Beautiful Lake Memphremagog in Autumn (photo by D. Whipple)
John Battist
Indian Ranger - 1780-81 - Capt. John Vincent's Co.
Gen. Jacob Bayley Regt. - Revolutionary War - VT
John Battist (Abenaki)
b. c1765 St. Johns, PQ Canada
d.
m1. Mary___
m2. Julia Mongeon, Vermont
Comment: His wife Mary was probably Abenaki.
His Vt wife, Julia Mongeon prob. French.
Known Children by wife Mary ___:
1. John Battist
b. 1800-1810 St. Francis PQ Canada
lived 1840 Census Danville, Caledonia, Vermont
Comment: Due to so many "Johns" in Vermont, I
have no further concrete info for him.
2. Joseph Battist (Batease)
b. Nov 1808/1818 St. John(s), PQ Canada
d. 16 Jun 1897 Weston, Vermont
m1. 12 Jul 1844 Hubbardton, Vermont
Laura Westcott (10 children)
m2. 05 Jul 1872 Whiting, Vermont
Susan Rodgers (Rogers)(8 children)
Comment: His descendants are on the previous
page of this site.
Known children by Julia Mongeon.
3. Charles St. John Bettis
b. Jun 1829 prob. PQ, Canada
d. 07 Feb 1909 Burlington, Vermont
m1. 26 Jun 1855 Burlington, Vermont
Mary Francis d. 1889 (2 children)
(dau. of James Francis and Marie Rouillard)
m2.
Alvina Rivard d. 1891 (no issue)
m3.
Mary Cornelia Shortsleeve d. aft1930 (no issue)
(widow of Lewis/Louis Deyette, Jr.)
4. Betsey E. Batease
b. 03 Jul 1832 Burlington, Vermont
d. 18 Dec 1917 Castleton, Vermont
m. 27 Sep 1850 Tinmouth, Vermont
Nathan Westcott
Comment: Betsey is living with Joseph and family in
the 1850 Census, age 15. She is named in
the book "Descendants of Stukely Westcott"
as Joseph's half/sister. Charles St. John
Bettis' Will lists her as sister. Her
descendants are below.
3. Charles St. John Bettis
(son of John Battist and Julia Mongeon)
b. Jun 1829 prob. PQ, Canada
d. 07 Feb 1909 Burlington, Vermont
m1. 26 Jun 1855 Burlington, Vermont
Mary Francis d. 1889 (2 children)
(dau. of James Francis and Marie Rouillard)
m2. 14 Oct 1891 Burlington, Vermont
Melvina Rivard Miller
b. 1854 Richmond, VT d. 1891 (no issue)
(dau. of Peter Miller and wife Mathilda _)
m3. 23 Mar 1893 Burlington, Vt.
Mary Cornelia Shortsleeve d. aft1930 (no issue)
(widow of Lewis/Louis Deyette, Jr.)
children:
1. William H. Bettis
b. Feb 1868 Burlington, Vermont
d.
m. 12 Apr 1888 Waitsfield, Vermont
Julia Francis
(dau. of William Francis and Mary __)
2. Charles Andrew St. John Bettis, Jr.
b. Nov 1870 Burlington, Vermont
d.
Comment: These are the only know children
of Charles St. John Bettis.
4. Betsey E. Battist, Batease
(dau. of John Battist and prob. Julia Mongeon)
b. 03 Jul 1832 Burlington, Vermont
d. 18 Dec 1917 Castleton, Vermont
m. 27 Sep 1850 Tinmouth, Vermont
Nathan Wescott (s/o Nicholas Westcott
& #2. Phebe Hines)
born: 27 Sep 1825 Pittsford, Vermont
died: 11 Dec 1862 Seneca, Maryland (Civil War)
bur : Arlington National Cemetery Grave # 7069
children:
1. Joseph Lyman Westcott
b. 03 Feb 1852 Pittsford, Vermont
d. 25 Feb 1926
m. 23 Sep 1891
Eva S. Parker
2. Ellen Flora Wescott
b. 09 May 1853 Pittsford, Vermont
d. 16 Jul 1938
m. 07 Apr 1880
Martin VanBuren Ashley
3. Mary Rosetta Westcott
b. 02 Apr 1856 Pittsford, Vermont
d. 09 Jan 1937 Rutland, Vermont
m. 27 Sep 1890
James P. Corcoran
4. Sarah Emeline Westcott
b. 18 May 1861 Pittsford, Vermont
d. 11 Oct 1932 New Hanover, North Carolina
m. 15 Dec 1879
Frederick S. Sleeper
Process of Elimination
(Note: Vermont became a State in 1791)
1. The John Bettis/Battis who married Eunice Ainsworth came from
France, possibly to Canada, then settled in Vermont. He was
born c1777 France and died 18 Aug 1825 Calais, Vermont (Pension
Record). They m. 04 Dec 1792 Windsor, Vermont. According to the
"Harvey Genealogy" he and Eunice had 3 children, all girls. How-
ever I found a John Battis b. 27 Sep 1798, Calais, VT, m. 09 Mar
1823, Calais, VT to Sophia Sears d/o Prince and Rebecca Sears.
There was a John Battist with wife, 3 daughters and 2 sons
in St. Albans, Vermont 1810 which I think was John and Eunice.
2. There was a John Bettis/Battis that was b. c1760 Canada, d. 25
Apr 1862 Williston, VT fa. Joseph. His real name being Jean-Baptiste
Perrin. He was in Plattsburgh, NY in the 1800 Census and thereafter
moved next to Grand Isle, VT. He married Marie Louise Vaillancourt
a/k/a Eliza Vancor. They had chn: Mary Batiste, Joanna Perrin Bettis,
Charlotte Perrin, Betsey Perrin, Wessen Bettis, Marie Phoebe Battiste,
John Perry Bettis, Joseph Perrin and Eliza Perrin.
3. There was a Joseph Battis in the 1810 Census in the town of Braintree,
Orange Co., VT with 8 persons in the household, 2 being the parents
with 6 children (4 males, 2 females).
4. The John Battis/Bettis, born 27 Sep 1798, Calais, VT, married Sophia
Sears and had children: Fayette Battice, John Battis III (sometimes
called Stirling), Henry Battese, and Curtis Battis. Fayette went west
and the rest of the children trinkled to southern Vermont in Dorset,
Manchester, and Bennington.
5. To be continued.....
(more eliminations will be added as they become available)
"Decolonizing the Abenaki"
by Fred Wiseman
(pp 57-67)
"During the Revolution (after May 1780), Newbury VT had
a "Company of lndians" under John Vincent; including Joseph X,
Joseph Sabattist, Peal Susuph, Baziel Sabattist Apom Sabattist,
Susuph Mohawk, Joseph Squant, Joseph X, John Battist, and
Charles X. This roster, a .pdf copy of which the collection of
the Wôbanakik Heritage Center, shows a typical sequence of
partially acculturated monikers; retaining colloquial Abenaki
given names and surnames such as Suseph, Sabbatist/Battist and
Apom. If this roster was similar to other Revolutionary War
rosters, it indicated a significant resident contributory American
Native population at Newbury VT at the beginning of our narrative.
Several of these surnames, especially "Battist," surface repeatedly
in the area during the 19th and 20th centuries. Historian Katherine
Blaisdell, in her 1979 book "Over the River and Through the Years",
estimated that the Native population at Newbury, VT was about 100
people in 1790 A.D. We may have a lingering (or subaltern) oral
history of a traditional Koas burial practice that may date to these
early years. In the 1960's, Mr. Philip Vielluex from Wells River VT,
told his niece, author Nancy Millette of his memory (from unknown,
presumably pre-1960's date) that "the Indians buried their dead in the
Cowass meadows sitting up." Archaeologists call these burials "flexed
(or fetal position) burials." We were able to confirm this Wells River
oral history in a minor written reference to the "Horse Meadows" in
page three of Katherine Blaisdell's book, where she notes that expedient
(non-scientific) excavations revealed flexed burials. These burials
were different from those from Missisquoi, which have the body lying flat,
the archaeologist's "extended" burial. But of course not all local Native
identity was represented as burials; many had recorded lives and
descendents in the area. For example, one of the Newbury, VT Rangers,
John Battist later lived in the Derby/Salem area in the Upper Coos, and
so his lineage is more applicable to that area, although the Battist
surname remained in the Coos Meadows in the 20th century. Another of these
local Native Revolutionary War heroes, was yet another famous "Indian Joe.
This "Indian Joe, the last of the Cowasucks" lived with Frye Bailey in
Newbury, during the early 19th century, on a pension of $70.00 per year
for his service in the American Revolution. His history, as well as his
early 19th century "Northwest Trade Gun;" and his very typical Early Contact
Period style canoe; are presently curated at the DAR House in Newbury,
giving us an important glimpse of these turn-of-the-19th century
Indigenous Vermonters....".
Many thanks go to Prof. Wiseman for this information now public. I now have
an insight to the beginnings of John Battist's life in Vermont after the Rev.
War. Apparently from the Derby/Salem area, the Battists went into and around
Burlington, Vermont. My Joseph, headed south from Burlington.