fuller, died the first winter; Mrs. Fuller, his wife, died the first 
winter; Samuel Fuller, (called the younger,) son of Edward.

4.  Alonzo Justin's maternal 3rd great Grand-Aunt, Sarah Averill Wildes, was 
executed as a "Witch" during the infamous "Salem Witch Trials".  Much has been 
written about the Salem Witch Trials, that infamous time in American history. 
The fear of the occult and the subsequent trials were commonplace during the 
17th century. How else could the people explain weird weather, earthquakes 
(one of which occurred around 1690 in Essex Co., MA, and is recorded in the 
History of Amesbury, Massachusetts), lunar and solar eclipses, and strange 
illnesses. Mankind had not yet achieved a scientific basis for understanding 
natural phenomenom or disease.  

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