Phebe J. West

1850 U.S. Federal Census, Brant, Erie Co., New York; NARA M432 roll 499, page 333a, dwelling 771, family 809, line 16; enumerated 21 Aug 1850. Household as enumerated: Matthew West 57, farmer, agriculture, real estate $2,000, b. New York; Hannah West 49, b. Vermont; Phebe J. West 29, b. New York; George Fenton 11. NOTE: the 1850 census records NO relationship column — relationship to head of household first appears in 1880. Ancestry's 'Inferred Spouse' label is an ALGORITHM, not the schedule. That Hannah was Matthew's WIFE rests on the Erie Co. probate file, not on this record.

Citation for probate of the will of Matthew West, Erie Co. Surrogate's Court — issued 24 July 1852, reissued 18 Sept 1852, C. D. Norton, Surrogate; images 1558 and 1562. Read on the images 27 Jul 2026 (the OCR is badly garbled and DROPS THE RELATIONSHIP WORDS, which are the whole value of the document). Verbatim: "The People of the State of New-York, To Caroline Hunt and Jonathan Hunt her husband who reside in Erie County in the State of New York — Harriett Peck who resides in the Cattaraugus County..., and George Peck her husband — and Joseph West, Dennis West & Phebe Jane West, all of whom reside in the State of Wisconsin — and Anna Deniston and Alfred Deniston her husband, who reside in [Michigan] — Heirs and next of kin of Matthew West late of the town of Brandt in the county of Erie, deceased. Whereas Hannah West the Executrix named in the last Will and Testament of the said Matthew West deceased, has applied to the Surrogate..." CLOSES THE CHILD LIST AT SIX: Caroline (m. Jonathan Hunt), Harriett (m. George Peck), Joseph, Dennis, Phebe Jane, Anna (m. Alfred Deniston). INDEPENDENT CORROBORATION OF THE COUNT: Joseph's 1854 deed is docketed "Deed to 2/6" — two of six shares. Six heirs, six shares; the documents agree without being made to. WILBUR: a probate citation must name every heir and next of kin, and there is NO Wilbur in it — so either Wilbur IS the "Dennis West" of Wisconsin, or he was never Matthew's child. The tree holds no separate Dennis and Wilbur's middle name is Dennis. LIKELY, not proven. WRINKLE STATED PLAINLY: Wilbur b. 14 May 1832 would be 20 in Sept 1852 — a minor under NY law — and nothing in the papers read flags a special guardian for him. SARA: [1161] Sara West is NOT among the six heirs, but a "Sarah West" was served in the 1854 accounting. DO NOT DELETE HER on the strength of this record.