Ozias Bridgham, b. 1860, Beddington, Maine; m. Bertha Farnsworth, b. 1866, Jonesboro, Maine

Ozias Bridgham, pictured above and again in the reprint of the blog post, was born on 1 July 1860 in Beddington, Maine, the son of Wilmot and Hannah (Schoppee) Bridgham.  His paternal grandparents were Joseph and Margaret Bradley) Bridgham.  

His maternal grandparents were John and Elsie (Weston) Schoppee.  John's father was Hessian soldier Anthony Schoppee, who was one of about 5000 Hessians to stay in North America after the American Revolution.

In 1891 Ozias Bridgham married Bertha Farnsworth, who was born 28 February 1866 in Jonesboro, Maine, the daughter of Ephraim Farnsworth and his wife Mary (possibly Hatch).  Bertha's paternal grandparents were Cyrus and Mary P. (Schoppee) Farnsworth.  I don't yet have information on Bertha's maternal grandparents.  

Bertha's maternal grandmother Mary P. (Schoppee) Farnsworth was a daughter of Hessian Anthony Schoppee.

The name "Jim" threw me at first, but with some digging, I found that their son Alfred Harris Bridgham was nicknamed "Jim".  Their other two sons were Earl Lawrence Bridgham and Waldo Ephraim Bridgham.

Below are a reprint of a post at the blog Heirlooms Reunited on the family history of Ozias Bridgham and family trees for Ozias and his wife Bertha.

Ozias Bridgham, Ship Captain, born Beddington, Maine, died at sea 1917

Photograph of Ozias Bridgham, who was born 1 July 1860, in Beddington, Maine, the son of Wilmot and Hannah Schoppee Bridgham.    He died 26 October 1917, at sea.  This photograph was taken by the Wurst studio, 180 Sixth Avenue, New York.

As you can see, above, there is a date of November 16, 1916.  At first I thought this was the date of death, but after researching online, I think it's more likely that this was the date the photograph was made or the date when the photograph was presented to someone.  I felt overruled by the many instances online giving his death as 26 October 1917.  


The identification gives the first name as Osiah, but that is probably the way the writer heard it.  I looked online for a person named Osiah Bridgham but didn't find one.  It would be a terrible coincidence for two men of such similar names to die at sea - at least I would hope.


The writer also stated that Ozias was Grandma Bridgham's youngest son.  However, he actually had a younger brother, Leander, who died at just over a year in age.  


Ozias' father, Wilmot Bridgham, was born 12 November 1817, in Charleston, Maine, the son of Joseph H. and Margaret Campbell (Bradley) Bridgham.  Ozias' mother, Hannah Schoppee, was born 1 December 1820, in Jonesboro, Maine, the daughter of John and Elsie (Weston) Schoppee.


Interesting that Hannah goes back to Hannah Weston, a Revolutionary War heroine, and Anthony Schoppee, a Hessian!


Ozias Bridgham married Bertha Farnsworth in 1891.  I believe Bertha's parents were Ephraim and Mary (Hatch) Farnsworth, but I'm not sure.  Ephraim's mother, Mary Polly Schoppee, was a daughter of Anthony Schoppee, and thus a sister to the John Schoppee mentioned above, Ozias' maternal grandfather.  


Ozias and Bertha had three children that I know of: sons Earle Lawrence, Waldo Ephraim and Alfred Harris.  


Hopefully you will find this heirloom meaningful.  If you have information on the Bridgham, Schoppee, Farnsworth or Hatch families, I would most appreciate hearing from you, particularly if some of the information presented in this post is incorrect.


Map of Beddington, Maine:



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Map of Jonesboro, Maine:



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