John Tribby, Crewman

John Tribby. This crewman on the frigate Confederacy is most likely the John Tribby who was baptized on 24 September 1758 at Newport, RI to John Treby (c1736-1778) and Sarah Richardson (1732-1769) four years after their marriage on 5 September 1754. He was baptized in the Second Congregational Church at Newport. His father was a goldsmith who was born in Rhode Island, baptized on 4 October 1736 and worked in Providence, RI. According to Unwelcome Americans: Living on the Margin in Early New England by Ruth Wallis Herndon, after William Richardson went bankrupt leaving him with significant debt; the elder Treby was involuntarily removed from Providence to Newport for vagrancy through the “warning out” system on 22 July 1775. Eventually, he returned to Providence and on his death, Ebenezer Richardson was appointed guardian over his two youngest children, Elizabeth born in 1764 and Ebenezer born in 1768. Joseph Breed’s pension application #W-2751, suggests John Tribby served in Connecticut and later moved to Ohio. Breed served in Captain Abel Spicer’s Company. In 1780, John Tribby married Abigail Hazard of Exeter, RI, daughter of Jeremiah Hazard (1736-1773) and Phebe Tillinghast (1745-1810). He had three sons and two daughters, all born in Exeter, Phebe born 1783, Anna (1785-1790), George born 10/10/1787, Jeremiah Hazard born 4/19/1792, John H. born 1797 and Abigail born 4/18/1808. Tribby traveled west to Ohio in the Summer of 1810 by ox teams and wagon, settling in Brookfield Township on Yankee Run. Tribby’s mother-in-law Phebe Tillinghast Hazard Mowry (or Mowrey) migrated to Ohio with the family; as well as, his wife’s half-brother Tillinghast Mowry and half-sister Phebe Mowry Vaughn. John and Abigail (Hazard) Tribby farmed 100 acres of land in Brookfield Twp., Trumbull Co., Ohio. The Arthurholt’s Mill Road passed through their property, following the course of Yankee Run, and their house was on the opposite side of the stream from the road. In May of 1819, during a Spring freshet, John was returning from the Arthurholt’s mill with ground grain in his saddle bags when the bank gave way plunging him and his horse into the raging torrent. Unable to free himself, John Tribby drowned in Yankee Run. He is buried in Brookfield Center Cemetery, Trumbull Co., OH in the original section; Lot 100, Row 17N, Grave #6. His widow Abigail, who was born on 14 February 1764, died in May 1842 and is buried in the same cemetery. Neither he nor Abigail have a gravestone. A Genweb internet post of 21 December 2001 recalls, “There used to be Tribby reunions in Trumbull County, Ohio, which I remember going to as a kid. A distant cousin told me that there are two Revolutionary War muskets that one of the John Tribby’s used (one was a solider and the other a sailor). I’m told they have been passed down through a male Tribby.” Other sources indicate only one musket owned by Tribby was passed down in the family. Arthur Bielfelt and Faye Costarell are gratefully acknowledged for their contribution of many years of research on the Tribby Family and particularly for their corrections to make this post as accurate and informative as possible. It is as Art concludes, “good to give a common sailor his due.”