Lizzie Borden Society Forum

I've been noticing several Wilbur family names lately in my research. Is Lee Ann Wilbur a descendant of any Wilburs from the FR/Swansea area?

I was just looking at this post again. Lee Ann would have to share more details of her family to know. There were Wilburs, Wilbors, and Wilbores in this area. Some were really named Wilbur or a variation. Others were followers of a primitive form of Quakerism who were called Wilburites and just adopted the surname Wilbur as part of their religious beliefs.

It would be neat if she were a descendent of one of the jurors at Lizzie's trial.

I checked the indexes in Wildbores in America (J.R. Wilbor and B. F. Wilbour, 1940, George W. King, Baltimore) and find no Lee Ann listed (or Leeann, Leeanne, Leeana, etc.). They don't list by the myriad spellings of the last name, just by first name, including those of spouses, and include stats thru about 1920. Sorry I couldn't come up with a winner.

I believe Lee-ann spells her last name as Wilber and her first as Lee-ann.

You are correct Harry.
My side of the Wilber family is from the Tiverton and Little Compton, RI area. I am also one of several Lee's in the family, but the only female. I have two cousins that are Lee, my grandfater was Lee and my father is Leon. Leon Andrews Wilber, b: July 19, 1947

I feel rather foolish, now, for my first reply. Because of my newness to Lizzie-dom, I hadn't realized that you are alive and well, Lee Ann! I was born and raised in New Bedford so I all but teethed on Lizzie. My mother was a Wilber (1912-1963) and her father's family were longstanding citizens of Foxboro.

@ ahntbarbie- Maybe we are related?

There's a darned good chance of it. The Wilbers were prolific! There's two different lines - one from Samuel Wildbore in Boston and the other from an undetermined relative of his ... either grandson or nephew ... named William, who lived in Rhode Island. Do you have your great- grandfather Wilber's name? I can look him up for you. The last generation that's shown in "Wildbores of America" is my mother's - and she was born in 1912.

Rhode Island can't be the determining factor, though, for determining the family line. Samuel was exiled from Boston because of his religious beliefs and went, of course, to RI...tho' he was allowed back into Boston after a while. Way back then, Tiverton, Little Compton and Bristol (maybe more going up the eastern state line) were part of MA. Also, hold onto your hat, the marriage of first cousins was not only acceptable at that time but practiced heavily, so I'm sure there were marriages between the two different lines

Duly noted, Lee-ann ~ your papa and Lizzie have the same birthday! Wow! Maybe some insight into the personality?

There's that funny "Andrews" name again, too!