Esther Hunt

Esther Hunt (September 4 1751 – February 2 1820) was a pioneer who lived on America's frontier as a wife, a mother and a leader in her Quaker faith. [Specht, Neva Jean (1997), "Mixed blessing: trans-Appalachian settlement and the Society of Friends, 1780-1813", Ph. D. dissertation, University of Delaware] [Specht, Neva Jean (2003), "Women of one or many bonnets?: Quaker women and the role of religion in trans-Appalachian settlement", "NWSA Journal" 15 (2): 27-44]

Early life at Moorestown

Esther Hunt was born Esther Roberts on September 4, 1751 at Evesham Township, New Jersey, the daughter of Enoch Roberts (1717 – 1782) and Rachel Coles (c. 1715 – 1758). [Lamborn, Suzanne Parry (2006), "John and Sarah Roberts, with many related families", Morgantown, Pennsylvania: Masthof Press, ISBN 1-932864-58-X, p. 49-52] She and Joshua Hunt were married on November 19, 1778 in the Friends Meetinghouse at Moorestown, New Jersey. He was a teacher in the Moorestown Friends School. While living there Esther and Joshua had six children. [Woodward, E. M. (1883), "History of Burlington County, New Jersey, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men", Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, p. 270: "Their children are Elisha, born Oct. 7, 1779, died July 23, 1873; Enoch, born Aug. 17, 1781, died July 4, 1802; Aaron, born March 9, 1783, died young; Nathan, born April 12, 1784; Caleb, born Oct. 28, 1786, died July 24, 1834; Stacy, born April 21, 1789; and Rachel, born Oct. 24, 1791, became the wife of David Roberts, of Chester township, N. J., and died in 1881."]

In September 1790, Esther and Joshua and their five children, "with two wagons, seven horses, one cow, and provisions", began a three-week journey to Fayette County in southwestern Pennsylvania. [Hunt Family Papers, "Biography of Joshua and Esther Hunt by their children", Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania "Our Parents [Joshua and Esther Hunt] removed to Redstone [Brownsville, Fayette Co., PA] in the 9th and 10 months 1790"] [Woodward, p. 270 "Elisha Hunt, eldest son of Joshua, also removed with his parents to Redstone Fort, Pa., and being the eldest child, then eleven years of age, he remembered well the tedious journey, with two wagons, seven horses, one cow, and provisions, across the Delaware on scows, through Philadelphia, then not built above Fifth Street, across the Schuylkill on a raft, made of logs, and a three weeks' trip with its many interesting incidents, finally reaching their destination."] Their destination was a small, but growing, community located on the east bank of the Monongahela River in close proximity to Fort Burd. In those days it was called Redstone Old Fort, or simply Redstone. Later, the name was changed to Brownsville.

Life at Brownsville

In early October, the tiny caravan reached their new home where the Hunt family lived in a log cabin during the winter season. [Hunt Family Papers "lived the ensuing Winter in a Log Cabin"] [Woodward] On July 27, 1791 Joshua purchased a property, consisting of a dwelling and convert|195|acre|km2 of land, from John and Sarah Cadwallader. [Deed Book A, p. 359-360; Recorder of Deeds, 61 E. Main St., Uniontown, Pa. 15401. The conveyance from the Cadwalladers to Joshua is nearly illegible. However, a few years earlier, in 1786, the Cadwalladers had purchased the same property from John and Ann Jones. And that conveyance, recorded on page 141 in Deed Book A, is legible. Comparing this conveyance with the Fayette County warrant map, which is located in the office of the Recorder of Deeds, reveals that the property the Joneses conveyed to the Cadwalladers had been all convert|151|acre|km2 of their "Union Green" property (previously owned by Thomas Downs, father of Ann Jones) plus 44 acres that was part of their adjoining "Mount Pleasant" property. Thus, the warrant map, which is also published in "The Horn Papers, Vol III", establishes the boundaries and precise location of the property purchased by Joshua Hunt.] Located on the south bank of Redstone Creek, Hunt's farm was about two miles east of the creek's confluence with the Monongahela River and slightly to the west of Colvin Run. Their homestead, which they named "Hunt Pleasant", consisted of a log dwelling nestled amidst walnut trees and steep hills.

Rachel Hunt, Esther and Joshua's seventh child and only daughter, was born October 24, 1791. [Hynes, p. 24]

After returning from a trip back home to Moorestown, Joshua Hunt died February 26, 1792. [Hunt Family Papers: "in the 9th mo of that year our Father returned to Moorestown to settle his business, was about 3 Weeks, and on the 26th of 2nd mo 1792 he died, aged about 39 years"] He was 39 years old.

Esther decided to remain at Hunt Pleasant. The ages of her children ranged from Elisha, who was a little over 12 years, to Rachel, who was just four months. Now a widow, Esther continued to run the farm and raise her children alone, without her "dearest companion and bosom friend". [Specht (2003), p. 27] Nevertheless, in 1796 she was appointed an elder in the Redstone Monthly Meeting, a reflection of the high esteem that she was held by the men and women of her faith. [Redstone Monthly Meeting Records, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania]

Later life at Moorestown

In the spring of 1807, Esther married John Collins, a Quaker minister from Moorestown. She conveyed an equal portion of Hunt Pleasant to each of her children. [Fayette County Deed Book G, p. 34, May 27, 1807] Then she and daughter Rachel removed to her husband's home in her previous hometown.

Rachel Hunt and David Roberts, the son of Joseph Roberts and Susanna Coles, were married February 15, 1815 in the Moorestown Meetinghouse. [Hynes, p. 24; Lamborn, p. 41, 204]

Esther and her close friend Ann Edwards drowned February 2, 1820 while attempting to cross the Delaware River in a horse drawn carriage which broke through the ice. [Purdy, James C. and Clayton Lipponcott (1886), "Moorestown, old and new, including Chester Township", Moorestown, NJ: Historical Society of Moorestown, p. 160-161]

References and Notes

Bibliography

*Ellis, Franklin (1882), "History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men", Philadelphia: L. H. Everts and Company

*Horn, W. F. [ed.] (1945), , volume 3, Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press

*Hynes, Judy, et al. (1997), "The descendants of John and Elizabeth (Woolman) Borton", Mount Holly, New Jersey: John Woolman Memorial Association, p. 23-24

External links

* [http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?351,454439 Biography of Joshua and Esther Hunt by their children]
* [http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?351,454514,454514 Hunt family history by E. M. Woodward]
* [http://inscribe.iupress.org/doi/abs/10.2979/NWS.2003.15.2.27 Abstract of Specht's article] Subscribers may download the complete article.
* [http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?351,548248,548248#msg-548248 Esther Hunt's fatal accident]