BUNNELL, Diantha Fitch ^{1 2 3 4 5 6}

  General Notes:

There are 6 spoons in existence belonging to Edward and Diantha Forte with the initials E.D.F. on them. As far as I know these are still in existence with Hank and Ray Forte. They were trademarked in 1801, and as such, were made well before Diantha and Edward were born. (F-4) There is a tin type photo of Diantha in Linda Dudick's care thanks to Bill and Ann Forte.

Diantha was employed as a house mother for a local college during some of her life. (F-17) When her husband was murdered in Mexico, she did not have the money to care for her children. They therefore went to live with relatives at fairly young ages. Leslie, Elizabeth and Henry Lincoln went to live with relatives in Philadelphia, PA and son Edward C. went to live with his mother's cousin, Marie Amelia Bunnell and her husband Zera Patterson in Fenton, Michigan. Her three children in Philadelphia were raised as Catholics. Edward was raised an Episcopalian. That must have been a very difficult decision to make and live with. Much of this information is from an interview with Margaret Bennett, Diantha's great granddaughter. She believed that Diantha attended St. Paul's Church in Mount Vernon, West Chester Co., NY near the end of her life. ⁸

  Noted events in her life were:

• Alt. Death, Abt Dec 1, 1902, , New Haven, CT, USA.

Diantha married Edward Cyrus FORTE, son of Christopher FORTE and Anna LAMMING, on Oct 24, 1842 in New Haven, New Haven, CT, USA. (Edward Cyrus FORTE was born on Mar 7, 1821 in , , Barbados, christened on Sep 22, 1822 in , St. Thomas Parish, , Barbados, died on Jun 14, 1858 in Minatitlan, Tehuantepec, , Mexico and was buried about Jul 1858 in New Haven, New Haven, CT, USA ⁷.)

  Marriage Notes:

Libby Swenson's mother's pedigree chart states that Diantha married Edward Cyrus Forte I on Oct. 28, 1842 and another of her charts says Oct. 26, 1842. That information appears to have come from a copy of his diary. (F-317) All Connecticut Vital Records say Oct. 24, 1842. (F-11)