Amy Powell’s family

I know very little about Amy Powell and even less about her mother Ann Clifton. This family is of extra interest because I carry Amy’s and Ann’s mitochondrial DNA, which is passed by mothers to their children through countless generations with rare changes. Sons and daughters receive this DNA but only daughters pass it on.

Amy Powell died at the age of 31 after childbirth. That child, Rachel Powell, was my maternal great-great grandmother. This photo represents my connection to Amy through Rachel Powell Dennis, Idell Dennis Fisher, Marie Fisher Kidder [later Sovereign], and my mother Lois Kidder [Springsteen]:

These profile links for Amy Powell provide launch points for investigating her family on Ancestry and FamilySearch:

• Profile on Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/78781976/person/42392880041/facts
• Profile on FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/KNWH-W8J

Ancestry is accessible through a paid personal account or an institutional account. FamilySearch is available through a free personal account.

Joseph Powell and Amy Clifton

Joseph Powell married Amy F Clifton November 4, 1840, in Gloucester County, New Jersey.[1]

Joseph and Amy were living in Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio at the time of the 1850 census.[2] Joseph was recorded as a farmer with real estate valued at $2,000. Their household consisted of

• Joseph Powell, age 30, born in New Jersey.
• Amy Powell, age 28, born in New Jersey.
• Amy [Anna] Powell, age 8, born in New Jersey.
• Mary Powell, age 6, born in New Jersey.
• Arthur, age 4, born in Ohio.

Rebecca Borton, age 60, a potential relative, was recorded in the preceding household. Amy’s parents Samuel and Ann Clifton were recorded on the following page. William and John Clifton, Samuel’s brothers, were listed with their households following Samuel and Ann.

Two other children of Joseph and Amy Powell died in 1850 and were not recorded in the census. Elizabeth, born in 1848, and Samuel, born in 1850, were buried in the West Franklin Cemetery in Fayette, Fulton County, Ohio.

Joseph and Amy had two more children, Amy C Powell and Rachel Powell, before their mother’s death in 1854.

Amy F Powell died March 5, 1854, after the birth of her daughter Rachel on February 11. She was buried with her deceased young children in the West Franklin Cemetery.[3] Two of Amy’s older children, Mary and Arthur, would join her there in the 1860s. Find a Grave memorials, posted by contributors from our time, often provide clues for further research. Aside from headstone photos, however, they are generally not records from the era of those being honored.

Joseph Powell and Louisa Goss

After Amy’s death Joseph Powell married Louisa Goss, with whom he had many children. Their blended family was recorded in Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio in 1860.[4] Joseph was recorded as a farmer with real estate valued at $4,000 and personal estate valued at $500. Their household consisted of

• Joseph Powell, age 40, born in New Jersey.
• Louisa, age 20 [sic], born in Canada.
• Anna, age 18, born in New Jersey.
• Mary, age 16, born in New Jersey.
• Arthur, age 14, born in Ohio.
• Amy, age 8, born in Ohio.
• Rachel, age 6, born in Ohio.
• Amanda, age 4, born in Ohio.
• Alice, age 3, born in Ohio.
• Alexander, age 1, born in Ohio.
• An unnamed female, ½, born in Ohio.

Borton and Clifton families were recorded on subsequent pages.

Joseph and Louisa’s family was recorded in the 1870 with several children still at home.[5] Joseph was recorded as a farmer with real estate valued at $2,000 and personal estate valued at $1,500. Their household consisted of

• Joseph Powell, age 50, born in New Jersey.
• Louisa, age 42, keeping house, born in Canada.
• Rachel, age 16, at home, born in Ohio.
• Amanda, age 14, at home, born in Ohio.
• Alice A, age 13, attending school, born in Ohio.
• Alexandria [sic], age 11, attending school, born in Ohio.
• Josephine, age 9, attending school, born in Ohio.
• George, age 7, born in Ohio.
• Nancy, age 5, born in Ohio.
• Edmund, age 2, born in Ohio.
• Aden, age 2, born in Ohio.

Louisa Powell died June 8, 1879. She was also buried in the West Franklin Cemetery.[6]

Joseph Powell was recorded as a farmer in the 1880 census.[7] His household consisted of

• Joseph Powell, widowed, age 59, born in New Jersey.
• George, age 17, son, labors on farm, born in Ohio.
• Nancy, age 15, daughter, housekeeping, born in Ohio.
• Edmund, age 11, farm laborer, born in Ohio.
• Aden, age 11, farm laborer, born in Ohio.

I have found no record of Joseph Powell after the 1880 census.

Samuel and Ann Clifton

Amy Powell’s parents were Samuel and Ann Clifton. As noted in a discussion herein of Nathan and Mary Cliftons’ family, Samuel was born November 12, 1794, in Burlington County, New Jersey.

Samuel was disowned by the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1813. This action was taken for marrying, presumably to Ann, without the sanction of their order. This marriage occurred before August 9, 1813, the first mention of these deliberations in the Haddonfield meeting minutes.[8] The basis for Samuel’s disownment was recorded on page 263:

Whereas Samuel Clifton has had a right of membership with friend [sic] but hath so far deviated as to accomplish his marriage before a magistrate for which breach of order he has been dealt with but not appearing in a suitable disposition of mind to condemn the same we therefore disown him from having a right of membership with us until he condemns his deviation to the satisfaction of friends which that he may is our desire.

Samuel’s brother William was likewise disowned from Haddonfield for unsanctioned marriage at about the same time.[9],[10]  If I can discover who William married it might provide clues about Ann’s family.

Samuel and Ann’s children are listed in a discussion herein of Isaac and Sarah Borton’s family. Note that their first child, Rachel, was reportedly born December 26, 1813.

Samuel Clifton was recorded in Deptford Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey in the 1840 census.[11] Samuel, as head of household, was listed by name. He was working in agriculture. His household consisted of

• One male aged 40-49 (Samuel).
• One female aged 40-49 (Ann).
• One female 20-29 (Rachel or Mary).
• One female 15-19 (Amy).
• One male 5-9 (Rachel’s son George?).

Samuel and Ann were recorded in Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio in the 1850 census.[12] Their household consisted of

• Samual [sic] Clifton, age 56, who was farming with real estate valued at $1200. He was reported as born in New Jersey.
• Ann Clifton, age 57, was also born in New Jersey.
• Samual Hansy, age 15, attended school. He was another child of Rachel Clifton.

The households of William Clifton, 23, and John Clifton, 29, followed Samuel’s.

In 1860 Samuel and Ann were recorded again in Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio.[13] Their household consisted of

• Sanuel [sic] Cliffton, age 65, who was a farmer with real estate valued at $2,000 and personal estate valued at $600. His birthplace was New Jersey.
• Ann Cliffton, age 67, also born in New Jersey.
• Harriet Bisby, age 12, born in Ohio, was stated to have been adopted and had attended school. Her surname is familiar from New Jersey Quaker records.

The household of Wm. Cliffton, 34, followed Samuel’s.

In 1870, Samuel, age 75, was recorded in the household of his son William Clifton in Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio.[14]

Ann Clifton had died in 1864. Amy Powell, age 18, was a domestic servant in William’s household.

John Clifton’s household preceded William’s; Charles Borton’s household followed.

In 1880, Samuel was again recorded in William’s household in Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio.[15]

• Samuel Clifton, age 85, farmer, was listed as the father of the head of household.
• William, age 53, was farming.

The household of Job Borton, age 61, and Mary R. Borton, age 64, preceded William’s.; the households of Samuel Clifton, age 29, and William Clifton, age 31, followed William’s.

Samuel and Ann Cliffton were buried in the Quaker Cemetery at West Unity, Williams County, Ohio.

• Ann Cliffton died July 25, 1864.[16]
• Samuel Cliffton died November 28, 1880.[17]

Nathan Clifton and Mary Robinson

Samuel Clifton’s parents were Nathan and Mary Clifton. They were married November 21, 1780, in Burlington County, New Jersey.[18] Their children were recorded by the Evesham Monthly Meeting:[19]

• Ann, born February 5, 1782.
• Sarah, born April 5, 1784.
• Rebekah, born September 12, 1786.
• John, born June 27, 1789.
• William, born June 16, 1792.
• Samuel, born November 12, 1794.
• Mary, born November 15, 1797.
• Rachel, born October 18, 1800.

In 1788, Nathan and Mary transferred to the Evesham Monthly Meeting from Chester.[20]In 1802, they transferred with their children from Evesham to Haddonfield.[21],[22]

Isaac Borton and Sarah Peacock

Who were Ann Clifton’s parents?

A potential connection with the Borton family is documented in History of the Borton and Mason Families in Europe and America. The family of Isaac Borton and Sarah Peacock includes the family of Samuel and Ann Clifton.[23]

Isaac and Sarah’s children are listed as follows:

• Abigail, married Benjamin Borton.
• Sarah, married John Cliffton, son of Samuel Cliffton and Ann … .  John Cliffton died October 22, 1887. Their children were:
  • Rachel Ann, born April 1, 1840, married Silas Mills, John Metcalf.
  • Esther, born February 4, 1842, married George Sparks.
  • Sarah, born February 20, 1844, married John Hutchison.
  • Mary, born May 10, 1845, married David Crumrine.
  • John S., born August 22, 1848, married Melvina Kime, Helen Smith.
  • Samuel, born September 11, 1850, married Emma Pifer.
  • Abigail, born October 18, 1852, married Samuel Crumrine.
  • George, born November 30, 1855, married Alice Hibbard.
• Aaron died as a young man.
• Charles died young.
• Samuel Cliffton, son of Nathan Cliffton and Mary, married Ann … .  Their children were:
  • Rachel, born December 26, 1813, died 1885, age 73 years [sic].
  • Mary, born February 8, 1815, married Job Borton.
  • John, born June 22, 1819, married Sarah Borton.
  • Amy, born September 29, 1822, married Joseph Powell.
  • William Henry, born December 12, 1826, was married. He died in Chicago, Illinois January 5, 1898.
  • Rebecca, youngest daughter, born about 1828, married Davis Bisbee and Jefferson Sweet.

Ann Clifton was associated with Isaac and Sarah Borton’s family, but how? The ellipses suggest that the compiler of this family history didn’t know Ann’s surname. Was Ann adopted by Isaac and Sarah, or taken in informally? Having been born in 1793, might Ann have been a child of Sarah from a liaison? Isaac and Sarah weren’t married until 1798.

Job Borton and Ann Rogers

Some researchers have postulated that Samuel Clifton’s wife Ann was Ann Borton, born June 6, 1795, daughter of Job Borton and Ann Rogers. Job married Ann Rogers under the auspices of the Evesham Monthly Meeting in 1786, their union having been duly approved and witnessed.[24]

Job and Ann’s children were recorded by the Evesham Monthly Meeting.[25] Their children were Lydia, Grace, Ann, Hannah and Job. Their son Job died in 1806.

Job’s will, written in 1840, was proved in Burlington County in 1841.[26] Job’s children were named in his will as Lydia Brooks (deceased), Grace Lashley, Ann Fox, Hannah Pedrick and Mary Mason.

Job and Ann Borton’s daughter Ann, born in 1795, was apparently not Samuel Clifton’s wife. Ann Clifton was not Ann Fox in 1840. Furthermore, Ann Clifton’s age reported in census records indicated that she was born about 1793, a year before Samuel’s birth in 1794.

The puzzle of Ann Clifton’s ancestry

Rachel Dennis certainly had no memory of her mother Amy Powell but probably remembered her grandmother Ann Clifton. Rachel’s daughter Clara Schoonover, in writing of her mother, stated that “Her mother [Amy] was French with just a little Welch mixed in some way.” This description might be a clue to Ann’s ancestry.

I have communicated recently with another researcher, Tim, who is a descendant of Rachel’s sister Amy. Tim’s family was informed decades ago by other family researchers that Ann Clifton was Ann Duvall, the daughter of a French immigrant. Ann’s father Count Duvall had reportedly escaped to the United States from the French Revolution. That would be an interesting story. Did he cross paths with the Sarah Peacock or Isaac Borton?

Notes

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[1] Marriage registration, Joseph Powell and Amy F Clifton; Gloucester County, New Jersey, 1840, page 394; online at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VW5L-47P, accessed July 28, 2026.

[2] 1850 United States Census, Joseph Powell household; Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio; page 11 [stamped 6], lines 40-42 and page 12, lines 1-2; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/records/14738141, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXSG-VR8, accessed July 28, 2026.

[3] Grave memorial, Amy F Powell; West Franklin Cemetery, Fayette, Fulton County, Ohio; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/86067800, accessed July 28, 3026, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8889401/amy-f-powell, accessed July 28, 2026.

[4] 1860 United States Census, Joseph Powell household; Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio; page 20, lines 24-34; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/records/42273661, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BSD-98ZP, accessed July 28, 2026.

[5] 1870 United States Census, Joseph Powell household; Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio; page 27 (stamped 14], lines 13-23; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/37235193, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6G3-PDG, accessed July 28, 2026.

[6] Grave memorial, Louisa Powell; West Franklin Cemetery, Fayette, Fulton County, Ohio; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/86067797, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8889398/louisa-powell, accessed July 28, 2026.

[7] 1880 United States Census, Joseph Powell household; Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio; page 4 (stamped 497], lines 13-23; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/45527382, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M838-MKV, accessed July 28, 2026.

[8] Haddonfield Monthly Meeting minutes, 1813, pages 258, 260, 262, 263, 266; online at  https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2189/images/42060_1821100519_3157-00265, accessed July 28, 2026.

[9] Haddonfield Monthly Meeting minutes, 1813, pages 261, 262, 263, 266; online at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2189/images/42060_1821100519_3157-00268, accessed July 28, 2026.

[10] Haddonfield Monthly Meeting minutes, 1814, page 1; online at  https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2189/images/31906_283830-00272, accessed July 28, 2026.

[11] 1840 United States Census, Samuel Clifton household; Deptford Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey; sheet 78, line 18; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8057/records/2297993, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYW-32K, accessed July 28, 2026.

[12] 1850 United States Census, Samual Clifton household; Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio; page 12, lines 20-22; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/records/14738163, accessed July 24, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXSG-VT3, accessed July 28, 2026.

[13] 1860 United States Census, Sanuel Cliffton household; Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio; page 32, lines 12-14; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/records/42273384, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GBSD-9D6M, accessed July 28, 2026.

[14] 1870 United States Census, Samuel Clifton in William Clifton household; Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio; page 27 (stamped 14], lines 13-23; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/37693091, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6G7-3RG, accessed July 28, 2026.

[15] 1880 United States Census, Samuel Clifton in William Clifton household; Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio; page 257, lines 45-50, and page 5, line 1; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/25553602, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M838-QSZ, accessed July 28, 2026.

[16] Grave memorial, Ann Cliffton; Quaker Cemetery, West Unity, Williams County, Ohio; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/92194153, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9197047/ann-cliffton, accessed July 28, 2026.

[17] Grave memorial, Samuel Cliffton; Quaker Cemetery, West Unity, Williams County, Ohio; online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/92194146, accessed July 28, 2026, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9197040/samuel-cliffton, accessed July 28, 2026.

[18] New Jersey Colonial Documents, page 70, in New Jersey, U.S., Marriage Records, 1683-1802, database online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2794/records/37173, accessed July 28, 2026.

[19] Evesham Monthly Meeting record of births and deaths, 1682-1853, page 108; online at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2189/images/40525_1821100519_2272-00124, accessed July 28, 2026.

[20] Evesham Monthly Meeting minutes, 1788, pages 169-170, 173; online at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2189/images/31906_283885-00407, accessed July 28, 2026.

[21] Evesham Monthly Meeting minutes, 1802, pages 88, 91-92; online at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2189/images/31906_283883-00235, accessed July 28, 2026.

[22] Haddonfield Monthly Meeting minutes, 1802, page 421: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2189/images/42060_1821100519_3466-00426, accessed July 28, 2026.

[23] Family record, Isaac Borton and Sarah Peacock, History of the Borton and Mason Families in Europe and America, compiled by Freeman C. Mason, 1908, pages 77-78; online at https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_the_Borton_and_Mason_Families/ZM81AAAAMAAJ?gbpv=1, accessed July 28, 2026, https://archive.org/details/historyofbortonm1908maso/page/76/mode/2up, accessed July 29, 2026.

[24] Evesham Monthly Meeting record of marriages, 1779-1794, page 42; online at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2189/images/31906_283773-00588, accessed July 28, 2026.

[25] Evesham Monthly Meeting record of births and deaths, 1682-1853, page 69; online at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2189/images/40525_1821100519_2272-00085, accessed July 28, 2026.

[26] Last will and testament, Job Borton, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1840; online at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8796/images/005663856_00589, accessed July 28, 2026.