Hibbard Family Bulletin Board

I discovered a document ("The Gravestone Records Of Shaftsbury, Bennington County, Vermont") which should have been in the public domain decades ago, but isn't. Apparently, like the Barbour Collection, the few original copies which still exist have been snatched up and only reprints are available, for a cost. In this case, Ahimaaz and Giles Hebard are listed and Lord knows how many others who have a connection to the Hibbard family line.

One question which always comes up is the qualifications of the proof reader, in this case me. The accuracy of the transcription is a genuine concern. I was a senior pressman in the printing industry for more than eighteen years, before I finally got smart and went back to school for a degree in Electronics Engineering. The years I spent verifying copy I believe qualifies me for the task. For those who wish to triple check my work, the Gravestone Records are available on ancestry.com, which was my source for the original material.

I have not copyrighted the transcript, however, have given the Hibbard Family website permission to do so in the name of the website to protect the document for future generations. I'm still trying to track down tangible birth/death records for the elusive Miss Sarah Sally Spencer, wife of Paul Millard Hebard. She's out there somewhere. If anyone has any information please leave a comment.

The Gravestone Records of Shaftsbury, Bennington County, Vermont

Hi Warren,

Sarah Sally Spencer Hebard is my nemesis! I have worked on finding any trace of her for years, with little success.

I am related to you through William Charles Hebard, son of Paul and Sally (Spencer) Hebard. He was born in Shaftsbury, VT (1820) and also moved to Wisconsin. By the 1860 census he was living in Milwaukee, where he was a grain inspector for the Port of Milwaukee. He died there (1866) leaving a bride and infant son, my great grandfather, William Lee Hebard.

At one point I reviewed every family listed in the Shaftsbury census and convinced myself, by eliminating every other Spencer family, that Isaac and Anna (King) Spencer of Connecticut and Shaftsbury must be Sally’s parents, as they had a child of the right age living with them in 1800, before Paul and Sally’s 1808 wedding. Of course, I have no evidence. She may not even have been from Shaftsbury! I have visited Paul Millard Hebard’s grave in Sullivan, WI, and speculate that the unmarked grave beside his must be Sally’s final resting place.

Let me know if you want to share info, although it seems we are both stuck on Sally!

Elizabeth