The Old Theory – Jehu’s Father was Jehiel

Jehiel Babcock bought farmland in the Town of Schoharie, Schoharie County, New York, in the part that became the Town of Wright in 1846, but by then Jehiel’s younger son, who we thought was our ancestor Jehu, had moved away. See more. Jehiel’s older son, Walter, was well documented in the property records of the Towns of Schoharie and Wright. We discovered descendants of Walter had their DNA tested, but none matched us. The lack of documentation to support Jehu’s relationship to Jehiel and the absence of DNA matches led us to seek a new theory.

The New Theory – Jehu’s Father was Benjamin

We have DNA matches with those identified in the next paragraph who trace their ancestry to Amos (1739-1809) and Zerviah (née Wood 1737 – 1786) Babcock. If Jehiel was Jehu’s father, they would be our eighth cousins, but these DNA matches are in the fourth to fifth cousin range. As of January 18, 2023, a blend of autosomal DNA and new Y-DNA results show that Benjamin Eaton was the biological father of Benjamin Babcock and Zerviah was his mother. The matches with these relatives support a modified theory that they are our half 5th cousins through Zerviah (Wood) Babcock.

Here are the lineages of our cousins going back to Amos and Zerviah Babcock:

• Deborah (68 cM), Anthony, William, Edna, Rachel, Elizabeth, George, Henry, Lucy, Amos II
• Lynda (26 cM), Marguerite, Stella, Edward, Cottrel, Frederick, Amos II
• James (22 cM), Clarence, George, Eleanor, Johnson, Johnson, Amos II
• Vince (22 cM), Ron, Julia, Henry, Julia, George, Zerviah, Amos II
• Neva (19 cM), Effie, Ralph, Mary, Johnson, Johnson, Amos II
• Thomas (20 cM), Neva, Effie, Ralph, Mary, Johnson, Johnson, Amos II
• Martin (10 cM), Harriet, Harriet, William, Harriet, Abbie, Phebe, Amos II
• Patricia (10 cM), Shirley, Walter, Jennie, Louisa, Ransom, Johnson, Amos II
• Vicki (9 cM), Alys, Pearl, Ralph, Mary, Johnson, Johnson, Amos II

In his Will, Amos II named his children, one of whom should be our progenitor. We ruled out his daughters and all his sons but Benjamin. So our line should be this: Clare, Robert, William, Jehu, Benjamin. Benjamin died in Petersburg about 1826 when Jehu was about 14. By 1840 and in 1850, Jehu, his wife Elsa, and their children were in Otselic, about a hundred miles from Petersburg. Jehu’s transition could have involved living and working on the farm of his uncle Johnson, 30 miles from Otselic. Elsa Richer lived in Otselic or elsewhere in Chenango County, NY before 1820. The family tree and the story of Robert Babcock and his family now show Benjamin as Jehu’s father.

Was Jehu’s Mother a Davis?

We are now beginning to understand our DNA matches with descendants of David Rogers Davis. Not including direct descendants of Jehu, dozens of his descendants’ DNA matches are consistent with them being our fifth cousins. This suggests that Jehu’s mother was a Davis. In 1827 David Rogers Davis left his Will naming his children. All his surviving daughters were married but none to a Babcock. We know that Benjamin Babcock died about 1826 when Jehu would have been about 14. If Benjamin’s wife died between 1812 and 1826, it would explain how she could be the mother of Jehu and daughter of David Rogers Davis but not named in his will. We are searching for evidence to identify Ms. Davis. The Will of David Rogers Davis was recorded in DeRuyter, about 10 miles from Otselic. Could Jehu’s transition to Otselic be via DeRuyter?

What We Know

In 1848 Wisconsin became a state and was giving away fertile farm land. The 1850 census record shows that Jehu, Elsa, and their children lived in Otselic and that neighbors included the extended Davis family. In the early 1850s, the Babcocks, the Davises and others moved to Wisconsin and became neighbors again. If Gilbert migrated with his family, he did not survive the trip. In 1855 they were east of New London and by 1860 southwest of New London. His monument in the family plot, Floral Hill cemetery, New London, shows that Jehu was also known as John Babcock. Here is a cemetery record of the Babcocks buried in the D-108 family plot.