Ezekiel Page is my husband’s third great grandfather. His daughter, Sarah Marie Page, married into our Wells line and her daughter married into our Fay line.
Birth
Ezekiel was born on January 25, 1811, in Wentworth, Grafton, New Hampshire. His parents were John Page and Susan Clark.
Marriage
Ezekiel married Sarah G. Bartlett on December 11, 1833, in Garland, Penobscot, Maine.
In Garland, Maine, 11th ultimo, married by Elder Samuel V. Nason, Ezekiel H. Page, son of Elder John Page, to Sarah Bartlett, daughter of Elder Josiah Bartlett (Morning Star, 23 January 1834).
Children
Fred Page
1860-03-31 Freddy Page School Certificate. Courtesy B. B. Dapice
Occupation
Ezekiel invented and patented an oar making machine. About 1843 he started the New York Boat Oar Company. Read more about that here.
Biography
The Page family moved from Garland, Maine, by way of New York City to the Erie area of Pennsylvania.
Ezekiel invented and patented an oar making machine. He set up a company NY Boat & Oar – came west and built an oar making factory (I’ve seen references that it was 4 stories-the proximity of thousands of acres of ash trees seems to be important to the location-rail and shipping from Erie was crucial-much of the oar production wound up in Europe. much of the oar production supplied many navies in Europe at the time. Ezekiel Page Oars are considered collector’s items –I’ve seen pics of one purchased a few years ago on eBay.
Ezekiel’s daughter, Sarah Page, married Franklin Parker Wells in Canada (don’t know why they didn’t marry in Michigan). Ezekiel expanded and had oars being made in the Lansing area.
After Ezekiel’s death in 1873, his son-in-law, Franklin Parker Wells, took over running the oar business. The patent helped open up other factories in Ohio and Chattanooga, TN, then later in DeValls Bluff, Arkansas (on the White River).
Residence
1838
Ezekiel was living in Maine by 1838 as he appeared in that state’s military rolls.
1840
1840 U.S. Census, Maine, Penobscot county, Garland, page 160, Ezekiel Page. One male 0-4 (Frank); one male 5-9 (Andrew); one male 15-19 (unknown); one male 20-29 (Ezekiel); one female 0-4 (Sarah); one female 10-14 (unknown); one female 20-29 (wife Sarah); one female 50-59 (unknown).
1841
Ezekiel is thought to have moved to New York City in or around this year to start his oarmaking business.
1847
In 1847 & 1849, address is 53 Vestry Street, New York (Mary Johnson letters, 27 May 1847, 17 May 1849).
1849
address is 53 Vestry Street, New York (Mary Johnson letters, 27 May 1847, 17 May 1849).
1850
1850 U.S. Census, New York County, New York; Ezekiel Page, 40, born New Hampshire, Oars, Sweeps & Sculls; Sarah, 36, born Maine; Andrew J., 15, born Maine; Franklin M., 14, born Maine; Sarah M., 11, born Maine; Amanda, 9, born Massachusetts.
1854
In 1854, address is Lockport, Pennsylvania (ibid, 10 Sep 1854).
1857
In 1857, address is Platea, Pennsylvania (ibid, 22 Feb 1857).
1859
In 1859, address is Coaticook, Stanstead county, Canada East (ibid, 12 Oct 1859).
1866
In 1866, address is Espyville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania (ibid, 17 Mar 1866).
1870
1870 U.S. Census, Pennsylvania, Crawford County, North Shenango; Ezekiel Page, 59, oar factory owner; Sarah, 56, keeping house.
1880
In 1880, Sarah Page was living in Michigan where her son-in-law, F.P. Wells, ran her dead husband’s factory, manufacturing Page’s oars, sweeps and sculls. (The Marlin Compound). In the 1880 U.S. Census, the widow Sarah Page is in the household of her son-in-law; Michigan, Ingham County, Lansing; Franklin Wells; Sarah Page, 65, mother-in-law.
In 1882, address is care of F.P. Wells, Lansing, Michigan (ibid, 29 Oct 1882).
Ezekiel moved his family to New York from Garland, Maine about 1839. In 1851, his business is described “Mr. Pages’s business sells over 75,000 dollars per year, shipping goods all over the world…. he left for Ohio to visit his factory.”
Death
In 1873, Ezekiel died in a swamp in Biscaine Bay, Florida. Search parties took 3 days after he was separated from his boat to find his body. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
“Enoch Page writes to his sister-in-law Sarah (Bartlett) Page stating he has received information concerning the death of Ezekiel Page. It seems he was looking at land near Biscayne, Florida in a borrowed boat. Mooring the boat, he went ashore to view the land, got lost, and then wandered his way out of the woods, leaving the boat behind. On 28 June 1873, Ezekiel with another man, went searching for the boat. This other man returned without the boat or Ezekiel, explaining that they had become separated. Search parties were sent out to no avail and on 3 July 1873 his dead body was found. It is thought he died not from starvation, but from paralysis or apoplexy (Page letter, 29 Jul 1873).” (from Rootsweb)
Sources
Rick Harris notes and photographs
Nehemiah Bartlett 1756-1806 ancestry and descendants. Some collateral and allied lines included. (http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jclement&id=I3017)