The Spalding family are related to have arrived in Sheshequin in 1795 and it is further related that Ezra left his family there during the following winter, and, with his son Horace, located in Canton, “where Horace, now an old man past his fourscore and ten, still resides” (History of Bradford County by Rev. David Craft). Having chopped a fallow of about four acres and built a cabin, they returned to Sheshequin, and in the month of February 1796 moved to their new home. History indicates the family consisted of two sons and three daughters. “Besides these there were two negro slaves, who came from Connecticut, Beulah and her son Caeser. Beulah lived with her master part of the time, and died there. Caesar ran away; returned to his master,” but again left (History of Bradford County by Rev. David Craft). Undoubtedly, these few references were probably furnished by Horace Spalding who was living in 1878 when Rev. Craft wrote his history of Bradford County.
Other than Rev. David Craft and similar references by historians Bullock, Heverly and others, very little was known about Beulah and Caeser, until research into an account book owned by Ezra Spalding. Not only did Ezra Spalding list the birth date of Casear and a presumed brother, but he listed his own children and their births, and his grandchildren and their births. The account book lists many settlers who had an account with Ezra Spalding, which helps to document dates of arrival and what they were purchasing. Caesar was born January 14, 1789 according to the account book – “My Negro Caesar Born January the fourteenth 1789.” On the next line – “My Negro Chester Born July the thirty first 1791” and the next line “Negro Chester Died August 17 1793.” One may assume, though certainly not documented, that Caeser and Chester were brothers. A search of the Plainfield, Connecticut town records reveals that “Ezra Spalding had Ceazer, negro, son of Beulah, born Jan 14, 1789.” Ezra and Hannah’s marriage of March 10, 1781 is recorded in the town records as well as the births of their three eldest children, Lucy, Horace, and William Pierce. Neither Chester nor the other Spalding children have births recorded in Plainfield. The family was enumerated in Plainfield in 1790 with two “other free persons” in the household, evidently Beulah and son Caeser. This perhaps was an error by the enumerator as the next column was the column for slaves and in later records Beulah and Caeser are referred to as slaves.
The account book records the birth of the Spalding children Lucy, Horace, Betsy, William Pierce, Delight, and Andrew Eaton who died July 21, 1793 at age four days. The youngest child Andrew has not been included by numerous family researchers in the past, which would indicate they are unaware of the account books existence. These dates are important for anyone who might be researching Caesar, if he has descendants, and also the Spalding family. The account book is part of the vast collection of Bradford County history archived at the Tioga Point Museum in Athens.
J. Kelsey Jones is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Tioga Point Museum and the Bradford County Historical Society.