Genealogical Findings on Moses Towns (Townes), b. ca. 1775 (New England)

‍

Identifying the Correct Moses Towns

Several men named Moses Towne/Towns lived in New England around the late 18th century, so it's crucial to distinguish them and find the one who married Sarah Phillips. The strongest candidate is Moses Towne, born in the mid-1760s in New Hampshire, who appears in records of Hillsborough County, NH and later Vermont. By contrast, other similarly named individuals can be ruled out or separated as follows:

Moses Towne of Amherst/Londonderry, NH (b. 1766)

Born 26 August 1766 in Amherst, NH, he is the son of Moses Towne (1739–1824) and Mary Gray. This Moses fits our target profile and did marry a Sarah Phillips in New Hampshire (more below). He is a descendant of the Salem Towne family (through William Towne’s son Joseph), which would connect him to Rebecca Towne Nurse’s lineage.

Moses Towne of Londonderry/Litchfield, NH (b. c.1750s?)

A different man named Moses Towne was marrying and living in the same region a bit earlier. For example, Charlotte Underwood (b. 1764) of Litchfield married “Moses Towne of Londonderry, N.H.” on 28 Feb. 1784. This couple had at least one son, Moody Bridges Towne (b. 1805). Given the dates, this appears to be a separate individual, likely older.

Moses Towne of Massachusetts

There was also a Moses Towne born in Massachusetts (Attleboro, MA in 1747) who died in 1781, as well as other New England Towne/Towns individuals. These are not our subject.

‍

Marriage to Sarah Phillips (1801) in New Hampshire

The Moses Towne born in 1766 NH is documented to have married Sarah Phillips. A FamilySearch index of New Hampshire marriages shows: “He married Sarah Phillips on 10 December 1801, in Goffstown, Hillsborough, New Hampshire” [1] (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LQR9-9XB/moses-towne-1766-1854).

Possible Earlier Marriage

There is a hint that Moses may have been married once before Sarah. Vital Records of Londonderry, NH list an intention or marriage of “Eunice ___ and Moses Towns – Nov. 17, 1797” [2] (https://archive.org/stream/vitalrecordsoflo00lond/vitalrecordsoflo00lond_djvu.txt).

Children with Sarah Phillips

• Moses Towns, Jr. – born about 1799 (likely in New Hampshire) and died 30 Dec 1877 in New Boston, Hillsborough Co., NH. A Find a Grave memorial confirms he was “Son of Moses Town(e)s and Sarah Phillips” [3] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/163774359/moses-towns).
• Sarah P. Towns – presumably Sarah Phillips Towns, died in 1899. Likely born in the early 1800s (c.1802–1810).

‍

Life After 1801 – Remarriage and Move to Vermont

Sarah Phillips presumably died in the early 1800s. Moses Sr. remarried and started a second family in Vermont.

Marriage to Lydia Smith

Moses married Lydia Smith (b. 1787, of Vershire, VT) around 1809–1811. Lydia was the daughter of Asa Smith and Abigail Towne [4] (https://www.epsomhistory.com/genealogy/f1771.htm). Abigail was likely descended from another of William Towne’s sons.

1820 Census – Topsham, Orange County, VT

By 1820, Moses and Lydia were residing in Topsham, VT. The census household composition suggests:

• One girl under 10 (Violett[a], born ~1811)
• Two males under 10 (including William Towns, born 1815 [5] (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GZG8-GBB/william-towns-1815-1873))
• One male 10–15 (possibly another son or Moses Jr.)

‍

Children with Lydia Smith

From vital and cemetery records, we have confirmed at least two children of Moses and Lydia:

• Violetta (“Violett”) Towns, born circa 1811, died 30 Mar 1838 in Topsham. A burial record in East Topsham Cemetery calls her the daughter “of Moses & Lydia Towns” [6] (https://sv.findagrave.com/memorial/74025065/violetta-towns).
• William Towns, born 21 Aug 1815 in Topsham, VT [5] (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GZG8-GBB/william-towns-1815-1873). He married Mary Cross in 1858 and likely remained in Vermont.

No child named Moses appears in this second family—possibly out of deference to Moses Jr. in NH.

‍

Later Census Records

By 1840, Moses and Lydia are still in Topsham. In 1850, the first nominal census lists:

• Moses Towns (~84, b. abt 1766, NH)
• Lydia (~63)
• Their son William (34) and his family [7] (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-246530).

‍

Death in Vermont

Moses Towns Sr. died in the early 1850s. Sources give varying dates:

• 1852 per cemetery transcription in East Topsham Cemetery [6] (https://sv.findagrave.com/memorial/74025065/violetta-towns).
• 14 Aug 1854 per compiled Towne genealogy [8] (https://archive.org/stream/descendantsofwil1901town/descendantsofwil1901town_djvu.txt).

Note: A death year like 2017 in Philadelphia is a clear error. All reliable records place his death in Vermont, in the 1800s.

‍

Connection to Rebecca Towne Nurse of Salem

Moses is not a direct descendant of Rebecca (who had no sons), but is part of her extended family. The lineage is:

• William¹ Towne
  → Joseph² Towne
  → Joseph³ (Jr.) Towne
  → Israel⁴ Towne
  → Moses⁵ Towne (b. 1766) [8] (https://archive.org/stream/descendantsofwil1901town/descendantsofwil1901town_djvu.txt)

Rebecca Nurse was Joseph²’s sister. Thus, Moses is her great-grandnephew. His descendants are part of the collateral Towne family line.

‍

Double Towne Connection

Moses’s second wife, Lydia Smith, was the daughter of Abigail Towne [4] (https://www.epsomhistory.com/genealogy/f1771.htm), likely descended from another of William Towne’s sons. This means their children had Towne ancestry from both parents.

‍

Genealogy Resources Used

This research utilized a combination of free and indexed sources:

• FamilySearch – for indexed vital records and user-contributed family tree data. The marriage of Moses and Sarah in Goffstown is recorded in FamilySearch’s database [1] (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LQR9-9XB/moses-towne-1766-1854), and profiles of the family give clues (e.g. the birth of William in VT [5]).
• Town and Vital Records (New Hampshire) – such as the Londonderry records which provided the 1797 marriage entry [2] (https://archive.org/stream/vitalrecordsoflo00lond/vitalrecordsoflo00lond_djvu.txt).
• Find a Grave (free) – provided confirmation of relationships and dates, like Moses Jr.’s memorial naming his parents [3] and Violetta’s grave linking to Moses & Lydia [6].
• Compiled Genealogies – The Towne Family genealogy (descendants of William Towne) published in the NEHGS Register and other volumes was essential for tracing Moses’s ancestry [8]. These books document five generations, including Moses’s father Moses (1739–1824) and his wife Mary Gray.
• Local Histories and Genealogical Society publications – The Underwood family genealogy helped distinguish the other Moses Towne in the region [9].
• WikiTree and user-contributed trees – helped compile census info. The WikiTree entry for Lydia Smith summarizes the 1820/1840/1850 censuses and lists known children [7].

‍

In Conclusion

Moses Towns (Towne), born about 1775 (likely 1766 by records) in New Hampshire, can be firmly identified as:

• The man who married Sarah Phillips of Goffstown in 1801
• Father of Moses Jr. and Sarah P. Towns
• Later husband of Lydia (Smith) Towns
• A Vermont resident by the 1820s
• A descendant of Rebecca Towne Nurse’s family (through her brother Joseph)

The evidence comes from a synthesis of vital records, gravestones, and compiled genealogies, allowing us to confidently distinguish this Moses Towns from his same-named contemporaries.

‍

Sources

• FamilySearch – Moses Towne (1766–1854), William Towns (1815–1873)
• Find a Grave – Moses Towns Jr. (1799–1877), Violetta Towns (d. 1838)
• Vital Records of Londonderry, NH – Marriage Intention 17 Nov 1797
• Underwood, Lucien – The Underwood Families of America
• Towne, Edwin – The Descendants of William Towne
• Epsom (NH) Early Settlers – Lydia Smith entry
• WikiTree – Lydia (Smith) Towns, Towne Genealogy
• Ancestry – Moses Towne Family History
• PeopleLegacy – Michael Thompson in Topsham, VT