Ebenezer Wade, Seaman

Ebenezer Wade. According to Frederic Gregory Mather’s “The Refugees of 1776 from Long Island to Connecticut”, the Ebenezer Wade who served as seaman on the frigate Confederacy moved from Southold, Suffolk County on Long Island to Guilford, CT in September or October 1776. He apparently was one of six passengers in a party conveyed by Captain David Landon on the 55 ton sloop Polley owned by Samuel Brown of Guilford. Census records from 1776 suggest that his household included three boys and three girls under the age of sixteen at that time, as well as, an older woman presumed to be his wife. The Salmon Records further suggest that his wife may have been the Mary Corwin who was married to an Ebenezer Waid on 26 April 1762 at Mattituck Church. Ebenezer Wade’s name appears in the f rigate Confederacy Riggers’ Returns in Folders 18 & 19 of The Frigate Confederacy Papers 1776-1786 at the The Historical Society of Pennsylvania multiple times beginning January 1779. On 8 April 1779, Wade petitioned to move from Guilford to Branford or Wallingford. The refugee from New York was endorsed by the Guilford selectmen, “he appears to be an Honest Industrious Man, understands Weaveing & Sundry other kind of Business, if he has his health wee hope he will be able to Support himself & Family.” Wade served on the Confederacy’s maiden cruise as seaman, sailing from New London on 1 May 1779. He also served on the Jay cruise to Martinique, quitting the ship on her return to Philadelphia in May 1780. Ebenezer Wade was married to Abigail Hall on 12 October 1780 in Wallingford, CT. Nothing is known concerning the presumed death of his first wife. Ebenezer Wade officially changed his residence from Guilford to Wallingford on 23 October 1780, when the selectmen certified that Wade “has Some time past Lived in Wallingford and behaved himself well has Married a wife in said Wallingford and he being Desirus to bring of his Effects from Long Island where he formarly Lived.” On 21 February 1781, Wade requested permission from the Connecticut legislature to return to Southold for three weeks “to carry with him splinters for bottoming chairs” and to receive payment for real estate he had previously sold about one year earlier. He pleaded that “”his movable Estate which by Sickness in his family and other Misfortunes are almost all expended” necessitated the trip to British occupied Long Island. It is not certain whether he actually made the trip, although one notation suggests it may have occurred in May 1781. Manuscript records indicate that Ebenezer Wade of Wallingford was charged with nonpayment of debt by Billa Willcox of Guilford on 10 September 1783. The 1790 Census lists one male under the age of sixteen and two females in the household of Ebenezer Wade in Wallingford. A newspaper advertisement from the 11 May 1794 edition of the Connecticut Journal indicates that all claims against the estate of Ebenezer Wade “late of Wallingford, deceased, represented insolvent” were to be settled at the dwelling house of Mr. Thomas Hall. The claim of Ebenezer Wade for service as seaman on the Ship Confederacy in the amount of $56.19 including interest to 19 May 1780 was adjusted by the Treasury Department on 14 January 1794, apparently after his death which is suggested by the advertisement to be 7 March 1794.