She married after 1842/3; she "adopted" her brother's daughter Phebe Hunter Sinton.
From letters; Joseph S. O'Brien to his mother Anne Greeves O'Brien: "10th, 7 mo, 1842: ...When we went in there sat a woman a great deal larger than thee and who looked so much like thee I could have called her Mother if she were not so fleshy. ...She stood up and shook me by the hand and said "I am thy Cousin - my name is Phoebe Sinton". She is a real old maid - is fond of laughing and talks incessantly, and wishes to be thought quite romantic and to have it know that she lives in the Valley of Wyoming. She has a niece with her, a second cousin of mine, by the name of Mary Tracy ... Phoebe told me (her) mother died last fall ... ." Again: 29th, 7th, 1842: "Phoebe Sinton is in Jersey City. She was at Abram's and spent an evening with her niece Mary Tracy who is quite an old maid and is as homely as I am. They staid till nine o'clock and then Phoebe declared that she (must) go over the river again that night - so of course I had to go with them and see them safe on board the steamboat, so after a long ride down Broadway and a long walk or run for we heard the bell ringing before we got there, and Phoebe was so afraid of being left behind that when we got there she hardly (had) breath enough to say she wished to be remembered to thee and to give me a pressing invitation ... She is just what thee thinks she is - She did say a great deal about Jacob Taylor but did not make many inquiries as someone would have had to talk to answer her...." LBS: "I have been unable to find the name of the older Phoebe's husband. There is the mention in the letters, that she lived at Frankford - as there is a place of that name in Pennsylvania, also one in New Jersey and one in Maryland within short distances of each other, it is not easily determined which is the one."
There is a Phoebe E. age 17 living at Clinton TWP, Hunterdon Co., NJ with John Grandin and his wife Phoebe H. age 53 and 3 grown Grandin boys age 28-16 - both Phoebes born in PA; it is possible that this is our Phoebe with her husband. It is all supposition, however the ages and places of birth are right. Phoebe (#262.v) would have been 19 and was not with her family. Letters: Margaret Greacen to Anne, 1853: Pheby Sinton that was has splintered her ankle...she had adopted brother John's daughter Phebe - from Ronald's abstract. ["that was" means her maiden name was Sinton, but she is now married. Frequently used in the letters to identify the different Marys, Sarahs and Phoebes. jhj] |
