Zimri Murdock

With the sesquicentennial of the American Revolution underway, I plan to post more often about the untold stories of Bethlehem people impacted by the war.

Today's story is about Revolutionary War veteran Zimri Murdock who is remembered at the Nicoll Sill Cemetery in the Cedar Hill section of Bethlehem. 

In 1778, he served in the 5th Regiment of the Duchess County Militia. 

Zimri was born in 1760, the son of John Murdock and Jerusha Hatch. John and Jerusha married in Preston, Connecticut on Janaury 20, 1757. We know Zimri's parentage because, conveniently, there is a book entitled Murdock Genealogy: Robert Murdock of Roxbury Massachusetts and Some of his Descendants compiled by Joseph P. Murdock in 1925. While it not for certain that Zimri is a direct descendant of said Robert, he is listed in a section called Other Lines.

The book also lists his siblings, all 12 of them, including brothers Zerah and Seymour who both served in Dutchess County militia regiments during the Revolution. 

I couldn't find any documentation that Zimri had a wife or children, or even how he ended up in Bethlehem. Sadly the early censuses do not provide that level of detail.  In the 1790 census he is living at Pawling, New York in a house hold of five including 3 males over 16 and 2 females. In 1800 he is in Brooklyn, Windham County, Connecticut, in a household of 6 people. 

In 1810 he is in Bethlehem in a household of 13 as follows: 3 males under 10, 2 males ages 16-25, 1 male 26-44, 2 males over age 45, 1 female under age 10, 2 females aged 16-25, 1 female aged 26-44 and 1 female over 45.  Since Zimri is listed individually, we know he is the head of household, but how all of these people are related is a mystery.  

At the cemetery in Cedar Hill, Zimri is the only Murdock buried there. His stone is very nice and inscribed "In Memory of Zimri Murdock who departed this life February 15, 1813 in his 53rd year of age" followed by a poem. I did find his brother Zerah (thank you distinctive names!).  He died in 1822 and is now interred at Albany Rural Cemetery in the First Universal Church Plot. 

A few more tidbits about Zimri. 

He ran the Union Store at Poughkeepsie in 1794 that had a large load of rock salt to sell.

In 1802,  he was enough in debt that his creditors ran ads in the Poughkeepsie newspapers.

In 1803 he was an investor in the Norwich and Woodstock Turnpike Company (Connecticut)

In the book Records of the People of the Town of Bethlehem there is an entry recording the December 31, 1812 marriage of Ebenezer Murdock [Moordock] to Polly Dobbs at the First Reformed Church of Bethlehem.  The name Ebenezer turns up often in the Murdock genealogy book.  I am thinking he must be related to either Zimri or Zerah. 

Zimri's name and death date is listed in  a record of New York Wills and Probate Records. A trip to the Albany County Hall of Records should turn up more details on that, plus maybe land records.

 

Those Z names,  Zimri and Zerah had a sister named Zerviah, are old Hebrew names. 

And finally, Zimri and his family are very very distant cousins of mine - really!

In that same Murdock genealogy book, there is an entry for Elisha Murdock (1765-1826) and Martha Perkins (1767-1835) of Carver, Massachusetts.  These good folks are my 5th great grand parents.

.