26: Mary Merritt Hewlett

Sampler created by Mary Merritt Hewlett

You may recall the sampler created by Mary Gove in 1827, which names as instructress a person buried in the cemetery: Phebe Hoag Chase Greene. Above, you can see a sampler that was actually created by someone buried in the cemetery. It was created by Mary Merritt Hewlett around 1848 out of silk thread embroidered on linen. The sampler is featured in the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America's Sampler Survey, and is currently owned by a private collector.

In this "Family Record," Mary embroidered the names of herself, her husband, and their five children, Phebe, Charles, Merritt, William, and Mary. You can see where she made a mistake in the spelling of her youngest daughter's middle name and had to correct it as best she could. After doing all that work, she wasn't about to start over.

This Mary Merritt is not the same Mary Merritt who married Gilbert Brundage; she was born in 1791, while Mary Merritt Hewlett was born in 1802. Both Marys had sons named Merritt: Merritt Hewlett was born in 1827, and Merritt Brundage was born in 1831. Presumably, the Marys were cousins, but it will take me more time to iron out all of the Merritt family history.

I'm not sure, but I suspect that William Hewlett was the son of Isaac and Ann Hewlett, who were born in 1771 and 1773 respectively and are also buried in the cemetery. William was born in 1794 and married Mary in 1822. Their youngest son died in 1837 at the age of five and is buried in the cemetery. William died in 1858 and Mary in 1874.

Grave of William and Mary Hewlett

I've had some trouble finding some of the Hewletts in censuses before 1870. This is the earliest one in which I've found Mary Merritt Hewlett: when she was living near the cemetery with children Merritt and Mary Esther. Not shown (because it went onto the next census page): John Davis, a Welsh farm laborer.

1870 US Federal Census

William and Mary's son Charles Hewlett married a woman named Dorinda. The couple buried three children in the cemetery in between 1849 and 1853. In 1860, they had moved to New York City, where Charles was working as a carman.
 

1860 US Federal Census

 In 1880, Charles and Dorinda were living with their 15-year-old son John, who worked in the spectacle factory.

1880 US Federal Census

Charles Hewlett died in 1898 and is buried in the cemetery. After her husband's death, Dorinda lived with her son John and his wife Nellie at 303 West 130 Street in Manhattan.

1900 US Federal Census

Dorinda died in 1906 and was buried beside her husband.

Graves of Charles and Dorinda Hewlett

John and Nellie Hewlett later moved to Ossining, and do not seem to have had any children.

William and Mary's son Merritt Hewlett was widowed relatively young; in fact, I think he may have already been a widower when he was living with his mother and sister in 1870. In 1880, he had moved to Michigan and was living in a boardinghouse run by his sister Mary.

1880 US Federal Census

Merritt Hewlett died in 1905, and Mary in 1911, in Greenville, Michigan.

That's all I have on the Hewletts for now. I hope to have more after I visit the New York Public Library's Milstein Division again.

1. William Hewlett (1794-1858) m. Mary Merritt (1802-1874) in 1822
1. Phebe Ann Hewlett (1822-) m. William H. Jackson
1. Charles H. Jackson (1851-)
2. Mary E. Jackson (1854-)
3. Harriet E. Jackson (1857-)
2. Charles Hewlett (1824-1898) m. Dorinda D. (1823-1906)
1. William Henry Hewlett (1849-1849)
2. Millard F. Hewlett (1850-1851)
3. Mary F. Hewlett (1852-1853)
4. Charles Hewlett (1855-)
5. Maria Hewlett (1857-)
6. John Hewlett (1864-) m. Nellie (1860-)
3. Merritt Hewlett (1827-1905)
4. William Henry Hewlett (1831-1837)
5. Mary Esther Hewlett (1838-1911)