This 1990 query was answered with further research at the Connecticut State
Library (CSL) and elsewhere. Joel and Isaac Blackman of Ripton/Huntington (now
Shelton), Fairfield Co., Conn. were sons of a Daniel Blackman who died at
Huntington 20 Oct. 1787, ae. 60 (Shelton Congregational Church register index,
CSL), as proved by Daniel’s will, dated 31 Jan. 1783, estate distributed 18 Feb.
1788 (Stratford Probate #256). Daniel mentioned “my well beloved wife”
Mary, “my eldest son” Joel and younger sons Isaac and Daniel Blackman, and left
his “well beloved daughter” Nancy Blackman £45. This last bequest seems not to
appear in the distribution or list of payments from the estate; possibly this
daughter was the Nancy Blackman who died at Huntington 9 June 1785, ae. 14:3
(Cong. Ch. reg., CSL).
Deed books for Stratford (Huntington was not established until 1789) indicate
that Jonathan4 Blackman (Ebenezer3, John2,
Rev. Adam4) on 20 March 1764 conveyed 131 acres there to his son
William5 Blackman (1723-1802), and also to Daniel Blackman
(Stratford Deeds 14:446). On 20 Sept. 1768 William and Daniel executed a
division of 136 acres in Ripton (at the Lower White Hills), mentioning an
earlier deed by “our honoured Father Jonathan Blackman to us” (Stratford
Deeds 16:393). Thus Daniel was another son of Jonathan Blackman and his only
known wife, Mary Beecher, married at Stratford 20 Dec. 1722.
Joel Blackman (b. prob. Ripton ca. 1762/3, d. there 31 Jan. 1832, ae. 69)
married at Huntington Congregational Church 23 Dec. 1792 Philena Summers (b.
prob. there 22 Jan. 1771 [private Bible record, CSL], d. Huntington 19 Oct.
1852, “ae. 82” [Rev. S. Orcutt, History of the Town of Stratford and the City
of Bridgeport, Conn. (1886), 2:969], prob. daughter of Luke and Ruth
(Curtiss) Summers of Huntington (Joel Blackman was one of those giving bond in
Luke’s 1820 probate [Stratford Probate #1764]), poss. named for Philena
(Shepard), wife of Benjamin Summers of New-town Joel and Philena
(Summers)Blackman are buried at Huntington Center Cemetery, flanked on one side
by son Daniel Blackman (bp. Huntington Cong. Ch. 2 April 1297?, d. prob.
Huntington 27 Oct. 1858 ae. 62), on the other by daughter Betsey Blackman (bp.
Huntington 270.11799, d. there 8 Sept. 1817 ae. 18). Julie Helen Otto, c/o
The Society