Stephen AMBLER

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On 6 Oct. 1747, Sergeant Stephen Ambler was appointed guardian of Silvenus Hoyt, nephew of his wife and son of Jagger Hoyt, deceased. From that date until 1769 when he became Deacon of the First Church, Stephen Ambler is referred to frequently as "Sergeant Ambler." He and his wife are on earliest list of members of the First Church, Dec., 1746, when they were in "good standing."

He entered his ear mark for animals at Stamford, 1 may, 1719, His name appears frequently in town land records as grantee and grantor. His high standing in Stamford is shown by frequency of his name as guardian, executor, administrator, taker of inventories, and witness to wills and deeds. Probably he spent much of his life in Northfields (northern section of Stamford City), and on Davenport Ridge, He had large land holdings throughout the town.

Stephen Ambler was a selectman in 1754 serving two years.

The will of Stephen Ambler dated Stamford, 12 Sept., 1770, he "being in advanced years," was probated 25 Nov., 1783, Joshua Ambler and Ebenezer Weed having been named administrators. The will provided for wife Mercy and divided residue into fourteen equal parts. Sons Joshua, Joseph, John and David each to receive three parts, daughter Deborah Davenport, one part, and the children of deceased daughter Hannah Davenport, one part. It named "beloved friend Abraham Davenport" sole executor. (Abraham Davenport was the most important man in the Stamford of his day.) Inventory of personal estate totaled L735, much of it in notes given by sons Joshua and John...

Stephen Ambler probably was buried in the Stamford Congregational Cemetery long since destroyed.

It is of interest to note that Stephen Ambler lived to see three namesakes serve in the army, two of whom, a son and a grandson, died in the service, while the third, a grand nephew, served five and a half years with Washington.

Stephen married Deborah HOYT on 14 Dec 1721 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. Deborah (daughter of Benjamin HOYT and Elizabeth JAGGER) was born on 09 Aug 1698 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA; died on 08 Oct 1768 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Joshua AMBLER was born on 09 Sep 1723 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; died between 1790 and 1793 in Pound Ridge ( now Stamford), Fairfield Co., Connecticut.
2. Deborah AMBLER was born in May 1725 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; died on 19 Jun 1725 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
3. Deborah AMBLER was born on 28 Sep 1726 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
4. Joseph AMBLER was born on 4 Oct 1727 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; died on 4 Aug 1799 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; was buried in North Stamford Cemetery, Stamford, Fairfield Co., Connecticut.
5. John AMBLER was born on 24 Mar 1728/9 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; died on 28 Jul 1730 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
6. Hannah AMBLER was born on 17 Jul 1731 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; died on 15 Mar 1769 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
7. John AMBLER was born on 23 Nov 1732 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; died on 13 Oct 1802 in Spencertown, Columbia Co., New York.
8. Stephen AMBLER was born on 8 Nov 1736 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; died on 19 Oct 1756.
9. David AMBLER was born on 28 Apr 1738 in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; died on 8 Jan 1808.

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John Ambler evidently accompanied his father to Bedford upon the settlement of that plantation and spent his early manhood there, perhaps maintaining his father's property in that town.

John Ambler appears on the inhabitants' list of Bedford for 1692. On 16 Oct., 1694, the town of Bedford agreed to buy a house and lot of John Ambler for a parsonage " provided his price do not exceed L25." On 22 Dec., 1694, he joined with his father in a deed of several plots to the Proprietors of Bedford and was called "of Stamford" in the conveyance. it seems probable that this deed covered a large part of the Ambler holdings in Bedford. On 26 Dec., 1699, the Town of Bedford agreed to carry out certain accommodations for Mr. Joseph Morgan upon his coming to carry on the ministry. Among other things the town agreed to give Mr. Morgan all the land "which the town bought of Mr. Ambler and of his son John."

John Ambler entered his ear mark for animals at Stamford on 1 April 1699. He was, listed as a freeholder of Stamford in 1701 with property amounting to L92.10s, which placed him among the town's twenty richest men. He was collector of rates of Stamford in 1700 and a selectman of stamford in 1709 and 1710. he served as Deputy from Stamford to the Connecticut Legislature in May and Oct., 1711. His name appears frequently in Stamford Land records.

The will of John Ambler dated 3 Nov. 1711, was probated 5 Feb., 1711/12. In it he mentions wife Martha and children John, Stephen and Martha, a minor. Executrix, his wife Martha. Inventory was taken 1 Jan. 1711/12, Ib 24 Aug., 1713, John, a son of the decedent, chose Samuel Blatchley, of Stamford, as guardian and the son Stephen chose John Stone, of Stamford. Martha, widow of John Ambler, married second at Stamford, in Nov., 1712 Edward Beach. On 14 April, 1720, "the widow Martha Beach" entered hr ear mark for animals at Stamford. On 15 Dec., 1724, the town granted widow Martha Ambler a discharge from paying any taxes for one year.......

John married Martha WILDMAN in 1695 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. Martha was born about 1668; died after 12 Nov 1728. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Daughter of Thomas Wildman

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When Martha (Wildman) Ambler embarked upon widowhood in November 1711, her husband had ensured that she and their three children were well taken care of. With acreage and a dwelling house, JohnAmbler's estate was worth nearly a thousand pounds. That property and Martha's dower rights meant she would be able to live comfortably.

But a year later she was remarried and all that she possessed went under the control of her new husband Edward Bach, newly arrived from England. This marriage turned out to be an unfortunate decision. The law giving married women property rights inConnecticut would not be in place for nearly 150 years, and Edward would make "a prey of the Good Estate left her." Successfully obtaining an absolute divorce in Connecticut during this time meant that one had to prove "adultery, desertion, fraudulent contract, and seven yeas' absence without word." Martha may have been able yo provide proof of all of those claims to be granted her 1721 divorce but inexplicably she did not pursue legal means to rid herself of this grasping husband.....

The widow Martha Ambler, with two minor children at home, married Edward Bach (Beach/Batch) in November 1712. The couple does not appear to have had children. By 6 March 1716, three years into the marriage, Edward wrote a letter to Martha asking that she "discharge" him from their marriage. Edward wrote of the "unhappy match" and "the Trouble that has befallen both you and I" and that he "cannot be contented: with her. He wrote the letter from Huntington, nearly thirty miles away, and requested that she oblige him and grant the discharge or "if you are Cross and will not send me a discharge you must take what follows." Despite the yhreat of "what follows," it appears Martha did not filed paperwork with the courts until several years later.

There are claims that Edward Bach had a child with Mercy June of Stamford before Edward's request to end his marriage to Martha. that child Mindwell Batch (or Bach), was born about 1713 or 1714 based on a 1733 deed from her mother and Mindwell's own marriage hat year. It is possible she was born a year or two later, closer to the time of the 1716 letter from Edward.

Mindwell June's mother, Mercy June, later married Richard Chester (Cheester/Chessier) at Stamford on 1 March 1718/9. the couple had one child, Mary, likely born about 1720.

By September 1721, five years after Edward's request for "discharge" from the marriage, Martha petitioned the Superior Court in Fairfield, making three damning claims against Edward: 1) Edward was still married to a woman in England, (2) he had already married a second time in Connecticut, and 3) he had spent all that was left to her by John Ambler. She claimed a "totall neglect of Duty" and his "extravagancy and ill husbandry" were reasons for praying for a divorce. Three men of Stamford verified her claims, Samuel Wood, Samel Hait/Hot, andRichard Chessier (who by then had been married to Mercy June for over two years), testified that they were "sorrowfully acquainted" with Martha who had been "almost nine years past unhappily married to Edward Batch a Stranger newly (or was said) come then out of England" who had a living wife and children in England and now a wife and child in the new country. According to the testimony Edward had absent seven years, meaning he had left Martha's household in the winter of 1714. Even though they had not lived together, Edwrd legally had access to whatever Martha possessed during his absence.Since Mercy June was married to Richard Chester by this time, the "wife and child in the new country" presumable are yet another woman and her child, though no marriage record for Edward other than the Bach-Ambler one was found.

Edward is not found in later records in Stamford or Fairfield County.