Maltby Genealogy

American Lineage

The death of Chester Molby was caused by a fall from a run-away load of hay. He was buried on his farm. His remains and grave- stone were buried below plow depth and left on the farm when other bodies were removed.

Samuel, son of Chester and Sally, sold 160 acres of land one mile east from Reading, Mich. to Israel Slauson, 2nd husband of Sally, and to Susannah Molby in 1844. (Records of Deeds. Hillsdale).

Chester Molby died May 18, 1837, in the town of Van Buren, and was buried on the farm. His widow, Sally (Wigent) Molby, Slauson, d. July 3, 1846, Reading, Mich. She is buried in the Methodist Ceme- tery at Reading, a few miles S.W. from Hillsdale. Her stone reads: "'Sally', wife of Chester Molby," and dates. No mention is made of Israel Slauson, her second husband.

Note on Chester Molby: "It is said that Chester Molby was a temperate man, and a staunch Methodist. Not much is known to the writer concerning him. It was told me by Thad. Maltby, son of Lyman, and grandson of Jacob Maltby, that the four brothers, Jacob, Chester, William and Isaac, agreed that of the two going to Michigan to make their future homes, one, William, would use the spelling Maltby, and the other, Isaac, would use the spelling Molby. It was also agreed that of the two remaining near Baldwinsville, Jacob would use the name Maltby, and Chester should use the name Molby. So far as the writer can learn, this has been followed by the descendants of the four brothers. A pretty attempt to simplify matters, but the dif- ference seems insignificant to the general public, and land deeds copied in County offices show sometimes one and sometimes the other spelling applying to the same piece of property when bought and sold by the same individual." F.A.M.

(Note by D.M.V.) The various spellings of a given family name are a source of puzzlement to many. It is really quite simple, the Town Clerk spelled the name as it sounded to him. Many of our Malt- by family pronouncing the name did not sound the "t", hence Malby and Molby very naturally sounded like Molby. In cases where the same person is recorded in a deed by more than one way of spelling, it was usually done with the purpose of making it clear that, for example, Jonathan Maltby was one and the same person as Jonathan Mol- by. I have a Yorkshire will, in "1613/14. I, John Conyers alias Maultbie of Blawgill in parish of Hawnbie. . .I give, etc. unto John Maultbie my son. . .and I make the said John Maultbie alias Conyers my son, Exex."

Also, as stated previously, often more than one family of the same name resided in a nearby place, and it simplified verious things, if both did not spell the name in the same way. All of the above reasons occurred over and over again.

Mr. Fred A Molby of Baldwin, Kansas, makes acknowledgment to the following for assistance in compiling the records of Chester and Sally Molby:

Mrs. John T. Sherwood, Howell, Michigan

Mrs. Clarence Verrill, genealogist for Maltby-Maltbie, Molby

Miss Lesley E. Voorhees, Baldwinsville, New York. Mr. Fred A Molby is descended through Samuel James, father; Samuel, grandfather; to Chester, great-grandfather.

June 29, 1953. Fred A Molby, Baldwin, Kansas

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