LIBRARY
Brigham Young University
GIFT OF
Frederick T0 Baird
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Wilford & Gertrude L. Baird
72 South 8th East
Salt Lake City 2, Utah
FAMILY GENEALOGY
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2010 with funding from
Brigham Young University
http://www.archive.org/details/familygenealogybOOIaws
^eMcadteit
TO MY MOTHER, WHO GAVE ME
THE FIRST INFORMATION
IN FAMILY HISTORY
FAMILY GENEALOGY
BAIRD, BLAIR, BUTLER, COOK,
CHILDS, CLARK, COLE, CRANE,
DE KRUYFT, EDWARDS, FINNEY,
FLEMING, GRAVES, GRANDINE,
HANEY, HITCHCOCK, KERWIN,
LAWSON, LOWRY, McALPIN,
PEPER, RICHARDSON, RITTENHOUSE,
SOUTHWOOD, STOLP, WILLIAMS
AND WRIGHT.
Wilford & Gertrude L. Baird
72 South 8th East
Salt Lake City 2, Utah
BY
f uMius #. ~£<ttoz*nt J. J. J.
PRESIDENT WISCONSIN
LIBRARY ASS'N
I9O3
1903
P. V. LAWSUN, PUBLISHER
MENASHA, WIS.
THE LIBRARY
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
PROVO, I H
CONTENTS.
•
3
The Fleming Family ......
The Lawson Family
The Cook Family ......
Peper Family of Holland ....
The Baird Family
The Kerwin Family
The Wright Family
Descendants of Matthias Hitchcock
The Finney Family
Robert Williams of Roxbury ....
The Clan McAlpin
The Graves Family
The Clark, Munn, Sheldon, Strong, Stebbens,
Ford, Parsons and Nims Families, all of New
England
John Edward's Family
Addenda , .
Index
PAGES.
I-II4
I I5-I90
191-205
206-224
225-227
228-234
235-243
244-246
247-268
269-279
280-282
283-284
285-287
288-292
293-295
297
INTRODUCTORY.
In compiling the family histories the author has written
thousands of letters, to many of which he had no reply. All
the information obtained is given. Doubtless there are errors.
If any are noticed, write the author of it at once. Also
send any additional information possessed by the reader for
future use.
The author traveled into a number of states, visited numer-
ous people, many towns; searched through graveyards and
churches, examined hundreds of public records, old papers
and documents; read over thousands of pages of local histori-
cal works, looked through a great many ancient bibles and
bushels of old newspapers and account books, in search of
material for this compilation.
It has been a labor of love and most enjoyable. As no
publisher will accept this kind of literature it has been
necessary for the author to be his own publisher, hoping
the family will be interested to the extent of subscribing for
enough of the books to divide the expense.
Menasha, Wis., June 2, 1903.
CHAPTER I.
The Fleming Family.
HISTORY.
This numerous and interesting family have had much to do
with the great and important military and civil events in
British and American History for several hundred years.
The statue of the armed knight with a fret upon his shield,
hands elevated in a praying position, sword by his side, and
legs crossed, may be seen in Furness Abbey, Lancashire, Eng-
land, an ancient burial place of the Fleming family. It was
placed there generations ago in memory of Sir John Le
Fleming, a crusader. One branch of the Fleming still bear
a shield charged with a fret, a heraldic composition of the
cross and Norman mascle, indicating that the family had a
founder, one or more in the holy wars. The surname of this
illustrious family, according to the sentiments of the most
approved historians and antiquarians, was at first assumed
from a person of distinction, who, in the days of King David
I, (1124) a Fleming by birth, transplanted himself into Scot-
land, and took the surname Flanderensis or Le Fleming, from
the country of his origin.
Robert Le Fleming, the direct and immediate ancestor of
the Earl of Wigton, was one of the great barons of Scotland,
under King Edward I. of England (1272-1309). It was this
Sir Robert who repaired to the standard of Robert Bruce,
and with a few trusty friends, all brave men, accompanied
him, whom they thought their lawful sovereign in adventure
at Dumfries, where they killed Sir John Cumming, and never
rested till they set the crown upon the head of the immortal
monarch on the Feast of Annunciation, A. D., 1306. He was
succeeded by his son, Sir Malcolm Fleming, Lord of Fulwood,
also in great favor with the King, who gave him a large
grant of land in Wigtonhire, and also made him Governor of
Dumbarton Castle and Sheriff of the County.
He was succeeded by his son, Sir Malcolm Fleming, who
was a forwarder and supporter of the right and title of David
2 Family Genealogy.
II, Brucien line. He succeeded his father as Governor of
Dunbarton Castle, and discharged the trust with the utmost
fidelity. During the whole of the usurpation of Baliol, this
castle was a place to which the royalist did freely, and with
great security resort. Here Sir Malcolm had the honor to
shelter and protect in that evil time Robert, Lord High
Steward of Scotland, afterwards King Robert II (1371.)
His highness was graciously pleased in reward of Sir Mal-
colm's signal loyalty and fidelity in his service to create him
Earl of Wigton. The good Earl fell sick and died soon
after. He left his estates and titles to his grandson, Thomas
Fleming, second Earl of Wigton.
Malcolm Fleming Earl of Wigton, was in great favor with
James V, by whom he was constituted Lord High Chamber-
lain of Scotland. He was slain in the service of his country,
at the battle of Pinky, September 10, 1545. He married
Janet, daughter of King James IV, and by her had a son,
James Fleming, who being a noble man of fine and polite
parts was by special favor of Queen Mary made her Lord
High Chancellor. He accompanied Queen Mary to Scot-
land and died in Paris, December 1, 1558. He was Governor
of Dunbarton Castle and distinguished himself for his zeal
and loyalty to his queen.
Dunbarton Castle is built upon a rock 240 feet high and
one mile in circumference, a rock trodden by Roman soldiers
2000 years ago. When Queen Mary as a child was sent to
France to be educated at the French Court, she was brought
from the monastery of Inchmahone in the Lake of Menteith,
to the Castle of Dunbarton on the 28th of February, 1547,
and on the 17th of March embarked from it for the palace of
St. Germain.
As a royal fortress residence, it was intrusted to the custody
of the Fleming family for generations from Sir Malcolm
Fleming, time of the Bruces, to Lord James Fleming, time of
Queen Mary. The marriage of Lord James Fleming, Governor
of Dumbarton Castle, to the daughter of Lord Ross, took
place in Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh. A banquet was spread
in the park adjoining the palace. There is still a dam trace-
able which held the water back to make an artificial lake.
Queen Mary graced the occasion with her presence. It was
a highly esteemed privilege to me personally to walk around
upon the scene of this historic marriage. The incident is so
pleasantly picturesque and associates Queen Mary so agree-
ably with one of her subjects, that it is gratifying to reflect on;
The Fleming Family. 3
Lord Fleming proving a steady friend to the Queen throughout
her subsequent troubles. He stoutly maintained Dumbarton
Castle in her favor against the Regents and against Elizabeth's
General, Sir William Drury.
Sir Thomas Fleming, son of the Earl of Wigton, emigrated
to Virginia in 1616. Many of the family followed him to the
same colony, one of whom was Col. William Fleming and
another the father of James Fleming, who was born in Iredell
County, N. C, in 1762. He served in the Revolutionary
war; afterward removed to Ohio, where he died 1832.
He was great grandfather of Hon. Josiah Mitchell Fleming
of Denver, Colorado.
Another descendant of these Wigtonshire Flemings was
Col. John Fleming, who emigrated from Virginia to Kentucky
in 1790. He was grand father of Hon. John Donaldson
Fleming, late United States District Attorney of Colorado.
Archbishop Richard Fleming, founder of Lincoln College,
Oxford, was born in Crofton, County York. He was edu-
cated at University College Oxford, and in 1407 was appointed
Proctor of the University. In his early days he was an ardent
disciple of Wyclifre, but recanted and espoused the cause of
the Pope. In 14 15 he was prebendary of Langford, Church
of York, and in 1420 Bishop of Lincoln. In 1428 he carried
into effect the decree of the Council of Constance, which
ordered that the bones of Wycliffe should be disinterred and
burned to ashes. It is remarkable that the endowments which
he gave to the University have contributed to educate more
than one celebrated opponent of the opinions he so vehe-
mently espoused. Among them it is sufficient to name John
Wesley, who was sometime fellow of Lincoln College.
Major General James Fleming was buried in Westminster
Abbey, where his monument now is. He was born in 1633
and died in 1751, spending forty years of his life in the British
army. Gleaston Castle was the seat of the Flemings after
the Norman Conquest, being a special grant by William the
Conqueror to Sir Michael Le Fleming, Knight.
The ruins of Furness Abbey, founded in the twelfth century,
are among the most picturesque and extensive in England.
The finest features of the ancient remains are the Chapter
House triplet of grand Norman arches. In the Abbots chapel
are two effigies of Norman Knights, twelfth century, said to
be the only ones of the kind in England ; and the allusion in
the opening sentence to this article is to one of them, the
effigy of Sir John Le Fleming.
4 Family Genealogy.
The Flemings, who became Lords of the Baron}' of Slane
County of Meath, Ireland, descended from Archibald Flem-
ing, who went from England to Ireland A. D. 1173 with
Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke and took part in the
Norman invasion and conquest of Ireland. The Lords
Fleming of Slane Castle numbered successivel}'- twenty-three.
This branch of the family came also originally from Flanders
with William the Conqueror, whose wife is known in history
as Matilda of Flanders.
(From a paper by Henry Dudley Teetor, M. A. in ' Great
Divide," Denver, Col., Vol. X, No. 4, Dec. 1893, out of print.
Reprinted in Muncie, Ind. Daily Times, Aug. 22, 1894.)
After the long struggle to subdue the Irish, led by the Earl
of Tyrone, the British Commander, Lord Mount Joy, ob-
tained the submission of the Irish two days before the death of
Queen Elizabeth, March 2, 1603. The British now having
complete rule and the English nobility seeking lands and
estates, caused all the province of Ulster (in North Ireland)
and more to be forfeited to the Crown by a claim of a con-
spiracy of Tyrone and Tyrconnel, on hearing of which both
Earls fled in 1607.
The Crown lawyers under Sir John Davies, Attorney Gen-
eral, contrived to so arrange the area of forfeiture for the
judgment of the Commission authorized by James I, to in-
quire into the case, who sat July and August, 1609, that it
covered a princely domain of six entire counties, all of
which were escheated to the Crown, regardless of the rights
of a vast number of smaller tenants, against whom nothing
could be urged." As former plantations of this kind now to
be established had been a failure, this was to be on a differ-
ent plan. Only tracts were to be granted to such as would
reside on them, were Protestants, would build houses, etc.
The size of the house etc., was according to amount of land.
The undertaker of 500 acres of land must hold it in common
socage, which is a relique of Saxon liberty, he holds his land
by fealty and nominal rent. He must also remain on the
land five years and cannot sell it for that period. He must
also, make thereon a strong court or bawn" in connection
with his house, and shall require their tenants to build houses
for themselves and their families near the principal castle,
house or bawn for their mutual defense." The Undertaker
shall have ready in their house at all times a convenient store
of arms, wherewith they may furnish a competent number of
The Fleming Family. 5
able men for their defence, which may be viewed and mus-
tered every half year after the manner of England."
They could not sell or demise these lands to the Mere
Irish" or such as will not take the oath (to adjure the Catholic
faith). Every undertaker must, "within two years afterdate
of letters patent, plant or place a competent number of Eng-
lish or inland Scotch tenants upon portions etc." Undertaker
may ''erect manors and hold Courts Baron twice each year".
The Undertaker was exempt from rents for two years. All
native "Mere Irish" and their belongings were swept off these
lands and given other lands. This has been called "the
confiscation of Ulster". All marriages were forbidden
between native Irish and the settler to insure pure blood, and
pure English speech "as well for their greater security as to
preserve the purity of the English language."
All these things were done says Sir John Davies, as a clear
plantation is to be made of English and Scottish without
Irish." 'The discomfited owners submitted sullenly and
withdrew to the tracts allotted to them."
At the same time numerous undertakers as they were called
then, took up all or nearly all the available lands. As was
natural there was much of speculation going on and all the
strict specifications were not entirely fulfilled.
In a little book called "Ireland", compiled by T. P.
Sherlock, published by himself, I find a list of the survey of
these lands, their original owner, their undertaker or paten-
tees, and their ownership in the year 1619, on page 95. From
this I find that Captain Fleming was in possession in 16 19 of
500 acre tract of which he was the original patentee or pur-
chaser from the crown (presumably in 1609 or 1610) in which
town or what is the name of the tract does not seem clear
from the list. But it was of lands formerly possessed by
Brefri O'Reilly or descendants of Philip O'Reilly, whose lands
escheated under Elizabeth, but regranted in succession to his
sons, and again attainted under James I. It was in the
Precinct of Clonemahown" in ' County Cavan" of the Plan-
tation of Ulster" and of such as was "allotted to servitors and
natives." The natives were such as had taken the oath and
the Protestant religion. The other names under this head
are "Lord Lambert, Archibald Moore, Captain Fleming," so
I conclude that Captain Fleming was an officer in the Eng-
lish service, and as such obtained his title and lands. That
he obtained his title in the Irish wars, under Earl of Sussex
or Lord Mount Joy and for his services he claimed his land.
. <
6 Family Genealogy.
Sir Thomas Fleming, Lord Chief Justice of England, start-
ing in the profession of the law with the great Francis Bacon,
he was not only preferred to him by attorneys, but by Prime
Ministers, and he had the highest professional honors shower-
ed upon him. ' 'Fleming had superior good fortune and enjoyed
temporary consequence — because he did not mortify the
vanity of the witty, or alarm the jealousy of the ambitious."
He was the younger son of a gentlemen of small estate in the
Isle of Wight." Soon after he was called to the bar by un-
wearied drudgery, he got into considerable practice; and it
was remarkable that he always tried how much labor he
could bestow upon every case intrusted to him, while his
more lively competitors tried with how little labor they could
get on." "in the year 1594 he was called to the degree of
Sergeant with eight others and was thought to be the most
deeply versed in the law of real actions of the whole batch."
Soon after there was a vacancy in office of Solicitor
General (1602). Francis Bacon tried hard to get it, even
wrote to Queen Elizabeth, and Earl of Essex, then in her
favor, but Thomas Fleming was appointed. Bacon was so
put out that he resolved to shut himself up in a cloister, but
changed his mind on receiving a soothing letter from the
Queen. Soon after Fleming made bad work of a speech in
the Commons, he was not a ready speaker, and Bacon made
a splendid speech to the same point. Then they tried to
promote Fleming to give the place to Bacon, but he refused
to be shelved. In this speech Fleming "lost his recollection
and resumed his seat." On the accession of James I to the
Crown he was reappointed Solicitor General, and the follow-
ing year he was appointed Chief Baron of the Exchequer
and, ' while he held this office he sat along with Lord Chief
Justice Popham on the trial of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder
conspirators, but he followed the useful advice for subor-
dinate judges on such an occasion, to look wise and say
nothing." (1604)
In these troublesome times of contest between King and
subject, his judgment was that the King could do no wrong,
and after he had given judgment that the King could impose
without act of Parliament any amount of duty on imports,
King James declared he was, "a judge to his hearts content."
After the death of Lord Chief Justice Popham (1607) no one
"was thought so fit to succeed%him as Fleming of whom it
was always said that "though slow, he was sure," and he
became Lord Chief Justice of England the very first day that
The Fleming Family. 7
his rival Francis Bacon became Solicitor General (1607)."
Fleming was six years Chief Justice. One trial had before him
was called Postnate, in which he decided that persons born
in Scotland after James became King of England, were
entitled to the privileges of natural born subjects of England.
Because of the growing resistance in the nation to absolute
monarchy as sanctioned by almost all his judges, and because
Lord Popham preceded him and the famous Sir Edward Coke
was his successor on the bench, to wear the "Collar of S. S."
"Fleming though a great lawyer is not so much known."
While yet a young man he suddenly died on 15th of Octo-
ber 1613.
"in private life he is said to have been virtuous and amia-
ble." He was buried in Stoneham in Hampshire. That his
will dated 21st of July 16 10, was proved 30th of October
1 613. That his eldest son intermarried with a daughter of
Sir Henry Cromwell, and that their descendants remain
seated at Stoneham for some generations." The chief justice
appears to have had a residence in the Isle of Wight. The
name of Sir Thomas Fleming L. C. J. England appear in
a list of the members of a Bowling Green Club" established
in the Island who dined together twice a week."
(Campbell's Lives Lord Chief Justices of England, Vol. I.,
P. 236.)
In the important occasion noted above when Sir Thomas
Fleming was to urge a measure in the Commons for the Queen
it is noticed: ' He lost his recollection and resumed his seat."
This is an inherited trait in the Fleming family, known as
"stop speech." All the Flemings are not so afflicted, but here
and there a member has the "stop speech." It often passes
over a whole family and reappears in the next generation as
inherited from the ancestry. The cause is in the weakness of
the auditory nerve, which can be overcome by not heeding it,
and by talking, speaking and singing. The remedy
should be directed to build up the nerve by use, the same as
one would strengthen a muscle. For one affected with stop
speech to avoid people, is the very worst thing he can do.
Bishop Richard Fleming (spelled in the Chaucer days
Flemmynge), born in Crofton, Yorkshire, who died at Steaford
January 143 1, was an English prelate, Bishop of Lincoln
(1419) and founder of Lincoln College, Oxford, in 1429.
(Century Ency. )
Margaret Fleming, immortalized by Sir Walter Scott as
"Pet Marjorie" and whose sweet life has become part of the
8 Family Genealogy.
classic literature of all time, was born June 15, 1803, and died
December 19, i860. She was a real person, with a charming
history. The daughter of James Fleming of Kirkaldy, Scot-
land, pet of Sir Walter Scott, often soothed his troubled
brow when writing himself into fame and out of debt. She
wrote a diary and several poems. Dr. John Brown, one of
that famous family of Brown, wrote her life in that poem
prose, "Pet Majorie a story of child life 50 years ago."
1858 (Century Cyclopedia).
Rev. John Fleming was a Scotch clergyman and naturalist,
born near Bothgate, Linlithgowshire, Scotland, preached in
Shetland and at Flisk in Fifeshire, was appointed to the chair
of natural Philosophy at Kings College, Aberdeen in 1832
and resigned in 1843 having identified with the Free Church,
and became Professor of Natura. Science in Free Church,
College of Edinburgh in 1845. He was the author of several
important books and died November 18, 1857. (Johnson's
Cyclopedia).
The noblest edifice in America is St. Johns Cathedral,
founded and erected under Bishop Michael Fleming in 1841.
He was a Roman Catholic Canadian, born in Ireland in 1785,
died in St. Johns, New Foundland, 1850. He built schools
and churches. In 1849 he became first Bishop of St. Johns.
(See Appleton Am. Biog.)
Sir Sanford Fleming, was born at Kirkcaldy, Scotland,
January 7, 1827, and educated there, removed to Canada in
1845. In x^52 ne was appointed President of the Northern
Pacific Railway. He has written several books. In 1894 he
resided at Ottawa, the Capital of Canada, was President of
the Royal Society of Canada, and regarded as one of the
most eminent scientists of British America. He held honors,
degrees and titles of C. M. G., L. L. D., C. E. (See App.
Am. Eng. Biog. ) His residence is Ottawa, Canada.
Paul Fleming, who was a Saxon, made his name an ever
living light in literature. He was born in Hartenstein, Saxony,
October 5, 1609 and died in Hamburg, April 2, 1640; studied
medicine at Leipsic, but preferred to write the songs of the
human heart, and this one has now been sung for two
centuries:
Let nothing make thee sad or fretful,
Or too regretful,
Be still;
What God hath ordered must be right,
The Fleming Family.
Then find in it thine own delight,
My will.
Why should thou fill to-day with sorrow
About to-morrow
My heart?
One watches all with care most true,
Doubt not that he will give, thee too, thy part.
Only be steadfast, never waver,
Nor seek earth's favor,
But rest:
Thou knowest what God wills must be,
For all his creatures, so for thou the best.
< < .
John Fisk in Old Virginia and Her Neighbors" remarks
that after Pocahontas fell ill at Graversend and was buried in
the Parish Church, her son Thomas Rolfe remained with an
uncle in England where he grew to manhood. Then he
went to Virginia to become the ancestor of the families of
Murry Fleming, Gay, Whittle, Robetson, Boiling and
Eldredge, as well as of the branch of Randolphs to which the
famous John Randolph of Roanoke belonged." There has
been recently issued by two descendants of the Virginia
Flemings a genealogy of that family, which the Press says:
"May fitly be termed one of the first families of Virginia."
The Captain Fleming who was killed in front of the Quaker
Clarks house between Trenton and Princeton in that famous
midnight retreat of Washington from Trenton, January 2,
1777, was Captain of a "Detachment of Virginians". (3 Bry-
ants U. S. 534, Lossings First Century U. S. N. Y. )
Colonel Thomas Fleming was born in Botetourt County, Vir-
ginia, in 1727 and died there in August 1777, of exposure and
hardships in the Revolution, in which war he was Colonel in
the Ninth Virginia Regiment. (Appleton Cy. Am. Biogra-
phy.) He was a famous fighter and his history reads like a
romance.
William Fleming, was a statesman born in Virginia 1734,
graduate of William and Mary College in 1736; member
Virginia House Burgesses, judge delegate to Continental
Congress 1779-81. (do)
Jacob Cook Fleming of New Jersey (full history hereafter)
resided in Pultneyville, New York, for many years and is
buried there.
IO
Family Genealogy.
During his life time also resided there, one J. C. Fleming,
who obtained his mail at same office, but not known to be
related.
In 1894 there was held in Muncie, Indiana, a reunion of
Flemings, which was largely attended. At this meeting Mr.
A. G. Fleming, a publisher of Pittsburg, Pa., was appointed to
write the history of the family. Mr. E. P. Fleming of
Fairfield, 111., a young man who took great interest in the
family history, has obtained much information of the family.
Mr. Thomas W. Fleming had some interesting data relative
to the location of the family in Delaware in 1680. This
history was written and facts taken from the records of Mr.
Charles F. Fleming at the age of 8k.
The Southern Historical Magazine" for 1893 contains
an interesting paper on the family and gives names of those
in the Revolution. The Muncie Times article mentioned
names of Aretas Brooks Fleming, Governor of West Virginia,
Frank P. Fleming, Ex-Governor of Florida. Some genea-
logy of the last has been published.
At their reunion Mrs. T. W. Fleming of Fairmount, West
Virginia and Mrs. Cynthia Fleming of Muncie, Ind., had
prepared charts of parts of the Fleming family for sale. In
May 19, 1900, Ex-Governor A. B. Fleming of Fairmount,
West Virginia, a practicing attorney, wrote the author: "i
have very little doubt but that we both belong to the same
Fleming family and only have to trace back beyond the ocean
to find a common stock. My ancestors came from Delaware.
A committee was appointed to write a history of the Fleming
family but have never reported." At the reunion at Muncie
it was estimated that there were ten thousand Flemings in
America.
NEW JERSEY FLEMINGS.
It may not be just proper to say of this family that they
are all of that name in New Jersey as there are Flemings, not
of their descent, directly, in that state, but as a general name
it is proper. It would be more exact to call the family herein
traced, the "Bethlehem Flemings", because its first members
in America settled about, and near that historic old meeting
house in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. They were four
brothers, and their names were William, Thomas, Andrew
and Samuel. Several years ago, Elisha M. Fleming of Bel-
videre, New Jersey, found in an old box in the barn a pile
The Fleming Family.
ii
of old papers which had belonged to his father. They were
old deeds, wills, receipts and church letters, brown with age.
Examination revealed that they dated into the past and
referred to members of his family several generations back of
any recollection of those then living, and thus began the first
genealogy of the "Bethlehem Flemings."
Elder Abbott Fleming, for over forty years a Baptist elder
or Minister, near Lima, Indiana, often journeyed east to visit
his old relatives and friends in New Jersey and New York.
Upon examination of those old brown records, in possession
of his cousin, Elder Abbott Fleming became deeply interested
in tracing back the family tree. He sought out such infor-
mation as he could and made written memorandum of it and
handed copies of this to his relatives. His last correction
was made in 1888. It was this information which became
the frame work of the author's researches. Among those old
papers, there was a copy of an indenture, which gave the
names of three of the brothers, William, Thomas, Andrew.
It also gave the name of their father Malcolm Fleming. As
it is a very old document and an important item in the family
history we give it in full:
< <i
Know all men by these presents that I, James Bigger, of
Tillywigin, in the Parish of Derryloran and County of
Tyrone, Yeoman, for and in consideration of the sum of
twenty-three pounds, with the lawful accruing interest thereof
for several years past, the receipt whereof I do hereby acknow-
ledge, and myself therewith fully satisfied, have bargained,
sold, set over and delivered and by these presents do bargain,
sell, set over and deliver according to due form of law in
that case made and provided unto the Rev. John Strong,
Rector of the said Parish, seven (7) head of black cattle to
the value of seven pounds sterling.
Two horses and one mare to the value of four pounds
sterling. Twelve head of sheep, ewes and wethers to the value
of twenty-four shillings sterling, together with one weaver loom
and web, therein, to the value of twenty-five shillings sterling.
As also three oak chests with linen and wearing apparel
therein to the value of twenty-five shillings sterling. As like-
wise several wooden vessels for bleaching linen cloth to the
value of five shillings.
With one cloth beam, three oak tables, and a couple of oak
chairs, with several other pieces of household furniture to the
value of thirty shillings sterling.
12
Family Genealogy.
And also my full tenant right to my farm, in Tillywigen
aforesaid, to have and to hold the said bargained premises
unto the said John Strong, his executors, administrators or
assigns, but in trust nevertheless and for the only use and
benefit and behoof of Thomas Fleming, Andrew Fleming
and William Fleming, the children and orphans of Malcolm
Fleming deceased, which sum of twenty-three pounds above
mentioned together with the lawful accruing interest thereof,
was and is the proper patrimony of the said children and to
which they are entitled as their portion of the goods and
effects, whereof their said father died possessed and became
liable to the trust and management of the said John Strong
under his indulgent care of the said children, and I the
said James Bigger, for myself my heirs, executors and admin-
istrators, the said bargained premises unto the said John
Strong, for the uses, intents and purposes aforesaid, shall
and will warrant and forever defend by these presents against
all manner of persons absolutely forever.
In witness whereof, together with the delivery of the said
bargained premises, I have hereunto set my hand and seal
this seventh day of August, 1736. JAMES BIGGER.
Names of witnesses to original not legible.
MALCOLM FLEMING, THE WEAVER.
Of the story of Malcolm Fleming, the father of the Beth-
lehem Flemings we know very little. About all the infor-
mation we have comes from the trust deed of James Bigger.
From this it seems he was holden of farm lands as a tenant
of some landlord, which we suppose is the title of most
husbandmen in that country, by which he would be legally
and historically known as a 'Yeoman" or man of small
estate in lands. He was also a weaver by trade which is
shown by "the weaver loom and web therein," worth twenty
five shillings ($6.2<0 and several wooden vessels for bleach-
ing linen cloth" worth $1.25, also one cloth beam," all of
which were the "portion" of the three "orphans." It would
seem from the implements of his trade that he made linen
cloth. On his farm he raised stock as there appears in the
deed the mention of "seven head of cattle," "two horses and
one mare," 'twelve head of sheep, ewes and weathers." He
seems to have been a thrifty industrious man. And as his
sons brought with them letters from the Presbyterian Church
we must conclude he was also a member and a godly man.
The Fleming Family. 13
He was entirely surrounded by Protestant influence and
church going people. His village for trading was Cooks-
town, which was in the center of Ulster province. It was in
the Parish of Derryloran and the old church whose ruins may
now be seen, in the part of the town lands, known as Gar-
talowry, was doubtless the church wherein he worshipped of
a Sunday, and its old church yard of Derryloran holds his
mortal remains. As the good pastor remarks, it is where, "the
dust of ages lies unknown to fame."
That he died before 1736, is certain from the date of the
trust deed; but how many years before is not certain. The
deed recites that it is given, In consideration of
the sum of 23 pounds with lawful accruing interest thereof
for several years past." As this interest "For several years
past" had accrued since James Bigger's trust was begun,
Malcolm Fleming had then been dead, "several years."
Although the terms are indefinite we can safely place his
demise at about 1730.
His good wife had preceded him to the grave, as is also
explained in the trust deed, in naming the beneficiaries of the
trust as "the children and orphans of Malcolm Fleming,
deceased," which they could not be if their good mother was
then alive, and if then alive she would have been their proper
guardian or else named as a beneficiary in the trust. He
used good judgment in willing his property to James Bigger
as trustee, as he was doubtless a good deacon, and as he
himself says he was a "yeoman," by which we suppose a
neighboring farmer. The transfer of the trust to Rev. John
Strong was doubtless to permit Bigger to come to America.
He settled near Bethlehem church, where by the evidence
of his receipts given thirty years after, he was a deacon under
Rev. Hanna the pastor in charge.
That Malcolm Fleming had other children than the three
named in the trust deed, is evident from the language used
as to the property, of which it is said to be; 'the proper
patrimony of the said children and to which they are entitled
as their portion of the goods and effects, whereof their
father died possessed." Their mother not being alive the
children would be entitled to all of the property and the use
of the word "portion" indicates an equal partition of
property by which these three orphans, received that named
and listed as their "portion" of the whole. There is some
confusion in the latter part of the deed, perhaps in the copy-
ing, yet that much is plainly stated. This word "portion"
I4 Family Genealogy.
in reference to the property also would go to show that Mal-
colm Fleming had other property than that therein listed, as
it only purports to convey such as was the portion," set off,
for these three children. From the history of the condition
of Ireland two centuries ago, which was at a very low state
and its people very poor, we should suppose that Malcolm
Fleming was an exception to the rule and quite well to do; in
fact by comparison with his neighbors historically he was
rich. He not only had his farm well stocked, but he could
make a good living with his weaving.
In the Bigger trust deed the property held in trust for the
orphans is made over in trust to "Rev. John Strong, Rector
of said Parish." The designation of Rector" is commonly
used to designate an Episcopal divine, while the pastor of a
Presbyterian congregation is known as minister" or 'pastor. "
He is also designated as ' 'Rector of said Parish. " Only Epis-
copal churches had Parishes recognized by the civic law, while
Presbyterian Ministers had "congregations." This reference
made to designate the office held by John Strong cannot be
accidental, and if our explanation of the terms can be found
to apply to that period in Ulster, then the Rev. John Strong
was an Episcopal Clergyman. That he should be given in
charge of these orphan boys by Bigger who was a Presby-
terian (at least in America) is quite unaccountable, especially
as the church letter brought to America by Thomas Fleming
one of the orphans recites that both he and wife, had been
"always regular members of the Presbyterian church in Con-
gregation of Cookstown. "
From these same church letters which are quoted in full in
another place, it is stated of Thomas Fleming one of the
minors, that he "hath lived from his infancy in the Parish
of Derryloran" in County Tyrone. Cookstown was in this
parish. As Thomas had resided in this parish from infancy,
it was then the home of his father Malcolm, and the place of
his fathers death. It is but just also to assume that as the
son was ' always a regular member of the Presbyterian church
in the congregation of Cookstown" so was the father, for in
those days there was a family tie, which took all to one place.
The parish of Derryloran is now included in the Diocese
Armagh. This is the Episcopal or state church government
and does not concern the Presbyterian churches. This
beautiful parish in the most picturesque part of Ireland, is
hilly, has rich tillable and pasture lands well watered. The
mean temperature is 48 degrees, warm in winter, and in
The Fleming Family. 15
summer cooled by the breezes of Lough Neagh, the largest
lake in Ireland. From the following eloquent and highly in-
telligent letter of Rev. Wilson, it will be seen that no further
history of Malcolm Fleming can be had from the church
records, but that search must be made among the old family
records, town, parish and county public records by those
who would seek to search the mysterious past, for earlier an-
cestry of their family. This correspondence is with Elisha
M. Fleming of Belvidere, N. J.
Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland,
_ ~. 17 March, 1882.
Dear Sir:
I have had your letter making inquiry regarding your
ancestors in this place. I am the lineal successor of the min-
isters of Cookstown Presbyterian church, and have never seen
even the handwriting of any of my predecessors except that
of Mr. Alexander Fleming who immediately preceded me.
They kept no congregational records prior to 1830. There
is no baptismal registry, no marriage registry, and not even
a list of seat holders. As to baptisms and marriages, these
were as a rule celebrated by the minister in the private houses
of the people, or in their own house, and no record of the
transaction was deemed necessary. I am thus unable to
trace your descent and have been unable to obtain local
information.
There is one family here by the name of Fleming, they
were always connected with this congregation and the head
of the family was always an Elder in it. I made all the
inquiry in my power from the leading man of the family,
Thomas Fleming. The family residence is Knockacononey,
his father's name was Josias. And the family names generally
have been William, George, Josias, Thomas, David and
James. He has no remembrance of any of your family. But he
remembers a Robert Fleming who had a fine property on
the hill on which I reside, Loy Hill. He had seven sons,
and there were none superior to them in physical develop-
ment and courage. He believes that family and his were
orginally one, and he is quite confident that the Malcolm
Fleming, of whom you speak was a relation of theirs. He
says they all came from Scotland, from Largs, and purchased
a large property in County Derry about 5 miles from this,
and near the town of Moneymore. They came about 1643
and did so in troublous times. You may feel interested to
1 6 Family Genealogy.
know something of this district. Cookstown is regarded as
the centre of Ulster. It is equally distant from the coast
towns of Derry, Coleaine, Belfast and Newry. It contains
about 4000 inhabitants. It is dependent on the district for
its trade being 40 miles from the sea.
It has now two railways from Belfast, one coming around
by Toone Bridge the northern boundary of Lough Neagh,
and the other by Vernes Bridge the southern boundary, as
the Lough (Lake) from which we are distant 8 miles lies
right between Belfast and us.
Cookstown consists of one long broad street, 100 feet wide
and one-half mile long, with two cross streets. The
only manufacturing we have is a flax spinning mill and two
weaving factories, all of linen.
The town is built on three townlands. The old part is in
the townland of Cookstown. In the center is the townland
of Loy and on the south the townlands of Gurtalowry. The
whole is in the Parish of Derryloran. It was at one time
almost entirely a Preybyterian population, and being central
was the common place of meeting of the synod of the church.
For example for 13 years in succession without a break the
synod of Ulster met in my church. At that time every man
came on horseback. But in the modern life the synod or
assembly must be held in a large place to which all railway
carriages go. Latterly the Roman Catholic population has
greatly increased.
The one Presbyterian congregation has become three. One
of them called a Secession church, and the third one resulted
from a quarel as to the choice of minister, when the defeated
party withdrew and built a new church for the man they
sought to detain.
I am the minister of the old congregation. The church,
manse, and schools are enclosed in a large paling. The
whole block being in the center of the town.
The burying ground is at the Gartalowry end of the town
where the ruins of a church stand, called Derryloran
burying ground. The dust of ages lies there unknown to
fame. Tombstones were erected, but in time they are broken
and others take their place. The whole has been so crowded
that we have applied for a regular cemetery and at present
a contract has been declared for building walls around a
large plat of ground which has been purchased.
Very probably your ancestors were in Derryloran. From time
immemorial, it has been used and just for that reason, people
The Fleming Family. .17
refused to leave it and preferred to pile their dead heap upon
heap, till public decency and sanitary laws could stand the
strain no longer. Amid all the turmoil' of Ireland its riots,
disloyalty and anarchy, Cookstown district has remained
loyal and obedient to law. Life is as safe as in any part
of the world, and there are many earnest and devout children
of God. Our rural population is thinning, farms are enlarging
and emigration to America and elsewhere flows in steady
current. Yours truly,
H. B. WILSON,
Minister of First Presbyterian Church,
To E. M. Fleming, Cookstown, Tyrone County.
Belvidere, New Jersey.
From the information so beautifully expressed and so
kindly furnished by the good minister in this letter, there is
still a strong family of Flemings residing in the old parish
town. By the characteristics of superior physical develop-
ment, courage, church membership and family names, I have
no doubt they are descendants of the same family of Flemings.
Malcolm had a brother David still living in 1758, as the fol-
lowing letter from David Lindsey proves. So that the names of
Thomas, William, James and David are all quite familiar.
It is interesting to note that the family was blessed in the old
church with a minister Alexander Fleming from its own
ranks.
Largs, the town in Scotland from which this Fleming family
are therein said to have moved to Moneymore, five miles from
Cookstown in County Derry, is a seaport town in Scotland,
in the county of Ayr, beautifully situated on the Bay of Ayr,
20 miles southwest of Glasgow. It has a population now of
4,000. It is very close to the County of Wigton the ancient
possessions of the Malcolm Fleming, Earl of Wigton. In
the neglected pile of musty records recovered by Elisha M.
Fleming, was an ancient letter, brown with age, which in some
mysterious manner crossed the ocean and reached its proper
destination under the address of "Mr. Thomas Fleming or
Andrew Fleming, Pennsillvena", neither of whom were
in the wide wilderness of that mountain girt domain. We
copy it here as an important document in the family story:
Dr. Cusen; MarCh ye I9th' I758'
I had upertunity of reding your letter that was sent to
your father in laws, which gave me great satisfaction to here
x8 Family Genealogy.
you were all in good helth and fortuned so will as to be
possessed in so good a bargain of lands. We are all in
good helth at present/ I bless God for all his mercies and
yr uncle David is helthy and harty and do all join in our love
and complements to you and all your families and Enquiring
friends. I expected acount oftener from you, only times
Being trublesome in that country with wars that we were
assured that you were all ded or killed. The good
Bargains of your lands in that country Doe greatly encorage
me to pluck up my spirits and make Redie for the Jarney,
for we are now oppresed with our lands set at 8 s. per acer
and other emprovements, cutting our lands into two acre parts
and Quicking and only two year time for doing all this, ye
we cannot stand any more. I expected a letter from you
much oftener or that Cusen Wm. Fleming would come over
before this time, but these things dos not Discurage me to goe
only we Depend on ye Derections in the goods fiting to take
to that place. I had disapointment of 20c S. worth of Lining
Cloth ye I sold and had James Hoskin9 bond for the money.
The merchant ran away and I had great truble in getting my
money so that was delivered. Brother John Fleming is dead,
and Bro. James Lindsey is married again to one Hoskin, and
his son Robert has service to his Uncle James Martin, and
desires to know if he will redeem him if he goes over there.
He is a good wavour [weaver] and is willing to work for his
passage till its paid.
Your Cusen in Desert master is all in health. Cusen Mary
to let ye know that all my fathers family is in helth and joins
in ye love to ye. My father is ver far spent and I expect to
see him buried before I leave the place. Your father and my
uncle Andrew is but tender in helth. Sarah Rickets desires
to be remembered in her love to her sister Nelly and other
friends. Our living is dear in this place.
I conclude with my love to you and all friends there. I
am your till death. DAVID LINDSEY.
I have preserved the quaint old spelling of this letter. It
was written on legal paper, and folded and sealed with red
sealing wax, and had no envelope or stamp. The town from
which it is posted is not given. It seems that rumors of the
French and Indian war which lasted from 1754 to 1769 and
ended by the English conquering New France, now Canada,
had reached Ulster Province for he says in the letter he sup-
posed his American friends were all 'ded and killed."
The Fleming Family. Tg
The letter was addressed to Thomas "or" Andrew and re-
fers in the text to William Fleming, and from statements
made in the letter we know it came from the neighborhood
of their old home in Tyrone County Ireland. It was a
family letter sent by the husband of a cousin to her cousins,
and I interpret it in reference to the new names of the family
it discloses as follows;
'Your uncle David is helthy and harty," refers to an
old man, the brother df Malcom Fleming. "Brother John
Fleming is dead" refers to a cousin of the brothers, William,
Andrew and Thomas, and called by David Lindsey, brother,
because he was brother to wife of David Lindsey.
'Your cousin in Desert master (or Desertmartin in Derry
County) is all in health" refers to another line of cousins than
the one Lindsey married into. 'Your Father" is but tender
in health, refers to the father of Mary, wife of Thomas, who
was married before coming to America.
From all the records so far discovered I have made up the
genealogical tree across the ocean as follows:
? Fleming
I I 'I
Malcolm David (Cason) ?
I 2 I
i William i John Fleming
2 Andrew 2 (daughter) Lindsey 3 Cousins in Desert master
3 Thomas No. 2 married David Lindsey
4 Samuel
ANCIENT BETHLEHEM CHURCH.
Before beginning the story of the Bethlehem Flemings some
account of the place and its ancient meeting house and
churchyard will be of interest.
Bethlehem township was a very large town in northern part
of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The country is hilly,
well watered and rich tillable lands. The warm hillsides
grow abundant fruit. It is a beautiful picturesque country.
The Bethlehem Presbyterian Church was organized in 1730.
The few settlers in the West Jersey, who were located in the
vicinity erected a log meeting house in which to worship.
There never was a village about the church and even now
there is not a house within half a mile. It was then and
always has been the place of worship of the country people.
In many respects it is one of the most interesting churches in
America. Though it has been organized for 172 years it has
20
Family Genealogy.
had but six pastors, most of them having given their entire
life to the little church in the hills. Its first called pastor
was Rev. James McCrea, the father of Jane McCrea, who
was murdered by the English Indians near Lake Champlain
in Burgoyne's Invasion during the Revolution. Then came
Rev. Thomas Lewis in October 1747, who remained 14 years.
Rev. John Hanna began his long term of forty years in 1731.
His wife was a daughter of Rev. James McCrea. Rev. Hanna
died in charge and was buried in its churchyard and was suc-
ceeded by Rev. Halloway Whitefield Hunt who preached the
gospel there for forty-one years, until 1842. Rev. Robert
Landis his successor remained only seven years. Not hav-
ing any bell he called the congregation in by beginning a
hymn. Then in 1849 tney called the Rev. James C. William-
son who after fifty-one years service preached his last sermon
in May 1900, and now old and infirm is resting at Sidney a
few miles away.
For 133 years of its existence but three ministers held
weekly services. They were a happy contented people, by
the country side of beautiful old Bethlehem. During these
years the primitive log cabin gave place to a frame church
(1760), still in the old church yard, which was still sur-
rounded by post and rail fence. After Alexandria township
was set off from Bethlehem in 1765, and a church building
erected there, this church at Bethlehem was known as the "Old
Frame church." It stood until 1830 when a stone church
was erected in the maple grove across the highway, being
crowded out of the cemetery. This stone meeting house was
removed in 1870 and replaced by a large handsome frame
church edifice, with a steeple, on the site of the stone
chuich. It is painted white and tastily furnished. By a sin-
gular love of clinging to old names, this church is still every
where in the vicinity called the "new stone" church, and
though the territory was set off into the town of Union in
1852, it is and always will be the "old Bethlehem church."
It is surrounded with a white painted board fence, and has a
large new cemetery, well filled, on its east side, while the
large old cemetery across the highway on the opposite side,
though not often used, is also kept in neat repair. Its great
stone wall which replaced the rails in 1793 surrounds it like a
fort, now dark with age and overgrown with moss and vines.
Thus the good dominies preached and prayed, until the
churches rotted away and their congregations were buried
and then themselves lay down for their long rest. It was
The Fleming Family.
21
within the circle of this sacred place and among these happy
people that the Flemings with the ever increasing population
came and made their home 152 years ago. Ever since it has
been to them and their descendants a place of respect and
reverence. Four generations lie in the old churchyard, some
in marked and some in unmarked graves.
The first school house at Bethlehem Presbyterian church
was made of logs, and stood in the southwest corner of the
grave yard. It was replaced in 18 13 by a frame building
erected in the northeast side. In 1838 they built the famous
octagonal stone building outside the cemetery across the road
east and in the rear of the present church and that is now
replaced by the present yellow painted frame building.
It was in the log cabin school that the earliest little Flem-
ings sat on benches arranged about the room and learned
"readin and ritin."
* There is a railroad (Lehigh Valley Ry.) now running close
to the Bethlehem church, which has a flag station called
Grandin. It may also be reached by rail to Clinton, which
is two miles distant.
BETHLEHEM FLEMINGS, NEW JERSEY.
I think now there is no doubt that four brothers came to
America from Cookstown, sons of Malcolm Fleming. They
were William, Thomas, Andrew and Samuel. The date of
their coming is not known. It is supposed they came to bet-
ter their condition because of the extraordinary position
which England then as ever has assumed toward Ireland. The
embargo on export of linen and woolen fabrics applied as well
to Ulster, her own colonists, as to the native Irish people.
There was in the middle of the eighteenth century a great
depression in trade and wide spread poverty in all of Ireland.
As one historian describes it: "'The tyranny and political
dishonesty which stalked in high place, the degradation and
steadily increasing misery in which the mass of the people
sunk." George Second was King of England and Walpole
had been minister. The church letters of Thomas show that
both William and Thomas were at Cookstown still in May
1 75 1. It is natural to conclude that the letters were asked
for, because Thomas was about to go away to America.
From receipts and documents found with the effects of his
father and still in possession of Elisha M. Fleming, Belvi-
dere, it seems that Thomas of the three brothers of Cooks-
22 Family Genealogy.
town was a resident near the Bethlehem church, in township
of that name in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, from 1755 to
1783, when he removed to Vienna, in Town Independence in
Sussex County, (now in Warren County), New Jersey.
In 1767 there is a receipt among the same papers signed by
William Fleming given to Thomas for money paid for the salary
of Rev. John Hanna, Pastor of the Bethlehem Presbyterian
Church, and it is endorsed, "with a present from Andrew
Fleming." On this receipt appear the names of all three
brothers who came from Cookstown to the town of Bethlehem.
This is the first date I find for Andrew of the three brothers;
and he bought 223 acres in township Independence, County
Sussex, since set off and now in Warren County, on Nov. 8th
17681 when it is presumed he moved on to his new purchase,
perhaps the next spring. The first item we have of William
Fleming of Cookstown is the receipt mentioned above as given
to Thomas Fleming in 1767, April 17th, and he paid pew
rent in the same Bethlehem Church, March 29th, 1791. This
William Fleming's will was dated at Bethlehem township, June
1 6th, 1792, probated Feb. 4, 1795. All this evidence goes to
show that William Fleming of Cookstown, son of Malcolm
resided at Bethlehem from 1767 to the time of his death be-
tween 1792 and 1795. It is fair to presume that all three bro-
thers came at one time in the summer of 1751, and with their
party were a number of relatives and friends as mentioned in
the letter above given from Lindsey.
Thomas Fleming of Cookstown was in Bethlehem township
as early as 1755, anc^ we suppose they all lived there tegcther,
until Andrew moved away to Independence in 1768 or 1769
and Thomas moved to Vienna in 1783. A careful examina-
tion of the records of Hunterdon and of the township of
Bethlehem, Union, Alexandria and Independence would per-
haps discover the complete story. This has not been done
by anyone as yet. We wonder if any of the three brothers
wrote home from Pensillvena" as would seem probable from
the letter of David Lindsey (1758) given above, being ad-
dressed simply, "Mr. Thomas Fleming or Andrew Fleming,
Pensillvenia."
Eighty years before this, Penn did own the West Jersey.
But at this time Jersey was under its own Crown Governor,
Lewis Morris. It had been known as New Jersey for almost
a century from 1665. From the address of this letter made
in 1758 we would suppose these three brothers first went into
Pennsylvania. If so they purchased lands there as he has
The Fleming Family. 23
great satisfaction" to hear they were "fortuned so well as to
be possessed in so good a bargain of lands." And again he
says: 'The good bargains of your lands in that country doe
greatly encourage me to pluck up my spirits and make Redie
for the Jarney. " He had this information as he says "he had
the upertunity of reding your (their) letters that was sent to
your (their) father in laws." According to this letter the
three brothers had by this time "good bargains" in lands.
The question is raised by the address of this letter, were these
lands in Pennsylvania or New Jersey? The first authentic
date we have for their Bethlehem home is 1761, when Thomas
had receipts as collectors of the salary of Rev. John Hanna
of that church.
Samuel Fleming, founder of Flemington, the county seat of
Hunterdon County, New Jersey, came from Ireland, but at
what time is not known. The records show that Samuel
Fleming was licensed to keep a hotel or public inn in town-
ship of Amwell in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, in 1746.
It is supposed he came prior to that date. In 1756 he built
the old inn, which still stands, on 105 acres he bought in
Raritan township and which was the beginning of Flemington.
He was born April 2, 1707, and died at Flemington February
10, 1790. Esther Mounier, his wife, was born January 6,
1 7 14. Their first child was born April 10, 1737. Esther
Mounier belonged to a French Huguenot family, who left
their native land to escape persecution. But whether they
went to Scotland, or Ulster Province or America as many of
them did, is not known nor is it known whether Samuel
Fleming was married in Ireland or America. We have
given complete history of the family in its proper place.
For connecting them with the Bethlehem Flemings we
have (1) Family tradition; (2) Samuel came from Ireland;
(3) His business methods; (4) His patriotism; (5) His chil-
dren's family names of "William" and "John" and "Mary;"
(6) The fact that James Bigger settled near him; (7) The
three brothers William Fleming, Andrew Fleming, and Thomas
Fleming, who were sure sons of Malcolm Fleming settled
near him. (8) But we have still stronger evidence of "Aunt"
Nancy Fleming who was Aunt to Elisha M. Fleming and
sister to his father John Fleming, and whose father was James
Fleming, son of Thomas Fleming, one of the original brothers
who came to America from Cookstown. Hence Thomas of
Cookstown was her grandfather. She was thus a link be-
tween the old and the new. As a young girl she was old
24 Family Genealogy.
enough in 1790 to have known Samuel Fleming. She told
Elisha M. Fleming her nephew and son of her brother, that
Samuel Fleming of Flemington was a brother of her grand-
father Thomas Fleming (of Cookstown) ; and Elisha M.
Fleming repeated it to the author at his home in Belvidere,
N. J., June 20, 1900. (9) As heretofore explained we know
that Malcolm Fleming, the weaver, had adult children when
he died, but we do not know the sex. As Samuel was born
in 1707 he could have been a son of Malcolm. Samuel
Fleming's wife was a Protestant, so were all the other
Flemings.
WILLIAM FLEMING OF BETHLEHEM.
William Fleming, son of Malcolm Fleming, the weaver,
was born near Cookstown, and Parish of Derryloran, County
Tyrone, Ireland, between 1730 and i7}5- He was surely a
minor and orphan in 1736, and hence could not have been
born prior to 17 15 or more than 21 years prior to that date
(1736). But as his father Malcolm Fleming as explained
above, probably died above 1730, and William was then an
orphan, his mother being not then alive, he was an infant in
1736, but was probably more than six years of age, in which
case he was born after 1721. This agrees with our subse-
uent knowledge of him; as for instance in 175 1, at 30 years
of age he was a church waines" or Deacon; and died in 1794?
which would be at about 73 years of age. Of his boyhood
life we know nothing, but we suppose from his father being a
farmer and weaver, that he worked on the farm, plowed the
fields, sowed and harvested flax, drove up the cows from the
pasture lands, which all the people had in common those
days, called in the common law, "Common sockage. " He
also gathered fagots (fallen twigs and limbs of the wood lots)
for such fires as were required in the big stone fire place in
the side of the kitchen, for cooking, as fires were seldom
needed to keep warm in that climate. The cooking was done
by holding meats and potatoes, on forked sticks, and the kettles
warmed while hanging on hooks swung over the fire. He
attended school such as it was, kept by the Presbyterian
Congregation, near the church or possibly in the church
manse (pastors home.) Like other boys of the period he
attended to, "grub and grammer." We suppose he fished
and hunted with traps. As their flock of sheep was a part of
their farm stock, from which they had mutton to eat, and
The Fleming Family. 25
wool to spin, we suppose he watched the flocks on the hill-
side. For clothing he wore homespun. His breeches came
to the knees, his strong lower limbs were encased in coarse
red woolen socks, and he wore clop-s. His coat was a home-
spun blouse; but when he wore a coat on Sunday it was the
long tail kind cut away in front. His hat was a high one on
Sunday and gala days, but other times, when he wore any, it
was a homemade knit blue cap. His sports were running,
jumping, horse racing and the May Pole. On fair days at
Dungannon his heart was filled with delight at the lively
scenes about him.
Their home was in the Country of the O'Neills, the titular
kings of Ireland for many centuries and the Earls of Tyrone.
Their castle and ancient town of Dungannon was then the
Capital of Tyrone County. Armagh, in the same county, was
but a few miles away. It was here that St. Patrick founded
the Archiepiscopal Seat of the "Primate of Ireland. It was
in this ancient pile that was discovered the ' Book of Armagh"
in which were recorded the life and doings of St. Patrick.
Every creek and river, every "derry" or oak woods, fell,
bog, rock and glen in the place where the Flemings had their
home was the scene of some thrilling story of battle, tale of
love, or brave defence. Inspired by the brave deeds told by
the evening blaze of logs in the ancient fire place, he doubt-
less too was imbued with a spirit of liberty and a desire to
better his hopeless condition in landlord ridden Ireland.
By 1 75 1 he was a deacon in the old Presbyterian church
in Cookstown. He then could read and write and was a
good penman. We suppose the pen used on the following
church letter was made of a goose quill. His signature was
bold and legible. These church letters are in possession of
Elisha M. Fleming, Belvidere, and read as follows:
"That the bearer, Thomas Fleming, and Mary his wife, both
born in'the Kingdom of Ireland, County Tyrone, being always
regular members of the Presbyterian Church in the Congrega-
tion of Cookstown is certified this 15th day of May, 1 751, by
order of the session, Loy. A. LINN, S. Ck.
I have no doubt of the truth of the above certificate.
JOHN WHITE, V. D. M.
Ballyclogg, 15th May, 1751."
26 Family Genealogy.
1 1
County Tyrone.
We, the undernamed persons, do certify that the bearer here-
of, Thomas Fleming, hath lived from his infancy in the Parish
of Derryloran and County above said, during which time he
has behaved himself soberly and honestly and has kept him-
self free from any manner of public scandal known to us.
Given under our hands this 19th day of May 1751.
WM. GONSLEY.
WILLIAM FLEMING, Church Waines
t)
The first of these letters was issued by order of the session.
In the Presbyterian church the session is composed of «the
Pastor and the elders" (Eel. Ency. ) It was given at Loy on
the 15th of May 1751 and signed by the session clerk, "A
Linn S. Ck. " By reference to the letter of Rev. H. B.
Wilson given above, it will be remembered, he says that he
resides on 'Loy Hill" and that the town is built on three
townlands; the old part is in townland of Cookstown. In the
center is the townland of Loy and on the south the townlands
of Gurtalowry. In another place he says the church, manse
(Pastors home) and the schools are, enclosed in a large pal-
ing (picket fence), the whole block being in the center of the
town." This would be on townlands of Loy, which then was
where the session was held. The church is still located
where it was in 175 1, upon the heights of Loy. The en-
dorsement made on this letter by "John White, V. D. M." of
''Ballyclogg" on the same day, is explained, as that John
White, the minister of the church, was present at the session
and possibly being a new man gave the best adherence to the
statements he could. WTe suppose Bally Clogg" was some
neighboring place at which he had his home. I cannot find
any such. town now existing. The abbreviations given after
his name, V. D. M. indicate him to be a classical scholar.
These mystic letters mean "Verbi Dei Minister" in Latin,
and in English, "Minister of the word of God," or in short
Minister" or "Pastor" the usual title of a Protestant divine.
The second letter given above is signed by the two deacons
or church waines" which is propably a colloquial spelling of
waise" or weise" by the Scotch pronounced wyse" or
waize" which might easily become corrupted into the spell-
ing there given in the plural. The word means to guide, to
turn by policy, to lead" and was used in old times for
Deacons. The spelling might have been proper at that date.
TJie Fleming Family} 27
Doubtless all the brothers took their church letters before
leaving their native land. Elder Abbott Fleming, who was
decended from William says in the genealogical sketch which
he made in 1888:
< <r
Thomas Fleming and his wife Mary brought a church
letter from Ireland dated at Cookstown May 15, 1751. I
recollect seeing among my fathers (William 2d) papers he
had in settling his grandfather's (William 1st) estate, a letter
of recommendation which his grandfather, William Fleming,
brought stating he and his wife were not leaving that country
for any crime committed, but to better their circumstances.
I was but a lad at that time and did not understand it was a
church letter, although it might have been one."
For reasons given above I am inclined to believe that all
three brothers, with their relatives and friends as also the
Nellie Rickets, mentioned in Lindsey's letter, came across
the ocean at the same time in the summer of 1751. The
only means of ocean travel at that period was by sailing
vessels, which were also merchant vessels. The voyage we
may be assured was likely to be very disagreeable. After
landing at probably New York, they would look about for
lands, unless this had been previously arranged by James
Bigger or their brother Samuel in Hunterdon County, New
Jersey, where they both lived. This seems quite probable, as
very soon after we find them located on their own lands in
Hunterdon County, where William remained his whole life
and died and lies buried in the old churchyard at Bethlehem
Presb}rterian Church. The first authentic record I have of
the residence of William at Bethlehem is the receipt which he
gave to Thomas Fleming April 17, 1769, payment on "Mr.
Haner sallery."
< .
April ye 17th 1767.
'Received of Thomas Fleming the sum of one pound five
shillings and four pence, I say for Mr. Haner sallery being
in full I say vullued by me. William Fleming."
With a present from Andrew Fleming."
This receipt, it will be noticed, is properly signed by him
with his full name. The "sallery" referred to was for the
Rev. John Hanna, who began his pastorate in the Bethlehem
Presbyterian church in 1761, and remained there for forty
28 Family Genealogy.
years, until death ended the labors of the good old man; and
he lies buried in the old churchyard there.
When William first went to live in Bethlehem township the
meeting house was a log cabin in the southwest corner of the
old churchyard, about which was the old cemetery enclosed
with rail fences. It stood on a low hill at a crossroad. A
few years after in 1760 the log cabin was abandoned for a
new frame church built on the west, northerly side of and on
the old church lands and cemetery. This was the place in
which Rev. Hanna preached. It afterward became known
as the "old frame" as a new church had been constructed in
Alexandria township cut out of Bethlehem township (1765).
I suppose the "new frame" to have been at Mount Pleasants
about ten miles west. They had the same pastor up to about
50 years ago and Mount Pleasants was the local church of
the later generation of Flemings, as William of Oxford Fur-
ance, grandson of William of Cookstown or Bethlehem,
united with it in 1824.
, William Fleming of Bethlehem, was married. The only
record I know, of his wife's name, is found in his will which
was probated in Hunterdon County, wherein her given name
is stated to be Eleanor. I have not seen the record. In
187 1, Robins Fleming, son of Andrew Fleming of Readington,
who is great grandson of William Fleming of Bethlehem,
obtained from his Aunt Eleanor, sister of Andrew, hisjather,
the name of her great grandmother, and Robins wrote this
with other genealogical memoranda in his diary of that year,
and now has the same in his possession. This was a most
fortunate forethought on his part, as it is perhaps the only
record of that one name now existing and possibly of another
equally interesting name which was that of Rebecca Pater-
son, sister to the once Governor of New Jersey, and wife of
his great grandfather, Andrew Fleming.
The name of William Fleming's wife as obtained from Aunt
Eleanor, was Eleanor Rutledge. We may all be grateful
to our cousin Robins for saving to us this beautiful name; as
the church records have been destroyed or were never made and
old family letters and bibles lost or neglected, it is quite possi-
ble that the name of Eleanor Rutledge might have been lost
to us forever. The family does not seem to be mentioned in
any of the histories of Hunterdon, Burlington, Mercer, Mon-
mouth or Ocean Counties in New Jersey, and from other
explanations made hereafter, I believe that William < Flem-
ing and Eleanor Rutledge were married in Ulster Province,
. — , —
The Fleming Family. fl&c^&i^^L^, 29
Ireland. She came of a rugged intelligent, patriotic, Protest-
ant family in North Ireland and was probably aunt to the
American statesmen and patriots/ John and Edward Rutledge,
famed in the history of the American Revolution". Fotn
were Governors of SouthjCaxQliiia__and jurists. Both tore
arms ^n the Revolution. Both were members of the Con-
tinental Congress and Conventions. Edward was a signer of
the Declaration of Independence and John was a maker of our
Constitution^ It was of John VRutledge* that Patrick Henry
said he was, by far the greatest orator in the first Continental
Congress," at Philadelphia. Their father was Dn/JoJmJ^ui- x.
ledge^who went to Charleston. South Carolina, from north of
"Irelandabout i7?5. practiced medicine in Charleston, and
married a lady of fortune, leaving her a widow with seven
children at the age of seventy" (Appleton's Cyclopedia of
American Biograpjiy^J.
The fact that the Rutledges of Charleston came from the north—
of Ireland which was the home of the Bethlehem Flemings, is
very clear evidence that Eleanor Rutledge was a member of that
family and probably a sister of Dr. John Rutledge who landed
at Charleston in 17^. It is quite clear that William and
Eleanor were married before coming to America. They had
a sbnjAndrew, whose youngest child, Williajm (of Oxford Fur-
nace) was born May 31st, 176Q. We "do n^loi5wt:lie"ctateor"
fhe birtn of Andrew. But as William of Bethlehem came to
America in 1751, unless he married before he came to Amer-
ica and Andrew was born before that date, Andrew would
have been only about 14 years of age when he married, which
we do not think was probable. From this, and also the fact
of the absence of any account of the s Rutledge family in
Hunterdon County, we conclude that William Fleming and
Eleanor Rutledge were married and also their son Andrew
was born in North Ireland and all came to America together.
It is possible also that other children were born to them before
sailing for their new home. Uncle Elder Abbott Fleming has
said, ^-Andrew, my grandfather, died young, probably not forty
years old" which may be true and he born in Ireland before
1 75 1. He died 1785 from blood poisoning, and he might
have been born in 1740 and yet have been but 45 years of
age.
In the papers of Elisha M. Fleming, there is an order for
collection of the seat rent which applied to payment of salary
of Rev. John Hanna in which William Fleming is charged
30 Family Genealogy.
with one pound five shillings four pence(#5.7o/^.) It reads
as follows:
Sir:
As you are appointed one of the collectors of the Rev.
John Hanna's Sallery for the year 1771, these are therefore
to request you to collect from the following persons the sums
annexed to their names and be ready to render the same to me
by the 20th of April next,
John Anderson (Collector General.")
March 29, 1771,
t. s. p.
Adam Hone, 1-2-6.
Joseph Stout in Company, 2-10-6.
Thomas Lake in Company, 1-17-n.
Andrew Foster, 1-11-7.
Thomas Fleming in Company, i-5~4-
William Fleming in Company, 1-5-4." [$5.70/^.]
< <>
To Mr. Thomas Fleming, Collector of Mr. Hanna Sal-
lery laid on the seats in the Northeast quarter of the Presby-
terian Meeting House, Bethlehem."
Doubtless William Fleming took part in all the activities
of life about him; worked early and late on his farm. He
was in the midst of the American Revolution, and doubtless
added his share to aiding America, his adopted land
against the government from whose distressing treatment of
Ireland he had sailed away to better his condition. He was
over fifty years of age at the beginning of the war and close to
sixty at its close. His son /Andrew was a soldier in the war.
New Jersey was crossed andrecrossed by the armies of friend
and foe, as it was the battlefield of the war and suffered
every sort of distress in burned buildings and ruined crops;
and William must have had his share of these distressing
incidents of war.
He saw the country settle up and improve about him, and
the westward march begun. The children born to-'AVilliam
Fleming and his wife I Eleanor, were, "Andrew, /^Martha and
/ Elearior. As this is their position in the will, we suppose
that- Andrew was the oldest and Eleanor the youngest. The
first bereavement in their family circle was the death of
Andrew, their son, after the war was over, from blood poison-
ing. William Fleming's will was dated at Bethlehem town-
The Fleming Family. ^i
ship June 16, 1792, and proven Feb. 4, 1795; from which
we suppose his death occurred in 1794. His will names his
wife ""Eleanor, as a beneficiary, and the probate showing
nothing to the contrary, she survived him and died after 1795.
The will also names as beneficiaries, grandsons William and
Malcolm, and granddaughters Martha and Rebecca, and
daughters Martha and Eleanor. The granddaughters and
grandsons named in the will were children of his son Andrew.
Elder Abbott Fleming, says of his great grandparents:
'William Fleming and his wife lived in Bethlehem and died
there, and are buried in the old graveyard near Bethlehem
church at what date I know not, but there are four genera-
tions of Flemings in a row, including my oldest sister Eleanor. "
Of William's daughter Eleanor, we only know that Elder
Abbott Fleming says she married a McDaniel. Of William's
daughter Martha we only know that Elder Abbott Fleming
says she married a Crawford. Of his son Andrew we have
more to say.
ANDREW FLEMING OF BETHLEHEM.
The only son of William Fleming and Eleanor Rutledge,
his wife, of Bethlehem, was Andrew/Fleming, also of Beth-
lehem, where he lived most of his life and was buried
there. As fully explained above he was born in Cookstown
in the parish of Derryloran, in County Tyrone, Ulster Prov-
ince, Ireland, about 1740 to 1745. In the summer of 1751
he sailed to America with his parents and Uncle Thomas
Fleming and wife and Andrew Fleming and a party of rel-
atives and friends, He lived ever after in the township of
Bethlehem in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, with his
parents, or near neighbors to them. We suppose he was a
farmer also. His opportunity for schooling in those primi-
tive days in Hunterdon County was very poor and we have
no reason to suppose he received a very good education.
The school history of the time of his boyhood days is
very meager, and there is little if anything known of its
character. He was a youth in the country when it was very
new.
They were pioneers in West Jersey; and before schools
came he had grown beyond them, though we doubt not that
his good mother Eleanor taught him as much as she could
with the means at hand.
22 Family Genealogy.
Rev. J. G. Williamson, who after 51 years as minister
of Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, severed his connection
last year, says of its church records:
"Our records are defective. Our session book commences
with the year 1820. The older one was lost. It contains
no list of baptism. On a blank page of one of our church
books, I found a list of elders and among them the following:
"Andrew Fleming previous to 1783." So through all the long
years of record, priceless now as history, has gone with those
who made them, yet here we have a line to restore to us an
inkling of the religious activities of our ancestor.
He was married to Rebecca Paterson in America, and we
suppose in Hunterdon County where he lived. The Patersons
came to America from Ireland September 3rd, 1747. They
were Presbyterians and probably also came from Ulster
Province. The mother of Col. Thomas Lowry, who mariied
Esther Fleming, daughter of Samuel of Flemington, and her
brother Thomas Paterson who was the father of Governor
William Paterson of New Jersey, came to America together
from Ireland in 1747. They located in the same county
with the Flemings, and Col. Thomas Lowry who came with
them as a lad of ten years became a large land holder about
there. We have no doubt from the similar names, religion,
native homes and relationship, that Rebecca Paterson wife of
Andrew, was a sister of Governor William Paterson, whose
home was not far distant, in the same section of Country in
Somerset, an adjoining County, in town Bridgewater, after
the war. The Historian, Geo. Bancroft, said of him: "He
was an accomplished writer."
Andrew Fleming of Bethlehem was a soldier in the Revolu-
tion, though search among family papers, the war depart-
ment at Was hington, Adjutant Gen. William S. Stryker's
"Official Register of Officers and men of New Jersey in the
Revolutionary War;" and Snell's History of Hunterdon and
Somerset Counties in New Jersey, has failed to discover the
muster roll which bears his name. The following reply was
made on inquiry at the War Department at Washington.
"Record and Pension Office, War Department, Washington,
May 3, 1900, Ame A. Grandine, Menasha, Wisconsin. The
name Andrew Fleming, has not been found on the rolls, on file
in this office of any New Jersey military orginization in service
during the war of the Revolution. It is proper to add, how-
ever, that the collection of Revolutionary war records in this
office is far from complete, and that the absence therefrom
The Fleming Family. 33
of any name is by no means conclusive evidence that the person
who bore the name did not serve in the Revolutionary army.
It is suggested as a possibility that the desired information
may be obtained from the Adjutant General of the State of
New Jersey. By authority of the Secretary of War, J. P.
Ainsworth, Chief of Record and Pension Office."
In Adjt. Gen. Stryker's, "Official Register, etc.," there is
record of Lieutenant Jacob Fleming, Jeremiah Fleming,
private, John Fleming, private, Lawrence Fleming, Thomas
Fleming, Captain Stephen Fleming, Captain Samuel Fleming.
It is possible that Andrew Fleming may have been carried
on the roll under another, first or surname. I know that two
soldiers by the name of Cock are on the rolls, as Cook. One
of those was named Jacob Cook in Stryker, and his name
was Jacob Cock.
That Andrew was in the war and on the patriot side is
certain. The evidence which I give below establishes a prima
facie case which is absolutely sufficient evidence to form a
belief beyond a doubt.
First. Jonas M. Fleming who now resides in New Jersey,
is oldest son of David Fleming, now deceased, who was
youngest son of Malcolm Fleming, of Pattenburg, New Jersey,
who was a son of Andrew Fleming, of Bethlehem. Malcolm
died in 1846. This Jonas M. Fleming writes to John Fleming,
of Readington, "whenlwas a boy (about i860) in my father's
house was a flint lock musket, sword, bayonet and knapsack,
that my father (David Fleming) said was his grandfather's
(Andrew Fleming) that he fetched from the Revolutionary
war and I saw an old man the other day and he said that my
great grandfather was in the Revolutionary war." Jonas went
from home soon after this and does not know what became of
the war relics, which had been preserved so long. Jonas now
resides near Bethlehem Church and is 54 years old. In 1901
John had an interview with Jonas when he repeated the story
to him.
Second. In May 8, 1901, John Fleming, of Readington,
writes me that he had a recent conversation with the widow
of Richard Fleming, who was 86 years old. Her husband
was born in 1814, died 1886. He was son also of Malcolm,
of Pattenburg, New Jersey, who died in 1846. This Mrs.
Richard Fleming told John "that she often heard her husband
and Malcolm (son of Andrew of Bethlehem) speak of Mal-
colm's father being in the Revolution and that is all she knows
about it, and don't know of any record of Andrew."
34 Family Genealogy.
Third. J. Warren Fleming of Titusville, New Jersey, has
in his possession one of the rudely engraved cow's horn powder
horns of the Revolution, such as are frequently seen in the
Museums in the East. I have seen this one. On it is carved
some fretwork and these words: Fort Constitution, Home,
December i, Charles Snearles" and some other words which
are illegible. Fort Constitution was the name given at first to
Fort Lee, which was ten miles above New York on the Jer-
sey side of the Hudson, built in spring of 1776, by the patriots,
and captured In Nov. 18, 1776 by the English.
Most of the militia had enlisted, terms to expire Dec. 1st.,
1776, which was meaning of 'Home Dec. 1st." on the horn.
(See 2 Bryant His. U. S. 491, map and picture 521).
There is a tradition repeated by John Fleming, Robius
Fleming and Elder Abbott Fleming to Robins Fleming, that
this horn was connected with their ancestor Andrew in the
Revolution. Both J. Warsen Fleming and John Fleming (of
Pennington) say it was brought with a flint lock gun (which
John had often shot when they were youths) by their father
William, grandson of Andrew to near Bloomsburg, New Jer-
sey when he moved therein 1836, and the horn has been in
their family from their earliest recollection; and the gun also
until it was lost, they do not know how or when. They also
have a tradition that both the horn and gun were in some
manner connected with Andrew in the Revolution.
Fourth: John Hart, a signer of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence was born in New Jersey in 1708, in Hopewell town-
ship, Mercer County, New Jersey and lived there all his life
a few miles south of Hunterdon Count}'' where Andrew
Fleming of Bethlehem lived. He served several terms in the
provincial legislature, a promoter of good roads, schools and
law and order. Such was the simplicity and purity of his
character, that he was known as ' Honest John Hart." He
served in the Continental Congress of 1774, 1775, 1776 and
signed the immortal document. When the state was invaded
by the British he was subjected to abuse by the red coats and
tories. His stock and farm where destroyed by the Hessians,
his family forced to fly, and every effort made to capture the
patriot. He hid in the forest never sleeping twice in the
same place and suffered privations and distress and the death
of his wife. The battles of Trenton and Princeton compelled
the British to evacuate in Dec, 1777, when he returned to
his farm and passed the rest of his life in agricultural pur-
suits. John Hart was tall, well proportioned with very black
The Fleming Family. 35
hair and blue eyes. He was affectionate and just, and held
in high esteem by his neighbors. He died in Hopewell town-
ship in 1780 where they have erected a fine monument to
him. Andrew Fleming of Bethlehem though a much young-
er man, was a fast friend of John Hart, who at that period had
a price set on his head. He was an intimate friend and much
with him in those troublous times of 1777, and aided Hart to
fly for his life when the British overran West Jersey. Andrew's
intimate association with John Hart was related to me by
John Fleming of Pennington who had it from Andrew's
daughter Eleanor, wife of David Butler, to whom it was re-
lated by Becky Ann, a sister of David Butler's father. Above
Eleanor was born in 1771.
Fifth: John Fleming, of Readington, writes me that, "there
is a tradition that my great grandfather, Andrew, was a sol-
dier in the Revolutionary war. Uncle Abbott Fleming told
me that while Andrew Fleming, his grandfather, was in the
army there were noises heard along the line one night when
he was on guard. He challenged, and not receiving any
reply, fired his musket in the direction of the noise. Next
morning he discovered he had shot an animal."
We may suppose that Andrew, tike his neighbors in those
days, wore home made buckle shoes, woolen home knit socks,
knee breeches, a long tail cut-away coat, big felt stock and a
high hat. He rode horseback on a journey and sold his
wheat at Trenton or New York.
He died young, almost ten years before his father. The
family bible of William and Elizabeth Fleming, of Oxford
Furnace, contains the date of his death as 'AndrewJQejnhig,
October ioJ_r785," but the cause of his death is related in
famTly__tTadition. John Fleming, of Readington, writes me
that a cousin of his was informed by their aunt, also
a cousin of John's father, of the manner of his death as fol-
lows: After his return from the Revolutionary war he was
at Pattenburg, in Bethlehem township, now Union township,
Hunterdon County, N. Y. , and had a dispute with a drunken
tory over politics, which resulted in a quarrel, and the
drunken man bit Andrew in the face. Blood poisoning
resulted and caused his death." He died at Bethlehem and
lies buried in the old churchyard at Bethlehem in the Fleming
family lot. His widow, Rebecca Paterson Fleming, accord-
ing to the family bible of her son, William Fleming, of Oxford
Furnace, died November 2o^i&u. Elder Abbott Fleming
says in his Fleming Genealogy": 'That his widow survived
36 Family Genealogy.
him (Andrew) thirty-six years and one day, and that she died
at her daughter's, Eleanor (who married David Butler) in
Mansfield township, Warren County, and was buried there in
the Butler family plat, which I recollect, being about eight
years of age." Supposing she was about 22 years of age
when she was married, she would have been at her death 75
years of age. She died 52 years after her first child was
born. Seven children were born to them. To quote another
part of the letter of Rev. J. G. Williamson, of Bethlehem
Presbyterian Church: We have another old book dating
from 1769, in which Rev. John Hanna began to enter mar-
riages and baptisms, but after 1776 seems to have given it
over to the trustees, as their accounts fill the rest of the book.
Among the baptisms I find the following record: Children
born to Andrew and Rebecca Fleming, baptised ^William
Fleming was born May 31, 1769. ' Eleanor Fleming was born
April 23, 1771. Martha Fleming was born June n, 1773.
/Meakim Fleming, was born February n, 17715."
Rev. John Hanna spells it Fleeming," and for Malcolm
he used the nick-name Meakim."
The date of these baptisms we can only gather from the
beginning and ending of the record book, between the days of
1769 and 1776. It is probable that when the youngest was
born they were all baptised at once, though this could best be
settled by examination of the original record and is only use-
ful as settling the question of residence of Andrew, which we
have reason to suppose was always in Bethlehem township.
To the names of the children of Andrew and Rebecca found
in the church record, Elder Abbott Fleming adds Margaret, /
Rebecca and Sarah, making seven children in all. By the
same authority, Eleanor Fleming was married to David But- *
ler, who resided in Mansfield, in Warren County, New Jersey.
Uncle Abbott says that Andrew's widow, Rebecca, died
there at their home, at that date, and was buried in the Butler
lot in the cemetery, which would indicate they had a long
residence there. »/Martha Fleming married a Robinson or
Robeson. */Rebecca Fleming never married.
</Margaret Fleming was married to George Cratchley, who
moved to Richmond, New York, 1826. They had a son,
David B.JCratchley, who was in Jacksonville, N. Y., in 1829,
working on a farm at $10 per rr/onth for six months.
J Sarah Fleming married John Kitchen.
The Fleming Family. 37
WILLIAM FLEMING, OF OXFORD FURNACE.
/William Fleming, first and oldest son of Andrew and
Rebecca Fleming, of Bethlehem, was, we suppose, born on a
farm in Bethlehem township, near Bethlehem Presbyterian
Church in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, May 31, 1769.
As a youth he was on his father's farm and attended school.
He learned to read and write. As a school-boy in the patriot-
ic days that tried men's souls" we suppose he was a boy of
'76, like the rest of them. They played soldier and
watched eagerly for news and did what little they could to
help the Continentals at the front. The 4th day of July was a
real thing to him. He was only six years of age when the
Declaration of Independence was made, but for the following
eight years he must have had plenty of excitement. When
his father died he was the oldest child and only fifteen years
of age, while his brothers and sisters were respectively,
thirteen, twelve, ten and younger. His mother then had
need of all their little aid. I do not know the history of her
trials with seven small children, but she seems to have
managed in some way, as they all grew up and assumed their
places in the world. After his father's death, William went
to live with his grandfather, William Fleming, we suppose to
take care of his farm affairs, as he was then an old man.
When he died in about 1794, William settled his estate, as I
am informed the record shows, and Elder Abbott Fleming
says. After his grandfather's death he probabl)'' remained
there in charge, as his grandmother, Eleanor, needed him more
than ever. She had no boys then alive and William was then
twenty-five years of age. He remained in charge, we suppose
until her death, which occurred between 1795 and 1798, the
date that William settled his grandfather's estate. How or
when he met the young lady, Elizabeth Cook, who was of a
family of ' Friends" we can not say. She lived at Cook's
Cross Roads, a half mile west from Juteland, in town of Beth-
lehem, (now in town of Union, New Jersey,) in which was
located Bethlehem Church and same town in which William
lived. They did not live far from each other. She moved
into that town with her father, Jacob Cook, in 1784. He
bought a farm on a cross roads which afterwards took his
name. She was about six months older and a young lady of
fifteen when she first moved into the same township where
William lived. They did not attend the same church at that
time. They were married in the winter season on New Year's
3 8 Family Genealogy.
Eve, December 30, 1798, when they were both twenty-eight
years of age. We suppose that very soon after their marriage
they moved to a farm, about twenty miles north, one mile
west of Oxford Furnace, about three miles east of Belvidere,
in township of Oxford, in Warren County.
Elder 'Abbott Fleming, their youngest son, says that he was
born there November 25th, 1813. There is no record or
tradition, of their residing at any other place after their
marriage until they moved down into the "Chestnut Bar-
rens," about twenty miles south in township Alexandria,
about five miles east of Mount Pleasants, and the same dis-
tance west of old Bethlehem Church. Mrs. Elizabeth Flem-
ing Hart, of Hopewell, informs me that ^Eleanor (William's
daughter) said they lived near Oxford Furnace until they
moved into 'The Barrens," near Pittstown; and related in
this connection that, "when they all moved with the children
into 'The Barrens" an old woman standing at her gate as
they passed, remarked there would be a famine, when Aunt
Eleanor replied, it would not be of meat as none of the mate
meat. I Andrew, their son, was not at home then, as he left
home when he was eleven years of age. It is possible 'Jacob
Cook Fleming, their son, left home to work at his trade in
New York State about the time the family moved and we sup-
pose he remained to help them move, then journeyed away
at once. There were five boys and two girls in the moving
party.
John Fleming, of Pennington, son of William, Jr., says he
remembers that his father said that, "his parents moved down
into Chestnut Barrens," by which he understood they moved
down from the north. George Fleming, son of Andrew,
says he remembers a great many years ago that his father
said he was born near Oxford Furnace. The life of Andrew,
a son, as written in the history of Hunterdon County, says
he was born in Alexandria, which is undoubtedly an error.
His wife, Margaret, who lives now at Readington, says she
does not believe that Andrew was born in Alexandria and
thinks he was born near Oxford Furnace. John Fleming
says his father Andrew, (son of William,) and his aunt Elea-
nor often mentioned that they went to Mansfield to church.
This was an adjoining township to Oxford in Warren County.
I have a letter written "to Mr. William Fleming, near
Oxford Furnace," by "Abraham and Hannah Housel," dated
February 16, 1821.
In 1823 the session of Presbyterian Church at Hazen issued
The Fleming Family. 39
to William Fleming and wife a letter by which they were dis-
missed to Kingwood, in Hunterdon County, as shown by this
correspondence:
Letter of J. Warren Fleming, Titus ville, July ist, 1901.
"i enclose letter by the pastor of Presbyterian Church,
at Hazen, N. J., formerly Oxford. I was at Oxford Furnace
in June, but found nothing of the record of our family.
Hazen is the original Oxford Church and is about three miles
west from Oxford Furnace, and three miles from railroad.
Signed, J. WARREN FLEMING."
The letter enclosed was:
"Hazen, New Jersey, June 21, 1901.
J. Warren Fleming, Esq., Titusville, N. J.
Your letter to Mr. J. C. Pratt and myself both duly
received. Owing to a fire our records cannot be traced further
than 1819. Upon a careful search I find that May 13,
1823, Miss Eleanor Fleming was admitted to the church. At
a meeting of the session held some time between May 24,
1823, and October 24, of the same year, William Fleming
and his wife were dismissed to church at Kingwood, in Hun-
terdon County. These are the only places where the name
Fleming is found and there is no evidence that any person by
that name was ever elder in the church.
Yours truly,
W. B. SHEDDAN,
Pastor First Presbyterian Church.
From the above it must be plain that all the children of
William Fleming were born on a farm near Oxford Furnace,
in Oxford township, Warren County.
y Abbott Fleming writes to Elisha M. Fleming, March 28,
1886, on announcing the death of his brother*" Andrew: "I am
now the last one left of a family of eight children. I remem-
ber when we were all at home with father and mother around
an old fire place in a log house about one mile from Oxford
Furnace, and three miles from Belvidere, on land of Morris
Robeson, father of Judge Wm. Robeson, of Belvidere, the
grandfather of Secretary Robeson, of Trenton. I remember
when we lived in Oxford, Thomas and James Fleming visited
us; father called them cousins; they were older men. James
had rheumatism. My grandfather Andrew never went away,
but was raised in Bethlehem, married and died there October
4o Family Genecdogy.
19, 1785, and was buried there in the old graveyard, in Flem-
ing plat, but we don't know which of the graves are his. Father
knew each grave and always kept them in order while he
lived."
The record of Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, though
indifferently made up in early days, shows that William Flem-
ing, wife and daughter Eleanor, united by certificate June 12,
1824, Holloway W. Hunt, Pastor." Rev. Hunt was at the
same time pastor of the Bethlehem Church, both churches
at that early day having the same pastor. 'The Chestnut
Barrens" was a local name for a section of Alexandria town,
but not a geographical name. They lived near a corner
locally known as The Hickory," because of a tavern from
which on a post swung a sign-board with a hickory tree
painted on it. This tavern was known far and wide in 1824
as The Hickory." It does not exist now.
William Fleming's farm buildings were one mile south of
The Hickory," toward and on the Pittstown road. 'The
Hickory" was three miles west of Juteland. William's home-
stead was somewhat nearer to the Mount Pleasant Church,
which is a reason why he united with that church after moving
into his new home. Andrew Fleming, son of William, says in
the account of himself in "Snell's History of Hunterdon and
Somerset Counties," that his father was identified with local
interests of the vicinity. As early records of Alexandria town
are imperfect, such cannot be traced out. But we doubt not
that he entered into the civic life about him. He was at
different times a member and elder and deacon in the Presby-
terian Churches of Bethlehem, Hazen and Mount Pleasants.
William's postoffice address in this Alexandria town was
either the name of the town or Perry ville. Some letters were
sent to him in 1825 at "Bethlehem Township." At that
time Perryville seems to have been in Bethlehem township.
Since 1853 ** nas been in town of Union. It is about two and
one-half miles northeast of the town line of Alexandria, and
about one mile north of Juteland, and not far north from Cook's
Cross Roads. It was up to the time of his death, the regular
post-office to which his mail was addressed. Perryville post-
office was probably about two to three miles northeast of the
William Fleming homestead, and was thirty-three miles north
of Trenton and about twelve miles east of the Delaware River,
and twelve miles north of Flemington, the county seat of Hunt-
erdon County. So far as we know William was a farmer all
his life, though all of his sons had trades. His son Andrew had
The Fleming Family. 41
gone from home before he moved into The Barrens." Jacob
CookFleming left immediately for New York State. He was a
blacksmith. Within a few years Thomas and Tylee followed
into New York. Thomas was a wagon-maker or wheelwright
and Tylee a blacksmith. ^Eleanor was a dressmaker but re-
mained at home. /Joanna was a milliner and followed her
trade at Frenchtown soon after they established the home in
the "Barrens." ^William Fleming, Jr. was a stone mason,
and so was Elder1' Abbott, though after going west Abbott
began work at building souls. Abbott and Eleanor remained
at home until the death of their father. How, when and where
it was possible to educate this strong family ofboys and girls
we cannot say, but they all had a good education, could read
and write, and their composition was more than ordinary.
Their letters are beautifully written and bear a dignified tone
and are charming reading even in this day. Their teacher
whoever he may have been was certainly a superior person.
The deep, honest, religious character of this family ap-
pears in their children and seems to have followed their
offspring all their lives and to have been transmitted to
their grandchildren. One of their children, Elder Abbott,
was a minister in Indiana for forty years. Mrs. Elizabeth
Fleming Hart says Aunt Elan (Eleanor) told her that all the
children were baptised at Bethlehem Church. William died
suddenly of pleurisy in the winter of 1833. A beautiful
letter announcing his death was written by Andrew at his
father's home a few days after his death. This letter is in
possession of Clarissa Fleming (Grandine-Harvey) now living
at Menasha, Wis. (1902), daughter of J. C. Fleming. It is
written on a double sheet of white foolscap paper, in a bold,
vigorous, good handwriting with black ink; was folded and
sealed with red sealing wax, and had no envelope. Postage
marked on it is 18 Y\ cents (one and half shillings), no postage
stamp. It is addressed on the outside to, ' 'Mr. Jacob C. Flem-
ing, Wayne County, Pultneyville Postoffice, New York, 18^."
Postmarked from: Perryville, N. J., Jan. 28.
>)
« t-
Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Jan. 27, 1833.
Dear Brother: I now embrace the present opportunity
of informing you that I am in good health, hoping these few
lines may find you and yours enjoying the same blessing.
Mother is unwell at present, although she is better than she
has been for a few days past. Father departed this life on
Monday evening, the 21st, and was buried on Wednesday the
42 Family Genealogy.
23rd. He was taken sick on Monday night of the 14th with
something like pleurisy. He was not considered dangerous
until Saturday, when Dr. Halcomb was called upon to visit
mother, and he then said that he could do nothing for him.
On Sunday Dr. Blain and Dr. Halcomb both met, but could
afford him no relief. So he lay until Monday night, when
he left the world without a struggle or groan. Grandmother
Cook also died on the 21st, and was buried on the 23rd
(1833X
I left home on Monday morning, the 14th' for New York,
and did not return until Wednesday evening, the 23rd, and
did not hear of father's death until Wednesday about 1 o'clock,
at which time I was at the white house seventeen miles from
home. I then left my wagon and horse and got a conveyance
home as soon as possible, but not in time for the funeral. I
wish you to show this letter to Thomas and Tylee. I will
now write you a copy of father's will.
I remain your affectionate brother,
ANDREW FLEMING.
William's death occurred at the homestead near The
Hickory." He was buried in the family plat in the old
walled cemetery at Bethlehem church. Over his grave was
erected a white marble monument on which is inscribed:
"in memory of William Fleming who departed this life,
January 21, 1833, aged 63 years, 7 months and 21 days.
My weeping friends remember me,
And my children dear,
So live to God, that when you die
You may with Christ appear."
He left a will of which the following is a copy, as enclosed
in above letter of Andrew Fleming:
< (-1
I, William Fleming of the township of Alexandria in
the County of Hunterdon and State of New Jersey, being of
sound mind and memory do make and publish this my last
Will and Testament in manner and for following:
First. It is my will that my just debts and funeral charge
be paid.
Second. I give and bequeath to my beloved wife, Eliza-
beth Fleming all the residue of my estate, both real and per-
sonal, during her life and in case the rent or income of the
land after payment of my debts is insufficient for support of
The Fleming Family. 43
my wife, I order and hereby authorize and empower my
executors hereafter named, or the survivor of them, to use, sell,
and dispose of my property, both real and personal, in the best
manner possible for the payment of my debts, and the sup-
port of my wife, and also to make deed or deeds of any or all
my lands, as myself might do while living, and my will is, after
my wife's decease, as soon as may be, the whole of my estate
that then remains be disposed of in the best manner by my
executors or the survivors of them, and the money arising
therefrom divided equally among all my children share and
share alike. And in case any of my children die before
such division is made, bearing issue, then their children to
take the share or portion of their mother or father equally
among them.
And I do hereby consitute and appoint my sons, Andrew
Fleming and William Fleming, executors of this my testament
and last will.
In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand and seal this
30th day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and thirty-two.
Signed, WILLIAM FLEMING."
At her husband's death, his good wife was sick and under
the care of the family doctor, but Andrew's letter says she
was much better by the following week. Soon after her hus-
band's death, the farm and stock and equipment was dis-
posed of, and Elizabeth with her children,^Andrew, Abbott,
'William and her niece, Annie Bodine, moved into a rented
house near 'the Hickory tavern". After her three sons were
married she went to live with her son'^William on a farm at
Swineburg, near Bloomsburg in the northern part of Alexan-
dria township, where she lived for nine years. While here
she taught John Fleming, her grandson to read his letters out
of her bible. She was a constant reader of the bible, and a
member of the Presbyterian Church at Hazen, Mount Pleas-
ant and Bethlehem, though born and raised in the Society
of Friends," popularly called Quakers. She was tall, slender
and a big woman. Her husband William is said not to have
been so tall.
When a very old woman about five years before her death she
went to live with her daughter 'Joanna, who was married to
Jacob J. ^Haney, and resided at Washington, twelve miles
northeast of Bloomsbury, in Warren County, where he carried
on business of tailoring. Going one day into the yard after
44 Family Genealogy.
peaches, she either stumbled over a root or lost her balance
while reaching into the tree, fell and broke her hip. She was
never able to walk after the accident. She died there at the
home of her daughter Joanna Haney, at the ripe old age of
eighty-one and was buried in the old walled cemetery at
Bethlehem Church. Andrew her son, wrote the following let-
ter to his brother, Jacob Cook Fleming, upon her death.
It is postmarked Sommerville, N. J., a town in Somerset
County, N. J.
"Branchburgh, October 2 2d, 1849.
Dear Brother and Friends.
Your letter of the 1st inst. came duly to hand. We can
sympathize with you on the death of your son, (J. W. F. ), we
lost our youngest daughter on the 26th of August last, aged be-
tween five and six months. Our aged and long infirm mother
has also departed this life. She died October the 4th, 1849,
at Haney's. We buried her on the 7th at Bethlehem, beside
the grave of our father. The rest of our friends and ac-
quaintances are well so faras I know; butastimeis ever on the
wing, it becomes us all to be in readiness, for at such an
hour as we think not the king of terrors may appear and
summon us away.
We have had no letter from Abbott since spring. They
were well when he last wrote. William Fleming was well two
weeks ago when I saw them (probably at their mother's
funeral).
We have had a very fine growing season. Our crop of
grain and hay was good. Fruit is scarce. Stock of all kinds
is rather higher than usual at this season of the year; but it
is plenty and feeders have laid in a full supply and there is
very little selling at present. Wheat is worth 9, corn 56 cents,
oats 30, buckwheat 45, and all other things about in proportion.
I remain your affectionate brother,
A. FLEMING.
Erected over her grave there is a white marble tombstone
with this inscription: "in memory of Elizabeth, consort of
William Fleming, who died October 4, 1849, aged 81 years
and 26 days."
*"Far from this world of toil and strife,
Their present with the Lord,
The labors of this mortal life
End in a large reward."
The above verse is one of Watt's Hymns, No. 727-
The Fleming Family. 45
William and Elizabeth Fleming's family bible was printed
in Philadelphia in 1806; was the property of William Fleming
and then of Grandmother Elizabeth Cook, his wife; and when
she died at Jacob Haney's, it was left in that family, and was
when I saw it in 1900, in possession of her grandchild, Mrs.
Elizabeth Portz, daughter of Joanna, at 78 North Henry
Street, Brooklyn, New York, (She died of apoplexy Novem-
ber 16, 1902, at Raritan, N. J. ) I made the following copy,
on June 19, 1900, from the bible. It was ten inches by eight
inches, three inches thick, leather cover and brown with age
and handling.
MARRIAGES.
'William Fleming and Elizabeth Cook were married Dec-
ember 30th, 1798.
/Jacob Cook Fleming and Lucinda Baird were married Sep-
tember 8th, 1828.
^ Joanna Fleming and Jacob Theanley Haney were married
August 1st, 1828.
1/ Tylee Fleming and Samantha Pratt were married March
15th, 1832. ,
/Thomas Fleming and Clarissa,/Baird were married Decem-
ber 9th, 1834 (changed to 1832).
/ William Fleming and Charity Hagaman were married Feb-
ruary 18th, 1836.
1/ Abbott Fleming and Margaret Semple were married May
6th, 1837.
^Andrew Fleming and Margaret Lawshe were married
December 8, 1838.
•/John Portz and Elizabeth Haney were married January 8,
1854.
BIRTHS.
^ William Fleming was born May 31st, 1769.
"'Elizabeth Cook was born September 9th, 1768.
Our children born as follows;
^Eleanor Fleming, March 23rd, 1800.
/Jacob Cook was born January 31, 1802. (Fleming).
/Thomas Fleming was born Marchi9, 1804.
\i Andrew Fleming, born October 23rd, 1805.
/Joanna Fleming was born September 8th, 1807.
/William Fleming was born June 14th, 1809.
J Tylee Fleming, April 23rd, 181 1.
» Abbott Fleming was born November 25th, 1813.
Annor Bodine was born August 9th, 18 18. (Was a cousin
46 Family Genealogy.
of Joanna and brought up by Grandmother Elizabeth and is
now married.)
u Elizabeth Haney was born November 2nd, 1835. John
v Portz (husband) August 18th, 1828 (had no children.)
DEATHS.
^ Andrew Fleming, October 19th, 1785 (of Bethlehem).
1/ Jacob Cook, Februar}' 29, 1806 (of Cook Cross Roads.)
n/ Rebecca Fleming, November 20, 1821 (wife to Andrew of
Bethlehem).
William Fleming, January 21st, 1833 (of Oxford Furnace.)
"'Joanna Cook, January 21st, 1833 (wife to Jacob Cook.)
/Tylee Fleming, September 7, 1839 (of Lima, Indiana),
v Elizabeth Fleming, October 4, 1849 (wife to William.)
•^Joanna Fleming, January 3rd, 1880 (at Raritan, N. J).
>/jacob Haney, Februarys, 1898, aged 92 years, 5 months
and 12 days (at Raritan, N. J)."
After the children commenced to look out for themselves
they often wrote home, though postage was eighteen and
three quarter cents, the equivalent of one and half shilling or
37/^ cents of money at present value. Each letter from
182 1 to 1830 was worth something in postage and no doubt
was looked for with great eagerness. The postmen mostly
journeyed on horseback. About forty of these old letters,
written between the brothers and sisters and to their mother
and father have been preserved. Many of those obtained by
mother Elizabeth Cook Fleming were retained by her in a cot-
ton bag, which on her death in 1849 at tne home of her
daughter, Joanna Haney, was left with her family until
the death of both Joanna and her husband, and the family were
scattered; when Margaret Haney (now Mrs. J. Vickery of
Trenton, N. J.) came into possession of the bag, which had
been carelessly tossed about until I secured it in 1900 for use
in this record. These letters, thirty-three in number, begin
182 1 and end 1833, and are mostly written by Jacob Cook
Fleming from his new home in New York State.
JACOB COOK FLEMING, PULTNEYVILLE, N. Y.
The second child of William and Elizabeth Fleming, of
Oxford Furnace, was born on the 31st of Januar}', 1802, at his
father's farm, one mile west of Oxford Furnace, in Township
Oxford, Warren County, New Jersey. He was named for his
The Fleming Family. 47
maternal grandfather, Jacob Cook. Of his boyhood life we
only know that he worked on the farm, attended the school
of the neighborhood and played the sports of winter and
summer the same as other boys. With his limited oppor-
tunity for education, he must have made the most of his
studies because after he was a young man grown he had no
opportunity for study. He could read and write very well
indeed. His composition was excellent. He wrote splen-
did letters, which were written carefully and covered all the
essential matters of interest to the recipients. He was
always a great reader of books and newspapers, and took a
lively and intelligent interest in national and local civic
affairs. He was always well informed on all subjects. He
kept his own accounts by an intelligible single entry method.
As a young man his sports among neighborhood young
people extended to evening sleigh ride parties and spell-
ing schools. His parents with the whole family moved
south from Oxford Furnace into Alexandria township
about fifteen or twenty miles, between May 24th and
October 24, 1823; at least that was the session meeting
which granted letters to William Fleming and wife and Elea-
nor. On June 24, 1824, William Fleming, his wife and daughter
Eleanor were united by certificate with Mount Pleasant Pres-
byterian Church. This was at their new home in The Bar-
rens, near the Hickory Tavern and Perryville Postoffice. Now
we would suppose they moved away in the summer of 1823,
after they had gathered the crops off their old farm. If
the new one was to be ploughed up, they would have to cut
away the bushes and grub out stumps during the winter.
They at least moved on to their new place early enough in
the spring to put in their crop, which would be by April,
1824. The correspondence which follows shows that Jacob
Fleming went away from home in July, 1824, into New York
State, where he always lived afterwards. He was then twenty-
one years of age, had a good education, had an honorable
trade of blacksmith and a strong, robust constitution. He
was capable of enduring any amount of hard labor. Of this
journey we only know an inkling here and there in corre-
spondence. But over the route he took, through the present
coal fields (there were then no stage routes), we hear he
went on foot. He crossed the Delaware river at Eaton, Pa.,
and made his way along bridle paths leading along the Lehigh
river through the Blue Ridge mountains, to near the Susque-
hanna river and then along that river to Owego, the capital
48 Family Genealogy.
of Tiogo County in southern part of New York State near
Binghamton. Of the events of this journey we only have
the letters preserved in his mother Elizabeth's old letter bag,
which we will read together, leaving out some parts now and
then.
FIRST LETTER.
No date, no postmark, no address given.
Dear father and mother: I am in good health. I arrived
at Joseph Shroap's (Geneva) on Tuesday, the 12 (July 12,
1824) having good luck through my journey. I was seven
and a half da3Ts on the road. My companion, Enoch Com-
ington left me at Owego (southern part New York, capital
Tioga County, 30 miles west of Binghamton, directly south
of Williamson, on Owego Creek, a branch of Susquehanna
river, population 1890 — 17,000) on Friday morning, intend-
ing to return to New Brunswick (New Jersey); but on Tues-
day before, we fell in with a young man who was very good
company, who came with us within twelve miles of Geneva
(Ontarto County, N. Y., 50 miles east of Rochester. Popu-
lation 1890, 9,000) where I put up with him a day and a half.
I have engaged a half month with Joseph Shroap, where I am
now. [Joseph P. Shroap married Anna, daughter of Hanna
and Abraham Housel, sister of Elizabeth Cook Fleming his
mother]. It is not because there is no work, that I am not
engaged, for I have had different offers, both in the shop and
out. I was offered ten dollars a month on a farm, which I
think better than five and a half ($5.50) in New Jersey."
SECOND LETTER.
"November 16, 1824, Williamson, N. Y.
Dear Father and Mother, Sister and Brothers: I am at
work at the smithing business; at $8 a month; work is not
plenty. If Benjamin Rittenhouse moves let me know where
he is. Wages last summer, from eight to eleven dollars
a month, and will be as good next summer. Direct your
letters to South Williamson postoffice, Wayne County, N. Y.
(Signed) Jacob C. Fleming. (Addressed) to William Flem-
ing and Elizabeth Fleming, "by the hand of John Maxwell."
third letter.
To Mr. Thomas Fleming, Perryville Postoffice, Alexandria
Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Postmarked
Pittsford, New York, Feb. 28, (1824) [First part lost).
The Fleming Family. 40
'There was talk last fall of shortage in fodder but there
will be enough. Hay is worth $10 to #12.. I have given
up looking for any of you to come into this country, but I
expect to return back there, last part of November. [This
letter continues to his father] : Respected Father: I re-
ceived your letter Jan. 4th, (1825) dated Oct. 14th, which
gave me the first account of J. Shroap, since I saw them in
July. As I wrote before I had been working some distance
from here (Pittsford) and returned again 1st of January,
(1825). Then I was at Joseph Shroap's. I saw Joseph Pen-
will and wife last Monday. I was at Andrew Fleming's [lived
at Barrington, N. Y., Postofnce Pen Yan, a post township
of Yates County, on Crooked Lake, 54 miles southeast of
Rochester, population 1890 was 1900. This Andrew Flem-
ing was son of Thomas, Sr. , who was son of Andrew one of
the four brothers who came from Cookstown] the forepart
of November last."
FOURTH LETTER.
'Williamson, May 15th, 1825.
Honored Father and Mother: I am now working in a
shop in Pultneyville on shore of Lake Ontario for Thomas
Thatcher, where I began the last of February, and expect to
stay until 1st of March next year, unless he sells out. I was
at Benjamin Rittenhouses the middle of February [Jackson-
ville, N. Y., in Ulyssus township, Tompkins County, 9 miles
N. W. of Ithaca, on west side Cayuga Lake. Mary Fleming,
wife of Benjamin Rittenhouse was a daughter of Malcolm
Fleming, brother of Jacob Cook Fleming's father]. They
like the country better than in "The Barrens" and I think
you all could do better here. A number of Quaker families
with plenty of money have come into this township this
spring, and bought lands. It is said they want six miles
square. The canal is a great help to this country. When I
left Rittenhouse, I went down the east side of Cayuga Lake,
intending to go to Henry Leonards but he had moved four
miles away, I then stayed that night about one mile from
John Smokes. As I was looking for Leonards I passed Abra-
ham Housels [Hannah Housel's, sister to Jacob C's mother]
place. I stopped at the door and asked for Leonards, Abra-
ham's wife looked at me very sharp, but I passed on without
making myself known. Remember my love to Grandmother
Cook."
50 Family Genealogy.
FIFTH LETTER.
Addressed at "Mendon, October 23, 1825." (Mendon is a
post village and township of Monroe Co., twelve miles south-
east of Rochester, New York).
"Honored Father and Mother: This has been a very hot
summer. Crops are poor. Fruit not plenty. Peaches have
been sold at $1.00 per bushel in town of Williamson, Wayne
County. I was at Joseph P. Shroap's six weeks ago. (Geneva).
The letter I had July 31 was written by Thomas and Andrew
(brothers to him), I was requested to state what clothes to
bring, as some of them expected to come out this winter.
Clothes are the same price here as there. I have met with
another disappointment as I expected to stay with Thatcher
a year, but he has rented his shop and quit smithing. I left
him on the 7th of September, and next day went to work for
Russell Cole eighteen miles from Pultneyville (at Pittsford)
where I was before, and was then acquainted with him, and
worked until a few days ago, for him at $16 per month. I am
now mowing for William Claisdel in this township of Mendon
and he wants me to stay with him. But after one month here I
expect to go to work for Cole again for $20 a month, board.
washing, etc. Where Cole lives is in township of and Village
of Pittsford in County of Monroe (10 miles south of Roches-
ter).,,
SIXTH LETTER.
''Pittsford, January 6, 1826.
Honored Friend and Relatives: I am working in village
of Pittsford. Thatcher has moved here and I am working for
Thatcher & Cole at the smithing business. Our work is en-
tirely boat irons and spikes. There is a great deal of boat
building here. They have twenty-seven to repair against
the canal [Erie Canal] opens in the spring, and six new
ones to build as soon as it can be done. I am getting $20 per
per month in cash, board, washing, etc. I have written ten
letters to Benjamin Rittenhouse but have no reply [he did not
give his address]."
SEVENTH LETTER.
''Pittsford, September 10, 1826.
Honored Father and Mother and Relatives: Last season
I agreed to work in harvest for one of our farmers and con-
cluded to cradle, though before harvest began, I heard so
much bragging by two men who were to cradle with me, that
The Fleming Family. 51
I almost gave up the notion; but I did not. There were three
of us cradling and five takers up. Before night two of the
takers up gave out. The next day I told them I had heard
much boasting and now I thought I could cut as much grain
as either of them. I harvested eighteen days and cradled
most of the time, and with a dozen different men, but found
only one who could cut as much grain in a day as I could,
that was Thatcher. He offered to bet eight dollars that I
could take up more grain in a day than any man in three
townships. He also offered to bet $50 that he and I could
cut and take up more than any ten men in that township.
The man said we cut more grain for him in same time than
he ever had cut before or ever expects to have cut again. I
worked for the same man again this season and have the
promise of the highest wages again. I don't expect to stay
here long as boat work will soon be over for this fall. I
think of going a boating for a few weeks. Then I have
thought of going out to Richmond (Ontario County, N, Y.)
and see the old neighbors and the country. "
EIGHTH LETTER.
Richmond, September 22, 1826.
''Honored Friends and Relatives: I have left Pittsford.
I came here night before last (September 20, 1826) to Mr.
Cratchley's [Geo. Cratchley married Margaret, daughter of
Andrew, his father's sister]. I have seen most all the old
neighbors here. If I don't find work to suit me I shall go to
Penn Yan (Capital of Yates County, N. Y.) and then shall
see Andrew Fleming again. Send your letters to Pittsford as
I shall be back there soon."
In summer of 1827 he journeyed to Michigan with Mr.
Pratt, and in the fall of 1827 he returned home to visit his
parents in New Jersey, near "The Hickory Tavern."
NINTH LETTER.
Pittsford, May 13, 1828.
"I have given up coming to see you this season. I am
still at work at Pittsford. Thomas is here at work. Beloved
brother [written to Andrew] : I expected to see you before
going into business for myself, but now I think I can't.
Beloved Sister [to Joanna] : I received a letter from you
July 24th, dated the 13th, in which you wrote as if you
wished to come into this country. You can have part of
that house you talked of in ten months, but your business [mil-
r2 Family Genealogy.
liner] is one I know nothing about, more than that the people
are very proud and fond of fashion. It is now ten o'clock
and my candle is very short. Remember my love to Grand-
mother Cook. / Think it mill be inconvenient for ?ne to
invite you to my wedding or ask your consent, as we are so far
apart. I remain, your affectionate brother and friend. To
Joanna and Andrew Fleming. "
TENTH LETTER.
"Pultneyville, October 19, 1828.
Honored Father and Mother, Brothers and Sisters: I am
in good health excepting my eyes, which are better than four
weeks ago, when I was shut up tn a dark room for several
days. I have been at work again for three weeks, though I
could not write before. On September 7th., 1828 I entered
into matrimony with Miss Zucindamaird, of township of Vic-
tor, adjoining the township of Pittsford in same county of
Monroe. On 6th of October we moved to Pultneyville where
I am now working for myself. Thomas Fleming came with
me when we moved and then returned to Pittsford. Jeseph
P. Shroap and Anna, William Bibby and Andrew Pop were
here to see us on the nth. Joseph Shroap will move here
into the house with us and work for me, soon as his fall work
is done. I am now settled so that you will have a regular
place to send your letters. Remember my love to Grand-
mother Cook."
From Pultneyville on May 3rd, 1829 he writes his father:
"I have been driven with work so did not feel like writing
even on Sunday. I have work enough now for four hands.
I have but one with me. The hard times and character of
the money in this country forbids me hiring more. I have
worked, several nights past, until eleven and twelve o'clock,
and am obliged to turn off some of the work. I think after I
finish a job of vessel ironing I shall then be able to do the
rest of the work alone. This job will take me two weeks to
finish. There was a shop started last fall but broke down
after a great deal of boasting and the man moved away.
Remember me to Grandmother Cook." Again on December
3rd, 1831 he writes his brother William: "After a long delay,
I now at a late hour at night, after a hard day's work and
long evening of writing, commence a few lines to you. I
have neglected to write as my work was hurrying me." In a
letter dated Pultneyville, November 9, 1833 he writes to his
Ihe Fleming Family. 53
brother Andrew: I suppose you would like to know about
my mill business, but I can tell you better another time."
This was written after the death of his father of which he had
received news early in the year.
From the above correspondence he seems to have remained
in Pultneyville after he established his shop there. The
house he lived in was one said to have been erected by Rus-
sell Cole in 1809, whose history will be given in its proper
place in the Peper family. This house was occupied by
Jacob and his family about 1829, having been occupied
before them by Nicholas Lawson, whose son, Publius V.
Lawson, Sr. was born there in 1828. After he moved into this
house his daughter Elizabeth Fleming was born there Sep-
tember 22, 1830. He resided in this same house until after
the marriage of his daughter Elizabeth, September 2o< 1850,
except for a short time when he moved his shop to Sodus.
He went to Sodus about 1836 and remained only a short
time, possibly not more than two years. Joanna was born
while they lived in Sodus. Sodus is ten miles east from
Pultneyville and on Lake Ontario. All their children except
Joanna were born in Pultneyville and in the same house, the
Russell Cole house, built in 1809, and now standing, is the old-
est house in Pultneyville. It is removed from its former lo-
cation and has not been used for many years. It was proba-
ably abandoned for the present Fleming house in Pultney-
ville about 1855.
Jacob Cook Fleming always had a shop and followed
smithing. At the time he took up his residence in Pultney-
ville it was an old established village, having been bombarded
during the war of 181 2. It was at the period he took up his
residence, a very promising, lively village, with considerable
boating. But in later years its business and prosperity
deserted it, and now it is but a pretty little hamlet with
very little business and has begun to be enjoyed by Rochester
people for a summer home. It is a quiet, quaint old town,
with handsome, shaded country streets and pretty, neatly
painted old houses. The railroad is three miles away and no
shipping is done there now.
In those days the village blacksmith made nearly every-
thing. He was an absolute necessity. He put tires on wag-
ons, shod horses, making the shoes and nails. When Thomas
his brother had a wagon shop there, Jacob did the ironing.
He made link chains, pitch forks, and kept all the iron works
54 Family Genealogy.
in repair; and bought scrap iron for most of his work.
While he worked very hard he could not get much wealth as
nearly all his work was traded out to the farmers for provisions
and meats. In personal appearance his hair was black, his
eyes gray, his head large and he was an immense, powerful,
muscular man. He stood six feet four inches tall. He was
a man of very decided opinions and had careful and com-
plete information on all local and public questions. He was
a strong Jackson Democrat. I suppose Jackson was one of the
first Presidents for whom he voted. His shop being a handy
place to gather news gave him all local information and for
many years he read the Wayne County Sentinel" and other
papers for the public news. These papers, after reading, he
stackedon a nail in his shop and when the nail was full he laid
them away. He had piles of them. His grandson, Publius V.
Lawson, Jr., has in his possession a large box of these old
papers saved all his life by Jacob Cook Fleming. He did not
smoke but did drink tea and coffee. He wore a beard under
his chin, but shaved his face once a week, on Sunday morn-
ing. He wore boots, long trousers, a swallow tail coat,
with long tail and narrow at the waist, not coming together
at the fiont; also wore a high hat. His vest was long and
buttoned up to the collar. His clothes were black or brown;
wore a white shirt which had a turn over collar made on it,
with which he wore an immense stock, or often wore a black
kerchief twice around his neck. For every day use he often
wore a gingham tie. We almost think Longfellow had him in
mind when he wrote:
< i
Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.
His hair is crisp and black and long;
His face is like the tan,
His brow is wet with honest sweat
He earns whate'er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face;
For he owes not any man."
His wife, Lucinda wore the same clothes as other people
of the period, a wide bonnet and very wide dresses. She
The Fleming Family. 55
was smaller than her husband and not nearly so tall. Jacob
Cook Fleming owned his own house, which was two story,
and his own shop. They were both on the Salmon Creek,
which runs through the village. The home which he later
owned so many years on the Jersey street, was two
story and basement, with Salmon Creek crossing the back
corner of the lot. In the old Cole house first owned, there
was a well in the wood shed with a windlass, and old ' 'oaken
bucket", with a good curb around it, to keep people from
falling into the well. In religion, Jacob Cook Fleming was a
Universalist, a society with no meeting house in the village;
and a minister of this denomination only visited the village a
few times each season. His wife Lucinda was a Methodist,
which sect was regularly represented by a minister and the only
church in the village. She attended that church very regular-
ly every Sunday, and all the children attended the Methodist
Church and Sunday School. The record of the church
show that she became a member in i860. It reads as follow:
"Lucinda Fleming, baptised November 4th, i860". The
cooking was done in a great fireplace built in the end of the
kitchen. Stoves had not come into use a half a century back.
They had the first iron stove about 1845. The fireplace was
made of stone and brick with big flat stones for the hearth.
There were andirons to put long sticks of wood on, and the
spacious old colonial fireplace would take in cordwood length,
and a big yule log. Kettles were hung on cranes which
swung over the fire. The only fire in the house was in the
spacious fireplace. The bread and other things were baked
once a week in the great brick oven erected beside and as
part of the fireplace. A hot fire was made within the oven,
which was raked out and the oven cleaned, then the food
placed within the heated oven. They also baked biscuit
and smaller amounts of cooking in a tin oven on legs, pushed
against the fire; and the bread, biscuit or pies were frequently
turned about to bake even. Beans and other cooking was
often done in a kettle sitting in the coals in the fireplace
or the coals heaped over the top of the kettle on the
cover. Turkey and roast meats were cooked by hanging
on the crane or hook and basted from a pan held to catch the
dripping.
Lucinda had her spinning wheel, as was the custom those
days, and cards to prepare the wool for weaving, by
which the thread was made by herself and children. After
the thread was ready it was sent to some weaver in the
56 Family Genealogy.
village who wove it into cloth. In this manner was most of
the cloth obtained for their dresses.
Jacob Cook Fleming held few civic offices. He was
frequently a member of the school committee. The village
of Pultneyville was not incorporated, but was a portion of the
town of Williamson, so there were not many local offices for
one to hold, who had plenty to occupy his time.
He was for many years a brother in the Masonic Lodge of
Freemasons which formerly held its sessions in Pultneyville
and later in Williamson. This lodge was organized at
Pultneyville several years prior to 1812 and the rooms were
rifled in that war by the British sailors. In 185 1 he had
the following certificate:
"Pultneyville, May 15th, 185 1.
This may certify that our worthy Brother Jacob C.
Fleming is a member of Pultneyville, No. 159 of Free and
Accepted Masons and in good and regular standing, in said
(square).
Given under a resolution and sealed with the seal of this
lodge this 15th day of May, A. L. 5851.
JOHN P. BENNETT,
(Seal) Stephen Vaughn, W. M. Secretary.
Andrew Cornwall, S, W.
Henry Ward Jr., I. D.
In the militia company of town of Williamson, he was a
member and elected captain and was known as Captain Jacob
Cook Fleming. Clarissa Harvey, his daughter, has in her
possession in Menasha, Wis., part of the uniform which he
wore, and the author has * in his possession the following
interesting documents:
Capt. Jacob C. Fleming, State of New York Regimental
Orders:
Pursuant to the 10th Chap, of part first of the Revised
Statute of this State, I do hereby order an election to be held
to fill the office of Lieutenant and Ensign in the 242 Regi-
ment and 24th Brigade and 22d Division of the militia of this
State which has become vacant by the removal of the late
incomants. The time and place of holding said election will
without delay be appointed by Captain Jacob Cook Fleming
who will cause the proper notice for the same to be duly
The Fleming Family. 57
served on members of the company under your command.
Dated at Williamson, this 23rd day of May, 1840.
JOHN COTTREL,
Colonel and commanding officer of the 2/^26. Regiment.
And will preside at said election.
Endorsed: Captain Jacob C. Fleming, Pultneyville, J.
Cottrel, Military."
Roster of Company under Captain Fleming. Copy of the
Roll in possession of P. V. Lawson, Jr., Menasha, Wis.
"Roll of the Company of Infantry in 242d Regiment, 24th
Brigade and 2 2d division of the Military of the State of New
York under command of Captain J. C. Fleming, corrected
September 4th, 1840. [Williamson, Wayne County, N. Y.]
Captain Jacob C. Fleming, Lieutenant Remneton Hingent,
Ensign Barnebas B. Addams, Fifer John Peer, Drummers
Vernum Lewis, Benjamin Gille, Lewis French, Sargents
Allen D. Clappel, Abijah White, William Niles,Isral Springer,
Corporels Lyman A. Reeves, William Hogland, John Lewis,
Martomen Nelson."
Here follow names of one hundred and one privates.
This company often drilled and marched on the public
streets at Pultneyville; Miss Clarissa Fleming remembers see-
ing them; and all the people turned out to see them. The
drill was one of the events of the village green.
Captain Fleming was an interesting correspondent. He
wrote to his parents, and brothers and sisters and children
regularly, and kept up a correspondence with all his old
acquaintances and his cousins and other relatives. He kept
memoranda of dates of writing and of letters received. The
author has some of these memoranda of addresses.
Jacob Cook Fleming, at intervals, visited his people in New
Jersey. Once when he returned, he brought his daughter
Elizabeth a white dress, which some of his sisters had sent
to her. At another time he brought her a gold ring which
his sister Eleanor had sent to her. John Fleming, of Read-
ington, says Jacob visited New Jersey the last time in 1849.
His brothers often visited him. Abbott Fleming came there
on his way out west on his wedding trip, and subsequently
when making his journeys back to his eastern home from
Indiana, he usually called on his brother Jacob. He
traveled in a canvas covered wagon, since called prairie
schooner." Once when he came to Pultneyville in this man-
a
58 Family Genealogy.
ner, Jacob's little son, John Wesley, was frightened at Elder
Abbott and his big wagon, and ran and hid himself. Jacob's
brother Thomas followed him into New York in 1829, and
remained, having his wagon shop in several places, and finally
settled in Sodus, having married a sister to Jacob's wife.
Tylee came out about the same time, following his trade of
blacksmith in several towns about the section of the country
where Jacob lived; and finally married in Pultneyville. Jacob
Fleming was a strong, healthy vigorous man, knew little of
sickness, and perhaps never had a doctor call on him. He
met with his death by a frightful accident. He was assist-
ing in the moving of a building which was on rollers,
going up a slight incline, when the rope gave way, allowing it
to roll back. His toes caught beneath the rollers, crushing
his limbs, from the shock of which he died. He was buried
in the beautiful cemetery, on the bank of Lake Ontario, which
adjoins the ancient orchard of Deacon Abram Peper. His
grave is marked by a white marble stone in the family plat,
about the center of Lake View cemetery, in Pultneyville Vil-
lage, New York, bearing this inscription cut into marble:
v^Jacob C. Fleming, died May 2, 1873, aged 72 years, 2
months and 2 days." This beautiful cemetery, on the pleas-
ant restful shores of Ontario, is very old, possibly established
a century ago.
In this quiet, green country cemetery, rest the Flemings,
Lawsons, Pepers, DeKruyfts and many of their relations
and descendants. Handsome trees and flowers decorate
and shade this beautiful resting place, and tasteful rich
monuments mark the graves.
,, Beneath these rugged elms, that yew tree's shade,
Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap,
Each in his narrow cell forever laid,
The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep."
The genealogy of the family as made up by Jacob Cook
Fleming, is on a card in a glass covered frame in posession
of Joanna Fleming, at Pultneyville, New York, their old home.
It reads as follows.
-Jacob Cook Fleming, birth January 31, 1802. Died May
2, 1874.
Lucinda Baird, birth February 27, 1809.
Elizabeth Fleming, birth September 22, 1830.
William Fleming, birth October 2, 1832. Died October
23, 1863.
The Fleming Family. 59
'Clarisy Fleming, birth April 13, 1834.
Joanna Fleming, birth February 5, 1837.
/John Wesley Fleming, birth March 13, 1839. Died April
19, 1849.
On the back of the card is written "Jacob Cook Fleming,
married to Lucinda 'Baird, September 8," no year given.
Lucinda Baird, his wife, was born February 27, (the church
record says May 5) 1809, we suppose, in township Victor,
in Monroe County, New York, while her parents resided on
a farm. She was the third child of Olive Southwood (pro-
nounced Southard) Baird and IsaaciBaird. He was born in
Scotland. She was the oldest child of seven, and was born
in New York State. Her parents were Doctor'Southwood
and Anna -'Wyman, both natives of Scotland. Clara A.
Teetor reports, that her grandmother, who was a sister, says
that Lucinda also had a middle-name, and that her whole
name was Lucinda Manville Baird. But she never made
use of the second name. The church she followed all her life
was the Methodist. The following letter of the present pastor
shows her union with the church:
<<i
Rev. J. J. Edwards, Pastor M. E. Church.
Pultneyville, N. Y. , February 19, 1900.
Mr. P. V. Lawson, Menasha, Wis.
Dear Sir: The following is all I can find on the records:
Clarissa Fleming received November 3rd, 1850, by probation
by D. Grandine, Class Leader. Married September 26,
1852, to D. T. Grandine, by O. Trowbridge.
Lucinda Fleming, baptised November 4, i860, (born May
5, 1809) officiating minister Wm. Potter, and witnesses to
baptism J. H. Potter and Mary Powers.
Yours truly,
J. J. EDWARDS."
< <r
The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pultneyville
apparently had a nominal existence prior to 1830, for in 1833
there was a record of a parsonage being purchased. It is
known that an edifice was erected in 1825, by the Union
Church society which was independent of general church
government; but which contributed the use of the church
to any Christian denomination. The same building, since
remodeled and raised, was known as Gates Public Hall. This
house was used for more than a generation and was main-
tained by disposing of the pews on subscription. The first
60 Family Genealogy.
settled pastor was Rev. E. H. Crammer in 1851-1852." (He
was there prior to this, for he married mother and father on
September 20. 1850).
Grandmother Fleming and all her children went to
this church, when it was in Gates Hall, as now called.
The old Gates Hall handsomely remodeled and painted white
still stands among the tall maple trees in the village. It was
called Gates Hall from a Mrs. Gates who gave $1,000
to its building. Grandmother Lucinda Fleming was a
fair sized woman, about five feet, eight inches tall, black
hair and blue eyes. She was industrious and saving; made
the most of her opportunities and was always pleasant and
jovial and enjoyed a joke and a hearty laugh. She lived six-
teen years after the death of her husband and died at 81
years of age, December 1st. 1890, in the present Fleming
house on Jersey street in Pultneyville. Before her death she
suffered with a painful sore on her face below the right eye.
She was buried beside her husband and little child John Wes-
ley, in the Lake View cemetery, where is erected to her mem-
ory a handsome white marble monument on which is cut this
inscription:
J Lucinda, wife of Jacob Cook Fleming, Died December
1st, 1890, aged 81 years, 9 months and 4 days.
In my Father's house are many mansions."
Of the five children of Jacob Cook Fleming and Lucinda
Baird Fleming, his wife, John'/Wesley Fleming was the
youngest. He was born in 1839. He was a bright, pretty
little boy. When Thomas Fleming was building his wagon
shop on Jersey street, where Mr. Palister lives now, little
John Wesle}r was one day playing about the new work, and
was fatally injured by the accidental fall of a piece of tim-
ber; he died soon after, on the 19th of April. 1849. He
lies buried with his father and mother in Lake View
cemetery. A white marble monument marks his grave
on which is inscribed: "John Wesley, son of (Jfrw^) Cook
and Lucinda Fleming, died April 19, 1849, aged 10 years,
1 month and 7 days."
! William Fleming, son of Jacob Cook Fleming and Lucinda
Baird Fleming, was born in Pultneyville in the house on Jer-
sey street, on October 2nd, 1832. He attended the
village school, opposite Gates Hall, and enjoyed all the sports
of youth. He became a promising student and a great
reader. He was a tall, manly man. The location of the
village was on the shore of the lake. Its people were
The Fleming Family. 61
largely engaged in boating; many of its inhabitants become
sailors. Early training led young William into the life of
a sailor on the lakes. He soon became proficient
in the profession and rapidly advanced to the different
commands until he was made Captain of the ship. He
sailed the lakes for a number of years. One ship he com-
manded was the Emblem" of 167 tons burden. I do
not know the name of the others. Joanna, his sister,
now living in Pultneyville, has his Captain's license
given by the Government officials. One fatal day
his ship was in a great storm on the lake and was
never heard of afterward. It went down in Lake Ontario
with all on board. This was on October 23rd, 1863.
' I gaze far over the quiet sea,
Rosy with sunset like mellow wine,
Where ships like lilies lie tranquilly,
Many and fair, — but I see not mine,
And still with a patience that is not hope,
For vain and empty it long has been,
I sit on the rough shores rocky slope,
And watch to see if my ship comes in."
Allen.
Joanna 'Fleming, fourth child of Jacob Cook Fleming and
Lucinda Baird Fleming was born in Sodus during the interval
of the residence of her parents there. She received a com-
mon school education in company with her brothers and sis-
ters in the school opposite the Gates Hall. She always lived
at home with her parents and was the constant companion of
her widowed mother until her death. She still resides in the
Fleming home in pultneyville, where she spends much time
in reading. She enjoys the newspapers. She takes delight in
raising chickens and has several cats to which she has given
names.
^Clarissa Fleming, third child of Jacob Cook Fleming and
Lucinda Fleming, was born In Pultneyville, N. Y. in the
house on Jersey street, April 13, 1834. She enjoyed the
sports of the girls of the period and attended school in the
village schoolhouse opposite the Gates Hall. She was mar-
ried to Daniel Throckmorton Grandine of Williamson town-
ship, in the Methodist church at Pultneyville, Wayne County,
N. Y., September 26, 1852, when she was eighteen years of
age. The Grandines were a New Jersey family who resided
62 Family Genealogy.
in Monmouth and Hunterdon Counties, near the Flemings;
and many of them are buried in Bethlehem Church old walled
cemetery where they have handsome monuments. Daniel T.
Grandine was a farmer in Williamson. His cousin, Egbert
S. Grandine, was once a publisher of the Wayne Sentinel and
during that time published the "Book of Mormoni!!_for the
Smiths who claimed to have found the tablets, livednear there.
His~laTh^r~caTneTo W TTaniePf.
Grandine, Sr., was supervisor of Williamson, 1845 an<^
County Coroner in 185 1-4- 7. /'Daniel T. Grandine, Jr.
enlisted in the Illth Infantry Co. D, N. Y., August 20, 1862
in the Civil War. He was taken prisoner and kept at Lynch-
burg, Va. for a time, then removed to Andersonville and died
there June 28th, 1864 of starvation and exposure" (Military
History of Wayne Connty).
The genealogy of the Grandine family is as follows:
1. Daniel Grandineof Freehold, Monmouth County, N. J.,
born 1695, died October 26, 1739, and Mary Grandine, had
born two children and twins.
2. Daniel Grandine, their son, born Freehold n May,
1723, married Sarah Throckmorton, daughter of Job and
Francis Throckmorton, bornin Freehold, N. J., November 1st,
1 72 1, married in 1740, had four sons and three daughters,
died November, 1790,
3. William Grandine, son (2). above, born Freehold,
Monday 4, May 1751, married Ame Lewis, born Shrewsbury,
Monmouth County, N. J, 7th of May, 1764. Married nth
March 1, 1 783, had six girls, four boys. William died at Pult-
neyville, 6th June, 1813, aged 62, his wife Ame Lewis Grand-
ine died, Pultneyville, August 4th, 1853, aged 89 years, 3
months. Their son Daniel Grandine is No. 4.
4. Daniel Grandine was born in Freehold, N. J., 17th
August, 1787, married Anne Lewis, daughter of Joseph and
Rhoda Lewis, born in Howelton, Monmouth County, N. J.,
November 15, 1793, married on March 8, 181 2 in William-
son, Wayne County, N. Y.,by Rev. Davenport Phelps. They
had ten children, one of whom was (5) Daniel Throckmorton
Grandine, who married Clarissa Fleming our "Aunt Clara."
Clarissa, now resides at Menasha, Wis., and her daughter
Ame lives with her. Ame Alide Grandine, her daughter, was
born in Pultneyville, Wayne County, N. Y., Feb. 21, 1858.
She came to Menasha with her mother, with whom she has
always lived. For a number of years she has taught school
The Fleming Family. 63
in the different graded schools in Menasha and is now in
charge of the Kindergarten department in the Third ward or
Island school.
Joseph D. W. Grandine, youngest child of Clarissa Grandine
and Daniel T. Grandine, was born in Pultneyville, Wayne
County, N. Y. , November 14, i860. He came to Menasha
with his mother. His wife, Elizabeth Longworth was born
in Marinette, Marinette County, Wis., December 21, i860.
They were married in Harrison town, Calumet County, Wis.,
December 21, 1882. They lived on a farm in town Wood-
ville, Calumet County, Wis., from 1885 until they moved to
Crandon, Taylor County, in 1002. He was engaged in mak-
ing butter, operating a dairy and stock farm. In 1899
he also had a creamery at Hilbert, and at another time he had
an interest in one in Woodville. He has always been a
strong republican and taken an active interest in local affairs.
He is a very large man and stands six feet, four inches tall.
Their children are:
Clara Elizabeth Grandine, born Harrison, Calumet County,
Wis., December 19. 1883. Daniel Throckmorton Grandine,
born Woodville, Calumet County, Wis., Januar}^ 14, 1886.
Lester David Grandine born December 25, 1890, in town
Woodville, Calumet County, Wis. Eleanor Hannah Grand-
ine, born same place March 2, 1892. Rachel Grandine, born
same place January 5, 1896.
After the Civil War, about 1869, Clarissa Flem-
ing Grandine moved to Menasha, Wis. with her two children,
Joseph D. W. Grandine and Ame A. Crandine. In February 20,
1877, sne married to Henry Harvey, a veteran of the Civil
War. They resided on a farm in Sherwood, Calumet County,
Wis. : then in Green Bay, Wis. and finally at Menasha, where
Mr. Harvey died 1889. He was in U. S. train mail service
and had a farm in Calumet County. There were no children
by this union.
In 1890 The Congress of United States at Washington,
passed a special law, signed by Grover Cleveland, President,
granting Clarissa Harvey a pension of $12 a month for life.
The life of Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob Cook Fleming and
Lucinda Baird Fleming his wife will be found with that of
her husband Publius V. Lawson, Sr.
64 Family Genealogy.
MALCOLM FLEMING OF PATTENBURG.
Malcolm Fleming, son of Andrew and Rebecca Paterson
Fleming of Bethlehem, was born February nth, 1775, on the
authority of Bethlehem church records, where he was baptised
and also his family bible. He was born we suppose at the
farmhouse of his parents in town of Bethlehem, Hunterdon
County, New Jersey, and he lived there all his life, either
near the old home or perhaps in it. His postoffice was
always Pattenburg, now in town of Union, Hunterdon County,
three or four miles west of Bethlehem Church; and in
township of Bethlehem until Union was cut out of it in 1853,
several years after his death. He received a common school
education with his brothers and sisters in the neighborhood
schools. He was a farmer all his life. He did not live far
from his brother William; perhaps not more than three miles
north of him. In September 29, 1797, he was married to
Sarah Rounsaval. She was born April 3, 1780 and died
March 18th, 1847, at 67 years of age. He died May 27th,
at 72 years of age, the same year 1847. They are buried at
Mount Pleasants. The Malcolm Fleming family bible records
as follows:
"Malcolm Fleming, born February 11, 1775; died May 27,
1847. Married Sarah Rounsaval September 29, 1797. She
was born April 3, 1780; died March 18, 1847. Their child-
ren:
Andrew, born March 23, 1709; died August 21, 1819.
Mary, born June 12, 1801; (died June 22, 1887.)
Freegif t R. , born August 12,1 803 ; (died at 89 years of age. )
Malcolm, born December 27, 1805; died March 31, 1808.
Sarah, born February 15, 1808; (died March 17, 1892.)
William, born May 14, 18 10.
Rebecca, born July 6, 181 2. (Married Brink Harford.
have 2 children.)
Richard, born May 23, 1814; (died October 14, 1886.)
Aramina, born August 10, 181 6; (died September 22, 1898.)
Eleanor, born May 21, 1819; died January 5, 1850.
(Married Fitzharris. )
David B., born July 15, 1821.
Mary Fleming: I know from her letters in my possession,
that she obtained in youth a fair education, probably in the
old school house at Bethlehem Church. At eighteen years of
age, on January 15th, 1828, she was united in marriage to
The Fleming Family. 65
Benjamin Rittenhouse. This is the record in the family
bible of Malcolm Fleming. The author understands that
Benjamin Rittenhouse was a descendant of William Ritten-
house, the Mennonite preacher, born in Broich, Hol-
land, in 1644, and died in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1708. With
his sons and daughters he came to Germantown, Pa.,
from Amsterdam, Holland in 1687-8. His ancestors had
been paper makers in Arnheim, Holland, and he built in 1690
the first paper mill in America. David Rittenhouse, his
grandson, the celebrated inventor, mathematican and astrono-
mer, was born in Roxborough, Pa., April 8th, 1732 and died in
Philadelphia, June 26th, 1796. His life is very entertaining
and interesting. He established the first part of Mason and
Dixon line, made clocks and astronomical implements.
Thomas Jefferson said of him: "we suppose Mr. Rittenhouse
second to no astronomer living, that in genius he must be first
because he is self taught," (Appleton's Cyclopedia of Am.
Biog. )
In another part of this history it will be noticed that Eleanor
a daughter of William Fleming, Jr., married Newton B.
Rittenhouse, who was a descendant of David Rittenhouse, the
astronomer, and that Cora Fleming married a Rittenhouse.
About 1824, Benjamin and Mary Rittenhouse moved from
their farm home in the "Barrens," in Hunterdon County,
N. J. to Tompkins County, N. Y. on a farm. They took
with them their two little children, William, three years old,
and Sarah, one year old. Their postofnce address was
Jacksonville, Tompkins County, New York, township of
Ulysses, at the south end of Cayuga Lake. The following
joint letter was written from there August 14, 1826:
< <!
Dear Father and mother, friends and relatives: I still
like these parts of the country much better than I did there,
although we have nothing but a little home and Benjamin works
out by days work. He gets as much work as he can do.
He gets $1.00 per day for harvest, 75 cents for mowing and
50 cents for other work.
We have not got our house done, but expect that we shall
soon.
I want to know how all our old neighbors are coming on
and who you have for Preachers this year. How is Abram
Housel and where does he live? How is father [William]
Rittenhonse and why don't he send us any letter. I want to
see you all but cannot go out there yet. Freegift Fleming
66 Family Genealogy.
talks of coming out there next fall with Isaac Rounsaval and
if he does I wish you would send me some dried cherries as
there are none here. There are no peaches this year; but
apples are plenty. I think father [Malcolm] might come
and see us. We have one cow, ten sheep, five hogs. I want
to know where you direct your letters for Jacob Fleming, for
the letters that were received from him did not tell where to
direct our letters, which is the reason we have not sent any to
him. So no more, but remember affectionate children until
death. To Mecham and Sarah Fleming.
Signed, Benjamin and Mary Rittenhouse.
It will be noticed that the use of the nickname Mecham
was common in the family and it still remains among those
who knew him. Margaret, wife of Andrew Fleming of Read-
ington calls him Mecham" to this day.
On the 21st April, 1827, Benjamin wrote the following let-
ter from Jacksonville, N. Y. :
"Dear Friends: You wanted to know where Amos was.
We have not heard from him since he left our house about
the time Father Fleming (Malcolm) was here. He then
talked of going to Geneva and staying there until the boats
started for New York and go along with them. Uncle James
Rittenhouse went away from here about a week ago, he had
about $60 in money and says he has $100 coming. He was
sick two or three days since he has been here. He said he
had a good deal of trouble on the road as the water was high.
I have been out looking for land, and found some about
twenty-five miles from here; suits me. I expect to buy in the
fall. I have two cows, and a yoke of cattle, my lot paid for
and a deed for it, some sheep and hogs and a little grain in
the ground.
To Father Rittenhouse and family.
Signed, Benjamin Rittenhouse."
March 30th, 1829, Benjamin writes from Jacksonville,
We still live on our lot" and Mary his wife writes in
the same letter: "There is a meeting house built about half
a mile from here and they have had considerable of a revival
in religion this winter.
)f
The Fleming Family. 67
In 1872 they both wrote from Trumbull's Corners, N. Y.
to Jacob Cook Fleming at Pultneyville, N. Y., the following
letter:
Trumbull's Corners, N. Y., Town Newfield,
Tompkins County, April 14, 1872.
"Do you know of Wm. Fleming, my wife's brother. We
sent your address to Freegift. Ours is at the head of this
letter. Our boys are all married and got families and scat-
tered, two in this state, and one in Pennsylvania, one Iowa.
Our youngest daughter lives with us, the only one living. I
know but little about Freegift's folks. I believe his address
is Leroy Pit, Bradford County, Pa. One of Freegift's boys
married our granddaughter. They have four children. They
live near us on a place I sold him three or four years ago.
Signed, Benjamin Rittenhouse.
Mary Rittenhouse.
Benjamin Rittenhouse died April 27, 1880, at about 80
years of age. His wife Mary Rittenhouse died seven years
later, the 22nd of June, 1887 at the age of 86 years, 10 days.
There were born to them nine children as follows: fi) Wil-
liam A., born Sept. 10, 182 1 in Hunterdon County, N. J., he
married Harriet Beardsley, May 3, 1848 and had six children.
He died 1870. (2) Sarah born September 1st, 1823 in
Hunterdon County, N. J., died April 10, 1850. (3) Silas J., born
October 7, 1825 in Tompkins County, N. Y., died October
7, 1826. (4) Elizabeth, born September 1st, 1827, married
George Holly, July 6, 1842, and died July 6, 1847. Had two
children. Mary E., daughter of George Holly and Elizabeth
Rittenhouse, wasborn August 1, 1844, married February 24, i860
to her cousin William L. Fleming, son of Freegift Fleming, who
was born March 6, 1836. Have had seven children. Six
living. Charles, born December 10, 186 1. Amasa, February
22, 1864. Levi, May 12, 1866. Rosetta, June 8, 1869.
William born 1879. Edson born 1886. Mary, March 19,
1878. The latter died at six years old. All married except
Edson. He lives in Bradford County, Pa. (5). Malcolm
F., born September 18, 1830, died October 2, 1830. (6).
David, born Dec. 5, 183 1, married Mary Jane Drake, and
died September 23, 1872. They had six children. David
was a Methodist preacher. He died in Tompkins County,
N. Y. (7). James born March 21st., 1834, married Cas-
sandra Congdon, had six children. (8)., Rebecca born
68 Family Genealogy.
June 9, 1836, unmarried, died June 16, 1897. (9). Amos
born November 21, 1838; have no children.
Freegift R. Fleming, third son of Malcolm Fleming and
Sarah Rounsaval, his wife, of Pattenburg, N. J., was born
August 12, 1803 in the western part of township of Bethle-
hem in Hunterdon County, N. J. He resided there with his
parents, went to the common schools and obtained an educa-
tion and remained in that section until of age. After this he
was employed on farms and at boating on the Hudson river
and Erie Canal. He often visited his sister Mary Ritten-
house at Jacksonville, N. Y., and worked in that neighbor-
hood on farms. In 1826 he was at his sister's at Jacksonville,
N. Y., and writes his cousin, Andrew Fleming, that he had
been ' boating, and have been 700 miles on water." At this
time he had a horse at home named ' 'Tilly" and sends word
to feed her well." He went by the nic-name of "Dickie."
He writes his father: I want to see the children, tell them
they must be good children." His sister Sarah, also at the
same place, says in her letter home, of Freegift; that "he had
gone to Ithaca to see his girl. He is going boating soon as
the canal is open." This was April 21, 1827. Mary Ritten-
house, his sister, in writing home March 30, 1829, says:
"Freegift was married last December to Matilda Mix. He
has hired out for six months for $60. Freegift's father-in-law
lives near here," by which we suppose Mr. Mix, her father,
resided in same township, Ulysses in Tompkins County, N.
Y. Freegift R. Fleming was married on the nth of January,
1829, not "December", as stated by his sister. His wife's
name was Matilda Mary Mix. Her parents were from Ver-
mont where she was born on December 13, 181 1, and was
eighteen years of age when married and Freegift Richard
Fleming, her husband, was twenty-six.
After they married he purchased a farm at Le Roy Pit in
Bradford County, Pa. This place is a post village and town-
ship of about 1,500 population in northeast part of Pennsyl-
vania, near N. Y. line. Towanda, population 80,000 is
shiretown of the County. His son, David B. Fleming owns
and lives on the farm owned by Freegift where he lived and
died October 8, 1892 at Le Roy. His wife survived him five
years and died October 9, 1897. There were born to them eleven
children as follows:
(1). Asenath Ann, born September n, 1829, married
November 26, 1848, M. T. Shoemaker, lives at Windfall, Pa.
2 he Fleming Family. 69
(2). Joseph Malcolm, born December 19, 1831, married
Joanna Fenton, April 19, 1852, died 1890.
(3). Rebecca M., born October 15, 1833, married March
7, 1852, Philander Foster.
(4). William L., born March 6, 1836, married Mary E.
Holly (his cousin), Feb. 24, i860. Reside, Grover, Pa.
(5). Mary E., born March 5, 1838, married William May,
July 2, 1855.
(6). Charlotte, born October 19, 1840, married William
Mores, October 5, 1859.
(7). Alden M., born April 19, 1842, married Susan Hen-
son, September 10, 1865.
(8). Francis E., born July 3, 1844, married Melissa
Corby, Dec. 10, 1863.
(9). Julia Delphins, born October 31, 1847, married
George Crofutt, December 17, 1863.
(10). David B., born March 13, 1849, married Mary
Cogansparger, fall of 1876.
(11). Asa L., born April 21, 185 1. Invalid in bed over
40 years. Spinal trouble. Lives with Charlotte.
Ten of these children are living (1902) in Bradford County,
Pa. Joseph, William, Alden and Frank were in the civil war,
as also were William May, Philander Foster, Wm. Mores,
George Crofutt, sons-in-law. William Mores was killed and
Philander Foster died in Civil War. All of Malcolm's child-
ren are dead, and ten of his son Freegift are living in 1902.
Joseph Malcolm is dead,
In October 18 1902, the descendants of Freegift R. Flem-
ing, held a reunion at the residence of Jared Ellis, near Gro-
ver, Bradford County, Pa. All of Freegift R. Fleming's
children except Joseph M., who is dead, live in Bradford
County, Pa. There were present at the reunion eight of the
ten children. Mary and husband, William L. and wife?
Alden and wife, Charlotte and husband, Francis and wife,
Julia D., and husband, David B., and Asa L., who lives with
Charlotte. There were also present fifteen grandchildren, and
sixteen great-grandchildren, and some descendants of Mary
Rittenhouse, making 57 in all.
Asenath Ann Fleming, daughter of Freegift R. Fleming
and Matilda M. Mix was married to Malachi Treat Shoe-
maker, Nov. 26, 1848. He is in 1902, 82 years of age.
They live at Windfall, Pa. Their children: 1. Henrietta,
wife to O. S. Roby, merchant. 2. Kate, wife to James
7o Family Genealogy.
Hafton, farmer. 3. Lalor, wife to J. M. Jones, merchant.
4. Amasa, salesman. 5. Cecil, merchant. 6. Anna, mar-
ried to A. J. Rathbun, merchant. They have two boys
aged six and eight years. 7. Charles, farmer. These are
all in Bradford County, Pa.
Sarah Fleming, daughter of Malcolm and Sarah Fleming,
of Pattenburg, N. J., was born there on February 15, 1808
and died March 17th, 1892, at Lisle, New York. When a
young lady she followed her sister, Mary Rittenhouse, into
New York State. I have some letters written by her in April,
1829, post marked Jacksonville, N. Y., the same address as
her sister Mary. Sarah Fleming was married to David Under-
wood, we suppose near Ithaca, in Thompkins County, New
York State. He was born September 8, 1805 in Green,
N. Y., and died November 25, 1884 at home of his
daughter, Mary Jane in Centre Lisle, N. Y. Their children:
(1) Malcolm Underwood, born April 6, 1833 in Cadwell
Settlement, in town Lisle, Broom County, N. Y., married
Polly Allen, who was born May 16, 1825 in town Barker,
N. Y. They were married in Binghamton, Broom County,
N. Y., September 2, 1858. He died at Whitney's Point,
Broom County, N. Y., September 8, 1894. Their only son,
Frank H. Underwood is a farmer in Upper Lisle, Broom
County, N. Y., born in Barker, N. Y., December 5, 1867.
He married December 5, 1900, Lydia H. Thurston at her
home in Upper Lisle, N. Y.
(2) Abigail, who was born July 15, 1827, died at four
and a half years of age. Was born and died near Centre
Lisle, N. Y.
(3) Richard G. Underwood, now of Centre Lisle, Broom
County, N. Y. , occupation a farmer, was born in Cadwell
settlement, town of Lisle, Broom County, N. Y., August 3,
1843, and was married to Julia Searls at Bainbridge, Che-
nango County, N. Y., August 24, 1869. Their children: (a)
Delia Rene Underwood, born January 23, 187 1 in Centre
Lisle, Broom County, N. Y. and married 1897, James B.
Williams in Bainbridge, Chenango County, N. Y. He was a
merchant of Bainbridge, his present address. They have
one child, Helen May Williams, (b) Nellie May, born
January 11, 1873, at Centre Lisle, N. Y., married February
5, 1903 to Wallace Japhet. (c) Frederick, was born
March 23, 1876 at Centre Lisle, N. Y., lives at home, (d)
Homer, born April 17, 1882 at Centre Lisle, N. Y. Lives
The Fleming Family. ji
at home, (e) Maude Amy, born in McDonough, Chenango
Co., N. Y., January 7, 1886, resides at home, (f) Sarah,
born in Centre Lisle, N. Y. , died in Hanticooke, Broom
County, N. Y. (g) Herbert was born and died in Hanti-
cooke, N. Y.
(4) David Underwood who died at forty-two, unmar-
ried, was born in town Lisle, N. Y. , June 12, 1850, and died
in Centre Lisle, N. Y., 1892.
(5) Mary Jane Underwood, born February 20, 1853 in
Broom County, N. Y., married July 5, 1875 to Joseph W.
Babcock, at Motts Corners, N. Y. He is a carpenter, and
their home is Centre Lisle, New York. He was born in
Harperfield Corner, Delaware County, N. Y. , March 10, 1847.
Their only child, Fannie Louise, born August 20, 1876 at
Centre Lisle, N. Y., resides at home.
Richard Fleming, eighth child of Malcolm and Sarah
Fleming of Pattenburg, was born May 23, 18 14, and died
October 14, 1886. He was married, and by this union
there were seven children. His widow is now living with
one of her daughters, and is eighty-six years of age. Her
children: David, Margaret, William, John, Thomas, Eliza-
beth and Godfrey, who was a soldier in the Rebellion.
Twenty years ago he lived near Readington, N. J., but moved
away. He died a few days ago. Had no children.
Arramina (nick name Minor), ninth child of Malcolm and
Sarah Fleming, was born August 10, 18 16 and died Septem-
ber 22, 1898. She was married to Jonas Girard, November
5, 1837, and lived at West Liberty, Ohio. Had three child-
ren:
1. Mary was a second wife to Adam Hanger and had one
son, who died a few years ago. 2. Sarah married Henry
Hanger, a son of her sister's husband, Adam Hanger. She
is dead. Had four children: One was Carrie, who married
Scarborough and had three children: (a) Edna married
Mr. Circle and had one child, now dead; (b) Arthur Gar-
field and (c) Mary Leoto who is now eighteen years old.
3. Alexander was a school teacher and married.
David B. Fleming, was born July 15, 182 1, near Patten-
burg, N. Y. He was youngest son of Malcolm and Sarah
Fleming. David B. died April 2, 1900, at seventy-nine years
of age. His first wife, Mary Pettinger, died January 21,
72 Family Genealogy.
1864. His second wife is still living at Patterson, Hunter-
don County, N. J. Children: 1. Sarah E., 2. Jonas
Malcolm Fleming, who resides near Bethlehem church in
town Union, Hunterdon County, N. J. He was born
March 15, 1848. Has nine children: (a) Emma E., (b)
Anna J., (c) Daniel L., (d) Frederick L. , (e) Lena B.,
(f) Mary E., (g) Valera, (h) Lucy, 2. Mildred is dead.
3. George W., 4. Rebecca, 5. Mary E., 6. Jacob P.,
7. Armi M., 8. David F., 9. " William.
David B. Fleming married second in 1864. By this second
marriage were eight children: 10. John, 11. Emma, 12,
Violet, 13. Theodore, 14. Kate, 15. Bessie, 16. Carrie,
17. Delia.
ELEANOR FLEMING.
Eleanor Fleming, oldest child of William Fleming and
Elizabeth (Cook) Flemingof Oxford Furnace, Warren County,
was born at her father's farmhouse near Oxford Furnace,
23rd March, 1800. She attended school in the neighbor-
hood with her brothers and sisters where she learned to read
and write, and was well educated for the countryside, could
write nice letters and her hand writing was legible well
formed and pretty. As she grew to womanhood she devel-
oped a specially lovable, kind and endearing disposition and
was always a great favorite with her brothers and sisters,
who mention her with the greatest love and respect. In May
13, 1823, she united with the Presbyterian Church at Hazen,
west of the village of Oxford Furnace. Like all of her broth-
ers and sisters, she had a trade which was that of "weaver".
In those days before the power loom* and great cloth mills
were developed, every community had its "weaver" to make
the cloth for the clothing of the neighborhood. It was the
day of the hand card and spinning wheel, little known now
except as a curiosity; but then a part of the industry of every
household. The wool was grown on the backs of the hill-
side sheep, and washed on their backs in the creek, and after
being clipped it was carded and spun in the warm kitchen by
the glow of the logs in the great fireplace, and when the
thread was ready it was sent to the "weaver", a more skillful
person who kept her handloom against the kitchen wall and
there wove the web and woof into heavy, warm, hon-
est woolen cloth to clothe the generations of a century past
or even a half a century ago.
The Fleming Family. 73
In 1824 she moved with her parents into the Barrens" of
Alexandria township in Hunterdon County. Here in the
same year, June 12, she joined the Mount Pleasant Presby-
terian Church, a few miles from their home, by letter, Hollo-
way W. Hunt, pastor. She followed her trade of weaving and
July 1827 and in 1829 we have letters addressed to her at
Frenchtown on the Delaware river, about eight miles south
of the family home in the "Barrens", where with her sister
Joanna, who was a milliner, they engaged in their separate
industries. She lived a separate life for many years. We
do not know just how long but Ijohn Fleming thinks until
185 1, when she married a widower, by name of Samuel Mit-
chell, who had a farm in Warren County. No children were
born of this union. Cousin Jane Fleming, of Readington,
has Aunt Ellen's" hymn book Parish Psalmody 1844
Phil", in which is written "Eleanor Fleming book, May 5,
1845."
Her life is dearly remembered in the affection of those
living, who knew her, for her noble, unselfish and religious
character. When she died she was at the home of Marga-
ret Vickery (daughter Joanna Haney) at Potterville in Som-
erset County, N. Y. Margaret took care of her in her last
sickness. When she thought she might die she asked them
to bury her by the side of her husband. But just before her
death her old love for Bethlehem church was too strong, and
her last request was to be buried there, which request was
respected. Pottersville is in Bedminister township, Somer-
set County, N. J., and about twenty miles north-east of
Bethlehem churchyard. In a letter to Abbott Fleming,
announceing her death at their home, Joseph Vickey says:
"She had no disease, but died of old age."
In the old walled cemetery at Bethlehem Church in the
Fleming plat, above her grave, there is a white marble stone
in which is cut this inscription. In memory of Eleanor
Fleming, widow of Samual Mitchell, died May 5, 1878, aged
78 years, I mo, 12 days." All is well."
The stone stands beside those of William and Elizabeth
Fleming, her parents. There are two unmarked graves on
the south side and two on the other side of these stones. The
grave and headstone of Mrs. Joseph Shroap is at foot of the
Fleming plat on the east side.
74 Family Genealogy.
THOMAS FLEMING OF SODUS.
The third child and second son of William Fleming and
Elizabeth (Cook) Fleming of Oxford Furnace, was born
March 19, 1804 in the farm homestead near Oxford Furnace
in Warren County, New Jersey. He attended district school
and learned to read and write and the common branches,
then taught. He doubtless enjoyed the sports of the youth
of that period as well as hunting and fishing. While yet a
youth he began to learn the wheelwright trade, commonly
called wagon making. We suppose he moved with his par-
ents and family into the Barrens,'' in Alexandria township-
N., J., in 1824, but soon after this he was at work in Mans-
field township in Warren County, for he writes his parents in
1825: I am at work at the old place for $6.00 per month.
Uncle Butler received a letter from John (their son) yester-
day, dated April 1, from Onondago, N. Y,." a township in
County of that name of which Syracuse is capital. On the
21st of April, 1827, he writes of his journey into New York
state in a snow and rain storm in a letter addressed to his
father at Perryville in which the starting point is obscurely
written and I think it is (Belvidere) though it appears like
bellindsery. I cannot locate any such place. We left bel-
lindser}^ (Belvidere) on Sunday morning. It rained all day.
On Monday it snowed all the forenoon, and on Wednesday
afternoon we landed at Ithaca, and next morning I came to
Benjamin Rittenhouse. On Saturday morning, I began work
at the low rate of $12.00 per month, everything found,
boarding, washing and mending." He was then at Jackson-
ville postomce, Ulysses township, Tompkins County, N. Y.
probably at some cross roads blacksmith shop making wagons.
He was still there May 19th. In July 22 of same year he
writes: I am at work at my trade in this village, "Ovid,
Seneca County, just north of Jacksonvlle. From some
things in this letter I have thought he learned his trade in
Washington, Warren County, N. J. He was still at Ovid on
September 23, 1827-and Jan. 19, 1828. Very soon after this
he went to Pittsford with Jacob Cook Fleming, his brother,
where he was in September 7th when Jacob was married and
helped to move him to Pultneyville in October 6, 1828, and
then returned to Pittsford, "well and hearty." He writes
his father from Pittsford, Dec. 21, 1828: ' I am yet at my
trade, but business is dull. I was at Jacob's one week ago
and Joseph Shroap lives in the house with him, and I have
The Fleming Farnily. 75
got me a shop there. I expect to go out there about the
first of March and work for myself. I think I can do better
than to work by the month." In May 3rd, 1829, Jacob C.
Fleming writing from Pultneyville to his father says: Thomas
Fleming is here. He started a shop for himself in this vil-
lage." He was still there in July 13th of that year and
March 22, 1830. In December, 1831, he made a visit to
Benjamin Rittenhouse and returned to Pultneyville where he
was January 2, 1832. He was still there in April, 1849, at
which time he built himself a two story shop on Jersey street,
quite an elaborate affair, and must have been quite prosper-
ous. This building is now the residence of Mr. Pallister.
Thus we see he left home at least when he was twenty and at
twenty-two was in New York state, finally settled in business
at Pultneyville by the spring of 1829 where he remained for
many years making wagons, sleighs and buggies, repairing
plows, harrows and drags. Thomas Fleming was married to
Clarissa M. Baird. December 9, 1832 at Marion, Wayne
County, N. Y. Grandma Elizabeth Fleming's bible record,
1834, is wrong, because Andrew's letter to Jacob Cook Flem-
ing, written in 1833 announcing the death of their father adds
in a post script, ' I received your letter of December nth,
(1832) which stated that Thomas was married."
Clarissa Maria Baird was born in Waterloo, N. Y., April
14, 1819. This place is a post village and township and cap-
ital of Seneca County, N. Y., twenty miles west of Auburn,
present population about 6,000. She was sister to Lucinda
Baird, who was wedded four years before to Jacob Cook
Fleming, brother of Thomas. Thus two brothers married
two sisters. The parents of Clarissa Baird were Isaac Baird,
born in Scotland and Olive Baird, born in New York State,
whose parents were Dr. Southwood and his wife, Anna
Wyman, both natives of Scotland. When Thomas and Clar-
issa were married she was thirteen and he was twenty-eight,
or fifteen years older, yet they lived happy and contented
lives together, raised a family of eleven children and she
died at seventy-five and eleven years after her husband who
died at seventy-nine. How long after 1849 he remained at
Pultneyville I cannot say, but I think several years and
moved to Sodus Point about i860. I believe that all their
children were born in Pultneyville, N. Y. At Sodus Point
he carried on the same business, beside had a piece of rich
fruit land, on which was raised berries, peaches and grapes.
He died there June 30, 1883 and she died there in September
76 Family Genealogy.
26, 1894 A few years before her death she related to Miss
Clara A. Teetor, her granddaughter, much family history of
the Bairds and Flemings which was written down and pre-
served by her. Children: 1. Andrew P. Fleming, born
August 28, 1835, resides at Eaton Rapids, Michigan, on a
farm. He was twice married. His first wife was Miss Pro-
cious. By this union there were no children. There were
three girls born of the second marriage; one is named Arte-
misia. 2. William H. H. Fleming, born in Pultneyville,
N. Y., November 28, 1836, died September 7, 1889. Resided
at Allegan, Michigan. He was married. Of this union
there were nine children. His widow said to live in Chicago.
3. Lucinda A. Fleming, born February 22, 1839 at Pultney-
ville, N. Y., died October 14, 1854. 4. Emma M. Fleming,
born February 24, 1839 at Pultneyville, N. Y. She married
Capt. George L. Teetor, January 17, 1861 of Sodus, Wayne
County, N. Y. He died in 1899 at Sodus. She died at
Sodus, September 26, 1901, at eleven in the evening, of
B right's disease, aged sixty-two years. "She suffered con-
derably toward the last, but the end came very peacefully."
There was a beautiful obituary notice in the Rochester "Dem-
ocrat and Chronicle" in which she is mentioned as, ' one of
the best known women in town of Sodus," with account qf
her life and that she, 'was a benefficiary member of the Royal
Templars of Temperance." She was buried in the Rural
cemetery in Sodus. The author enjoyed a brief visit with
her at her home in the summer of 1900. She then lived
alone at home with her daughters. Born of this union were:
(a) Clara^4^_IS£5or» Dorn August 26, 1862 at Sodus, her
present address, (b) Louise N. Teetor, born September 15,
1867 at Sodus. She was married October 6, 1886 to John
D. Stiles. Their one child, Emma Louise, born January 28,
1888, died March 26, 1889. John D. Stiles died March
14, 1889. She resides in Sodus. (c) David F. Teetor,
born June 18, 1876. He is bookkeeper with Myers Paper
House in Rochester. 5. Daniel L. Fleming was born
July 16, 1840 at Pultneyville, N. Y. He was married to
Hannah J. Trewin, Dec. 30, 1864 who was born Sep-
tember 3rd, 1844 at Plymouth, England. He is a grocery
merchant at Glen Ellyn, 111., his present address. They
have one son (a) Alison George Fleming who was born
in Chicago, October 30, 1865. He is a machinist by trade.
He was married to Florence Bell Philo, February 14, 1900,
who was born at Troy, N. Y.f May 25, 1867. His address
ANDREW FLEMING,
Late of Readington, N. J.
(Page 77.)
The Fleming Family. 77
is 256 East Ohio Street, Chicago, 111. 6. Olive Artemisa
was born in Pultneyville, N. Y., February 22, 1844. Resided
in Sodus all her life after her parents moved there. She
remained single. She died at 57 years of age in Sodus, 22nd
of April, iqoi. In an obituary notice in the The Record" of
Sodus it was stated that: she was a devoted Christian, and
a faithful member of the Methodist Church" and had resided
with Mrs Arville Norris for thirty-eight years in Sodus. The
cause of her death was a stroke of paralysis about ten days
before her death. 7. Melvin C. Fleming, born in Pultney-
ville, N. Y. , January 16, 1847, died June 6, 1881 in Illinois,
unmarried. 8. John Franklin Fleming, born July 5, 1849
in Pultneyville, died May 9, 1874 in Illinois. He remained
unmarried. 9. Lewis W. Fleming, born June 6, 1852, died
June 1, 1889 at Sodus, unmarried. 10. Kingsley M. Flem-
ing was born July 25, 1854, resides at Sodus on the place of
his father Thomas, at Sodus Point, Wayne County, N. Y.
Married Hannah Baxter. Their children: (a) Flora M.
Fleming, born May 10, 1884, (b) Arthur M. Fleming born
May 22, 1885. Both reside in Sodus Point, except when
attending school. Kingsley M. Fleming is engaged in rais-
ing fruits, vegetables and grapes for the market. Both are
members of the Grand Lodge at Sodus. 11. Willard G.
Fleming was born Jan. 9, 1859 in Sodus, N, Y. Married in
Keokuk, la., March 10, 1885 to Miss Carrie B. Rich of that
place. Have children: (a) Miss Eulah L. Fleming born
April 1, 1886 in St. Louis. Mo., and (b) Master Harold O.
Fleming born January 25, 1900, in St. Louis; Mo. Willard
G. is stenographer and typewriter in railroad office at pres-
ent. Address 1772 Downing Avenue, Denver, Colorado, with
Colorado and Southern R. R. Has also followed business of
telegraph operator at various commercial offices in various
places for many years and has been clerk and station agent
for several railroads.
ANDREW FLEMING OF READINGTON.
Andrew Fleming, of Readington, fourth child and third
son of William and Elizabeth (Cook) Fleming, of Oxford
Furnace, was born October 23rd, 1805, at the farm near
Oxford Furnace, Sussex County, (now Warren County,) N.
J. He attended school in the neighborhood and became
proficient in all the common branches and though he early
in life began to work among the neighboring farmers for
78 Family Genealogy.
himself, and his opportunity for more extended learning was
much curtailed, still he made up for this by much reading
and a naturally bright mind and close observation of pass-
ing events, so that he became well informed, and a man of
superior attainments among his fellows. It is not exactly
the fact that he left home for himself at eleven, as stated in
his published biography, because for most of his early years
he was either at home or in the very close neighborhood. We
suppose the fact to be that though he assisted his neighbors
at the different kinds of work on their farms, yet he was at
home more or less, until after the death of his father and the
old home in the Barrens" was disposed of after 1833. His
post office addrees was Perry ville, which was the same as his
father, from letters I have which were written to him from
1825 to 1831, and his own letters of 1833. He had in mind
in 1825 to follow his brother Jacob Cook Fleming into New
York State, and wrote him to advise what clothing was
necessary to take with him. The next year there was more
correspondence on his going into New York State. He kept up
a regular correspondence with his brother's and his cousin,
Freegif t Fleming, who were absent in New York State. Andrew
was living at home as his headquarters when his father died in
January 1833, though he was not home at the time of his
death, as is explained in his letter given in full in life of
William Fleming, of Oxford Furnace. In this letter he says:
"I left home on the Monday morning the 14th for New York
and did not return until Wednesday evening, the 23rd, and
did not hear of fathers death until Wednesday about 1 o'clock
at which time I was at the Whitehouse seventeen miles from
home. I then left my wagon and horse and got a convey-
ance home as soon possible, but not in time for the funeral."
He was thus employed at home and on neighboring farms
until twenty-six years of age, when in 183 1 he obtained
horses and wagons and bought goods of different kinds suit-
able for country stores and began the business of huxster in
Hunterdon and Warren Counties. He followed this busi-
ness for six years with considerable success, making some
money. There is an amusing story connected with this
period of his career and as it is characteristic of Andrew
and very much like a Fleming trait of character, we relate it.
In those days his team of six horses and large high house
wagon was a well known and novel sight in that region. In
those days some of the graded highways or "turnpikes" as
they were called were constructed by incorporated com-
The Fleming Family. 79
« <
panies, who were supposed to keep them in good roads"
condition, and were thus permitted to tax the public who
traveled on them, which fee was called a toll" and collected
at intervals along the roads at places where gates were placed
across the highway to detain travelers until the toll" was
paid, when the gates would be opened. Along such a high-
way he was passing. It had not been kept in shape and was
almost impassable on account of deep mud and slush. So
when he reached the toll gate, he refused to pay toll over
such a miserable highway, and the keeper refused to open
the gate for him to pass on. He immediately unhooked the
leading team and hitched on to the gate and drew the whole
contrivance out of the highway. Then replaced his team
and went on his way, advising the gate man to put his road in
passable condition before asking toll from any traveler.
Jn 1838 he married Miss Margaret Lawshe, daughter of
John Lawshe, of Bethlehem (now in Union township) Hun-
terdon County in the region locally called the ''Hollow".
The next year (1839) he moved over into Somerset County,
in town Branchburh, at Milltown, on North Branch of
Raritan River, where he rented the Van der Veer farm and
water power mill. The mill was a saw and grist mill oper-
ated for the custom work of the farmers of the surrounding
country. Of this business he also made a success. He ran
this mill and carried on the farm for seven years, during
which time he burned brick for three years. The mill was
afterwards remodeled by other parties. After leaving this
business in 1846 he purchased a farm of two hundred acres
(1846) in town Branchburh, near Two Bridges. He soon
sold half of it, with the improvements, and then built a new
brick house on the other part in 1850, and purchased
twenty-five acres more. This farm, called the "Homestead"
farm, is still in possession of the family. In 1884 he moved
into a handsome home in Readington, near the village of
that name, where he died two years later. This place is
about four miles from the "Homestead farm." He was a
director twenty-four years and treasurer twenty-five years of
the Farmer's Mutual Fire Insurance Co., of New Jersey,
which had in 1881 twelve million dollars fire risk. It was
located at Readington. He became a charter director in
1856 and its first treasurer. His biographer in Snells "Hun-
terdon and Somerset Counties" (188 1), says of him: 'He
has been interested in all questions affecting the interests of
the vicinity in which he has lived, and always conscientiously
80 Family Genealogy.
acted in politics upon principles that seemed right and just
to him. He was a Democrat. For five years he was justice
of the peace; in 1845 he was elected first justice of the peace
on the organization of town of Branchburg. He was
several years superintendent of schools in Branchburg". In
1850 he was elected supervisor of highways in Branchburg.
Andrew Fleming was a man of positive and decided charac-
ter, giving every man his full rights and liberty, but insisting
on justice for himself and others. He was beloved and
respected by his neighbors and to this day is known through-
out that country as "The Squire" or 'Squire Fleming". His
was also a deep religious character. In 1849 in writing to
his brother, Jacob Cook Fleming, of the death of "our aged
and long infirm mother", he reminds him that the rest of our
friends and acquaintances are well; but as time is ever on
the wing, it becomes us all to be in readiness for at such an
hour as we think not the King of Terrors may appear and
summon us away".
In 1846 Andrew Fleming moved from Milltown to Two
Bridges in Branchburg Township, Somerset County, N. J.,
on to a farm, and lived there four years. During this time
he and his wife Margaret (who told me this anecdote in 1900)
thought they would go again and attend service at the ancient
family place of worship at Bethlehem Presbyterian Chnrch,
then ' the stone church" about fifteen miles northwest. They
took Jane and John, then about seven and four years of age,
and went the Saturday before to a friend near by, to remain
all night, for service the Sunday morning. Dominie Landis
(Rev. Robt. W. Landis) was in charge then (from 1842-1849).
Before service it began to rain. As they had no bell to call
in the people, Dominie Landis began a hymn. After the
service had proceeded for some time Jane became restless
and disturbed the Dominie who remarked that the young
people should be kept quiet. The hum drum of the service
made Jane restless again and Aunt Margaret did all she could
to keep her quiet to no purpose, and the Dominie was again
provoked to remark that, "people ought to have such control
of their children as to make them behave in church." Aunt
Margaret was very much chagrined, but such remarks not being
understood by Jane did not have much effect on her. She
jumped on the seat and down again on the floor and found it
impossible to remain quiet. Finally the Dominie said that
the children making that noise must go out, and although it
was raining and there was no lobby, Aunt Margaret and the
The Fleming Family. 81
children got up to go out, when Dominie Landis relented
and asked them back because of the weather. Aunt Marga-'
ret said, she would never go there again while he was pastor
and Uncle Andrew was so provoked that he made some very
strong observations and by his influence Dominie Landis
soon sought another field.
When a young man he had typhoid fever, and as one result
of taking too much mercury he had a bad fever sore on his
leg ever after. This sickness occurred in 1825 or 1826,
when Andrew was about twenty years of age. His brother,
Jacob Cook Fleming, September 10, 1826, writes to his par-
ents: a cure for fever sore, as I heard Andrew has one:
Take a muskrat skin which is hatched in the spring, soak it
soft and tender. Put on one part, flesh side to the sore,
keep on six or eight hours, then exchange it for the other
part, and after cleansing continue changing until the flesh
becomes white. Then apply a salve made of elder bark, a
little spignel boiled down, to which add some tallow and a
little resin, and stew until it becomes a salve. If it becomes
too hard add some lard. This will cure it." I have related
this to illustrate the prevalence in those days of handing
receipts about to help each other. This result of fever
remained with Andrew all his life, and is supposed to have
helped in the complication of disease which caused his death.
He died of palsy or paralysis March 1, 1886, in the eighty-
first year of his age, at his home in Readington, N. J., and is
buried in North Branch, about five miles from there. He
was six feet two inches tall, weighed one hundred seventy-
five pounds, and was angular and muscular. He had light
or brown hair and blue eyes.
Andrew Fleming had five children and four grandchildren,
who were teachers. He was married to Margaret Lawshe,
December 8, 1838. She was born May 10, 1817, in town
Bethlehem (now Union) in Hunterdon County, N. J., daughter
of John Lawshe, of that place, who lived in the section,
locally known as the Hollow." He was born February 27,
1 791. His wife was Charity Lampings, who was born May
1st, 1796, and were married about 1815. John Lawshe died
December 8. 1819. Charity (Lompings) Lawshe married
second husband, Johnathan Robins. She died March 25,
1859. Margaret Fleming now resides in the pleasant home
near Readington where the family has lived since 1884. Her
son John and daughter Jane remain with her in the old home.
The Homestead Farm" a few miles away in Branchburg still
82 Family Genealogy.
remains part of the estate and is worked by tenants. Child-
ren born to Andrew and Margaret Fleming of Readington are:
i. John Fleming, born at Milltown, Somerset County,
N. J. June 4, 1839. Has always remained at home. He
obtained a splendid education in the common schools at
Cedar Grove, and by reading and observation. He taught
school for a number of years and was for many years
a member of the school committee, and also supplied the
weather and crop reports for the government for his district.
He reports the news of his section to the local papers. He
has written a number of local historical papers, and has
traveled several times to New York and Wisconsin. He has
supplied a large amount of the genealogical material in this
history, especially of the Cooks and the Malcolm Fleming
family. Present address Readington, N. J.
2. Jane Fleming, born in Milltown, Branchburg town-
ship, Somerset County, N. J., March 2, 1841; obtained a
splendid education in the common schools of the district.
She has remained at home most of her life, though she has
taught school several years in the neighborhood. She now
resides at home in Readington, N. J., with her aged mother.
3. Ann Fleming was born February 16, 1843, at Milltown,
town of Branchburg, Somerset County, N. J. She obtained
a good education in the common schools of the district.
Saturday, October 30, 1869, when 26 years of age, she married
Alonzo Batler. They were united by the Rev. Wm. Pitcher,
Pastor of the South Branch Reformed church, in township
Branchburg, N. J. They reside on a farm near Frenchtown,
in Hunterdon County, N. J. No children have blessed this
union.
4. George Fleming was born in Milltown, in town
Branchburg, Somerset County, N.J. February 12, 1845, a village
four miles west of Somerville; attended Cedar Grove, a dis-
trict school, half a mile west of Milltown, until he was 17,
and one winter beside. He studied the ordinary branches,
including reading, spelling, writing, geography, arithmetic,
grammer and algebra, and one on natural philosophy or physics,
history, physiology, drawing and rhetoric, which formed no
part of the school course. By private study he prepared
himself in all branches included in state teachers certificate
which he obtained in July 1875. He worked on his father's
farm until he was 22, the last year in partnership, with his
brother John (1867), after which he went for a few months
selling agricultural implements. In August, 1867, he was
The Fleming Family. 83
supply to finish a term for a young man who was consump-
tive, at Whitehouse, N. J. He continued in charge until
1873. While there he obtained board at home of Peter
Green, near the schoolhouse, and married his daughter
Esther Ann Green, December 24, 1868: In spring of 1869 he
bought a farm near Whitehouse and built a house there in
1870. He farmed in summer and taught school in winter.
In 1873 he sold his farm and took a graded school at Glen
Garden. Four years later he moved to Clinton where he also
taught four years. Then he taught three years at Reading-
ton, five years at Valley, nine years at Junction, and two
years at Lebanon. All above schools were in Hunterdon
County, N. J. He taught school for 2>Z years of his life.
After this he removed to Elizabeth, N. J., and was in busi-
ness in New York City, and now has charge of Elizabeth
Wagon Works, at head of the office and shipping. His
address is Elizabeth, N. J. In 1900 he was a member of
County Board of Examiners for teachers in Hunterdon
County, having served in that capacity for seventeen years,
and having the appointment under three separate superin-
tendants. He is a member of the Methodist Church, having
been received in it in 1863, and most of the time he has been
of the official board of the church he attended, and at
Lebanon he was a member of the building committee, to
remodel and enlarge the church building. For many years
he was Sunday School superintendent. In 1900 he was
Treasurer of the Board of Stewards and teacher of the adult
bible class. In politics he was brought up a democrat, but
votes the way he considers right and may now be called a
republican. He stands six feet three inches tall, has blond
hair, blue eyes and fair complexion, is angular but strongly
built and weighs 175 pounds. He is exact and careful in his
deportment and actions and takes all things seriously, but
gets a great deal of pleasure out of life by systematic arrange-
ment of his time. George Fleming and Esther Ann Green
were married Thursday, December 24, 1868, by Rev. Martin
Herr, Pastor of the Mechanicsville M. E. church. There
were born to them (A) Peter Green Fleming, of 361 South
7th Ave., Mount Vernon, N. Y., born 1870, married Ida May
Barber, daughter of Alfred Barber, of Raritan, N. J. in 1892.
She was born 1873. Born of this union were (a) Myrtle
Desbrough Fleming, born 1893; (b) Alfred Barber Fleming,
born 1895; (c) Malcolm Green Fleming, born 1897. Peter
Green Fleming is a practical machinist and resided in 1900
34 Family Genealogy.
at Elizabeth N. J. (B) Margaret Fleming born 1872, was
married in 1892 to Rev. Thomas Houston, The Blind
Evangelist".. He was born in Scotland in 1863 and lost his
sight by an accident in 1867. At time of his marriage he was
pastor of John Knox Presbyterian Church in Jersey City, N.
J. He afterwards resigned to engage in evangelical labors,
which line of duty he still follows. Their home is 451
Monroe Ave., Elizabeth, N. J., where the author visited
them May 3, 1902. Rev. Houston is a gentleman of com-
manding appearance, striking character and one to command
influence and attention in the pulpit or out of it. In the
summer of 1901 he filled twenty engagements, with Presby-
terian, Reformed, Baptists and Methodist churches within a
radius of one hundred and fifty miles of New York City. The
average time of his meetings were two weeks and often the
buildings were too small to hold the people. They resulted
in two thousand conversions. Many people attend the
meetings to hear him sing and then remain. He has wonder-
ful influence over all classes. He reads with his hands raised
letters, and uses a circulating library for the blind. In 1902
he was to spend most of the season in Philadelphia. He
informed the author of his travels over the world. Has
preached in Australia. He can go about New York City and
the ferries as if he could see. He seems almost to see, so
acute is his mind and touch. One would scarcely think he
could not see to talk with him. He knows when he is on the
cars, whether they are climbing hills or on the plains, and
seems to know changing scenes. He is a remarkable man
and in the good work to which he devotes himself, is destined
to do a vast amount of good in this world and to live for
some purpose. This pleasant family have been blessed with
four children. Elizabeth Forrester Houston, 1894; George
Fleming Houston, 1896; Thomas Houston, 1897; Margaret
Houston, 1900. (C) Myron Fleming, of 2061 8th Ave., N.
Y. City, was born 1874; he married Beatrice Hedley in 1897,
who was born 1880. He is a practical machinist and now
foreman of the Mobile Company of America N. Y. in 1901
resided at Elizabeth, New Jersey. Born of this union were
(a) Myron Fleming, 1898, who died by the accident of a
peanut lodging in his windpipe, 1900; and (b) Esther Ann
Fleming, born July, 1900. (D) Louisa Johnson Fleming,
born 1876, and died in 1898. She was highly educated and
a young lady of the finest attainments which endeared her to
all about her; an estimable lady of unusual intellectual
The Fleming Family. 85
endownments. Her memory is very dear to her parents and
all who knew her. At the time of her death she had been for
four years one of her fathers assistant teachers at Junction
school. (E) Esther Miller Fleming, was born 1880; was
married 1901 to Wm. D. Graham, of Raritan, N. J., who
was born 1865. (F) Mabel Victoria Fleming was born 1887.
(G) Andrew Carlos Fleming was born 1891, resides at home.
5. Levi Fleming was born at Two Bridges, in township
of Branchburg, Somerset County, N. J., on February 3, 1847.
He obtained a splendid common school education to which
he added by enriching his mind by constant study and exten-
sive reading. He married Mary Elizabeth Lane (now Mrs.
Mary E. Nevins) on Thursday, August 25, 1870. They were
married by Rev. John G. Van Slyke, Pastor of the Readington
Reform church. She was born 1841. He taught school after
his majority. At time of his death he was teaching at Easton,
Pa. He died Monday, April 12, 1875, and is buried in the
churchyard of the Reform church at Readington, N. J. He
was then 28 years, 2 months, 9 days old. Their children (a)
Ida Hagaman Fleming, of Pennington, N. J., born 1872 (b)
May Lawshe Fleming, of Washington, D. C, born 1874,
engaged in teaching school. Both are young ladies of high
educational endowment and leaders in their work.
6. Sarah Fleming, born March 16, 1849, and died Aug.
26, 1849.
7. Mary Fleming, born August 28, 1850, died October 5,
1850.
8. Martha Fleming, born September 6. 185 1, and died
February 18, 1852.
9. Job Fleming, born August 30, 1852, and died in
infancy.
10. Elizabeth Fleming, born January 10, 1854, and died
March 22, 1855.
11. Robins Fleming was born February 19, 1856, on the
Homestead Farm" in Branchburg township, Somerset County,
N. J. He obtained a good education in the common schools
of the district and applied himself assiduously to his studies.
About 1866 he attended La Fayette College in Easton, Pa.,
and in addition to the regular studies, took an extra course
in Engineering and graduated with honors, standing the
highest in his class. He was married to Josephine Elton
Walton on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 1882, by Rev. W. H. Ruth,
Pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church, Tottenville, Staten
Island, New York. She died Nov. 20, 1887. Their two
86 Family Genealogy.
bright handsome girls are May Augusta Fleming, born October
31, i884and Edith Josephine Fleming, born November 20, 1887.
When the author visited them in 1900 in New Britian, Conn,
the young ladies attended the public schools and stood high
in their classes. At that time Robins was with the Berlin
Bridge Company, of East Berlin, as Civil Engineer, just
then merged into the American Bridge Company, and soon
after removed to Philadelphia, following the office of the New
Company, having his residence at 6325 Burbridge St., Ger-
mantown, Pa., a suburb of that city. He was engaged in
estimate work, in calculating bridges and planning them.
From the Directory of South Congregational church, May
15, 1900, of New Britian, Connecticut, I learn that he and
daughter, May A. Fleming, are members of this church.
That Robins is a deacon. He is also on the library com-
mittee and is president of the "Men's Union", clerk of the
standing committee, and was specially spoken of in the
1 'Bulletin", as having made an interesting talk before the
Lyceum League. In March 9, 1901, he was married to
Emma Augusta Walton, who had formerly taken a sister's
place in the care of his children. They were married by
Rev. Henry Spellmeyer, D. D., at the residence of Horace
M. Walton, 191 North Ninth St., Newark, N. J. She is a
handsome lady of refined tastes and highly cultured. This
union will result in great happiness to both.
12. Kate Fleming was born on "The Homestead Farm,"
Branchburg township, Somerset County, N. J. October 25, T857.
She obtained an education in the common schools of the
district and married Alfred Butler, Saturday, October 5, 1878,
the ceremony being performed by the Rev. Joseph G. Wil-
liamson, Pastor of Bethlehem Presbyterian Church. They
reside on a farm near Urbana, Ohio. They have one child,
Lillie Butler.
13. Asher Fleming was born on 'The Homestead
Farm" in Branchburg township, Somerset County, N. J. He
obtained an education in the common public schools of the
district. His trade is that of painter. He was born February
22, 1859, was married to Matilda Emery Haver, Saturday,
February 7, 1880, by the Rev. Joseph G. Williamson, pastor of
the Bethlehem Presbyterian church. She died 1890. Their
children (a) Jennie Fleming, of Pattenburg, N. J., was born
October 20. 1887. (b) Cora, born 1882, married A. Whitfield
Rittenhouse, of Frenchtown. N. Y., on September 17, 1901. He
is a farmer, (c) George died in infancy. Asher resides in
The Fleming Family. 87
Peapack, New Jersey. By his marriage with Azrilla Dunham,
1891; they have one daughter (d) Nellie, born 1892. Asher
is a notary public, appointed in 1895 f°r nve years, and 1900
reappointed. Was appointed commissioner of deeds in 1896
and 1899, elected justice of the peace in 1901 for term of four
years. Was made a Master Mason in Chester, N. J., in
1891 and a member of Royal Arch, in 1902, and command-
ery, 1902, of Morristown, N. J., noble of the Mystic Shrine
in Mecca Temple, N. Y. City, in 1902.
14. Ira Fleming the fourteenth and last child of Andrew
and Margaret Fleming was born July 9, 1861 and died in
infancy September 12.
JOANNA FLEMING HANEY.
Joanna Fleming, second daughter and fifth child of Will-
iam and Elizabeth (Cook) Fleming, of Oxford Furnace, was
born at the farm home near Oxford Furnace, N. J., Septem-
ber 8, 1807. She received an education in the public schools
of the district, and learned the millinery trade. This work
engaged her attention at the village near by, and in 1828 she
was corresponding with her brother Jacob Cook Fleming, at
Pittsford, N. Y., about the prospects for her services there.
He replied she could get part of a house, which she wanted
there; but her business he knew nothing of> only the people
are very proud and fond of fashion." In July, 1827 to 1828
she was in business with Eleanor in Frenchtown, N. J., but
the 1st of August, 1828, was married to Jacob Theanley
Haney, who was a tailor by trade. He was born September
i, 1805, and was twenty-three and she twenty-one when they
were married. They lived at various places and for several
years at Washington, Warren County, in 1849, and several
years before. She died in Raritan, N. J., January 3, 1880,
at seventy-three years of age, of bowel complaint. He died
at Raritan, N. J., February 12, 1898, aged 92 years, 5 months,
12 days. They are both buried at Irvington, near Newark,
N. J. Their children: 1. William M. Haney was born
February 10, 1830. He resided at Martinsville, N. J.; was
a mail carrier; and died July 25th, 1900. He married Hen-
rietta Francisco, of Wayne County, N. Y. Had eight child-
ren : Andrew, Joanna, Adelaide, Isabella, and four are dead.
2. Eleanor Haney was born December 15, 1832, and mar-
ried Thomas Monroe, of New York City. They reside in
Newark, N. J. He is a tailor by trade. Their children are:
88 Family Genealogy.
Mary E. Monroe, Benjamin H. Monroe, Anna Monroe, Eliz-
abeth Monroe, Charles Monroe, and three others were dead
in 1900: 3. Elizabeth Haney was born November 2,
1835. She married January 8, 1854, John Portz of Newark,
N. J. He was born August 18, 1828, and died February 24,
1900. They had no children. She died November 16, 1902,
of paralysis. He died in Brooklyn, N. Y. She had Will-
iam's, of Oxford Furnace, family bible, and I do not know
who has it now. 4. Margaret Haney was born August 7,
1 84 1. She is a bright, intelligent woman, has a good educa-
tian; was married to Joseph Vickery, of Bristol, England.
They live at Trenton, N. J., where he is engaged at the State
Capitol. She has the Haney family bible. Their children:
Clara, Anna Ellen, Joseph, Marian, John Portz, and three
others who died young (1900). 5. Mary Haney.
WILLIAM FLEMING, JR., OF BLOOMSBURY.
William Fleming, Jr., sixth child and fourth son of Will-
iam and Elizabeth (Cook) Fleming of Oxford Furnace, was
born at the farm house of his parents near Oxford Furnace,
in Sussex County, (now Warren County), New Jersey, on the
14th of June, 1809. He obtained an education in the district
public schools of the vicinity, with his brothers and sisters,
and remained at home with his parents, employed on the
farm, until they changed their home and moved about fifteen
miles south into "The Barrens" near "The Hickory Tavern"
in Alexandria township, Hunterdon County, on the Pittstown
road, with Perryville as their postoffice, in 1824. He was
then fifteen years of age. He was still there in 1831, as his
brother Jacob addressed a letter to him there. In 1832 his
father William, Sr. , made him a joint executor with Andrew
in his will to administer the estate for their mother so long as
she lived and then sell it out and divide it equally among the
children, which was accomplished after 1849. In 1830, when
William was twenty-one years of age, he journeyed to New
York to visit his brother Jacob at Pultneyville. He learned
the trade of stone mason, and with his brother Abbott was
engaged at one time in mason work on the Court House at
Flemington, the Capitol of Hunterdon County. He married
February 18, 1836, Charity Hagaman, when he was twenty-
seven years of age. She was born April 22, 1809, so they
were nearly the same age. They settled on a farm in the
northern part of Alexandria, at a place named Swinesburg,
WILLIAM FLEMING, JR.
Late of Bloomsbury, N. J.
(Page 88.)
The Fleming Family. 89
one mile south of Bloomsbury. They remained on this place
for about twenty-seven years, while he was actively engaged
in farming until about 1848, when he removed to Harbour-
town to another farm which he operated until his death, and
where he died. Both William, Jr., and wife were members of
the Presbyterian Church at Titusville, ten miles north of
Trenton, N. J., and he was an elder in that church. This is
a handsome brick church on the banks of the Delaware River,
on the one long street of the village of Titusville, N. J.
Harbourtown is three miles northeast of Titusville. In per-
sonal appearance he was of blonde type, and was so tall,
angular and slim that he was often jokingly called chunkey."
He was about six feet, four or five inches tall. He was a
man of kindly disposition and good judgement and his advice
was sought and heeded. He was highly regarded by his
neighbors. He was on township Committee of Alexandria
township in 1842-1843, and held other civic positions. He
took a good citizen's interest in school and public affairs,
and at town meetings, and alwa}rs took a conservative and
rational view of public matters. All their children were born
in Alexandria township, except Warren and Jane, who were
born in Harbourtown.
William Fleming, Jr., of Bloomsbury died at Harbour-
town, Mercer County, N. J., about five miles north from
Titusville, February 4, 1873. He was buried in the church
yard of the Presbyterian Church at Titusville, where there is
a handsome marble monument above the grave with this
inscription: 'William Fleming, died February 4, 1873,
aged 63 years, 7 months, 21 days." "A kind and affection-
ate, beloved husband and father."
It is remarkable that his age at death was exactly that
of his father, William Fleming, Sr. Both had the same name
and lived exactly the same number of days, and the years,
month and days of their life is divisible by seven, and their
birth was in the spring, in the year nine and their death nearly
the same time in the winter in the year three. They were
both farmers, both held same public offices, members of same
church and both elders.
Charity Fleming, his wife, died five years later, April 29,
1878, and was buried in the churchyard at Titusville, beside
her husband. Over her grave there stands a handsome mar-
ble monument with this inscription: Charity, widow of
William Fleming, died April 29, 1878, aged 69 years and 7
days." "I know that my Redeemer liveth."
go Family Genealogy.
Their children:
i . Elizabeth Fleming, born August 1 1, 1836, near Blooms-
bury, in Alexandria township, Hunterdon County, N. J. She
was married to William H. Hart, November, 1869, who died
October 1, 1896. They resided on a farm near Hopewell,
which is still in the family. I believe he was a descendant
of the "Honest" John Hart who signed the Declaration of
Independence and lies buried in Hopewell, whose citizens
have erected a beautiful monument to his memory. His
story is given in the history of Andrew Fleming, of Bethle-
hem. Elizabeth Hart now lives in a beautiful home in the
pretty village of Hopewell, which is five miles from Penning-
ton, the home of her brother John. Their only child, War-
ren Fleming Hart, lives there with his mother. He was born
September 20, 1870.
2. John Fleming, of Pennington, was born near Blooms-
bury, Alexandria township, Hunterdon County, N. J., Decem-
ber 11, 1838. He was taught his letters by his grandmother
Elizabeth, from her bible. He obtained a good education
and has followed the farm all his life. In November 16,
1864 he married Phebe Furman Cornell, at Harbourtown.
She was born at Harbourtown, N. J., June 8, 1843. ^n x^75>
John Fleming was first elected by the people of Hopewell
township, Mercer County, to the township committee, a posi-
tion to which he has been continuously reelected for twenty-
seven years. An old Irishman remarked that "John was
elected town committee man for life." This is the best ex-
pression of the good will of his neighbors, public endorse-
ment of his worth and standing in the community in which
he lives. He has also been Master of the Grange for over
seventeen years. He has resided on a farm about a mile from
Pennington for many years. He raises fruit, grain, stock
and hogs. Has an extensive dairy business, making one
hundred thirty pounds of butter each week, which is sold in
Trenton at twenty-five cents a pound. His son-in-law is on
the farm with him. They use a separator to extract the
cream, a dog to churn and a wind-mill to pump the water.
John is a heavy man, weighing two hundred twenty-five
pounds, and is six foot, one inch tall, has chestnut hair a
little gray. Has a kind, honest, conservative, careful dispo-
sition, attends Presbyterian church at Pennington, of which he
and his family are members, He does not smoke and has no
bad habits except getting up too early in the morning and
working too hard. He attended the World's Fair at Chicago,
HON. J. WARREN FLEMING,
of TrrusviLLE, N. J.
(Page 91.)
The Fleming Family. gZ
in 1892, with his brother Warren, and both journeyed into
Wisconsin then and visited their relatives at Menasha. The
author, with his mother, spent a few happy days at their
pleasant home, in the summer of 1900. Their one child,
Annie Cornell Fleming, born November 30, 1866, at Pen-
nington, was married November 17, 1886, at Pennington, at
her father's home, to John Calvin Erickson, who was born
March 20, 1863, at Perrinsville, Monmouth County, N. J.
They both reside on the farm with her parents at Pennington.
They are an intelligent, industrious couple and have a family
of handsome, bright children: (a) Esther Cornell Erickson,
born September 6, 1888; (b) Marion Phebe Erickson, born
February 10, 1891; (c) John Fleming Erickson, born July
19, 1894; (d) Stanley Fleming Erickson, born July 21, 1897.
3. Hannah Ann Fleming was born at the farm home of
her parents near Bloomsbury, February 21, 1841, and died
July 12, 1878, aged 37 years, 4 months and 11 days.
4. Eleanor Fleming was born near Bloomsbury, March
2, 1843, and was married to Newton B. Rittenhouse, June 28,
1875. They resided at Sergeantsville, in Delaware township,
south of Flemington about ten miles, in Hunterdon County,
N. J. She died there June 4. 1897, aged 54 years, 3
months and 12 days. She was a refined and intelligent lady,
beloved by all. Her only child, (a) William E. Rittenhouse,
was born December 1, 1876. He resided at Sergeantsville,
and was married June, 1900. The grandfather of Newton
Bray Rittenhouse was General Bray of the Continental Army.
He was one of those who crossed the Delaware at Titusville
on Christmas night with Washington, in 1776, at the capture
of Trenton. He is also a descendant of the famous Ameri-
can astronomer, David Rittenhouse, of whom an account is
given in another place under Benjamin Rittenhouse.
5. William Fleming, Jr., was born near Bloomsbury, Hunt-
erdon county, N. J., May 27, 1845, married Lucinda Hunt,
November 1869. They reside at Bloomsbury, where he is
superintendent of a tomato canning factory. Their only
child, Bessie Fleming, born August 6, 1875, at Bloomsbury,
died January, 1901, She was buried at Pennington.
6. Hon. Joseph Warren Fleming, was born near the
village of Harbourtown, January 31, 185 1, in Mercer County,
N, J,, where he lived until April, 1874, when he moved to
Titusville with his mother and sisters? Eleanor and Jane. The
following summer and winter he attended business College,
and journeyed to Illinois in summer 1875; traveled through
92 Family Genealogy.
the eastern part of Colorado and in Dakota in the spring and
summer of 1879; but has resided in New Jersey ever since.
April 9, 1 88 1, married Mary Harriet Cornell. Since April,
1 89 1, he has been secretary and treasurer of Titusville Can-
ning, Fruit and Vegetable Company; was a member of elec-
tion board, in 1894 to 1899; then nominated on republican
ticket and elected to New Jersey State Legislative Assembly,
by a majority of 4,656, in Mercer County, over highest man
on democratic ticket, receiving in home township of Hope-
well a majority of 317 in a vote of 993, and in the western
and home district of the same town received 203 votes to
highest democratic vote of 39. In 1900 he was reelected by
a vote of 13,632 against 7,941 votes for the democratic can-
didate, or a majority of 5,691 votes. This immense vote for
the high office of member of State Assembly, to make the
laws for the highly cultured state of New Jersey, is a splendid
recognition of his character and ability. It is what his
neighbors think of him. He has made his home in Titusville
for many years. He is a brother in the Lodge of Free and
accepted Masons, and Junior A, M, A. M. He has a pleas-
ant home on the banks of the Delaware River, and very close
to the monument which marks the place where Washington
crossed the Delaware River to capture Trenton in 1776. He
has the family bible.
7, Jane Fleming, born near Harbourtown, April 23,
1852; married Joseph M. Hunt, June 26, 1875. He was born
July 12, 1852. They reside on a farm near Pennington,
N. J. Their handsome daughter, Helen F. Hunt, was born
March 19, 1890. She attends the public school. They are
members of and attend the Presbyterian church at Pennington.
TYLEE FLEMING.
Son of William and Elizabeth (Cook) Fleming, of Oxford
Furnace, born in the farmhome near Oxford Furnace in
Sussex County, (now Warren), N. J., on the 23rd day of
April, 181 1. In 1824 he moved with his parents into The
Barrens" near ''Hickory Tavern", in Alexandria township.
He was then 13 years of age. In the latter part of 1826, or
early in 1829, he journeyed to Ithaca, N. Y., and worked in
smith shops there. He was then 16 years of age, having
left home soon after his parents settled in "The Barrens".
From Ithaca he moved to the town of Janious, between
Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, in New York State, from which
The Fleming Family. 03
place he writes his sister Joanna Haney at Aslory postoffice,
Warren County, New Jersey:
< c
Janious, December 7, 1828.
Honored Sister: I am yet in the town of Janious, between
Seneca and Cayuga Lakes and at work for Thomas Hunter.
Got $1.00 per day for harvest, 62 cents for mowing. Then
I hired for one month for ten dollars, board and washing. I
am now working one month for eight and a half dollars. My
time will be out this week, and I expect to go to Ithaca for
my winter clothes are there. I wish you all to write me as
often as you can. Direct your letter to Ithaca.
To Joanna Fleming. Tylee Fleming."
In a short time after this he made his way to Pultneyville,
with his brother Jacob Cook Fleming, and there met Mrs.
Samatha Pratt, a widow whose husband had died, leaving
her a fine farm well stocked. They were married March 15,
1832, at Pultneyville. Their wedding was announced to his
parents by his brother Jacob on April 8. 'You may have
heard what I am about to relate. Married on the 15th day
of March last, Tylee Fleming to Samantha Pratt, whose
maiden name was Harden. Samantha was a widow about 24
years of age. I was acquainted with Mr. Pratt before he was
married. He was one of my company to Michigan in 1827.
I was not acquainted with Samantha until a few days since.
They were here a week ago. From what I have seen and
heard, I believe she is a fine, smart, amiable woman. Tylee
has fixed himself in a home. Samantha had forty-four
acres of land mostly cleared with a good house and barn. She
has kept house whilst she was a widow, hired her land
worked, so that she had a stock of household goods, an
excellent span of horses, cattle, sheep and farm utensils, etc.
Tylee has quit his trade and gone to work the farm." He
was now 21 years of age and abandoned his smithy trade for
the life of a farmer again. In the summer of the succeeding
year they concluded to go west, so disposed of all their
effects and with an emigrant covered wagon, began their
journey to near Lima, Indiana where they took up land and
settled. He wrote back east to his brother Jacob, October 18,
1833, that they had arrived) having been seventeen days on
the road." He cleared the land and filled the soil until 1839
when he died. The letters announcing his death sent out to
his mother and one to Jacob his brother are nearly alike. We
94 Family Genealogy.
copy the one sent to his mother, who then resided with her
son William, Jr., near Bloomsbury. Letter addressed "Mrs.
Elizabeth Fleming, Bloomsbury, Warren County, New
Jersey," Postmarked Lima, Ind., September n, 25 cents."
''Lima, September 10, 1839.
Dear Mother: It has fallen to my lot to communicate to
you sorrowful tidings of inexpressible grief. I have to inform
you that your son Tylee is no more. He departed this life
at a quarter to seven o'clock on Saturday evening, the 7th
instant. He had the inflammation of the lungs and liver
which had kept him from being able to do any work since the
commencement of harvest, and two weeks before his death
the dysentery set in, but was soon allayed, yet he could not
be again restored. All that able medical aid and tender care
could afford was tendered him for his recovery. But every
effort was rendered abortive. This is the final result of the
disorder that set in when he had the measles. Your son died in
the triumph of faith with a firm reliance on his Saviour. This
complaint had been seated before he left York State, but a
change of climate in a manner cured him. Yesterday he was
conveyed to the tomb, followed by a large concourse of rela-
tives and friends. We continued with him the week preced-
ing his death, and will stay with her a few days yet. He left
his property to his widow and little daughter. We are and
have been well the whole of last season excepting William,
his teeth trouble him. He is better. Convey this to my
brothers and sisters. Samantha sends her love to all and
wishes not to be forgotten.
From your affectionate son,
Abbott Fleming.
I have written also to Pultneyville."
Their only child was Eliza, who was married to John
Misner, in La Grange County, near Lima, Indiana. She
died December 30th, 1902, aged 67 years and 8 days. He
left a Will, devising his land to his wife for life, then to his
daughter Eliza, and if she died without issue it ways to
descend to his brothers and sisters and their heirs. This has
occurred.
The Fleming Family. g^
ELDER ABBOTT FLEMING.
Abbott Fleming, son of William Fleming and Elizabeth
(Cook) Fleming, born on the 25th of November. 1813. He
attended the district school and at eleven years of age moved
into the Barrens" near "The Hickory Tavern" with his par-
ents and their family, where he continued his study and labor
on the farm and learned the trade of stone mason. At one
time he was employed with his brother William at mason
work on the Court House at Flemington, the capitol of the
County of Hunterdon. When twenty-four years of age he
married Margaret Semple, May 6, 1837. Part of his history
has been given at intervals throughout this book. He gave
considerable time to research into the genealogy of his family.
He was greatly beloved and respected by all, who hold his
memory very dear. He was truly an honest and honorable
man and sincere in all his works. Soon after his marriage,
the newly wedded couple made their honeymoon journey by
emigrating to the West. Elizabeth (Fleming) Hart, of Hope-
well, thus related their western settlement, as Abbott had
related it to her: 'Uncle Abbott went to Uncle Jacob and
then to Tylee in Indiana on his wedding tour. When they
got where Tylee ought to be, they could not find him, and
concluded to go to a hotel, but in searching for a place to
stay over night, asked a man who was Tylee himself. There
was one piece of land left near Tylee, which was half marsh;
but he concluded to take it up. In going to the Government
land office in the new country, he slept in the woods, and
arriving there late at night, slept on a board in the yard, to
make his entry of the land in the morning." Elder Abbott
was a tall, spare, angular, athletic, vigorous man, with a
great deal of positive force in him. He was about six foot,
three inches tall, weighed about one hundred sixty pounds,
and had dark hair and blue eyes. He lived on a farm in
LaGrange County, five miles from Lima and six miles from
Sturgis, close to the Michigan line. It was a neighborhood
of splendid New York and New England people, and some
from New Jersey. In 1885 my wife and I visited Uncle
Abbott, and one Sunday we went with him in his phaeton
about six miles and into Michigan, to a country service held
in a schoolhouse. The people were Veil dressed and intelli-
gent. The house was filled. The women sat on east side of
the room and men all on west side. Uncle Abbott wore a
long linen duster. His big straw hat and red handkerchief
g 6 Family Genealogy.
he placed on the floor of the little platform. He preached in a
forcible and eloquent manner, which was well received by the
people. After the service the people renewed their acquaint-
ance and lingered about the building for fully half an hour.
From the Journal and Messenger" of Cincinnati, we copy
this description of his Golden Wedding:
Fifty years ago Elder Abbott Fleming and wife imigrated
to this county and settled in the northwest corner of Lima
township. For almost a half century they have lived on the
same farm. In 1841 they made a profession of religion and
in 1843 he commenced as a pioneer preacher of the gospel.
The country was then new, and his labors extended over a
large portion of central northern Indiana and southern Mich-
igan, A portion of the field he has occupied until the pres-
ent, about forty-four years, He has attended hundreds of
funerals, between Orland and White Pigeon. As a reminder
of the past and a joy for the present, let as many of their
friends, old and young as can, come to their home and have
an old fashioned reunion and basket picnic, on Friday, May
6, 1887, the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. They
were married by D. T. Junkin, D. D., of Greenwich, N. J.,
(Greenwich between Bloomsbury and Phillipsburg). There
will be no cards issued, so all come and have a good time.
By order of a committee of friends.
F. E. Dickinson, Chairman."
< <.
Another account from same paper: Hon. S. P. Williams
called for us to accompany him to attend the golden wedding
of Elder Fleming, so we took a seat in his carriage behind
his fine sorrels and passed out of the village and thence to
Elder Fleming's. Here a sumptious dinner awaited us. Our
old friends John Smith and A. Gainard ushered us into the
room, where we were introduced to many old acquaintances,
among whom we will mention Elder Blanchard. The bride
and groom (Elder Fleming and wife) Mr. Taylor and wife, of
Wolcottville, Mr. Balyeat of Bloomfield, H. Davis of New-
burg, Mr. Slack and wife, R. Newman and wife, of Van
Buren, Mr. Bloss and wife, of Michigan, Corry Bros, and
wives, Hon. W. Rowles and wife and many others too numer-
ous to mention. About eighty in all were present and your
humble servant had the honor of being the oldest one. The
occasion was very enjoyable. Signed J. M. Keith.
The Fleming Family. gj
< <-
Another newspaper account says: Presents were brought
in beyond anticipation, in gold, silver, wood, cloth and
china, useful, substantial and ornamental, to the amount of
about ninety dollars. Remarks made by Elder C. H.
Blanchard and others".
My mother, Elizabeth Lawson, and Aunt Clarissa Harvey
attended the golden wedding and report that it was a very
happy occasion and there was a great crowd present.
This obituary notice is clipped from the Public Press:
Elder A. Fleming, born at Oxford Furnace in Sussex now
Warren County, N. J., November 25, 1813. At the age of
twenty-four he was married to Miss Margaret Semple, a
Scotch lassie, two years his junior. About two weeks after
their marriage the }^oung couple started to the far West to
seek their fortune in the new State of Indiana. They arrived
at La Grange County, in the month of June, 1837. Mr.
Fleming was a brick and stone mason and by hard and rigid
economy soon succeeded in establishing a home. During a
revival meeting at Van Buren he was regenerated and after-
wards was baptised in the Pigeon River, in January, 1843. It
was apparent that he was fitted for a wider unsefulness and
his church gave him a license to preach. He gave careful
supervision to his farm and earnestly applied his trade, at
the same time preached the gospel acceptably to the people
in various places, besides being for many years pastor of the
Baptist Church at Lima and Van Buren. In the course of
his ministerial life of over fifty years he preached at many
hundred funerals, besides marrying over a thousand persons-
He was especially and particularly a scriptural preacher.
He was rigidly honest and there was no hypocrisy in his
nature. He was loyal to the bible and to his opinions. He
early espoused the cause of the colored slave, was outspoken
against their wrongs, and did everything in his power to
hasten the day of their liberation. He was always a strong
temperance man. Indeed his face was steadfastly set against
whatever he regarded as politically, socially or morally
wrong. Being a man of strong conviction and also being
fearless in advocating his principles, he had much to do in
shaping public opinions and the history of the community in
which he lived. He was always philanthropic and did much
to alleviate the sufferings of the needy about him. He enjoyed
the entire confidence of his neighbors and as a result during
the prime of his life settled a vast number of estates. He was
ever ready to speak and pray whenever occasion demanded,
q8 Family Genealogy.
and what he said was appropriate, manifesting earnest thought
and warmth of sympathy. After a lingering illness of many
weeks, during which he manifested the utmost patience, he
quietly and peacefully fell asleep in Jesus, January 23, 1894.
He leaves to mourn the wife of his youth, who is in quite
feeble health, his only son William, grandson Orin and Mrs.
David Leighton (adopted child). The funeral services were
held at the Baptist church at Lima, on the 26th of January.
A vast concourse of people were present, besides many min-
isters of his own and other denominations. His final tri-
umph was complete. His mind was clear to the end. The
Rev. F. W. Hart, his pastor, preached an appropriate funeral
sermon, from the text: I know whom I have believed, and
am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have com-
mitted unto him against that day." F. E. D."
Elder Abbott Fleming once said in a letter: 'The last
Democratic President I voted for was James K. Polk, he
went south and left me behind. So I stood almost alone,
voting the abolition ticket when I could find one, until 1855,
I went to Indianapolis to help make the Republican Party
and have voted with them since."
The inscription on his tombstone at Lima, Ind: Abbott
Fleming, born in Oxford, Warren County, N. J., November
25, 1813.
Margaret Semple, born in Straw Haven, near Glasgow,
Scotland, November 16, 1815. They were married in Green-
wich, N. J., by Rev. D. T. Junkin, May 6, 1833. Shortly
after emigrated to Indiana and settled in the forest at Lima,
where they yet reside, in 1884. They were baptised in
Pigeon River, January, 1842.
"Elder A. Fleming, a Baptist minister more than 40 years,
died January 23, 1894."
The above, with the exception of the date of his death,
was written by himself.
Miss Jane Fleming, of Readington, informs me that Abbott
was called Elder rather than Reverend or Minister, because
as he told her he did not believe in being called Reverend as
it was blasphemy, as the name occurred but once in the bible
as "Holy and Reverend is his Name" III Psalms 9th Verse.
In his journeys East among his old acquaintances and rela-
tives, which were delightful visits and always remembered,
he never failed to see them all. Mrs. Amy Leonard, of Jute-
land, relates that after he had made the rounds he would say:
"He had left them done up well". His grandson, Orin,
The Fleming Family. 99
has kindly sent me an account of his life with that of Abbott's
descendants, which I repeat here in his own language:
Abbott Fleming was brought up on a farm. When about
seventeen years of age he begun working at the stone mason
and plasterer's trade. After his apprenticeship he engaged in
business for himself. May 6, 1837, (at 24 years of age), he
married Miss Margaret Semple, born near Glasgow, Scot-
land, November 16, 1815. To them was born one son, William,
and they adopted a daughter, Elizabeth J. Shortly. After his
marriage in 1837, he moved to Indiana and settled on a farm
in Lima township, La Grange County. He became a
Baptist minister and preached for more than forty years. A
few years before his death, he moved to the village of Lima,
where he died January 23, 1894. His wife died June 29, 1897.
William Fleming, son of Abbott Fleming was born in
Lima township, La Grange County, Ind., September 3, 1838.
He was reared on his father's farm and passed the whole of
his life in Lima township, engaged in agricultural pursuits.
He was married January 8, 1863, to Mary J. Howard, who
was the mother of his only child, Orin A. Fleming. She died
December 17, 1869. His second wife was Mary A. Craig.
In 1890 he retired from active labor on the farm and moved
to Lima village. He died April 26, 1895.
Orin A. Fleming, only son of above William Fleming, is
married; resides at Lima, Indiana. Children: Helen, born
August 2, 1899, and Margaret, born February 26, 1903.
Orin has this year, 1903, completed a three year college
course.
THOMAS FLEMING, THE FIRST.
Thomas Fleming, son of Malcolm, and one of the four
brothers who settled in New Jersey, was born near Cooks-
town, in the parish of Derrylorain, County of Tyrone, in
Ulster Province, Northern Ireland, about 1720. We know
he was an orphan before 1730. He was a yeoman and lived
there in the same place until he came to America in 1751.
He married there, Mary his wife, who was born there in the
same parish and lived there until she came to America with
her husband. Both Thomas Fleming and his wife, Mary,
were baptised in the Presbyterian church on the Loy hill, in
Cookstown, and both were members of that church. In May,
IOo Family Genealogy.
175 1, they were both properly dismissed by regular letters
authorized by the session and also with a letter of character
signed by the Deacons, both of which are given in full else-
where. They came to America in the summer of 1751, in
company with his brother, William Fleming, first, and wife,
and his brother, Andrew Fleming, first, and several cousins.
We suppose that all three of these brothers settled at once
near Bethlehem Presbyterian church, in Bethlehem township,
Hunterdon County, New Jersey, as is shown by blacksmith
accounts, sales of wheat and grain and butter, vendue purchase
of cradle and stack of straw, and of horses and cattle, dated
from 1755 to 1776, of Thomas Fleming, now in hands of Elisha
M. Fleming, of Belvidere, N. J. One receipt shows that April
13, 1761, he paid over £,6, s 14, d. 6, as collected by him as
collector for salary of Rev. John Hanna for one year. He
was also collector in 1763, in which he signed the receipts as
"Thomas Flemen" and in 1764 he paid ten shillings on salary
of ' Mr. John Hanna." Here is a copy, receipt given him:
"May 27, 1766. Received of Thomas Flemen, the sum of
ten shillings and ten pence for Mr. Hanna salary. Received
by me, being in full for this year salary. (Signed), James
Bigger." In 176? he paid his share of salary in same sum
and same year, paid 6s. For the breast-work of ye gal-
lery and sum other charge belonging to ye meeting house."
In 1767 he paid one pound, five shillings. This receipt is
the one with the names of the three brothers given in full
under William, first. The Rev. John Hanna was the pastor of
Bethlehem Church. He was collector of the pastor's salary
also in 177 1 as shown by the order quoted elsewhere. In 1783,
he also paid his share of salary of "John Hana. " In Jan-
uary 4, 1760, Henry Jones became bound unto Thomas and
Mary his wife for thirteen years, and 1773 gave them a release
that they had performed their part of the agreement by giving
him proper schooling. In June, 1783, Thomas removed from
Bethlehem to Vienna in Sussex County, (now Warren County),
N. J., about twenty miles north of his old home, where he
settled on a tract of land containing fourteen hundred acres.
He had been since his coming an ardent, active and influen-
tial member of the Presbyterian church at Bethlehem and
served as an elder. He was given this letter of dismissal:
« «.
Bethlehem, June 9, 1783. These are to certify that ye
Thomas Fleming, the bearer hereof lived many years in my
society, was of great use in it, was in full communion, served
The Fleming Family.
IOI
V
as an elder, and free of all public scandal known to me
Signed, John Hanna, Thomas Lake, William Gano, Francis
McShane.
Thomas moved to Vienna or Hackettsville in 1783. This
is near Danville and about fifteen miles west of Belvidere.
It is in the Pequest river valley and just south of the "Great
or Pequest- Meadows," in township of Independence. He
died there before August, 1874, and is buried in Hacketts-
ville Churchyard, then called Cumminstown. He left this
quaint will which exhibits the deep religious character of his
mind:
< <i
In the name of God, Amen. I, Thomas Fleming, of the
County of Sussex and township of Independence and State
of New Jersey, being very sick and weak in body, but of per-
fect mind and memory, thanks be given unto God. Calling
unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is
appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this,
my last will and testament. That is to say principally and
first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of
Almighty God that gave it, and my body, I recommend to
the earth, to be buried in decent Christian burial, at the dis-
cretion of my executors, nothing doubting but at the general
Resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty
power of God. And as touching such worldy estate where-
with it has pleased God to bless me with in this life, I give,
devise and dispose of the same in the following manner and
form: First, I give to my well beloved son, James Fleming,
all my fast estate lying and being in the County of Sussex,
and township of Independence. I also give to my beloved
son, Thomas Fleming, the sum of eighty pounds. Also to
my daughter, Margaret Fleming, twenty pounds, to be raised
and paid out of my estate by my son James, whom I likewise
make and ordain with his brother, Thomas Fleming, my sole
executors of this, my last will and testament; said legacies to
be paid within ten years after the date hereof, use free. Each
of the brothers to pay their own debts and enjoy their own
crops that they now have growing, etc. And further I give
to my son, James, one certain horse known by the name of
Juniper". I also give to my son-in-law, Andrew VanWhy,
one brown colt. Item, I give my bed and furniture to my
grandchild, Mary VanWhy. And further, I give to James,
one cow which was brought to this place a heifer. And
further I will and bequeath to my two sons, Thomas and James,
102 Family Genealogy.
a certain legacy left to me by my mother deceased, all due
and owing thereon. And I do hereby utterly disallow, revoke
and disannul all and every other former testament, wills, leg-
acies, bequests and executors by me in anywise before named,
willed and bequeathed, ratifying and confirming this and no
other to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof
I have hereunto set my hand and seal this eighth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred
and eighty-three. Signed, Thomas Fleming.
Signed, sealed and pronounced and declared by the said
Thomas Fleming as his last will and testament in the presence
of us who in his presence and in the presence of each other
have hereunto subscribed our names. Signed, Daniel Stock-
ton, Daniel McCracken."
Will recorded in Burlington County, New Jersey, and proven
August 17, 1784. All wills were then recorded in State Cap-
ital at Trenton.
Thomas had only been in Vienna three months when he
made his will, and his good wife Mary is not named in the
will, she may have died in Bethlehem, and probably died
there a number of years before. She had three children and
the third was born in 1756. When Thomas, First, died his
son Thomas, Second, and James were operating his farm.
Their children were:
1. Thomas Fleming,?. second, born October 24, 1753. 2.
James Fleming born September 2, 1756. 3. Margaret Flem-
ing, said to have been born in Ireland in 1750, who was mar-
ried to Andrew Van Why and had a daughter, Mary Van Why,
prior to September 8, 1783.
Thomas Fleming, second, born at Bethlehem, October 24,
1753 and baptised in that church, as the records show, and
resided there with his father until the family moved to Vienna,
when he moved with them and operated the farm with his
brother James. He lived there all his life, a large landowner
and influential farmer in what is now town of Hope and Inde-
pendence. He was an ardent Presbyterian and an Elder in
the Hackettstown Presbyterian church. He was one of the
first Elders and his sons and grandsons have been since.
There is still one an Elder in the session. While Thomas,
second, lived in Bethlehem, in Hunterdon County, N. J., he
The Fleming Family. 10^
entered the war of the Revolution and was with Washington
at the crossing of the Delaware. In 1817 Thomas as a mem-
ber of Hackettstown Presbyterian church paid $13.00 for his
"seat" and in 1818 he paid $5.00 on salary and 1819 the
same. In 1820 he paid $7.00 on ' salary due last year."
He died March 4? 1829, at 75 years of age and was buried in
the Presbyterian churchyard at Danville, Warren County,
N. J. The inscription on his tombstone reads: "Here lies
the remains of a soldier of the Revolution, one of the heroic
band who with Washington crossed the Delaware on the 25th
of December, 1776, and conquered the British and Hessians
at the battle of Trenton." His wife was Mary Hays, who was
born August 17, 1759 and died February 15, 1838, aged
seventy-eight. Children:
1. David Fleming born November 21, 1781. 2. Alex-
ander Beatty Fleming, born November 19, 1783, died 1799.
3. Thomas Fleming, third, born May 19, 1785. 4. Josiah
Fleming, born September 9, 1787. 5. John Hayes Fleming,
born December 28, 1789. 6. Miriam Fleming, born Octo-
ber 16, 1791. Married Robert Bounds. 7. Aaron Flem-
ing, born August 28, 1795. 8. Moses Hays Fleming, born
October 30, 1797. 9. Achsa Fleming, born January 19,
1800. Married Nathan Parks. Moved to Ohio. 10. James
Fleming, born June 7, 1803.
David Fleming, son of Thomas, second, and Mary Hays
Fleming, born November 21, 1781; married; Children: 1.
Alexander B. Fleming, died at 16 years of age. 2. Robert
Fleming, married, had children: (a) Luke, (b) John,
married, has daughter, Grace Fleming, (c) Robert, (d))
Roxena, (e) Albertine, 3. John Fleming. 4. Maria.
Thomas Fleming, third, was born in town of Independ-
ence, now Warren County, N. J., son of Thomas, second and
Mary (Hays), on May 19, 1785. He died March 27, 1826,
aged 45 years, and lies buried in the Danville churchyard, in
same row with his fathers. He occupied one of his father's
farms in what is now Hope township, near Danville. The
old stone farm house is still standing in a good state of pre-
servation. He married Eunice, daughter of Nathaniel
Bacon. Her father gave material aid to the British for which
he received a tract of land in Canada. In 1830 Eunice
Fleming left Danville with her family, except Aaron, for
Canada, where she settled her children on their land she
104 Family Genealogy.
inherited from her father. She died in Dumfries, Canada,
August 27, 1849, aged 70 years. Their children:
1. Charles Fleming, married, had children: (a) Mark,
(b) John, (c) Almira, of Lowell, Mich., married
Burnett, and had children: (A) Esther Burnett, who married,
and has one child, Mena. (B) Arthur, who married and has
one child, Zena. (C) Lois, who married and has one child.
(D) Ann. (e) Aaron, (f) Charles.
2. Aaron Lance Fleming, born in Hope township, in
Sussex, now Warren County, N. J., January 8, 181 1.
3. Achsa, married J. F. Forrester.
4. Ann Fleming, married Hunt, no children.
5. John H. Fleming, entered the ministry and became a
great power for good; he married, has children: (a) Eliza
F. Fleming, married John R. Carr, reside at Hackettstown,
N. J., (b) Maria Fleming, married Merrell, reside at
Vienna, N. J., have one son Lewis Merrell, of Vienna, N. J.
6. Mark F. Fleming is dead, was married and had two
daughters.
7. Eliza F. Fleming, married Armstrong, had
children: (a) Charles, married and has one daughter, (b)
Alfred, (c) Clarinda, (d) Eunice, C. Armstrong, resides in
Collingwood, Canada.
8. Mary Jane married Dennis Thompson; had children:
(a) Egerton, who has a large family, resides at Paris, Ontario.
(b) William dead, had two daughters, (c) Eunice, had a
large family, (d) Achsa, dead, had five children, (e) John,
dead, had two daughters. Emma and Nettie Thompson, of
Brantford, Ontario, Canada, are grandchildren of Mary Jane
Fleming.
9. Alfred Fleming, died at 21 years of age.
10. Archibald Fleming had a large family.
Achsa Fleming, daughter of Thomas and Eunice Fleming,
born July 10, 18 15, married John Forrester, November 27,
1836, and died August 16, 1891. Children: 1. Cynthia,
born November 23, 1838, unmarried. 2. Francis, born
July 16, 1840, died June 17, 1854. 3. Mark Fleming, born
March 29, 1842, unmarried. 4. John Forrester, born
April 21, 1844; married Emma Warner, June 21, 1892, they
reside at Danville, Canada. Children: (a) Achsa, born
December 26, 1893. (b) Harry, born June 22, 1895. (c)
Asa, born December 23, 1897.
The Fleming Family. 105
Aaron Lance Fleming, son or Thomas, third, and Eunice
(Bacon) was born on the paternal farm at Danville, Hope
township, January 8th, 181 1. He enjoyed the benefit of a
common school education and remained under the parental
roof until 1829, when the family inherited their portion of
land from his grand father's estate by will. Aaron rented
out and improved the land and each sold out his portion of
the joint inheritance to him when he reached his majority.
He subsequently added to this inheritance until it numbered
over two hundred acres. His brothers were all farmers
except John, who entered the ministry. Aaron was a fear-
less traveler; he drove his own conveyance over the perilous
roads, where the Indian frequently crossed his track, three
times to Canada before it was convenient to travel by
rail. In 1830 he rented a grist mill at Johnsonburg, Warren
County, and employed a miller, and carted the feedand flour
and other products to Newark and New York. In later years
he engaged in driving stock from the west, principally sheep
from Ohio, and met with great success; but finding it too
much exposure for his health he gave up the roads in the
early fifties, but always speculated in stock that he could buy
and sell in his own locality. He had been a Democrat from
his birth and was actively idenified with the purposes and
movements of that party. He was in full sympathy with the
Union cause and gave liberally of his time and money to
raise volunteers. He has filled the various county and town-
ship offices and was postmaster at Townsburg a number of
years. He acquired some knowledge of law in his early
manhood and was frequently employed in a legal capacity
before the justice courts. He was one of the representative,
leading agriculturists of the township. He was recognized
as a man of superior judgment, progressive and liberal in his
views, of strict integrity, and was justly one of the most
popular men of his vicinity. He was a liberal supporter of
the various benevolent and philanthropic enterprises of the
day, and a member of the Presbyterian Church at Danville,
founded by his ancestors. He died February 14, 1867, aged
56 years, and lies buried in the Union Cemetery in Danville,
N. J. He was married to Elizabeth Deats, of Hope town-
ship, N. J., in 1832. She died April 18, 1838, aged 25, and
was buried in the family lot at Danville, N. J. Their children:
1. Angeline, who died December 13, 1833, aged 8 months
and 17 days.
2. Hester A. Fleming, born September 21, 1834, married
106 Family Genealogy.
Thomas Bulgin, who is dead, of Vienna, N. J. ; she resides at
Henry St, Brooklyn, N. Y. Their children were: (a) Aaron
F. Bulgin, a printer of Brooklyn, N. Y. (b) Ida Bulgin,
married Price, who is dead. She resides in Brooklyn, N. Y.
Her children are Florence and Grace Price.
3. Eliza Caroline Fleming, born May 30, 1836, married
N. S. Smith of Waterloo; both are dead. Their son Aaron
F. Smith, is a farmer in Shicsling or Plymouth, Pa. For
second husband she married Burnett.
Aaron Lance Fleming married again in 1840 to Ann A.
Cook, of Freelinghuysen, N. J. She died May 16, 1890,
aged 78 years, 2 months, 17 days, and was buried in the
Union Cemetery, Danville, N. J. She was born February 27,
1812. Children:
4. Selina E. Fleming, born May 1st, 1841, married M. J.
W. Yeomans, and now a widow, residing at No. 303 W. 18th
St., N. Y. City. Their children: (a) Dr. Frank Clark
Yeomans, of New York City, (b) Mertie Anna Yeomans,
married Chapman, of Chapman Quarries, Pa. Their
children are Robert C. Chapman, of Chapman Quarries, Pa.,
and Eleanor S. Chapman, (c) Mary Carolyn Yeomans is a
teacher in New York City, (d) Harry Martin Yeomans is a
clerk in New York City, (e) Fred B. Yeomans is a musician
in New York City.
5. Eunice E. Fleming, born November 19, 1842, married
Samuel C. Weller, of Washington, Warren County, N. J.,
where she resides in summer, and No. 303 West 18th St.,
New York City, in winter.
6. Delphiena M. Fleming, born October 2, 1844. She
married first, Wm. H. Metier in 1873, and second, Robert
Ayers, Jr., in 1885, wno died in 1900. She resides at 95 N.
Main St., Phillipsburg, N. J., and is a member of the
Daughters of American Revolution."
7. Mary J. Fleming, born October 19, 1846, married
William Linaberry, died August 1, 1892. Their children
are: (a) Eugene L. Linaberry, telegraph operator at Wash-
ington, N. J. (b) M. Cooper Linaberry, telegraph operator
at Easton, Pa.
8. Lewis C. Fleming, born November 9, 1848, on the old
homestead, Townsbury, N. J., his present address. His
children: (a) Harvey Fleming is a clerk in New York City.
(b) Jacob H. Fleming is a clerk in Blairstown, N. J. (d)
Grace C. Fleming, married Albertson, resides at Hope town-
The Fleming Family. I07
ship, Warren County, N. J. Has a daughter Ruth Albert-
son, (c) Mary Mae Fleming, resides in Townsbury, N. J.
9. Aletha W. Fleming, born November 13, 1850, married
E. W. Aimer, of Danville, N. J. Their children:
(a) Ada A. Aimer, of Danville, N. J. (b) Aletha F. Aimer,
born in Danville, January 13, 1877, married to E. B. Van
Natta, harness dealer of Clinton, N. J., who was born in
Jackson Valley, Warren County, N. J., son of H. F. B. Van
Natta (born same place and died March 1894), and his wife,
Hannah Thatcher, of Petersburg, N. J., who died June 1,
1883. No children have been born to Aletha (Aimer) Van
Natta.
10. Aaron L. Fleming, Jr., born April 25, 1852, is an
electrician at New Haven, Conn., his children: (a) J.
Preston Fleming, a telegraph operator located at New Haven,
Conn, (b) Dr. Mark L. Fleming, in charge of Bellevue
Hospital, New York City, (c) Renby Fleming, residence
New Haven, Conn.
11. Harriet J. Fleming, born October 29, 1857, married
De Witt R. Young, of Hackettstown, Warren County, N. J.,
their presentaddress. Their children: (a) Augustus Young,
is a clerk in Hackettstown, N. J. (b) Bertha B. Young,
resides in Hackettstown, Warren County, N. J.
Miriam Fleming, daughter, of Thomas second, and Mary
(Hays), born October 16, 1791, and died Jul}' 19, 1873.
She married Robert Bounds, September 12, 1812. Their
children: 1. David Fleming Bounds, born March 1, 1814;
died January 5, 1881. 2. Andrew Jackson Bounds, born
December 17, 1815; died April 3, 1888; his son L. H. Bounds,
resides at Hebron, Ohio. 3. Robert Bounds, born February
7, 1818; died April 15. 1881. 4. Linsley Bounds, born
September 9, 1820; died April 20, 1856. 5. Lucinda
Bounds, born October, 10, 1822; died October 10, 1822. 6.
George Florida Bonds, born August 12, 1825; died April 11,
1899.
Moses H. Fleming, son of Thomas, second and Mary
(Hays), born October 30, 1 797; married Mercy S. Smith. Their
children: 1. Caroline Fleming, married John Albert.
Their children: Jacob Albert, Achsa Ann Albert, Ellen
Josephine Albert, Charles Fleming Albert. 2. Charles
Fleming, married Margaret Runyon. Their children:
Wesley Fleming, Lizzie Fleming, Harvey Fleming. 3,
108 Family Genealogy.
Josephine Irene Fleming reside in Danville, N. J., married
Jacob Henry. Their children: Neurella C. Henry is
married to Moore. Grant Henry, Florence Henry.
Ella Henry. 4. Ellen Mary Fleming, married Zachariah
Flomerfelt, their children are: Ellerson Fleming Flomerfelt,
John Clark Flomerfelt. Both sons are dead. 5. Achsa
Jane Fleming, married Charles Cook; children: John Ells-
worth Cook, Joseph Fleury Cook, Richard A. Cook, Elmer
H. Cook, Lorella M. Cook, who married Jayne,
George Cook, dead. 6. Josephine W. C. Fleming married
Elmer Dennis. Child: Edith.
James Fleming, son of Thomas, first, was born Septem-
ber 2, 1756, in Bethlehem, N. J. He married Elizabeth Cor-
yell, of Amwell, in Hunterdon County, N. J., daughter of
John, in 1 783. He was a farmer; and January 2, 1806, he bought
of his brother Thomas Fleming, Jr., second, two cider presses,
and dealt in its products. They were worth $50.00. James
made apple whiskey at his cider mill, which he sold at $25.00
per barrel.
By signed and sealed indentures, James Fleming bought
Pew 66, for $75.00 in First Presbyterian Church, in Hack-
ettstown, on the first day of January, 1820. James Fleming
was then of the township of Independence, in the County of
Sussex, N. J., and was one of the trustees of the church. By
another indenture the same James Fleming on the 4th day of
May, 1827, bought for $25.00, one-third of pew No. 37 in
the First Presbyterian Church at Hackettstown, N. J. August
8, 18 18, James Fleming was collector of "some dues on
their seats in Hackettstown Church." Among the sums named
to collect and which are marked paid by himself on the order,
were: Thomas Fleming paid $13.00; for 1817, $7.00; James
Fleming paid $7.00. In 1819 he was also collector and his
papers show his collections for salary. In December
1819, Thomas paid $5.00 on salary and in February,
1819, Thomas paid $5.00 on salary, and James Flem-
ing paid $3.00 inSeptember, 1818; and $5.00 in November/
1818; August, 1819, James paid $4.00 and November 6,
1819, James paid $^.88. October, 1820, Thomas Fleming
paid $7.00 on salary due last year." May 1st, 1822, and
June 29, 1822, James Fleming subscribed $25.00, "for build-
ing church at Hackettstown," and in those dates paid respec-
tively $10.00 and $15.00 in full for same. On June 28, 1825,
James Fleming paid $4.00 "due on salary," "due the trus-
The Fleming Family. IQ9
tees of the first First Presbyterian Church at Hackettstown. "
James Fleming died 1840. His will executed March 3, 1830,
recorded Book Wills, Warren County, N. J., Vol. 1, p. 472,
which we synopsise as follows: 1. To his wife Elizabeth
Fleming, one feather bed and bedstead, with clothing for the
same. 2. To her and heirs, all his claim to one-sixth part
land in Amwell, Hunterdon County, N. J., that descended
to said wife b}^ will of her late father, John Coryell, deceased.
3. To his son John C. Fleming the house and lot of land
where he now lives in Danville with the out buildings thereon.
4. Also $500,00. 5. To his daughter, Nancy Fleming;
$6.00 and two cows, and all the furniture in his house. 6. To
his daughter, Margaret Mattock, $450.00. 7. To his daughter
Amelia Mattock, $450.00. 8. His granddaughter, Mary
Matilda Fleming, $500, also two feather beds and bedding.
9. Harvey Fleming, his son, was to pay the legacies. 10. To
his son, Harvey Fleming, the farm he lives on with all the
buildings as well as those I now occupy. His children were:
1. John C, born December, 1793, died April, 1878.
2. Mary, born December, 1793, died 1818. twins. 3.
Nancy, born August 1796, died March 1877. 4. Margaret
born August, 1798, died January, 1876. Married Mr.
Mattock. 5. Amelia born July, 1801, died March, 1881,
married Mattock. 6. Harvey born October, 1803, resided
in Independence township, Warren County. 7. Sarah, born
January, 1808, died in infancy. 8. James or Thomas H.,
born January, 1808, died in infancy.
John C. Fleming, son of James and Elizabeth Fleming,
was born January, 22, 1794, in Independence, Warren County,
N. J. His children were: Elisha M. Fleming, of Belvidere,
Emanuel C. Fleming, Mary Ann Fleming, Amanda H. Flem-
ing, Margaret M. Fleming, William A. Fleming, James H.
Fleming.
Elisha M. Fleming, son of John C, inline of Thomas,
first, resides at Belvidere. He says he never tasted liquor
of any kind and prided himself on it. Had followed manu-
facturing all his life, except now is an insurance agent at
seventy-four years of age. Has lived at Belvidere forty years.
Came from Vienna, Warren County forty-two years ago.
Was brought up on a farm, learned carpenter's trade. Com-
menced bending wagon material at Vienna, at twenty-two
years of age and followed it up to 1869. Elisha M. was born
no
Family Genealogy.
29th of February, 1826. His children: Charles Fleming,
who died before 1888, Elizabeth Fleming, who is unmarried
and keeps house with her father in Belvidere, N. J.
ANDREW FLEMING, THE FIRST.
Andrew Fleming, the first, was born in parish of Derry-
loran, Tyrone County, Ireland, early in 1700, and is supposed
to have come to America with his brother William, first, and
Thomas, first, in 185 1 and settled in Bethlehem township,
Hunterdon County. N. J., near his brothers. He is men-
tioned in a receipt given by William, first, for a payment on
the salary of Rev. John Hanna of the Bethlehem Presbyterian
Church, April 17, 1767, copied in another place herein. He
is not mentioned in the order given for a similar collection in
March 29, 1771, from which we infer that he moved onto his
lands, purchased in 1768, in Warren County, N. J., between
1768 and 177 1. The following quit claim deed was made in
1802, by his grandsons William and Thomas, Jr., who then
resided on the land in Pequest Valley, town of Independence,
Sussex County, N. J., to his son Thomas, Sr., their father.
Memorandum of agreement, made September 21, 1802,
between William Fleming and Thomas Fleming Junior, of the
township of Independence, in the County of Sussex, and State
of New Jersey, of the one part; and Thomas Fleming, Senior,
of Oxford township, in the County aforesaid, of the other
part. Witnesseth: that the said William Fleming, and
Thomas Fleming, Junior, for and in consideration of the sum
of $1,106.66, paid by the said Thomas Fleming Senior, hath
sold unto the said Thomas Fleming, Senior, all their right,
interest, property, claim and demand, of in and to a certain
plantation and tract of land, situated in the township of Inde-
pendence, aforesaid, and now in the actual possession of
them, the said Thomas and William Fleming; containing 220
acres and 44 perches, which they hold as the heirs, and legal
descendants, of Andrew Fleming, their grandfather, late of
Independence, aforesaid deceased."
The following, more formal warranty deed, confirmed the
above quit claim, and is copied as it discloses the family his-
tory:
This Indenture, made April 1st, A. D., 1803, between
William Fleming, and Catherine his wife; and Thomas Flem-
ing, Junior, and Elizabeth his wife, of the township of Inde-
pendence, in the County of Sussex, and State of New
The Fleming Family.
in
Jersey, of the one part, and Thomas Fleming, Senior, of the
Township of Oxford, and County of Sussex, aforesaid, of the
other part.
Witnesseth: That the said William Fleming and Catharine
his wife; and Thomas Fleming, Junior, and Elizabeth his wife,
for and in consideration of the sum of $i, 106, to them in hand
paid by the said Thomas Fleming, Senior, all that tract, or
piece of land, situate on the north side of the Pequest, in
township Independence, aforesaid; containing 146^ acres of
land, being part, (and their share), of a tract of two hundred
and twenty-three acres and forty-four perches, purchased by
Andrew Fleming, deceased, late of Independence township,
grandfather of said William and Thomas Fleming, Junior,
grantors to these presents, of Jacob Sturn, late high sheriff,
of said County of Sussex, as appears by deed dated Novem-
ber 8, 1768, bounded as follows: Beginning at a maple tree
standing on the northwest bank of the Pequest, and is the
east corner of the tract, of seventy-three acres and seventy
perches, allotted as the share of Andrew Fleming, brother and
joint heir, with the grantors hereof, subject however during
her life to the claim of Jane Fleming, of the grantors, and
daughter of said Andrew Fleming deceased, agreeable to the
last will and testament of said deceased. In witness, whereof,
the parties to these presents, have hereunto set their hands
and seals, the day and year first above written."
On the 8th of June, 1802, Thomas Fleming Senior, pur-
chased of Andrew Fleming, the lot mentioned above, con-
taining seventy-three acres and seventy perches, considera-
tion 190 pounds.
The above deed of April, 1803, is recorded in Sussex,
(now Warren) County, Book M. of deeds, page 378.
We suppose Andrew, first, was married in Ireland, and his
children were all born in Bethlehem, N. J., and that he died
in Independence township, possessed of two hundred twenty-
three acres of land.
His children were: 1. Thomas Fleming, who lived in
Oxford township, Sussex (now Warren) County in 1802, and
was a man of some fortune. 2. Jane Fleming, who lived in
Independence in 1803. 3. Sarah Fleming.
Thomas Fleming, Sr., son of Andrew the first, who lived
in Oxford, in 1802-1803, purchased the interest of his sons in
their grandfather Andrew's estate in that year. These sons
112
Family Genealogy.
were Andrew, William and Thomas Jr., all of whom then
lived on the property, in Independence. The children of
Thomas Sr. :
i. William Fleming, married Catharine , before 1803,
and with her lived in Independence township. 2. Thomas
Fleming, Jr., lived with his wife Elizabeth, on his grandfather
Andrew's estate, in Independence, prior to 1803, when he
sold as shown in above deeds. 3. Andrew Fleming, had
from his grandfather Andrew Fleming the first, seventy-three
acres and seventy perches of land, in Independence, which
he sold 8th of June, 1802, to his father Thomas, Sr., for 190
pounds ($950). He lived for a number of years, about 1820
to 1824, with William Fleming, of Oxford Furnace. He
married Rachel Bunnell, and 1824, or earlier, moved into Yates
County, N. Y. and gave name of Fleming to a town of Cay-
uga Count}', N. Y. Their address was Barrington. We sup-
pose he was an old man, when he moved into Yates County,
as some letters mention this. He had a son, (a), John Flem-
ing, born about 18 15, in Oxford township, N. J. Also daugh-
ters: (b), Catherine Fleming, (c), Elizabeth Fleming, who
married, May 10, 1827, Morris ; had a child Rachel,
born 1828, (d), Mersey Fleming, who married, and had one
daughter, and a son Levi, (e),Mary Fleming, was married,
(f), Anna Fleming, (g), Ellen Fleming.
SAMUEL FLEMING OF FLEMINGTON.
Elisha M. Fleming, of Belvidere, told the author, that his
aunt Nancy Fleming, said that Samuel Fleming, of Fleming-
ton was a brother to her grandfather, Thomas, first. The
relation of the Bethlehem Flemings is discussed elsewhere in
this book. From pamphlet, "Genealogical sketch of Col.
Thomas Lowrey and Esther Fleming his wife, " by Henry Race,
M. D., of Flemington: 'Thomas Lowrey was born in* Ireland,
September 3, 1739. He with his widowed mother, and her
brother, Thomas Paterson, fatherof Gov. William Paterson,
came to America when he was ten years old. Thomas was
brought up under the supervision of his kind hearted L^ncle
Paterson, and educated by him. His long and busy life was
was closed, November 10, i860. He died suddenly, at his
home in Milford, aged 72 years, 7 months, and was buried
in the cemetery belonging to the Presbyterian Church, at
Kingwood, formally called, "old stone". A horizontal
memorial stone with appropriate inscription marks his grave
The Fleming Family. 113
Mrs. Esther Lowrey, wife of Col. Thomas Lowrey, was born,
April 15, 1739, and was the second daughter of Samuel Flem-
ing and Esther Mounier, his wife."
Samuel Fleming was born April 2, 1707, and died at
Flemington, February 10, 1790. Esther Mounier, his wife,
was born, January 6, 17 14, and died, July 6, 1797. They
had ten children: 1. Elizabeth Fleming, born April 10,
1737; married John Sherrerd. 2. Esther Fleming, born
April 15, 1739; married Col. Thomas Lowrey; died October
13, 1814. 3. William Fleming, born, December 29, 1741.
4. Alexander Fleming, born, March 27, 1743. 5- Agnes
Fleming, born, March 22, 1745; married Timothy Wood. 6.
Mary Fleming, born September 25, 1749; married George
Alexander. 7. Isabella Fleming, born April 4, 1752,
married John Servoss. 8. Samuel Fleming, born, July 27,
1754. 9. John Fleming, born, December 11, 1756. 10.
Charles Fleming, born December 24, 1759. Esther Mounier,
belonged to a family of French Hugenots, which had left
their native land to escape the papal persecution. Samuel
Fleming, came to this country from Ireland. The date of
his emigration we have not been able to ascertain; but the
statement, that he brought the boy, Lowrey, with him is
incorrect, as the records show Samuel Fleming was licensed
by the Court to keep a hotel or public inn, in Amwell, Hun-
terdon County, N. J., in 1746, one year before Lowrey
came. June n, 1756, Fleming built on one hundred and
five acres of land, he bought in Amwell, New Jersey, a house
which has weathered the storms of 147 years, and still stands
in Flemington, the county seat of Hunterdon County, N. J.
"Esther Fleming was brought up by a pious and intelligent
mother, whose example instruction and influence, had a
beautiful and lasting influence on the mind and character of
her daughter. Mrs. Lowrey was a person of amiability and
refinement. She was courteous and ladylike in deportment.
The people whom she called around her at her home, and
those with whom she associated at Trenton, and other places,
were among the best class of the period".
In 1780 when the American army was suffering from a great
scarcity of supplies, Mrs. Lowrey was chosen as one of a com-
mittee of ten, including Mrs. John Hanna, wife of Rev. John
Hanna, and Mrs. Charles Cox, of this vicinity, to cooperate
with committees in other counties, to solicit voluntary con-
tributions, for the relief of the soldiers. In twelve days they
collected $15,408.
ii4 Family Genealogy.
In 1 789 Mrs. Lowrey was one of the matrons in charge of the
reception, at Trenton, of General Washington, which included
thirteen girls, dressed in white, who scattered flowers on the
pathway; one of these girls was Mary, daughter of Mrs.
Lowrey. Mrs. Lowrey survived her husband several years,
and died at Milford, N. J., October 13, 1814, in the seventy-
sixth year of her age. They had eleven children.
From SnelFs History of Hunterdon County, N. J., we copy
the following: ' Fleming, Lowrey and wife, were devoted
patriots during the revolution. The old house where Flem-
ing lived, and the first in the village, is still standing. Flem-
ing kept a tavern there. Around it was built Flemington the
county seat of Hunterdon County, N. J. Esther (Fleming)
Lowrey, was remarkable for her amiable and generous quali-
ties, and a practical and intelligent woman. It is related that
one morning, about daybreak, news came to the village that
the American army had met a reverse. Esther's patriotic
blood was stirred at the news, and rushing to the chamber
door, she called out: ''Thomas get up and mount the old
mare and ride as fast as you can and find out if the lie is true."
Fleming was financially unfortunate, but Lowrey was suc-
cessful. He was Lieutenant Colonel in the Revolution and
held several official positions, and was a Member of Assembly
of New Jersey.
CHAPTER II.
The Lawson Family.
Linlithgow, Scotland, is the ancient seat of the Scottish
Kings. In its famous castle, now in ruins, Queen Mary was
born. The pretty little town lies along one street, and on
the banks of a lake. It has now about four thousand people.
This is the place, from which emigrated, John Lawson, wife
and three children, in 1724. Rev. Harvey M. Lawson of
Union, Connecticut, in his history of the town of Union, has
written much of the history of the Lawson family, and the
information given below, of the Lawsons in Union, is copied,
or synopsized, from that book, published in New Haven,
Conn., in 1893.
JOHN LAWSON, FIRST.
John Lawson, the third settler of Union, was born in
Linlithgow, Scotland, in the year 1678. His wife, Janet
Young, was born in the same place, in 1694. They came to
this country about 1724, with three young children. They
were intending to settle in Pennsylvania, but were ship-
wrecked off the coast of Nova Scotia, and lost all their effects.
They found their way to Worcester, Mass., where they lived
a short time. Here their son Thomas, who afterwards
became prominent in Union town, was born in the year 1727.
They came to Union in 1728, when the infant Thomas was
six months old, where he bought, of William McNall, one
hundred acres of land, for which he gave a two year old colt.
This tract, on which he lived the remainder of his life, is
situated in the south part of town, where his grandson, Major
David Lawson, afterwards resided. John Lawson died
November 14, 1774, aged 96 years. Janet Young, his wife,
died October 29, 1781. Their daughter Phebe, was the first
n6 Family Genealogy.
white child born in Union, Conn. It was in the spring of
1728, John Lawson moved to town Union, from Worcester,
Mass. He was the third settler. Itis probable that James McNall
who was the first settler, came in same ship with him. At
least they both moved from Worcester and were friends.
McNall persuaded Lawson to settle in Union, instead of
going to Windsor as he had intended. John Lawson brought
his wife and four children to Union. Three of these children
had been born before coming to this country. The youngest,
Thomas, afterward Captain Thomas Lawson, was born in
Worcester, November 2, 1727, and a baby when he was
brought to Union, on top of a load of furniture, from which
uncertain position he rolled into the water, as the emigration
wagon was crossing a stream. This land bought by John
Lawson, of Wm. McNall, was in the south part of the town.
The cellar hole of the old place can still be seen, south of
the Horton saw mill, just east of the fork in the road, where
the old road turns to the left, to go to the Major Lawson
place.
Union is a township, in the northeast corner of Connecti-
cut, bordering on Massachusetts. It is about five miles
square. It is characterised by high hills and low valleys,
rocks and precipices, beautiful lakes and rivers, extensive
pine forests. It is the highest town in the state, east of the
Connecticut river; and its streams flow from its hills, into
every border town. For the early settler in Union, the
market was Providence, Boston or Hartford, where he went
with ox teams. What he needed was mostly raised. He had
little money, and barter was the rule. The wool or flax was
first spun into yarn, and then woven into coarse cloth for
family use. Wheat was scarce, so the lower crust of pie was
made of rye, and the upper crust of wheat flour.
There is a tradition, that when John Lawson settled in
Union, potatoes were just coming into commonuse;and when
his family first tried them, they did not know how to season
them, or what to eat with them, so they tried some honey.
The Congregational Society of Union was organized in
1738, and after several years of endeavor, the people of
the town of Union, built their first meeting house, in the
summer of 1 741; ' 'rum and cider" being provided for the
occasion, at the town expense. It was raised by a great
gathering of all the people, called a "bee". At the close of
the day* it was proposed to offer prayer, and when Deacon
Crams was suggested, as he lived just over the line, James
The Lawson Family. 117
McNall objected: "Deacon Cram must not pray as he did
not own a foot of land in the town". This meeting house
stood south of the present meeting house, on a hill now
covered with pines. The old meeting house had been in use
for nearly a hundred years. It had been repaired about the
year 1800 and was said to be still in fairly good condition,
when the church abandoned it. Besides desiring a better
and more commodious place, in which to worship, the church
members, had another reason for building a new edifice. The
old meeting house was in the hands of the town. It was
built by the town and had been used, not only for church
services, but for town meetings, and public gatherings of
every sort. This must have detracted somewhat from the
sacred character of the place. The church had no control
over the building, and could not call their house of worship
their own. Hence it was better, in many ways, that they
should erect their own building, and have it undisturbed by
other gatherings, than those for worship. The old meeting
house was forty-five feet long and thirty-five feet wide. It
had two doors, one on the east side, and double doors on the
south.
"No steeple graced its humble roof,
With upward pointing spire;
Our villagers were far too meek
A steeple to desire.
And never did the welcome tones,
Of Sabbath morning bell,
Our humble village worshippers,
The hour of worship tell."
Inside there were three aisles, and three galleries. The
stairs leading to these, were called on the south side, the
"men's stairs", and on the north side, "the women's stairs".
The high pulpit was on the north end, and had a big sound-
ing board overhead. The pews were nearly square and were
twenty-nine in number. There were several in the galleries.
The glass of the windows was said to have been imported
from England and to have been very clear. The plastering
remained white and clean, for there were no stoves in the
church, and no chimney. The people sat through the
service in the cold winter days, without having the building
warmed. Some of the women however, took their foot stoves
to church. In these they put some live coals, which gave
u8 Family Genealogy.
out some heat. It was the custom to stand through the long
prayer. And it was long. The subjects of prayer were of
great number. Few indeed, were the public events, which
were not remembered in the course of the long prayer. The
custom of standing during the prayer was continued long
after the new meeting house was built. One who remembers
it, tells how tired he used to get before it was over, standing
first on one foot, then on the other". Deacon Paul Lawson
continued the habit of standing during the prayer, as long as
he attended church. The singing in the old meeting house
was congregational. The psalm was started by a man with a
tuning fork. The people sat, always during the singing.
There was an officer appointed annually, called the "tything
man", whose duty it was to keep order during the service.
Men now living can remember how, as boys, they were sum-
moned into church, or if they got uneasy and noisy in the
gallery where they sat, were tapped on the head, by the rod
of the 'ty thing" man. But with all these peculiarities, as they
seem to us now, there was true heart worship, in the old
church on the hill.
In 1833 the society chose a committee to solicit subscrip-
tions, for a new meeting house, of which Paul Lawson was
one; and Robert Lawson and his son David Lawson, offered
a tract of land and $50.00, which was not accepted. The
new church was built north of the old one. Paul Lawson
was one of the building committee. Some members of the
Lawson family have been members of the Congregational
church ever since it was organized in 1738. Deacon E. N.
Lawson, in 1893, was the fifth in line; and his children, the
sixth in direct descent from John Lawson, the original settler
of the town Union, and a communicant; and in the words of
Rev. Geo. Curtis: 'in all the one hundred and fifty years
of the history of the church, there has never been a time,
when there haslacked a male of the name to stand before the
Lord".
Among the Lawsons who were admitted to the Congrega-
tional society, Christ Church, were John Lawson the original
settler and head of the family, and his wife; also, Susannah
Lawson, admitted July 5, 18 14; Phebe Lawson, April 30,
1815; Sarah Lawson, wife of David Lawson, July 10, 1815;
Paul Lawson, November 20, 1831; Mrs. Lydia Lawson, July
13, 1832; Louisa Lawson, July 4, 1841; Edwin N. Lawson,
Esther C. Lawson, November 7, 1858; Harvey M. Lawson,
July, 1883; George N. Lawson, Mary E. Lawson, July 4,
The Lawson Family. up
1886. Among the clerks and treasurers of this church,
have been, Robert Lawson, from 1816 to 1825, and 1829 to
1830; Paul Lawson from 1842 to 184Q.
Attention seems to have been given to educational matters,
quite early in the history of the town. The children of the
early settlers, learned to read, write and cipher; and some
acquired a fair education for those days. The schools were
held in private houses. Phebe Lawson, a daughter of the
pioneer settler, is said to have taught school, summer and
winter, till she was fifty years of age. Text books were
scarce and the teacher was compelled to give oral lessons, in
such subjects as arithmetic, or have the rules written out for
the scholar's use. Rev. Lawson has several such home-made
text books, which have been handed down from early times.
One of these is a treatise on geometry and surveying,
written by Robert Paul, Sr., which is very good, and shows
its author to have been a man of educational ability. The
first school-house in town, was built in the "meeting house
district", in 1772. The money was raised by subscription in
the district, and put into the hands of Thomas Lawson and
John Sessions, who had charge of building it. It stood on
the summit of the hill, just northwest of the old meeting
house, till after 1800.
Among the teachers of the schools of Union, who taught
between 1830 and i860, were Louisa Lawson, Paul C. Law-
son, Edwin N. Lawson and Minervia Lawson. To secure a
higher education than the common school, select schools
were- privately fostered. In 1881 such a school was revived,
for one year, through the efforts of Deacon E. N. Lawson.
Many young people, to secure better education, attended the
Hitchcock free high school at Brimfield, Mass. Among
these were Dr. George N. Lawson, graduated 1885, and his
brother, Rev. Harvey M. Lawson, 1886, and sister Susie M.
Lawson, 1892. Many people went from Union to receive a
collegiate education, among whom was Justus V. Lawson, to
Madison University, N. Y. , who died during his sophomere
year, August 12, 1854; Dr. George N. Lawson, Yale, 1890
and Yale Medical school, 1892; Rev. Harvey M. Lawson,
Yale University, Sheffield Scientific School, and Yale
Divinity schools.
Some of the noteworthy graves, in the old cemetery, are
those of John Lawson, one of the earliest settlers, and near
it lies Captain Thomas Lawson. To this ancient cemetery
was added a plat in 1844 and in this is buried David Lawson.
120 Family Genealogy.
A new cemetery was laid out in east part of the town, 1835,
in which Paul Lawson had an interest, and was buried, at 82
years of age.
John Lawson, Senior, the original Union settler, lived to be
96 years of age, and up to 1774, the beginning of the Revolu-
tion, too old too take a hand; but doubtless filled with the
spirit of discontent about him. His good wife, Jane Janet
Young, saw much of those stirring days and at home worried
over her own children and grandchildren in the thick of
battle. She died two years before the independence of her
country had been won out, at 87 years of age. Their only
two sons then alive, and four grandsons, served in the Revo-
lution, though two of the grandsons were but sixteen. They
also had one or more sons in law, who served in the Revolu-
tion. Mary's husband, Mathew Paul, served two years. The
sons of John Lawson in the Revolution, were John Lawson,
Jr. (second), who served fifteen months. He was then fifty-
three years of age. His other son was Captain Thomas
Lawson, who was captain of militia, before the war, and
served twenty-five months in the war; and in 1777 was at the
capture of Burgoyne. Son of John second, who was John
third, served five months in the Revolution; and his brother
Ebenezer Lawson, served in the Revolution two months, at
North River, in 1777, when he was 16 years of age, and at
Horseneck two months, in 1780, and at other times. Sons
of Captain Thomas Lawson, who served, were David Lawson,
at West Point, three months, 1781; and Thomas Lawson, Jr.,
at Providence, forty-five day sin 1777, and three months in 1781.
The children of John Lawson, Sr., and Janet Young, his
wife, were: 1. Rebecca, born August 14, 17 19; married
Robert Maklem; went to Pelham, Mass. She was born in
Linlithgow. 2. Isabel, born in Scotland, April 4, 1721;
married William Nelson of Brimfield. She was born in
Linlithgow. 3. John, born June 30, 1724, in Linlithgow,
and died in Union, Conn., January 20, 1795. 4. Thomas,
born November 2, 1727, Worcester Mass. 5. Phebe, born
June 30, 1731, in Union, Conn.; she is said to have taught
school until she was fifty years of age, and then married
Joseph Mann, of Hebron. 6. Mary, born November 4,
1733, in Union, Conn., married Matthew Paul, November
13, 1755, wh° was two years in the Revolution. 7. Martha,
born in Union, December 12, 1735; married David Bratten,
of Palmer. 8. Samuel, born in Union, August 16, 1740;
died September 9, 1747.
The Lawson Family. I2i
CAPTAIN THOMAS LAWSON.
Thomas Lawson, son of John Lawson, Sr., became captain
of the militia in Union, and led a company to Cambridge
after the Lexington alarm, to the capture of Burgoyne, to the
defence of New London, and other places. He became a
large land holder, owning the best timber land in the town.
He was selectman for a number of years and held other town
offices. He married Esther Paul, daughter of Robert Paul,
December 31, 1754. Thomas Lawson died January 5, 1825;
Esther Paul, his wife, died January 22, 1804. Their children:
all born in Union, Conn: 1. Hannah, born June 22, 1756,
died June 22, 1756. 2. Margaret, born May 19, 1757;
died April 18, 1758. 3. Robert, born January 11, 1759. 4.
Mehitable, born March 17, 1761; married Stephen Bugbee.
5. David, born February 17, 1763. 6. Martha, born
March 19, 1765; married John Moore, March 29, 1787, served
two years in the Revolution. 7. Esther, born February 7, 1767;
married Alpheus Twist, February 7, 1795. 8. Thomas,
born March 22, 1769.
On 13th, of October, 1770, Thomas Lawson was appointed
by the Royal Governor, Jonathan Trumbull, lieutenant of
the nth Company of Trainband, in 5th Regiment, in this
colony". He was ordered to exercise his men in use of their
arms. He was chosen captain of his company in Union
about 1774; so when the Revolutionary war broke out the
men of Union were ready. The battle of Lexington occurred
Wednesday, April 19; 1775. The news of it spread like
wildfire. Messengers were dispatched from Watertown, at
ten o'clock that morning, to alarm the country. Some of
them passed through town Union the next day, on their way
to Hartford and New York. He rode up in great haste and
said: "The war has begun; the British soldiers are on their
way to hang the head of every family, who will not swear
allegiance to the King."
The news spread; all the people met, the men at one house
and the women at another. People went at once in all direc-
tions; some to take the lead weights from their clocks and
cut them into bullets; some to gather powder; some to pro-
cure and repair guns; some were casting bullets; and some
making cartridges. All were recruiting for volunteers. The
women were as busy as the men, some making knapsacks,
others outfits; all were at work the whole night long. In the
122
Family Genealogy.
morning, April 21st, the volunteers gathered at the Centre,
and paraded in front of the house of Simeon Wright, which
stood a few rods northwest of where Mason Horton now lives.
They were equipped poorly enough. Some not having shoes,
were supplied by the spectators from their own feet. Thomas
Lawson, the captain of the training band, was unanimously
chosen on the spot, to lead the expedition. And so they
marched, twenty-seven in all, friends young and old being
present to witness the departure. The party out on this
alarm mostty returned, after the British retired into Boston.
The company of militia was called out, in whole or in part,
during times of special danger, many times during the Revo-
lution. The orders were sent from Colonel Samuel Chapman,
of Tolland, and the following is a sample, given April 27,
1777, after the invasion and burning of Danbury by the
British:
< <r
To Thomas Lawson, Captain of the Fifth Military Com-
pany, in the Twenty-second Regiment of Militia, in the state
of Connecticut, greeting: Whereas, I have received certain
intelligence, that the British troops landed at Fairfield, on
Friday night last, and marched directly to Danbury, and
have taken all our stores and burnt the town, these are there-
fore, to order you to march your Company forthwith, with-
out the least delay, to the relief of that or any other invaded
place. You are to carry ammunition, flints, etc., as there is
none in the stores, and about six day's provision to each man,
and be at Tolland on their march tomorrow, if possible.
Given under rriy hand, in Tolland, the 27th day of April,
1777. Samuel Chapman, Colonel."
It seems that during at least the last part of the war, there
was in town, besides the Company of Captain Lawson, one
under Captain Solomon Wales. This is called in one place,
an "Alarm Company." At the time of Burgoyne's invasion,
a company was formed from the Twenty-Second Regiment of
Militia, to which the Union Company, under Captain Law-
son belonged, to join the army which was resisting the inva-
sion. Captain Lawson was put in command of the Company,
and had the responsibility of conducting it to the American
lines. On the 9th of September, 1777, they left Union and
marched to Tolland, where the men from the different towns
were to meet. Captain Lawson kept a brief diary during the
expedition, from which we glean the following facts: At
The Lawson Family. I2$
Tolland, on the ioth, he had a tent made and borrowed a pot
for the Union people, and one for the Willington people. On
the nth they marched from Tolland, and kept on till they
arrived at camp, September 21st. Captain Lawson tells how
there was a good deal of firing going on, as they drew near
the camp. There were many skirmishers and sharp shooters
in the vicinity, which made him afraid that he might not be
able to get his Company into the American camp, without
losing some of them. But he succeeded in doing so, and felt
greatly relieved to be safely inside the American lines, two
days after the first battle of Stillwater. From Captain Law-
son's diary we quote the following:
"On Tuesday, the 7th of October, 1777, we had a severe
battle with the enemv, and gained their lines on their right
wing.
"On Thursday, the 9th of October, the enemy left their
encampment, at the south end of Saratoga, removed and set-
tled at the north end of the same.
"On Friday, October ioth, the main body of our army
removed from Stillwater, and encamped nigh Saratoga meet-
ing house.
On Tuesday, October 14th, the enemy and our General
Gates agreed on a cessation of arms, and the enemy sent sun-
dry flags of truce, to agree on a capitulation; on Thursday,
the 1 6th, they completed the agreement; on Friday, the 17th,
the enemy laid down their arms and marched out to our
people; on Saturday, the 18th, our people marched for Albany,
and arrived there on Sunday night." The severe battle he
mentions on the 7th of October, was the second battle of
Stillwater. It was in this battle that Arnold, deprived of his
command through the jealousy of Gates, remained a looker-on
as long as he was able; but at last he could restrain himself
no longer, and dashed upon the foe, heading charge after
charge, stimulating his men to desperate deeds, carrying dis-
may into the hostile ranks, challenging death, and falling at
last severely wounded, but not until the battle was won, in
great part by his valor. Captain Lawson often told of seeing
him riding furiously, hatless, and apparently without aim.
Captain Lawson's Company was in Colonel Cook's Regiment.
There are seventy-eight names given in the pay-roll; but some
of these did not serve the full time. In other places the
number is given as sixty-seven. One man was killed and one
taken prisoner in the second battle of Stillwater.
124 Family Genealogy.
There is one more case in which the company of militia in
Union was called out, which deserves mention. This was in
September, 1781, when the British under the traitor, Arnold,
attacked New London, and massacred the garrison of Fort
Griswold. The whole company was ordered to march with-
out the least delay, to repel the British invasion. Captain
Lawson told how, when they were within a few miles of New
London, a messenger came riding up in great haste saying:
Captain Lawson, your company is needed immediately."
So he had to go on with his jaded men, and when they came up,
they expected to have an encounter with the British; but they
found that the British liad finished their deadly work, seized
the stores and withdrawn to their ships.
Captain Lawson was the first of the Lawson family to be
elected a member of the State Legislature of Connecticut,
where he served three terms, in 1780, 1781, 1782. His sons
David and Robert, afterward filled the office seven terms.
Captain Thomas Lawson was almost a life member of the
local board, known as "Selectmen of the town," having
been elected almost continuously, from 1770 until 1798, a
period of twenty-eight years.
ROBERT LAWSON.
Son of Captain Thomas Lawson and Esther Paul, his wife,
was born in Union, January 11, 1758. He was a farmer, and
in 1825, with his son Paul, owned the water saw-mill at
Mashapaug. This mill was burned. The Lawsons owned
another mill known as, Lawson's Mill," which they owned
after 1744, where the present mill stands which was built by
David Lawson, 1840. In 1823, Robert was elected to the
Connecticut Legislature. He held the office of Town Clerk
and Treasurer, continuously, from 1789 up to 1823. He was
admitted to the Congregational Church, April 4, 1783, with
Anna, his wife, and was a prominent member. With his son
David, he offered $50.00 and a site, for the new church. He
was for many years, principal land surveyor of the town. In
this way he became familiar with the history of all the fami-
lies and homesteads in Union, and to some extent in the
surrounding towns. He was a soldier of the Revolution. He
married, January 30, 1783, Anna Horton, daughter of Rev.
Ezra Horton. Robert Lawson died, April 19th, 1835.
Anna Horton Lawson died December 14, 1841.
The Lawson Family. I25
Children: i. Margaret, born December 3, 1783; mar-
ried Nathan Howard; removed to Pennsylvania; died May
22, 1847. 2. Susannah, born June 3, 1786; died February
8, 1857. 3. Paul, born March 31 ,1789. 4. Phebe, born
February 12, 1792; married Lyman Moore; removed to Stock-
bridge, N. Y., 1830; died April 3, 1868. 5. Ira, born July
4, 1796. 6. David, born July 8, 1800. 7. Esther, born
March 14, 1803; married John Moore. 8. Mary, born
March 14, 1803; married Roswell Blodgett.
MAJOR DAVID LAWSON.
Son of Captain Thomas and Esther Paul, was born Febru-
ary 17, 1763, in town Union, Conn. He was a highly
respected citizen of his town, was elected selectman, 1799,
1800-2-3, and 182 1-2. He was elected to the Legislature of
Connecticut, 1802, and again, in 1821-22, and in his old age,
in 1823.
Major David Lawson was a soldier in the Revolution.
Captain Lawson was so zealous in his patriotism, that he
caused his son David to enlist as soon as he was of proper
age, thinking that the war might continue many years,
although it was really near its close. Major Lawson was one
of the guards of Major Andre while a prisoner.
Sidney Stanley, Esq., of Hartford, long a clerk in the
office of the Secretary of State, and as familiar as any one
with the Revolutionary archives, says, that when Major Law-
son was Representative in 1833 and 1834, no soldier of the
Revolution had served in this office for several years, and he
was the last Revolutionary soldier in the Legislature, and
probably the last who served the state in any office whatso-
ever. He lived in the south part of Union, on the farm
which still goes by his name. When he owned it, it was said
to be one of the best farms in town.
He married Sarah Moore, daughter of John, August 1,
1786. He died January 19, 1836. His wife, Sarah, died
July 31, 1858, aged ninety-two. Children: 1. Amy, born
January 27, 1787; married Nathaniel Newell, Jr. 2. Mar-
garet, born October 19, 1790: married Cyril Keyes. 3. Caleb,
born March 11, 1792; died June 29, 1792. 4. Sarah Ann,
born December 6, 1806; died March 13, 1810.
i26 Family Genealogy.
THOMAS LAWSON, JUNIOR.
Thomas Lawson, son of Captain Thomas, lived east of
Bigelow pond, where William Thayer recently lived. He
married Ruth Kinney, daughter of Nathan, January i, 1795.
He was member of the State Legislature of Connecticut, 181 1,
1812. He died December 20, 1819, aged fifty. His widow,
Ruth, married Johnathan Blanchard, of Monson, Mass.,
October 6, 1828. Children: 1. Esther, born May 6, 1799;
married Nehemiah Houghton.
DEACON PAUL LAWSON.
Son of Robert, like his father, was a land surveyor. He
served, at New London, in the war of 181 2. He was select-
man, in 1825, 1831, 1833, and on building committee, new
church, 1832. He became deacon of the Congregational
Church, in 1835. He married Lydia Holman, daughter of
Rev. Thomas Holman, December 9, 1824. Several years
after their marriage, he bought of Rufus Holman, the place
where he afterwards lived. He was a man of high Christian
character, a pillar in the church at Union, and always ready
to visit and assist the sick or afflicted. During the last part
of his life, he was almost totally blind. He died September
27, 1871. Lydia, his wife, died June 29, 1889.
"Away back in the earliest recess of memory, stands a
good man of serene countenance, clad in a new farmer's
frock, that reached down toward his feet like the robe of a
high priest, a novelty to a lisping child, and he held a whip
in his hand, and wanted the little boy to kiss him, and he
came to move our goods to Union. That is perhaps the old-
est picture in all my mental gallery, my first sight of Deacon
Paul Lawson. But not the last sight, for every Sunday and
every prayer meeting, when I was present, I saw him. And
didn't he literally, lift up holy hands, without wrath and
doubting; and those full lips would tremble with the fervent
prayer, that he so reverently offered. Alas, childhood is not
always reverent, and occasionally thinks prayers too long,
especially when bound to stay on its knees, and sometimes
the blessed prayer would bring to weary boyhood balmy
sleep. How many other blessings those prayers brought to
us we cannot tell. His memory is fragrant with the sweet
odor of his good deeds, in acts of faith and love. He believed
that 'pure religion, and undefiled before our God was to visit
The Lawson Family. 127
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep him-
self unspotted from the world.' "
He was admitted to the church, November 20, 1831; and
was chosen deacon, upon the resignation of Deacon Ezra
Horton, June 6, 1835. His pastor among many other words
of appreciation and praise, says: I always found him at
his work, true and faithful in his callings. For twenty years
before his death, he was so blind as not to be able to read
his Bible; and in the latter part of his life, he was quite hard
of hearing also. It was a great trial, but it had its compen-
sations. His experience in those days reminds one of the
lines of Alice Cary:
"My soul is full of whispered song;
My blindness is my sight,
The shadows that I feared so long
Are all alive with light."
Their children: 1. Lovisa, born December 9, 1826; mar-
ried Charles A. Corbin, of Union, January 17, 1849, resides
at No. 25 Vassar St., Springfield, Mass. 2. Paul Clinton,
born September 2, 1828, died April 30, 1849, at Southbridge,
Mass. 3. Esther Calista, born January 16, 1830; died at
Union, July 14, 1878. 4. Edwin Newton, born January 26,
1832, lives at Union, Conn. 5. Justus Vinton, born April
4, 1834; he was a youth of promise and was preparing for the
ministry at Madison University, Hamilton, N. Y., when he
was taken sick with typhoid fever, came home and died,
August 13, 1854. 6. Minerve, born March 18, 1837; mar-
ried Robert Smilie, October 24, 1866. They lived in Spring-
field, 111. She is dead. They had two children who died.
7. Lydia Ann, born November 15, 1839; died March 26,
1840. 8. Susan, born July 10, 1834; died October 1, 1858.
9. George Milton, born August 22, 1847, lives at Spring-
field, 111.
Lovisa Lawson, daughter of Deacon Paul and Lydia
(Holman), born December 9, 1826, married Charles A.
Corbin, of Union, January 17, 1849. They lived at Vernon,
Conn., and Willbraham and Springfield, Mass. He died at
Springfield, Mass., November 5, 1894. Their children: 1.
Frederick Charles, born March 22, 1850, died November 1,
1854. 2. Alice Marilla, born July 13, 1852, married James
Dyson. They reside in Sylvester, Colorado, have had three
children. 3. Emma Minerva, born October 29, 1855, mar-
i28 Family Genealogy.
ried James Phelps, have three children. She died February
13, 1898. 4. Harriet Louise, born May 16, i860, died Jan-
uary 20, 1861. 5. Elizabeth Charlotte, born July 9, 1862,
married Edward Chapman, have three children. Lived at
Ludlow, Mass. 6. Edith Louise, born October 29, 1864,
married Elisha Hunt. 7. Annie Lauria, born June 15,
1868, married Dana Pomroy of Springfield. He died April,
1897.
IRA LAWSON. j
Ira Lawson, son of Robert, married, first, Amy H. Reming-
ton, daughter of Peleg, of Cranston, R. I.; she died June 29,
1836. He married second, Ann Bartlett, of Eastford, Jan-
uaryi5, 1837. He died November 25, 1865. His wife, Ann,
died February 23, i860. Their children: 1. Thomas, born
August 6, 1822; died at Cincinnati, Ohio, January 11. 1843.
2. Julia Ann, born June 3, 1824; married Origin Prescott;
lived at Litchfield, Minn., died about 1883. 3. Robert,
born May 8, 1827; went to sea for several years; married
Eleanor Ann Harris, February 3, 1849. They live in New
Bedford, Mass., and have one son, Robert Clinton, who
married Emma Crawford, daughter of Ossian Crawford.
4. Caroline, born May 29, 1828, died August 6, 1831.
5. Adeline, bornMarch3i, 1830; married Walter Alexander,
January 10, 1849; died at Nashville, Tenn., June, 1854. 6.
Emeline, born March 28, 1832; married Horace Randall of
Woodstock. They went west, and lived at Monticello, Minn.,
and at Millbank, South Dakota. In 1892 they returned to
South Woodstock. They have two sons, Adford Olin, who
died in 1881. 7. Ira Remington Lawson, born April 25,
1834, in town Union, Conn. January, 1853, he united with
Society of Shakers, at West Pittsfield, his present address.
About 1863, he was made trustee of the society, which
position he still retains, having the management of their
financial interest, and is highly respected and esteemed. 8.
Daniel Webster, born January 12, 1838; married June 3,
1861, Eliza Scott, born September 26, 1837, died August 20,
1874. Lives at Auburn, N. Y. 9. Amy Heflin, born
September 25, 1839; married first, Amasa Trowbridge, of
Eastford. He perished in a burning building at Seymour,
Conn. She married, second, Erastus Horton, who died at
New Haven, in May, 1890. She has one son, Alfred T.
Horton, with whom she now resides at Millbauk, South
Dakota. 10. John Fields, born May 24, 1841, lives at
1
Ik A REMINGTON LAWSON,
OF WV.st Pittsfield, Mass.
[Page 128.)
The Lawson Family. 129
Auburn, N. Y. and has a family. 11. Thomas Ansel, born
July 3, 1844; he was a promising youth, but died in the army
at Newburn, N. C, April 13, 1862. 12. Caroline, born
May 27, 1847; married Harry Haskell Hall, in 1880; went to
Iowa; died in 1888, leaving two sons. She was a member of
the Methodist Church, 1857.
DAVID LAWSON.
David Lawson of Union, son of Robert, was a well known
citizen of the town for many years. He always lived on the
old place, where his ancestors had lived before him. He was
a man of strict religious and moral principles, although on
account of a strong dissatisfaction with the location of the
new church, he was not accustomed to attend worship. He
held many offices in town, during his long life. Selectman,
in 1859, 1862; and clerk and treasurer, of Union, 1841,
1842. During the latter part of his life, he was almost uni-
versally called, Uncle David". He married Polly Corbin,
daughter of David Corbin, November 17, 1844. He died
February 7, 1881. She died, January 29, 1895.
PAUL CLINTON LAWSON.
Paul Clinton Lawson, son of Paul, married Almira Eliza
Shepard, daughter of Samuel, of Sturbridge, Mass., February
12, 1851. They lived, first atBrimfield, then at Woodstock,
till about 1857, when they moved to Southbridge, where they
have since resided. She was born, February 15, 1831, died,
April 30, 1894, at Southbridge, Mass. Their children: 1.
Maria Eva, born January 14, 1852, married John Croley.
He died, August 3, 1872. They have one child, Agnes Eliza.
2. Frank Edward, born March 26, 1853. 3. Addie Grace,
born April 29, 1855, married June 13, 1881, Augustus M.
Bagley, of Liberty, Me., who died July 25. 1889. Had one
child, Grace M., born December 10, 1882. 4. Frederick
Samuel, born April 19, 1857; married September 15, 1881,
Lulu M. Smith, lives in Southbridge. He died November 21,
1901. Only one child Herman W., born March 10, 1883,
was drowned December 13, 1893. 5. Roger Clinton, born
June 30, 1863, married October 22, 1896, Louise A. Hamil-
ton, live in Southbridge, Mass. 6. Jennie Martha, born
July 4. 1866, married September 25, 1896, Herbert Bliss Car-
penter of Warren, Mass., their present address. Mr. Car-
130 Family Genealogy.
penter was born November 9, 1859, (son of Dr. Harvey S.,
born April 4, 1829; died February 2, 1875, anc* Mary Louise
Bliss, married October 30, 1856.) Their children: Roy Har-
vey Carpenter, was born September 11, 1897. 7. Almira
Fannie, born April 7, 1869; married Harry P. Oldham, of
Southbridge, Mass., August, 1892. They reside in Minne-
apolis, Minn. She died July 29, 1896.
DEACON EDWIN NEWTON LAWSON.
Deacon Edwin Newton Lawson, son of Paul, has always
lived on the home place, the fourth generation (in the Hol-
man line), of those who have lived there. He was elected
deacon of the church at Union, September 4, 1863. He has
been superintendent of the Sunday school, for more than
twenty years; and is one of the principal sustainers of the
church. He married Sarah E. Corbin, daughter of Deacon
Penuel, of Woodstock, February 25, 1861. She died Decem-
ber 31, 1885. He owns one of the best farms in town and
has demonstrated that farming, even in Union, will pay if
rightly managed. Their children:
1. Dr. George Newton, born July 2, 1855; graduated
from the Hitchcock Free High School, Brimfield, Mass., in
1885; from Yale College in 1890; and from the Yale Medical
School in 1892. He is now practicing medicine in Middle
Haddam, Conn. He has written several poems, is medical
examiner of the town, Deacon in Congregational Church, and
a prominent citizen. He married Ida Louise McLean, June
17, 1877. She was born Nov. 22, 1866. Their children are:
George McLean, born May 26, 1898; and Donald, born
September 29, 1901.
2. Rev. Harvey Merrill, born January 31, 1868. 3. Mary
Eva, born December r9, 187 1, married Olio B. Carpenter, of
Eastford, June 26, 1902. She continues to reside with her
father, in Union, and has been his good companion, since
the death of her mother, in 1885. 4. Susie Minerva, born
April 4, 1874; graduated from the Hitchcock Free High
School, in 1892, and Mount Holyoke College, in 1898, taking
the degree B. S. She has since been teaching, principally in
High School, at Mansfield, Mass., and Orange Park Normal,
and manual training school for colored people, Orange Park,
Florida.
TJie Lawson Family. ^i
GEORGE M. LAWSON.
George M. Lawson, son of Paul, lives at Springfield, 111.
He married Mattie Anderson, November i, 187 1. Their
children: 1. Edith Minnie, born September 8, 1872. 2.
Laura Grace, born January 30, 1876. 3. Charles Edwin,
born March 14, 1878. 4. Clara Marion, born April 13,
1883. 5. Paul Thomas, born October 30, 1887.
REV. HARVEY M. LAWSON.
Son of Edwin Newton and Sarah E. (Corbin), was born
in Union, January 31, 1868; graduated from Hitchcock Free
High School, at Brimfield, Mass., in 1886; from Sheffield
Scientific School of Yale University, in 1890; and from Yale
Divinity School in 1893; appointed a missionary of the Amer-
ican Board, C. F. M. to India, February 21, 1893; ordained
at New Haven, May 18, 1893; in 1893, wrote and published
the history of Union, Conn., an excellent work of 500 pages,
which contains the genealogy of the Lawson family. He
has given the author much encouragement, and assistance, in
this work. Reverend Lawson is an active, strenuous worker,
for good in the world, and though quite a young man, is
among the leaders in the divine profession. He married
Dedie S. Baldwin, of New Haven, May 23, 1893. She was
the daughter of Isaac and Hulda Baldwin, and was born, at
Litchfield, Pa., August 27, 1869. They have two children:
1. Evangeline, born at Ahmeduagar, India, January 1, 1895.
2. Pauline, born at Brooklyn, Conn., April 21, 1900; died
there, April 8, 1901. Rev. and Mrs. Lawson, sailed as mis-
sionaries of the American Board, to India, July 29, 1893,
going via England, Gibralter and Suez, arriving in Bombay,
September 10. They were stationed at Ahmeduagar, a city
in the Deccan, one hundred fifty miles east of Bombay. Rev.
Lawson soon engaged in teaching in English, in the Mission
High School, and later, in the Theological Seminary, at the
same time learning the Marathin language. Mrs. Lawson
also studied the language, and taught sewing and fancy work,
music and elocution. Rev. Lawson also did much work
among the educated Hindus; frequently giving English lec-
tures. He was stationed treasurer, Superintendent of the
Book Depot, and Chaplain for the Non-Conformist British
soldiers. After he had acquired the language, he had charge
of a district and made frequent tours. In 1897 Mrs. Law-
132 Family Genealogy.
son's health became so poor, that they reluctantly left their
work, to come to America, via Burma, Singapore, China,
Japan and San Francisco. For a year after their return, they
made their headquarters in New Haven, while Rev. Lawson,
in addition to taking post-graduate studies in Yale, made
many missionary addresses in the churches, and gave a ster-
eoptican lecture, in many places; with fine effect. In Sep-
tember 1898, he became pastor of the Congregational Church
at Brooklyn, Conn., where he remained until 1901. Here
he was also chaplain, for the Windham County Jail. In the
fall of 1901, for the sake of Mrs. Lawson's health, he went
to Pamona, Fla., and took charge of a church there, until the
summer of 1902. During the past year, (1902-3), he has
been Principal of the Boydton Institute for colored people,
at Boydton, Va. His present address is No. 2730 Dixwell
Ave., New Haven, Conn.
DANIEL W. LAWSON.
Daniel W. Lawson, son of Ira and Ann, is a highly esteemed
citizen of Auburn, N. Y. He married, first, Eliza Scott,
(born September 26, 1837), June 3, 1861. She died, August
20, 1874. He married second, Margaret . Theirchildren:
Jennie Scott, born Jul}7 28, 1862; married William Bart-
lett, November 22, 1882. They reside in Auburn, and
have two children. 2. Ira Ansel, born December 31, 1864. 3.
Elmer Lorenzo, born October 17, 1866; married Etta ,
in 1890. 4. George Herbert, born March 10, 1870; mar-
ried Ida A. Hazlitt, June 15, 1898. 5. Samuel David, born
April 17, 1873. 6. Carrie Belle, born June 6, 1878. 7.
William DeWitt, born July 15, 1883. 8. Mary, born March
1st, 1888, died . 9. Olin Bartlett, born
December 16, 1892.
JOHN LAWSON, JR., THE MINUTE MAN.
Son of John Lawson, Sr. , and Janet Young, his wife, of
Linlithgow, Scotland, was born in Linlithgow, Scotland, June
30, 1724. He was a small child, when his parents came to
America, and must have been the cause of much anxiety to
his parents, when shipwrecked off the coast of Nova Scotia.
He was then a babe in arms, and could not help himself.
He was in Worcester, with his parents, in 1727, and was
taken by them, to Union, Conn., the next year. Here he
The Lawson Family. 133
lived all his life, as a farmer, and died in that town, and lies
buried there. His home was in the south part of the town,
near the Major David Lawson place. He married Mary
Brown, September 12, 1751. He was fifty-two years old
when the Revolutionary war was begun, yet he served in the
war fifteen months. The records of the war department at
Washington are certified. "it is shown by the records that
John Lawson served as a private in Captain Cliff's Company,
3rd. Conn. Regiment, Commanded by Colonel Samuel
Wyllys, Revolutionary war. He enlisted May 26, 1777, to
serve eight months and was discharged in December 1777".
His son, Ebenezer Lawson was with the army at North River,
in 1777; and at Horseneck in 1780; and their son, John third,
was five months in service. Their son James, born during
the Revolution, was a soldier in the war of 181 2.
There were born to John Jr. and Mary Brown, ten children,
all born in town Union, Conn., viz: 1. John, third, born
November 12, 1752. He married Keziah Whitney, June 5,
1 78 1. He served five months, as a soldier in the Revolution.
2. Samuel Lawson, was born, July 2, 1756. 3. Thomas
Lawson, was born, January 7, 1758. He was a member of
the State Legislature of Conn., from town Union, in 1811-
1812. 4. Ebenezer Lawson, born January 26, 1760. 5.
Joseph Lawson, born, May 9, 1764. 6. Rhoda Lawson,
was born, November 1st, 1766. 7. Sarah Lawson, born,
February 24, 1769. 8. Mathew Lawson, born, February
24, 1 77 1. He married, Rebecca Ross, February 19, i795-
9. James Lawson, born, May 28, 1775. 10. Mary^Law-
son, married ElifBlair, of Western Mass.
"UNCLE JIMMIE" LAWSON, OF
BRIDGEWATER.
Son of John Lawson, Jr., and Mary Brown, his wife, of
Union, Conn., was born in Union, Conn., May 28, 1775-
We are not acquainted with his early life. The State of
Conn, have published a record of those of its citizens who
served in the wars of the Revolution, 181 2, and 1846. In it
appears name of James Lawson, private, in war 181 2, under
commander Reuben Smith, from August 13, 1814, to October
12, 18 14. The records of the war department at Washing-
ton, show the same. He moved to Bridgewater, Oneida
County, N. Y. He married in that vicinity, Thankful
Thurston. They lived on a farm near the village for many
134 Family Genealogy.
years. He was locally known, as Uncle Jimmie". He
sold his farm and moved into the village, when he was old,
where he died, worth $10,000 in money. He owned the
land at Center, two miles out of the village, where he gave
the land for a cemetery and church. His will probated at
Rome, gave his wife a life use of the property. She went to
live with Lawyer Duane Brown, of Morriville, and Laurens
Thurston, of Bridgewater. The papers of Duane Brown are
now in the hands of Mrs. Thurston Brown, 112 Miller St.
Utica, N. Y. Mr. Brown was a relative of Thankful Law-
son, whose maiden name was Thankful Thurston. The
inventory of the estate showed its value at $10,000. There
is also a bond among the paper, showing compromise with
Harvey Lindsley, forthe heirs, by paying him $1050.00. The
author visited Bridgewater, in 1900, and saw the site of their
old home, in the village. The frame house has been moved
to another location. There were no children born of this
union. The white marble monument of James Lawson in
Center Cemetery, at Bridgewater, is inscribed as follows:
James Lawson, died April 9, 1851, in the 77th year of his
age." I also copied the inscription on the white marble
stone of his wife, standing beside it: 'Thankful, wife of
James Lawson, died May 15, 1852, aged seventy years."
Where immortal spirits reign,
There we hope to meet again".
They are both kindly remembered by their neighbors, who
are old now, and remember them a half century ago. Some
of their furniture is in the houses there now, and Mrs. Thurs-
ton Brown, at Utica, has some of Thankful's silver spoons.
When Thankful Lawson made application, for appointment
under his will, she stated that he left, "surviving, no children,
no father, no mother, no sister, or brother, but nephews:"
/ John Blair, of Batavia, N. Y.
V Gaylor Blair, of Summerville, Rock County, Wis.
Nieces: /Sophia Gunn, wife of Lymari R. Gunn, of Gains,
N. Y. i/Harriet Starkweather, wife of Seth/Starkweather, of
Gains, Orleans County, N. Y. , address Albion.
y/Fanny, wife of John Smithvjones, of East Bloomfield, N. Y.
(Above are descendants of MaryVLawson, sister to James).
Laura Lawson, of Hoosick, Rensselaer County, N. Y.
Polly, wife of Harvey Lindsley, of Augusta, Oneida County,
N. Y.
The Lawson Family. 135
(Her maiden name was Brigham, but her mothers name I
do not know. Shewas a sister to Clarinda Brigham).
Clarinda Bringham, of Augusta, Oneida County, N. Y. (A
sister to Polly Lindsley. She was not in Augusta, in 1869;
was dead by 1900. She lived and died a maiden.)
In the citation issued by the surrogate these names are
given as having some interest in the estate:
Mary Chapman, wife of Benjamin Chapman, of Hoosick,
N. Y. (She was a cousin of Clarinda Brigham).
Salley Carpenter, wife of Benjamin Carpenter, supposed
to reside in Virginia.
Thomas Lawson, residence unknown. (I suppose this was
Thomas Jr., son of Captain Thomas).
Nicholas Lawson. (My grandfatner son of Ebenezer).
Sessions Lawson. (Brother of above).
Jane Bailey, wife of Ithiel Bailey.
Roxy Hitchcock. (This was Roxana Lawson, daughter
to Ebenezer Lawson, and shemarried Rev. Stephen Hiscock).
Lyman Lawson, of Kortright, (a postoffice and capital of
Delaware County, N. Y., he was son of either John, Samuel,
Joseph or Matthew, children of John Lawson, Jr.
Sarah Murdock, widow of Samuel Murdock, of Kortright,
N. Y.
Polly Riddle, wife of Wm. P. Riddle, of Kortright, N. Y.
Martha Lawson; Richard Lawson; Joseph Lawson, (brother
of James, born May 8, 1764, would be ninety years old, if
alive at probate of this will).
John Lawson Clay; Sarah Clay; Amanda Clay, New York,
City. Sewell Clay; Cortland Lawson; Orin Lawson.
Keziah Williams, (probably a descendant of John Lawson
No. 3.)
I have not traced the above, except as stated. Letters
were issued to Thankful Lawson on June 30, 185 1.
rMARY LAWSON,
Daughter of John Lawson, Jr., (No. 2), sister of Ebenezer
Lawson, was born in Union, Conn. In some unknown
manner, she moved into town Western, now Warren, Mass.,
north of her home in Union, Conn. In the correspondence
of Clarinda Brigham, found among my father's papers, the
Fanny Smith there mentioned, is said to be daughter of Joel
Blair, and hence an heir of James Lawson, of Bridgewater.
By search made, I have found that JoelvBlair married Polly '
136 Family Genealogy.
Lawson, in August, 1786, in Western, (now Warren in Mass.)
The town record reads: Western, August 1786. There is
a purpose of marriage, between Joelffilair and Polly Loasson,
both of Western. Entered for Danford Keyes, Town Clerk."
Western was incorporated, in 1774, and changed to
Warren 1834. In Bridgewater, Oneida County, New York,
beside the graves of James Lawson and Thankful Lawson,
his wife, stands the marble head stone, of Joel Blair, the
inscription on which I copied:
Erected to the memor}' of JoeHBlair, born May 31, 1757,
in Warren, Mass. Emigrated, to Bridgewater, N. Y., April
17, 1792. Died February 21, 1839, aged eighty-two.
The sweet remembrance of the just shall nourish while
they sleep in dust."
I examined the Congregational church record at Bridge-
water, New York, and found this:
it w
Received in the church November 1, 1802, Mary Blair;
died January, 1849." Also, February, 1804, children
baptised: Anne*Blair, ElfBlair, Sophia' Blair, Harriet Blair,
John4 Lawson Blair, Asa Blair, Fanny Blair."
May 1807 Gaylof'Blair was baptised".
This church was organized 1798. Polly Blair, (Mary
Lawson), has no tombstone.
v Eli Blair, son of Joel and Mary was born in Western,
Mass., although his tombstone says he was born in "Bridge-
water, Oneida County," which is incorrect, as his parents
did not move to Bridgewater, until 1792, and he was born in
1791. He was born in Western, Mass., September 17, 1791;
died at Lyons, Wayne County, New York. His tombstone
was set in the Lyons Cemetery, and when Fanny Jones, his
sister, visited there, she found it was removed, and cast up
against the fence. She had it taken to Victor, N. Y., and set
up in her own family lot in the Victor cemetery, located in
the center of the village, hy the Protestant church. I have
copied the inscription, which reads. "Eli Blair, born in
Bridgewater, Oneida County, N. Y., September 7, 1791".
On the opposite side of the large square hollow monument,
is the following: "Abby, wife of Eli Blair, born in Bridge-
water, Oneida County, N. Y., April 28, 1791". On another
side: Mr. and Mrs. Blair, died, September 29, 1831".
Asa Jones, a nephew, of Victor, thinks they must have met
with accidendal death, as both died same day.
I
The Lawson Family. 137
Fanny Blair, daughter of Joel and Mary, was born in
1803, at Bridgewater, New York; married prior to 185 1,
John Smithy Jones, of East Bloomfield, seven miles from
Canandagua, and post office address Victor, Ontario County,
N. Y. Her tombstone is in Victor cemetery. She died at
Victor, August 25, 1898, at age of 95 years, 2 months, 5
days. Her children were: 1. ISamuel Smith Jones, now
dead. 2. V Charlotte Louisa Jones, now dead. 3. {/ Asa Blair
Jones, now married, residing at Victor. No children living
(1900).
^John Lawson Blatr, son of Joel and Mary, said jto live in
1851, at Batavia, N. Y. His children were Leonora/Babbitt,
Mary PeattyCharles Blair, feli Blair, all of Batavia, Genessee
County, N. Y., and Henr^ Blair of Eagle Harbor, Orleans
County, N. Y.
*Sophia Blair, daughter of Joel and Mary, married, before
185 1, to Lyman R.Krunn, of Gaines, Orleans County, N. Y.
They had no children.
VHarriet Blair, daughter of Joel and Mary, married,
before 185 1, SethvStarkweather, of Gains, . Orleans County,
N. Y. She was dead before June, 1900. Had two children,
who are dead, and their children are also dead. They lived
at Eagle Harbor.
Gaylor Blair, son of Joel and Mary, married,
Bostwick, of a highly respected family, of Bridgewater. She
died in childbirth, and is buried at Bridgewater. Her head-
stone is next to that of Joel Blair. Gaylor moved to Som-
merville, Rock County, Wis., prior to 185 1. He married
again; died in Clinton Township Rock County, Wis., a few
years ago. Left a widow, Esther Blair, of 1243 Western
Ave., Topeka, Kan. Their children: 1. Mrs. T. W\
Harrison, of same address. Her maiden name was Annay
Blair. 2. Mrs. Maria Blair, married to Mr. Geo. McCarthy,
at Emmettsburg, Palo Alto County, Iowa. 3. Mrs. Minnie
Blair Brown, same place.
EBENEZER LAWSON, THE BLACKSMITH.
Son of John Lawson, Jr. and Mary Brown, his wife, of
Union, Conn., was born in Union, Conn., January 26, 1760.
We suppose he obtained such schooling as was possible, in
those early days among the mountains of Connecticut. The
\ .
138 Family Genealogy.
records show that the town had no school, prior to 1800;
though they had a meeting house long prior to this, which
may have been used for this purpose. He married Elizabeth,
whose family name we have not learned. He was the first
blacksmith in the family. In fact the first one of the Law-
son family, to have any trade, except that of surveyor. He
transmitted this trade to his son, Nicholas, who also taught the
smithy art, to his son Publius V. Lawson, Sr. We know
very little of the life of Ebenezer, except that his trade brought
him only a living. It was much hard work and small gain.
He was one of six in his family, to take a hand in the excit-
ing events, at the birth of our republic, the Revolutionary
War. In 1777, he served at North River, two months, and
in 1780, was with the Continentals, two months, at Horse-
neck. His first army experience was when he was sixteen.
His father, John Lawson, Jr., and his brothers, John Lawson,
third, and Captain Thomas Lawson, and his cousins, Robert
and David Lawson, were all in the Revolutionary War. The
Records Pension Office, War Department, Washington, D. C,
Februar}^ 24, 1903, report his Revolutionary war record as
follows:
It is also shown by the records, that one Ebenezer Lawson,
rank not stated, served in Captain Elijah Robinson's Corn-
pan}7, of Connecticut Militia, Revolutionary War. His
name appears only on a receipt roll, of that company, dated
at Willington, March 20, 1777, which shows that he received,
one pound lawful money."
"it further shows by the records, that one Ebenezer
Lawson, rank not stated, served in Captain Reuben Marcy's
Company, of Colonel John Chester's Regiment, of Connect-
Troop, Revolutionary War. His name first appears on a
roll of the company, dated at Ashford, August 22, 1776.
His name next appears on a pay abstract; from the last day
of September, 1776, till the 25th day of December, 1776,"
with remarks: Time of discharge, December 1, ; Days
travel, 7." His name last appears on a receipt roll, dated
April 3, 1777, under the following heading: ' Received of
Captain Reuben Marcy the whole of oar wages for the six
month's campaign, at New York, in 1776, also the whole of
our travel money to and from camp, our billeting and remain-
der of sauce money and back rations, etc."
No further information relative tc the subjects of }rour
TJie Lawson Family. T^g
inquiry has been found of record. By authority of the Sec-
retary of War.
Signed, F. C. Ainsworh,
Chief Record and Pension Office."
Their children: i. Sessions Lawson. He went to Bolton,
Conn., where he became prominent. 2. Roxana Lawson,
who married Rev. Stephen Hiscock. She is supposed to have
been alive in 185 1. 3. Jane Brown Lawson, born Septem-
28, 1795. 4. Casper Lavater Lawson, married Abigail
Bolles, daughter of Lemuel, September 25, 1831. They had
two children: (a) Nancy Elizabeth Lawson, born Novem-
ber 19, 1832. (b) Casper Munroe, born December 8, 1835.
In 1855, both son and father frequently came to Corning,
N. Y. and worked at carpenter work and in sash factory, for
Publius V. Lawson, Sr., son of Nicholas Lawson, 5. Nich-
olas Lawson, born Union, Conn, about 1785.
SQUIRE NICHOLAS LAWSON.
Nicholas Lawson, son of Ebenezer Lawson and Elizabeth,
his wife, was born in Union, Conn., about 1785. He caught
fish in the cool, crystal mountain stream, shot deer and bear
on the hillside and cotton tail rabbits among the heather.
His home in the Bigelow valley, was between the high hills
that abounded in that country of many toboggan slides. His
opportunity for schooling was exceptional or he was very
precocious. He learned the smithy trade, at which he was an
expert. This he must have learned in his father's shop by
the roadside, when he helped to harness the oxen into the
framework, where they were shod with their double or half
shoes; and shod the horses; made the nails and shoes out of
a broken wagon tire or worn out sleigh shoe.
At the same time, like Elihue Burritt, he became a good
scholar in Latin, a mathematician and a literary student,
either mid the red sparks from the anvil, or at intervals of
rest from his labor. He also learned the art of surveying
and like Washington laid out lines of land for boundary
fences, among the mountains of old Connecticut. As farm-
ing and lumbering was more profitable than schools, to the
resident mountaineers of Union, their schools did not at that
day attain a high degree of proficiency, so by some means,
we know not how, he got north over the State of Massachu-
setts, into New Hampshire, to the village of Dublin (now
140 Family Genealogy.
Harrisville) where the schools were uncommonly good for
the period. The common schools of Dublin, being for
thirty years, under the careful and intelligent charge of Rev.
Leo. W. Leonard, D. D., by which they became celebrated
as the best common schools in New England. Here is where
he obtained his classical education in Latin and Greek.
Some good ladies of Pultneyville, who knew him a half cen-
tury since, remember having heard said that he obtained
his education In Dublin, were led to suppose that he came
from Ireland where, he had attended "Dublin College."
At an early date of his career, he began the labor of bread-
winning; and we suppose he commenced by teaching school,
though it may have been by surveying. He had gone into
New York state before the war of 1812, as he twice enlisted
in that war, from New York and served in that state. Once
he was a Sergeant, in the ''Albany Volunteers," under Lieu-
tenant Colonel Mills; and also Sergeant, in "New York Vol-
unteers." Most of his service was at Sackett's Harbor.
NICHOLAS LAWSON, SERGEANT.
1 1-
From the Record and Pension Office," War Department,
D. C-:
It also appears from the records, that one Nicholas Law-
son served as a sergeant, in Captain John Davidson's Com-
pany, of Lieutenant Colonel George Fleming's detachment,
of New York Volunteer and Militia, war 181 2. His name
appears on the rolls, for the period, from May 18, 1812, to
January 1, 1813, with remarks; commencement of service,
May 18, 1812; expiration of service, January 1st, 1813.
Second Enlistment:
It further appears, that one Nicholas Lawson, served as
Sergeant, in Captain Stephen Dodge's Company, of United
States Volunteers, Artillery and Infantry Regiment, of Mills
Regiment, New York Volunteer, war 181 2. His name appears
on the rolls, for the period, from December 31st, 181 2, to
May 18, 1813, with remarks: Date of enlistment, May 18,
181 2; expiration of service, May 18, 1813. These rolls are
dated at Sackett's Harbor."
Signed by authority, of the Secretary of War, F. C. Ains-
worth, Chief of Office."
From the above it would seem that Nicholas Lawson was
first enlisted af Sackett's Harbor, for service to the first of
January, 1813, and that his time expired at midnight, 31st of
The Lawson Family. I4I
December, 1812. That he immediately reenlisted in another
company under Colonel Mills, for four months service, in his
regiment of infantry and artillery, and that his time was up,
on May 18th, 1813, which made his total service one year.
He was under fire 19th July, 181 2, when Sackett's Harbor
was attacked by the British fleet, on Lake Ontario, which
was there in force. The place was defended by the troops
stationed there, and the surrounding people, who turned out
to the number of three thousand and repulsed the British.
(Mil. His. Wayne Co., p. 198). But he escaped the fierce
engagement, of May 28, 1813, as he was then ten days out
of service. In this battle, the regiment of Colonel Mills, his
regiment, composed of about five hundred men, had the
worst of it, and Colonel Mills was killed; "fell gallantly."
The British were repulsed by the Americans, but with a loss
of one hundred eighty-six British, and one hundred fifty-five
Americans, mostly of Colonel Mills Regiment. Lieutenant
Colonel Mills commanded, Albany Voulnteers." (J. Russell
Jr., The Last War," p. 242). Lieutenant Colonel Backus
was in command at Sackett's Harbor, before this battle, on
the eve of which, he was superceded by General Jacob Brown,
Brigadier General New York Militia; but Colonel Backus,
after the rout of the militia, came in with his regiment and
won the battle. Nicholas Lawson when stationed at Sackett's
Harbor, New York State, was on picket duty one moonlight
night, and heard something moving in the woods. The
leaves and twigs would snap and rustle, and it was moving
toward him. He called out, Halt", several times; but the
object paid no attention to him, so he fired; after which he
heard it no more. When he was released, he told the new
pickett men of the occurrence and the next morning they
investigated, and found he had shot a pig.
We have not learned if before, or after his experience in
the war of 181 2, he married, and settled at Pultneyville; but
suppose it was before the war, as Nell Gates says, his wife
was themtwenty years of age. His wife, Joanna Crayna Peper,
a jolly Holland maiden, lived about 1803 to 1807, at
Whitestown, north of Utica. From there she moved with
her parents, about 1807-1808, to Pultneyville. We suppose
he was married in Pultneyville, though she was old enough
to have been married at Whitestown, as she was born in
1788. Their oldest child Elizabeth Lawson, (afterward
Elizabeth Richardson), was born in Broom County, New
York, of which Binghamton is the capital town, in 1815; so
142 Family Genealogy.
they resided in the southern part of New York after their
marriage. But very soon settled in Pultneyville, where they
remained all their lives. We know he was in this village, in
1819, but how much sooner we have no record. He and his
wife, and all his children are now dead. At Pultneyville, he
had a shop out on the road, leading to Williamson Village,
where he made the anvil ring and traded his labor for scrap
iron and wheat, when he was not teaching school. Most of
the old people now living in Pultneyville, remember the old
schoolmaster and some of them will never forget how he
applied the rod.
Recollection of Ansel Cornwall, of Pultneyville, N. Y.,
June, 1900, at eighty-four years of age (born 1816): "in
181 9, at 3 years, he went to school, at Pultneyville, to
Master Nicholas Lawson and for a long time afterwards.
Nicholas Lawson was a splendidly educated man, was a dem-
ocrat in politics, was for many years justice of the peace,
and first elected by my influence and assistance. He was very
severe with the scholars under him, made them behave in
school, and often punished them with a whip. The old
schoolhouse stood upon the corner, about two miles out of
Williamson. It had a big fireplace in one end, with a cup-
board on either side. One day to punish me he shut me up
in one of these cupboards and when school was dismissed
he went away and forgot me. I turned the button with my
knife and as I came out into the room, I saw him returning.
Fearing he would punish me for breaking out, I raised the
window in the rear, leaped to the ground and ran awa}r.
Nicholas Lawson was also a surveyor and had been out
into Illinois surveying land. He had broken his leg in sev-
eral places by being thrown from a wagon, in a runaway.
They were not well set, which was the reason they crossed
and he could not walk. A professor of a Geneva, N. Y.
college came here, at one time, and offered to treat him
free, at their college and I offered to take him over there,
a three day trip, if he would go, but he put it off and never
went." In the blacksmith shop account book, kept by
Nicholas Lawson at .. ultneyville, in which he charged and
credited, from 1829 to 1844, there is an account with
Abraham Peper. It begins, October, 1835, and last charge
is, September 12, 1844. In October 1835, N. Lawson
worked one day, cutting corn for which he charged fifty
cents. From May, 1836, to August 22, 1838, appear charges
for shoeing, setting shoes and repairing wagon, and trace
The Laiuson Family. I43
chains, from which we see A. Peper had a horse and wagon,
in 1836, 1837, and 1838. Shoeing cost thirteen cents; set
two shoes cost twenty-five cents. April 12, 1836, he pur-
chased a wheelbarrow of Lawson, for $3.00; had a fire shovel
made; also a pitchfork, in 1836, for fifty cents; and in 1844,
for thirty-one cents, he got a staple and links and bought a
door latch; had a garden rake and beef knife fixed; had a
hoe made, coffee mill fixed, a bucket ironed several times;
once had a frying pan ironed and ears and bails put in a
pail and his steelyards repaired. In November, 1836, he
bought of N. Lawson, five hundred ninety-eight feet of
lumber, for $3.74, and four hundred four feet lumber, at
$2.52, and three cedar posts at forty-four cents. Which
shows Lawson sold lumber and Peper was building a shed.
The whole account for nine years was $21.64. March 23,
he settled in full and signed the book himself, in a plain
hand, "Abr. Peper." A. Peper is credited with having paid
on the account, sixteen and one-fourth pounds of pork,
fifteen pounds ham, five pounds pork, three pounds butter,
from which we conclude that Peper had both hogs and a cow,
as well a smoke house. This little old account book, of
Nicholas Lawson, contains about seventy-five accounts, 1829,
up to 1844. Some of the ink is badly faded, but most of it
is legible. It is written in a fine, clear hand, with the words,
mostly spelled correctly. As there are no finger marks we sup-
pose it was made up at home by candle light. It shows the
life of the country blacksmith, as most of the work is the
repairing of trace chains, harness, wagons and harrows,
plows and shoeing, setting shoes, and making horsehoe nails.
It also shows something of the early days, before the hard-
ware store had come. He made drag teeth, pitch forks,
hoes, shovels, hooped pails and buckets, repaired knives and
made wheelbarrows, steelyards, riveted harnesses, made bits,
tongues, fire shovels, hooks, repaired spinning wheels made
grate for fireplace, garden rake, dish pans, made an iron
eave trough, ironed cutters, sleighs and wagons, and numer-
ous other work; once he made a coffee pot.
It also shows conditions of the period. Money was very
scarce and he had his pay mostly in truck or exchange. His
charges were shamefully low and although he was busy all
the time, as the dates show, still the total accounts were for
quite small amounts. An account for five or six years,
would not be more than five dollars; and the largest amounts
are not more than $26.00. He had one other book during
144 Family Genealogy.
this time which I have not seen, but this book shows, no cash
received in 1829, none in 1830, none in 1832, none in 1833,
none in 1834, none in 1835. In 1836, there is one credit, of
four shillings (fifty cents); and another of $3.00. In 1837, there
is a credit, of forty-four cents cash, and another of twenty cents.
In 1838, there were cash payments of twenty-five cents, twice,
and once of two shillings (twenty-five cents), as well as fifty
cents, and $1.19, paid on "School Bill." In 1839, there
were cash payments of $2.00, $1.00 and $2.00. In 1840,
cash payments of $1.50, $1.00, $3.00. In 1841, 1842, there
are none shown in this book. In 1844, there were payments
in cash of seventy-five cents and $2.00. Total cash received,
in fifteen years, was $19.83. As the patronage was limited
and the charges or value of the service low, he often assisted
at harvesting, hoeing and planting, also did millwright work
in the sawmill and had fifty cents for a day's work. Now
and then, he had seventy-five cents per day. In 1834, he
had of B. Wilson, seven and one-half day's harvesting, $7.50,
at a rate of $1.00 a day, and in haying, three days, he charges
#2.13. December 10, 1836, he made a bargain with Ralph
Wilson, to shoe his horses for one year, for $7.00. It is
remarkable that labor and shop work was so cheap, when
wheat was credited by him, as received as pay, at twelve
shillings ($1.50) per bushel, September 15, 1837, and he had
in payment, scrap iron, at three cents per pound, and cast
iron, at one cent per pound, either of which is worth now
less than a half cent per pound. Prices, generally of articles
he had in payment, were 800 feet lumber, for $4.00 (August
26, 1836); 1,749 ^eet lumber, $8.75; 162 feet white wood
siding, $1.62, equal to $10.00 per thousand (in* 1834); one
hundred thirty-seven and three quarters pounds beef, for
$4.00 (November 28, 1835); one dozen fish thirteen cents,
1836; load of pumpkins, seventy-five cents; two loads knots,
$1.13. These he often received, and they were to make the light
and heat of winter evenings, by the great fireplace, the special
charm of pioneer days; corn costs fifty cents perbushel; tallow,
ten cents a pound; beef, three cents per pound; salt, sixty-two
cents perbushel; pork eight cents, per pound; apples, $1.25 per
bushel; potatoes twenty-five cents; corn meal, one cent per
pound; brick, $5.00 per thousand; five and three-fourths
pounds wool, credited at $2.35, would be thirty cents per
pound; one bushel corn on ear, twenty-five cents; rent of oxen,
nineteen cents per day; wagon tongue, at twenty-five cents and
sold it for same sum; hemlock boards, $5.00 per thousand.
The Lawson Family. I4e
Prices which he obtained for his shop work, were very low
and ran about as follows: Made a "tongue", for 13 cents,
fixing spinning wheel, 75 cents, two pail ears, 16 cents, a
grate, $1.13; new harrow teeth, 5 cents each, setting horse
shoes, 13 cents each; made two strap hinges, 69 cents; charged
cutter for W. B. Grandin, #6.50; made garden rake, 63 cents;
fire shovel, 13 cents; made a spear, 63 cents. He often
received leather in payment. Once a sheep skin is credited
at 75 cents. December 5, 1838, James L, Johnson account
has credit, as shoemaker, "made my shoes and Virgilus, 75
cents, found leather and made one shoe, $1.00". In January
26, 1839, made bellows 1 pr. boots for boy, $2.13. Made
wife, shoes, 33 cents", and in this manner paid for black-
smith work.
From the several accounts, by the credits he has given, he
sent his wheat and grain to be milled, at Sodus, 5 miles;
Rochester, 35 miles; and Palmyra, 16 miles.
From the dates of credits for pasturing, we learn he had a
cow in 1839, 1840, and 1844. But may always have had a
cow as he had other books. In June 20th, 1832, he gave
credit for a rocker put in a cradle. They must have had a
young child at this time, four years younger than Virgilius,
to use such furniture, I think this was Joanna Lawson.
This books seems to be for accounts at Pultneyville, as the
names are of people living near, and he mentions sending
grain to Sodus to be milled, and Pultneyville is the only
village mentioned in it, so we suppose he lived in Pultneyville,
from 1829 to 1844.
From it, we get a little of his householding; September 25,
1830, he credits Nathan N. Sheffield, with 5 weeks, 6 davs,
board at $6.25, and in 1832 with 123 meals; October 2, 1833,
he credits, Peter Stoll, with $4.00 house rent; 1836, he
credits, R. Wilson, cutting hay for him, and also $4.00 for
cradling his barley; from which we conclude he had quite a
large field, as it was about a weeks work; September 5, 1838
he credits, Enoch Giberson, "moved into your house", April
1, 1839, J. Church has credits for, "helping me move";
November 13, 1839, he seems to have moved again, with a
number of loads, including load of tools and several loads of
wood, from "old house".
In December 28, 1831, he charges Alva Pratt, $1.00, for
Setting on Arbitration". Possible a neighborly manner of
settling some dispute and he was called in as judge.
I46 Family Genealogy.
He taught school for a good many years. I have one of
his arithmetics, printed in Hartford, 1815. It is a curious
little book, with a cedar cover, over laid with blue paper.
In the back pages, is the system of bookkeeping that is found
in his little book. This account book shows a little of the
school teacher also, April 1, 1838, "Cash toward school bill
50 cents"; August 17, 1838, "paid $1.19 school bill". As
this is credited into the general account of Ezekiel Lewis, as
so much payment on the general account, but no school bill
was ever charged; if no other correction was ever made, they
both lived in ignorance that he never had pay for this teach-
ing. December 9, 1843, he gives Wm. Johnson credit on
his account, by arithmetics 50 cents". In 1838, Thomas
Lewis paid Todd for him, 93 cents school bill". Todd
had a store, and he thus got credit at the store for that sum.
March 29, 1838, 'school bill $2.40", charged in John
Cotrell account. So the book discloses that he taught
school in year 1838 and 1839. In those days, says Elizabeth
Lawson, each one paid for each scholar at school as a debt
to the school master.
From the little account book I cannot find if any of the
sons and daughters assisted their parents, except Virgilius.
Now and then there are charges for work done by "self and
boy", in assisting at threshings, haying, and hoeing for his
neighbors; for which he charged the very small sum of 75
cents per day. There are several places where we find little
Virgilius helping his father, as shown by the charges for the
services, which was paid in vegetables, meat, or old iron.
In 1838, when Virgilius, which was the name he was called by
his father, was a lad of ten years of age, September 4, he
went with his father to help Wm. Johnson in threshing, for
which his father charged 50 cents for both of them. On
September 29 he went alone and helped in threshing, for
which his father charged 25 cents. In August, he worked for
him one day for 25 cents, and another day for 20 cents. In
1839 he worked for John Cotrell, on "May 14, Virgilius one
day 25 cents; June 1, Virgilius two days, 25 cents per day, 50
cents; July 13, Virgilius three days 75 cents". August 14, he
worked with his father again for Wm. Johnson, "mowing
wheat, 75 cents". In the fall he helped Wm. Rogers. This
was Major William Rogers of the last war with England in
1812. In 1840, when he was twelve years old he worked for
Wm. Rogers, 6% days; and in 184 1, when he twelve years old
(in July), he worked for H. Cooper on his farm for five days,
The Lawson Family. 147
for which his father charged, $1.56, and had his pay in the
general account, in old iron, apples, salt and pasture for his
cow. In 1843, he worked for Wm. Rogers, January 14, 2^
days, threshing. May 6, 'Virgilius, 1 day", May 9, "Virgi-
lius two days", and same month, Virgilius three days
hoeing", May 28, Virgilius three days"; same month he
helped three days washing sheep and three days shearing
them. He was fourteen years old then, and the novel
experience he never forgot. I have heard him relate it with
great glee. June 26, "Virgilius, one day". October 21,
"Virgilius two days digging potatoes", and afterward, 3/^,
digging potatoes. October 29, he helped in the orchard.
The same year he worked for Wm. Johnson, six days at one
time, and "Virgilius, 1^2 day 15 cents", and in August 19,
"Virgilius four days." Copy of acknowledgement taken by
him to a deed November nth, 1850.
"State of New York, ) sg
Wayne County, )
On this eleventh day of September, one thousand eight
hundred and fifty, before me the subscriber, personally
appeared Cyrus Newell and Sally E. Newell, his wife, to me
known to be the persons described in and who executed the
within instrument, who severally acknowledged that they
executed the same. And the said Sally E., on a private
examination by me apart from her said husband, without any
fear or compulsion of her said husband.
Nicholas Lawson,
Justice of the Peace".
December 27, 1899, Samuel S. Dennett town clerk of Wil-
liamson, writes: That Nicholas Lawson was justice of the
peace in 1850, 1851, 1852. The docket was the personal
property of the justice, so I cannot tell where it is."
In the town of Williamson, in which the post village of
Pultneyville is situated, there are and were a great many
Hollanders. Many of these came to the squire to marry.
As he could not speak their language his wife acted as inter-
preter. As soon as the legal ceremony was finished she had
her fun for her pay. She would gravely inform the couple
they must hug and kiss each other and then bow and curtesy,
which of course they did, much to the squire's amazement and
his wife's merriment. Edwin O. Richardson, who saw his
grandfather Lawson in his youth, says, he was "a large hand-
1 48 Family Genealogy.
some noble looking man". Helen, sister to Edwin, says of
her grandfather, "he was a down east Yankee, married to a
Holland Dutch girl". He had a fine education for those
days, was a schoolmaster and justice of the peace at Pultney-
ville. He was a Chesterfield in manners; crippled for
fifteen years, he went with crutches, but he always stopped
and lifted his hat to a lady, resting on his crutches to do so."
When Nicholas Lawson first came to Pultneyville he lived in
a log house, two miles out on the road to Williamson. After-
ward in 1828, when his son Virgilius was born, he lived in
the Russel Cole house, which is described as the home of
Jacob Cook Fleming, soon after 1828. After this he lived out
on the Williamson road again where he taught school, and
had a smith shop. Some time before his death, he lived in a
house on Mill street, which is still standing, having been
since refitted and repainted. This house was bought for him,
by his son Virgilius when he became a man grown. For
many years before his death, he walked with two crutches or
a crutch and cane. His legs were so badly broken by the
runaway accident, that they crossed, but he was cheerful and
hopeful. He is said to have died of cholera, which I think
is an error. His death occurred in June, 1853, at his home
in Pultneyville, N. Y. Edwin O. Richardson, went with P.
V. Lawson and his wife Elizabeth, to the funeral at Pultney-
ville, from Corning, New York. It must have been difficult
to get word to them, for they left Corning on the cars, and
got off at Conandaqua, took team to Palmyra, arrived there
at night, and wanted to go on at once, but the driver did not
wish to go on. After a deal of searching and persuasion,
they finally got started early in the morning and arrived at
the house just as the people were assembling for the funeral.
He had lived there so many years, all knew him for miles
around, and all came to do him the last honors. He was
buried on the Peper lot, in Lake View Cemetery.
His wife Joanna Crayna (Peper) Lawson, was born in Oost-
zouberg, in Island Welcheren, Zeeland, Holland, July 29, 1788.
She came to America, in 1802, with her parents, who settled at
Whitesberg, (Deerfield) north of Utica, by 1803, and moved
from there about 1809, or 1808, to Pultneyville, where they
lived and died. She could speak good English, though she
never forgot her Holland tongue. She is reported as very
jolly and full of fun. She could sing the songs of Holland
beautifully and taught them to her children. Her grand-
daughter, Helen Richardson, can sing them now. She had
The Lawson Family. 149
many quaint Dutch sayings and proverbs. One of these
was; "Voven Vunt Von under strunt", which is said to mean:
"One may look fine outside, but be a villian inside". She
also told the children stories in rhyme. After the death of
her husband, she went to Rochester to live with her daughter
Elizabeth Richardson, but only remained three months, when
she returned to Pultneyville to reside with one of her daugh-
ters. Soon after this she moved with her daughter Joanna, a
young girl, to Corning, New York, to live with her son Vir-
gilius Lawson. Here her daughter Joanna died about 1854.
In 1856, when her son moved to Menasha, Wisconsin, the old
lady moved back to Pultneyville, where she died in 1857, and
lies buried beside her husband in the Peper plat in the Lake
View Cemetery. She was a member of the Presbyterian
church, which was out near Williamson, three or four miles
away. Her Peper family is described later. She was a short,
thick set, heavy woman. In January 10, 1854, Clarinda
Brigham, a cousin, wrote to Nicholas Lawson, in answer to a
letter from him, in which she said: ''Mrs. Lindsay wishes me
to give her love to you and lady, and also to your mother and
sister, and said she should like to receive a visit from all of
you". This letter would indicate, mother and sister, of
Nicholas were then alive, which seems incredible, as to the
mother. None of those who remember him, can recall an
acquaintance with the mother or sister. This letter was
written after his death. There children are said to have
been born two years apart, until they counted thirteen, but
loss of the records by moving have made it impossible forme
to get the dates accurately. Those I give may not be correct
as to some of them. 1. John Lawson, supposed born 18 11,
lived with his family in 1850, on a small farm near Roches-
ter, N. Y. He married Hannah. Their children were: (a)
Virgilius N. Lawson, born October 12, 1834; (b) Caspala-
rator Lawson, born September 15, 1840; (c) Elizabeth Joanna
Lawson, born April 15, 1844- 2. Nancy Lawson, supposed
born 18 1 3, she married Joseph Springer, Rochester. 3.
Casper Levator Lawson, supposed born 1814. Said to have
been a son, though Harvey M. Lawson, in his history of
Union, gives him as a brother of Nicholas. 4. Elizabeth
Lawson, her bible gives birth, February 26, 1815, Broom
County, N. Y. She married Alexander Richardson. 5.
Wilhelmina Lawson, supposed born 181 7; married Mr.
Kendall, lived in Chillicothe, Ohio, 1874. Had several
children. 6. Roxana Lawson, supposed born 182 1 ; married,
150 Family Genealogy.
moved to Ohio. 7 and 8. Twins, stillborn, supposed 1825.
9. Publius Virgilius Lawson was born September 22, 1828,
at Pultneyville. 10. Mary Jane Lawson, the missionary,
was born 1830, at Pultneyville. n. Joanna M. C. Lawson,
was born, Pultneyville, N. Y. , 1832. She obtained a good
common school education and attended Allan's Female
Academy, in Rochester, in 1852, and became a splendid
scholar. She was a handsome bright young woman. In
1854, while living with her brother Virgilius, at Corning, N.
Y., she was stricken with fever and died. She never married.
Nancy Lawson, daughter of Nicholas Lawson and Joanna
Crayna Peper his wife, was born 18 13, in Pultneyville, N.
Y. She was noted all the country around for her great beauty.
She married Joseph Springer, of Rochester, and lived there
many years.
Elizabeth Lawson, daughter of Nicholas and Joanna
Crayna Peper, his wife, was born in Broome County, of which
Binghamton is county seat, New York State, on 26th day of
February, 1815; died at Menasha, April 26, 1889. The
essential dates of this record, is from he* bible, in possession
of her son, Ambrose V. Richardson, at Menasha, Wis. She
obtained an education in the public schools of the neighbor-
hood, mostly at Pultneyville. Her husband, Alexander
Richardson, was born in Cayuga County, New York State, of
Scottish descent, January 3, 1809, (Bible). They were
married, at Rochester, on the 22d February, 1837, by Dr.
Church. At that time Elizabeth was said to be of Rochester,
from which we suppose she had then established her home
there. When she saw Mr. Richardson, for the first time,
was when she first went to Rochester to visit Joseph Springer,
who married Nancy Lawson, her sister. She went by passen-
ger steamer, called a packet, on the Erie Canal. As she was
leaving the boat, Mr. Richardson, who was a ship builder by
trade, was near by engaged in his occupation, and seeing her
remarked to his fellow workmen, that she would be his wife.
As she left the boat, she came up to them and inquired the
way to Joseph Springer's. Mr. Richardson knew the
Springers and directed her, At noon they became acquainted
as he stopped at their house. Their acquaintance ripened
into friendship. Within one year they were happily married.
On her return to the home of her parents, after her marriage
to Mr. Richardson, her little brother Virgilius, then eight
The Lawson Family. 15 j
years old, said he did not see how it was, that sister went
away as "Betsy" and came back as "Mrs. Richardson."
When Elizabeth Lawson Richardson was a young girl, she
went away from home for awhile with some very kind, good
Baptist people, and by their good offices became a member of
that church herself. After this she made a visit to her grand-
parents, Deacon Abraham Peper, who were very devout
Presbyterians. They looked her over for some little time,
but said nothing. Finally grandmother Peper began to ques-
tion, as to her change in faith, when grandfather Peper spoke
up and said: 'Tut, tut, mother, the child is a christian,
don't question her."
She always remained in the Baptist faith, attended that
church in Rochester and afterwards, in Menasha, Wis. She
lived in Rochester continuously, until 1872, when with her
son, Ambrose V., she moved permanently to Menasha, Wis.,
where she lived until her death. At a short interval of this
time, she lived with her son in Appleton. Her husband,
Alexander Richardson, died at the beginnng of the Civil
War, 19th of August, 1861, of consumption, in Rochester,
N. Y., aged fifty-two years.
Elizabeth Richardson was a descendant of soldiers of the
Revolutionary War, and the War of 181 2; her patriotism was
transmitted to her sons, for very soon after the death of her
husband, four of her sons joined the army in New York,
their native state, though one of them was but seventeen and
another twenty, both of whom soon died of wounds and
disease, in rebel hospitals. Another son lived through the
Civil War to die soon after, of its hardships and those imposed
by Castle Thunder and Libby Prison. What she suffered and
endured, none will ever know; but a good, devout woman of
a naturally buoyant disposition, she went bravely through it
all. Her old bible, of date 1850, is well worn with honest
use and must have been a great comfort to her. It is from
this good book that many of the dates are had for this record.
She died in Menasha, at the home of her son, Ambrose V.
Richardson, 1889, April 26, and was buried in Oak Hill Cem-
etery, Neenah, Wis. Their children:
1. Morris De Salvo Richardson, born June 11, 1838, in
Rochester, N. Y. (Bible). He died of quick consumption,
from hardships of prison life, at home of Publius V. Lawson
Sr., Menasha, Wis., May 17th, 1866; had no children. He
was married, at Rochester, 4th September, i860, by Rev.
152 Family Genealogy.
Nott, to Mary L. Knowle, of Rochester, (Bible). He
enlisted in the civil war 1861, at twenty-three years of age, in
a Virginia regiment of cavalry, was taken prisoner, at battle
of Winchester. Was in Castle Thunder, Belle Isle, Libby,
at Richmond, twenty-two months in all. He got home by
the 15th April, 1865, "quite well though rather thin."
While in Menasha he was a member Independent Order Good
Templars, and held the office in the Lodge of P. W. C. T.
He was a tall, handsome man, blonde hair, with blue eyes,
fair complexion, and wore a heavy flowing mustache. He
was kind and loving in disposition.
2. Edwin Owen Richardson, the second son of Alexander
and Elizabeth Richardson, was born in Rochester, September
27, 1840. He died suddenly, at Menasha, Wis., of heart
disease, at eight o'clock, Sunday morning, November 23,
1902, in his brick house, on First Street; Rev. A. E. Leonard
preached the sermon, at the house, on Wednesday, at two
o'clock, afternoon, and the J. P. Shepard Grand Army Post
Ritual was performed. The Post had charge of the funeral.
Edwin O. Richardson, after a common school education
at'Rochester, N. Y., went to work at his trade of carpenter
at Corning, N. Y., where he remained until 1856, when he
returned to Rochester and worked as a ship carpenter. In
September, 1862, with his brother Herbert, he joined the
army. He enlisted for three years and served his full
time. He participated in the battles, in Virginia in 1862,
and 1863, and in October, 1863, at one of the battles, was
captured and sent with many others to Libby Prison, Rich-
mond; then to the prison pen in North Carolina, known as
Salisbury. His sufferings for want of food, clothing and
sanitary arrangements were intense, and he was reduced to
mere skin and bones. He suffered this inexcusable torture
for sixteen months. From a letter written March 22, 1865:
'Ed. has just got home, all that is left of him, for he is noth-
ing but skin and bones. He has a terrible cough, his limbs
and feet are swollen with scurvy. But we expect with
proper care and nourishment he will recover." He arrived
home March 20, 1865, having been paroled in March, his
time to expire in August. April 15, about thirty days after,
another letter was written, announcing: "Ed. is getting
much better; for ten days we had little hope for him. He was
delirious all the time, finally he went to sleep for three days
and nights. When he awoke he was rational and much better. "
The Laivson Family. 153
Once while in Salisbury, his ration of a brick of corn
bread and soup became nauseating, and he ate nothing for
over a week. Sam Robinson, his chum, took the accumu-
lated pile of bricks and traded them for three small potatoes
and a thimble of coffee. This revived him again. When
they were exchanged the chums, each saved the life of the
other, by preventing him from eating too much. After
Edwin O. Richardson became strong again, in 1866, he came
to Menasha, and has since followed mechanical pursuits.
Always industrious and economical, he saved a fair fortune;
and owned at the time of his death, a brick store, a frame
dwelling on Main street, and the brick residence on First
street, where he died. Edwin was of a kind, generous dispo-
sition. He was a member, of the J. P. Shepard Grand Army
Post, at Menasha, and had great pleasure in attending its
meetings, and the reunions of comrades, although his nearly
total loss of hearing, caused by his sufferings in the Salisbury
pen, occasioned him great regret, because he was not able to
hear what was said. He made up for the loss of hearing, by
extensive reading. He had a pension for loss of health and
hearing.
3. Herbert Lawson Richardson, born November 30,
1842, in Rochester. Hewas not married. Enlisted in the civil
war, in September 1862, when a lad of twenty. Died of his
wound received at the battle of the Wilderness, May 14, 1864;
was Sergeant, of 140th Regiment, N. Y. Vol.; was twenty-one
when he died (Bible). 'Wounded at battle of the Wilder-
ness, was taken prisoner, and nine days after he was captured,
he died from effects of wounds. We have never heard any of
the particulars of his death, and could not get his body
because he was on the rebel side". (September 8, 1864,
letter of Helen J. Richardson).
4. William Jones Richardson, born October 22, 1844,
Rochester, died of dysentary, at the hospital at Hagerstown,
November 7, 1862, at eighteen years of age. Was a member,
of Company E, 27th Regiment, N. Y. Vol. (Bible). Was
not married. Enlisted at seventeen years of age. 'Willie
went into the army, in 1861, same year father died and after
being in six hard fought battles and twice as many skirmishes,
he at last died of sickness in a hospital. Poor boy. He died
all alone with no one to sooth his dying pillow. Oh, it was
hard to be reconciled". (Letter of Helen, his sister).
5. Helen Jane Richardson, always known to us as
Cousin Nell", was born in Rochester, N. Y., November 28,
< <
154 Family Genealogy.
1846. She attended the graded city schools, graduated at
the High school, and attended the Academy. She was a
beautiful charming girl at home, in Rochester, and is now a
woman of leading influence and intelligence. She wrote
many pretty letters from her eastern home, to her 'Uncle
Virgil", in the West. Her poems should be gathered into a
volume and published, as they possess the highest merit.
These she often sent to the new papers and magazines. She
has also written short stories. In Rochester, January 4, 1866,
she was married, to Menzo E. Gates, the Rev. J. H. Gilmore
officiating. He was an expert painter and decorator and a
very bright man. He afterwards became a doctor and
followed his profession at Cadot, Wis. They moved to
Menasha about 1876, and then in 1882, were at Depere, from
which they moved to Cadot where her husband died. Their
children: (A) Ida Richardson Gates was born in Rochester,
N. Y., January 18, 1876. She was educated in the schools at
Rochester, Depere and Cadot. She taught school a short
time. She married W. A. Sexton, at Cadot, Wis., July 10,
1889. He conducts an apothecary store at Marshfield,
Wis. Their children: (a) Marie, born August 4, 1890.
(b) Helen, born December 6, 1892. (c) Marjorie, born
1897, September 2nd. All born in Marshfield. W. A. Sexton,
was born in Spring Lake, Waushara County, Wis., January
18, 1857. His father and mother born near Limerick,
Ireland, of a distinguished family which is traced to the
fourteenth century. (B.) Herbert Menzo Gates, son of
Helen and Menzo Gates, was born in Rochester, N. Y.,
September n, 1868. He received his education in Menasha,
Depere and Cadot. He is now a practicing lawyer in San
Francisco, California. Helen Jane Gates, after the death of
her husband, lived with her daughter Ida, then out west, in
California, with her son Herbert. Here she was married, to
Judge J. N. Phillips, of Los Angeles, in 1890, and resided,
at No. 135 Griffith Ave., E. Los Angeles, California, until
1902, when they moved to Whitcomb, Washington, where
they now reside.
6. Ambrose Virgilius Richardson, born August 28,
1849, Rochester, N. Y., youngest son of Elizabeth and Alex-
ander Richardson. Received a good education in the graded
schools of Rochester, and graduated in the high school. He
had a trade of enameling and doing gold leaf on picture
frames. In 1870 he came to Menasha and took a position of
bookkeeper for Webster & Lawson. This he continued
The Lawson Family. I^
until 1888, excepting an interval of two years, when he begun
bookkeeping for P. V. Lawson, Jr., in the Menasha Wood
Split Pulley Works, at Menasha, which he resigned in 1892,
to take charge of the office of Gilbert Paper Co., where he
has remained ever since. He married Elizabeth A. Porter,
May 15, 1878, at residence of Dr. Page at Appleton, Wis.
She was of Windsor, Wis. Rev. Theo. C. Coffie performed
the ceremony. Mr. Richardson has always been an active
member of the Good Templars, or sons of temperance, and
an officer. He has for many years taken an active interest
in the work of the Congregational Church and for many
years, superintendent, of the Sunday School. Their children:
(a) Alexander, born August 28, 1879, died September 22,
1879. (b) Olive, born January 14, 1882, at Menasha, Wis.;
educated in its graded schools; graduated in its High school
in 1899; and in 1900 attended Milwaukee Downer Female
College. In 1903, she is teaching in Menasha. (c) Eliza-
beth Richardson, born May 24, 1883, at Menasha, Wis.,
attended its graded schools, and graduated from its High
school, 1 901. She is now, 1903, attending the Milwaukee
Downer College, (d) Newton Page Richardson, born April
20, 1885, at Appleton, Wis., attends the graded schools at
Menasha, in his senior year in its High school and graduated
June 11, 1903. (e) Dora, born December 1, 1886, at
Menasha, Wis., and now attends its graded schools. A. V.
Richardson and all his family reside at Menasha, Wis.
MARY JANE LAWSON, THE MISSIONARY.
Mary Jane Lawson, the Missionary, was a young lady of
exceptional beauty of face and character. She was born in
Pultneyville, in 1830. Her memory is very dear to her
family and friends who knew her. She was educated in the
public and private schools, at Pultneyville, and about 1850,
went to Rochester, N. Y., and attended Allen's Seminary.
She had a wonderful memory and was a splendid scholar.
She was a bright writer of prose and poetry. One of her
poems, "The Slave's Lament," became celebrated. She lived
in Rochester, with her sister Elizabeth Richardson, and going
to church with her became a member of the Baptist church.
She taught school a few months, when she met Henry B.
Shermer, a Baptist minister, just graduated from their college
in Rochester, and they were married in 1852, in Rochester,
N. Y., at home of her sister Elizabeth. Henry B. Shermer,
156 Family Genealogy.
husband of Mary Jane Lawson, born July 25, 1823, in
Philadelphia, Pa. ; Missionary Union, 1850; graduated at
Rochester Theological Seminary in 1852; ordained in Phila-
delphia Pa., on September 23, 1852; Missionary under
American Baptist Missionary Union to the Bassa Tribe, in
West Africa in 1852 and 1853; was pastor at Newton, New
Jersey, in 1856 to i860, and in Woodstown, N. J., two years.
In Schooley's Mountain, N. J., 1864 up to 1869. He died in
Schooley's Mountain, N. J., March 22, 1869.
The "Basso or Bassa tribe" of Liberia, West Africa are
of the negroloid band, dwelling on the Sess River, and the sea-
board. They belong to the same ethic and linquistic cluster
as their eastern neighbors, "the Krumen". This was the
people, among whom Rev. Henry B. Shermer and his wife,
Mary Jane Lawson Shermer, went as missionaries, in 1852-
1853. Her people and especially her brother Virgilius, who
was very fond of his sister, very strongly opposed Mary
Jane's going away, as missionary, to those wild tribes; as it
was like throwing away her life. When Mary Jane was
married to Rev. Shermer, and they determined to go as
missionaries to Africa, great preparation was made for the
journey. All the church people made clothing and things for
them, which it was supposed would add to their comfort.
When they arrived off the African coast at Liberia, the
vessel could not come up to the shore, and the natives swim-
ming in the sea, carried all baggage and passengers on their
backs, acting as human litters. Such a position for Mary
Jane, was very embarrasing as she was extremely modest.
But as there was no other way, she was obliged to land,
carried on the backs of naked niggers through the surf to
shore. She enjoyed her work and became a great favorite
with the natives, who called her the "White Queen", or the
Fair Goddess". She was unusually fair and beautiful; with a
kind and gentle disposition. She had long, silken, dark
hair, which she often permitted to hang loose, in the hot
climate of their station beneath the equator. The natives
worshipped her, and especially her hair, which was an object
of veneration, being so unlike anything among the kink haired
Africans. While there she wrote the poem, afterward widely
published in America, entitled "The Black Chief's Plea".
When she died, on the birth of her only child (which also
died at birth), the natives learning of her sickness, gathered
in great numbers about her home and refused to be com-
forted. They would not believe she was dead, or could die.
PUBLIUS V. LAWSON,
Late op Menasha, Wis.
(Page 157.)
Engraving represents him as photographed in
Sir Knight regalia.
The Lawson Family. 1^
Their moaning and wailings rent the air for days. They
paid her all the homage their simple lives could invent and
never ceased to recount the story of the wonderful lady, who
came to them for a few months and then went away forever.
Once Mary Jane was sitting by the fire at home reading,
when suddenly she sprang up and jumped about, screaming
at the top of her voice, in the most frightened manner, and
all the time shaking her dress and stamping. Her brother,
P. V. Lawson, Sr., sitting by and supposing she had caught
fire, from the fire place, rushed for a pail of water, which he
emptied over her head. This made her scream worse than
ever. A little mouse had run out from the side of the great
fire place, and up under her dress, which was the occasion of
her distress. After it was dislodged, she expressed her
opinion of being drenched with a pail of cold water.
PUBLIUS VIRGILIUS LAWSON.
Publius Virgilius Lawson was born in Pultneyville, N. Y.,
the 22d September, 1828, son of Sergeant Nicholas Lawson
and Joanna Crayna Lawson, his wife. He was born in the
old Cole house, which was built about 1809, on the site of
the present brick house, of the late Captain Cragg. The old
house was moved onto a back alley, about 1855, where
it still stands, to give place to the new brick house. As it
formerly stood, it was a two story frame house, with a lean-to
woodshed, which contained the open curb well, with a chain
and bucket, operated by a crank. The house stood on the
principal street of the village, which ran over the bridge
across Salmon creek. It was as pretentious as its neighbors.
In the room in the front part of this house, where Virgilius
was born, his wife Elizabeth Fleming, was born on the same
day of the month, 2 2d September, 1830, just two years after;
and just twenty years after this, within two days of the same
day of their birth, they were married in the same room, where
they were both born. Young Virgilius attended the common
schools of the district and obtained a fair education. He
assisted his father in the blacksmith shop and learned the
trade of blacksmith, the third in line from his grandfather
Ebenezer, to learn the trade. In his school, he used
'Adam's New Arithmetic, " and "Porter's Rhetorical Reader,"
copies of which, with his name in them under date, 1846, I
have in my possession now. When ten years old, he helped
to thresh wheat, on William Johnson's place, and frequently
158 Family Genealogy.
assisted him in the farm work. He also worked several
seasons for Major William Rogers, about two miles out of
the village. For several years of his youth, he worked in
summer for the neighboring farmers. When he was four-
teen he helped William Rogers to wash sheep in the Salmon
creek. This novel experience he never forgot and often
related it with great glee. For these services, his father had
from fifteen cents for a half day's work, to thirty cents for a
full day. For five day's service when twelve years of age his
father had $1.56.
He did not admire the blacksmith trade, as it was too dirty,
did not pay very well and he was ambitious; so he went to
Rufus Moses, an uncle, in the village, learned from him the
use of tools and became an expert carpenter and joiner. In
those days, before the perfection of machinery and expensive
manufacturing, the carpenter and joiner made, himself by
hand, all the sash, doors, blinds and inside finishings of
houses, much of the furniture, and all the store fixtures. To
extend his opportunity, and obtain better wages, he moved to
Corning, N. Y., in 1848. This was then a lively place, with
many new buildings going up. He worked vigorously at his
new trade, and in 1850, felt prosperous enough to get married.
He then returned to Pultney ville, and was married to Elizabeth
Fleming, Septembsr 20, 1850.
Certificate of Marriage: This is to certify that Publius
V. Lawson, of the town of Williamson, in the State of New
York, and Miss Elizabeth Fleming, of the town of Williamson,
the State of New York, were joined together in Holy Matri-
mony, at Pultneyville, on the 20th day of September, in the
year of Our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty.
By me signed E. H. Crammer, Minister ot the Gospel."
Rev. E. H. Crammer was a Methodist minister. The wed-
ding was at the home of Elizabeth Fleming, and occurred in
the same room where she was born. It was on Saturday. On
Sunday they were in Rochester, having made their wedding
journey by driving to Palmyra, where they took canal boat,
the usual mode of travel in those days. It was a packet boat,
or regular passenger boat, on the Erie Canal. From here
they went direct to Corning, N. Y., where Virgilius was
employed at carpenter work. They boarded a few weeks
with Azall Carr, and then began housekeeping in a two story
frame, rented house of Mr. L. A. Benjamin. Here their
children Helen E. Lawson (Kerwin), and P. V. Lawson, Jr.,
were both born. After 1853, he obtained a lot, and built his
The Laivson Family. j$g
own house. His wife, Elizabeth Fleming, was oldest daughter
of Jacob Cook Fleming and Lucinda Baird Fleming, Pultney-
ville, born there September 22, 1830, and where she had lived
until her marriage.
She attended school in the wooden building, which stood
where the present cobble stone stands. On one side was a
long bench seat for girls, and one on the other side for boys;
each with a long desk in front. Both seats and desks were
cut with names of others who had used them. There were
some benches with backs in the middle of the room, for
smaller children. A box stove in the center of the room,
fed with wood, furnished heat in winter. The teacher's desk
stood in the front end of the room. They had, "spelling
schools," and ' spell downs;" spoke pieces, and wrote compo-
sitions. Their studies were grammar, reading, arithmetic,
geography and writing. They had men teachers in winter,
and women teachers in summer school. When she was a
little girl, it cost five cents to send a letter. There were no
stamps; they marked "paid" on the outside. Of her social
life in Pultneyville as a young girl, she says: 'When I was
a girl, 1840, to 1850, we had public dances in the hotel hall.
Dancing, waltzes, mony mosk, Virginia reel, and cotillions.
We had annually, late in the fall, after all the sailors came
home, a dance called the "Sailor's Return." The invita-
tions and tickets had a picture of a ship on them. We did
not skate as there was no place, as the lake froze over too
rough. We went sleighing. We had husking bees, and
apple peeling bees, at which they pared apples and cut them
ready to dry. At these they told stories and had any amount
of fun. Once we had one at Jas. B. Cragg's house. At
these bees they passed around coffee, cake and other refresh-
ments, mostly doughnuts." We had no Christmas trees. I
never heard of them in Pultneyville; but we always hung up
our stocking by the fireplace. The churches had no Christmas
trees or Santa Claus, nor any exercises for the children
whatever."
Publius V. Lawson worked hard and pushed things at Corn-
ing. From his account book kept by him while in Corning,
N. Y., from November ist, 185 1, to 1854, I have gleaned,
that he was a contractor and builder of houses, stores, resi-
dences, lockup, school houses, and other structures. Busi-
ness was at a standstill in 1856, and no work or building
going on. He was for some time Superintendent of Regula-
tor Robinson's sash factory. Up to 1856 he did a big busi-
!6o Family Genealogy.
ness, contracting; had two teams and one horse, always at
work. Was building a saw mill, at Painted Post, Pa., when
taken sick. His contracts ranged from small accounts, up to
$500.00 and $800.00. He often had as many as ten or more
mechanics in his employ; and carried on several contracts at
the same time. Among these people working for him were
Levate Lawson, his brother, who was then married; and had
a son Monroe C. Lawson, who worked for him also, and
who boarded with him, four weeks, as charged on May 2,
1854. Edwin O. Richardson, his nephew, was then working
for him, March 6, 1853, and other dates, at $1.50 per day.
Edwin says he went to Corning May, 185 1, and remained
till June, 1856, and toward the last had $2.00 per day.
Edwin was fourteen years of age in 1854, and twelve or
thirteen years old when he first went to Corning. There are
the names or over thirty persons who worked for him, during
this period, from 185 1 to 1854. Wages paid were from twelve
to eighteen shillings per day, some had ten shillings. Price
of lumber: siding $18.00; roof boards $10.00; flooring
$15.00; nails five cents, or $6.00 per keg; shingle nails $7.00
per keg; ceiling $15.50; shingle $2 and $3; cartage thirteen
cents. Excavating thirty cents a yard. He subscribed for
Sloan's Model Architect, in 1852, in parts and had them bound
in two fine large volumes. This was a complete work on
the subject, in all its details, of carpenter, joiner and build-
ing, with details of stiles; and from it he gained such infor-
mation as made him proficient in his business, gave him con-
fidence, so that he was ever after an employer, took contracts
for all kinds of construction and erection work, employing
during his life time thousands of men, of different grades of
mechanical skill. At Pultneyville, opportunity was limited
to farm life; and at Corning he began as a very young man,
with little opportunity to learn how to do things. These books
were just the information he wanted, and he made the most
of them.
His first name was Publius Virgilius Maro Nicholas Law-
son. The first three, make the full name of Virgil the Latin
poet, while the last was the name of his father. When asked
why he had given him such a long name, his father replied,
his oldest boy, named John, was not a very good boy, and he
wanted his youngest boy to have a long name so he would
have plenty to thrash off, if he was not good. He was
always locally called Virgil, and never used other than the
two first names. He left home at Pultneyville, when he was
Tlie Lawson Family. ^
twenty years of age, in 1848, after he had learned carpenter
and joiner trade, went to Corning, in Steuben County, in
south part of New York State. Here he began work at his
trade, at twelve to sixteen shillings and eighteen shillings per
day, as they called it then, but which we term now $1.50, $2.00
$2.25. His accounts show he bought a chestnut horse for
$85.00, named Frank, in 1850. In February, 1853, he was
in partnership in the erection of buildings, carpenter work,
and contracting, with J. P. Jones, known as Lawson and
Jones. By this time he had the services of a bookkeeper,
C. B. Dodge, to post his accounts. He kept a day book
himself and a time book.
He had formed a resolution to be worth forty thousand
dollars when he was forty years of age, and had concluded
he could do better by going west. He had very little to
show for all his hard labor and enterprise at Corning. He
commenced his journey to the west, in August 1856, came by
boat to Green Bay, and up the river, by boat, to Menasha,
Wis., where he landed with only $1.00 in his pocket. He
found a place to board with Norman Wolcott, where "apple
sass" and bread and butter were the rule. He found work at
once on the Methodist church, then being completed;
and on the new brick high school building, and other
work. His wife and two children, Helen and Publius V.
Lawson, Jr. , went to Pultney ville, to wait until he was settled,
to follow him. He leased his house in Corning to Levi
Bogardus, who sold his garden for him. It consisted of
potatoes, beans and corn. In December, 1856, he sent for
his family. They went to Palmyra by stage; then they rode
on the cars to Chicago; and then by cars, to Fond du Lac,
Wis. There they took a stage along the west shore of Lake
Winnebago to Oshkosh, where they arrived late and remained
all night. Next day they took stage for Menasha. Her child
Helen was then five years old, and Publius V. was three.
He got very cold as it was winter, and the stage not warmed.
They arrived in the forenoon, on Saturday, at the hotel, on
corner Broad and Appleton Street (now destroyed), kept by
Melangthon Boroughs. The first woman Mrs. Lawson met,
in Menasha, was Mrs. Whipple, the next was Mrs. Lewis
Clapp. At noon when Mr. Lawson came to dinner he
found them there and was pleased to see them. He boarded
at this hotel at that time. In a few days they set up house
keeping, at the Methodist parsonage. Their furniture could
not come until navigation opened in the spring. This build-
1 62 Family Genealogy.
ing is now moved back north, or to First street. It stood on
Broad street in the church yard. He worked on the new
fence about the school house; also at Lawrence University,
Appleton, Wis., where he had a scholarship for his pay.
That winter it was hard to get milk and butter and they were
obliged to use butter in coffee in place of cream. William
Hall was in the Sam S. Roby building, on Main street, with
his grocery store, and got in some butter, when he obtained
a wooden pail full of it. Naymut street, where he lived after
1 86 1, was all woods then, and only cleared between his house
and the river. He lived in 1857, in a small white house, on
Depere street, owned by R. M. Scott; then 1858 in Landgraf's
house, on Tayco street. After which he bought the two
story frame, near corner Main and Clay, from which he
moved into the present homestead, in 1861, on Naymut
street. This house was purchased of Norman Thatcher,
February 20, 1861, lot 131, block A., consideration $945.00.
In 1856, he did millwright work, in Tom Armstrong's saw
mill, on water power. It stood where Chas. R. Smith's brick
barrel factory stands now, and was burned in 1873. Here he
put in a drag saw and set up and ran a shingle mill he had
bought in Corning and sold here.
LAWSON & COMPANY.
In February 15, 1858, he bought into the sash factory and
planing mill, with W. H. Hart. This was on corner Tayco
and water power, in the Lyman Fargo red frame building.
The company owned the machinery. The 23d of April,
i860, he bought out his partner and owned the business alone.
For this interest he paid $1700.00. Following is the adver-
tisement they carried in the local newspaper:
' 'Spring Arrangements. Lawson & Company 's Door, Sash and Blind factory.
(Old Foundry Building near the Canal Bridge). The subscribers keep con-
stantly on hand and for sale a large assortment of doors, sash, blinds and
mouldings, of all kinds, chain pump tubing, matched flooring and planed
siding. All the above work made from thoroughly kiln dried lumber, and
warranted. They are prepared to do scroll and circular sawing, and all
kinds of planing, in the best manner, with promptness and dispatch.
Menasha, April I, 1859."
Mr. Lawson operated his factory three years. During this
time there was as much building and improvement as at any
other time; and they had accounts with all the people then
doing any building; furnished all the sash, doors, blinds and
fronts of stores; and counters and fittings used. The price
The Lawson Family. 163
of nails was $6.00 per keg and lumber about same price as
now, possibly a little cheaper. The business, in 1858, 1859,
was subject to the general condition of those times, which
were called, the hard times before the war." There was not
much money, and a greater part of the business was done on
credits and trading; such as swapping accounts." The mills
gave orders on the storekeeper, who did their best to "skim"
along, and finally failed. That was one way of borrowing
the money of a new man who came to run a store. Mr.
Lawson had become quite adept, with the "medium of
exchange" in common use, and managed to make the trades
win. Those days required a good trader, and he seems to
have learned the times, very well. He obtained for work
and material from the factory, hay, ham, town lots, horses,
cows and village orders. These he turned in to pay for lumber;
and the hay and hams to his men; by which means his sup-
plies and labor were paid. He determined when he left
Corning to win wealth, and he worked energetically to that
end. He had vowed when he was forty years of age, he
would be worth forty thousand dollars. The circle of custom
for such a factory, did not seem to warrant such a prospect.
Menasha was a small village, possibly five hundred people;
supposed to be growing. Neenah was small, and roads
impassable, so they went around by the river and lake, in
boats and barges. There were swing floats for bridges over
the canal. The buildings were all cheap frame structures
and the streets black mud with the stumps still in them. The
town was only ten years old. The old brush dam, a cheap,
leaky affair. And the saloons did the most profitable business.
The only means of entry or exit was by water. Mails were
uncertain. The stage had a dubious prospect by black mud
roads, and a myriad of stumps. Still it was new and the
'West;" and new people came, and all bought and sold, that
is traded; and things were as lively as expected. All were
satisfied. I have tried to estimate from his books and papers,
his probable worth in i860, when he was thirty-two years of
age. He had his own home worth about $1,000; and had all
the planing mill business, worth about $4,000.00; and lots,
village orders and credits beside, enough perhaps to offset
what he was indebted. So that he was worth then, as net
result of his four years in Menasha, about $5,000.00. As he
only had his living from eight years in Corning, he proved it
was wise to go west. The only method of communicating with
the outer world up to i860, was via steamer to Green Bay,
j64 Family Genealogy.
thence via Bay and Lake; or via steamboat to Fond du Lac,
thence via plank road forty miles to Sheboygan; or via plank
road to Kaukauna, thence via boat to Green Bay. In 1861,
the Northwestern railway ran on west side of Little Lake. In
1863, it came through Menasha.
About i860, Honorable David J. Pulling, then a lawyer
and a man of some means, who had considerable real estate
and improved property, houses, lots and mills at Menasha,
made Mr. Lawson his agent and gave him full charge of all
his property. Pulling then lived at Fox Lake. About 1866,
he was elected circuit judge, a position which he held for
eighteen years. Mr. Lawson collected his rents and mort-
gages and rented his houses and sold his lands, until they
were all sold. They were always the best of friends and
their relations always pleasant. There is nothing to show if
he ever had anything for his services; but the implicit con-
fidence of Judge Pulling was a great compliment to his integ-
rity. On the 10th of April, 1863, Elbridge Smith, an attorney
at Menasha, had failed and made a petition to the Circuit
Court, under the act for the relief of insolvent debtors; and
Honorable Judge Edwin Wheeler, Judge of Circuit Court,
appointed as assignee of the estate of said Smith, Publius V.
Lawson; and Elbridge Smith made to him a complete assign-
ment of all his credits and personal property, which assign-
ment was recorded in office of register of deeds for Winnebago
County. Moses Hooper and W. G. Rich were witnesses.
WEBSTER & LAWSON.
< <r
From Harney's History of Winnebago County: The
mammoth works of Webster & Lawson" as he terms them
had their origin in this manner: Was established by Andrew
J. Webster in 1856, in a small building, near the Coral flour
mill, in the middle of the dam. In the spring a freshet cut
away the dam, seperating the shop from the main land. He
then moved to Neenah, where he remained one year; and
returned to Menasha, into the Bowman building, on the water
power; when after a year, another break in the canal shut off
his power. He then moved into the large Williams building,
in fall of 1858. This was a mammoth four story building,
erected by Big Williams, for manufacturing. Here he
remained until 1861, when P. V. Lawson and A. J. Richard-
son entered into a co-partnership with him the 28th day of
February, 186 1." P. V. Lawson had sold out his sash factory.
The Laivson Family. 165
A. J. Richardson had been a school teacher, in the high school,
had laid up a little money, and wanted to get into business.
The author remembers him, as one day in Nell Tait's room,
he came in just as I was trying to think what the letter L was
and did not know, he took a hand in the lesson, and informed
me that if he ever came there again, and I did not know the
letter L, I should have a whipping. I was then in my sixth
year. He did not remain with the firm long. He was
appointed captain, and decided to go with his company to
war. Andrew J. Webster was a young, red headed, freckled
face Vermonter, very proud, but with no wealth; his whole
capital being less than $500,00 partly furnished by his wife.
He had moved out west, to make his fortune like all the rest,
and was full of energy. His natural disposition was kind and
gentle, but his pride made him cranky and irritable; and he
had a chronic condition of dispepsia, and a cracked voice,
and went about scolding, and finding fault. He scolded
everybody and everything in sight; making it very unpleasant
for all about him. He was no mechanic. Men would not
work for him. He had no method of management and every
now and then had everything in a chaotic state, by interfering
and trying to run the factory. If Mr. Lawson had not been
with him, to personally superintend the operation of manu-
facture and of the works, he would never have got on, more
than a second rate, and in small way. That is also the opinion
of all who understood the firm. Mr. Lawson had ability as
manager and to discover ways and means to manufacture
cheaply with profit, and for careful and persistent
attention to every detail. Since the firm dissolved and
since Mr. Lawson's death, Mr. Webster has failed up. He
made money by the trade with Mr. Lawson on the dissolu-
tion, but has never made any money since. He died in 1903.
The machinery put in by Webster was some hand turning
lathes, for hubs, neckyokes and whifnetrees and a Blanch-
ard turning lathe for spokes, which turned split or rived
spokes and threw its shavings way across the factory. In those
days it was supposed that spokes must be rived, or split out
from the bolts, or short logs, less the grain would not be
straight, and the timber not strong enough. This sort of
spoke was expensive, slow to make and only 150 could be
turned, on such a clumsy lathe, in a day. Mr. Lawson soon
after changed this, by sawing them from short bolts, and by
care in handling the timber, got them just as straight and
tough as by riving. Soon after the firm was organized, the
1 66 Family Genealogy.
same year, they begun to build, on the lots in block 49, which
Mr. Lawson had put in as part of his share and using the lumber
also which he had put in, erected their own factory building.
In this work Mr. Lawson used his well known knowledge as
builder, and built cheaply but strongly. That is he dispensed
with the usual expensive framing, using drift pins to hold the
building side ways, depending on the weight of machinery
and material to hold it down. In this manner he erected all
their numerous buildings at a great saving in cost. His first
factory was operated by two water wheels; but very soon
their business had increased, so that they required more
power; and as they required steam in steaming hubs so they
would not check or crack in drying; and in their bending
works; and required dry houses. They put in a steam plant,
and an engine, which was used ever after. During the war
all things prospered, and so this company. I will quote from
Harney's History of Winnebago County: 'During this year
(1861), the firm built on the site now (1879) occupied by
their extensive works, a small factory which was found
inadequate to the wants of their increasing business, when
additions were made to the buildings; and steam power added.
The business continued to grow and extend, requiring
enlarged manufacturing facilities. More land was there-
fore purchased, buildings erected and new machinery put in
the same. The works have since then been enlarged from
time to time, until they now (1879) occupy some ten acres
of ground, with extensive shipping docks, store rooms, and
railroad side tracks. This mammoth factory now employ
throughout the year, 175 men, and make 2,500,000 spokes,
120,000 hubs, 520,000 sawed felloes, 15,000 sets bent felloes,
and large quantities of shafts, poles, bows, sleigh and cutter
material and hard and soft wood lumber." 'The firm is
widely known, shipping over a wide extent of country, from
New York to Oregon. The material used is oak, hickory,
ash, elm and maple, of which 6,000,000 feet are required per
annum to supply their works". A view of the works is found
in Harney's History of Winnebago County. He might have
added that they made the material for 150 wagons and 100
cultivators each day and cut up eightmillionfeet of oak lumber
annually. Fisher and Jones was a rival concern, in same busi-
ness, located next to them, who had been running five years, by
water power, when in 1869, Webster & Lawson bought their
property and added their plants, by purchasing a tannery
that lay next between them. March 12, 1870, for $7,000.00,
The Lawson Family. jfrj
they purchased the Pope & Ross saw-mill (which is now the
Strange Paper Company), and ran it as a saw mill to cut up
their logs and prepare their lumber.
The first machinery used by Webster & Lawson was an
ordinary morticer and hand turning lathe for hubs. The hub
logs selected for the proper size were cut off into proper
lengths, with a large slasher circular saw; properly sorted
and selected as to knots and soundness of timber. The larger
ones were cut down with an ax to proper size for turning.
Heavy hand turning lathes were used in the new factory,
until the Goodyear hub machine came out, when they were
purchased. The stock was first reamed out, with a large
bevel auger. These augers were first made by Zigler in
Rochester, but Mr. Lawson set up his own blacksmith shop,
and made all such tools. Making this reamer was a special
job and he taught his blacksmith how to do it. His early
training by his father, Nicholas Lawson, the village smithy,
now served him in hand. After reaming, the hub core was
put on a removable mandril which set in the machine, was
run at a good rate of speed and a knife pushed against it,
which "roughed it;" that is took off the surplus material down
to the size of the hub. Another set of knives was then pushed
against it, which fashioned the hub. From the end a knife
was pushed against it which "cupped;" that is, cut the end in
for the nut on the axle to go into. Two of these machines
would make one hundred sets of hubs per day. Improved,
and latest improved, morticing machines were obtained, and
thus the hub business was improved in cost.
The old Blanchard spoke lathes left the work very rough
and required a great deal of labor to get them throated,
jointed and smoothed after turning; beside it had capacity for
only one hundred and fifty per day. About 1864, C. H.
Boyington got up his spoke lathes, on which the firm bought
his patents and paid for making them; invested about $15,000.
These machines had capacity for five thousand spokes daily,
ready throated and smooth. They had patterns made, and
Howard & Schubert foundry and machine shop made jointers
and throaters on Mr. Lawson's plans. I expect that Mr.
Lawson also furnished most of the best ideas for the spoke-
lathes; although they were called the Boyington lathes. This
was a vast and necessary improvement in the spoke business.
They now abandoned rived spokes except as a specialty, and
made their spokes from sawed stock. Mr. Lawson put in
what they called a lazy saw, to cut off large bolt logs proper
1 68 Family Genealogy.
length for spokes. These bolts were split, so the sawyer
would know the course of the grain. Then these split bolts
were run through bolting saws and cut up into cants, which
were again re-sawed by other push saws into spokes, the bevel
being kept with the grain by reversing the stick at each cut.
This self-feed bolting saw was also an improvement, made
by Mr. Lawson. To push these heavy bolts through a saw
by main strength was right hard work. He had the patterns
made, and invented a self-feed saw bench, by which all the
operator had to do was place his stock in position on the
table, put his foot on the lever and it went flying through the
saw, nearly ten times as fast as by hand. This same machine
is still made and sold by Peter Jennings at Menasha, and is
the onlv bolting saw ever gotten up in the west, and is used
in all the mills and factories. There is no other made or
used.
Very earl}r in the business, felloes were sawed out of two
foot oak plank with a gig saw. This was very slow work,
besides the stock had to be marked by a small boy, so the
sawyer could saw them properly. Mr. Lawson worried over
this a great deal; he thought of an improved method so much
that finally it came to him in a dream. The next morning he
went at work to build the new machine. It consisted simply
of a dished circular saw; a slanted table so the dished saw
would cut the stock square, and a dog set so as to self mark
the article, or rather not mark it but allow it to go forward,
at each cut the proper width of a felloe. This was made
easier by the triangle on the end of the dog, which by not
changing its proper spacing, changed the axis of the circle
from the outside to the inside of the felloes, which were of
course on a different circle. That is, if the inside of the
felloe was cut on the same diameter of circle as the outside,
the felloe would not be regular. There was always a thin,
irregular piece to cut out to make these correct, and this
must all be done without loss of time; which was the important
part of this invention. This felloe saw is in common use the
world over, where saw felloes are made. It seems simple
enough, yet it is an ingenious machine and the dog a sur-
prising invention. It never could be hit on a second time if
lost.
He got up bending devices for bending sleigh runners;
bent felloes for wagon rims, bows, raves, plow handles, etc.
They bought some bending machines. Bending and bent
stock became a large part of their business. The agricultural
The Lawson Family. ^9
implement business grew to wonderful proportions, by the
development of the west after the war, and they received a
big accumulation to their business, by making special pieces
for all these new inventions. They were said to make the
material for one hundred wagons and one hundred agricul-
tural implements daily.
Every spoke was carefully examined by one man whose
business it was to see that only certain spokes went in each
bundle or set, as marked with their own trade mark. This
trade mark became the standard grade in the trade the
country over and still exists. All other manufacturers had to
sell on these grades; and to explain what their stock was,
were asked, How does this or this compare with the
Webster & Lawson make of similar goods?"
The material used being chiefly oak, they obtained this
from farmers about home, all over Calumet County and east
of there, down the river and up the river in Waupaca and
Shawano Counties. After the railroads were built, they
bought along these lines and consumed all the oak in the
country.
Once they set up a little mill on Ledyard side, Kaukauna,
and got out stock, but only ran it one or two seasons. The
scarcity of such timber was what caused Mr. Lawson to sell
out to Mr. Webster in the main works, November 1st, 1880.
Prior to this, possibly about 1873, Steve Reynolds, who
had been with Webster & Lawson, for a good many years
buying their timber, after the business got so large that Mr.
Lawson could not see to it all, and Captain Elory C. Clark,
who had been captain on their steamboats, concluded to
start the business at Depere. When Mr. Lawson learned of
of it he proposed that Webster & Lawson take one half inter-
est in it and thus was formed Webster & Lawson Manu-
facturing Company at Depere. This business was operated
until moved to Cadot and became the Clark & Boyd
Company.
One chief characteristic of Mr. Lawson was in handling
his men. While he got hard work out of them, still they had
a high regard for each other and he had many men who had
been with him ten, fifteen and twenty or more years. Most
of his men were what they called old hands," that is had
been with the works always.
They owned the steam tug, T. W. Lake," a first-class
tug boat, which usually towed their large barge named the
Island City," which could carry an immense load of logs.
170 Family Genealogy.
ii-
Their steamer, passenger and tow boat, P. V. Lawson," was
also in the log service. She was used to tow a barge load of
twenty-five carloads of wagon stock, over the Fox and Wis-
consin rivers to the Mississippi and after the stock was
disposed of, no attempt was made to bring her back. She
and the barge were sold. In the year 1870, they built at a
cost of $25,000, the steam propeller ' 'Flora Webster."
She had a steam crane that lifted the logs bodily on the boat
and piled them up. In 1878 she was exchanged for a farm
of 1,100 acres at Green Bay.
From a newspaper article, I think the Oshkosh Northwestern
of 1869, I copy this: 'Thus by dint of energy, enterprise
and good business capacity has grown up in a comparatively
short space of time, from an insignificant beginning, the
largest and most important establishment of its kind in the
west; that by care in the selection of stock, and the style and
character of the manufacture of goods, have established a repu-
tation, that is coextensive with the central and western trade, and
that commands for them ready customers from among the fore-
mostbusiness houses inthegreatcommercial centers of thecoun-
try." July 14, 1876, the "newfactory", as was called the factory
they had purchased from Fisher and Jones, built much larger
and raised to a three story building, was consumed by fire in
one and half hours, from 2 o'clock p. m., to 3:30 o'clock; a
loss of $25,000, with $9,000 insurance. As soon as the
insurance was adjusted, Mr. Lawson commenced at once,
with all the men he could work and in just thirty days, had
the building up and machinery running in a new factory.
July 18, 1880, one Sunday noon, possibly by a spark from a
passing steamer in the canal, the saw mill was consumed by
fire. The report shows loss of $20,000, insurance $4500.00.
Mr. Lawson immediately rebuilt it, with improved machinery,
and had it in operation in a very short time. They had
always been quite fortunate in not having fires as Mr. Law-
son was very careful.
From the Neenah Gazette, August 18, 1876: They
recently met with a loss of their new factory by fire. On the
14th of July, the flames leveled the building with the ground,
and within thirty days, again the engine started the machinery. "
Extract, from the Menasha Press, October 13, 1881:
'Mr. Lawson was busy about the works, superintending
the construction of shop, dry houses, and in every way
possible aiding and developing the facilities of the works. His
cherry, ringing voice, could be heard in and about the build-
The Lawson Family. 1j1
ings, from early morning till late at night. He always had a
happy word for every one and between him and his men
there grew an affection, which time cannot erase. Every one
knew P. V. Lawson. He was active and stirring, and prided
himself on being able to do more work in less time than any
one else. He drove business and succeeded in getting men
to do the greatest amount of labor in the least possible time."
The real secret of this was in being ready. The men all
worked to advantage, together. The material was ready.
Each man's work was up, ready for the next, no delays, one
thing followed another on time. It was care and watchful-
ness, as well as thoughtfulness. No one ever caught him
with a gang of men waiting one moment for a load of stone
or a timber or a nail, it was always on hand.
This was illustrated in his contracts. About 1870 he took a
contract, from the village to build a new bent bridge, from
Tayco to Washington Street, over Fox river, about 1000 feet
long. He told Jessie Armstrong, when he begun work of
removing the old bridge, that he might drive his team over in
just one week. They all smiled at such an unusual thing.
No one had the least thought that it was possible. But the
erection went steadily on and the bridge was open to trarTc
just one week after it was closed; and Jessie Armstrong did
drive his team over within the time given at the start.
On November 1, 1880, the firm of Webster & Lawson
dissolved. Mr. Webster took the hub and spoke business
and premises. Mr. Lawson took the saw mill, the farm at
Green Bay, some mortgage accounts, and the balance in
money, which Mr. Webster paid him. Webster took the
books and agreed to settle all indebtedness of Webster &
Lawson. Mr. Lawson then made a partnership with John
Strange, in the saw mill and the local lumber yard. Soon
after, he purchased half interest in the flour mill at Clinton-
ville, of Metzner and then a half interest with W. H. Stacy,
in the saw mill and store, at Clintonville; and had invested at
the time of his death, about seventeen thousand dollars, at
Clintonville; and had changed his mind as to its being what
he wanted, and had made up his mind to sell out again to
Stacy; but was taken sick and did not accomplish it. In
1876, Mr. Lawson purchased half interest in Menasha water
power, of Chas. Doty, of Alton, 111. In 1879, he purchased
the other half, of Curtis Reed, of Menasha paying for the whole
about$i5,ooo, includingthelandshegotwithit. Soon after he
purchased the property, E. D. Smith refused to pay rent on
172 Family Genealogy.
written leases. Then Mr. Lavvson refused to pay Doty, for
his interest. In the litigation with Doty he was defeated.
The case against E. D. Smith was pushed and he was made
to pay upon his leases. The litigation continued up to his
death, so that he had no chance to develop the property, as
he would have done. The property consisted of the whole
flow of the north outlet of Lake Winnebago, at Menasha
subject to leases which had been made.
This property had been badly managed; leases carelessly
made; rents paid in flour, orders on the store and lumber, "or
any old way". At his death the rents were less than $1000.00
per annum, and most of the mills were using water not paid
for. The author took hold of the property and made up his
mind, the first thing to do, was to pick up all leases that
could be had. They were taken up. They were a lot of
leases not recorded, unpaid and unused. He then notified
all parties of the amount of water they were using, fixed the
rent, the most of them settled. E. D. Smith refused. He
was promptly sued. The case was never decided. We
then determined to advertise for mills; and spent several
hundred dollars in this manner; and succeeded in locating
the Gilbert & Whiting Paper mill at a fair rent. Then they
dissolved, and we built, 'The Lawson canal", and got
Gilbert's Paper mill onto that, at $1500.00 rental. In a few
years we had a rental of $4600.00 per annum, from the
property. It has since been sold for $75,000, in 1898. The
lands have been sold from time to time and possibly brought
$5000.00 more. February 8, i860, Mr. Lawson obtained the
contract from the Fox and Wisconsin River Improvement Com-
pany, to construct a guard lock, at the mouth of the canal, to
close off the water in case of a break in the banks, which fre-
quently occurred in the spring. Mudsills were sunk into the
bed of the canal; tight piers loaded with stone constructed at
each side and one in the center. This he finished in a few weeks.
The only bridge over the canal in use then was a float
swing bridge, through which the water spurted on the passing
of a team, and it was difficult to get down on to or off of the
steep banks. It was determined by the village, to make
arrangements to use the guard lock piers for a bridge. Mr.
Lawson had the contract. He made the A draw, wooden
bridge then in i860, that stood until 1886; when the writer
was mayor of the city, the old wooden structure, that had
stood for twenty-six years, settled into the river and we had
erected the present iron drawbridge in its place.
The Lawson Family. jj*
As a lad I often went with Mr. Lawson among the settlers
and through the woods, after logs and timber, in Waupaca,
Outagamie and Shawano Counties. One fall we went into
the town of Harrison, Calumet County. It is now well cleared,
with good roads, splendid brick houses, large painted barns,
and the farmers are rich. Then it was all woods with ox
team roads cut through; and the German settler had log
cabins with no furniture, with poles arranged in shelves on
the side of one room for beds, sleeping on corn stalks.
We had a democrat wagon and one horse. About five miles
out from home, it began to rain in torrents. We stopped in
a log cabin of this kind, which leaked badly through the
split or rived shingle. When it cleared up we started for
home. The road cut through the forest was filled with stumps
and fallen trees; and as there was no way around them; we
drove over them. Some of the fallen trees across the track
were three feet high, and the horse could hardly mount over
them. I lay down in the bottom of the wagon and Mr.
Lawson sat on the bottom, as the seat had fallen over.
Often times we were obliged to walk. But the black mud
was so impassable it was a difficult task. Finally much to
my joy we arrived home. I enjoyed these excursions, although
they had much of hardship and real life in the back woods.
In the winter time he had a cutter rigged with a carriage top
on it. When the weather got down to twenty degrees below
zero, he hung a blanket inside this top. I had a pair of
number ten canvas and rubber boots with two pair socks on; and
in this manner, covered with two buffalo robes, we have traveled
sixty miles, into the woods, in one day, with a team. On
the roads we would pass a great many teams taking supplies
to the camps in the forest, getting out logs. We often
remained over night at these logging camps. They were low
log huts, lined on three sides with several tiers of wide
shelves for the beds or "bunks." In the center of the room
was a large drum of heavy iron, with a top on it. This was
filled with wood and made a roaring fire. In the opposite
end the cook had his outfit and cook stove. Once out on a
trip like this, down the river toward Depere, on west side of
Fox River, we got onto the wrong road, and made about
eighty miles by that night, before we arrived home. It was
ten below zero, and with all our covering we were very cold
and glad to get inside that night.
Prior to 1866, Mr. Lawson and family attended the Con-
gregational church, which was located on present site of
174 Family Genealogy.
St. Mary's German Catholic church; and Helen and P. V., Jr.,
attended Sundajr school there. Rev. Minor was pastor then.
At this time or a few months before, the Universalist Society
of Menasha and Neenah was organized, holding their meet-
ings at first in halls. They then erected the pretty church on
the Island. Mr. Lawson and family became members of
this church. Mr. Lawson was a trustee, and took a great
interest in the work of the church. Mr. A. J. Webster, Dan
Barnes, Charles B. Clark, Wm. Krueger and others were also
members. Mr. Lawson gave liberally to the support of the
church, and quite generously to its erection and furnishing.
He remained with this church all his life, and was buried
from it. He taught a Sunday school class; gave liberally for
its Sunday school library. Helen and P. V., Jr. always went
to Sunday school there. Mr. Lawson and wife went to
church every Sunday morning and evening. On Christmas
they had a big Christmas tree and we had our presents
there, as we had no tree at home. It was a season of great
delight and pleasure. Father was happy on these occasions
and you could hear him laugh heartily all over the edifice.
Mr. Hunter had a bankrupt Paper Company at Fond du Lac;
Henry Hewitt, Jr. was the assignee for Potter and Duchman
saw-mill on south end of dam at Menasha. These two bank-
rupt concerns joined in 1878. The machinery was moved to
Menasha and a large wooden, straw paper mill, painted red,
constructed. $4,000.00 stock was taken in Menasha, of
which Mr. Lawson took $700.00 in the new company. It ran
a few months and stranded. Subsequently it was burned.
The Howard Paper Company is now on the site. The estate
of P. V. Lawson own the lands on which it is located.
In 1869, a hotel association was organized; a board of
of directors elected, consisting of P. V. Lawson, J. W.
Fisher, Alex. Syme, R. M. Scott, Charles May. J. W. Ladd
was secretary. P. V. Lawson furnished the plans, specifica-
tions and estimates, and with Charles May and R. M. Scott
was one of the construction committee. John Dykes had the
contract for most of the work. When it was nearly com-
pleted, the company had not collected enough money to pay
for it. There had been $10,308 paid in and $1,700 still due
on construction, and possibly $6,000 yet necessary to complete
and furnish; when by some means R. M. Scott got control of
the property, and as owner completed it. It was opened in
1870, by John Roberts, as the National Hotel. In 1902 it
burned down.
The Lawson Family. jyc
I have understood that Mr. Lawson invested $1000.00 in
stock in this company which built the old National Hotel.
Mr. Lawson was president of the day in a big Fourth of
July celebration in 1878, held in Smith's woods on Doty Island.
The auther read the declaration. Dr. W. A. Merklin was
Grand Marshal, and Geo. B. Pratt delivered the oration.
On April 8, 1864, the manufacturers then on the water power,
met at E. D. Smith's office; Henry Hewitt, Sr. , was made
chairman, A. N. Lincoln, who was keeping books for Smith
then, was secretary. There was very high water, and the
banks in bad condition. They met to arrange to have some
one take charge of the banks, and guard locks and look to
the safety of the property. They made P. V. Lawson chair-
man of a committee of three; R. M. Scott and Edward Ward
were the other members. On the 9th April, all the manufac-
turers signed a paper, to pay their share of the expense. Mr.
Lawson had teams and men at work, placed on the dam 270
yards of earth, set a watch on the banks, and kept the guard
lock at head of the canal ready for instant use. He thus
prevented any break in the canal or dam that year. His
account shows they all paid except one, by which it would
seem they were very well satisfied with the work.
In June 30, 1862, while trustee of the village, he was
appointed to settle the damages done by a boat, to one of
the bridges across the canal, and use his discretion. E. A.
Brick was owner of the boat. He closed the matter with
satisfaction to the village Board. November 1, 1870, Henry
Hewitt, Sr., Henry Hewitt, Jr., Robt. Shells, J. A. Kimberly,
H. A. Babcock, P. V. Lawson, Sr., and A. J. Webster organ-
ized, under the name National Bank, Menasha". This was
the first bank in Menasha.
September 8, 1877, John Schubert sold his half interest in
the established business of Howard & Schubert, machine
shop and foundry, for $5000.00, to Mr. Lawson. This
was rented to Mr. P. Jennings and subsequently sold to him
by the estate.
From the time the first fire engine company was organized,
July 16, 1863, Engine Company No. 1, up to the present
day, the fire companies have been the great local feature in
Menasha. It has always been a volunteer company banded
for mutual protection against fire. About all the members
received until quite recently for their hardships and expos-
ure, was freedom from jury duty. Mr. Lawson became a
charter member, and first foreman, of the first organization,
I76 Family Genealogy.
and assisted on committee to purchase the first hand engine.
Some of the old books I can not find, but I do find that in
1864, he was foreman of "Menasha Engine Company No.
1, of the village of Menasha". The first engine company
was No. 1, hand engine, July 16, 1863. Members were P. V.
Lawson, foreman. Members L. Clapp, E. L. Ward, J. F.
Joslyn, John Harbeck, A. B. Hart, O. A. Keyes, Jas. R.
Shepard, L. D. Utley. July 26, Edwin Smith joined. Lewis
Clapp was first astistant foreman; L. D. Utley, second
assistant; John Harbeck was secretary; J. F. Joslyn was
treasurer, and Edward L. Ward, steward. The member-
ship of the company on that date was composed of the lead-
ing business men, manufacturers and people in the village.
Among them we find the names of Andrew J. Webster, Elisha
D. Smith, Henry Hewitt, Jr., Virgil B. Webster, Andrew B.
Ward, Sandy H. Collins, Chas. W. Jones, Thos. D. Scott,
Joseph H. Armstrong, Frank A. Keyes, Edward Keyes,
Lyman Eldredge, Thos. H. Dick. M. H. Wheeler, H. C.
Finch, J. A. Mitchell, H. Bradish, O. A. Keyes, L. J.
Noble, J. N. Collins, William Kittle, E. W. Kittle, T. Mck.
Hill, L. P. Bushy, C. B. Rosenow, Alonzo Granger, Edward
Jarvis, Andrew J. Cooper, John Borroughs, John Metcalf,
Noel Coates, G. Owen, James Shepard, C. Parker, H. O.
Clark, Sidney T. Kennon, Andrew B. Ward, C. W. Perry,
U. A. Strough, A. J. Beach, O. G. Rabb, Benjamin San-
ford, Alfred Nugent, D. M. Wells, Lewis Reynolds, D. A.
Patt, J. Cantwell, J. N. Vicers, C. Puffer, G. G. Scott; fifty-
six members in all.
Here is an invitation from August Ledyard Smith, Secre-
tary, etc. :
Appleton, April 30, 1864.
'P. V. Lawson, Esq., Foreman Menasha Company No. 1.
— Our annual parade takes place on Saturday, May 7, and
we herewith extend to Menasha Fire Company No. 1, a cor-
dial invitation to be present with us on that occasion. Kindly
let us know if you will come by boat or cars.
Respectfully, etc.,
(Signed) August Ledyard Smith,
Secretary Lawrence Fire Engine No. 1, Appleton."
He was also foreman in 1866, as I find an invitation from
Appleton to be present at their Fourth of July, 1866, cele-
bration. I think he must have been a member of the No. 1
Company for fully fifteen years, and during a large part of
. (-
The Lawson Family. xyy
that time he was either foreman or chief. He was chief
engineer of the fire department for six years. September
26, 1868, when Germania No. 2 was organized, the depart-
ment was established. P. V. Lawson, first chief engineer, in
1868. In i86q, he had sixty-three votes, out of seventy-two,
for chief engineer. In 1870, he had forty-seven votes, and
C. May, 28. In 1872 he had forty-nine votes, and B.
Welch had twenty-seven. In 1873, *■ V. Lawson had thirty-
five votes, and B. Welch twenty-one. In 1874, out of
fifty-seven votes, Lawson had forty-one.
In the first annual Fireman's Festival, by Lawrence Engine
Company No. 3, held at Appleton, on February 22, 1864,
he was one of the Honorable Managers." Among others
were Captain George W. Spaulding, E. C. Goff, Julius S.
Buck, George I. Brewster and F. Hammond, Appleton;
Lewis Da}' and Fred Y. Ellis, Green Bay; Dewitt Wright,
John Peacock of Fond du Lac; A. J. Clark, M. T. Battis of
Oshkosh. August Ledyard Smith and others were on the
Committee of Arrangements. In 1865, at the meet of the
State Fireman's Association at Janesville, Wis., in August,
he went with the Menasha Engine Company, and they played
the farthest stream of any engine present. They often went
to these annual meets and were members of the "State Fire-
men's Association."
From the later records of Company No. 1. "Menasha,
June 13, 1874. We met by order of Chief Engineer P. V.
Lawson, and joined Germania Company No. 2; and Union
Hook and Ladder Company, for review. After being
reviewed by the common council, we took the engines down
to the canal, to show what we could do in throwing water,
and to have a little fun with "the boys." C. B. Hutchins,
Secretary."
At these annual reviews the old hand engines were polished
up to look like new, and were covered with flowers so that
they were a mass of floral display. The firemen were in
uniform. The No. 1 Company wore blue blouses and
caps; the No. 2 Germania were dressed in red shirts and
Holland caps; the hook and ladder boys wore blue. The
women took part in the decoration of the engines. They
marched in long procession, with a band of music, the mem-
bers in handsome uniform, usually with the old "Turner
Band." All the factories closed, and the whole town
turned out to greet the firemen. The streets were lined with
people. As the brave procession marched along, every boy
I78 Family Genealogy.
vowed that some day he should be a fireman. They were
efficient in putting out fires and worthy of all praise.
They presented Mr. Lawson, as chief, an immense white,
stiff leather, chief's hat, and a beautiful trumpet, and he
proudly marched at the head of the procession. He took
great delight in the fire company, and studied the extinguish-
ment of fires scientifically. He made them play the water
on the lower part of the fire so the steam would arise and
assist to extinguish the flames. It was truly remarkable how
they could extinguish some fires which they conquered.
« t-
Fireman's Certificate" : These presents certify, that
P. V. Lawson, of Menasha, is an active member, in good
standing, of Fire Engine Company No. i, of Fire Depart-
ment, of Village of Menasha, Winnebago County, Wis. And
that the said P. V. Lawson has so been an active member in
good standing of said company for seven years continuously;
etc., etc.
(Signed) P. V. Lawson, Chief Engineer.
E. W. Kittle, Foreman.
P. V. Lawson was an earnest advocate of temperance, and
never lost an opportunity to improve his fellow men in this
respect. In the books of No. i Fire Company we find this
record:
"Special meeting, Menasha Engine Company No. i,
November 16, 1878.
"Called to order by the foreman, J. Krouse. Object of
meeting to take action on a proposition of P. V. Lawson, to
give them $25.00 to keep beer out of their meeting place.
"Motion was made to vote by ballot. Carried. Whole
number of votes cast eighteen, of which six for Lawson's
offer, and twelve against. The offer was not accepted.
J. W. Hart, Secretary."
While P. V. Lawson was Chief Engineer of the Fire
Department, in 1874, he recommended and assisted, in the
organization and equipment of the Union Hook and Ladder
Company. It was organized April 7, 1874.
The balloting for Chief Engineer was not an election, but
a nomination, by the whole membership of all the fire com-
panies assembled, who sent the recommendation made by
them to the Village Board, afterward the Common Council,
who then elected the ones nominated. In 1874, the first
The Lawson Family. jjg
annual meeting of the Common Council, appointed as Street
Commissioners, P. V. Lawson and C. F. Augustine. He
went heroically to work to get the muddy streets in better con-
dition, and by use of river gravel made Main street passable.
In 1862, the officers of the village of Menasha were:
Charles Doty, President; G. H. Clark, Clerk; A. B. Eldridge,
Treasurer; E. D. Smith, O. J. Hall, Julius Fieweger, Trus-
tees, First Ward; Thomas Mitchell, P. V. Lawson, A. Nues-
becker, Trustees, Second Ward.
In 1863 the village officers were: E. D. Smith, President;
G. H. Clark, Clerk; S. S. Roby, Treasurer; R. M. Scott, E.
Ward, Ignatz Trilling, Trustees, First Ward; P. V. Lawson,
T. Mitchell, William Rabb, Trustees of Second Ward.
In 1862 he held the office of Overseer Road District No. 3.
This was on the Island, now Third Ward.
In 1874, by act of the Legislature, Menasha became a
city. O. J. Hall and W. P. Rounds had tie vote for Mayor,
and on drawing lots O. J. Hall became first Mayor. In
1874, the first City Common Council elected P. V. Lawson
a member of the School Board.
P. V. Lawson, Sr. was Mayor for the next four years.
In 1875: P. V. Lawson, Mayor; Charles Colborne, Clerk;
John Planner, Treasurer; H. Hewitt, Jr., C. F. Augustine,
Aldermen First Ward; H. Hewitt, Sr., E. D. Smith, Alder-
men Third Ward; Curtis Reed, Frank Engles, Aldermen
Fourth Ward; P. McFadden, C. Koch, Aldermen Second
Ward.
In 1876: P. V. Lawson, Mayor; Charles Colborn, Clerk;
John Planner, Treasurer. Aldermen: H. Hewitt, Jr., E. D.
Smith, A. J. Webster, Curtis Reed, C. F. Augustine, P.
McFadden, P. Sensenbrenner, Frank Engles.
1877: P. V. Lawson, Mayor; E. G. Bell, Clerk; E. Wold,
Treasurer; Alderman, John Schubert, P. O'Mally, Elbridge
Smith, L. H. Brown, John Harbeck, Leonard Brugger, J. F.
Mayer, Frank Engles.
1878: P. V. Lawson, Mayor; E. G. Bell, Clerk; E. Wold,
Treasurer; Alderman, John Potter Jr., P. McFadden, T. S.
Phillips, Martin Beck, John Schubert, John Schneider, J. F.
Mayer and J. C. Underwood.
In 1878 P. V. Lawson, Sr., was on head of ticket; and P. V.
Lawson, Jr., was on tail end of it for member of Board
Supervisors of Winnebago County.
He was frequently delegate to Republican Assembly, Sena-
torial and County Conventions. He was a member of Island
j8o Family Genealogy.
City Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and in 1872 was its
Treasurer. He took a lively interest in all public affairs,
and fought the issue of $50,000 bonds to the Wisconsin Rail-
way and $60,000 to the M. & N. Railway. He even employed
Moses Hooper and Ephram Mariner, leading attorneys, at
his own expense and spent several thousand dollars to fight
the issue or payment of them. To avoid an injunction he had
against the second issue, the village president and clerk
escaped across the lake, and issued the bonds in Milwaukee.
He was a lover of horses and was well posted on them. He
always had good teams for draught horses and saw that they
had good care. He also wanted good driving horses and
had a splendid stable. His race horses were the best stock,
though he preferred them for driving, rather than racing.
He had private yachts of his own. The one he owned at his
death was "Lady Franklin". It would hold about thirty
people and run ten miles an hour. All his life he was a very
temperate man in all his habits and was opposed to drinking.
He tried in every manner to keep people from it. He wrote
and delivered many addresses on temperance. He was often
invited to speak at home and in the neighboring towns on
the subject, going as far north as Marshfield to make
addresses on the subject. His scrap book is full of addresses
he had written and arranged to deliver. We copy an account
from the Neenah Gazette March 10, 1877, °f one of these
meetings:
"At the open meeting of the Temple of Honor, held Fri-
day evening last, Hon. Mayor P. V. Lawson, of Menasha,
addressed the society. His subject was well chosen, and
abounded in practical thoughts and suggestions. He spoke
of the kindly feeling which existed among the members
engaged in fighting a common foe, and the beneficial results
which have followed. The meeting was concluded by
remarks from several gentlemen present, Mr. Kellogg, Mr.
Hobert and Mr. Richardson, of Menasha, in which very
encouraging reports were given of the good work being accom-
plished in both the Neenah and Menasha divisions. We
like the idea of having open session, and think it would be
both pleasant and profitable, if more frequently our temper-
ance people would lay aside their society differences, and
meet together on a common ground".
Publius V. Lawson was taken sick by worry over the
manner in which Mr. Webster treated him in the dissolution
of the firm. Every detail of the separation was set down in
The Lawson Family. 181
writing and agreed to. Then Webster began to haggle and
back out and tried to obtain some advantage in small things
and neglected to pay the sum of money due on the dissolu-
tion. They had been together in business nearly twenty
years and Mr. Lawson had done more than his share in rais-
ing the firm from a humble beginning to opulence and fame.
He had given it all his time and energy and made it success-
ful and he felt he was entitled to at least gentlemanly con-
duct. But Webster treated him badly, abused him, belittled
his ability, insulted him, and above all refused to comply
with his signed agreement. Mr. Lawson's stomach became
disordered. He was taken sick in the fall, November, 1880.
But after a few weeks he was out again, but not being well
and having his whole life changed by change of business, and
new deals to make, and not being strong, he broke down
again and was never well after that. If it had not been for
Webster's ill treatment he would have been alive today. He
was a young man when he died, fifty-three years of age. He
lingered sick for six months. He had an abcess in the side
of the back above the hip, near the bowels. Skillful doctors
would have known it, as it was visible on the surface, an egg
shaped swelling, about one inch high and two and one-half
inches wide and four inches long. But Clark, a home-
opathic doctor said he had rheumatism. As he had formerly
been troubled with it, he thought the doctor was right. He
refused to have other medical assistance, until it was too
late. They finally did open the abcess, the Friday before
his death, but too late, as it had run so long, it ate through
the bowels; then there was no hope. He died on Wednesday,
October 5, 1881, in the house on the Island, Naymut street,
where he had resided since February, 1861. He died in the
afternoon at 4:15 o'clock. Mrs. Lawson was nearly worn
out with long nursing. The family had all taken turns nurs-
ing, and sitting up nights, but Mrs. Lawson seemed to think
she must be always present. The funeral was held at the
Universalist church, "Church of Good Shepard", on Doty
Island, on Friday, at house, 1:30, church 2 o'clock, October
7, 188 1. It was conducted under the auspices of the Osh-
kosh Commandery of Knights Templar, of which he was a
Knight Templar. The Oshkosh Sir Knights came to
Menasha on the noon Northwestern train. From an account
of the funeral, in the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, of October
8: The funeral of the late P. V. Lawson, of Menasha, took
place in that city, yesterday afternoon, and was attended by
182 Family Genealogy.
Knights Templar from this and other cities. The funeral
was held from the Universalist church. There was a large
attendance and a long and imposing procession to the ceme-
tery. Among those in attendance was a class of small boys
which the deceased had taught in his life time. The seat in
the church formerly occupied by deceased was empty and
draped in mourning. The following allusion to the cere-
monies is from the Twin City News of this morning:
Amid the solemn hush of the audience Captain Gen. J. W.
Laflin, and Eminent Commander Jos. Boles, led the sad pro-
cession up the aisle. The bearers selected to perform the
last duties to the dead, were Past Eminent Commander K. M.
Hutchins, F. F. Berry, J. G. Parsons, Oshkosh; Erau
Edwards, Appleton, G. A. Whiting, Neenah, and Dr. G. W.
Dodge, Menasha. Following these came the mourning
family and relatives; the Knights Templar in full uniform;
the Master Masons of the Neenah, Menasha and Appleton
Lodges; the Fire Companies No. i and No. 2, of Menasha;
the Mayor and Common Council and city officials, etc. The
church was filled to its utmost capacity, and many unable to
find standing room were obliged to go away. Assisted by
Mr. H. L. Webster, Rev. S. W. Sutton conducted the
services. Owing to the continued rain, the beautiful and
impressive ceremonies usually concluded at the grave, were
held at the church by the Knight Templars, and conducted
by Eminent Commander Joseph Boles, and Rev. Kerr
Anderson, of Oshkosh. At the close, an opportunity was
given for a last look at the remains and the long procession
again fell into line and wended its way toward the silent city
of the dead."
The Neenah Gazette said in part: 'Was issued too late to
give any account of the funeral of the late P. V. Lawson.
As might be expected in case of one so generally known and
so highly respected as he, the attendance at the funeral was
very large and the indications of regard very evident not-
withstanding the heavy rain storm of the afternoon." Here
follows smilar description to preceding.
The Common Council was convened in special session on
thenext day to take suitable action to commemorate the death
of Hon. P. V. Lawson, ex-mayor of Menasha, and passed in
substance this preamble and resolutions offered by Elbridge
Smith, Esq. "A quarter of a century ago Mr. Lawson, then
a young man, and the embodiment of health and vigor, with
a strong physical constitution and high moral principle, a
The Lawson Family. 183
generous and liberal mind, came to Menasha. From this
time he has made Menasha his home, and been ever watch-
ful of her moral and material interests. Four years out of
the seven since Menasha was organized into a city, has he
been her mayor, faithful to the trust imposed in him at all
times. By strict integrity, and a high and firm purpose to do
right, great perseverance and a superior business capacity,
has he worked his way upward and onward, from the humblest
of our citizens, until he became one of our leading men in
business, in wealth, and in the moral progress of our city."
"Resolved, by the Mayor and Common Council of the City
of Menasha, in the death of our Ex-Mayor P. V. Lawson,
the city has lost one of its best and most honored citizens,
the poor a liberal benefactor, the various civic, religious and
moral societies of our city a generous supporter, and the
world a noble-hearted man. That we attend the funeral in
a body, etc."
Bryan Lodge No. 98, A. F. and A. M., among the resolu-
tions of condolence had this:
"Resolved, etc. The Lodge has lost, etc. and the com-
munity an honest, liberal, upright and enterprising citizen, etc.
Island City Chapter passed resolutions: "in the death of
companion Lawson, the Chapter has lost a worthy and hon-
ored member. The poor a firm and steadfast friend in need.
The community a man whose public enterprise made him an
active worker in the interests of their city."
Milwaukee Sunday Telegraph: 'The death of Ex-Mayor
P. V. Lawson has filled the city with gloom. Mr. Lawson
had long been one of the most prominent business men and
best citizens.
New London Times: He has been for many years, a
leader in business circles in Menasha and was as much noted
for benevolence and generosity as for public spirit and busi-
ness capacity."
Appleton Crescent: "Mr. Lawson's demise is a public
loss, not only in Menasha, but to the river valley gener-
ally, he being foremost in every good work and enterprise
tending to promote the general prosperity."
Clintonville Tribune: Mr. Lawson was a very active
business man and his death a great loss to the Northwest."
Oshkosh Times: "Was an energetic business man, always
alive to the interests of Menasha and his loss will be severely
felt."
184 Family Genealogy.
< < 1
Oshkosh Daily Northwestern: He is a man who will be
very much missed in the Twin Cities." "At least
a dozen widows were made the recipients of a sack of flour at
Christmas each year. He will be sadly missed by the poor
to whom he was a very good friend."
MenasJia Press of October 13: "in all his business and
social relations with all men Mr. Lawson evinced a spirit of
marked enterprise and business tact. He was ever a leader
in his business relations and social life. He organized the
excursion in search of sport and pastime, and around the
social board his merry face and happy heart will long be
remembered. In public life he was held in high esteem and
we see him four successive years elected mayor of the city,
and twice without opposition.
He was a vigorous and aggressive supporter of the temper-
ance cause. With the organization of the
Universalist Church Society he immediately joined that
church and was at all times a leading light and a strong
pillar in the society."
Menasha Press of October 6: 'But we wish to stop right
here in the midst of our labors and unite with the great heart
of Menasha people in dropping a silent tear over that form,
which is now cold in death, and placing over that casket a
flower which we hope the suns of summer, nor the chilling
blasts of winter, will never fade. The great heart of P. V.
Lawson is still in death. The dread angel which for months
back has fluttered over his bedside has at last borne through
the portals of the beautiful beyond the soul of one whom every
person in Menasha loved. * Through all the
many weeks of suffering our people have made daily inquiries
of his condition and from the tender word of sympathy
expressed at this time, it can be plainly seen that his death
has created a vacuum which few men can fill.
For many years back during his residence here, he has
held a position in the hearts of his fellow citizens second to
no other man. * Mr. Lawson was a man of
many good deeds. From the fireside of the poor and lonely
among us, whom his generous heart has oftentimes supplied
with the necessities of life, there come heartfelt expressions
of sorrow at the news of his death. * * Many a young
man among us owes his prosperity to either the stir and bus-
ness push of Mr. Lawson, or to his generous heart. He was
a friend to the poor and lonely everywhere, and there
breathes not a man among us, of all this people, who has
The Law son Family. 1gc
not one flower to plant to the memory of some good deed
performed by Mr. Lawson during his useful life among
5yi 3k
US.
((
Twin City News of October 6: Among the people of the
Twin City, expressions of sorrow are heard such as only
spoken when a truly good man leaves us forever. A good
and noble man has been called. * * * No man can
point to a single blot or blemish on the character of the good
man of whom these lines are written. He possessed in an
unusual degree, the esteem, respect and confidence of his
neighbors, friends and fellowmen generally, and his depar-
ture will be sadly felt b}r not only the people of our towns,
but the surrounding county and state. * Not
only in public life is his example to be emulated. Perhaps
best known is he as the kind benefactor, whose generous
smile and bountiful charity has breathed sunshine and com-
fort into many an impoverished home and lightened the
wearjr load of toil by kindly sympathy. Foremost in every
public enterprise, firm for the right whenever he recognized
it, a faithful public servant, a kind friend, an obliging
neighbor, a noble man. A whole community
will feel that one is gone from among them whose place will
long remain unfilled."
Twin City News of October 6. On yesterday flags were
floating at half mast from the various engine houses of
Menasha; at the Webster Mfg. Company's establishment, a
flag was at half mast; and business was entirely suspended,
out of respect for the memory of P. V. Lawson, Sr."
Mrs. Elizabeth (Fleming) Lawson now resides at the
Lawson homestead, on Naymut street, Menasha, Wis.,
where she has resided since 1861; dividing her time between
there and the home of her daughter Helen, in Neenah, and
making occasional visits to her old home at Pultneyville,
New York.
The children of Publius V. Lawson and Elizabeth, his
wife, were: Helen E. Lawson, who married Jas. C. Kerwin;
Publius V. Lawson; Ellen, who died 1858, at one month and
seven days old; Frankie, who died January 15, 1864, at age
of three years and six months; Mary, who died 1862, six
months; Willie, who died April 4, 1865, aged one year, eight
months; and two who died in infancy.
1 86 Family Genealogy.
HELEN E. LAWSON KERWIN.
Helen Elizabeth Lawson, born October 25, 185 1, at Corn-
ing, N. Y. ; came to Menasha, Wis., with her mother in
December, 1866, where she obtained a common school
education, and graduated in the Menasha High school, in
1868. She had private music lessons on the piano and at
singing school. In 187 1, she attended Ripon College, at
Ripon, Wis., where she graduated. She attended the Univer-
salist Church until it was closed, in 1890.
In 1880, she was married to James C. Kerwin, at her home
on Naymut street, on the Island, and moved to Neenah, Wis.,
in 1883, where they have lived ever since.
On Saturday, the first of February, 1903, Mrs. Kerwin
commenced a long journey through Europe, with her daughter,
Jessie, returning in July. Their children are:
1. Jessie Kerwin, born February 23, 1882, in Menasha,
Wis. She attended the common schools in Menasha and
Neenah; graduated in the high school, Neenah, in 1899;
and 1900, she attended the Burnam school, in Northampton,
Mass. She is now traveling in Europe with her mother.
2. Alice Kerwin, born September 5, 1884, at Neenah,
Wis., graduated in Neenah High school; and attended Smith
College, Northampton, with her sister.
3. Grace Kerwin, born January 6, 1886, at Neenah, Wis.;
attends Downer College, Milwaukee, Wis., 1903.
4. Doris Kerwin, born Neenah, Wis., November 24,
1888; attends public school, Neenah. All the children reside
at home.
PUBLIUS V. LAWSON, L. L. B.
Publius Virgilius Lawson, L. L. B., manufacturer, Menasha,
Wis.; born November 1st., 1853, Corning, N. Y. ; son of
Publius V. Lawson, Sr., and Elizabeth Fleming, his wife.
At two years or age he was brought to Menasha, Wis.,
then a rising manufacturing city, in the water power district
of the Fox River valley; where he has resided ever since. He
was educated in its public graded schools, and graduated
from its High school, in 1872; and the next year entered the
University of Wisconsin, at Madison, as a freshman, in the
scientific and literary course, and in 1876, matriculated in the
law school of the University, graduating in 1878 with degree
L. L. B. ; in a course of one year study and one year actual
practice. While in the law school he studied in law office
PUBLIUS V. LAWSON, L. L. B.
MENASHA, Wis.
(Page 186.)
The Lawson Family. ^7
of Senator Wm. F. Vilas and Gen. E. E. Bryant, and was a
member of the ''Moot Court". During life in the Univer-
sity he was a charter brother of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity; a
member of Athenae" literary society; president of the ball
association and one of the boat crew. At the annual Athenae
Exhibition, in 1876, in Assembly Chamber, a toast to Increase
Allen Lapham was proposed by Robert M. La Follette, (now
Governor of Wisconsin) a classmate, which was responded to
by Mr. Lawson in a manner described by the local press as the
"crowning effort of the evening". In 1877, he was admitted,
by Judge Stewart, to practice in Circuit Courts of Wisconsin.
The same year on recommendation of Senator Wm. F. Vilas,
made to Chief Justice E. G. Ryan, was admitted to the
Supreme Court, and soon after to all the United States Courfs.
He commenced the practice of law in Menasha, in 1877,
and soon became engaged in important litigation in all the
courts; having as local clients, among others, the Wisconsin
Central Railway Company, and Milwaukee and Northern
Railway Company; and the Street Railway Company. At
the same time dealt largely in lands and lots, and in one
year erected thirty houses for sale. After 1881, he had
charge of the water power, a propertv of his father's estate,
which he reorganized on a better basis, and increased its
value in rents from $1,000 to $4,600 per annum, increasing
the value from the purchase price of $16,000 to its selling
price in ten years of $76,000. During the same period, he
had charge of the saw mills, flour mills and other estate of
his father's, as joint administrator. After a successful legal
practice of eleven years, he left the law, to engage in the
manufacture of wood split pulleys for power transmission,
buying into a firm already established; but soon after patented
a much better article, known as the Lawson Wood Split
Pulley, made by the Menasha Wood Split Pulley Company
of which he is the owner of the capital stock and president.
This business, begun in 1888, he has carried on ever since,
shipping the goods to Europe and South Africa, as well as
every state in the Union and Canada. During most of this
period he also operated a flouring mill at Clintonville, Wis.
Mr. Lawson has traveled many times over all parts of the
United States and Canada, as far west as the Rockies, visit-
ing all the cities and natural phenomena.
He was County Supervisor in 1878; City Alderman 1882-3;
was elected Mayor of the City six terms, 1886-1889, and also
1893 and 1896; he was School Commissioner, 1895; received
1 88 Family Genealogy.
the unanimous nomination ten different years for Mayor;
Court Commissioner for Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, 1880 to
1888; given Republican nomination for State Senator 1890;
Director of Public Library Board, 1895-1903; Vice President
Library Board 1899 to 1903, and a member committee to
select books; Park Commissioner 1895 to 1903; President
Park Board, 1900 to 1903; President Republican Club, 1900;
President Museum History and Art Association, 1895-1903;
Citizen Member Board of Equalization of Assessments 1895.
President Fox River Valley Library Association, 1898 to
1903; President Winnebago County Traveling Board of
Libraries. 1901, 1902, 1903; President Wisconsin Library
Association, 1901-1903; Vice Director Archeological section
of Wisconsin Natural History Society, Milwaukee, 1902- 1903;
Charter Member Wisconsin Archeological Society, 1903, and
Vice President; Member State Historical Society, 1902-1903,
Madison. Wrote the Bill for County System of Public
Traveling Libraries for the rural districts, which became a
Law in 1901, and is being rapidly adopted by the different
counties in the state, with sixty-five libraries already in cir-
culation.
Made the Memorial oration at the cemetery, on the invi-
tation of the Grand Army Posts of Menasha and Neenah,
for ten years, 1880 to 1890, and again in 1902. Made the
Fourth of July address each year from 1878 until 1899,
twenty-one years. Lectured on the Geological Formation
of Green Bay," before the Women's Clubs of that city, 1902;
lectured on, Prehistoric Wisconsin," before Women's Clubs,
Oconomowoc, Wis., 1903; and on the Buried Forests and
Gas Wells of the Fox River Valley," before Natural History
Society, at Public Library, Milwaukee, 1902, which was
published in their proceedings. Also delivered addresses
before the same society, on "Aboriginal Pottery," "Copper
Age in America," "Aboriginal Monuments in Winnebago
County," 'Caims and Stone Circles," "Clam Eaters and
their Shell Heaps," "Occurrence of Obsidian in Wisconsin,"
all published in Wisconsin Archeologist. On invitation of
the Library Board of Appleton, delivered a lecture on 'His-
toric Appleton," published in the "Post." Gave an address
before the American Library Association at Waukesha, on
The County System of Traveling Libraries;" and before
the Middle West Library Meeting at Madison, on "Extend-
ing the Use of the City Library to the Country," and an
address, Influence of Books" at Congregational Church,
The Lawson Family. T8o
Sunday evening, 1903; "How to Extend the Use of Libra-
ries," before Women's Clubs of Fond du Lac, June 1903,
and before the Manufacturers' Association of Wisconsin at
Milwaukee, responded to the toast, 'The Manufacturers and
High Price of Coal," advocating government ownership of
coal mines. Also delivered the memorial address at public
mass meeting called on death of President Garfield; and
twenty years later, he gave the memorial address at a public
mass meeting, held on the death of President McKinley.
He has contributed articles to scientific journals, public re-
ports, magazines and newspapers on geological, antiquarian
and historical subjects, some of which are: A paper on the
"Luckenbooth Brooch," published in the Milwaukee Sentinel
and incorporated with illustrations, in the 1899 annual report
of the Scottish Antiquarian Society, of Edinburgh, Scotland;
"Outagamie Village in West Menasha," in the Wisconsin
Historical Reports, 1900; "Copper Age in America," 25 Am-
erican Antiquarian, Chicago; "Primitive Keramic Art in
Wisconsin," do; "Aboriginal Idols in Fox River Valley,"
Sentinel, Milwaukee; 'Mission of St. Mark Located." Mono-
graph; The Lost Fire Nation Located," Northwestern, Osh-
kosh; The Clouds in the Southland," Free Press, Milwau-
kee; Winnebago Village on Doty Island," SentineL Milwau-
kee, and Monograph; Bricketts of Aztalan," Sentinel, Mil-
waukee; The Sac Indians," The History of Chief Osh-
kosh," "Prince or Creole, Eleazer Williams," all in Oshkosh
Northwestern, 1903; Complete Mound and Indian History
of Winnebago County," and "Great Serpent Mounts of West
Menasha," Wisconsin Archeologist; He is a member of the
Sons of the American Revolution, since May 1903; also of the
Nadaway Yacht club. Biography found in "Bench and
Bar,"^ Wis. Reed; "Fox River Valley of Wiscon-
sin;" "Atlas of Winnebago County, Wisconsin;" "Who's
Who in America," Chicago, 1902-3; "Historical Atlas of
Wisconsin;" "National American Biography," 1903, New
York; Oshkosh Northwestern, Jan. 24, 1903; Oshkosh Times,
April 4, 1886. Married Aug. 5, 1884, at Neenah, Wiscon-
sin, to Miss Florence Josephine Wright, daughter of Dr. I.
H. and Rachel F. Wright, niece of the great evangelist Rev.
Charles G. Finney.
Their family is:
1. Harold Kimberly Lawson, born August 9, 1885, in
Menasha, at the Lawson homestead, on Naymut street;
attended school in the old brick school house, since removed,
i go Family Genealogy.
which stood in the grove, now Smith Park; then Third ward
new school building; in 1899, at high school, where he is
now in the tenth grade, or sophomore. Has blond hair, and
blue eyes.
2. Percy Vilas Lawson, was born April 20, 1887, same
place as his brother Harold, and now in the same classes
with him. Has blond hair and blue eyes.
3. Lillian Edith Lawson, born March 24, 1889, same
place as above; attends same school, in seventh grade. Has
chestnut hair and blue eyes.
4. Marion Florence Lawson, born February 23, 1891, in
same place as above. Attended Third ward new brick school,
on Ahnaip street. In 1902 began fifth grade in the High
school building.
5. Donald Washburn Lawson, born November 23, 1892,
same place as above, attended same school as Marion; and
in 1902, began Fourth grade in High school building.
6. Kenneth Finney Lawson, born July 19, 1894, at same
place as above; and in 1903, was in second grade, in Third
ward school, on Ahnaip street.
7. Helen Elizabeth Lawson, born August 31, 1896, at
same place as above. Had not begun school in 1903, but
reads at home.
8. James Wright Lawson, born November 23, 1898; died
November 5, 1899.
CHAPTER III.
The Cook Family.
I have some information of a number of related Cook
families and of individuals of that name, who were in some
manner sufficiently prominent, to have their names mentioned
in the history, of either Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington or
Mercer Counties, in New Jersey; but have not had access
to the records, so as to intelligently connect them with the
Edward Patterson Cook of Schrewsbury, who is the oldest
known ancestor of Elizabeth Cook of Cook's Cross Roads,
Hunterdon County, who married William Fleming, and thus
became the ancestor of that branch of the Fleming family.
However, these Cook families, having been related between
1680 and 1 72 1, or later, ought to be recorded, that future
research can more readily connect them to the parent line.
About 1680 a ship load of Quakers came into Western
New Jersey and with them one Mahlon Stacy, who was a
prominent man in the settlement. After a few years, per-
haps about 1600, he wrote to Sheffield, England, a letter
addressed to: William Cook and others, Sheffield, Eng-
land", in which he urged them to come, saying: 'This is a
most brave place, whatever envy or evil spies may speak of
it, I could wish you all here. We have wanted nothing since
we came hither, but the company of our good friends and
acqaintances; all our people are very well, and in a hopeful
way to live much better than ever they did; and not only so,
but to provide well for their posterity. They improve their
lands, and have good crops, and if our friends and country-
men come, they will find better reception than we had by far,
at first, before the country was settled as now it is. I know
not one among the people, that desires to be in England
again, I mean since settled. I wonder at our Yorkshire
people that they had rather live in servitude, and work hard
jg2 Family Genealogy.
all the year, and not be three pence the better at the year's
end, than stir out of the chimney corner and transport them-
selves to a place where with the like pains, in two or three
years, they might know better things."
We cannot determine if this William Cook soon followed
him to America, but many Quakers did continue to imigrate
into the lands, to which William Penn had obtained title for
this very purpose. Within a few years, there were William
Cooks in all branches of the Cook family.
It is not possible at this date, to ascertain who was the
first of the Cook family to locate, in Maidenhead, Laurence
Township, Mercer County, N. J. The name early became
prominent in the township.
The following extracts, from the township records, will be
of interest in connection with the name: The age of Wil-
liam Cook, children: Honor Cook was born July n, 1723;
Henry Cook was born December 17, 1724; Winseak Cook
was born November 13, 1726; Abigail Cook was born
October 26, 1728; Phillips Cook was born September 8, 1730;
William Cook was born September 7, 1732; Jobe Cook was
born October 3, 1733; Mary Cook was born February 1,
1735; Sary Cook was born August 17, 1739; Antoney Cook
was born May 30, 1740; Elijah Cook was born March 4, 1741;
Abigail Cook was born March 25, 1743; Penelopy Cook
was born May 8, 1744. (His. Bur. & Mer. Co.)
The name of Garret Cook also appears in town records of
Maidenhead, on January 16, 17 12, at a meeting held to call
for a new county, and subscribed 15 s toward expenses.
The will of Edward Patterson Cook, second, of Howell,
was dated, 1825, and proved August, 1826. It named eight
sons, viz: Peter, John, Amer, Job, James, William, and
Edward P., to each of whom small amounts; to one Benjamin
the greater share, wife Alydia. ( Salters His. Mon. & Oc.
Co., N. J.").
The above named Cooks are all of the same family and as
I believe related to the William Cook of Sheffield. They are
also closely related to each other, as shown in the continuance
of similar names; and they are also closely related to the
Cooks, whose relationship we have made out, as will appear
by the similarity and continuance of family names. The
Cooke .family which has the final e to their surname, who are
said to come into New Jersey by way of Newport, R. I.,
across Long Island and thence by way of Staten Island or Sandy
Hook, was another family. Falter, in History of Monmouth
The Cook Family. I93
and Ocean Counties says of the final "<?" Cooke. "The
greater part of the family of Cookes of Monmouth County
appear to be descended from Thomas Cooke, who was at
Taunton, Mass., 1639 and removed about 1643 to Ports-
mouth, R. I." They were interested in the Duke of York
grants and advanced their share to purchase Indian titles.
The above history of the Cook and Cooke families has been
gleaned from "Salter's History of Monmouth and Ocean
Counties, N. J.," all of which in the Revolutionary days was
Monmouth County; also from "History of Burlington and
Mercer Counties, N. J." These counties cover the country,
from New York across the State to Trenton; and the Cooks
mentioned, lived and had their careers within the same neigh-
borhood of the Cooks from which we trace the following his-
tory and genealogy, which is authentic and with whom we
suppose there is a close relationship. The Cook family
bible, which was formerly the property of Jacob Cook of
Cook's Cross Roads, in Hunterdon County, N. J., was
handed down to Mrs. Amy Leonard of Juteland, a half mile
south of Cook's Cross Roads, and retained by her until the
first of June, 1900, when she gave it, with full consent of her
family, to John Fleming of Readington, N. J. It is about
twelve inches long, ten wide and two and a half inches
thick; has a calf or sheep skin leather cover; is ruffled
with wear, and edges and pages dark with age and wear. It
was published in London by Mark Bassett in 1763, making
it one hundred and forty years of age. How long it had been
in the Cook family we do not know, as it records births as
early as March 7, 172 1. On the authority of this bible, from
which I copied the genealogy in June 26, 1900, Edward
Patterson Cook and Catherine his wife were the earliest ances-
tors of the family recorded. As their son William Cook was
born the seventh of March, 1721, they were married prior to
that time and were probably born prior to 1700. The fore-
name, Edward Patterson, doubtless came from one Edward
Patterson, who was one of the original Shrewsbury purchasers
named in the settlement 1667. His wife, Faith, is named in
a deed 1672 and he died about that time. There was a
large family of boys. The lower half of New Jersey contained,
and still has a great number of the names of Patterson, who
had always been prominent citizens. They are not the same
family as the single "t," of Hunterdon County and Gover-
nor Paterson. Doubtless the earliest Cooks, in New Jersey,
were friends of this Patterson family and may have come
from the same section in England.
i94 Family Genealogy.
Edward Patterson Cook is only referred to in the bible, as
the father of William Cook, whose descendants are named.
The former reference to Edward Patterson Cook, second, of
Howell (which is a township of Monmouth County, N. J.),
who died in 1826, doubtless refers to a brother of this William
Cook, and hence the relative probability is that William
Cook, the first, of the bible, was one of the oldest, if not the
very oldest child of his parents. The William Cook of
Maidenhead, in Mercer County, we suppose was a brother of
Edward Patterson Cook of the bible (who should be the first
of that name). Their children are about the same age, and
the William Cook of Maidenhead has given his children sev-
eral family names, such as William, Jobe or Job, Mary,
Sarah, Elijah; all of which are unusual enough, if connected
to the sur name Cook, to lead to the conviction they originate
in the same Cook family. That the name William is
an honored name of some remote ancestor, we must con-
clude, as it is borne by William of Maidenhead and
given to his children and by descendants of his brother
Edward Patterson Cook who gave it to his oldest child,
and nearly every family in the bible has one of the name.
These Cooks all reside in the same district or neigh-
borhood in New Jersey, and so far as we know their religion,
were Quakers. The Mahlon Stacy who wrote the letter
quoted, to William Cook of Sheffield, was a Quaker of the
same general region in America and hence the name, religion
and circumstance, all lead us to conclude that the William
Cook of Sheffield, England, was the ancestor of the Cook
family of New Jersey, and will call him "the first." William
Cook of Shrewsbury, son of Edward Patterson Cook, (first),
of the bible we will call "the second".
William Cook, (the second), who was son of Edward
Patterson Cook, first, of the bible, was born, probably in
Shrewsbury, the 7th of March, 1721, and died at Chesterfield,
September 22, 1767.
His first wife was Elizabeth White, born December 7,
1725; and who died July 10, 1750, at only twenty four-years
of age, leaving two children. They were probably married
in 1743. They were both Quakers. Their children were:
1. Jacob Cook, born 23rd of October, 1744, and died
March 2, 1806. 2. Job Cook, born 2 2nd of February, 1750.
William Cook married a second time, to Lydia Corles, who
was a Quakeress. By this marriage there were six children:
The Cook Family. I95
3. Margaret Cook, born 5th of February, 1753. 4- Wil-
liam Cook, third, born 22nd of April, 1755. 5. Lydia
Cook, born 17th of June, 1757. 6. Phebe Cook, was born
30th of April, 1758. 7. Joseph Cook, born 23rd of
November, 1761. 8. Hannah Cook, born nth of Novem-
ber, 1763^
From "Chesterfield Monthly Meeting", Minute Book 2,
page 231. "At a monthly meeting, held at their meeting
house, in Chesterfield, the second of the fifth month, (May
2,) 1767, William Cook laid before the meeting a certificate
from Shrewsbury monthly meeting, for himself, his wife, and
children, which was read and recorded". By the same
records, it seems that he, and wife, were in Chesterfield
monthly meeting, on August 6, 1767, when his son Jacob,
and Miss Joanna Williams, appeared the first time, and pub-
lished their intentions to marry. William Cook (second)
died the 22nd of the next month.
JACOB COOK.
Son of William, (second), and Elizabeth White, his wife,
born we suppose at Shrewsbury, 23rd. of October, 1744, was
educated in the private schools of the Friends, at that place.
In 1767, he moved with his parents to Chesterfield. The
record of the Chesterfield Friends, says: "At a monthly
meeting, held 4th of the sixth month, (4th of June, 1767),
Jacob Cook, son of William Cook, laid before this meeting a
certificate from Shrewsbury meeting, which was read and
received". Four months after this, he appeared before the
Chesterfield meeting, with Miss Joanna Williams, and pub-
lished their intention to marry. The monthly meeting record
was made up as follows:
"At a meeting, held ye 6th of ye eighth month, 1767, Jacob
Cook and Joanna Williams, appeared the first time and
published their intentions to marry, with parents' consent, who
were present. William Lowrie and John Witherill is desired
to make the necessary inquiry concerning the young man and
report to next meeting."
"At a meeting, held the 3rd of ninth month, 1767, Jacob
Cook and Joanna Williams, appeared the second time, and
the young man declared they continued their intentions of
marriage, and nothing appearing to obstruct, they are left to
their liberty to accomplish their said intentions, according
to good order. Amos Middleton and Joseph Schooley is
!^6 Family Genealogy.
desired to attend the marriage, and report to our next
meeting."
"At a monthly meeting, held ist of tenth month, 1767,
Joseph Schooley reports, for himself and Amos Middleton,
that they attended the marriage of Jacob Cook and Joanna
and that it was orderly accomplished." Jacob Cook, we
suppose met his wife at Shrewsbury, as she moved from there
with her parents about March 6, 1767. At least that was the
date of presenting letter, to the monthly meeting of Friends.
She preceded Jacob about three months.
Joanna Williams was daughter of George Williams, Jr., of
Shrewsbury, Monmouth, County, New Jersey, and Elizabeth
Abbott of Nottingham, Burlington County, N. J. Who were
married, March 18, 1738; were both of the society of
Friends, and married in Chesterfield meeting house. George
Williams father was George Williams, Sr., of Shrewsbury.
Elizabeth Abbott was born November 11, 17 it, and was
daughter of John Abbott and Anna Manliverer, who were
married March 26, 1696, in Burlington County, N. J.
The children of George Williams, Jr., and Elizabeth
Abbott were:
1. Tylee Williams, born 23rd of December, 1738. 2.
Edmond Williams, born 8th of August, 1740. 3. George
Williams, born April 5, 1743. 4- Joanna Williams, born
August 8, 1745; married Jacob Cook; died 1833. 5.
Obediah Williams, born 23rd of December, 1747- The
Williams family settled in Monmouth County, N. J., as
early as 1677.
After Jacob Cook was married, he remained in Chester-
field, until 1784; hence his family resided there, during the
war of the Revolution, and while he was in the war. Jacob
Cook's war record, is recorded in Washington, as follows:
"Record and Pension office, War Department, Washing-
ton, May 2, 1900. Respectfully returned to Amy A. Grandin,
Menasha, Wis. The records of this office show, that one
Jacob Cook served as a private, in Captain William Bond's
Company, 4th New Jersey Regiment, commanded by Colonel
Ephraim Martin, Revolutionary war. He enlisted, April 25,
1777, to serve during the war, was transferred in February,
1779, to Major Richard Howell's Company, 2nd New Jersey
Regiment; and is reported as omitted in May, 1780."
"The record further shows that one Jacob Cook served as
a private on the First New Jersey Regiment, Revolutionary
The Cook Family. i97
war, from June, 1777, to August 1st, 1780. No further
information relative to this soldier has been found of record.
By authority of the Secretary.
F. C. Ainsworth, Chief of Office.
« »
From Snell's History Hunterdon and Somerset Counties
and General Stryker's, ' Men of New Jersey in Revolution,"
and the War Department Records, I have made up his mil-
tary history.
In Stryker, in list of State Troops and Militia, is the name
of "Cook Jacob, Sussex, also Continental Army." and in the
list of Continental Troops is the same person and name:
"Cook Jacob, Captain Bonds, Company, Fourth Battalion,
second establishment. First Regiment; also militia."
As the officers of these different commands were Sussex
men, we suppose both above soldiers to be the same, and also
the same as mentioned in war office report.
As a soldier in the militia, Jacob Cook's uniform was a
hunting frock" and he was required to furnish himself with,
a good musket or firelock and bayonet, sword or tomahawk,
a steel ramrod, worm, priming wire and brush fitted thereto,
twenty-three rounds of cartridges, twelve flints, a knapsack,
one pound of powder and three pounds of bullets."
On the British threatening New York, New Jersey by
request of Congress, furnished 3,300 militia, to reinforce
General Washington, service to expire December 1, 1776.
Of this service Sussex County furnished four companies, with
Ephraim Martin as Colonel. Afterward on 16th July, 1776,
two companies from Sussex formed part of the Flying
Camp" in active service, to assist Washington's Army in
New Jersey. By August 11, 1776, one half of the militia
were constantly under arms, being relieved each month by
the other half, and so continued to the end of the war. On
April 25, 1777, Jacob Cook enlisted in the Continental Army,
and was assigned to Captain William Bonds, Company No. 1, of
Fourth Battalion, of second establishment, New Jersey troops;
commanded by Colonel Ephraim Martin; First Lieutenant
John Martin; Second Lieutenant John Breckenridge; James
Sprowls, Ensign. The organization of this establishment
was brought about by the discharge of the three battalions
under first establishment of New Jersey troops in Continental
Army, by March 23, 1777, and reorganization into Fourth
Battalion under second establishment; enlistment, "to serve
during the war'" Officers had been appointed by February
198 Family Genealogy.
J7. 1 777- Each private was to have $5.00 per month and
provisions; a bounty of $20.00, and one hundred acres of
land. At first clothing was deducted from their pay, but
later on was given to them, to consist, for 1776, of two linen
hunting shirts, two pair overalls, a leather or woolen waist
coat with sleeves, one pair breeches, a hat or leather cap, two
shirts, two pair hose, two pair shoes, all worth $20.00.
The four battalions were under command of Brigadier
General William Maxwell and were called "Maxwell's
Brigade." The fourth battalion was fully organized by close
of February, 1777, into which Jacob Cook enlisted, to serve
during the war." In May, 1777, "Maxwell's Brigade" was in
the army division under Major General Adam Stephens and
encamped at Elizabethtown, Bond Brook and Spanktown
(Rahway). During the summer, they marched through
Pennsylvania and Delaware. On September 11, a portion of
it opened the Battle of Brandy wine, fought all day; after-
ward had a skirmish at White Horse Tavern, and finally
encamped at Germantown, Pa., where they had a battle on
October 4th, being part of the left wing of the Continental
Army, under Major General Lord Stirling of New Jersey.
The first battalion specially distinguished itself in this fight
and suffered severely in men and officers. December, 1777,
the cantonment of the army was at Valley Forge. Maxwell's
Brigade" spent most of the winter there. On evacuation of
Philadelphia by the British, June 18, 1778, it was detached
to harass the retreat of General Clinton. Maxwell's Brigade,
joined by six hundred Continentals under Colonel Dal.
Morgan, Virginia, and fifteen hundred picked troops under
Bragadier General Charles Scott, of Virginia, and 1,000 under
Mad Anthony Wayne of Pennsylvania; all under command of
General La Fayette; chased the enemy through New Jersey.
On 28th of June, 1778, the Maxwell Brigade formed the left
wing of the army, in the Battle of Monmouth. In the winter
of 1778-9, they were at Elizabethtown; a detachment of second
battalion was at Newark, and the fourth battalion at Spank-
town (Rahway). In February, 1779, Jacob Cook was trans-
ferred into "Major Richard Howell's Company," second
battalion, New Jersey Regiment, according to war office
report. It was commanded by Colonel Israel Shreve, Lieu-
tenant Colonel David Rhen, Major Richard Howell. But
there was no such officer in command of a company.
Because of the "Massacre of Wyoming," ' Maxwell's
Brigade" was sent May 11, 1779, as part of a force sent up
The Cook Family. I99
the Susquehanna to suppress the Seneca Indians. 9th Octo-
ber, it was ordered back to New Jersey, and the 23d June,
1780, the Jersey troops took a prominent part in the battle of
Springfield. In summer 1780, by rearrangement of the New
Jersey troops, the three regiments were organized, in first of
which was Jacob Cook, Mattias Ogden, Colonel, etc., until
August, 1780. General Maxwell continued to command the
Jersey Brigade until he resigned, July, 1780, and Colonel
Elias Dayton assumed command, continuing as such during
the war.
There are in my possession several Spanish coin buttons,
which Jacob Cook used to decorate his short breeches.
Joanna Fleming, Clarissa Harvey and Elizabeth Lawson
have some of them. Most of them are of the date 1744,
hence birthday coins. They are described in a letter to me,
by Honorable Robert Shiells of Neenah, Wis. : 'Your button
is most interesting in every way. As a family relic it is
invaluable. Among the Germans and Scandinavians, I have
frequently found coats and vests with a full set of coin
buttons, very tantalizing to the collector, as they are ruined
for his purpose. This is the first American speciman I have
seen. I know of knee breeches and their buckles and buttons.
The coin is a familiar one. A Spanish one-half Medio,
worth in the old days of silver, about five cents. The Spanish
Arms. Two globes crowned. The Pillar of Hercules, one
on each side. The motto on the pillar, Plus Ultra, is worn
off. The "more beyond," refers to the discovery of America.
Ultra Que Unum, both one, A. and V., are always used indis-
criminately. The M shows it is Mexican coinage. Date
1744. Obverse. The King's bust crowned, legend "Phs. V.
D. G. Hisp. et. Ind. R.," extended, Philippus V. Dei Gratio
Hispaniorium et Indiarum Rex. Philip Fifth by Grace of
God, King of the Spains and Indies. Spain was always put
in the plural as indicating that it was the Union of Castile
and Leon. I enclose the valued button, keep it like the apple
of your eye."
After a residence in Chesterfield of seventeen years, Jacob
Cook moved into Hunterdon County and bought a farm,
where he lived twenty-two years, until his death. This was
at a place locally known as Cook's Cross Roads, named from
his residence there. It was located about half a mile west of
Juteland, in town Bethlehem (now in Union), Hunterdon
County, New Jersey. The Friends Meeting House was at
Quakertown, about five miles south of his home, in township
200 Family Genealogy.
Kingwood (now Franklin), in same county. He, wife and
minor children were all properly dismissed from Chesterfield
Meeting, to Kingwood Meeting, as the following record dis-
closes:
'At a meeting held ye 4th of ye fifth monthe, 1784, Chest-
field Preparation Meeting informs, that Jacob Cook requests
a certificate for himself and wife and children, to Kingwood
Monthly Meeting. Samuel Middleton and James Lowrie are
appointed to make the usual inquiry, and if nothing appears
to obstruct, to prepare one for the approbation of next
meeting. "
At a monthly meeting held ye 8th of sixth monthe, 1784,
Jacob Cook with his wife Joanna and children to-wit: Eliz-
abeth, William, Hannah, John, Rachel, Lydia, Obadiah and
Anna, had a certificate of removal granted to Kingwood
Monthly Meeting, the children being in their minority."
By the Chesterfield Meeting Records, they were dismissed,
on the 8th of June, 1784. The record of the Kingwood
Meeting discloses that they united with them on the 7th
of August, 1784, by Certificate from Chesterfield, which
included both Jacob Cook, his wife, Joanna and the chidren,
Elizabeth, John, William, Hannah, Rachel, Lydia, Obadiah,
Anne. (H. E. Deats, Flemington, N. J., has published these
records).
Jacob Cook was honored by his friends here, by election
to the Township Committee of Bethlehem, in 1 798-1799-
1800-1801-1802. The town Kingwood was set off from Beth-
lehem, 1746; Franklin from Kingwood, March 21, 1845;
Union from Bethlehem, 1852. This put Quakertown, the
place of the meeting house in Franklin and Cook's Cross
Roads in town Union.
Jacob Cook died at Cook's Cross Roads, March 2, 1806.
His wife Joanna (Williams) Cook, survived him twenty-seven
years, until January 21, 1833; and died the same day of the
death of William Fleming, the husband of her oldest child,
Elizabeth Cook; who thus suffered in one day, the double
bereavement of the death of both husband and mother.
Joanna was nearly eighty-eight years of age at her death.
Both Jacob Cook and his good wife, Joanna, are buried in
the Quakertown Cemetery, of the Society of Friends. The
children of Jacob and Joanna (Williams) Cook were:
1. Elizabeth Cook, born "September ye 9th, 1768," at
Chesterfield, N. J. She died October 4, 1849, aged 81 years.
26 days, at Washington, Warren County, N. J.; and lies
The Cook Family. 201
buried in Bethlehem churchyard, in the Fleming plat, where
a tombstone marks her grave. She married William Flem-
ing of Oxford Furnace, December 30, 1798, and raised a
splendid family of eight children, all of whom had trades,
and were married and lived to good old age, respected and
honored in their homes; while their son Abbott Fleming was
a Baptist minister for forty years.
2. William Cook (Fourth), born October 23, 1770, at
Chesterfield; died 13th of April, 1795. He married Eliza-
beth; there was a daughter Nancy, born 19th May, 1794.
3. Hannah Cook, born October 28, 1773; niarried
Abraham Housel.
4. John Abbott Cook, born September 23, 1775; married
Elizabeth Able.
5. Rachel Cook, born 28th of December, 1777; died 1859.
6. Lydia Cook, born December 7, 1779, in Chesterfield.
7. Obediah Cook, born 12th of December, 1781; died
28th of July, 1800, at four o'clock in the morning, in Cook's
Cross Roads.
8. Anne Cook, born April 3, 1784 at Chesterfield; and
was taken a babe in arms, north to Cook's Cross Roads.
She married William Quick.
9. Lucy Cook, born 2nd of December, 1786, at Cook's
Cross Roads.
Hannah Cook, daughter of Jacob Cook and Joanna
Williams his wife, was born in Chesterfield, 28th of October,
1773. She married Abraham Housel; and lived on a farm in
Hunterdon County, in 1820. They were a very devout
couple. In writing their letters they always worked into the
first lines, 'Thanks be to God." This blessing of letters, or
their subjects, was not uncommon a century past. She went
a young girl with her family to Cook's Cross Roods, where
she was married about 1795. ^n I^25> they lived on a farm
in New York, on east side of Cayuga Lake. Their children
were twelve in number, of whom I only have the names of
six, viz:
1. Anna, was married to Joseph P. Shroap. In 1824
they resided near Geneva, N. Y. He was a blacksmith. In
1828 they moved to Pultneyville, and he commenced smithy
work for Jacob Cook Fleming. He had a brother Samuel,
who was in Pultneyville in 1830; and the next year made a
journey to Indiana; but returned the same year. In 1831
and 1832, Joseph P. Shroap was elected Constable of Town
202 Family Genealogy.
Williamson, while he lived in Pultneyville. He died in New
York State; and Anna his wife, returned to her friends in the
vicinity of Bethlehem, N. J., and is buried in the old church-
yard of Bethlehem church, next to the Fleming plat. There
is a very old brown stone which marks the grave. 2. Lucy
Housel. 3. Asher Housel, was married and had children.
4. Tylee Housel. 5. Abraham Housel, Jr., was married
and had children. 6. Amy Housel, was born 18 14,
probably in Alexandria township, Hunterdon County, N. J.,
married Elias Leonard. She united with the Bethlehem
Presbyterian church, in 1841. Her husband died in 1861;
and was buried in St. Thomas Episcopal church cemetery, at
Clinton, N. J. She died at Juteland, N. J., August 21, 1900,
when eighty-six years of age; and the funeral was held at her
residence. The Rev. J. G. Williamson preached the funeral
sermon. She was buried beside her husband, in St. Thomas
Episcopal cemetery. She had one daughter, Tilly Leonard,
who married La Fayette Beardea. They had one daughter,
who married J. L. Agen of Pittstown, Hunterdon County,
N. J. In 1900, Tilly Beardea, was a widow, and with her
mother, Mrs. Amy Leonard, resided at Juteland, where the
author with his mother, and J. Warren Fleming, visited them
while driving to Bethlehem church.
John Abbott Cook, born September 23, 1775* son °f
Jacob Cook and Joanna Williams his wife, was married about
1795 to Elizabeth Able. Their children: 1. William
Cook, born October 2, 1799. 2- Mary Cook, born April
23, 1802. 3. Edmond Williams Cook, born July 11, 1804;
married Amy Hyde. 4. Able Cook. 5. Joanna Cook,
married Morris Rodenbough, have one child. 6. Jacob
Cook, second, was born, June 3, 1813; died October 29, 1859.
Edmond Williams Cook, son of John Abbott Cook and
Elizabeth Able his wife, was born July n, 1804; married
Amy Hyde, June n, 1826; and died April 28, 1886. Amy
Hyde was born, June 11, 1804, and died November 27,
1867. They had ten children: 1. George W. Cook, who
died before 1900, and had two children, (a) Emma, (b)
Morris R. Cook, who resides at Whitehouse, N. J., and has
one child. 2. Elizah Cook, who died before 1900. 3.
Rebecca Ann Cook. 4. William H. Cook. 5. Elizabeth
Cook, married George H. Swever, reside at Stanton, N. J.
6. John Cook. 7. Rachel E. Cook. 8. MaryE. Cook.
9. Sarah J. Cook. 10. Amy Allen Cook.
The Cook Family. 203
Jacob Cook, second, son of John Abbott Cook and
Elizabeth Able, was born June 3, 18 13; and died October 29,
1859; married Sarah Ann McClary, who was born May 31,
18 13; and died June 8, 1881. They had three children: 1.
Mary Jane, married David Dalrymple, and have no children.
Postoffice address, Juteland, N. J. 2. Alfred Cook, post-
office address, Lambertville, N. J. ; married Sarah Jane
Henderson; has had five children, four are living. Their
oldest daughter, (a) Hada May, married George Hyde and
have one child, Mabel, (b) The oldest son Jacob, married
Emma Renhart, and have two children, named George Roy
and Vena Bell. The second son (c) Benjamin, is unmarried,
(d) Sally, the youngest daughter, married Reuben Wright,
and have two children, whose names are, Pearl E., and
Myrtle. 3. Sarah Francis, the youngest daughter of Jacob
and Sarah Ann Cook, married George W. Shafter, address,
Hamden, N. J., and have two children, (a) Bertha, married
Peter M. Schuyler and have one child named, Floyd; (b)
Cora, the second daughter, married Joseph Beavers.
Rachel Cook, daughter of Jacob Cook and Joanna Wil-
liams his wife, was born December 28, 1777; and died
February 10, 1859, at eighty-two years of age. She marired,
December 26, 1801, Christy Little, who served five years in
the Revolutionary war, entering at fifteen, and had a pension.
He died October 17, 1850 at 86, having been born September
11, 1 76 1. Their estate was in Franklin township, Hunter-
don County, N. J., and has been in the family for over one
hundred years. Their postoffice was Frenchtown. Their
son Daniel Little was born there March 27, 18 10. He has
lived to be a very old man. In 1892 he went alone to the
World's Fair, at Chicago. He still resides on the same
estate where he was born. The history of the family is given
in SnelPs History of Hunterdon County.
Anna Cook, daughter of Jacob Cook and Joanna Williams,
was married to William Quick. They had children: 1.
Sally Ann Quick, born January 27, 1804. 2. Elizabeth
Quick, born September 13, 1806. 3. William Quick. 4.
Jacob Quick. 5. Joanna Quick. 6. Susan Quick.
Lydia Cook, daughter of Jacob Cookand Joanna Williams,
was born December 7, 1779; married Peter Waggonner.
Their children: 1. William Waggonner, was born April 19,
204 Family Genealogy.
1800; married three times, and has one child. 2. Joanna
Waggonner, was born November 14, 1801; married Mr.
Rounsaville, had one child. 3. Abraham Waggonner, was
born June 17, 1804. 4. Erfe Waggonner, was born Septem-
ber 18, 1806; married Jacob M. Baulby. 5. Susan
Waggonner was married to Mr. Ellis. 6. Lydia Waggonner.
7. John Waggonner, married, had two children. 8. Peter
Waggonner, Jr., had two sons and two daughters. He died
in 1891. His daughters died before 1902. One of them
had two children, and the other daughter, one child. Peter,
Jr., also had a son, Peter 3rd who has one child living.
Lucy Cook, daughter of Jacob Cook and Joanna Williams,
born December 2, 1786; married Garret Bodine. He was
born October 7, 1783. In 1820 they moved to Pennsylvania.
Their children: 1. John Bodine, was born September 28,
1804. 2. Theophilis Bodine, was born March 17, 1807,
and died in Easton, Pa., 1875. He had children who were
married and moved west. 3. Jacob Bodine, was born June
10, 1809. 4. George Bodine, was born August 18, 18 12.
5. Sarah Bodine, was born April 16, 1816. 6. Anna
Bodine, was born August 9, 18 19. She married Abram De
Remer, who was born December 2, 1827. She died at West
Liberty, Ohio. He was living with a son at West Liberty in
1900. They had one daughter who married and died. They
also had two sons, both married and have children. Anna
Bodine lived for some time, about 1833, with her aunt
Elizabeth Cook, wife to William Fleming, in "the Barrens",
in Alexandria township, N. J. 7. Charles Bodine, born March
14, 182 1, and died in fall of 1900. His first wife was Hannah
Amerman. Their children: (a) Isaac Bodine, died before
1900, married Charlotte Call and have one son, Charles
Bodine second. (b) Elizabeth Bodine died before 1900,
married Fred Amerman. (c) Wesley Bodine, died before
1900; married Anna Davenport; have one child, Stanley
Bodine. The second wife of Charles Bodine was Susan C.
Philhower, widow of John S. Prall. Their children were:
(d) John Bodine, who married Carrie Angleman, whose
children were: Leona, Annie and Leslie. (e) Minnie
Bodine, married Amos Hoffman. 8. Horatio Bodine, eighth
and youngest child of Garret Bodine and Lucy Cook, his
wife, was born April 21st, 1824, and died September 17,
1883; married Annette Conklin Search, July 10, 1855, who
was born April 9, 182 1.
The Cook Family. 205
Annette Conklin Bodine died at Zanesville, Ohio, December
14, 1902, aged eighty-one, was twice married and leaves two
children by each marriage. Horatio Bodine united with
Reformed Church, Readington, N. J., October, 1842; was
baptised November, 1842; left but took no letter of dismissal.
Was a bright young man; studied Latin while a plowman,
and in a few weeks mastered the grammar. He studied med-
icine in Ohio.
Horatio Bodine lived at Zanesville, Ohio, manufacturer
of earthenware crockery. His daughter writes that her
mother was a widow with five children when she married a
second time.
There were four children: 1. Sedora Jane Bodine born
May 26, 1856; died July 10, 1861. 2. George Homer
Bodine born September 23, 1858; married Anna Bodine,
February 23, 1884, and has four children: Royal Adalphus,
Albert, Mary, Emma. 3. Greenbury Walton Bodine, born
January 9, 1864; died November 16, 1896. 4. Mary Alice
Bodine, born September 13, 1867; married William Abele,
June 21, 1900.
CHAPTER IV.
Peper Family of Holland.
There lived a century and a half ago, on the Island of
Welcheren, Province of Zeeland, in Holland, a remarkably
strong man. He was known far and wide for his feats of
strength. It is related of him that one day two noblemen
rode over to the southern side of the Island to visit him,
being interested to see a man of such wonderful strength.
As they came near his place, they observed a man plowing in
the fields, and reined their horses near him, to inquire the
whereabouts of this strong man. For answer he raised the
plow from the ground by the handles and holding it straight
out before him, using it for a pointer, answered that he lived
over there, indicating the direction by pointing the plow.
The men in amazement remarked they thought there was no
need to look further for the person they sought. His
name was Abraham Peper. Many of his descendants and
his forefathers bore this patriarchal name. In possession of
Mrs. Elizabeth (Peper) Miller is the Abraham Peper solid
silver seal, which is said to be over two hundred years old
and to descend to the one of that name in the family.
Abraham Peper, first, the strong man, had two sons:
Abraham Peper, who was born November 2, 1757, and
Hubrecht Peper. They were farmers and resided at Oost-
zouburg, Welcheren Island. This Island is about twelve
miles across, and at the time they resided there, a hundred
years ago, was said to be low, but since then has become
celebrated for its splendid granite break water, surrounding
the Island, which holds away the North Sea, enclosing rich
lands.
The Peper Family. 207
Hubrecht Peper remained at Oostzouburg and died there
in 1838.
Abraham Peper, second, came to America in 1802 and is
the ancestor of the American Pepers.
He married Willemena Blommert, May 22, 1784, on
Welcheren Island, of which she was also a native and where
she was born, March 16, 1762, and was five years older than
her husband. There were born to them, at their Oostzou-
burg home, eight children, of whom seven crossed the ocean
with them.
Their children were: Abraham Peper, born January 13,
1785; Maatie Peper, born February 14, 1786; Jacomina Pe-
per, born August 3, 1787; Janna Crayna Peper, born July 29,
1788; Jannetje Peper, born November 30, 1790; Willemena
Peper, born September 5, 1792; Jan Peper, born September
20, 1793; Willemena Peper, born February 14, 1795.
He was a person of respectable standing among his neigh-
bors, as he is addressed as "Der Burger, A. Peper," and was
a friend of Admiral Verdoorn of the Dutch navy. The rea-
son of his coming to America is interesting.
Ansell Cornwall, at eighty-four years of age, born in 18 16,
related to me: That he knew Abraham Peper well, says he
lived on the Lake farm now owned by George Walters; then
had a place on the next road, south of the lake. Peper
related to him, that he resided in Holland, when Napoleon
conquered the country. He was a member of the Masonic
fraternity. One day after the occupation, two French
soldiers, either quartered on him or passing by, went into
his house and insulted his family. This provoked Peper,
who declaring he did not propose to have the French, not
only take his country, but insult his family also, rushed for
a scythe blade that was hanging in the house and wielding it
with both hands right and left, cut down the soldiers and
tumbled them out of the house. He was tried by court
martial and justified his acts; that he had a right to protect
his home, and the officers of the court being also members
of the Masonic fraternity insured him an honest and fair trial,
and he was acquitted. He was privately advised, by these
officers, that some soldier might assassinate him in revenge
and he had best dispose of his property and leave the coun-
try. It was for this reason that he disposed of his holdings
and took his family to America. The narrator says he killed
the Frenchmen, but this does not seem probable, though
possible.
208 Family Genealogy.
As part corroboration of it, he narrates, that at the time of
the great excitement against the Masons, because of the
Morgan affair, the Masons were all removed from the Presby-
terian church of Williamson, of which both Mr. Peper and
his family were members. But Peper was not removed, as
he was good support to the church. He told them that they
might remove him from the church, but he would not give
up his lodge, as it had done too much for him. It was said
that he came to America with $5000 in gold.
Before leaving his native home for this new land he
obtained his regular dismissal from the Presbyterian church,
at Oostzouburg, March 2, 1802, which reads as follows:
< «
Abraham Peper, Junior, is a member of the True
Christian church at this place, sound in the faith and leading
an exemplary life, as far as known to us. Therefore, we
request the Rev. Clergy, Brothers, and Elders of the church
of Jesus Christ wherever they may be found and to whom
this our ecclesiastical certificate may be presented, that they
please recognize the above named as such, allow him to par-
take of the Holy Sacrament and receive him under their
christian charge.
Done at Oostzouburg, March 2, 1802. In the name of
the Consistory. R. Engelbert, Pastor."
Soon after this he repaired with his family across Zeeland,
north to Amsterdam, at the foot of the great inland sea of
Holland, the Zuyder Zee. From here he took ship, about
the middle of March up the ZeiderZee, to the, "Der Helder,"
in the Niewe Diep, at the entrance to the North Sea. The
ship remained for some time waiting favorable wind, as in
those days of wing and wing sails, they required an aft or
stern wind, blowing in the direction of their destination.
They were onboard the vessel named, the "Factor," Captain
S. F. Caldwell in command.
While lying at der Helder they had this "good-bye" letter
from a family friend, S. Bik, an alderman of Amsterdam:
« <-
Amsterdam, March 25, 1802.
'Der Burger" (Citizen) A. Peper — Kind Friend: Desiring
to write to Father Bichten, I also address this to you, re-
questing that you hand this to him with the other two, and
hope that this will find you and yours and him also in good
circumstance. I would very much like to know of your con-
The Peper Family. 209
ditions on board ship, and whether the ship is ready, with
wind being favorable, to put to sea. Do write me a few
lines. There is no news here. The peace treaty has been
signed, so they say, but it has not been officially answered as
yet; however, we assure each other it will soon be made
public. Time will tell us this later. Now my friend,
please accept our greetings, likewise for your beloved wife
and children; and if our earnest wishes are fulfilled, you will,
in a few short weeks, rejoice in your safe and happy arrival,
at your desired destination. I remain your well wishing
friend. — S. Bik."
It doubtless required all of six weeks to cross the Atlantic.
We have heard they landed at New York. They took sail
boats up the Hudson river, and thence via the Mohawk river,
into its valley, first stopping at Utica. From here they jour-
neyed up to Whitesburg, three miles north. Several of the
chairs they brought over with them are still in Rufus
Moses' house, in Sodus. He brought with him also a span
of mouse-colored ponies and a carriage.
ABRAHAM PEPER IN AMERICA.
Abraham Peper (Second), Sr., settled near Utica in Oneida
County, three miles out in Deerfield, near Whitesburg,
where he bought land from Gerritt Smith, a large landed pro-
prietor, who was also a great abolitionist, and went on Jeff.
Davis' bail bond. Either he did not like this land, or the
terms of the deal, or his neighbors. After a few yesirs he
gave up the land and moved to Pultneyville. He bought
this land in 1802 or 1803, and about 1807 or 1808 was in
Pultneyville, I have a letter addressed to him at Deerfield,
November 28, 1803. When Abraham Peper moved to Pult-
neyville, he lived on the lake shore farm, now owned by
George Waters. In 1810, he planted the old orchard
between the cemetery and the house that is now on the
premises. His son Abraham, (3rd) Jr., told Leo Waters
in 1870, one year before his death, that sixty years before he
held the trees, while his father Abraham, Sr., filled in the
earth about the roots. The orchard is still bearing, known
as the "old orchard," with very large old trees in it. What
lease or title A. Peper, Sr. had to this farm I could not find;
but in 1827, there was a contract for it, made to A. Peper,
2IO
Family Genealogy.
Sr., and Frederick Stolp, who were to pay $1600 for it. One
year later A. Peper, Sr. , sold his interest in it for $600. This
Frederick Stolp married his daughter. He moved from this
farm we presume in 1828, south to the other or next road,
onto a farm. The old house in which he lived, in this second
farm, still stands, but some changed. The old frame house
in which he resided on the lake farm, stood out in the land
quite a ways from the road. It is now moved near the road
and used for a barn and pen. A beautiful cobble stone house
has been built on the place. It was to this old house that
Mrs. Cornwall and children and other people ran for safety,
when the British fleet bombarded the village. When Russell
Cole broke away from his captors and waded the Salmon
Creek, he came to this house and bringing the latest news of
affairs nearer the enemy, they all thought best to go further
down the lake, and so took flight. As the guns were turned
in their direction, it was fortunate for them that the aim
was high, and the balls passed over their heads; but some of
them cut the limbs off the trees above them, which falling
about them, created consternation and panic. Grandma
Abraham Peper and some of the children, became so
frightened that they crawled into a buttonwood tree, to hide.
As the shell of this tree is very thin, it would have been a
very unsafe retreat, if a stray ball had struck it.
While living at Deerfield (Whitesburg), he had the follow-
ing letters: "Oostersouberg, August 5, 1804. Worthy
brother-in-law, sister and all your dear little children: It is
our heartfelt wish that these few lines may find you in the
best of health. I received your letter of December, 1803,
on the nth of April, 1804, and by good fortune there
happened to be an auction sale of household furniture at
Yorrys on that day, where I found all of our friends together
and I handed each one his own. I have read the last letter,
which you wrote to your brother, and noted with great
pleasure that you are still in good health. You wrote that
you had had the fever three times; but we used to say here
that a journey or three fevers were good for one's health. We
hope you are all in good health and wish you much joy with
the increase of your family, and hope you will all prosper
and the little maid will be a blessing and a joy to you all. I
am sorry that you have received but one of my letters, as
this is the eighth time I have written to you about one thing
and another, but mostly of things outside of Vlissingen,
(now called Flushing.)
The Peper Family. 211
The children, Jan, Gillis and Abraham are still living,
and are growing up nicely. We are doing all of the work
and hire no more help.
Mother Janna Schavouter died last November.
Mother Meyer is well and speaks of you frequently.
J. Blommert, wife and three children are all well. He has
decided to emigrate to where you are, but is awaiting word
from you, as to how and in what way to make the journey to
the best advantage. He wrote you in June, 1804, so you
already know what his wishes and intentions are. We have
had much damp weather during harvesting season, more or
less rain every day. Wheat has brought a fair price, from
twenty to twenty-three shillings a sack, but is now up to
twenty-eight shillings, and does not seem inclined to stop
there. I fear it will go away up again at the old rate.
I assure you that we still are, and will remain, your affection-
ate friends, Aarnout Albregt, Wife and Children.
< «
Aldenbarneveld, November 28, 1805, (Holland).
Mr. Abraham Peper, Deerfield.
Dear Sir: Your favor of the 13th came to hand about
eight days ago, and I noted with pleasure of the trade between
3'ou and Mr. Smith. (Mr. Smith was Gerritt Smith, the great
abolitionist, of whom Abraham Peper purchased a farm, at
Whitesburg, in Deerfield, Oneida County, near Utica).
I congratulate you on this transaction and hope it may
contribute to your prosperity and happiness. I have no
doubt but you will be equal to the task thus laid upon you, if
it please heaven to spare your life and your health, with that
of your household. You are still in the prime of life, your
son is growing up to manhood, and your and his energies
are in ' full bloom." Your farm consisting of good cultivat-
ing and pasture land, is cleared. The plowing and seeding
grounds unexhausted and promising its tiller the full reward
of his labor.
Yesterday your son hands me your second letter of the
26th. The request made therein, that I turn over to you on
credit, a good plow horse and some young cattle, is, as far as
the first named is concerned, entirely beyond my power. I
have done away with all my young horses. If I could sell
my farm, there would be no difficulty in helping you to a few
milch cows and young stock; but if that fails I can do noth-
ing, on account of the existing contract. However, if we
live until March and you can come over and make a bargain
212
Family Genealogy.
with those smart Walloons on the farm, I will try and help
you, as far as young stock is concerned; but if they will not
sell, I cannot compel them, for reasons before stated. I
thank )rou for those healthy earth tints" (potatoes), which I
have already placed in a box of earth and when spring comes,
will have them transplanted and see if they can be raised
successfully. With kind regards for yourself and family, I
remain. Your faithful servant, H. G. Mappa. "
Deacon Abraham Peper was the title by which Mr. Peper
was known in Pultneyville. He always had family prayers,
and was deacon in the Presbyterian Church at Williamson,
which was about five miles south of Pultneyville, where he
lived. The first Presbyterian Church of Williamson was
organized by Rev. Allen C. Collins, a missionary, November
21, 1816. Among the constituent members, were Wilhel-
mena Peper, Abraham Peper, Marcia De Kroyft, Lucretia
and Nancy Moody, John Albright. From Land Marks of
Wayne County," 1895; and from which we also copy the fol-
lowing:
'Their first church was a brick structure, erected in 1828,
one fourth of a mile south of Williamson village. It cost
$3,000 and was used until 1859, when it was demolished.
From that year until 1862, meetings were held in the Baptist
Church. The present edifice was begun in the latter year
(1862), and finished 1866. The first settled pastor was Rev.
Samuel White, who was installed January 24, 18 18. The
society now (1895) has eighty-five members, under Rev. L.
W. Page, of Rochester, pastor. Sunday school was organ-
ized as early as 1832. The present superintendent is Edward
Cornish."
Abraham Peper was at Pultneyville during war of 18 12.
They drove all their stock south, into the interior, to secure
it from the British, whose ships hovered along the shore in
sight of land, watching for chances to obtain fat American
beef. The name of Abraham Peper is not found on the
official rolls, as a soldier in the war of 18 12, as he was then
nearly sixty years of age; but his sons in law, Russell Cole
and Nicholas Lawson and others of the family, took part.
He assisted the best he could. In the Military History of
Wayne County we find this:
Samuel Ledyard, of Pultneyville, owned a trading ship
during the war (181 2). It was chartered by the government
at one time and a load of supplies taken to Sackett's Harbor.
The Peper Family. 213
The late Abraham Peper of Pultneyville was one of the crew
on that trip."
From the road tax assessments in Pultneyville, in 18 14, we
find the names, "Abraham Peper, Abraham Peper, Jr., and
John De Kraft." Pultneyville was named for Sir William
Pultney, an Englishman, who owned two million acres of
land in that part of the state. Williamson, was named
from Captain Charles Williamson, who was his agent. These
lands were opened for settlement, about 1808. The first
roads were made in 18 10. We know that Abraham Peper
was at Pultneyville, in 18 10, and the year before, but not
the exact year he went there; only that it was between 1807
and 1809. This was before the lands were open for settle-
ment.
Abraham Peper in his declining years, lived with his wife
in the village when Elizabeth Fleming knew him. He was
then too old to work. He owned the place where he lived;
had some money laid by for his old age, and had a garden
spot and some fruit in the rear of the house. Jacomina
Peper, their maiden daughter, who was born in 1787, lived
with them and took care of her aged parents until their death,
then went to live with her sister, Maatie De Kroyft, who
resided up near the Lake View cemetery, opposite the old
lake shore original farm of her father. Jacomina Peper died
September 22, 1858, aged 70 years, 1 month, 1 day.
Abraham Peper died, in Pultneyville, May 9, 1845. The
following obituary notice appeared, in Wayne County
Sentinel," May 21, 1845:
"Died in Pultneyville, on the 9th inst., Deacon Abraham
Peper, aged eighty-seven years. He professed to know the
Lord in his native land, but found him to be infinitely more
precious in our beloved country. For some thirty years
back, he has been highly respected by all. Was much
beloved by the brethern in the Lord, realized his last years
and days to be his best and passed away in peace, leaving
behind him good testimony in life, as the death of a true
christian, an Isrealite indeed. "Help Lord, for the righteous
ceaseth. Incline us all to repent truly, believe sincerely,
and obey faithfully, for Christ's sake."
In a beautiful spot, in Lake View Cemetery, at Pultney-
ville, New York, is located the Peper lot, where on a white
marble stone, is this inscriprion:
Sacred to the memory of Abraham Peper, who departed
this life May 9, 1845, aged eighty-seven years."
214 Family Genealogy.
Beside this is another white marble stone, inscribed to his
wife, who died eighteen da}rs later:
'Willamina, his wife, followed him May 27, 1845, aged
eighty-three years."
Abraham Peper, Jr. (3rd), son of Abraham Peper, second,
was born January 13, 1785, on Welcheren Island, Holland;
came to America with his parents in 1802; and followed them
to Pultneyville; where he lived all his life, and lies buried.
He married Phebe Landon of Sodus. He followed farming
and sheep shearing. He was a member of Captain Fleming's
Militia Company in 1846. He died October 12, 1871, aged
86 years, 8 months, 29 days, and lies buried in Lake View
Cemetery, in the Peper lot, where his grave is marked by a
handsome white marble.
Phebe Landon his wife, died October 9, 1877, aged 84
years, 4 months, 10 days; and is buried beside her husband;
her grave also marked with a white marble stone. She was
born May 29, 1793. Their children:
1. Willemena, born in Pultneyville, married Procious,
and lived in New Orleans.
2. Eliza Ann, born in Pultneyville, married Rufus
Moses, who was a cabinet maker and carpenter in Pultney-
ville. He taught Publius V. Lawson the carpenter and
joiner trade; and moved to Sodus about 1850, where he still
resides, in a handsome two story frame house, .with his
daughter, Mrs. George C. Yeomans. Eliza Ann was a
milliner. She died in 1880, at Sodus. Their only child was
Virginia Moses, who married Mr. George C. Yeomans. He
died in Sodus, 1902, of cerebro spinal meningitis. He was
born in Geneva, New York, son of George and Ann
Yeomans. At his death, he was 52 years and 8 months old.
3. Mary Ann Peper, married Lucern Todd, now Colonel
Todd, as he was in the civil war. They moved to Corning;
had no family. She died 1898. He still resides in Corning,
New York.
4. Maria Peper, married Daniel Wilkins of Rochester;
where they have always resided and still live. Their one
son, Charles Wilkins, is manager of a department book store
in Rochester. He is married and has one child.
5. Caroline Peper, after the home household was broken
up, lived for a number of years with her sister, Mrs. Todd
in Corning, then in 1901 moved to Rochester, where she
lives with her sister, Maria Wilkins. She never married.
The Peper Family. 215
6. William Peper went to New Orleans, where he died in
1870.
Charles Peper went to California with a drove of cattle in
1850, and was never heard from.
Maatie Peper, daughter of Abraham Peper, 2nd, and
Willemena Blommert, born in Welcheren Island, Holland,
February, 14, 1786, was married to John De Kroyft, a
cabinet maker and carpenter. His parents came with him
from Holland, from the neighborhood of the Pepers, in 1802;
and with them went to Deerneld, where they bought land
and were cheated out of it; when they moved to Pultneyville.
John had been a soldier in Holland where an explosion of
a cannon made him deaf. The De Kroyfts still live in
Welcheren Island, Holland, where William De Kroyft is a
member of the Dutch Parliment; residence Flushing. The
original spelling was De Kruift, changed in America to De
Kroyft or De Kruyft,
John De Kruyft was born September 19, 1773, on Satur-
day, of Huguenot parentage, in Welcheren Island, Zealand,
Holland; was married to Maatie Peper, April 19, 1803, at
Deerneld, two miles north of Utica, N. Y. Her name is
spelled ''Maatie," in Abraham Peper's family record, in pos-
session of Mrs. George C. Yeomans at Sodus. In the family
bible of the De Kruyft's, in possession of Mrs. Frank S.
Taylor, of Albion, N. Y., it is spelled "Marretty." In the
church records of the Presbyterian Church of Williamson,
1816, it is spelled, "Marcia." On the tombstone in Lake
View Cemetery it is spelled "Marietta." The correct Eng-
lish, according to Webster, would be Mattei or Maty. John
De Kruyft died at Pultneyville. On the De Kruyft lot stands
his monument with this inscription: John De Kruyft died
March 18, 1853, aged seventy-nine years, six months." There
is no stone to mark the grave of his wife, who probably died
after her husband, ten to fifteen years. Their children:
1. Cornelia Willemena born on Monday morning, at eight
o'clock, of October 29, 1804. 2. Abraham De Kruyft born
March 28, 1807, on Friday night. 3. Johanna De Kruyft
was born September 5, 1809, at 6 o'clock, Tuesday morning.
4. Jennot Peper De Kruyft was born August 14, 181 2, at
nine o'clock, on Tuesday. 5. Caroline Goodheart De Kruyft
born August 20, 18 15, Sunday, at eight o'clock in the morn-
ing. 6. William DeKruyft was born October 26, 18 18,
Sunday, at nine o'clock, in the evening. He was a doctor
216 Family Genealogy.
and came home to Pultneyville, in 1845, and after a short
illness died, July 28, 1845. Was married. His wife lived
after |his death, but was blind. He was buried in the
De Kruyft lot at Lake View. 7. Marietta De Kruyft born
February 4, 1822, and died July 14, aged five months, ten
days. A red stone marks her grave on the De Kruyft lot at
Lake View Cemetery.
Cornelia Willemena De Kruyft, daughter of Maatie
and John De Kruyft, was born in Deerfield, near Utica,
N. Y. , October 29, 1804. She married John Wilber, April
27, 1830, and died in Scottsville, N. Y., 1856, May 9, aged
fifty-one years, six months, ten days. Their first child was:
1. Ann Janett Wilber born in Scottsville, Monroe County,
N. Y., 1833. She married Georg Hicks. Their only child
Cornelia Francis Hicks, was born in 1859. Not married.
Their present address is Scottsville, N. Y. 2. John Shum-
way Wilber, born July 19, 1836, in Scottsville, N. Y. Lives
at Lansingburg, N. Y. ; engaged in wholesale lumber trade.
3. Caroline Wilber born 1839; married Charles F. Sidden;
address, Buffalo, N. Y.
Abraham De Kruyft, son of Maatie Peper and John
De Kruyft, born March 28, 1807, on Friday night, at Deer-
field; was married to Miss Angline Whitmore, of Rochester,
N. Y., February 16, 1834. He died April 18, 1875, on
Tuesday night, at Rochester, N. Y. Their children are:
1. Abraham Wetmore De Kruyft, born 1837. Lives at
Mount Morris, N. Y. Is married. Had two boys: (a) Fred-
erick, (b) Charles.
2. William V. De Kruyft lives at No. 2321, Nineteenth
Avenue South, Minneapolis; born 1839; married Mary A.
Slayton, of Rochester, N. Y. Had two children: (a) Nelson
V. De Kruyft, born August 5, 1880. (b) AliceE. DeKruyft,
born September 13, 1886.
3. Park De Kruyft married; had several children, who
died in infancy; except (a) Cora DeKruyft, now living and
(b) one boy who, at seven, was drowned in the Erie Canal,
at Rochester, N. Y.
Joanna De Kruyft, daughter of John DeKruyft and
Maatie Peper, born September 5, 1809, at six o'clock, Tues-
day morning, at Pultneyville, N. Y. ; married November 5,
1829, to Russell Whipple. She died August 1, 1834. Their
child:
The Peper Family. 217
1. Edwin I. Whipple died at Monticello, Piatt County,
October 30, 1855, aged twenty-five years, one month, twenty-
five days.
Caroline Goodheart De Kruyft born at Pultneyville,
August 20, 1815; married Charles P. Moody, February 19,
1850, at Pultneyville. He was a lawyer and lived on a farm
near Sodus, on the ridge road to Pultneyville. Their child-
ren:
1. Byron Moody of Sodus, N. Y. 2. William Moody
of Sodus, N. Y.
Jennot Peper De Kruyft. This is the bible spelling.
It should be Jannetje or Jennet, daughter of John and
Maatie De Kruyft, was born at Pultneyville, August 14, 1812.
She married Norton Z. Sheldon in May 26, 1834, and died
October 19, 1890. He died October 18, 1887. Both died
at Albion, N. Y. Their children:
1. Frank S. Sheldon born September 18, 1836. She mar-
ried S. H. Taylor, January 8, 1862, at Albion, Orleans
County, N. Y., where she was born, and where her father
and mother died. She has the John De Kruyft family bible.
Their only child: (a) Fred S. Taylor was born at Albion,
April 12, 1866 and resides at Utica, N. Y.
2. William A. Sheldon born at Albion, December 14,
1838; married at Rochester, March 13, 1861. No children.
Resides in New York City.
3. Sarah Sheldon born at Albion, June 25 ,1841; married
there March 13, 1861, Nells Loveland. One daughter born
October 23, 1865, who lives in Carlton, Orleans County,
N. Y. Nells Loveland died January, 1865. Four years
later, in 1869, she married N. T. Lattin. Have one child,
Charles Lattin born 1875, and lives Carlton, N. Y.
Janna Crayna Peper, daughter of Abraham Peper, second,
and Willemena Blommert, was born in Oostzouburg, Welch-
eren Island, Zeeland, Holland, July 29, 1788, and came to
America with wooden shoes on, at fourteen years of age, in
1802, with her father, mother and six brothers and sisters,
and the John De Kruyft family. She landed in New York,
journeyed up the Hudson River and then up the Mohawk, to
Utica. Here she remained until about 1808, when she removed
north to Lake Ontario, just before or at the time that the village
of Pultneyville was founded. Tradition would have her
218 Family Genealogy.
married to Nicholas Lawson, at Deerfield, near Utica. She
surely married him before leaving there or very soon after.
After the war of 1812, in which Nicholas Lawson was a
Sergeant, the}' resided for a short time in Broom County,
but ever after in Pultneyville. N. Y. She became the
mother of thirteen children and ancestor of hundreds of
descendants. She died in Pultneyville in 1856, three years
after her husband and is buried in the Peper lot, in Lake
View Cemetery, in that village. More of her history is given
in the life of Nicholas Lawson.
Jannetje Peper, daughter of Abraham Peper, second, and
Willemena Blommert, born in Oostzouburg, Welcheren
Island, Zeeland, Holland, November 30, 1790; was brought
to America with her parents in 1802, and with them got to
Pultneyville, N. Y. , about 1807, where she married Frederick
Stolp, August 13, 1813, when she was 22, and he was 31.
He was born in 1782. He was a farmer, and still in Pult-
neyville, in 1827, as that year he made a contract with
Abraham Peper, jointly, to buy the old Lake Shore farm on
which Abraham Peper had been living so many years, now
owned by George Waters. The next year Peper sold to
Stolp. It is not plain when Stolp moved away to the west,
but tradition points to 1830, to Naperville, Illinois, where
Jannetje, his wife, died November n, 1837. A number of
years after he married again, to a widow, Amanda Churcher,
but no children were born to this union. He was a thrifty,
energetic man and accumulated much good land in Illinois,
a few miles west of Chicago, in the vicinity of Aurora;
where he settled all his sons on farms; all of which have
passed into the hands of strangers. He died at Naperville
about 1850. The Stolp family had some interest in the
famous Aneka Jans Estate, in the heart of New York.
Children:
1. Catharine F. Stolp born January 21, 18 14, at Pultney-
ville, died before 1900.
2. Abraham F. Stolp, born November 25, 1815, at
Pultneyville, N. Y., died before 1900. His son Charles
Stolp, resides at Peabody, Kansas.
3. Eliza Ann Stolp, born June 12, 18 17, at Pultneyville,
N. Y., resides at Seymour, Iowa.
4. James B. Stolp, born August 16, 1820, lived and died
at Aurora, 111.
5. George W. Stolp, born February 25, 1824, at Pultney-
ville, N. Y., resides at Chehalis, Wash.
The Peper Family. 219
6. Frederick A. Stolp, born May 14, 1826, at Pultney-
ville, N. Y., had no children.
7. William R. Stolp, born August 10, 1828, at Pultney-
ville, N. Y., died before 1900.
8. Charles M. Stolp, born September 7, 183 1, resides at
Atlanta, Kansas. His oldest daughter is Mrs. Eva Winder's,
of Coal City, 111. Another daughter is Mrs. Walter Graves,
Aurora, 111.
9. Henry P. Stolp, born November 4, 1833, had no
children. He was dead in 1900.
Catherine F. Stolp, daughter of Frederick Stolp and
Jannetje Peper, born January 21, 1814, at Pultneyville,
N. Y., died before 1900, near Aurora, 111. Married Mr.
Crane and went to live on a farm near Aurora, in
1832, where they lived and died. They had children:
1. F. S. Crane, of Sycamore, De Kalb Co., 111. His
daughter, Mrs. Frank Patten, also lives there.
1. D. H. Crane lives at Marion, Wayne County, N. Y. ,
whose daughter is Mrs. Crane Galloway.
3. Mrs. L. E. Sweezey resides at Marion, Wayne County,
N. Y.
4. Daughter resides near Aurora, 111., on a farm.
5. Edgar G. Crane resides at No. 328 Weston Avenue,
Aurora, 111. He still owns the farm his father took up seventy-
one years ago, in 1832, but has resided in the city since
1892. Edgar G. Crane was born November 11, 1837, in
Naperville, 111. He married Celinda M. Griswold, who was
born October 15, 1846, at Rose, N. Y. They were married
January 13, 1869, at Rose, N. Y.
Their children: (a) Edith M. Crane born August 30,
1874; married J. S. Sears, January 1st, 1900. He was born
1867. (b) Charles F. Crane, born September 4, 1877. (c)
Edgar G. Crane, Jr., born November 17, 1882. (d) Harry
Crane, born November 13, 1886.
Eliza Ann Stolp, daughter of Ffederick Stolp and Jannetje
Peper, born June 12, 18 17, at Pultneyville, N. Y. ; resides at
Seymour, la. She has an old Holland bible of 1791, which
was given to Jannetje, her mother, in 1800. She now lives
with her oldest daughter: 1. Mrs. M. P. Elmore, Jr.,
whose maiden name was Mary Jannett Stolp, now of Seymour,
Wayne County, la. 2. Mrs. S. H. (Allie) Bentley is another
daughter, of 305 Herkimer Street, Buffalo, N. Y. 3. Mrs.
220 Family Genealogy.
John R. Bennett, another daughter, of Buffalo, N. Y. Address:
Care Pullman Palace Car Company, 537 Niagara Street.
Have a daughter, Miss Bennett, living in Pennsylvania.
James Blommert Stolp, son of Frederick Stolp and
Jannetje Peper, born August 16, 1820, at Pultneyville,
N. Y. ; lived and died in Aurora, 111. He married Matilda
Bentley, about 1844, at Syracuse, N. Y. She died April 8,
1845, aged twenty-three years. Their children: 1. Matilda
Sivina Stolp, born March 27, 1845; married William Sabine,
April 28, 187 1, at Fayette (now McDougal), N. Y. He
died in 1886. They have no children. She resides in Aurora.
James Blommert Stolp married again, to Mary Christie, at
Brighton, near Rochester, N. Y., 185 1. Their children:
2. Ella Augusta Stolp, born June 16, 1852; married Andrew
Carlisle, at Aurora, 111., January 17, 1882. He died 1897.
No children. She resides in Aurora, 111. 3. Emma Cath-
erine Stolp born February 22, 1854; married Albert Jarvis
Hopkins, (born August 15, 1846), at Aurora, 111., September
9, 1873. Their residence is Aurora, 111. Their children:
(a) Fannie M. Hopkins born April 26, 1876. (b) James
Stolp Hopkins born June 20, 1879. (c) Albert Jarvis
Hopkins, Jr. born March 9, 1882. (d) Mark Stolp Hopkins,
born January 12, 1885. 4. Frederick James Stolps, born
August 23, 1859; married Nellie Baker (born Septem-
ber 9, 1858), at Aurora, 111., their present address, February
27, 1878. Their children: (a) Mabella Ella Stolp, born
October 17, 1880. (b) Lena Stolp, born October 30, 1886;
(c) Mary Clemantine Stolp, born December 2, 1890. (e)
Frank William Stolp, born June 16, 1859; died May 22,
i860.
Jan Peper. son of Abraham Peper, second and Willemena
Blommert, born September 20, 1793, at Oostzouburg, Holland,
came to America with his parents, in 1802; and remained
with them, going to Pultneyville. He married Sophia
Robbins. Children:
1. Abraham B. Peper. 2. Amanda Peper, whose family
are in Michigan. 3. Fanny Peper, whose family are in
Michigan. 4. John Peper, residence Camden, Hillsdale,
County, Michigan, born 1825, in Williamson, N. Y. 5.
Thomas Peper, lives in Michigan. 6. Edwin Peper, lives
in Michigan. 7. Lucinda, Peper died in 1900, at New
Home, Mo., leaving two boys and two girls. She married
The Peper Family. 221
Smith. 8. Mayette Peper, married Douglas, who
died in 1901. She lives at Foster, Mo., with Rhoades, M.
D. 9. Theodore Peper, lives near Akron, Ohio. 10.
Jannetje Peper, married Mr. Rhoades. She lives at
Sprague, Mo., in good health. Her husband died in 1877.
She has two girls and a son, Dr. H. A. Rhoades, Foster,
Mo., in Bates County, and a son in Longmont, California.
Abraham B. Peper lived in Willamson, Wayne County,
N. Y. , until 1843, then moved to Port Gibson, Ontario
County, N. Y., where he always lived, excepting eight and
one half years in Marion, Wayne County. He was a charter
member of the Second Methodist Episcopal church, William-
son, March 26, 1828. He was born September 14, 1816,
and died April 14, 1888, at Port Gibson, where he is interred
in the family plot. He married Ruth A. Douglass, of Scotch
decent, November 4, 1839. Children: 1. Elizabeth C.
Peper, born September 13, 1841, in Williamson, Wayne
County, N. Y. Is married to Charles Miller. 10 East
Miller St., Newark, Wayne County, N. Y. 2. James H.
Peper, born March 13, 1847, at Port Gibson, Ontario County,
N. Y., died November 14, 1867. 3. Mary Peper, born
April 1, 1849, at same place, died September 1st, 1863. 4.
Amanda Peper, dead in 1900, married Silas Booth. Their
children: (a) George Booth and (b) Andrew Booth, live
near Frontier, Michigan. 5. Fanny Peper married Percy
Gilbert, had four children, Andrew Gilbert, died young,
Milford Gilbert, Lehah Gilbert, and Nettie Gilbert, all live
near Bear Lake or Bloomingdale, Van Buren County, Mich.
6. John Peper married Mary Acker, of Palmyra, N. Y.
Their sons: Charles Peper and Martin Peper live at Cam-
bria Mills or Camden, Michigan. 7. Mayette Peper,
married, Stephen D. Douglass. 8. Jenette Peper, married
John P. Lodes.
Willemena Peper, daughter of Abraham Peper, second and
Willemena Blommert, born February 14, 1795, i*1 Oostzou-
burg Holland, came to America, at seven years, with her
parents, in 1802, and settled with them at Pultney ville, where
she met Russell Cole and where they were married. From
military history of Wayne County, we find he was the first
blacksmith and gunsmith, in Pultney ville. "Russell Cole
was a blacksmith by trade and also a gunsmith, an ingenious
mechanic and withal something of a hunter. He could make
222
Family Genealogy.
a gun and use it. He married a daughter of Deacon Abraham
Peper." He built his first shop, on the site of the village of
Pultneyville, in 1806, and afterward a larger place on the
site of the present Cragg brick mansion, in 1809. This latter
one was the house in which both Pablius V. Lawson, Sr.,
and his wife Elizabeth Fleming were born, their fathers also
both being blacksmiths. This building still stands, the
oldest house, almost a century old, in the village, being older
than the village itself.
May 15, 18 14, the British squadron, Commodore Yeo,
appeared before Pultneyville, and demanded the public stores.
Gen. Swift who was there with 130 militia refused but the
citizens went out and agreed that if they would not molest
private property, they could take 100 barrels flour in the
warehouse, by the water edge, without molestation. They
came across with 300 men in small boats, and began loading
the flour, when some of them committed depredations on
private property. Then the militia both, Gen. Swift's and
Major Wm. Rogers, (it was with this Major Wm. Rogers
that P. V. Lawson, Sr. , lived for two or three years when
he was a lad), men fired on them. The firing became general,
with a bombardment by the fleet. Several houses were hit
and cannon ball are frequently found in the fields now. This
attack was made on Sunday. When the fleet came up there
was a heavy fog and the Swift militia were drilling on the
public street. When the fog lifted and they saw the fleet,
they 'took to the woods." This was on Saturday the day
before the attack.
When the enemy were fired on they were scattered about
the village; but scampered for their boats, and returned the
fire. In their retreat they seized a number of citizens as
prisoners, whom they took to their prisons in Canada. One
of those seized was Russel Cole. He jumped away from his
captor in front of Ledyards store, dashed around it to the
creek, and swam to the other side. The British in the small
boat begun to fire and especially at the bushes into which
Cole had escaped. An old ashery on that side of the creek
bore marks of the bullets for some time.
Russell Cole carried on the smith)'- business at Pultney-
ville, until the winter or spring of 1825, when he opened a
smithshop at the village of Pittsford, in Monroe County, N.
Y., 28 miles southwest of Pultneyville. Here he had Jacob
Cook Fleming, working for him in 1825 and 1826. In
January, 1826, he was in partnership as Thatcher and Cole,
The Peper Family. 223
in smithing business, making boats, irons and spikes. They
had twenty-seven boats to repair before opening of navi-
gation in the spring on the Erie canal. He was still there in
1828. Eliza Ann (Peper) Albee says, he moved to Cam-
bridge, Ind., and that he and Willemena his wife died there
about 1837, leaving them surviving four boys and one girl.
HUBRECHT PEPER'S DESCENDANTS.
In Holland the descendants of Hubrecht Peper, brother of
Abraham, second, are still residents of Welcheren Island,
Holland. Abraham Gilles Peper, a descendant, has fur-
nished me with the information which follows. Hubrecht Peper
resided at Oostzouburg, and died there in 1838. The above
Abraham Gilles Peper writes me under date of December -zo,
1901: In answer to your letter of February n, I would cer-
tainly have written sooner but for the long time required in
searching the records for our ancestral history. It's a pity
that this investigation has had such unsatisfactory results. I
have examined everything; found nothing in the archives of
the churches, nor in old books that would throw any addi-
tional light on our family history." Hubrecht Peper had
children: 1, Abraham Gilles Peper; 2, Jan Peper; 3, Kaatje
Peper: 4, Maatje Peper; 5, Yacomina Peper. These three
daughters died at an early age. Kaatje or Catherine Peper
married Dr. De Brinne and left no children. Maatje Peper
married and one child survives her. He lives at Oost-
zouburg.
Jan Peper emigrated to America about 1838, but returned
to Holland in 1840. In 1841 he again came to America.
He married a widow de Vleigen, by whom there was a daugh-
ter, Kaatje Peper. Abraham Gilles has in Holland, now, a
portrait of John, his wife and daughter. This daughter mar-
ried Mr. Ridley, of Rochester, N. Y. This Jan Peper was a
gardener for a number of years in town Williamson, Wayne
Countv, N. Y. , nearPultneyville. He moved close to Roches-
ter, N. Y., onto fifteen acres of land, where he became rich in
truck farming. Before his death he sold his place, moved
into the city and lived on the interest of his money. He
died about 1875, in Rochester, N. Y.
Abraham Gilles Peper, First, son of Hubrecht Peper,
moved from Oostzouburg to Aagtekerke, settling on a farm
on the (Hofstede) country place 'Water looze Werve,"
224 Family Genealogy.
where he died in 1858. He was burgomaster (mayor) of
West Kapelle. He married Magdelena Johanna Bosslaar,
and to them were born: (1) Hubrecht Peper. (2) Jan
Peper, who resides now at Aagtekerke, Welcheren Island, of
which he is burgomaster. He married Leintje Corre and
has no children. (3) Hendrick Peper, who died young.
(4) Abraham Peper, who died young. (5) Maria Catherine
Peper, who married Andreas De Steur; both are dead by
1 90 1, survived by a son, Abraham Cornelius De Steur.
Hubrecht Peper, second, son of Abraham Gilles Peper,
first, is a farmer at Aagtekerke de Hofstede, 'Water looze
Werve. " He married Elizabeth de Visser. Children: (1)
Abraham Gilles Peper, second, at his present home in 1861.
He is a farmer and married. They reside on the estate of
his father and grandfather, "Water looze Werve," near
Aagtekerke, where his father also resides. Address of
Abraham Gilles Peper: "Water looze Werve," Aagtekerke,
Zeeland, Holland, Europe. His brothers, except Jan and sis-
ters, all live in various places in this vicinity. (2) Pieter Peper,
unmarried. (3) Jan Peper, not married, resides in Amster-
dam, and is a schoolmaster. Jan is a collector of stamps
and illuminated postal cards. (4) Magdalena Joanna Peper,
married. (5) Cornelia Peper, married. (6) Maria Cath-
erina Peper, married. (7) Adriana Peper, married. (8)
Leintje Peper, not married.
CHAPTER Y.
The Baird Family.
Isaac Baird was born in Scotland, in 1771; came to
America when a young man, about the year 1791, and lived
in Northwestern New York State. In 1801, he married Olive
Southwood, tradition says, at Victor, south of Rochester,
N. Y. Isaac Baird had one brother, 'Barnes Baird, and
three sisters. But the records do not disclose his family
ancestry. Olive Southwood was daughter of. Doctor South-
wood, pronounced ' 'Southard," and Anna Wyman, both of
whom were born in Scotland, and supposed to have emigrated
to America after their marriage, about 1780, and to have
been among the first settlers in Western New York. Their
children:
1. OliveV Southwood born 1782; married Isaac Baird.
2. ^Anna Southwood. 3. "Patience Southwood, who married
Mr. Billings. 4. / Sally Southwood, who married
Stephen Root of Clarkson, N. Y., on Lake Ontario, in Monroe
County, north of Rochester. 5. '-Thomas Southwood. 6.
1/ David Southwood. 7. ^Lemuel Southwood.
Olive Southwood and Isaac ^Baird resided at different
places in Western New York; at Penfield, Pultneyville; in
18 19 in Waterloo; in 1831 at Perrington; at Midon, Furnace-
ville, near Ontario; in 1828 in township Victor. He was a
farmer. He was born in Scotland in 1771; at thirty was
married; died in Danville, forty miles south of Rochester, in
Livingston County, N. Y. ; but was buried in Mount Hope
Cemetery, in Rochester, N. Y. , at eighty-seven years of age.
He was a tall man; not fleshy, but angular.
226 Family Genealogy.
• Olive (Southwood) lived with her son, David, at Furnace-
ville, near Ontario, Wayne County, five miles west of Pult-
neyville, where she died December 24, 1854. She lies buried
in the center of the beautiful country cemetery, at that place,
where a stone was erected in 1902, over her grave, at the
expense of her grand daughter, Elizabeth (Fleming) Lawson.
Olive Baird was a tall woman, not fleshy. She had auburn
hair. Their eleven children:
1. . Elizabeth Baird, known as Betsy, born about 1804;
lived in Ontario, Wayne County, N. Y. ; married Alfred
Coonrod. They later moved to Pine Run, Michigan. Had
four children: (a) William Chauncey Coonrod. (b) Alex-
ander Coonrod. (c) Alfred Coonrod. (d)< Mary Coonrod.
2. . Isaac Baird born in 1808; married Mary Ann Utley, of
Williamson, N. Y., after which they lived at Palmyra, N. Y.
Has a son, William \Baird, residing at Canandagua, N. Y.
Is married.
y 3. JLucinda Manville Baird born May 5, 1809; married in
x*jC town Victor, Monroe County, to Jacob C00& Fleming, on
"S^ September 7, 1828, and on the 6th of October, removed to
Pultneyville, N. Y., where they lived afterward, and are
) i|6 ' a ' buried. Her life is given in full under Jacob Cook Fleming.
Her husband, father and brother were blacksmiths.
4. James Augustus Baird, born 181 2, married Ann. He
lived at Fairport, where he owned canal boats and is reported
to have had some wealth.
5. David Baird married Harriet Taylor, of Sodus, N. Y.
6. Hannah Baird married Henry Ostrander of Penfield,
<iS N. Y. Died when seventeen years old.
T*r il,/'). Clarissa Marion Baird born in Waterloo, N. Y. , April
\»y 14, 1 81 9; married Thomas Fleming, brother of Jacob Cook
yi)^ Fleming, who married her sister, Lucinda. He was born in
« , "H Oxford Furnace, N. Y., March 19, 1804. They had eleven
* 1^ children. She died September 26, 1894. He died June 30,
1883, at Sodus, N. Y. Their history is complete under
Thomas Fleming. She furnished the Baird and Southwood
history to Clara Teetor, who recorded it.
8. ' Lucy Orilla Baird married Henry Shepard, of Pitts-
ford. She died in Genesee County, Mich. Was mother of
six children.
9. Miranda Baird married David Bertram of Penfield,
N. Y., with whom she had three children. He died a soldier
in the civil war. She removed to Michigan and married Mr.
Black.
<&i
4***
The Baird Family. 227
10. ' Julia Ann Baird born in Victor; married Albert East-
man, when she was thirteen years old. Had six children.
11. ^Thomas Barnes Baird born 1831, in Perrington,
N. Y., is said to have gone to some western state.
David Baird, son of Issac Baird, and Olive Southwood,
was a blacksmith; married, in 18 17, HarrietKTaylor of Pult-
neyville, who died in Holstein, Mich., 1891. He followed
his trade for many years at Furnaceville, Wayne County,
where he died April 9th, 1857, and was buried in the
Furnaceville cemetery, near the fence on south side. A
young child of his is buried beside Olive Baird, in same
cemetery. David Baird was a large man, weighed 225
pounds. Children are: 1. >fiarriet E. Baird, born Febru-
ary nth, 1818, near Furnaceville, died April 8, 1819. 2.
James W. Baird, traveled most of the time, said to have
been single, and to have been in the civil war. Was in
Holstein, Mich., 1878; died 1894. 3. /. George A. Baird,
from tombstone in Lake View Pultneyville, was of Company
B. 9th, N. Y. H. A., wounded in battle at Cedar Creek,
October 19, 1864; was born March 4, 1840, died August 3,
1898; was a soldier in civil war. He married Hester Lock-
wood, of Ontario; afterward moved to, Pultneyville, where
his wife and son now reside. Their sonywillard S. Baird, born
1880, a painter by trade, now resides at Pultneyville, N. Y.
4. /Harriet E. Baird, born August 20, 1849, married
William W. Coon; live at Rathburg, Michigan. Children:
William W. Coon, Jr., Mary E. Coon, Maima V. Coon,
George Coon, James Coon, Henry Coon, Grover J. Coon, Eddie
5. Coon. 5. /David H. Baird, born August 22, 1858, at Fur-
naceville, N. Y., -married Azubab Baker, July 1882. Has lived
on his own farm at' Holstein, Oceanica County, Michigan,
in the fruit belt, since 1879. They have no children.
CHAPTER VI.
The Kerwin Family.
This has been a celebrated family in Ireland and America.
Many of its members being highly educated and displaying
great intelligence as priests and lawyers. Many of them
came to America and attained considerable prominence in relig-
ious and civic life as well as military affairs. General
Michael Kerwin, of New York, was one of them. This biog-
raphy is mostly of some of the descendants of James Kerwin.
James Kerwin of County Tipperary, Ireland, where he
was born and died; married Ma^ Quinlan, of same place,
who was born there in 1790, and died in Wisconsin, in 187 7,
at the age of eighty-six years.
Their son, Michael Kerwin, was born in Tipperary County,
Ireland, in 18 15. He married Mary Buckley in Ireland,
daughter of Walter Buckley, of Ireland, where he was born
in 1790; and died in 1830. His wife was Mary Clary, who
died when her daughter, Mary Buckley, was an infant.
Mary was born in 182 1, in Ireland, in County Tipperary.
Michael Kerwin went to Canada from Ireland, in 1844,
and remained there until 1848; when he returned to Ireland,
married Mary Buckley; and they came to America, settling
on a large farm in the Town of Menasha, Winnebago County,
Wisconsin, 1848; and lived there until his death in 1902; his
wife, Mary Kerwin, having died in 1873. He was one of
the first settlers in Winnebago County, and helped to make
the first canal improvements on Fox River, which were made
from Neenah to Kaukauna; aiding in building the first dams
on the Fox River, and helping to clear brush and timber
DR. MICHAEL H. KERWIN,
Late of Milwaukee, Wis.
Page 229.)
The Kemvin Family. 229
from the lands now occupied by the cities of Neenah,
Menasha and Appleton.
Seven children were born to Michael and Mary Kerwin:
Margaret Kerwin (Mrs. P. McGann), J. C. Kerwin, Bridget
Kerwin, John Kerwin, Mary Kerwin, Walter Kerwin and Dr.
M. H. Kerwin; three of whom, Mary, Walter and Dr. M. H.
Kerwin, having died.
Dr. Michael H. Kerwin, who though young in years had
obtained by his ability, a high place in his chosen profession
of medicine, was, to the great grief of his numerous friends,
stricken down just as he had gained the highest honors in
preparation for his life work. We copy the obituary which
appeared in 25 Transactions of the State Medical Society
of Wisconsin, for 1901, page 329-330;
"Dr. M. H. Kerwin was born May 14, 1855, in the Town
of Menasha, Winnebago County, Wisconsin. He was a
farmer's boy, and until of adult age, his time was spent on
the farm; summers at work and winters in the schools.
While on the farm, he not only acquired a thorough educa-
tion, but laid the foundation for a most splendid physical
development. He graduated from the Medical Department
of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, in 1876; prac-
ticed for a few months at Hilbert Junction, Wis., and then
removed to Seymour, Wis., where he soon built up a very
large and lucrative practice. In 1881 he went to New York
and spent a year at the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
receiving his second degree from this institution, in 1882.
He then returned to Seymour and resumed his practice. In
1887, he went to Europe, and remained abroad two years,
studying in Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg, Prague and Paris. He
returned in 1889, to Seymour, and again resumed practice;
remaining there about one year, when he removed to Milwau-
kee in 1890.
When the announcement was made that Professor Robert
Koch had discovered a cure for consumption, he again took
his departure for Berlin, and was able to bring to Wisconsin
the first vial of Koch's lymph. On March 7, 1891, from an
acute intestinal disease, and after an illness of but two days,
he died, at thirty-five years of age. At the time of his death,
there probably was not a physician in Wisconsin, of his age,
so well informed and so well known as he. Dr. Kerwin was
a most diligent student. He read and spoke German almost
with the same ease that he did English; and he also acquired
230 Family Genealogy.
ood knowledge of French, reading it without difficulty.
Kerwin was by nature well calculated for a physician.
Tender, generous, sympathetic and genial. Always consid-
erate of the feelings and sensibilities of others, he made
friends wherever he went. Sober, industrious, self-reliant,
calm and collected under the most trying circumstances, his
patients had not only the utmost confidence in his ability,
but they loved and honored him for his untiring devotion to
their cause, as well as for his sterling honesty and integrity.
His patients were his sworn friends. During his stay in
Seymour, he acquired a large practice. It is difficult to
grasp and comprehend the position and practice he might
have attained, had he lived the allotted three score years and
ten. Cut off in the vigor of young manhood, when he had
gained a most enviable position and practice, in the City of
Milwaukee, his untimely death has cast a gloom over the
entire state of Wisconsin."
The celebrated Dr. N. Senn, now of Chicago, and leading
physician of the west, kindly remembers Dr. Kerwin, in this
generous language: I knew Dr. Kerwin well. He was a
young physician of great promise, a polished gentleman, a
faithful student, and most conscientious practitioner."
The following beautiful tribute, to the memory of Dr.
Kerwin, was written by the learned practicing physician, Dr.
James A. Bach, of Milwaukee, to Jas. C. Kerwin, of Neenah,
Wis. :
"As a friend and close associate of your honored brother,
Dr. M. H. Kerwin, I wish to present this short tribute in
memory of him and his sterling qualities.
"On March 7, 1891, the medical profession of the State of
Wisconsin sustained an irreparable loss, in the death of Dr.
M. H. Kerwin, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Though but 36
years old at the time, through his well directed and diligent
efforts, he had amassed a medical learning and experience,
but rarely found in one of even maturer years. To those who
were so fortunate as to be numbered among his intimate
friends, Dr. Kerwin stood as a constant inspiration. Though
having known him intimately for but a few years, I had
learned to admire him much indeed, and a truer friend I
never knew. In his private life, Dr. Kerwin manifested the
highest qualities of true manhood. Through his patient and
gentlemanly bearing under all conditions, he always enjoyed
the unqualified respect and admiration of all who came in
contact with him. Early physical training, with a fine inner-
The Kerwin Family. 231
ent constitution, and exemplary habits, had developed in him
a commanding athletic appearance. In temperament he was
conservative, sincere and sympathetic. His disposition was
modest and retired, yet strenuous in scholarly pursuits, and
his greatest delight was found in studious application in the
interest of his chosen calling, interspersed with such athletic
exercises as time would admit of.
Asa'surgeon he was rapidly gaining recognition as a leader.
Dr. Kerwin had spent a number of years abroad, in special
preparation of general surgery. His strong will, with excep-
tional self control, his cool nerve and quick eye, supported by
high attainments and a physique that insured an unlimited
endurance, destined him to be a leader among leaders in
surgery. As a physician he was no less distinguished, and
though but beginning in his new field of labor, he had a
remarkably large practice, which in its extent would have
taxed the energies of a man of ordinary capacities beyond
endurance. He was exceedingly conscientious and pains-
taking with his patients, which fact brought him early, well
merited renown.
'A mild attack of some digestive disturbance about a month
previous to his death, had weakened him considerably. This
however, had not deterred him in his strenuous life, until
finally a severe and painful complication of his ailment
closed his young life, mourned by all. Thus ended the noble
life of a dear friend, on whose tombstone might be placed
with exceptional truthfulness the words. 'Here rests in peace
a man of high attainments and of absolute honesty in all his
relations, much beloved by all who knew him.' "
The well known physician, Dr. A. H. Levings, of Mil-
waukee, pays this splendid tribute to his friend, Dr.
Kerwin:
Dr. M. H. Kerwin was one of my most intimate and
prized friends. As a student of medicine, he was a pains-
taking, persistent and tireless worker. He was possessed of
a splendid physique and had an unusual capability for work,
both mental and physical. He was a man of few words, had
comparatively few intimate friends, treated everyone with
respect and never spoke evil of anyone. To his patients he
was extremely kind and attentive, sparing nothing of time,
never thinking of himself and caring only for their good.
At the time of his untimely death, on the 7th of March,
1 89 1, in his thirty-sixth year, he was unquestionably the
most prominent and most promising physician of his age in
232 Family Genealogy.
the State of Wisconsin, and one can scarcely estimate what
would have been his present position had he lived with unim-
parted health to this day. It is at least safe to say that he
would have stood far above any and every physician in the
State. His success as a practicing physician and surgeon
was largely due, in my estimation, to two elements. First,
his pronounced skill coupled with strict honesty and integrity,
and second, the fact that he was possessed of that rare qual-
ity so valuable to a physician, which makes friends, patients
and enthusiastic followers of nearly everyone with whom he
came in contact. The confidence which he inspired in his
patient was not only deserved but maintained to the end.
His death at this early age, when his usefulness was so
pronounced and the promise of his future so great, was a loss
to medicine in Wisconsin and to the United States, which
cannot be estimated."
From the facile pen of Dr. J. B. Murphy of Chicago, the
most eminent physician and surgeon in the United States and
well known in Europe, comes this beautiful encomium:
"it was my pleasure to know Dr. M. H. Kerwin from his
earliest boyhood. His career, from that period to its termin-
ation, was a succession of advancements. Even in the
common school he gave evidence of his future accomplish-
ments. He was persistent and painstaking, as a boy, in his
studies, and he never wearied of asking questions, and he
was not satisfied with a superficial explanation of a serious
problem. These traits continued to increase in intensity, as
he advanced in years, so that as a medical man, he was an
original thinker, a thorough investigator on strict scientific
lines, and had an indefatigable energy, which was ever
directed in the pursuit of knowledge. It was most interesting
to observe him as he moved his beacon of desire higher and
higher, as each previous ambition was attained; and, not-
withstanding his keen scientific desires, he ever manifested
his love for humanity, his desire to alleviate sufferings, his
freedom from selfishness in contributing to the comfort and
advantage of his patients. In every field where he practiced,
these traits were so pronounced, that he gained the love that
he gave, the admiration, confidence and love of the people
who were fortunate enough to come in contact with him.
It was a source of the deepest regret and loss to the
American medical profession, to have a career of such
achievement, and such future promise so abruptly terminated
by the ruthless hand of death; and the enemy which he so
JAS. C. KERWIN, L. L. B.
OF Neenah, Wis.
(Page 233.)
The Kerwin Family. 233
often conquered when his friends and patients were attacked,
finally overcame himself, a fate too often that of a young
physician. To the superficial observer it might appear
ironical, that the doctor himself should be overcome by
disease, while on deeper thought, it is exactly what should be
expected. The enthusiast and humanitarian exhausts the
unities of his energies to such an extent, that when attacked
by disease his resistance is so reduced, in the combat for his
patients and profession, that his unities of resistance are
small and feebly withstand the great destroyer, disease.
The death of Dr. Kerwin is a striking example of this well
recognized inequality between resistance and attack, from a
medical standpoint."
JAMES C. KERWIN, L. L. B.
Mr. James C. Kerwin was born in town of Menasha, Winne-
bago County, Wisconsin, May 4, 1850, his parents being
Michael and Mary Kerwin, who owned for many years a farm
six miles west of the city of Menasha. Mr. Kerwin passed
his early life on a farm, attended district school and gradu-
ated at Menasha High School in 1870. He then attended the
University of Wisconsin and graduated in the law department
in 1876. He studied law with Judge A. L. Collins at Menasha.
He was admitted to the bar in Circuit Court of Dane County,
then to the Supreme Court in 1875, and the U. S. Courts in
1875, and the U. S. District and Circuit Court, by Judge
Charles E. Dyer, July 10, 1878, at Oshkosh. Since his
admission he has plied himself with unremitting energy to
the practice of the law, in the city of Neenah. He is one of
the Board of Regents of the State University of Wisconsin.
He is a Republican in politics and supported Governor
Robert M. La Follette. He has won some very important
cases. One was the railroad bond case of the town of
Menasha. The case had been fought in all the courts, and
the bonds won. It was a long standing and acknowledged by
all to be a hopeless defense by the town. When he took hold
of the case it did look useless. But he made a successful
defense for the town and they did not pay the bonds.
Another very important case was the celebrated Krueger vs.
the Wisconsin Telephone Company, in which he established
before the Supreme Court the right of the property owner to
prevent setting of poles on the street in front of his property,
and obtained damaged against them for doing so, and had
234 Family Genealogy.
an injunction to move the pole. It was said that the decision
would cost the corporations requiring the use of poles in the
highway more than fifty million dollars. We copy the fol-
lowing notice from the Oshkosh Ti?nes of December 23,
1902:
"For many }^ears Mr. Kerwin has been recognized as the
foremost attorney in Neenah, and one of the best known men
in the profession in this section of the state, a distinction he
has gained solely upon his merits as a lawyer; for unlike
most of his brethren he is a total abstainer from the allur-
ing influences of politics. Mr. Kerwin is noted as a man of
forceful charateristics, learned in the fundamental principles,
as well as the intricacies of law, and strong, clear and con-
vincing as a trial lawyer. By reason of these distinctive
qualities in his make-up he has been more than successful,
and his services have been eagerly sought in prominent cases
from all parts of the State. Mr. Kerwin is one of the busiest
men in his profession in this part of the country and,
although of a wonderful capacity, his time is taxed to the
utmost. He is one of the leading citizens of Neenah, and
has done much to promote the welfare of the city and make
it what it is today. He has hundreds of friends in Neenah
and the surrounding country, as he is a gentleman who makes
many friends and always retains them."
His marriage to Helen E. Lawson of Menasha and their
family is given in another place.
CHAPTER VII.
The Wright Family.
John Wright, father of Isaac Hendon Wright, lived in the
deep, fertile valley, between the high mountains, near the
head water of the Junieta, in town Union, Huntingdon County,
in central Pennsylvania. John Wright was born in sight of
this rugged chaos of nature, among the very earliest issue, of
very early settlers. He married Elizabeth Gosnell, January
21, 1803. Her father, Joshua Gosnell, was said to be a
tanner and likewise a clergyman, and an early resident, as
his daughter Elizabeth, was born there, among the heathered
hills of the Junieta. John Wright was a farmer. Born of
this marriage, all in the town of Union, Pa:
1. " Joshua Wright, born November, 3, 1803; died August
21, 1870, aged sixty-seven. He was a farmer in Winnebago
County, Wis.
2. Sarah Wright, born March 24, 1806; married David
Crawford, had a son, Albert Crawford, of Tecumseh, Neb.
She died in Lincoln, Nebraska.
3. Greenbury Wright, born November 19, 1808; died
January 4, 1884. He settled with Dr. Aaron, B. his brother,
in Butte des Morts, Wis., May, 1846, on a farm in the village.
He was the second man to settle in town of Winneconne,
Winnebago County, Wis. ; first Justice of Peace, elected in
1849. First religious meeting in town of Winneconne, was
held at his house, in 1846, by Rev. Dunadate, a Methodist.
As Justice, he performed the first marriage ceremony in 1847.
He sold his land in section twenty-four, and bought an
eighty, in section thirteen, in 1879. His first land was a
preemption claim. He was very religious. He married
Lucy Snell, in Richland County, Ohio, about 1842. No
children.
236 Family Genealogy.
4. Mary Wright, born June 16, 181 1; married Joseph
Edwards. She died August 16, 1895; aged eighty-four.
5. Isaac Hendon Wright, born October 21, 1813 in
Union township, Huntingdon County, Pa., died in Neenah,
Wis., November 23, 1893; aged eighty.
6. Naomi Wright, born May 23, 1815; married Daniel
Baily; children: Ansel P., Aaron W. , Isaac, Lucretia J.,
and Sarah G.
7. Dr. Aaron B. Wright, born April 15, 1819; moved to
Butte des Morts and Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Wis.,
1846, where he was a marked success, as a practicing
physician, for many years. He died April 2, 1886, aged
sixty-seven. Never married.
8. Lewis Wright, born Julv 8, 1822; died September 3,
1825.
9. Rachel Wright, born November 9, 1826; and died
1847, at twenty-one.
Above record of Wright family, was taken partly from
Joseph Edward's bible.
^Joshua Wtright, oldest son of John Wright and Elizabeth
Gosnell, his wife was born in Union, Huntington County,
Pa., November 3, 1803. He was a farmer, and lived there
when he married, January 2, 1827, Elizabeth Baumgardner,
of the same township of Union. About 1831, they moved
with three children, to Licking County, Ohio, and about
1848, the family moved to Winnebago County, Wis., where
his wife Elizabeth, died November 2, 1856. He married
again August 23, 1857, Catharine Weinman. He died in
Winnebago County,, Wis., August 21, 1870. She resides in
Oshkosh, with Ida^Leonora Jones, a daughter by her second
husband, Mr. Jones. Children of Joshua and Eliza-
beth: 1. * Malynda, born October 15, 1827, in town Union,
Pa., married Babcock, of town Clayton. Winnebago
County, for his second wife. Born to them was Mattie, wife
of John Holly. 2. ' Eliza, born May 20, 1829, in town
Union, Pa., married Spicer/ Bowers, reside at Waterloo,
Oregon. 3. Mary, born September 1830, in town Union,
JPa., married John Or Robinson. They had one son, John
i Robinson, of Neenah, Wis. 4. *- Joshua Wesley, born
October 21, 1832, in Licking County, Ohio, resides at
, Fredonia, Licking County, Ohio. He was married to
J Beard. 5. ^ Elizabeth, born August 24, 1834, in Licking
County, Ohio, married Norton Thompson. 6. Infant, died
The Wright Family. 237
1836. 7. Sarah^born April 29, 1838, in Licking County,
Ohio; married McKenzie; resides at Dudley Station, Lincoln
County, Wis- 8. Infant, died 1842. 9. ""Charlotte, born
March 13, 1841, in Licking County, Ohio; married, Brown;
resides at Richmond, Ohio. 10. Joseph E., born May 18,
1843, was in Union army, in Civil war, and was shot dead
at battle before Richmond, Va. 11. Jesse, born March 10,
1846, died August 1847. 12. "t^reenbury, born August 18,
1848. 13. ^Thomas, born March 2^, 185 1, in Winnebago
County, Wis., married to Eleanor Thomas, of Shiocton,
Wis., 1872. She was born in New York State, and is of
Welsh descent. He is a contractor and builder, residing at
Marshfield, Wis. Their children: (a) Lulu E. Wright,
born November 24, 1872, died October 24, 1898, at Wyan-
dotte, Mich. Married to Ernest W. Judson, June 1, 1893.
He is an insurance agent in Marshfield, Wis. Their one
daughter, Verna, was born 1884, at Marshfield. (b) Carola,
born 1874, married September, 1902, Frank W. Strong, a
traveling salesman, (c) Walter F. Wright, born 1877. He
is a traveling salesman. 14. Infant, born and died, 1856.
Children of Joshua and Catharine Weinman: 15. John
Francis, born January 23, 1859, in Winnebago County, Wis., J~yh
died March 18, 1864. 16. Aaron B., born November 6, &~~4 '
1861; died May 30, 1862. 17. Louisa C, born July 6,
1863; resides at No. 4949 Indiana Ave., Chicago.
18. Isaac H., born March 5, 1866; died July 3, 1868. a-.y->.
19. Jermima L., born April 1, 1868; married January 29,
1891, Silas L. Smith, of Green Bay, their present residence.
Children: (a) Warren P., born January 16, 1892. (b)
Jessie C, born October 29, 1893. (c) Hugh W., born
September 10, 1895. (d) Amy G., born March 8, 1897.
(e) Lois B., born December 18, 1898. (d) Perry S. born,
February 2, 1901.
20. Edward J., born April 4, 187 1; married June 24,
1896, Helena Haase. Their present residence is No. 310
Monroe Street, Neenah, Wis. Children: (a) Frederick J.
and Florence A., twins, born March 4, 1897. (b) Irving
W. , born March 29, 1899.
.-•
DR. ISAAC HENDON WRIGHT.
Dr. Isaac Hendon Wright was born October 21, 18 13,
among the Allegheny mountains in central Pennsylvania,
in the township of Union, near Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.
238 Family Genealogy.
His father, John Wright, was a farmer, and he was born on a
farm, where his young life was spent, and in the neighbor-
hood of which he attended the country school. The follow-
ing is a well-written account of his life from the public press
of Neenah, Wisconsin:
"in 1834, at the age of twenty-one, he went to Ohio and
entered the medical college at Newark, Ohio, where he
remained some time, afterwards pursuing his studies in
Walloughby and Cleveland, graduating in the latter city. In
1848, fourteen years after entering upon a medical career,
he came to Oshkosh, and with his brother, A. B. Wright,
who was also a physician, formed a partnership for the
practice of his profession. On September 1, 1855, he was
married in Henderson, N. Y., to Rachel E. Finney. He
continued to make his home in Oshkosh until the year 1875,
when he with his famity removed to Neenah, where he has
since resided. Dr. I. H. Wright and his brother, the late
Dr. A. B. Wright, were successful physicians in Oshkosh, for
many years and had a large and lucrative practice. Their
faces and forms were familiar to every one, especially the old
settlers, and their lives were closely interwoven with the
early history of that city and the county generally. In their
capacity of physicians they ministered to the wants of the
new-born infant, restored the sick to health, and alleviated
the sufferings of those about to die. Dr. I. H. Wright being
the larger of the two was called 'Big Doc," to distinguish
him from his brother, who was equally well known as Little
Doc." Dr. Wright continued in the practice of his profes-
sion in Neenah as long as his health permitted, as his active
nature would not permit him to remain unemployed. In the
death of Dr. Wright the county loses an old settler and one
of its most historic characters, and one who stood well up in
his profession. Early-day settlers can recall his erect and
commanding figure, and relate how they have seen him going
at full speed, mounted on a fine horse, to answer an urgent
call, perhaps some distance in the country. Horseback was
then the favorite means of transportation used by physicians,
and they were often in the saddle for many hours out of the
twenty-four, and a man needed for that profession a rugged
constitution, backed by a tremendous force of will. Such a
man was the late Dr. Wright, and though a large share of his
early associates and acquaintances have passed on before, he
will long be remembered by the rising generation."
The Wright Family. 239
In Harney's History of Winnebago County occurs the
following excellent biography:
Among the early settlers of Winnebago County is Dr. I.
H. Wright now (1879) of the City of Neenah. He moved
from Ohio to Oshkosh in August, 1847. There was at that
time no passable road from Fond du Lac to Oshkosh, and he
came in a row boat. Shortly after his arrival in Oshkosh he
commenced the practice of his profession, which he followed
for over twenty-five years in that place, then went on a tour
through the southwest, passing about two years in traveling
and sojourning in that section, during which time he opened
up a farm near Salina, Kansas. He traveled extensively in
Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and other sections, but
found no locality so attractive and desirable as a place of
residence as his much loved Wisconsin.
His family resided in Oshkosh, during his travels, and he
remained in that place about a year after his return; and in
1875, removed to Neenah, following the practice of his pro-
fession. There are few men more widely known in this county,
than Dr. Wright, who is highly esteemed by a host of
friends, who have known him for more than a quarter of a
century."
The author knew Dr. Wright very well, and saw much of
him in the later years of his life. He once related to him,
that while in Ohio, making his way by slow stages, from town
to town, toward the west, he put up at a hotel, and while
there, the landlord's horse broke his leg. He remarked that
he did not study for a veterinary surgeon, but might as well
begin on a horse, and he went out and set the leg for the poor
beast. On one occasion when diphtheria was epidemic in
Oshkosh, the doctors held daily meetings to discover a
remedy. He made the discovery of a medicine which he
prepared and which was as near a sure remedy as has ever
been found.
John Kimberly, a wealthy citizen of Neenah, always
declared "when Dr. Wright died he would not live long
afterward, as no one else could keep him alive." He had
the most intense disgust for quack doctors and advertisers,
and would not speak to them.
He had bought a piece of land, in the country, from a man
who retained a tax certificate on it, which was illegal, and
afterward took out a tax deed and claimed the land. The
author brought an action in ejectment for the doctor and
recovered the land again, for which he felt very grateful. In
240 Family Genealogy.
the great fire, in Oshkosh, in 187 1, the handsome home of
Dr. Wright, in which his children were born, was burned,
with hundreds of others in that fire, which destroyed half of
the city. It stood opposite the court house. All the family
furniture, clothing, papers, pictures and heirlooms burned.
In Neenah, he had his home on the bank of the Fox River,
on the Island side of the city, near the Northwestern Railway.
He owned several other houses, and some city lots. He had
a very large practice among the very best people. Great
confidence was placed in his judgment, and he was frequently
called in consultation. He always had an office in the city,
which he retained until a very old man. He was a poor col-
lector and attended the poor, without hope of reward, which
was too often realized. He was a member of the Masonic
Lodge. His family attended the Presbyterian Church.
He died at his home, in Neenah, of apoplexy, November 23,
1893, at the age of eightyyears, one month and two days; and is
buried in the Oak Hill cemetery of that place. He had
been an invalid for nearly one year, and all expectation of
recovery had been abandoned by the family. Their minis-
trations had been limited to efforts in making his condition
as comfortable as possible. The funeral was held from the
residence, on Friday, at 1:30 o'clock p. m., under the
auspices of the Masonic Fraternity. Rev. J. E. Chapin was
the officiating clergyman."
His wife, Rachel E. Finney, was born in Furnace Falls,
Canada, on January 5, 1835. Her father, Sylvester Finney,
was a millwright, and was then living at that place,
having charge of the erection of a mill. In a few
years, they moved back to Henderson, Jefferson County,
New York, which was the family home. Her sister,
Almira B. Fillmore, writes of her early life: "Being nearly
four years my senior, she was almost beyond her childhood,
when I was old enough to take hold of the realities of life. I
have heard mother tell of her aptness in learning to do things.
How she learned to knit, at the age of three years. Early in
life, she developed a taste for reading, and her advancement
in her studies at school, was so marked, that our parents
kept her in school as much as possible. When she was
through with our district school, she attended the village
school. From there she went to Watertown, to what was then
termed the "teachers institute," similar to the present
Normal schools. As I remember her, she was always of a
serious turn of mind, conscientious in all things. She
The Wright Family. 241
and my oldest sister, united with the Baptist church, at an
early age. She was teaching school in Watertown when
"Aunt Emeline Jackson," went there, to visit friends, and
they met for the first time. Aunt Emeline was much pleased
with her, and prevailed on her to go with her to Oshkosh.
This she did without consulting our parents, as Mrs. Jack-
son was going too soon to communicate with them. Well,
in Oshkosh, as you know, she met her fate. She came back
home and in a few months Dr. Wright came and took her back.
The wedding was in the daytime, September 1, 1855. I
remember there were many guests present. The Baptist
minister, Rev. Persons, officiating. After the ceremony, and
wedding dinner, they went to the train, which took them to
Sackett's Harbor, where they took steamer to Oshkosh, by
way of the Lakes."
The following beautiful obituary is from the Neenah News-.
News was received in Neenah, today, of the death at
Marinette, at 6 o'clock, Sunday morning, November 19,
1899, of Mrs. R. E. Weight, widow of the late Dr. I. H.
Wright. Mrs. Wright's demise was caused from heart
disease. She died at home of her daughter, Mrs. W. A.
Brown, with whom she was visiting.
Dr. and Mrs. Wright came to Neenah to live, in 1875;
where they became well known and were eminently esteemed.
Mrs. Wright was an active member of the Presbyterian
Church; and was ever a happy Christian. She was a niece
of the celebrated evangelist, Rev. Charles G. Finney, founder
of Oberlin College. She was born in Furnace Falls, Canada,
January 5, 1835. Her aged mother, Mrs. Abigail Finney,
survives her, living at Niagara, North Dakota. A brother,
Dr. J. R. Finney and a sister, Mrs. M. B. Filmore, live at
same place. Another sister, Mrs. Samuel Bulfinch, resides
at Woodville, N. Y. Besides above, deceased is survived by
three daughters: Mrs. P. V. Lawson, Menasha; Mrs. C. W.
McAlpin, South Bend, Ind. ; W. A. Brown, Marinette, Wis. ;
and one son, James H. Wright, of Neenah, Wis. Mrs.
Wright was one whom the world can ill spare. The commu-
nity will miss a bright and sunny friend; the church a fervent
believer and ready helper. Her children will rise up and call
her blessed, and her children's children will cherish her
memory as a happy inspiration. The remains will arrive in
Neenah, this afternoon, on the 4:08 Northwestern train; and
the funeral will be held Tuesday afternoon, at 2:30 o'clock,
from the residence of J. H. Wright; Dr. J. E. Chapin officiat-
2 42 Family Genealogy.
ing." Mrs. Wright lies buried in Oak Hill Cemetery,
Neenah, Wis. Was sixty-five years of age, at her death.
Their children:
i. Lillian Ada Wright, born June 5, 1856, atOshkosh, Wis.;
and after a beautiful life of sixteen years, died April 13,
1873, of peritonitis, at Oshkosh, Wis.
2. Edith Cora Wright, born at Oshkosh, March 3, 1859.
3. Florence Josephine Wright born at Oshkosh, July 9,
i860.
4. Mary Grace Wright, born at Oshkosh, January 31, 1863.
5. James Harry Wright born at Oshkosh, April 25, 1868.
Edith Cora Alright, daughter of Dr. Isaac H. Wright
and Rachel Finney, his wife, was born at Oshkosh, Wis.,
March 3, 1859. She attended the public schools in Oshkosh
and Neenah, and graduated at the High school in Neenah,
Wis. She taught in the public school at Marinette, Wis.
She is a fine musician, and at one time gave music lessons.
She was married in the Presbyterian Church, of which she is
a member, in Neenah, by Rev. J. E. Chapin, to Charles W.
McAlpin, on September 4, 1889. After their marriage, they
lived in Marinette, Wis., where Mr. McAlpin had charge of a
paper mill. They have also resided at South Bend, Ind. ;
Niagara, Wis.; and Wabash, Ind., their present address.
Their children:
1. Charles Kenneth, born July 1, 1893; died April 17,
1894, at nine months old.
2. Malcolm Wright, born January 26, 1895.
3. Mary Grace, 'born February 26, 1897; died January 25,
1898, at the age of eleven months.
4. James Robert was born July 20, 1898.
Florence Josephine Wright was born at Oshkosh, Wis-
consin, July 9, i860, daughter of Dr. Isaac H. Wright and
Rachel Finney, his wife. She attended the public schools at
Oshkosh and Neenah, Wis. She taught in the public schools
of Marinette, Wis., and had a select school in Neenah. Was
married August 5, 1884, at Neenah, Wis., to Publius V.
Lawson, of Menasha, Wis., in the Presbyterian church, by
Rev. J. E. Chapin. She is a member of the Congregatioual
church and of several women's clubs, and president of
Menasha and Neenah branch of Consumers' League, for the
betterment of condition of the young and of girls in store
and factory. The history of their children is given under
biography of P. V. Lawson, Jr.
The Wright Family. 243
Mary Grace Wright, daughter of Dr. I. H. Wright and
Rachel Finney, his wife, was born January 31, 1863. She
attended the public schools in Oshkosh and Neenah and
graduated at High school in Neenah, Wis., and taught in
public schools of Marinette; and had a select school
in Neenah at one time. She was married at her home
in Neenah, by Rev. J. E. Chapin, to Mr. William A. Brown,
of Marinette, Wis., where they have resided ever since.
Children:
1. Florence Brown, born May 24, 1889.
2. Augustus Carmi, born July 23, 1890.
3. Irene, born November 8, 1892.
4. Walker Gould, born June 2, 1894.
James Harry Wright, son of Isaac H. Wright and Rachel
Finney, his wife, was born April 25, 1868, at Oshkosh, Wis.,
where he attended the public schools, and moved with his
parents, in 1875, to Neenah, Wis. After a journey into Iowa
he began the paper making trade, beginning as a helper on
a machine in the Badger mill of Kimberly, Clark & Co.,
at Neenah, Wis., in October, 1884. Soon after he was
given charge of the machine, and on the resignation of the
superintendent, in 1889, was given full charge of the Globe
Mill of this company. In 1893 he was given charge of all
the company's mills at Neenah, the Badger, Globe and
Neenah mills, as general superintendent or manager, which
position he still holds. In 1895 he was elected alderman of
the Third ward of the city of Neenah. He is a member of
several social clubs and a Republican in politics. He was
married June 17, 1896, at Pompton, N. J., (twenty-eight
miles from New York City) to Miss Elizabeth Kanouse Post;
the Rev. F. S. Wilson officiated and the marriage occurred in
the Dutch Reformed church in the village. Miss Post was
born August 1, 1870, at Pompton. Her parents are John F.
Post and Anne Augusta Kanouse Post, of Pompton, N. J.,
where Mr. Post had a store and saw mill, and was an officer
in the bank of a neighboring town. Elizabeth attended
school at the public schools of the village, and graduated
from Elmira College, Elmira, N. Y. Their only child, James
Hendon Wright, born January 2, 1902, at the old Dr. Wright
homestead, Neenah, Wisconsin.
CHAPTER VIII.
Descendants of Matthias Hitchcock.
The Hitchcock family has been handsomely recorded, in
an excellent work, published by Mrs. Edward Hitchcock, Sr.,
of Amherst, Mass., 1894, from which we extract a large
part of the following lineage of Bela Hitchcock, of Cazano-
via, N. Y.
This famity is supposed to have come, originally, from
the county of Wiltshire, England; where they were located
from the time of William the Conqueror. There were,
anciently, in that county, two families of the name, that
bore separate ''coats of arms." The pedigree of the Wilt-
shire Hitchcocks, can be found in the Harlean collection, of
the British Museum; and may also be found, in full, in the
'Visitation of the County of Wiltshire, by Sir T. Phillips,
A. D., 1623;" and also in Hoar's History of Wiltshire. "
Matthias Hitchcock, at the age of twenty-five, landed in
Boston, from the bark, 'Susanna Ellen," in the spring of
1635; and settled for a short time in Quakertown, Mass.;
from which place he removed, in 1639, to East Haven, Conn.,
where he was joined by his brothers, Luke, and Edward, as
early as July 1, 1644. Luke removed the following year, to
Wetherfield, Conn. ; but Matthias remained, and his descend-
ants were in the neighborhood of New Haven, for many gener-
ations. Matthias received, in ]\i\y, 1636, as an inhabitant of
Watertown, twenty-three acres, in the Great Dividends."
In 1639, he obtained land in East Haven, Conn. Here he
died, November 16, 1669; and Elizabeth, his widow, in 1676.
He was one of the founders of New Haven, Conn., June 4,
1639. There were four children, of whom:
John Hitchcock was the third. He was born in New Haven,
Conn., about 1649. He was one of the original proprietors of the
Descendants of Matthias Hitchcock. 245
town of Wallingford, Conn., founded in 1670. He married Jan-
uary 1st, 1670, Abigail Merriman, who was born April 18, 1645;
daughter of Nathaniel Merriman, who was one of the first
three children born in New Haven, Conn. They removed to
Wallington, Conn., in 1676. He was a "landowner, yeoman,
or planter." He owned one hundred eighty-three acres, and
was worth three hundred and two pounds. He died July 6,
1 7 1 6. There were twelve children; of whom the youngest was
Benjamin Hitchcock, born March 24, 1696, at Walling-
ford, Conn., son of John and Abigail. He lived in Cheshire,
Conn., and also had land in Southington Parish. He mar-
ried October 1, 1718, Elizabeth Ives; born September 6, 1700;
daughter of Joseph and Esther Ives, who died August 8,
1762. Captain Benjamin Hitchcock died February 12, 1767.
There were twelve children, of whom the youngest was:
Bela (first) Hitchcock, born October 27, 1719; son of
Captain Benjamin and Elizabeth, at Wallingford, Conn. He
owned land in Southington. He married December 1st,
1744, Sarah Atwater, who died October 23, 1746. He
married again to Hannah Atwater, on November 24, 1747;
who was born December 28, 1722. Bela Hitchcock died
October 12, 1796, in Cheshire, Conn. His will was admitted
to probate, February 21, 1797. His widow, Hannah, died
June 28, 1805, aged eighty-three. By his first wife there was
one child, who died at one year of age. By his second wife,
there were eight children, of whom the second was:
Bela Hitchcock, (second), son of Bela, first, and Hannah
Atwater, born September 21, 1750, in Wallington, Conn. He
married Abigail. They had two children; the youngest of
whom was Abigail, born April 10, 1790; and the oldest was:
Bela Hitchcock (third) son of Bela and Abigail, born in
Cheshire, Conn. The church records of Cheshire read:
"Baptised April 17, 1 791;" town records: "born September
11, 1793," by which he would seem to have been baptised
two years before his birth. He married Lydia Williams of
Cazanovia, N. Y., at the home of her father, Isaiah Williams.
She was born January 11, 1785, at Pownal, Vt. She had
been previously married to Barton, by whom she had
two boys.
246
Family Genealogy.
Bela Hitchcock was a soldier, having enlisted in the regular
army. His daughter, Abigail, whom we know as Grandma
Finney," was a little girl when he enlisted, and can just
remember him in his uniform and brass buttons. He died
about 1834, a soldier. His family then lived in Cazanovia,
N. Y. There were four children born to Bela and Lydia, of
whom Abigail Lonsburry Hitchcock (Finney) was oldest, and
their history is given in biography of Lydia Williams.
CHAPTER IX.
The Finney Family.
This New England family, has been mostly compiled for
the first time, by Emma Finney Welch (Mrs. Ashbel Welch),
of No. 152 W. Walnut Lane, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa.,
who furnished the use of her notes for this volume. She
visited the family locations throughout New England, and
other places, and has spent many busy days in examination
of ancient records and tombstones, in many states. By her
laborious exertions in the compilation of the Finney Gene-
alogy, she has been enabled to gather the record into a very
commendable history. Her examination has proven several
errors in the general statements of Prof. G. Frederick
Wright, of Oberlin, Ohio, in his biography of the celebrated
Rev. Charles G. Finney, the great evangelist. The name
has frequently been spelled Phinney, a change which is not
accounted for. This record down to Sylvester first, is
almost wholly furnished by Mrs. Welch.
MOTHER FINNEY.
The beginning of this family in America, was with the
coming to America, from England, of the good Mother
Finney, about 1631. Of her husband, and their home in
Merry England, we know nothing. Possibly she was left,
by the death of her husband, very much to her own resources,
and resolved to better the condition of her children, brought
them to the States.
Mother Finney was born in England, 1570, and died at
Plymouth, Mass., April 22, 1650, aged eighty years. She
brought her three children to Plymouth, Mass., in 163 1 or
248 Family Genealogy.
before. We do not know the name of Mrs. Finney. It was
possibly Catharine; but she was always known by her neigh-
bors and in the records, as Mother" Finney, by which
kindly name her posterity will know her. Her children were:
1. Catharine, born in England, married Gabriel Fallowell.
He died at Plymouth, December 28, 1667, aged eighty years.
Their daughter, Ann Fallowell married July 22nd, 1637,
Thomas Pope, of Plymouth and Dartmouth. Ann died
before May, 1646. 2. Robert, born in 1600, died at Ply-
mouth, January 7, 1688. He married, 1641, Phebe Ripley,
born in 1619, died December 9, 1710. No children.
Nephew, Josiah, appointed to administer estate September
18, 1 7 12. 3. John, born in England.
JOHN FINNEY.
John Finney, son of Mother Finney, was born in England,
came to America with her, on or before 1631, and settled in
Plymouth, Mass., before 1631. He married for his first
wife, Christian who died at Barnstable, Cape Cod,
Mass., September 9, 1649. John moved to Barnstable
before 1649, and was admitted inhabitant of Bristol, Rhode
Island, September, 168 1. A deed at Taunton, Mass., dated
1702-3, shows him living in Bristol County, Mass., at that
time, probably near Swansea. He married second wife,
Abigail Coggan, widow of Henry Coggan, June 10, 1653.
She died childless. He married third wife, June 26, 1654,
Elizabeth Bailey, who was buried in Bristol, Rhode Island,
February 9, 1683-4. Children, first wife, Christian: 1.
John, born December 24, 1638, in Ptymouth; baptized at
Barnstable, July 31, 1653. Married August 10, 1664, Mary
Rogers, daughter of Lieut. Jos. Rogers, who came over in
the Mayflower, 1620, with his father, Thomas. Lived at
Barnstable. 2. Thomas, born 1648, died 1653.
Children, third wife, Elizabeth Bailey: 3. Jonathan,
born August 14, 1655, at Barnstable. He married Joanna
Kinnecut. Intentions declared at Bristol, October 18, 1682.
He lived at Warren, R. I., and at Swansea, in 171 1. 4.
Robert born August 13, 1656, at Barnstable, was killed in the
French and Indian war, in 1690, unmarried. Will dated
July 23, 1690. 5. Hannah, born September 2, 1657, at
Barnstable. Married, first, Deacon Ephriam Morton, born
1648; second before 1724, John Cooke, of Kingston, Mass.
6. Elizabeth, born March 15, 1659, at Barnstable. 7. Josiah,
The Finney Family. 249
born January 11, 1661, at Barnstable, married January 19,
1688, Elizabeth Warren, daughter of Joseph, son of Richard,
who came in the Mayflower, 1620. They lived at Plymouth,
Mass. 8. Jeremiah, born August 15, 1662, at Barnstable,
died at Bristol, R. I., February 18, 1743, where he was
admitted inhabitant, September, 1681. Married Esther
Lewis. Intentions published, at Bristol, January 7, 1684.
She died August 11, 1743. 9. Joshua, born December,
1665, at Barnstable, married Mercy Watts.
JOSHUA FINNEY, FIRST.
Son of John Finney and his third wife, Elizabeth Bailey,
was born at Barnstable, Mass., December, 1665, he married
Mercy Watts, intentions published at Bristol, May 31, 1688.
Resided at Bristol, R. I., living in Swansea, R. I., May 30,
1711. Children: 1. Joshua, born May 7, t68q. 2.
Elizabeth, born September 25, 1693, died September 19,
1701. 3. Mary, born April 12, 1694. 4. John (M. D.)
born August 15, 1696, died June 6, 1773, at Warren, Conn.
Married Hannah or Anne Toogood. Bought land in
Lebanon, Conn., 1728-9. Came from Norton, Bristol
County, Mass. 5. Samuel, born at Bristol, May 20, 1699,
baptised September 10, 1699; married March 12, 1726-7,
Mrs. Elizabeth Tibbets, widow of Thomas; lived at Warwich,
R. I., where birth of children is recorded. Children: (a)
Benjamin, born July 26, 1727, died August 5, 1727. (b)
Mercy, born March 25, 1731-2. 6. Josiah, born July 26,
1 701. Married January, 1722-3, Elizabeth Mann (see
Lebanon Town Record), not Shaw, (Early Lebanon, p. 123.)
Bought land in Lebanon, Conn., 1723. Will dated February
14, 177 1. Wife living in 1775.
JOSHUA FINNEY, SECOND.
Son of Joshua Finney and Mercy Watts, born in Bristol,
Rhode Island, May 7, 1689; married Martha ; bought
land in Lebandon, Conn., (joining land belonging to Solo-
mon Curtis), in 1726; which was sold in 1751-3. His wife
Martha, died May 14, 1751, aged sixty years. He owned
land in Kent, in 1750, and appears to have lived there.
Children: 1. William, born May 10, 17 15. 2. Joshua,
born May 11, 1716; died November 29, 1716. 3. Mary,
married Joseph Mann, March 14, 1733-4. 4. Martha, born
250 Family Genealogy.
March 4, 17 19. United with Congregational Church at
Warren, by letter from Lebanon, July 31, 1757. 5. John,
born June 2, 1721. 6. Oliver, November 11, 1728.
William Finney, son of Joshua Finney and Martha ,
born May 10, 17 15, died before February 19, 1781; lived in
Lebanon, Conn. (Deeds). Married, first, November 8,
1738, Elizabeth Clark, of Swansea. She died October, 1742.
Married second, November 2, 1747, Mrs. Abigail Black. He
bought land in Lebanon, in Parish Goshen, August 16, 1764.
Children: 1. William, born December 9, 1739; baptised
May 29, 1743. 2. Elizabeth, born May 25, 1742; baptised
May 29, 1743. 3. Irene, born March 27, 1748-9. 4.
Joseph, born June 17, 1751. Living in Lebanon, February
19, 1781. Married Mar)^ Brown, April 2, 1772. Bought
land in township of Exeter in 1781, and in Lebanon, near
house of William Finney, late deceased. March 13,
1830, Joseph Finney sold land in Lebanon.
John Finney, (Son of J#shua and Martha) was born June
2, 1 721; married, first, Rachel Woodward, in Lebanon,
August 25, 1743. Rachel Finney was received into the Con-
gregational church by letter from Lebanon, January 2, 1757.
She died June 5, 1765. Her will dated Warren, Conn.,
April 20, 1765. Her estate was divided after the death of
her husband in 1788. He was called "John Finney, Jr., son
of Joshua, in 1744." October 17, 1765, the above named
John Finney, Jr., and Sarah Thomas, were joined together
in marriage. Letters of administration granted on estate of
John Finney, late of Warren, Conn., to his son, Eleazer,
November 10, 1788. Children:
1. Joel, born September 1, 1744; married Anne Sackett,
April 21, 1768. 2. Rachel, born 1745; married
Barnum, living November 10, 1788. 3. Lydia born August
28, 1746; married (probably Amazia) Phillips, of Southing-
ton, Conn., died before 1788. 4. Eleazer, born about
1750-4; married Mary Johnson, February 8, 1774. 5.
John, died January 12, 1762. 6. Rufus, born May 18,
1760. 7. Deidama, baptised July, 1767. Witnessed deed
January 11, 1788.
Oliver Finney, son of Joshua and Martha, born in Leb-
anon, November 11, 1728; married Elizabeth Dunham,
August 9, 1749; lived at Hebron, in 1751; Lebanon, 1753.
The Finney Family. 251
Removed to Warren, Conn., and were on the list of original
members of Congregational Church, September 22, 1756.
October 5, 1752, bought land in Kent, Conn., of Nathaniel
Fuller. His name appears on the land records, until April
23> 1773, when he sold one hundred seventeen acres to
William Ross. One child, Elizabeth, born September 10,
i75°-
Joel Finney, son of John and Rachel Woodward, was
born at Lebanon, September 1, 1744. He married Anne
Sackett, April 21, 1768. They united with the Congrega-
tional Church, at Warren, Conn., on confession, May 2,
1784. Joel Finney bought house and land in Kent, Conn.,
March 1, 1768. His name appears on the land records until
1785. Children: 1. Anne, born January 25, 1769. 2. Hemen,
born December 17, 1770. 3. Joel, born July 26, 1772. 4.
Rachel, born April 12, 1774. 5. Elijah Goflee, born April
28, 1776. 6. A son, born May 1, 1778; died May 4, 1778.
7. Lidea, born July 21, 1780. 8. Belinda, born May 4,
1782. 9. Miranda, married Burroughs. 10. Anson,
born 1786. 11. Sackett.
Eleazer Finney, son of John and Rachel Woodward, was
born in Lebanon about 1750. He married Mary Johnson,
February 8, 1774. They witnessed a deed, from Rufus
Finney to Solomon Carter, at Warren, March 9, 1789. Eleazer
received land from his father, May 31, 1777 and 1780, and
the house, in which his father dwellt in 1788. In 1789, he
sold land in Warren, to Peleg Holmes, and others, and
removed to Monckton, Vt., before June 24, 1790; at which
time he sold land adjoining the above, to Gersholl Holmes,
Sergeant in Revolutionary War. Children: 1. Mary A.,
born November 11, 1774; died February 1, 1775. 2. Johnson,
born December 10, 1775. 3- Alonzo, born May 16, 1778;
died unmarried. 4. Lucinda, born June 15, 1780. 5. Isaac,
born September 16, 1782; died March 3, 1783.
Rufus Finney, son of John and Rachel Woodward, born
May 18, 1760; living at Warren, Conn., 1788. Removed to
Elizabethtown, N. Y., before June 29, 1789. Married May
20, 1779, Hannah Finney, daughter of John Finney and
Hannah Washburn, born March 10, 1761. Children: 1.
Martin, born March 12, 1780. 2. Newman, born January
17, 1782. 3. Erastus, born April 21, 1788.
252 Family Genealogy.
Johnson Finney, son of Eleazer and Mary Johnson, born
in Warren, Conn., December 10, 1775; removed with his
parents to Monckton, Addison County, Vt., before 1790. He
married Miss Barnes. Children: 1. Myron, married Sarah
Hynsdale. 2. Norman, married Rebecca Dean and lived
on the old farm at Monckton, Vt. , until his death in 1896.
His son, H. J. Finney, still lives on the place. 3. Noble
H. married, and went to Ohio and then to Michigan; edited
first newspaper at Grand Rapids. 4. Amanda, married
Blackner.
Myron Finney, son of Johnson Finney and Miss Barnes,
born at Monckton, Addison County, Vt. ; married Sarah
Hynsdale. Children: 1. Solon H., Second Lieutenant Com-
pany B, Sixth Michigan Cavalry. Wounded at Berkville
Station, Va. , April 3, 1865; died April 9, 1865; buried at
National Cemeter}^, Petersburg, Va. 2. Orson O., died
November 9, 1867, at Cohoes, N. Y. 3. Norman J., died
December, r869. 4. Mary S., died December, 1848. 5. Jannie
S., died March, 1863. 6. Myron Hynsdale, cashier of German
American Savings Bank, Le Mars, la., March 23, 1897;
removed to Thomasville, N. C, 1900; with the Clement
Ross Lumber Company, July 11, 1902, at that place.
DR. JOHN FINNEY.
John Finney, M. D., son of Joshua Finney and Mercy
Watts, born at Bristol, R. I., August 15, 1696; died at
Warren, Conn., June 6, 1773, a£ed seventy-seven years;
buried there. John Finney, of Norton, Bristol County,
Mass., bought land in Lebanon township, at Chestnut Hill,
Conn., in 1728-9, (three deeds). Dr. Finney and wife,
Hannah, and John Finney, Jr., were received by letter into
the church at Lebanon, November 26, 1749. He owned
land in Kent, in 1750, which was divided among his four
children, February 16, 1760. His will dated Warren, Kent,
Conn., January 1, 1772, was proved June 9, 1773. He men-
tions wife, Anne; sons, John and Nathaniel; daughter, Marcy
Sackett; grandson, John, son of John, under j:wenty-one; and
grandson, Caleb, son of Nathaniel, under twenty-one. "Dr.
John Finney departed this life, June 6, 1773. Anna Finney,
his wife, departed this life, August n, 17 76." Married
Hannah or Anne Toogood, September 14, 17 15, both of
Swansea, Mass. Children: 1. Joel, born February 24,
The Finney Family. 253
1 7 16-7. 2. John, married Hannah Washburn, June 14,
1744. He was born October 14, 17 18. 3. Nathaniel, born
January 3, 1720, said to have gone to Novia Scotia; also
was living at Providence, R. I. (Kent deeds). Had son,
Caleb. 4. Joshua, born February 24, 1723-4. 5. Anne, born
April 30, 1727. 6. Marcy, born January, 1729-30, (or
Mercy as she was frequently called); married December 21,
1752, Reuben Sackett, of Greenwich, in Kent, Conn. 7.
David, married Abigail Clark, February 26, 1759. Both of
Kent. 8. Martha, born June 12, 1735; died same day. 9.
Jabez, born November 21, 1737; went to East Greenwich,
R. I., (Swansea town records).
John Finney, son of Dr. John Finney and Anne or
Hannah, of Norton, Bristol County, Mass. In 1728 or
1729, was with his parents, received by letter into mem-
bership of the Congregational Church at Lebanon. Novem-
ber 26, 1749, he was called "jr." He is usually called
"John ye 3rd," on the Kenttown records of 1761, probably
to distinguish him from his cousin, John, son of Joshua,
who was born in 1721 (may have been a little older), and
who was always known as John, Jr., to distinguish him
from his uncle Dr. John Finney. September 11, 1763, John
Finney third, and Hannah his wife, were received by letter
into the Congregational church at Warren, Conn., his from
Lebanon, hers from Bolton. He married Hannah Wash-
burn at Lebanon, June 14, 1744. He was living in 1793,
(Deeds). Children: 1. Timothy, born August 28, 1746,
at Lebanon. 2. Martin, born June 20, 1751, at Lebanon.
3. Elihu, born July 14, 1755, at Lebanon. 4. John, born
July 19, 1757, at Lebanon. 5. Hannah, born March 10,
1761, in Kent, Conn.; married May 20, 1779, Rufus Finney,
son of John and Rachel Woodward Finney.
Elihu Finney, son of John and Hannah Washburn, born
July 14, 1755, at Lebanon, Conn., died at Cooperstown, N.
Y., July 12, 1813. Married March 15, 1781, Mary Noyes,
of Caanan, Columbia County, N. Y. She was born July 23,
1754. Died August 23, 1841. They left Caanan for Coop-
erstown, arriving there February 28, 1795. Elihu and his
two sons were printers and spelled the name Phinney.
Children: 1. Henry, born October 20, 1781; died Septem-
ber 14, 1850 at Cooperstown, unmarried. 2. Katharine,
born August 31, 1783; died October 17, 1858; married June
254 Family Genealogy.
25, 1803, Elijah Hyde Metcalf, born September 8, 1778,
died September 14, 1821. They have a granddaughter now
residing at Cooperstown with some of her children. 3.
Elihu, born July 1, 1785. 4. George Gordon, born June
i3» 1787; died January 7, 1828, at Cooperstown, unmarried.
5. Sophia, born June 15, 1789; married Cornelius S. King.
Had children.
Elihu Finney, !son of Elihu and Mary Noyes, born at
Caanan, Columbia County, N. Y., July 1, 1785; died at Coop-
erstown, N. Y., June 26, 1863; married November 16, 1815,
Nancy Whiting Tiffany, born April 5, 1791, died February
13, 1849; sister of mother of Col. C. Seaforth Stewart.
Elihu lived at Cooperstown, to which place he removed with
his parents February 28, 1795. He was a printer. Children:
1. Henry Frederick, born December 15, 1816, died October
28, 1875. 2. Elihu, born June 20, 1823; drowned in
Otsego Lake, September 20, 1892; married Sarah Lispenard
Stewart, (cousin and stepsister of C. Seaforth Stewart),
June 12, 1851, born August 18, 1827; died July 23, 1902.
One son Alex. Stewart Finney, born January 1, 1864, lives
at Cooperstown, N. Y. Elihu graduated at Yale, 1846. 3.
Harriet Bradford, born April 30, 1825; married June 4, 1849,
Rev. C. K, McHarg, born March 18, 1823. Both living, no
children. 4. Ann Whiting, born February 4, 1827, died
March 13, 1887, at Cooperstown, unmarried. 5. John
Lathrop Tiffany, born January 17, 1829; died June 4, 1854,
unmarried.
Henry Frederick Finney, son of Elihu Finney and
Nancy Whiting Tiffany, born at Cooperstown, N. Y., Decem-
ber 15, 1816, died there October 28, 1875; married February
8, 1849, Caroline Martha Cooper. She was second daughter
of James Fennimore Cooper, (the great novelist) and Mary
Miller, born June 26, 1815, at Cooperstown, died there Janu-
ary 13, 1892. Children: 1. Henry, born February 20,
1850, at Cooperstown, N. Y., died there September 8, 185 1.
2. Susan Cooper, born March 5, 1852, at Buffalo, N. Y. ;
married October 21, 1874, Jac. Sutherland Irving, who died
April 1, 1881, aged twenty-eight years. Their child, Henry
Sutherland Irving, born at Coopertown, August 2, 1875,
unmarried. 3. Frederick Noyes, born December 12, 1854,
at Cooperstown, died December 14, 1892, at South Cairo, N.
Y., unmarried. 4. Charles John, born December 24, 1856,
at Irvington on Hudson, unmarried.
The Finney Family. 255
John Finney, son of John Finney and Hannah Washburn,
was born at Lebanon, Conn., July 19, 1757; and removed to
Warren, Litchfield, Conn., with his parents. After the
death of his grandfather, Dr. John Finney, he (and not his
father), was called "John ye third." He married Bethia
(probably Carter), January 19, 1786. He inherited lands in
Ledyus Patient, Litchfield, Conn., from his grandfather, Dr.
John Finney, in 1773. His name frequently appears on the
land records of Kent and Warren, until 1800. Corporal
1777. Sergeant 1780. Children: 1. Timothy Washburn,
born August 12, 1787. 2. Solomon, born June 24, 1789.
3. John Carter, born June 17, 1793; married Katharine
. Their children: (a) Mary, (b) Delia, (c) Jane, (d)
John, born August 27, 1829; married Eliza Boice Couill,
March 5, 1853; died at Lambertville, N. J., January 16,
1894. Had five daughters. 4. Hannah, born April 12,
1795. 5. Harley (Hartley) born March 12, 1797.
David Finney, son of Dr. John and Anne or Hannah,
was born August 24, 1732; married February 26, 1759,
Abigail Clark, both of Kent. October, 30, 1759, he sold land
in Kent to the heirs of Obadiah Clark, of Duchess County,
N. Y. February 16, 1760, he received his share of his
father's land in Kent. He removed to Duchess County, N.
Y., before February 16, 1763, at which time and on June 9,
1763, he sold his land in E. Greenwich in 'Kent, to James
Phelps, of Kent. He is not named in his father's will, dated
Warren, January 1, 1772. Child: Isaac, born October 3,
1759.
JOSIAH FINNEY OF LEBANON.
Josiah Finney, son of Joshua Finney and Mercy Watts,
was born in Bristol, Mass., July 26, 1701; married Elizabeth
Mann (not Shaw), January, 1722-3. He bought land in
Lebanon, in 1723. He owned land in Kent, Conn., 1746,
which he gave to his sons, Josiah and Jonathan. (See
Kent Deeds). Will dated Lebanon, February 14, 1771;
proved August 22, 1774, at Willimantic. Wife died in 1775.
Josiah died in 1774. (Church record, Columbus, Conn.).
Children: 1. Elizabeth, born January 19, 1723-4; living
in 1771. 2. Josiah, born January 27, 1725; died, Sep-
tember, 1726. 3. Josiah, born February 24, 1727-8; mar-
ried Sarah Carter, daughter of Thomas Carter and Sarah
256 Family Genealogy.
Gilmore; born 1731; died June 16, 1777, in her forty-sixth
year. Living in Kent, in 1752. 4. Keziah, born March
5, 1730; living in 1771. 5. Lydia, born March 6, 1732;
died before 1771. 6. David, born, June 21, 1734; married,
March 7, 1754, Jemima Warner, who died November 14,
1770. Married, second, the widow, Margaret Fuller, May 6,
1775. Received deed, from his mother, for land in Lebanon,
given her by her late husband, Josiah Finney, April 7, 1777.
Bought land in Lebanon and living there, 1777. Sold land
there in 1795 and 1797. Children: (a) Eleazar, born
January 20, 1755. (b) Elizabeth, born April 1, 1757. (c)
Uriah, born March 16, 1761. In Revolutionary War, 1778-80.
(d) Jemima, born August 15, 1763. (e) Benjamin, born
August 9, 1771. 7. Jonathan, born June 17, 1736.
Jonathan Finney, son of Josiah and Elizabeth Mann,
was born June 17, 1736; died March 29, 1773. He married
Phebe Phelps, August 12, 1757. October 10, 1757, he
received from his father, Josiah Finney, of Lebanon, one
hundred twelve acres of land in Kent, Conn, (that part of
Kent now included in Warren, Conn.). Jonathan Finney,
and Phebe, his wife, united with the Congregational Church,
at WTarren, Conn., on profession of faith, December 10,
1769. His will dated Kent, Conn., March 27, 1773; inven-
tory filed May 4, 1773; property distributed in 1779. Children:
1. Jonathan, born November 8, 1758. 2. Bethuel, born
June 11, 1760; sold land in Kent, in 1783 and 1789. Living
at Lennox, Berkshire County, Mass., November 16, 1789.
3. Phebe, born February 22, 1762. 4. Rhoda, born July
22, 1763. 5. Zina, born January 14, 1765. Living at
Hebron, Hartford County, Conn., January 18, 1786. 6.
Arsenath, born January 28, 1767. 7. Beriah, born Novem-
ber 14, 1768, Living at Lennox, Berkshire County, Mass.,
November 16, 1789. 8. Lydia, born June 28, 1770; died
June 19, 1771. 9. Abraham, born April 20, 1772; living at
Lee, Berkshire County, Mass., April 5, 1794.
JOSIAH FINNEY, OF WARREN, CONN.
Josiah Finney of Kent and Warren, Conn., son of Josiah
Finney, of Lebanon, and grandson of Joshua, of Bristol,
R. I., who was son of John, who came to Plymouth, with his
"Mother" Finney, before 1631. He was son of Josiah and
Elizabeth Mann, born February 24, 1727-8; and died August
The Finney Family. 257
27» i773» aged forty-six years. He married Sarah Carter;
born 1 731; died June 16, 1777, m ner forty-sixth year. Both
are buried at Warren, Conn. Josiah Finney, Jr., of Leba-
non, witnessed deed from his father, to Isaac Bumpus,
November 6, 1744. Bought land in Kent, November 27,
1746. Living in Lebanon, August 22, 1748, and in Kent,
March 27, 1748-9. Received one hundred acres of land in
Kent, Conn., from his father, in Lebanon, June 19, 1756.
Letters of administration granted to wife, Sarah, of Kent,
October 13, 1773. Inventory November 29, 1773. She
united with Congregational Church, at Warren, Conn., by
profession of faith, on July 27, 1769. Josiah gave the land
on which the church still stands. In the biography of Rev.
Charles G. Finney, by Professor G. Frederick Wright, of
Oberlin College, 1891, he says: "in the public records of
Warren, Litchfield County, Connecticut, Josiah Finney*
appears as the name of one of the earliest settlers, and we
are told that the organization of the Congregational Church,
of the town, in 1756, was effected at his residence; and that
he purchased and gave to the ecclesiastical society, the
ground upon which the first 'meeting house' was built.
Josiah Finney's wife was Sarah Curtiss, a sister of Major
Eleazar Curtiss, of Revolutionary fame."
Mrs. Welch has found that the wife of Josiah Finney of
Kent, in Warren, Conn., was Sarah Carter, daughter of
Thomas Carter and Sarah Gilmore. We are inclined to
believe she is correct, because of the extensive examination
she has made. Professor Wright has several other errors in
his genealogy of the family; but is quite correct in the final
statement, that the Finneys are, "descended from some of
the best families, of the earliest New England emigration."
Children: 1. Josiah, born about 1756, married Joannah
Phelps, January 21, 1779. 2- Sylvester, born, March 15,
1759; married, April 29, 1779, Rebecca Rice, born August 9,
1759. 3. Sarah, born June 6, 1761; married Judah Eldred.
4. Lucinda, born January 28, 1763. 5. Zenas, born Decem-
ber 8, 1764; died between 1773 and September 16, 1777. 6.
Lenna, born October 28, 1766. 7. Cyrus, born October 6,
1771. Sold land in Warren, 1793; married Elizabeth Hem-
ingway.
Josiah Finney, son of Josiah and Sarah Carter, was born
about 1756, in that part of Kent now included in Warren,
Litchfield County, Conn. He inherited or bought his
258 Family Genealogy.
father's house and lands, which he sold, and left Warren with
his children, in 1838. He was the last of the name in the
township. Mr. Lyman and Mr. Curtiss, aged about eighty-
five, living June, 1902, remember Josiah Finney and his sons.
He married Joanna Phelps, January 21, 1779. She died
January 17, 1838, aged seventy-four; buried at Warren.
Josiah was in the Revolutionary war. Children: 1. Louisa,
born May 20, 1780. 2. Josiah, bornMarch4, i782;moved
to Pennsylvania. 3. Seth C, lived in Warren, until 1838,
then went to York State; unmarried. 4. Welthy, died
March 16, 1795; buried at Warren. 5. Pollina, died; buried
at Warren.
Cyrus Finney, son of Josiah and Sarah Carter, born in
Warren township, Litchfield County, Conn., October 6,
1771; and died in Madison County, N. Y., January n, 1840,
aged sixty-eight years. He married Elizabeth Hemingway,
who died February 3, 1845. He sold land in Warren, Conn,
in 1793. In J797 ne removed to Madison County, N. Y.,
and settled near Eaton Village. Rev. Chas. G. Finney, his
nephew, lived with him when a boy, and attended school at
Eaton. Children: 1. Amanda, born May 7, 1799. 2.
Lucinda, born January 6, 1802. 3. Alenson, born May 6,
1805, removed to Porter County, Indiana, in 1836: his son
Jasper N. Finney, was at Valparaiso, Indiana, August 24,
1902. 4. Sylvester, born October 1807. Had a son Gran-
ville Finney, living at Eaton, Madison County. N. Y., August
24, 1902. 5. Eliza Ann, born July 1809. 6. Cyrus Jr.,
born, 1812. 7. Charles G., born 1814, removed to Porter
County, Indiana about 1840. 8. George, born 1817.
SILVESTER FINNEY, FIRST.
Sylvester Finney, son of Josiah and Sarah (Carter), born at
Warren, Conn., March 15, 1759, married Rebecca Rice, of
April 29, Kent, 1779. She was born August 9, 1759. (Family
Bible.) He is said to have served in Revolutionary war. His
name appears on the land records of Warren, Conn. , until 1 794,
at which time he sold his house and land, and removed to
central New York. Lived a short time at Brothertown, Oneida
County. Removed to Hanover, now Kirkland, where they
remained until 1808, then went to Henderson, Jefferson
County, N. Y., near Sackett's Harbor, on Lake Ontario.
Children: 1. Sarah Finney, born June 1, 1780, in Warren,
Conn., married Stephen Whitney. To her son, George
The Finney Family. 259
Whitney, were born Frank, Gib, Fred, Carl, Minnie and
Nettie. 2. Deliah, born November 29, 1781. 3. Zenas
Finney, born August 19, 1783, Warren, Conn. Married
Rachel Mathews. 4. Chloe Finney, born in Warren, August
12, 1785. 5. Sylvester (2nd) Finney, born June 4, 1787,
died September 9, 1798. 6. Harry Finney, born Warren,
Conn., May 4, 1790. Was father of Emma Finney, who
married Minot Wilcox, of Toledo; also of Charles G., Henry,
Sophia, Julia, Wily, Narcisia and George C. Finney, the
father of Harry R. Finney, No. 631 Cleveland Ave. Chicago,
111. 7. Rev. Charles G. Finney, born August 29, 1792, in
Warren, Conn. President of Oberlin College. 8. George
W. Finney, born June 23, 1795, at Brothertown, Oneida
County, N. Y. He was grandfather of Kate, Charles and
Harry Cole. 9. Sylvester R. Finney, third, born in Kirk-
land, N. Y., January 15, 1802; died June 3, 1803.
As the movings of the father of this family, and the
description of the experience of Rev. Charles G. Finney,
affect all the children alike, I quote the following as part
of their history:
When Charles was about two years old, his parents, fol-
lowing the prevalent tide of emigration, removed to the wil-
derness of Central New York, and found a temporary resting
place for the family at Brothertown, Oneida County; but
soon sought a permanent home in Hanover, now Kirkland,
then a part of Paris. Here they remained, amid the priva-
tions of pioneer life, common to those days, until Charles
was sixteen years old. It was in the days of the stage coach
and post horse. The Erie Canal, with its marvelous trans-
formations, had not even been projected. The country was
covered with a dense forest, in which clearings were made by
slow and painful effort. There were but few churches and
fewer ministers; so that Finney in his boyhood heard very
little preaching, and that mostly by uneducated and ignorant
men, whose mistakes in grammar so impressed themselves
upon his mind, that they were the subject of merriment to
him, to his dying day. Books likewise were few; yet, true
to the New England instincts, this most advanced wave of
migration bore with it the school house, and young Finney
was a regular attendant at the summer and winter district
schools, taught by persons who had received creditable edu-
cation in New England. About 1808 the family moved to
Henderson, Jefferson County, on the shore of Lake Ontario,
not far from Sackett's Harbor."
260 Family Genealogy.
ZENAS FINNEY, FIRST.
Zenas Finney, first, son of Sylvester Finney and Rebecca
Rice, was born August 19, 1783, in Warren, Litchfield County.
Conn. He died October 22, 1874, of old age. Was buried
in Henderson, N. Y. He followed the migration of his
parents from Warren, to Brothertown, N. Y. ; then north to
Jefferson County, near Sackett's Harbor, to a place known as
Henderson. He was a farmer. He married Rachel Matthews,
who was born November 18, 1784, and died November 25,
1866; buried in Henderson, N. Y. Their children: 1.
Almira Finney, who married Mr. Barrett, of Pillar Point,
N. Y. They had one son, Alsaphin, who died prior to 1900,
and left a wife, Hannah Barrett, who lives on the old home-
stead at Pillar Point, Jefferson County, N. Y. She had the
family bible of the Finney Family, when she died. 2. Sylves-
ter, (fourth) Finney, born August 15, 1805; married, Abigail
L. Hitchcock. 3. Appolona Finney, had one daughter: (a)
Mrs. L. Nichols, who lived at Malone, N. Y, and moved in
1901, to Mass. She had a daughter, Jessie Bailey, who lives
at Dexter, Jefferson, County, N. Y. (b) Mrs. Lena Stark,
of Bachelor, Mason County, Michigan. 4. Darwin Erasmus
Finney, was born in Henderson, N. Y., 1808; died in
Menasha, Wis., April, 1859. 5. Carshean Finney. 6 Eleanor
Finney.
SYLVESTER (4TH) FINNEY, MILLWRIGHT.
Born in Henderson, son of Zenas Finney and Rachel
Matthews, August 15, 1805, and died at Henderson, N. Y.,
August 1, 1857, aged fifty-two. He was a millwright. He
was first married to Nancy Wright, sister of "Aunt Emeline
Jackson," Mrs. Nettie Crane, George, Philip and William
Wright, all of Oshkosh. Soon after, Abigail L. Hitchcock
moved, to Henderson, N. Y., with her grandparents, the
Williams; she became acquainted with Sylvester Finney. His
first wife, Nancy Wright, lived only a few months, after mar-
riage, and April 26, 1832, he was married to Abigail L.
Hitchcock, at the home of her mother, in Henderson, in the
daytime. She says she cannot recall their first meeting,
"they were all young together." She wore for her wedding
gown, a white muslin. One of her dresses was black silk
and her hat was trimmed with twelve ostrich tips. Her
wardrobe contained a "bambozine cloak." She was a mem-
The Fiuney Family. 261
ber of the Baptist church, at Henderson. She was a singer
and had a sweet voice, which she inherited from her grand-
mother, Ann Matteson. Sylvester Finney, in his trade, of
millwright, made the over shot wheel, and the spouting, and
set up the machinery in the historic water, flour or saw mill,
by the spar dam. When he was married he was engaged on
a mill, at Furnace Falls, Canada, at which place they went
to live. He remained there a good many years, as their
first four children were born in Canada; after which they
returned to Henderson, N. Y.
Mrs. Finney now resides at Lakota, Dakota, with her
daughter, Almira Fillmore, where on her 86th birthday, 23rd,
of July, 1900, her friends and neighbors, gave her a house
warming, which was described in the ' Lakota Herald," as
follows:
"On Friday last, about twenty five ladies, headed by the
Niagara W. C. T. U., proceeded to the home of L. M. Fill-
more, for the purpose of celebrating, in an appropriate
manner, the birthday anniversary of Mrs. Abigail L. Finney,
mother of Mrs. Fillmore. The worthy lady has attained the
age of eighty six years and enjoys very good health. She
entered into the spirit of the occasion with great zest and
enjoyment. Her friends were more than pleased to find her
looking so well. The house was decorated with potted plants
and cut flowers, in a pleasing arrangement. After a short
and entertaining program, dainty refreshments were served
and the rest of the afternoon given up to social intercourse.
Grandma Finney," as she is familarily called, was the
recipitent of a number of nice presents. Among these was
noticed a very handsome testament, of large print, which
gave the greatest delight to the receiver.
Mrs. Finney is one of the pioneers in this section, and is
respected and beloved, by all who know her, for her gentle
manners and many kind deeds."
Their children:
1. Nancy Finney born at Furnace Falls, Canada, March
4, 1833, married S. S. Bulfinch in 1848, a farmer. He died
August 27, 1897, at Ellisburg, N. Y. Their only child, Ida,
married Byron Nutting. They reside at Ellisburg, which is
also the home of her mother.
2. Rachel E. Finney, born January 5, 1835, at Furnace
Falls, Canada, died November 19, 1899, at Marinette, Wis.
Married in 1855, Isaac Hendon Wright, of Oshkosh, Wis.
Her biography is written in another place. 3. Sylvester
262 Family Genealogy.
(5th) Finney was born in Furnace Falls, Canada, October
18, 1836, and died in La Fargeville, N. Y., December, 1863.
He married Sara Beardsly, daughter of John N. and Lucy
Beardsley, of La Fargeville, N. Y. There were no children.
He was a union soldier, in the civil war, with his brother
George, in Company E. 10th, N. Y., Heavy Artillery,
Captain, Cleghorn. They were encamped on Staten Island,
N. Y., for a year, and were then sent to the front; but before
this he returned home on a furlough, married, and returned
within a week, to his regiment. He was sick in Washington
City, for a long time. Mr. Beardsley went there, and
brought him home, to La Fargeville, but he only lived a few
days. His brother George served his time, was honorably
discharged in the spring, 1865.
4. Almira Finney, born October 19, 1838, at Furnace
Falls, Canada, married in 1864, L. M. Fillmore, son of
Joseph and Phebe (Matheson) Fillmore, of Henderson, N.
Y. He is related to President Fillmore. They reside on a
very large farm, near Grand Forks, North Dakota. Their
one child Arthur Fillmore, attended school and perfected his
education as a civil engineer, located in St. Paul, Minn.
Was born in Henderson, N. Y., 1880.
5. George Finney, born October 1842, at Henderson, N.
Y., died January, 1881, at Henderson; married in 1867,
Fanny Gleason, no children. His war record is given above.
6. Edwin Finney, born May 6, 1845, at Henderson, N.
Y., where he died September 22, 187 1; married in 1863,
Jenette Rogers. Their children: William, Myron, George,
Abigail, Edwin.
7. Joseph R. Finney, born at Henderson, N. Y., Septem-
ber 26, 1849. Was a skilled physician, practiced for some
time at Elbowards, North Dakota, where he died, December
27, 1899. Married in 1890, Cecil Webster. Their children
are Sylvester (sixth) and Grandison.
8. Mary Finney, born September 26, 1849, twin sister of
Joseph R. Never married. Died of a severe cold Decem-
ber 5, 1863, at Henderson, N. Y.
9. Zenas, (second) Finney, born January 22, 1852; died
at Stevens Point, Wis., May 18, 1889; married Hattie Fuller,
who lives at Stevens Point. Their children: Ruth and
Frank.
10. Newton Finney, born December 4, 1855, at Hender-
son, N. Y., where he died July 30, 1856.
The Finney Family. 263
ERASMUS DARWIN FINNEY.
Son of Zenas Finney and Rachel Matthews, was born in
Henderson, Jefferson County, N. Y., 1808; died in Menasha,
Wis., April, 1859; married, first, Betsey Whitney Wright,
September 18, 1831. She was born at Manlius, N. Y., Jan-
uary 2, 1 8 14. They settled at Sackett's Harbor and moved
to Oshkosh, Wis., in 1843; where she died May 17, 1845.
Their children were:
1. Newton Sobieski, born November, 1835. Hewent south
and married, about 1859, Josephine De Bignon, in Brunswick,
Ga. He served in the Confederate Army on General Lee's
Staff. Children: Georgiana, Fairy and Joseph. The latter
married and had three children. Newton is living in New
York City. 2. Edwin Erasmus, born July 11, 1838, at
Pillar Point, N. Y. He served in Union Army, Iron Brigade.
Enlisted in Company E, Second Wisconsin. He reenlisted
in Forty-sixth Regiment, Wisconsin, and served during the
war. Married August 22, 1863, Anna Louisa Coffin. Their
home is Oshkosh, Wis. Children: (a) Ina, born October
1, 1864; married June 16, 1887, Selim H. Newton; live at
Oshkosh. Their children are: Edwin, Horace, Louisa,
Jane and Carl Finney. (b) Edwin Erasmus, Jr., born
October 6, 1866; married October 11, 1893, Elsie C., daugh-
ter of Ex. Gov. W. H. Upham; living in Marshfield, Wis.
Their children are: Dorothy, born July 14, 1894; Roderick
Upham, born April 5, 1895; Mary Louise, born 1899; died
1900. (c) William Henry, born August 4, 1868; died
August 4, 1869. (d) Carl Coffin, born September 4, 1869;
married June 14, 1893, Jessie Decker; no children. (e)
Newton Scott, born April 28, 1873; died May 23, 1902. (f)
Earl Peck, born March 2, 1879; graduated at Annapolis,
Naval Academy, 1902; at present serving on ship "Frolic"
in the Philippines, (g) Arthur B., born May 18, 1882. 3.
Georgiana Milton, born November 2, 1841; married Henry
Baldwin Harshaw, December 21, 1864. Died February 17,
1893. Colonel Henry B. Harshaw served all through the
war; was in the Iron Brigade, and lost an arm; served many
years as Clerk of Circuit Court; was a lawyer, and was
elected two terms State Treasurer. Their daughter, Flora
Angie Harshaw, was born October 19, 1865. Married
Thomas Hamilton Hay, M. D., April 27, 1887. Live at No.
209, Nineteenth Street, Milwaukee, Wis. Children: (a) Henry
Harshaw Hay, born February 19, 1891. (b) Donald Leith
Hay, born August 18, 1893.
264 Family Genealogy.
Eramus Darwin Finney, married second wife, about 1847,
Lariana Peck. They then lived in Fond du Lac. Children:
4. Ada, married Kendel. 5. Bieda, married Taylor.
6 and 7. Two girls died in infancy. Erasmus Darwin
Finney, married third wife (probably about 1853), at
Menasha, Wis.; Nancy Maria Green (daughter of Elijah D.
Green and Eliza Weathby Copeland), born March 17, 1828,
in Oswagatchie, St. Lawrence County, N. Y. ; died Oshkosh,
April 23, 1881. Children: 8. Roland Piatt, born in Fond
du Lac, Wis., March 27, 1854; married in Oshkosh, January
18, 1883, Jessie Helen Goe; daughter of Dr. James Goe. He
is asistant cashier Old National Bank. No children. 9.
Luretta, died young. 10. Ole Alton, died young.
Erasmus Darwin Finney, in partnership with a man named
Darling, established and ran the first stage lines in Wisconsin.
They ran lines from Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Green Bay,
Portage to Fond du Lac. In 1859, he was living with his
wife in Brillion, Wisconsin. In the spring of that year, he
went to Menasha to transact business at the land office; and
to visit his son, Edward, who was employed at the dry dock.
While there, he was taken sick; was moved from the hotel, to
the home of a family by the name of Bates, who had formerly
lived in Henderson, N. Y. , where they were acquainted.
Here he died in April, 1859. The roads were impassable for
teams, so his son, Edward, walked to Oshkosh, to notify the
relatives there of his father's death. As walking was the
only way of reaching Menasha, none of the others went up;
Edward walked back and was the only relative present at his
father's funeral. He was buried in the lot of the Bates family,
in the Menasha Cemetery; and it was weeks before the news
of his death could be sent to his wife in Brillion.
REV. CHAS. G. FINNEY.
Rev. Charles Grandison Finney, was the son of Sylvester
Finney and Rebecca Rice, of Warren, County.
This noble character in American religious effort, in his
life long work for mankind, and passion for winning souls,
has imperishably connected his name, with America's greatest
men. The beginning of such a life is interesting. We quote
his own words, from Rev. Finney '/Memories." I was born
in Warren, Litchfield County, Conneticut, August 29, 1792.
When I was about two years old, my father removed to
Oneida County, New York, which was, at that time, to a
The Finney Family. 265
great extent, a wilderness. No religious privileges were
enjoyed by the people. Very few religious books were to be
had. The new settlers, being mostly from New England,
almost immediately established common schools; but they
had among them, very little intelligent preaching of the
Gospel. I enjoyed the privileges of a common school sum-
mer and winter, until I was fifteen or sixteen years old; and
advanced so far, as to be supposed capable of teaching a
common school myself, as common schools were then con-
ducted. My parents were neither of them professors of
religion, and, I believe, among our neighbors, there were
very few religious people. I seldom heard a sermon, unless
it was an occasional one, from some traveling minister, or
some miserable holding forth of an ignorant preacher, who
would sometimes be found in that country.
In the neighborhood of my father's residence, we had just
erected a meeting house, and settled a minister; when my
father was induced to remove again into the wilderness,
skirting the southern shore of Lake Ontario, a little south of
Sackett's Habor. Here again I lived for several years,
enjoying no better religious privileges than I had in Oneida
County.
When about twenty years old I returned to Connecticut,
and from thence went to New Jersey, near New York city,
and engaged in teaching. I taught and studied as best I
could; and twice returned to New England, and attended a
high school, for a season. While attending the high school,
I meditated going to Yale College. The teacher to whom I
have referred, wished me to join him in conducting an
academy in one of the southern states. I was inclined to
accept his proposal, with the design of pursuing and com-
pleting my studies under his instruction. But when I
informed my parents, whom I had not seen for four years, of
my contemplated movement south, they both came
immediately after me, and prevailed on me to go home with
them to Jefferson County, New York. After making them a
visit, I concluded to enter, as a student, the law office of
Squire Benjamin Wright, at Adams a few miles away in that
county. This was in 18 18. Up to this time, I had never
enjoyed what might be called religious privileges. I had
never lived in a praying community, except during the
periods when I was attending the high school, in New Eng-
land; and the religion in that place was of a type not at all
calculated to arrest my attention. The preaching was by an
266 Family Genealogy.
aged clergyman, an excellent man, and greatly beloved and
venerated by his people; but he read his sermons, in a manner
that left no impression whatever on my mind. He had a
monotonous, humdrum way of reading, what he had probably
written many years before. To give some idea of his preach-
ing, let me say, that his manuscript sermons, were just large
enough to put into a small bible. I sat in the gallery, and
observed that he placed his manuscript, in the middle of his
bible; and inserted his fingers, at the places where were to be
found, the passages of scripture to be quoted, in the reading
of his sermons. This made it necessary to hold his bible in
both hands, and rendered all gesticulation with his hands,
impossible. As he proceeded, he would read the passages of
scripture, where his fingers were inserted, and thus liberate
one finger after another, until the fingers of both hands, were
read out of their places. When his fingers were all read out,
he was near the close of the sermon. His reading was alto-
gether unimpassioned and monotonous; and although the
people attended very closely and reverentially to his reading,
yet I must confess, it was to me not much like preaching. Thus
when I went to Adams to study law I was almost as ignorant
of religion, as a heathen. I had been brought up mostly in
the woods. I had very little regard for the Sabbath, and
had no definite knowledge, of religious truth. In studying
elementary law, I found the old authors, frequently quoting
the scriptures; and referring especially to the Mosaic Insti-
tutes, as authority for many of the great principles of com-
mon law. This excited my curiosity so much, that I went
and purchased a bible, the first I had ever owned; and when-
ever I found a reference, by the law authors, to the bible, I
turned to the passage, and consulted it in its connection.
This soon led to my taking a new interest in the bible, and I
read and meditated on it much more than I had ever done
before, in my life. However, much of it I did not under-
stand."
After meditating on what he had read for several weeks,
much disturbed; he went alone into the woods, and after long
prayer, was converted. He then began revival work, and
left the law forever. "After a short time I went down to
Henderson, where my father lived, and visited him. He
was an unconverted man; and only one of the family, my
youngest brother, had ever made a profession of religion.
My father met me at the gate, and said, How do you do
Charles?" I replied, I am well, body and soul. But
The Finney Family. 267
father, you are an old man; all your children are grown up,
and have left your house; and I never heard a prayer in my
father's house." Father dropped his head, and burst into
tears, and replied, I know it, Charles; come in and pray
yourself." We went in, and engaged in prayer. My father
and mother were greatly moved; and in a very short time
thereafter, they were both hopefully converted. I do not
know but my mother had had a secret hope, before; but if
so, none of the family, I believe, ever knew it."
Mr. Finney's views of religion, were obtained from the
bible alone, and he differed from the accepted Princeton
doctrine; and also from the Universalist. This occasioned
some opposition to him, among the settled ministers; but he
was admitted among them; and authorized to preach. Then
began the most remarkable revival labors, ever successfully
carried, on by any man, in all the world. He was licensed
to preach, in the Presbyterian church, in 1824. His revival
sermons met with great success in Utica, Troy, Philadelphia,
Boston and New York. On his second visit to the last City,
in 1832, the Chatham street theater was bought, and made
over into a church for him, and the New York "Evangelist"
established as an advocate of the revival. His labors here,
resulted in the establishment of seven "free Presbyterian
churches." In 1834, he became pastor of the Broadway
Tabernacle, which had been built especially for him. Mr.
Finney accepted, in 1835, the Professorship, of Theology, at
Oberlin, which had just been founded, by his friends, and
retained it until his death, at eighty-three years of age, August
16, 1875. Here he assisted in establishing the 'Oberlin
Evangelist," and afterward, the ' 'Oberlin Quarterly." He
also became pastor of the Congregational church, at Oberlin,
in 1837; but continued, at intervals, to preach in New York,
and elsewhere. He spent three years in England, as a
revivalist, in 1849-51; and 1858-60, adding to his reputation,
for eloquence; in 1851-66, fifteen years, was president of
Oberlin College. Mr. Finney relied greatly, on doctrinal
sermons, in his revivals, as opposed to animal excitement;
and his sermons were plain, logical and direct. He was an
abolitionist, an anti-mason, and an advocate of total
abstinence.
In October, 1824, he was married, at Whitestown, near
Utica, to Miss Lydia Andrews. He left for Evans Mills, to
obtain a conveyance to transport their goods; then he was so
much sought after, that he could not get back, to his wife,
268 Family Genealogy.
for several months. Finally, when he did get within sixteen
miles of where his wife was, he was obliged to have his horse
shod; and the people finding out who he was, insisted on his
preaching that noon; which he did. Then the demands on
him became so great, he finally consented to remain if some
one would go and bring his wife, which was agreed to. His
wife died, December, 1847, and his great sorrow is eloquently*
and pathetically described in his Memoirs. Children born
to them: 1. Charles G. Finney, second, who was admitted
to practice law, and lived in California. 2. Frederick
Norton Finney, president of the Wisconsin Trust Company,
since 1890; was born at Boston, March 7, 1832. He had a
common school education, at Oberlin, Ohio; admitted to the
bar, 1857. In December, 1863, he married Willieanna W.
Clarke, of Oberlin, Ohio. He practiced in Oshkosh, Wis.,
1857-60; and in i860, joined the Engineers' Corps of Chicago
& Northwestern Railway Co. He had charge of construction,
two years; city engineer, Toledo, Ohio, two years; first assist-
ant engineer, Union Pacific, Mountain Division, in 1864. He
was a resident engineer and superintendent, Jamestown Divi-
sion, Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, 1864-7; chief engi-
neer, Erie & Pittsburg Railroad, 1867-70; and as chief engi-
neer and general superintendent, located and built Canada
Southern, in 1870-4. In 1874-8, he was chief engineer and
and superintendent of the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railway;
general manager of Wisconsin Central, 1878-89. He is a
director, member of the executive committee and superin-
tendent construction, Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway.
He had charge of building extension, San Marcos to San
Antonio, Texas, 1900-1. His residence is No. 34, Prospect
Avenue, Milwaukee, and his office is No. 112 Mason Street,
Milwaukee.
3. Helen Finney, who married General J. Dolson Cox, of
Cincinnati, O., a lawyer, Member of Congress, and a general
in the Civil War; after which he was Secretary of the Inte-
rior in President Grant's Cabinet. His widow resides at
Oberlin.
4. Julia Finney, was second wife of Honorable James
Monroe, A. M., L. L. D., Member of Congress, Minister to
Rio de Janeiro, and Professor of Political Economy, in Oberlin
College. She still resides at Oberlin.
CHAPTER X.
Robert Williams, of Roxbury.
Was the head of this family of Williams. Much of the
history of the numerous distinguished descendants of Robert
Williams, of Roxbury, has been often written in books,
newspapers and periodicals. A forthcoming work promises
to discover, to which of the historic family of Williams, in
England, this Robert of Roxbury, belonged. For the present
we may be content to know, that in his veins was the con-
genital blood which animated many a celebrated soldier and
statesman of England, included in which historic list, are
Oliver Cromwell, and the illustrious Queen Elizabeth.
The family of Sir Robert Williams, Ninth Baronet of
Penrhyn, was lineally descended from Marchudel of Cyan,
Lord of Abergelen, in Denbihshire, one of the fifteen tribes
of North Wales, who lived in the times of Roderic the
Great, King of the Britons, about 849. From him was
descended, Eduyfid Fycham, ancestor of the royal house of
Tudor, which commenced in 1845, with Henry Tudor,
who after the battle of Bosworth Field, was proclaimed
King Henry VI. He was succeeded by his son, Henry VIII,
whose son, Edward VI, followed him; then his sisters, Mary,
and the celebrated Queen Elizabeth, the last Tudor. The
above, Marchudel, was descended from Brutus, the first
King of the Britons; who began to reign about 1,100 years
before the birth of Christ. In the "William's Family,"
1847, by Stephen W. Williams, M. D., there is a picture of
the Williams' Coat of Arms, which they assumed after union
with the Matthew's family; and supposing this Robert of
Roxbury may have descended from this Williams, of Flint,
this would be the coat of arms. I have seen the pamphlet of
Mr. Edward H. Williams, Jr., of Bethlehem, Pa., "Robert
Williams," in which he seems to doubt, the descent of this
coat of arms as proper, though he intimates he may produce
270 Family Genealogy.
one from the vicinity of Norwich, England. Much interest
has been manifested in the family of Robert Williams, of
Roxbury, because of the romantic and partly obscure history
of Eleazor Williams, the Lost Dauphin, who it is claimed is
a descendant of this Robert, through Eunace, a captive at
eight years of age, a daughter of Rev. John Williams, of
Deerfield, a grandson, whose family were all victims of its
destruction, by the French and Indians. Mr. W. W. Wight,
in his, "Eleazer Williams," has listed nearly all the publica-
tions, on the Robert Williams' descendants. His history of
Robert Williams is so concise and correct that I copy it:
"in the parish church, of St. Nicholas, in Great Yarmouth,
Norfolk, Norwich County, England, Robert, eldest son of
Stephen and Margaret (Cooke) Wilyams, was baptised on
December n, 1608. Robert's wife, Elizabeth Stalham, was
a year, or thereabouts, her husband's junior. Robert was a
cord wainer and plied his trade in his native shire, from
1623, until he deserted his ancestral shores. On April 8,
1637, he, with his wife and their four children, Samuel
John, Elizabeth and Deborah, were examined, preliminary
to emigration to New England. One week later, the family
sailed, in the "Rose of Yarmouth," for Boston. Others of
the same surname, from the same neighborhood, fol-
lowed their example. Forthwith Robert made permanent
settlement, in Roxbury, where in 1643, nis household, now
augmented to six children, dwelt upon an estate of twenty-
five acres. As a member of the church of the Rev. John
Eliot, and as otherwise qualified, Robert was made a freeman,
May 16, 1643.
He was a personage of strong fibre, a rigid Puritan. Self
exiled for conscience sake, his conscience was his constant
mentor. A single incident will picture his character. The
magistrates of Massachusetts Bay, sent letters to the several
towns, in 1672, requesting pecuniary assistance for Harvard
College; and inviting criticisms upon the conduct of the insti-
tution. Roxbury, while not refusing the aid, replied, on
March 5, 1672, complaining of an evil in the method of edu-
cation; that the youth were brought up in pride, ill fitting
persons intended for either the magistracy or the ministry,
and particularizing their wearing longhair, even in the pulpit,
to the great grief and fear of many godly hearts. Prominent
among the endorsers of this indictment were Robert Williams,
and his son Samuel."
Robert Williams, of Roxbury. 271
«<-
Both Robert and Elizabeth Williams died in Roxbury;
the former Sept. 1, 1693; tne latter, July 28, 1674, 'aged
eighty years.' They were the progenitors of many distin-
guished and honored Americans; not a few of these, despite
the capilary criticism, were graduates of Harvard, and one,
Colonel Ephraim Williams, was himself the founder of a
college." Robert's gravestone cannot be found in the Rox-
bury burying ground, though those of Elizabeth, his wife,
who died in 1674, and of his son, Samuel, who died in 1698,
are still extant.
It was said by Farnum in Genealogy, "that Robert Williams
of Roxbury, was the common ancestor of the divines, civil-
ians and ancestors of the name, who have honored the coun-
try of their birth." It has also been said, that the "history
of the William's family, in America, embraces a considerable
portion of the history of New England, if not of the United
States." It was a descendant of Robert- who founded
Williams College.
To Robert Williams of Roxbury, and Elizabeth Stalham,
were born seven children, of whom the fifth was:
Isaac Williams, born in Roxbury, Mass., September 1,
1638. He was a weaver, a captain, and a deacon at Newton,
Mass., married Martha Parke, 1660. His brother Samuel,
married her sister, Theoda. She was a daughter of Deacon
William Parke; born March 2, 1642; and died at Newton,
October 24, 1674, whither they removed immediately after
marriage, and settled on 500 acres of land, purchased by her
father. Isaac was an influential citizen, and represented the
town of Newton, in the General Court of Massachusetts for
five or six years; and is said to have commanded a troop of
horse. He died February 11, 1707, aged seventy. By his
two wives, there were thirteen children; and by his wife
Martha Parke, their fifth child was:
Colonel John Williams, born October 31, 1667. He
settled in Stoneington, Conn. Here he married January 24,
1688, Martha Wheeler, daughter of Isaac Wheeler and
Martha Parke, of Stoneington, born February 6, 1670; died
December 17, 1745. He died November 15, 1702. Isaac
Wheeler was a very early settler in Stoneington, where he
took 4000 acres of land, some of which still remains in
possession of the descendants of John Williams. There were
seven children born to them, of whom the youngest was:
272 Family Genealogy.
Captain Benajah Williams, born at Stoneington, Conn.,
August 28, 170Q; died in 1808, at one hundred and eight
years of age. Was an inn keeper and farmer. He married
Deborah Fanning whom we suppose, was also of Stoneing-
ton, Conn. Their oldest son was:
Major Joseph Williams, born at Stoneington, Conn.,
December 5, 1725; baptized in the First church of Stoneing-
ton, September 3, 1732; died 1808; married Hannah Fuller
at Stoneington, who was born in Connecticut 1726, died 1810.
He moved to Pownal, Vermont, to perfect his New Hamp-
shire grant title," 1762. Moved his family to Pownal,
when his son, Isaiah was an infant, probably 1764 or 1765.
On May 8, 1763, the day of the first meeting in Pownal, for
the election of town officers, of which there is any record,
Thomas Jewett, Joseph Williams and Eli Noble, were elected
the first justices. (Vermont Hist. Gazetteer, Vol. I. p. 218).
This office he filled for thirty three years.
Major Williams was a member of the General Convention,
that assembled at Westminister, January 15, 1777. (Page
39, Vol. I. Record of Governor, and Council and of the
General Conventions.)
This convention, by resolution, proclaimed and publicly
declared: "That the district or territory comprehending,
and usually known by the name and description of the ' New
Hampshire Grants," of right ought to be, and is hereby
declared forever hereafter, to be considered as a separate,
free and independent jurisdiction or state, by the name, and
forever to be called, known and distinguished by the name of
"New Connecticut." (Records, Vol. I. p. 41). On the 4th
day of June following, this name was changed to Vermont.
(Records, Vol. I. p. 41. Note).
This convention also petitioned the Continental Congress,
that the said territory, be ranked among the free and Ameri-
can States; and delegates there from, admitted to seats in the
Grand Continental Congress.
Of the convention that met at Windsor, July 2, 1777, Major
Joseph Williams was a member from Pownal. (Records,
Vol. I. p. 62). "This convention was unsurpassed in
importance, by any other in the State, in that it established
a Constitution, and frame Government." (Records, etc.,
Vol. I. p. 62).
This Constitution made Vermont, 'the first of the States
to prohibit slavery by constitutional provision, a fact of
which Vermonters may well be proud."
Robert Williams, of Roxbury. 273
On the 13th day of August, 1777, the Council of Safety,
then sitting at Bennington, issued an order to the Commander
of each regiment of the State Militia, requiring him, without
a moment's loss of time, to march one half of his regiment
to Bennington.
In the manuscript journal of Rev. Benajah Williams a
grandson (Vol. IV. p. 298) which was in the possession of
his son, the late A. J. Williams, of Cleveland, Ohio; it is
recorded that his grandfather, Major Joseph Williams, of
Pownal, a Major in the Vermont Militia, called out his men,
and marched them to Bennington, arriving in time only to
assist in burying the dead, and removing the wounded. In
the year 1794, twenty families moved from Pownal and
settled in Madison County, New York; Joseph sold his land
in Pownal for $2400.00, receiving full payment in silver
dollars, and entrusted the proceeds to his son, Isaiah, to
invest in land in Madison County, which was done accord-
ingly, in Cazenovia, and in 1802 or 1803, he and his wife
moved to Cazenovia, N. Y., with Isaiah, in whose family
they resided, until their death, both dying in Cazenovia; he,
being eighty-five years of age and she about ninety years of
age.
Isaiah Williams, son of Major Joseph Williams and
Hannah Fuller his wife, born in Galesburg, Conn., February
19, 1764, and died at Vermont, 111., January 26, 1853. He
was a farmer; moved, when a small boy, to Pownal, Ver-
mont, with his parents. He married there, Anna Matteson,
of that place. She was a daughter of Abraham Matteson
and Martha his wife, of Pownal. She was born at West
Greenwich, R. I., April 26, 1767, and died at Henderson,
N. Y., August 25, 1842. They resided at Pownal, Vt.,
until about 1794, when they moved to Cazenovia, Madison
County, N. Y., having purchased lands there, where they
remained until about, 1829, when they moved to Hender-
son, Jefferson County, New York, where his wife died in
1842; and two years after, he moved to Belvidere, 111., then
to De Pere, Wis.; then to Vermont, 111., where he died.
After her fathers death, Abigail Hitchcock (Finney,) being
then quite young, went to live with Isaiah and Anna his wife,
who were her grandparents and then at Cazenovia. She
relates of them, that they were, "well to do" farmers, and
very staunch Methodists. The "Circuit riding" minister
always stopped with them, during quarterly meetings.
274 Family Genealogy.
They always entertained the ministers. Those were the days
of the big fire place, spinning wheels and looms. Thanks-
giving day was the great day of the year. Many days were
devoted to making preparations for the event. The old
fashioned brick oven was kept hot day and night. When
Thanksgiving day came, the fatted turkey was hung in front
of the fire place; and it fell to the lot of grandpa Isaiah, to
sit near, and baste the turkey, with a long handled spoon,
from a pan of drippings beneath. He also had to turn it
from time to time, to secure an even brown color, on all
sides. They taught Abigail, their grandchild, the art of
primitive spinning and weaving. Warm bed blankets, beau-
tiful coverlets, table linen, towels, flannels for dresses, and
shirts were not only woven, but the yarn was spun from the
wool and flax. Isaiah and his wife Anna were fond of sing-
ing Methodist hymns. He would spend much of the time
during the long winter evenings, singing with his children and
grandchildren. His wife Anna always sang while at her
work. It is said she had a fine voice and was called a
splendid singer. Their granddaughter, Abigail Hitchcock,
moved to Henderson, with them, when fifteen years of age,
where she became acquainted with Mr. Finney, whom she
married there. The children of Isaiah and Anna Williams
were:
i. Lydia Williams, born January n, 1785, at Pownal,
Vt. ; married Bela Hitchcock.
2. Hannah Finney Williams, born May 11, 1787, and
died in DePere, Wis., July 30, 1850; married her cousin Abel
Vail, who died October 12, 1849. He was son of Warren, of
Warren County, N. Y.
3. Rev. Benajah Williams, born at Pownal, Vt., August
24, 1789; died January 22, 1864, at Dayton, Ohio. He was
a Methodist Minister. His children were:
(a) Louisa, born January 18, 1810; died December 15,
1879. (b) Levisa, born July 3, 181 1; died February 12,
1893. (°) Lorenzo Dow, born March 7, 1813; died Octo-
ber 14, 1878. (d) John Wesley, born July 12, 1815; died
July 7, 1886. (e)Wm. McKendree, born February 18, 1818;
died December 6, 1892. (f) Benajah, Jr., born April 17,
1820; died April 9, 1890. (g) Francis Smith, born February
17, 1823; died March 20, 1897. (h) Adam Clarke, born
February 19, 1826; resides in Columbus, O. (i) Andrew
Jackson, born February 8, 1829; died August 5, 1901,
Cleveland, Ohio, (j) Nancy Maria, born February 13, 1833;
died March 13, 1833.
Robert Williams, of Roxbury. 275
4. Abraham W. Williams, born in Pownal, Vt., March
24, 1792; died April 24, 1873, at Grand Island, Mich. His
wife died July 18, 18 19. There was one son, Abraham, by a
second marriage; he had eight children.
5. Rufus Williams, born May 14, 1796, and died Octo-
ber 23, 1836.
6. Hyram Williams, born September n, 1798; married
Hannah. Children: Lorilla, born January 21, 1844, died
at Locke, N. Y. ; Adeline, born July 7, 1828, died at Hender-
son, N. Y.
7. Susannah Williams, born July 15, 1800; married J.
Briggs. She died in Crawford County, Wis. He died May 5,
183 1, aged thirty-five.
8. Aaron Williams, born November 20, 1802; died August
29, 1846, at Belvidere, 111. By his first wife, the children
were: Samuel and Walton; by his second wife: Eaton, who
died March 26, 1832, and Sabelia, Marial and Perry.
9. Sarah Williams, born June 10, 1806, was twin to Dr.
Abiather. She died October 4, 1859.
10. Dr. Abiather B. Williams, twin brother of Sarah, was
born June 10, 1806, at Cazenovia, N. Y.
Lydia Williams, born in Pownal, Vt., January 11, 1785,
died at Henderson, N. Y., April 16, 1868, where she was
buried in the Carpenter" cemetery. She was the oldest
child of Isaiah Williams, and moved with him, in 1794, to
Cazenovia, N. Y. ; where she was married to Mr. Barton,
who died, leaving her with two little boys, one of whom was
Isaiah Barton, who had children. The other was Gideon O.
Barton, who died April 16, 183 1. She married for her
second husband, Bela Hitchcock, the soldier, at Cazenovia,
N. Y. Their four children:
1. Abigail Lonsberry Hitchcock, born July 23, 1814;
married Sylvester Finney. She lives at Lakota, N. Dakota.
2. Anna Hitchcock, born October 19, 1811; she married
George Kilby, January 20, 1833. Their son, A. E. Kilby,
is a practicing attorney, winning marked success at Carthage,
Jefferson County, N. Y.
3. Joseph Hitchcock; first wife, was Jane Wilson, Octo-
ber 29, 1837; second wife, Sarah Barton, December 4, 1844.
His widow and daughter, reside at Woodville, N. Y.
4. Olney Hitchcock died young. •
After the death of Bela Hitchcock, Lydia married, as a
third husband, John Van Alstine, by whom she had one child,
276 Family Genealogy.
Marion Van Alstine, who lived in Wisconsin, near Water-
town, and married Jacob Hackett. She died young of con-
sumption.
Dr. Abiather B. Williams, youngest son of Isaiah
Williams and Anna, born in Cazenovia, Madison County,
N. Y., June 10, 1806. He studied medicine with Dr. Meyers,
an old, experienced Doctor; then with Dr. Madison, and
attended school. In 183 1 and 1832 he practiced in Chicago,
for the soldiers.
He married for his first wife, Abiah M. Mackson, who
was born November 15, 1808, and died September 18, 1826.
They were married November 10, 1825, at Cazenovia, N. Y.
For his second wife, he married Harriet Sanford, March 3,
1827. She died December 19, 1841. Her children were:
1. Mariah, born September 30, 1828; died February 15,
1830.
2. Horace, born May 27, 1830; died December 6, 1850,
in California.
3. Oliver, born September 4, 1832; died January 18,
1884, in Depere.
4. Cordelia, born December 13, 18315; died August 18,
1837.
5. George, born January 27, 1838; died November 24,
1838.
6. Alonzo, born October 7, 1841; died August 29, 1844.
For his third wife he married Lucy Ann Munger, April 8,
1842. She was born August 9, 1824, and died January 10,
1900. Children:
1. Almira Eugenia, born in Nauvoo, 111., November 13,
1843. 2. James, born September 4, 1845; and died Decem-
ber 1, 1845. 3- Aaron, born September 2, 1846; died same
day. 4. Mary, born July 19, 1848; died in DePere, March
20, 1850. 5. Charles, born February 17, 1850, in DePere;
died next day. 6. California, born December 13, 1852;
died January 20, 1853, in California. 7. Andrew, J. A.,
born November 8, 1854, in California; married. 8. Flora
Bell Irene, born in DePere, July 19, 1858; and died March
14, 1893, in Chicago. 9. Charlotte Raymond, born in
DePere, March 6, 1862.
Dr. Abiather Williams was a very successful doctor. In
the spring of 1850, he concluded to go to California, by the
overland journey with his family, requiring six months to
make the trip. In the fall of the next year, he returned to
Robert Williams, of Roxbury. 277
the States by water, and stopped at Vermont, 111. The next
year he again went overland to California and returned to
the states in 1855, by water, and remained during the summer
at DePere. In the fall of 1855, he went back to California
by water. He returned again to DePere in 1857, where he
remained. In 1858, he built the California House in DePere.
He died in DePere, February 28, 1875.
Oliver Perry Williams, born September 4, 1832; and
died at DePere, January 18, 1884, third son of Abiather
Williams and Harriet Sanford; married Lucinda Amanda
Munger, July 4, 1852. Children:
1. Lucy Ann, born April 20, 1853; died July, 1854. 2.
Oliver Perry, Jr., born June 12, 1854; died July 8, 1857;
buried at sea. 3. Emma Violet, born November 13, 1858;
married F. Smith; one child, Marion. For second husband
she married Clarence Buell. Their children were:
Frank, Laura, Clara and Nellie. 4. Abiather N., born
March 16, 1861; married and had five children. 5. Will-
iam Thomas, born January 2, 1863, was drowned October
13, 1880. 6. James Carleton, born March 16, 1869. 7.
Hyram Bird, born June 9, 187 1; died August 22, 1872.
8. Almira Eugenia, born October 12, 1873. 9- Mary,
born September 3, 1875; died September 9, 1875.
Almira Eugenia Williams, born in Nauvoo, 111., Novem-
ber 13, 1843, tne second child of Abiather B. Williams and
Lucy Ann Munger; married in the fall of i860, to James W.
Childs, born February 20, 1834. Their home is in Depere,
Wis., where they have lived for many years, and where all
their children were born. Children:
1. Charles G. A. born July 29, 1861; married Emma
Matthews, February 2, 1891. Their child, James W., was
born November 22, 1891. 2. Ellen Virginia, born Octo-
ber 6, 1862; resides at DePere. 3. Lucy Ann Daisy, born
January 9, 1864; died April 17, 1865. 4. Grace Eugenia,
born December 2, 1865; married her cousin, Charles R.
Williams, June 8, 1892. Born to them: Jennie, November 5,
1893; Helen, December 12, 1894; Gladys, August 12, 1897.
Residence, Denver. He was son of Abraham Williams and
his wife, E. Beattie. His brothers Eddie and Clifford Will-
iams, reside in Antigo, Wis. He had a half brother, Merritt,
who married Nellie Stewart, and who died April, 1901, at
Antigo; and a half sister (Amanda Freeborn, mother),
278 Family Genealogy.
Emogene, of Antigo, who married Charles Beattie. 5.
Florence Lillian, born December 11, 1868. Is teaching
kindergarten in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 6. Gladys Eugenia,
born February 9, 1880, resides at DePere, Wis.; attends
Normal School at Oshkosh, Wis. ; is also perfecting herself in
music.
James Wilkinson Childs, the husband of Almira Eugenia
Williams, has a distinguished lineage as follows:
At the time of the settlement of Baltimore, Md., by Lord
Baltimore, (1634, or soon thereafter), a younger son of a
rich and titled family in England, by the name of Childs,
obtained from Lord Baltimore, a grant of a large tract of
land, in Maryland; and came over and settled on this land,
raising a large family of boys and girls. One of his descend-
ants, in the latter part of the Seventeenth century, settled in
the wilderness of the Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia, eight
miles north of the place where now stands the old town of
Winchester. One of his descendants, Benjamin Childs, had
issue: Mordecai, Stanley, John, Mason and Griffin. Griffin,
the youngest son, was born 1798; married Mary Ann Cole,
1824. Their children were: Ann Rebecca, Isaac Benjamin,
Mary Ann, Griffin, Wm. Ridgely, John Alexander, James
Wilkinson, Thomas Warren and Sarah Susan. Living today:
Isaac B. Childs, West Liberty, la. ; James W. Childs, DePere,
Wis.; and Sarah Susan Clevanger, Stephenson, Va. Benja-
min Childs, in 1815, moved to Ohio, with his sons, Mordecai,
John and Stanley; Mason and Griffin remaining in Virginia.
Mason died in 1864; Griffin in 1875.
Flora Bell Irene Williams, eighth child of Abiather B.
Williams and Lucy Ann Munger, born July 19, 1858; was
married first, to Edward W. Hammarskold, April 25, 1877.
Their children:
1. Flora Hedda Ingaborg, born February 19, 1878; died
April 22, 1901. 2. Marjorie Hazel, born December 6,
1 881; married Harry Bolles, at DePere, Wis., September 19,
1901, 3. Raymond Hyalmar, born March 6, 1884. 4.
Druella Loealth, born July 9, 1891; died June 15, 1892.
Flora Bell Irene Williams married second, Edward D.
Clarabut, February 18, 1892; she died March 14, 1893, in
Chicago, 111.
Robert Williams, of Roxbury.
279
Charlotte Raymond Williams, ninth daughter of Abiather
B. Williams and Lucy Ann Munger, was born in Depere,
March 6, 1862; married C. M. Derrick, March 9, 1887; their
child, Mildred, born March 13, 1888, and died May 9, 1888.
She married second, William Loudon Turkington, December
29, 1891. Present address, 4954 Forestville Ave., Chicago,
111. Their children: 1. Norman Munger, born April 16,
1893, died August 5, 1894. 2. Flora Clare, born May 29,
1894. 3. Norman Loealth, born July 16, 1899.
CHAPTER XI.
The Clan McAlpin.
This celebrated family, in the romantic and heroic history
of Scotland, fills volumes of its history. The McAlpins, are
descendants of Alpin, King of the Scots, who flourished
about the year 787. Under his son, Kenneth MacAlpin, the
waring Picts, Scots, and Caledonians became united into
one nation, named Scotland. The ancient seat of the clan,
was at Dunnstaffunage in Argyelshire. The ancient crest of
the McAlpins is a crowned head, with a gaelic inscription:
"Remember the death of Alpin," alluding to the death of
King Alpin by Brutus, the Pictish King, in 834. The father
of Frederick McAlpin, left the Highlands, and settled in
Midlothian, near Musselburgh in 1740. Frederick had
four sons; Walter, Frederick Jr., Thomas and John; three of
whom became steam engineers, including John, the youngest.
John McAlpin, youngest son of Frederick, was born in
the small village of Muntin Ha, near Edinburgh, Scotland,
181 1. He was a steam engineer, which trade he followed,
until coming to America in 1852. John married in 1833,
Janet Young, who was born in Musselburgh, Scotland in
1809, and died in New London, Conn., 1894. Her father
was Robert Young, a lath splitter, of that place, born 1765;
married in Linlithgow, (seventeen miles from Edinbugh,)
Miss Catharine Gibson, and had children: Scott Young,
William, Jemimie* Janet and Mary Ann Young. Scott was
an elder in the Relief Church, and often gave excellent
lectures, on different subjects, and followed trade of lath
splitter, and having married, had one son, who came twice
to America, and lived near the Mexican line, in California.
William Young was a soldier, in the United States, and
having served 19 years, could not obtain a pension; so
enlisted again, and served for seven years, when he received
The Clan McAlpin. 281
his pension, and started to visit his old home, but died at
Quebec. He was not married.
John McAlpin, came with his wife and some of their child-
ren, to America in 1852; and invested in land, at Montville,
New London County, Conn., where he continued farming,
for more than forty years and still lives at ninety-two years
of age. Their children were all born in Scotland. Born to
John and Janet McAlpin were:
1. Frederick, born September 2, 1834, came to America
in 1852. Is a paper mill superintendent.
2. Robert Young McAlpin, born March 3rd, 1837, in
CoKenzie, Scotland, married September 26, i860, at Lee,
Mass., Miss Harriet Pomroy Graves, of Lee, Mass.
3. Alexander, born 1839; died 1850. 4. John Jr., born
1-841; came to America with his family, in 1854. Was in
army of the Potomac, under McClellan; and was killed at battle
of Gains Mills, June, 1862. 5. Catharine, born 1844. 6.
Isabella, born 1846. 7. Janet, born 1848. 8. Alexander,
born February 22, 1852, and died October 10, 1902, at
Otsego, Michigan.
Robert Young McAlpin, son of John and Janet, was born
in CoKenzie, Scotland, March 3, 1837. His father, John
McAlpin, having been employed as mechanical engineer, in
a paper mill, at Portobello, near Edinburgh, naturally
apprenticed his sons to learn the art of paper making.
Robert, his second son, together with his elder brother
Frederick, left Scotland, Frederick in 1852, and Robert in
1853, for the United States. They found employment at
papermaking, in the vicinity of Norwich, Conn. In 1857
Robert went to the then noted papermaking town of Lee,
Mass. ; where at the age of twenty-one, he became superin-
tendent of one of the several mills, of the Smith Paper Com-
pany, and a few years later was appointed general manager,
of all their mills. In 1867, he was offered a position as
manager of a mill at Montville, Conn. The mill at Montville,
Conn., which having been destroyed by fire, in 1868, he,
together with capitalists of New London, rebuilt the
mill, and managed it successfully, for some years;
after which, he accepted an offer to return to Lee,
Mass., to fill the same position he formerly held; remain-
ing with the Smith Paper Company, for many years.
He removed to Marinette, Wis., in 1885, and assumed the
management of the mills of the Marinette & Menominee
282 Family Genealogy.
Paper Company. His home is still there, but he has not
been connected with the paper mills there, since 1896, when
he sold his interests in the mills and resigned his position as
manager.
Robert McAlpin married, September 26, i860, Miss
Harriet Pomroy Graves, at Lee, Mass., where she was born,
June 15, 1841. Children: 1. Charles Walter McAlpin,
born in Lee, Berkshire County, Mass., September 8, 1861;
lives at Wabash, Indiana. Married Edith Wright at Neenah.
2. Robert Arthur McAlpin, born in Lee, Berkshire County,
Mass., February 6, 1864; lives at East Hampton, Mass. 3.
Harriet McAlpin, born in Lee, Berkshire County, Mass.,
October 26, 1866; married Luther MacNeill, lives at Helena,
Montana. 4. Louis Almarin McAlpin, born in Montville,
New London County, Conn., September 16, 1868; lives at
Marinette, Wis. 5. Maurice De Witt McAlpin, born in
Montville, New London County, Conn., September 12,
1870; lives in Chicago, 111. 6. Milo Frederick McAlpin,
born in Lee, Berkshire County, Mass., October 20, 1875,
lives in Brooklyn, N. Y. 7. Ellen M. McAlpin, born in
Lee, Berkshire County, Mass., August 6 died August 27,
1879-
Alexander McAlpin, son of John and Janet (Young)
McAlpin, born in Scotland, February 22, 1852; and died
October 10, 1902, at Otsego, Michigan, and was buried in New
London, Conn. He owned a large farm at Watervliet,
Michigan, where he was superintendent of a paper mill. He
married, December 28, 1876, Margaret Palmer Elliott, born
in New London, Conn., July 15, 1852. She resides, at
New London, Conn., No. 227 Montauk Ave. Children: 1.
Florence Ellen, born January 2, 1878, at Lee, Mass. ; married
November 6, 1900, Edgar Maperron Shearer, who is engaged
in the U. S. Navy Yard, at Washington, D. C. Residence
No. 1326 Emerson, N. E. Washington, D. C. 2. George
Frederick, born in Lee, Mass., May 19, 1879, salesman for
William H. Elliott, florist, Brighton, Mass. 3. William
Alexander, born at Lee, Mass., May 23, 1881, salesman for
Wm Elliott, florist Brighton, Mass. 4. Edward Alfred,
born June 23, 1883, died August 23, 1895, at Midvale, N. J.
5. John Thomas born August 9, 1888; died April 13, 1890,
at Holyoke, Mass.
CHAPTER XII.
The Graves Family.
Thomas Graves, born in England before 1585; died at
Hatfield, Mass., November 1662. His wife Sarah, died in
1666, at same place. Their son:
Isaac Graves, born in England; died September 19, 1667;
married Mary Church, daughter of Richard and Anna
Church. Mary died June 9, 1695. Their son:
John Graves, born 1664; died 1746, at Hatfield, Mass.;
married, October 26, 1686, Sarah Banks, daughter of John
Banks. Their son:
Isaac Graves, born July 10, 1688, died May 30, 1781,
aged ninety-three. He married Mary Parsons, in 17 13,
daughter of Jonathon Parsons of Worthington. Mary was
born July 8, 1688, died March 9, 1769, aged eighty-one.
Their son:
Thomas Graves, born April 30, 1726, died April 20, 1806,
aged eighty; married November 1, 1753, Rhoda Smith, born
February 25, 1732, died March 24, 1819, aged eighty-seven.
Their son:
Simeon Graves, born December 27, 1755; died December
1, 1790; aged thirty-five, married Persis. She died February
17. For second wife, he married Hilda Hubbard, February
2, 1783, who died November 27, 1799. Their son:
Lucius Graves, born May 7, 1786, died January 19, 1866,
aged eighty; married first, Sally Wilcox; second, Betsey
Elizabeth Bidwell, who died November 6, 1848. Their son:
284 Family Genealogy.
Milo Almiarin Graves, born February 6, 1812; married
November 10, 1836, at Lee, Mass., Martha Pomroy Clark
daughter of Kenaz Clark. She was born March 13, 181 2,
and died May 12, 1893. Their daughter:
Harriet Pomroy Graves, born June 15, 1841, married
Robert Young McAlpin September 26, i860, at Lee, Mass.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE CLARK, MUNN, SHELDON, STRONG, FORD,
STEBBINS, PARSONS AND NIMS FAMILIES,
ALL OF NEW ENGLAND.
On May 30, 1630, there sailed into the very new village of
Nantasket, Mass., the good ship Mary and John," under
the same captain who had landed the Pilgrims, on Plymouth
Rock, a decade before. The inhabitants of Plymouth, for
some reason, refused him permission to land his passengers
there; so he sailed for Nantasket Beach, near Boston. The
ship, "Mary and John," was the second of sixteen vessels
that left England, with passengers in 1630, under the patron-
age of the Massachusetts Bay Company." She is described
as, "a great ship of four hundred tons," Captain John Squeb,
Master. She left Plymouth, England, March 20, 1630, with
one hundred and forty passengers, who were landed at Nantas-
ket, two months and ten days later (May 30, 1630). They
desired to land at Charleston, Mass., but the captain had
refused to take them there. Among these passengers were
Matthew Grant and his wife, Priscilla, ancestors of General
U. S. Grant; and William Rockwell and wife. The latter
became second wife of Matthew Grant.
There were also the following people, who were ancestors of
Mrs. Harriet Pomroy Graves, wife of Robert Y. McAlpin:
Thomas Ford, his wife, Joanna; their daughters Abigail and
and Hephzibah; John Strong; William Clark and wife Sarah;
and Edward Pomroy. The passengers of the "Mary and
John," were first settlers of Dorchester. Later many of them
went to Windsor, Conn., and afterwards some went to North-
hampton, Mass.
Lieutenant William Clark was born in England, 1609;
died August 18, 1690, in Mass. His wife, Sarah, died in
Mass., September 6, 1675. Both came in the Mary and
John," from England, 1630. Their son:
286 Family Genealogy.
Dr. John Clark, was born in Mass., May i, 1651, and
died in Mass. September 3, 1707. He married for his
second wife, March 20, 1679, Mar}r Strong, who was born
October 26, 1654, and died December 8, 1738. She was
daughter of Elder John Strong, born 1605, in England; died
April 14, 1699, in Mass.; married for second wife, in 1636,
Abigail Ford, born 1608, in England, and died July 6, 1688,
in Mass. She was passenger in the "Mary and John" 1630,
with her parents. She was daughter of Thomas Ford, who
died in Worthington, Mass., November 8, 1676, and whose
wife, Joanna, died in Windsor, Conn. April 8, 1643. Both
were passengers in the 'Mary and John" 1630. Son of Dr.
John Clark and Mary was:
Nathaniel Clark, born May 13, 1681, in Mass., where
he died November 3, 1767. He married October 26, 1705,
Hannah Sheldon (widow of Mr. Cotlin), born October 9,
1683, died July 13, 1764. She was daughter of John
Sheldon, born December 5, 1658, died 1753, wno married
November 5, 1679, Hannah Stebbins, born July 8, 1664.
She was killed by a shot through the old door, February 29,
1704. He was son of Isaac Sheldon, born about 1629, and
died July 27, 1708, who married 1653, Mary Woodford, who
died April 17, 1684. Her parents were Thomas Woodford,
and Mary Blott.
Hannah Stebbins, was daughter of John Stebbins, born
1626, died March 9, 1679, who married November 1, 1657,
as second wife, Abigail Bartlett, daughter of Robert Bartlett.
She died July 15, 1689. Robert Bartlett of Northampton,
Mass., was killed by the Indians, March 14, 1676, and his
wife Anna, died July 3, 1676. John Stebbins was son of
Rowland Stebbins, born 1594, in England, sailed in the
Francis, from Ipswich, 1634, with wife and four children;
lived at Roxbury, Springfield and Northampton, and died
December 14, 1671; and his wife Sarah, died October 4,
1649, aged fifty-eight. Nathaniel Clark and Hannah had
son:
Gideon Clark, born September 24, 1722. He was one
of the first settlers of Worthington, Mass. ; was one of the
select men 1780 to 1785; and a Representative to the General
Court of Mass., 1793; and Washington National Congress,
1796. He married November 14, 1750, Mercy Munn, born
Clark, Munn, Sheldon and Other Families. 287
1
June 1, 1728. She was daughter of Benjamin Munn, of
Deerfield, Mass., born 1683, who was a carpenter, select-
man, and soldier in the French and Indian war, 1754. He
married, January 15, 1702, Thankful Nims, and died Febru-
ary 15, 1774, at Northfield. His father John Munn, born
1652, was in Falls fight, where he lost his horse, saddle and
bridle; he married December 23, 1680, Abigail Parsons, and
died September 16, 1684. Father of John, was Benjamin
Munn, of Hartford, 1639; removed to Springfield, 1649;
fined 10s in 1663, for taking tobacco in his hay stack;
married April 12, or February 2, 1649, Abigail, daughter of
Henry Burt, widow of Francis Bell. Benjamin Munn was
killed by Indians, November 1675. Henry Burt died April
30, 1662, and his wife Ulatia died August 29, 1690.
Abigail Parsons, wife of John Munn was born January 16,
1663; she married second, October 7, 1686, John Richards,
schoolmaster, who removed to Deerfield. Her father was
Benjamin Parsons, of Springfield, Mass; married 1683, to
Sarah, daughter of Richard Vose, of Windsor, Conn., and
Dorchester, who died November 22, 1683, and his widow
died December 7, 1683.
Thankful Nims, wife of Benjamin Munn, was born August
29, 1684, and died July n, 1746. Her father was God-
frey Nims, a cord'wainer first heard of as a lad at
Northampton, September 1667; was in the Falls fight,
May 19, 1676; was among the first permanent settlers
of Deerfield; married November 26, 1777, Mercy, daughter
of William Miller, and widow of Jedediah Williams. Mercy,
died April 27, 1688. Godfrey Nims second wife, was
captured in the Deerfield Massacre, and killed on the march
to Canada, 1704.
Kenaz Clark, son of Gideon Clark and Mercy (Munn)
married, and his daughter was Martha Pomroy Clark, who was
born March 13, 1812, and died May 12, 1893. She was
married to Milo Almarin Graves, November 10, 1836, atLee,
Mass. and their daughter Harriet Pomroy Graves, married
Robert Young McAlpin, September 26, i860.
CHAPTER XIV.
John Edwards Family.
John Edwards came from England to America and set-
tled on the then frontier of Maryland, at Restenstown,
Maryland, where he married Mary Walker, and moved to
Trott Creek Valley, Town Union, in Huntingdon County,
Pa., where they raised a family of six children:
i. Robert Edwards, married Mary Houck of Union town-
ship, in Huntingdon County, Pa. Their children were:
Shadriack, Meshaeck, Abendego, Elizabeth, Rachel, John,
William, Joseph, James, Mary, Robert, Elizah, David.
2. Joseph Edwards was married to Elizabeth Wright, in
Hopewell township, Bedford County, Pa. Their children
were: Mary, who married Andrew Swope, Bedford County,
Pa. and moved to Stark County, O. ; Anne, married Abner
Barnett; also William, John, Joshua, Elizabeth, Joseph, Lil-
lias, Jessie.
3. Mary Edwards, was second wife of Samuel McClane,
married at Union, Pa. Their children were: William,
Isaac, Joseph, Rachel and several daughters.
4. Rachel Edwards, married Samuel Willet or Wilmer, of
Hopewell Township, Bedford County, Pa. Their children
were: John, Elisha, Sarah, Allen, Elizabeth, Samuel.
5. Joshua Edwards, married Barbery Barnett, Union
Township, Huntingdon Co., Pa. Their children: Allen,
Philip and several others.
6. John Wesley Edwards married Nancy Cook, Union
Township, Huntingdon County, Pa. Their children were:
Sarah, Mary, Hannah.
Joseph Edwards, son of Joseph Edwards and Elizabeth
Wright, was born in Wells Valley, Bedford County, Pa.,
September 18, 1809, and died February 28, 1902, in Winne-
conne, Winnebago County, Wisconsin. He married Mary
The John Edwards Family. 28o
Wright, in 183 1, in Union, Huntingdon County, Pa. She
was born June 16, 181 1, in that town, and died at Rhine-
lander, Wis., August 26, 1895. About five years after their
marriage, they moved into Licking County, O., where they
remained until about 1850, when they removed with their
family to the very new village of Winneconne, in Winnebago
County, Wis. That year, Joseph Edwards became the first
postmaster, of the new postoffice. He remained in this vil-
lage ever after, and died, and is buried there. Their child-
ren: John W., Eliza Jane, Lillias F., Mary Ann, Joshua,
Martha, Aaron B., Ninetta H., Oscar A.
John W. Edwards, son of Joseph and Mary, was born in
Bedford County, Pa., April 4, 1832, and died in Chicago,
February 20, 1886. He married Sarah McFadden, in Lick-
ing County, O., May 1, 1853. Children:
1. Charles R. Edwards, of Chicago; married. Children:
Russell, Ralph, Florence, Gertrude. 2. Benjamin F. Edward,
of Rhinelander, Wisconsin; married Viola Barton. Children:
Ella, Barton, Esther. 3. Joseph Edwards, of Chicago;
married. Children: Elizabeth, Donald. 4. Isabel E. Edwards,
married Elmer Case, of Case, Martin & Co., Chicago, where
they reside. Children: Raymond, born 1890; Lorena, born
1892; and Mervin, born 1895. 5- Warren W. Edwards, of
Chicago, his present address; was married. Their only child
is Ruth Edwards.
Eliza Jane Edwards, daughter of Joseph and Mary
Edwards, was born in Bedford County, Pa., Aug. 23, 1834;
came to Wisconsin, 1849. She was married to Judge J. D.
Rush, March 9, 1854, in Waupaca County, Wis. Judge
Rush was born near Chillicothe, O., March 16, 1825; son of
John and Mary Rush, natives of Virginia. John was a
farmer; moved to Ohio, 1822, where he married; then to
Cass County, Mich, where he died. Of five children, J. D.
Rush was eldest. He was reared on a farm; went to Academy
at Niles, Mich,; moved to Winneconne, Wis., in 1848;
remained, and died 190 1. He taught school, and was engaged
in lumber business, and last thirty years of his life practiced
law. He was a democrat. In 1859, was elected to Assembly,
was often chairman of his town, and a member of County
Board of Supervisors; was a Master Mason of Winneconne
Lodge No. 186. Mrs. J. D. Rush still resides in Winneconne.
She has been a life long member of the Methodist Church.
2 go Family Genealogy.
Children: i. Arthur Rush, grew to manhood, attended
Lawrence University at Appleton, and died in Tennessee at
twenty-six years of age. 2. Mary Ella Rush, born in Win-
neconne; was married December 20, 1878, to Jerome W.
Barnum of Winneconne, Winnebago County, Wis. After a
few years of married life she died.
Lillias Fiskes Edwards, born February 12, 1837, in
Licking County, Ohio, came west to Waupaca County, Wis.,
with her parents, Joseph and Mary Edwards. She married
Thomas E. Barwell, in 1857, in Dayton Township, Waupaca
County, Wis. He was born in North Hamptonshire, England,
in May, 1835. He died inTacoma, Washington, September
23, 1901. Her address at present is No. 719 South 41st
Street, Tacoma, Washington. Children:
1. Ida Mary Barwell, born Township Dayton, Waupaca
County, Wis., December 19, 1857; married Allen E. Hyatt
at Centre, Obrien County, la., November 23, 1879, and
moved to Waupaca, Waupaca County, Wis.
Children: (a) Viola Belle Hyatt, born in Obrien County,
la., November 10, 1880; resides in Waupaca, Wis. (b) Edith
Hyatt, born in Waupaca County, Wis. November 29, 1883;
resides at Waupaca, (c) Alonzo E. Hyatt, born Waupaca
County, Wis., March 4, 1885; resides Waupaca, (d) Ruby
Hyatt, born Waupaca County, Wis., September 25, 1889;
resides Waupaca, (e) Elmer Floyd Hyatt, born Waupaca
County, April 21, 1894.
2. Ada L. Barwell, born August 14, 1859; died November
6, 1859.
3. Lillie R. Barwell, born August 28, i860; died May 3,
1 89 1. Married Alonzo Wilkinson, in Dayton, Waupaca
County, Wis., January, 1880. They had a son and two
daughters, of whom Maud, is the only one living.
4. Raymond A. Barwell, born December 11, 1862; married
Emma Webster, in Sioux City, la., 1887. Had a son and
daughter born in Tacoma, Washington, his present address.
5. Lennie D. Barwell, born January 21, 1865; died August
3, 1879.
6. Edward I. Barwell, born July 1, 1867; unmarried;
resides Tacoma.
7. Frank F. Barwell, born February 15, 1870; marriedFreda
Osborn in Seattle, Wash., May, 1899; had one daughter, and
one son. Present address, Tacoma, Wash.
The John Edwards Family. 291
8. Oscar A. Barwell, born June 14, 1872; married Gertrude
Bearing, in Tacoma, Wash., June 14, 1902, their present
address.
9. Nettie G. Barwell, born February 17, 1875; died April
28, 1879.
10. Harriet G. Barwell, born June 24, 1877; died August
28, 1879.
11. Eva G. Barwell, born January 10, 1880; died January
17, 1880.
Mary Ann Edwards, daughter of Joseph and Mary, born
in Licking County, Ohio, October 30, 1839; married Daniel
C. Reed in Waupaca County, Wis., January 16, 1859.
Their address is Winneconne, Wis. Children, all born in
Waupaca County, Wis: 1. Herbert Reed married Nellie
Smith of Pine Island, Minn. He died before 1902. Child-
ren: (a) Sydna S. Reed, born 1884. (b) Herbert Reed,
born January, 1887. 2. Frank H. Reed. 3. George C.
Reed, of Huron, S. Dakota; married Nellie Eastman of
Waseca, Minn. Children: (a) Pearl E. Reed, born 1889.
(b) Elmer M. Reed, born 1891. (c) Ruth Reed, born
1894. 4. Arthur J. Reed, of Mason City, Iowa; married
Margaretta Nicholson, of St. Paul; have one child Leonard
Reed, born 1896. 5. Mary H. Reed; married F. E. Pat-
terson, who was a member of House of Representatives of
State of Washington, and master of a military school at Tacoma.
Reside in Winneconne, Wis. Their only child Elver born
in Eugena City, Oregon, 1887, attends high school in Winne-
conne.
Joshue W. Edwards, son of Joseph and Mary, was born
September 8, 1842, in Licking County, Ohio; died in Winne-
conne, Wis., January 24, 1902; married Julia Eaton in 1867,
in Dayton, Waupaca County, Wis. Their home was Winne-
conne, Wis., for many years. Children: 1. Ernestine
Edwards, married Wilmot H. Miller of Winneconne. 2.
Edith Edwards, of Winneconne, Wis.
Martha Edwards, daughter or Joseph and Mary, born in
Sylvanna, Ohio, July 12, 1845; died September 3, 1852.
Aaron Brooks Edwards, was born August 13, 1848, in
Licking County, Ohio; married Harriett Cobb, in 1869, in
Portage County, Wis., and he died November 21, 1894, aged
forty-six, at Stevens Point, Wis. They had no children.
292 Family Genealogy .
Ninetta H. Edwards, was born in 185 1; married 1872,
Alonzo Dodge in Waupaca County, Wis., they lived for
many years in Marinette, Wis. She died while living in
Marinette during a sickness in Chicago, May 7, 1894, aged
41. Their only child, M. Eva Dodge, born in Flintville,
Wis., 1873. She was married to Theophilas C. Hahn, who
was born in Toledo, Ohio, 1874. They reside at Couer de
Alene, Idaho. Their children; Ruth N. Hahn, born at
Marinette, Wis. 1897; Fredric Hahn, born Hamilton, Mont.,
1899; and T. Charles Hahn, born Hamilton, Montana, 1900.
Oscar A. Edwards, of Rhinelander, Wis., was born in
1855, married Jane Howard in Oshkosh, Wis. in 187 1.
Their sons are Brooks Edwards, born 1884; and Homer
Edwards, born 1887, both of Tacoma, Wash.
ADDENDA.
Information received too late for insertion in its proper
place.
In line 13 page 32 the name should be Paterson. The date
in 3rd line page 186 should be 1856. Page 72, No. 1,
should be No. 2, Sarah Elizabeth; married Solomon Kemper,
Logansville, Logan County, Ohio. No. 4, should be No. 1,
Rebecca Ann; married John Houghawant of Elmira N. Y.
No. 2, should be No. 3; No. 3 should be No 4. No. 7,
should be Araminah Matilda and No. 5. No. 12, should be
Violette May, and No. 6. No. 13, should be Theodore
Probsco, and No. 7. No. 8, should be Hattie B. No. 16,
should be Carrie E., and No. 9. No. 15, should be Bessie
a twin to Carrie, and No. 8.
Page 69, William L. Fleming, son of Freegift, has child-
ren: 1. Charles, born December 10, 1861; married his
cousin Rosaletta Fleming, daughter of Francis; had four
children. 2. Amasa, born February 22, 1864; married
Ella, have two girls, one is Eva. 3. Levi, born May 12,
1866; and have one boy and one girl. 4. Rosetta, born
June 9, 1869; married Henry Crayton, have boy Floyd and
two girls. 5. Mary, born March 19, 1878, died at six years
of age. 6. William, born 1879; married July, 1902. 7.
Edson, born 1886, is at home, at Grover, Pa.
William L. Fleming lived in 1878, at Trumbells Corners,
Tompkins County, N. Y. , in 1893 at West Franklin in Brad-
ford County, Pa., and now at Grover, Pa. He was in the
civil war where he had two fingers shot off. He owns two
farms near his home.
Julia Delphins Fleming, ninth child of Freegift, who
married George Crofutt, had children: 1. George, born
1865. 2. Efhe, born 1868. 3. Alice, born 1870. 4.
Lydia, born 1872; married April 12, 1898, Frederick M.
Newell of Newellton, Tioga County, Pa., who was a carpen-
ter. He moved to Galeton, Pa. in February 1900, where he
died December 18, 1900, and was buried in the family plat
in the town Newellton. He belonged to one of the oldest
families in Northern Pennsylvania. His grandparents built
the church and founded the town. He was born in 1866.
294 Family Genealogy.
Their children: (a) Randall La Maar, born May 21, 1899.
(b) Frederika Marie, born May 29, 1901. 5. Ella, died
1876. 6. Minnie, born 1877, resides at Carpenter, Lye
County, Pa. ; is a dress maker, has dark hair and eyes,
weighs one hundred and thirty-four pounds, is five feet four
inches tall, and unmarried. 7. Lillian, born 1879, is
unmarried. 8. Charles, born 1881. 9. Addisin, born
1884. 10. Ernest, born 1886. 11. Etta, born 1888.
George Crofutt resides near Carpenter, Pa., on a farm.
He was a soldier in the civil war and has a pension for dis-
ability. He was born in 1845.
Page 154, William A. Sexton's father was George Sexton,
who married Anna Maria Hefferman in America. He emi-
grated in 1848, she in 1850.
Page 106, No. 4, should be Selina Eleanor Fleming, born
May 24, 1843; married Martin John William Yeomans.
Children:
1. Frank Clark, M. D., born November 6, 1871; gradu-
ated Philips Exeter Academy, 1893; Yale College, 1897;
Cornell Medical School, N. Y., 1900; in the New York City
Hospital (Surgical Department), 1901. Address, 219 Lenox
Avenue, New York City. 2. Mary Carolyn, B. A., born
May 1, 1876; graduated Normal College, New York City,
1897; teaching; address, 303 West Eighteenth Street, New
York City. 3. Harry Martin, born January 11, 1881; rare
book business; same address. 4. Frederick Basil, born
September 4, 1883; musician (piano); same address. 5. Mertil
Ann, born June 16, 1869; married March 14, 1888, Richard
Grant Chapman, who was born in New Canton, Va., June
3, 1863; resides Chapmans Quarries, Northampton County,
Pa. Children: (a) Robert Yeomans, born Townsbury, N. J.,
July 10, 1889. (b) Russell Grant, born July 22, 1891, at
Chapmans Quarries, Pa. ; died January 26, 1893. (c) Eleanor
Selina, born May 9, 1893, at same place, (d) Carolyn Jane,
born April 26, 1903, at same place.
Page 76, No. 2, William Henry Harrison Fleming, married
Susan Naomi Curran (whose father was Scotch Irish and
mother German), at Muskegon, Mich., January 1, 1857, by
Rev. Charles Carmichall. She was born in Richland County,
O., June 21, 1841. Resides in Chicago. Children: William
Wesley, born at Escanaba, Mich., May 16, i860; married at
St. Joe, Mich., July 15, 1897, Bertha Sohm; engineer; address,
Chicago. 2. George Edward, born at Chicago, August 20;
1864; married; resides at Elgin, 111., where he is engaged in
Addenda. 295
the Elgin Watch Factory. 3. Charles Henry, born in
Chicago, April 7, 1867; married at Allegan, Mich., April 9,
1894, to Ina Howe, born of English parents in Allegan,
October 17, 1867. He is a carpenter and resides at Seattle,
Wash. Children: (a) Nettie Louise, born at Grand Rapids,
Mich., October, 16, 1896; died April io, 1897. (b) Harry,
born in Chicago, March 27, 1898; died February 21, 1899. (c)
Percy, born in Chicago, December 21, 1899; died January 4,
1900. 4. Clara Naomia, born at Chicago, April 17, 1870; mar-
ried J. H. Van Middleworth, December 10, 1890; reside
at Diamond Springs, Mich. 5. Harriet C, born at
Chicago, October 13, 1872, her present address, where she
is engaged in her occupation of trained nurse. 6. Frank
Elmer, born at Chicago, September 20, 1875; married at
Chicago, April 10, 1901, Emma Schifrer, born there April 7,
1873. He is a member Chicago Academy of Science and
erecting engineer for the Under Feed Stoker Company at
Chicago, his residence. Their only child, Frank, born June
21, 1902. Address 1455 Wrightwood Avenue, Chicago. 7.
Allen Wilson, born at Chicago, February 21, 1878, is an
engineer at Seattle, Wash. 8. Marie Alta, born at Chicago,
August 7, 1880, where she is occupied as a stenographer. 9.
Harry Arter, born Allegan, Mich., April 7, 1884, resides
Chicago.
Page 75: Thomas moved to Sodus Point, after the birth
of Emma M., and before the birth of Daniel L., who was
born at Sodus Point.
INDEX.
Page No.
Abbott, Elizabeth, John 196
Able, Elizabeth 202, 203
Abergelen, Lord 269
Acker, Mary 221
Adams, B. B 57
Alexandria 40. George 113, Walter 128
Allen, Polly 70
Albertson 106, Ruth 107
Aimer, E. W. 107, Ada M., Aletha F..107
Albert, Achsa Ann, Charles F., Ellen
J., John, Jacob 107
Andre, Major 125
Anderson, M 131
Aneke Jans Estate 218
Andrews, Lydia 267
Angleman, Carrie 204
Amerman, Hannah, Fred 204
Arnold, Benedict 123
Armstrong, Eunice, Alfred, Clar-
inda 104
Atwater, Sarah, Hannah 245
Ayers, Robert, Jr 106
Baird, Olive 226, Barnes 225, Clarissa
f M. 45, 75, 226, David 226, 227, Eliza-
beth 2"5B, Isaac 59, 75, 76, 225, 226,
James (Augustus) 226, (W) 227,
Julia Ann, George A., Harriet E.
227, Hannah, Lucinda M. (Flem-
ing), Lucy Orilla, Miranda, Olive
226, Thomas 227, William 226, Will-
ard G. 227.
Barwell, Ada L., Edward I., Eva G.,
Frank F., Ida Mary, Harriet G.,
Lennie D., Lillie R., Nettie G., Os-
car A.. Thomas B. 290, 291.
Barrens 38, 40, 41
Baliol 2
Baxter, Hanuah 77
Baulby, Jacob M 204
Barnet, Abner, Barbary 288
Barton, Viola 289, Isaiah, Gideon O.
275, (others) 245.
Bacon, Nathaniel, Eunice 103
Barnum, Jerome 290
Bartlett, Abigail, Robert, Anna 286,
Ann 128, William 132.
Bailey. Daniel, Ansel P., Aaron W.,
Isaac, Lucretia J., Sarah G., 236,
Jessie 260, Jane, Ithiel 135, Eliza-
beth 248.
Barrett 260, Alsaphin, Hannah 260.
Baker, Azubab 227, Nellie 220
Barnes 251
Banks, John, Sarah 283
Babcock, Joseph W., Mary Jane, Fan-
nie L. 71, Mattie 236.
- Beard 236
Bertram, David 226
Bennett, John R 220
Bentley, S. H., Allie 219
Beardsley, Sarah, John M., Lucy 262,
Harriett 67
Bagley, A. M., Grace M 129
Barber, Ida May, Alfred 83
Baldwin, Dedie, Isaac, Hulda 131
Page No.
Baumgardner, Elizabeth 236
Beattie, E. 277, Charles 278
Beavery, Joseph 203
Belvidere 10
Bethlehem, 10, 19, 36, 37, 39 to 44, 64, 80
Bell, Francis 287
Bible, Fleming 45, 88, Cook 193, Rich-
ardson 151, De Kruyft 217, Edwards
236, Finney 260.
Bibby, William 52
Bigger, James 11, 12, 23, 27, 100
Bidwell, B. E 283
Bearing, Gertrude 291
Billings 225
Bik, S 208
*/filair, Leonora. Charles, Henry, Es-
ther, Maria, Minnie 137. Eli 133,
136, 137, John 134, Gaylor 134, 137,
Asa, Polly 136, Fanny 134, 136, 137,
Mary 135, 137, Joel 135, 136. Anne,
Sophia, Harriet, John L. 136, 137.
Blanchard, Johnathan 126
Blodgett, Roswell 125
Black, Abigail 250
Blott, Mary 286
Blackner 252
Bolles, Harry 278, Abigail, Lemuel... 139
Bliss, Mary L 130
Bowers, Spicer 236
Booth, Silas, George, Andrew 221
Bosslaar. Magdalena J 224
Blommert. Willemena 207
Bodine, Anna 43, 45, 204, 205, Albert
205, Charles, Elizabeth 204, Emma
205, Greenbury W., George 204, (H)
205, Garret 204, Horatio 205, Isaac,
John, Jacob, Leona, Leslie, Minnie
204, Mary A., Sedora J., Royal A.
205, Sarah, Theophilis, Stanley,
Wesley 204, Wiliam A. 205.
Bounds, Robert 103, 107
Butler, Alonzo 82, Alfred, Lillie, 86,
David 35, 36, Becky Ann 35.
Burnett 104, 105, Arthur, Esther,
Lois, Zena 104.
Bulgin, Thomas, Aaron, Ida 106
Bunnell, Rachel 112
Bulfinch, S. S., Ida 261
Burt, Henry, Abigail, Ulatia 287
Bugbee, Stephen 121
Buell, Clarence, Frank, Laura, Clara
Nellie 277.
Burroughs 251
Brown, Wm. A., Florence, Augustus
C, Irene, Walker Gould 243, Mary
250, Mr. 237, Mary 133, Duane,
Thurston 134, Minnie Blair 137,
Gen. Jacob 141.
Briggs, J
Brutus
Buckley, Mary, Walter 228
Bratten, David 120
Brigham, Clarinda 135
Branchburg 79
Bruce, Robert 1
275
269
298
Index.
Page No.
Blain, Dr 42
Brav, General 91
Carpenter, H.B. 129, Dr. H. S., Roy H.,
Oleo B. 130, Sally, Benjamin 135.
Case, Elmer, Raymond, Mervin,
Lorena 289
Carter, Bertha, Sarah, Thomas..255, 257
Call, Charlotte 204
Caldwell, F. S 208
Carlisle, Mary 220
Carr, John R 104
Churcher, Amanda 218
Chester, Col. John 138
Chapman, Robert C. 106, Eleanor S.
106, 294, R. Y., R. G., C. J. 294, Col.
Samuel 122, Edward 128, Benja-
min. Mary 135.
Church, Mary, Richard, Anna 283
Christie, Mary 248
Childs, Jas. W., Charles G. A., Ellen
V., Lucy D. D., Grace E. 277, Flor-
ence L., Gladys E., Win. R., John
A., Thomas W., Sarah S. 278, Ben-
jamin, Mordacai, Stanley, John,
Mason, Griffin, Anna R., Isaac B.
298, Marr A. 278.
Chesterfield Quakers, 194, 195, 196,
199, 200.
Chestnut Barrens 38, 40
Clark, Martha P,Kenaz 284,287,Sarah,
Lieut. William 285, Dr. John, Na-
thaniel, Gideon 286, Elizabeth 250.
Abigail 253, 255, William W. 268.
Clappel, A. D 57
Cliff, Capt 133
Clevanger, S. S 278
Clarabut, Edward D 278
Clary, Mary 228
Civil War 71, 129, 151, 152, 227
Circle, Edna 71
Clay, J. L., Sarah, Amanda, Sewell.135
Cobb, Harriet 291
Cookstown 11, 12, 14 to 17
Cook Cross Roads 37, 40. 199
Cook Family 191
Cooke Family 192, John 209, 221, 248,
Margaret 270.
Cook, Anna 106, Anne 200 to 203,,
Abigail, Amer, Alydia, Antoney
192, Able, Amy Allen 202, Alfred 203,
Benjamin, 192, 203. Charles 108,
Elizabeth 37, 41 , 43 to 46, 75, 95, 200,
201, 202, Emma, Edmund W. 202,
Edward P. 191 to 194, Elmer H. 108,
Elijah 192, 202, Garret 192, George
108, (R) 203, (W) 202, Honor, Henry
192, Hada May 203, Hannah 195,
200, 201, Jacob (First) 37, 193 to 201,
(Second), 202, 203, (Third) 203,
Joanna 42, 46, 202, John 192, 202, (A)
192, 200 to 202, (E), Joseph >Y. 108,
195, Jobe 192, 194, James 192, Lo-
rella M. 108, Lvdia. 195, 200, 201, 203,
Lucy 201, 204, Morris R. 202, Mary
192, 202, (E) 202, (J) 203, Margaret
195, Mabel 202, Nancy 288, Obadiah
200, 201. Peter 195, Phillips, Pene-
lopy 192, Phebe 195, Richard A. 108,
Rachel 200 to 203, Rebecca A. 202,
Sary 192, Sarah (J) 202. (F) 203,
Sally 203, William (First) 191, 192,
194, (Second) 194, 195, (Third) 195,
Cook, Page No.
(Fifth) 202, (H) 202, Winseak 292,
Vena Bell 203.
Catlin 286
Cornwall, Ansel 142, 207
Cole, Russell 50, 209, 221, House 53,55,
157, 158, Kate, Charles, Harry 259.
Cottrell, Col. John 57
Congdon, Cassandra 67
Corby, Melissa 69
Cogansparger, Mary 69
Corles, Lvdia 194
Couill, Eliza B 255
Cooper, Caroline M., James Feni-
more 254
Corbin, Mary A. 126 Polly Dayid
129, Sarah E., Pennel 130, Mary 135.
Coryell, Elizabeth, John 108
Cornell, Phebe Furman 92, Mary
Harriet 92.
Coffin, Anna L 263
Copeland, Eliza W 263
Cox, J. Dolson 268
Coggan, Abigail, Henry 248
Con*e, Leintje 224
Coonrod, Alfred, Mary, Alexander,
Wiiliam C 226
Coon, Wm. W., Mary E., Maima V.,
George, James, Henry, Groyer J.,
Eddie S 227
Crane, F. A., D. H., Edgar G., Edith
M., Charles F., Harry 219, Nettie
260.
Crayton, Henry, Floyd 293
Crawford 31, Emma, Ossian 128
Cratchley, George 36, 51, Dayid B.... 36
Crofutt, George 69, 293, Effie, Alice,
Lydia, 293.
Croley, John, Agnes 129
Curtis, George 118
Curran, Susan N 294
Cyan, Marchudel of 269
Curtiss, Sarah 257
David II 1
Davies, Sir John 4
Davidson, Capt. John 140
Dalrymple, Dayid 203
Davenport, Anna 204
Dean, Rebecca 252
Denver, Colorado 3
Deats, Elizabeth 105
Dennis, Elmer 108
De Witt, Wm 132
De Remer, Abram 204
De Brinne, Dr 223
De Steur, Andreas, Abraham C 224
De Visser, Elizabeth 224
De Vleigen 223
De Bignon, Josephine 263
De Kruyft, De Kroyft, De Kruift,
John 213, 215, Abraham W.. Alice
E., Charles, Cora 216, Caroline G.
215, 217, Cornelia W. 215. 216. Fred-
erick 216, Joanna 215, 216, Jennot
P. 215, 217, Marietta, Nelson V. 216,
William 215, (V), Park. 216
Decker, Jessie 263
Derrick, C. M., Mildred 279
Donald, Elizabeth 289
Dodge, Alonzo, Eva 292, Capt.
Stephen 140.
Dunbarton Castle 1, 2
Drake, Mary Jane 67
Index.
299
Page No.
Dunham, Azrilla 87, Elizabeth 250
Dyson, Jas 127
Dublin School 140
Douglass, Ruth A., Stephen S 221
Earl of Wigton 1, 2, 3
Erie Canal 49, 50
Erickson, John Calvin, Esther Cor-
nell, Marion Phebe, John Fleming,
Stanley F 91
Elliott, M. P 282
Ellis, Jared 69, Mr. 204.
Eaton, Julia 291
Elmore, M. P 219
Eastman, Albert 227, Nellie 291.
Eldred, Judah 257
Elizabeth, Queen 269
Edwards, Abendago, Anne, Allen 288,
Aaron B. 289, 291, Brooks 292, Bar-
ton 289, Chas. R., Ben. F. 289, Ella,
Esther 289. Edith 291, Elizabeth,
David, Eliza 288, (J.) 289, Ernestine
291, Gertrude 289, Homer 292, Han-
nah 288, Frank, Florence 289, James
288, Joshua 288, 289, (W.) 291, John
288, (W.) 288, 289, Joseoh 235, 288, 289,
Jessie, Lillias 288, (F.) 289, 290, Isa-
bel E. 289, Mar.v 288, (A.) 289, 291,
Meshaeck, Rachel, Robert, Shadri-
ack, Sarah, Phillip, Williams 288,
Warren W., Ruth 289, Oscar A., Nin-
etta H. 289, 292. Russell 289, Martha
289, 291.
Furness Abbey 1, 3
Fulwood, Lord of 1
Fort Constitution 34
Fort Lee 34
Flemington 113
French, L 57
Fitzharris 64
Fenton, Joanna 69
Foster, Philander 69
Francisca, Henrietta 87
Forrester, Achsa, Cynthia, Asa,
Francis, Harry, John, Mark 104
Flomerfelt, Ellerson F., John C,
Zachariah 108
Followell, Ann, Gabriel 248
Fuller, Hattie 262, Margaret 256, Han-
nah 272.
Fillmore, L. M., Arthur 262
Fycham, Ednyfid 269
Fanning, Deborah 272
Freeborn, Amanda 277
Ford, Thomas,Abigail, Joanna Heph-
zibah .285, 286
Finney, Almira, 260, 262, Ada 264,
Appolona 260, Arthur B. 223, Abra-
ham 256, Abigail 262, Alex Stewart
254, Amanda 252, 258, Ann W. 254,
Arsenath 256, Alenson 258, Anne 251,
252, Anson, Alonzo 251, Bieda 264,
Beriah 256, Benjamin 249, 256, Be-
linda 251, Bethuel256, Deidama 250,
Deliah 255, 259, Carl C. 263, Charles
G. 247, 258, 259, 164 to 268, Carshean
260, Caleb 253, Charles J. 254, Cath-
erine 248, Cyrus 257, 258, Chloe 259,
Deidama 250, Deliah 255, 259, Dar-
win E. 260, 263, Dorathy 263, David
252, 256, Eliza Ann 258, Emma 259,
Erastus 251, Elizabeth 248 to 251,
Finney. Page No.
255, 256, Elisha 253, 254, Elijah Gof-
lee 251, Eleazer 250, 251, 256, Earl
Peck 263, Eleanor 260, Edwin 262
(E.), 263, Fairy 263, Frederick Nor-
ton 268, (N.) 254, Granville 258,
Grandison, George 262, (C.) 259,
(W.) 259, (G.) 254. Georgiana 263,
(M.) 263, Henry 259, 253, Henry F.,
Harriet B. Henry 254, Harley, Hart-
ley 255, Harry 259, Hannah 248,
251, 253, 255, Hemen 251, Helen 268,
H. J. 252, Ina 263, Irene 250, Isaac
251, 255, Julia 268, John 248, 250, 253,
255, 249, 252, (L. T.) 254, (C.) 255,
Julia 259, Jannie 252, Jane 255, Je-
mima 256, Jasper N. 258, Josiah 255
to 258, 248, 249, Johnson 251, Joel 251,
252, Joseph 250, (R.) 262, 263, Joshua
249, 253, Jeremiah 249, Jonathan
248, 256, Katharine 253, Keziah 256,
Lauretta 264, Lydia 250, 256, Lenna
257, Louisa 258, Lidea251, Lucinda
251, 257, 258, Mother 247, Martha 249,
253, Mary 262, 253, 249, (A.) 251, (S.)
252, (L.) 263, Myron 252, 262, (H.) 252,
Miranda 251, Mercy 25.S, 249, Martin
251, 253, Norman J. 252, Nancy 261,
Newton 262, (S.) 263, Narcisia 259,
Newman 251, Norman, Noble H.
Nathaniel 252, Oliver 250, 256, Or-
son O. 252, Ole Alton 263, Pollina
258, Phebe 256, Roderick 263, Roland
P. 264, Rhoda 256, Rachel 236, 238,
240, 250, 251, 261, Robert 248, Rufus
250, 251, 253, Samuel 249, Solon H.
252, Sophia 254, 259, Susan C. 254,
Soloman 253, Seth C. 258. Sarah 257,
258, Sackett 251, Sylvester 257, to
259, 260 to 262, Timothy W. 255, 253,
Thomas 248. Uriah 256, Welthy 258,
William 249, 250, 262, 263, Wilv 259,
Zenas 257, 259, 260, 262, Zina 256.
Fleming, Abbott II, 27, 29, 31, 34 to 39,
41, 43, 45, 57, 88, 94, 95 to 99, Achsa
103, (J.) 108, Amelia 109, Ann 82,
112, (J.) 72, Almira 103, Aaron 103,
104, (Lance) 104, 105, 107, Angeline
105, Aletha W. 107, Alfred 104, (B.)
83, Asher 86, Armi M. 72, 293, Ar-
mie C. 91, Asenath A. 68, 69, Alden
M., Allen W- 295, 69, Asa L. 69, Are-
tus B. Governor 10, Agnes 113, Alex-
ander 15, 17, 113 (Beatty) 103, An-
drew, (first) 10. 11, 12, 17, 19, 21, 22,
110, (of Bethlehem) 29, 30, 31 to 39,
(Readin^ton) 38, 39, 40 to 46, 49 to
51, 53, 75, 77 to 87, (others) 112, 76,
64, 85, Aramina 71, 64, Amasa 67,
293, Alison G. 76, Archibald 104, Ar-
ther M. 77, Albertine. 103, Bessie 91,
1 12, Captain 4, 9, Clara N. 295, Car-
rie 112, Clarissa 41, 45,56, (see Har-
vay), Cora 65, 86, Charles 10, 67, 107
110, 113, 295, 293, Caroline 107, Char-
lotte 69, Catherine 76, Daniel L 72,
76, David 15, 17, 33, (B.) 64, 68, 69, 71.
103, 112, (F.) 72, Delia 112, Delphiena
M. 106, E. P. 10, Eva 293, Emma (M.)
76, (A.) 72, Eulah L. 77, Elizabeth,
(see Lawson) 57, 58, (Cook) 35, 37, 43,
44, 46, (Hart) 41, 90, (Haney) 46, 90,
3°°
Index.
Fleming. Page No.
(others) 110, 112, 113, 71, 85. Eleen
112, Eleanor (Rutledge) 28, 29, 30, 37,
(others) 31, 38 to 41, 45, 57, 72, 73, 35,
36, 65, 91, 64, Esther 32, 112, (Ann) 84,
(M.) 85. Eunice 112. 106. Edith J. 86,
Eliza 94. (Caroline) 106. (F.) 104.
Ellen Marv 1U8, Ellsha M. 10, 15, 17,
39, 109. Emanuel C. 109. Edson 67,
293. Freegift Richard 64, 67 to 72,
Flora M. 77, Frederick L. 72. Fran-
cis E. 69. 293. Frank P. (Governor)
10. (E) 295. Grace 103, 106. George
140, 15. 38, 82 to 85, 86 (W.) 72, (E.)
294. Godfrey 71. Helen 99. Hannah
Ann 91. Harvey 106. 107. 109. Harriet
J. 107, 295, Harry 295. (A.) 295. Hes-
ter A. 105. Harold O. 77, Ida H. 85,
Isabelle 113, Ira 87, James 3, 15, 17,
101. 108. 39. 102. 103, 109. (Sir) 2, (H.)
109. John (Col.) 3, (Franklin) 77,
(Wesley) 44. 58, 59, 60, (Readington)
57, 82, 23. 33 to 35, 38. 112. 131. (Pen-
nington) 43. 90. (others) 3, 104, 71,
103. 113. 8, 109. 103. Josephine (Irene)
107 (W. C.) 108, Jacob 33. (H.) 106, (P.)
72. (Cook) 9, 10, 38. 44 to 61. 63, 93, 66,
67. 74. 75.78. 80. 81, 87, 88, J. Preston
107. Jane 82, 89, 92. Ill, Jennie 86,
Job 85. Jonas M. 33. 72, Joseph M.
69. Julia Delphins 69. 293. Josias 15,
Josiah 103 (M.) 3, Joanna (Haney)
41. 45. 46. 51. 87. 88. (dau. Jacob C.)
53. 58. 59. 61. Hon. Joseph Warren 34,
39. 89. 91. Jeremiah 33. Kingslev M.
77. Kate 112. 86, Lucinda M. 45,52,
54, 55, 58, 59. 60 (see Baird), (A.), 76.
Lewis (C.) 106, (W.) 77, Luke 103.
Lawrence 33, Levi 67. 85, 293, Lucy,
Lena 72, Louisa J. 84. Lizzie 107.
Margaret 45. 51. 36. 38. 66. 101, 102,
84. 71, 99, 7. 109. (M.) 109. Martha 85,
30. 31. 36. Maria 103. 104. Marie
Alta 295. Mary 109, 85, 112, 113.
67. 23. 25. 49. 64 to 68. 293. (Ann)
109, (J.) 106, 104, (Mae) 107, (E.) 69,
72. May Lawshe 85, (Augusta) 86,
Mark 103, (F.) 104, Dr. Mark L. 107,
Mabel V. 85, Myron 84. Myrtle D. 83,
Mildred 72, Michael (Bishop) 8, Mi-
nor (see Araminor). Malcolm (the
Weaver) 64, 11. 12. 13, 19. 24. 31. 33.
36. (of Pattenburg) 64. 66. (Sir) 1, 2,
(Green) 83. Sir Michael Le Knight
3. Melvin C. 77, Moses H.. Miriam
103, 107. Mercy 112. Nettie L. 295
Nancy 23. 109. Nellie 87, Olive A.
77, Orin A. 99, Pocahontas descend-
ants 9, Percv 295, Paul 8. Peter G.
83, Roxena 103, Richard 33, 64, 71,
(Archbishop) 3. 7, Rebecca 28, 31, 32,
35 to 37. 46. 64. 69, 72. Robert 15. 103,
(Le) 1. Robins 21. 85. Rosaletta 293.
Rosetta 67. 293. Sir Sanford 8. Sam-
uel 10. 19. 21, 23, 24, 27, 32, 33, 112 to
114. Sarah 36, 64, 68, 87, 109. Ill, (E.)
72, Stephen 33, Selina E. 106.
Thomas (First) 10, 11, 12, 17. 19. 21,
22, 23, 25 to 27, 30, 99 to 110. (Second)
39, 101. 102, 108, (third) 103, (of Sodus)
295. 41, 45, 49 to 53, 60, 74 to 77,
(others) 15. 33. 110. 111. 112. 9. 109, 71,
10, (Lord Chief Justice of England)
Fleming. Page No.
6. Tylee 41. 45, 46, 58, 92, Theodore
112, Valera 72, Violet 112, Wesley
107, William 91, 99, 71, 72, 293, (A.)
109, (H. H.) 76, 294. (Col.) 3, (Sir) 9,
(First) 10, 11, 12, 18. 19, 21, 22 to 31.
(of Cookstown) 15, (Jr.) 34, 45, 52, 88,
to 92, (of Oxford) 35 to 46, 64, 89,
(others) 58, 60, 113. 64 67, 68. 69, 71,
112, 293. 294.
Gibson. Catharine 280
Gleaston Castle 3
"Great Divide" 4
Grandine, Clarissa (see Harvey), Ame
Alide 62, Joseph W. 63. Family 63.
61. W. B. 145,
Gille B. 57.
Girard, Jonas, Mary, Sarah. Alexan-
der 71
Graves, Harriet P. 281. 282. 284, 285,
287, Thomas 283, Isaac. John. Sim-
eon, Lucius, Milo A. 284, 287, Walter
219.
Grant, Matthew, Priscilla, Gen. U. S.
285
Green. Peter, Esther Ann 83. Elijah
D., Nancy Maria 264.
Graham, Wm. D 85
Gunn, Sophia, Lyman R 134, 137
Gates, Menzo E., Ida R., Herbert M.
154. General 123.
Gallowav, Crane 219
Griswald. Celinda M 219
Gilbert. Percy, Andrew, Milford, Le-
hah, Nettie 221
Gosnell, Elizabeth, Joshua 235
Gilmore, Sarah 256, 255
Gleason. Fanny 262
Goe, Jessie Helen. Dr. James 264
Hazlett, Ida A 132
Holyrood Palace 2
Halcomb, Dr 42
Hanev, Jacob T. 43, 45, 46, 87, Joanna
43, 45. 87, 88, 93, 87, Elizabeth 45. 46,
87, Margaret 46, 88, Andrew, Adel-
aide, Eleanor. Isabella, William
M. 87, Mary 87. 88.
Hagaman. Charity 45, 88.
Hays. Mary 103.
Harford, Brink 64
Haver. Matilda E 86
Holly, George, Mary E. 67. 69, John
236.
Henson. Susan 69
Hafton, James 69
Hanger, Adam. Carrie, Mary, Henry.
Sarah 71
Houston. Elizabeth F. George F.,
Margaret. Thomas 84
Hall. H. H... 129
Henry VIII 269
Hogland. Wm : 57
Harvey, Clarissa 41, 56. 57, 59, 60. 63, 97,
Hanna, Rev. John 20, 26, 27, 36, 100
Hopewell Township 35
Hart, Elizabeth 38, 41. William H. 90,
162. Honest John 90, 34, Warren
F. 90.
Housel. Abraham 38, 201, 202, Anna
48, 201, Amy 202, Hanna 38, 49, 201,
Lucy, Asher, Tylee 202.
HadleV, Anna 48, Beatrice 84.
Hazen Church 38 to 40, 43
Index.
301
Page No.
Hunt, Holloway W. 40. Elisha 128,
Helen F., Joseph M. 92.
Hickory Tavern 40, 43
Hingent' R 57
Houghawant, John 293
Hyatt, Allen E., Alonzo E., Edith,
Elmer F., Ruby, Viola Bell 290
Howe, Ina 295
Hyde, Amy 202
Hicks, Cornelia F., George 216
Hopkins, A. J., Albert J., Fannie M.,
James S., Mark S., 220
Haase, Helena 237
Hemingway, Elizabeth 257, 258
Hammerskold, E. W., Druella L.,
Flora H., Marjorie H., Raymond
H 278
Hubbard, Hilda";."..!!.; 283
Houk, Mary 283
Hefferman, Anna M 294
Hamilton, Louise A 129
Harrison, T. W 137
Harris, Ann 128
Houghton, Nehemiah 126
Henry, Ella, Florence, Grant, Jacob,
Nearella C 108
Horton, Anna, Ezra 124, Alford T.,
Erastus 128.
Howard, Nathan 125
Holman, Lydia 126
Hahn, Frederick, Ruth N., T. Chas.,
Theo. C 292
Hiscock, Rev. S 135,137
Hitchcock, Roxy, Roxana 135, Abi-
gail L. 246, 260, 273 to 275, Anna 275,
Benjamin 244, Bela 245, 274, 275,
Elizabeth, Edward 244, Joseph 275.
Luke, John, Matthias 244, the Wilt-
shire 244.
Henderson, Sarah Jane 203
Hyde, Geo 203
Hoffman, Amos 203
Holland 206
Hynsdale, Sarah 252
Harshaw, H. B., Flora A 263
Hay, Thos. H., Henry H., Donald L.
263
Hackett, Howard, Jane 292, Jacob... 276
Inchmahone 2
Ives, Elizabeth, Joseph, Esther 245
Irving, Henry S., Jac Sutherland 254
James IV., 2, V. 2.
Juteland 37,40
Jones, J. M. 70, Asa 136, John S. 134,
137, Fanny 136, 137. Samuel S., Char-
lotte, Asa B. 137, Ida L. 236.
Jophet, Wallace 70
Johnson, Jas. L. 145, Mary 250, 251.
Judson, Earnest W., Verna 237
Jackson, Emeline 260
Kitchen, John 36
Keyes, Cyril 125
Kinney, Ruth, Nathan 126
Kendall 149. Kendel 264
Knowles, Mai-y L 152
Kinnecut, Joanna 158
King, Cornelius S 254
Kemper, Solomon 293
Kerwin, Jas. C, Alice, Bridget,Doris,
Grace, Jessie, Michael, Michael H.,
Mary, Margaret, John, Walter 228
to 234. 186.
Page No.
Lincoln College 3
Larg 15, 12
Lindsey, David 18, Harvey, Polly 134.
Lowry, Col. Thos., Esther 112 to* 114, 32.
Lavvshe, Margaret, John 79, 81, 45.
LeRoy, Pit 68
Lodes, J. P 221
Lewis, Esther 249
Lockwood, Hester 227
Lewis, V. 57, John 57
Lompings, Charity 81
Lane, Mary E 85
Linaberry, Eugene L., M. Cooper,
William 106.
Linlithgow 115
Leonard, Rev. Leo W. 140, Elias,Tilly
202.
Little, Christie, Daniel 203
Ledyard, Samuel 212
Laudon, Phebe 214
Loveland. Nells 217
Lattin, N. T., Charles 217
Lawson, Amy 125, Alice M. 127, Alford
O., Heflin, Anna L., Adeline 128,
Addie G. 129, Almira F. 130, Caro-
line 128, 129, Clara M., Charles E.,
131, Caleb 125, Carrie B. 132, Cort-
land 135, Casper L. 139, C. M. 139,
159, 149, 160, Donald 130, 190,David 118
119, 121, 124, 125, 129, Daniel W. 128,
132, Elizabeth 53, 57, 58, 63, 97, 158,
159, 149, 150, 128, 149, Edith 128, 131,
Ebenezer 120, 133, 137, Elmer L. 132,
Esther 118, 121, 127, 125, 126, Ellen
185, Emma M. 127, Edwin N. 118, 119,
127, 130, Emeline 128, Evangeline 131,
Frank E., Frederick S. 129, (C.) 127,
George (N.) 118, 119, 130, (H.) 132,
(M.) 127, 130, 131, Harold K. 189, Har-
riet L. 128, Helen E. 185, 186, 190, 293,
Rev. Harvey M. 115, 118, 119, 130,
131, Hannah 121, Harman W. 129,
Isabel 120, Ira 125, 128, 132, Ira R.
128, James 133, James W. 190, Jo-
seph 133, 135, John 149, (First) 115,
119, (Second) 120, 132, (Third) 120,
133, (Fields) 128, Jennie (M.) 129,
(S.) 132, Jane B. 139, Jannet 115,
Joanna M. C. 145, 149, 150, Justus
V. 119, 127, Julia A. 128, Kenneth
F., Lillian 190, Laura G. 131, Laura
134, Lovisa 127, Lydia, 118, 127,
Louisa 118, 119, Lyman 135. Marion
F. 190, Monroe C. 160, Mathew 133,
Margaret 121, 125, Martha 120, 121,
135, Mehitable 121, Maria E. 129,
Mary 120, 125, 132 to 135, 185, (E) 118,
130, (Jane) 150, 155, Nancy 149, 150,
(E) 139, Nicholas 53, 135, 139 to 150,
Olin B. 132, Orin 135, Publius Vir-
gilius (Sr.) 53, 146, 147, 150, 157 to
167, (Jr.) 185, 186 to 190, 242, Percy
Vilas 190, Pauline, Paul T. 131,
Phebe 115, 118, 119, 120, 125, Paul
118 to 120, 125 to 127 (C) 119, 127, 129,
Roxana 135, 139, 149, Robert 118, 119,
121. 124, 128, (Paul) 119, Rebecca 120,
Roger C. 129, Rhoda 133, Richard
135, Sessions 135, 139, Samuel 120,
133, Sarah 118, 125, 133, Susan 127,
Susie M. 119, 130, Susannah 118,
125, Thomas 128, 133, 135, (Captain)
3°2
Index.
Lawson, Page No.
115, 116, 119 to 124, (Jr.) 126, 135, (A.)
129, Virgilius N.. Wilhelinena 149.
Lawson and Jones 161
Lawson <fe Co 162
Lawson and Webster 164
Lawson Canal 172
Mathews, Rachel 259, 260
Matheson, Phebe 262
Macksou, Abiah M 276
Munger, Lucy Ann 276, Lncinda A. ..277
"Mary and J >hu'" Ship 285
Munn, Mercy, Benjamin, Abigail,
John 286, 287
Miller. Mercy, William 287, Wilmot
H. 291, Mary 254, Charles 221
Matilda of Flanders 4
Mann, John 120
Mountjoy, Lord 4
Mary Queen of Scottland 2, 115
Mounier, Esther 23, 113
Mount Pleasant Church 28, 38, 40, 43
Mix, Ma'ilda Mary 68
May, William 69
Mores, William 69
Mitchell, Samuel 73
Makeem, Robert 120
Moore 108, John, Sarah, Lyman 121, 125
Misner, John 94
Merell 104, Lewis 104
Metier, Wm. H 106
Mattock 109
Monroe, James 268, Anna, Charles,
Benjamin, Eleanor, Mary, Thomas^
Elizabeth 87, 88.
McNall, Wm. 115, Jas 116
McDaniel 31
McLean, Louise 1 130
McCarthy, George 137
McClary, Sarah Ann 203
McKenzie 237
McHarg, Rev. C. K 254
Mac Neill, Luther 282
McClane, Samuel, Isaac, Joseph,
Rachel, William 288
McFadden, Sarah 289
McAlpin, Clan 280, Alexander, Catha-
rine 281, 282, CharJes W. 282, 242,
(K.)242, Edward A., Ellen M., Flor-
ence E., Frederick 280, 281, 282,
George F., Harriet 282, John, Janet,
Isabella, John Thomas, Louis A.
281, 282, Robert (Y.)281, 284. 287, (A.)
282, Thomas 280,Malcolm W., Mary
G., James R. 242, Maurice D., Milo
F. 282. Walter, 280, William A. 282.
Murdock, Sarah, Samuel 135
Menasha 161
Moody, Nancy 212. Charles P , Byron,
William 216, 217.
Moses, Rufus, Virginia 214
Merriman. Nathaniel, Abigail 245
Morton, Ephriam 248
Mann. Elizabeth, Joseph 249, 255
Metcalf, Elijah H 254
Niles, William 57
Nelson M. 57, William 120
Nevins, Mary E 85
.Newell. Nathaniel Jr., 125, Frederick
M., 293, Ella, Addison, Etta, Er-
nest, Charles, Lillian, Minnie, Ran-
dall La Maar 294.
Noyes, Mary 253
Page No.
Nichols, L 260
Nutting, Byron 261
Newton, Selelina H. 262, Edwin, Carl
F,, Horace, Louisa, Jane 263
New Hampshire Grants 272
Nims, Thankful. Godfred 287
Nicholson, Margaretta 291
Oberlin College 267
Oxford 3
Oxford Furnace 35, 38, 39
Oostzouburg 206
Oldham. Harry P 130
Ostrander, Henry 206
Osborn, Freda 290
Potatoes 116, 207
Pittstown 38, 40
Perry ville 40,41
Pultneyville 41, 59, 145, 213, Metho-
dist Church 59( Cemetery 58, Militia
57, Masonic Lodge 56, 60.
Pattenburg 63
Paterson, Rebecca 28, 32, 35, 293,
Thomas 112, Gov. William 112.
Patterson Edward 193, Faith 193, F.
E. 291.
Pratt, Samantha 45, 93. Alva 145
Portz, John, Elizabeth 45, 88
Phelps, James 128, Phebe 256, Joan-
na 257.
Pop. Andrew 52
Pettinger, Mary 71
Peer, John 57
Pomroy, Dana 63, Edward 285
Pillister 75
Paul, Esther, Robert, 121, Mathew...l20
Procious 76, 214
Prescott, Origin 128
Philo, Florence B 76
Parks, Nathan 103
Price 106, Florence. Grace 106
Philhower. Susan C 204
Phillips, Judge J. N. 154, Amazia....250
Porter, Elizabeth A 155
Prall. John A 204
Patten, Frank 119
Post. ElizabethK., John F.,AnneA.K.243
Phinney — See Finney 253
Pope, Thomas 248
Peck, Lariana 264
Penrhyn, Ninth Baronet 269
Park, Martha, Theoda, William 271
Parsons. Abigail 287. Mary, Jona-
thon 283, Benjamin 287.
Peper, Abraham 58, 151, 142, 53. 206,
(G) 223. 224. (Second) 207 to 214,
(Third) 207, 209, 214, 224, (B) 221, 220,
Amanda 220, 221, Adriana 224.
Charles, 215,221, Cornelia>224, Caro-
line, Eliza Ann 214, Edwin 220,
Elizabeth 206, 221, Fanny 220, 221,
Hubrecht 206, 207, 223, 224, Hend-
rick 224, Jonna Crayna 141, 148, 149,
207, 217, Jacomina 207. 213, 223, Jan-
netje 207, 218, 221, James H. 221, Jan
207, 220, 221, 223, 224, Kaatje 223.
Leintje 224, Lucinda 220, Magda-
lena J. 224, Maatje 223, Maria C.
224, 214, xMaatie, 207, 212, 213, 215,
Mary Ann 214, Mary 221, Mayette
221, Martin 221, Pieter 224, Thomas
220, Theodore 221, Willemene
212,214. 221, William 215.
Index.
3°3
Page No.
Quick — See Cook Family.
Quinlan, Mary 228
Revolutionary War 32. 33, 37, 91, 103,
120, 121, 133.138, 196 to 198.
Robert II, King 2
Ross, Lord 2, Rebecca 133
L'Rutledge, Eleanor 28, 29, 30
Robinson 36,153, 138, John 236
Robeson 36, 39
Rittenhouse. James, Rebecca, Amos
67. Benjamin 49. 50. 64 to 68. 74, 75,
David 65, 91, 67, Elizabeth 67, New-
ton B. 65, 91, James 66. Sarah 67,
Silas J. 67, Malcolm 67. William 65,
66. 91. 67, A. Whitfield 67.
Reeves, L. A 57
Rounsaval, Sarah 64, Mr. 204, Isaac. 66
Roby. O. S 69
Rathbun, A. J 70
Rich, Carrie B 77
Robins, Jonathan 81, Sophia 220
Runyon, Margaret 107
Randall, Horace 128
Riddle, Polly 135, Wm. P 135
Rogers, Mayor William 146, Mary,
Joseph, Thomas, 248, Jennete 262.
if Richardson, Helen J., 148, 151, 153,
| Alexander 149, 150, Elizabeth 149,
Ambrose V. 151, 154, 180, Morris D.
151, Edwin O. 152. 160, Herbert L.
153, William J. 153,Alexander,01ive,
Elizabeth, Newton P., Dora 155.
Reed, Daniel C, Elmer M., Arthur J.,
Frank H., George C, Herbert, Leo-
nard, Elver, Ruth, Mary H., Pearl
E.: Sydney S 291
Rodenbaugh, Morris 202
Renhart, Emma 203
Rhodes, Dr 221
Ridley 223
Root, Stephen 225
Ripley, Phebe 248
Remington, Amy H., Peleg 128
Rice, Rebecca 257, 258
Roderick the Great 269
Rockwell, William 285
Richards, John 287
Rush, J. D., John Mary 289, Arthur,
Mary Ella 290
Stebbins, Hannah, John, Rowland,
Sarah 286
Sohm, Bertha 294
Schiffer, Emma 295
Stewart. Col. C. Seaforth, Sarah L.
254, Nellie 277
Stolp, Abraham F. 218, Catherine F.,
Charles M., Eliza A., Eva 218, 219,
Ella A., Emma C. 220. Frederick 210.
218 to 220, Frank W. 220, George
W. 218, James B, 218, 220, Lena 220,
Mary (J.) 219, (C.) 220, Matilda S.,
Mabella E. 220, William R. 219.
Stark, Lena 260
Strong, John, Mary 285,286
Shearer, E. M 282
Squeb, John 285
Shoemaker, Henrietta, Kate 69,
Amasa, Anna, Charles, Cecil, La-
bor 70, M. T. 68, 69.
Shepard, Almira E., Samuel 129, Hen-
ry 226,
Page No.
Scarborough, Arthur G., Carrie,
Edna. Mary L 71
Servoss, John 113
Sessions, John 119
Smilie, Robert 127
Scott, Eliza 128, 132
Starkweather, Hariett, Seth 134, 137
Springer, Joseph 149. 150, 1 57
Sidden, Chas F 216
Slayton, Mary A 216
Stalham, Elizabeth 270
Sanford, Harriet 276
Strong, John 12, 14. Frank W 237
Semple, Margaret 45, 95
Shroap, Anna 52, 73, 201, Joseph P.
48, 74, 49, 50, 52, 201.
Stiles, John D., Emma L 76
Searls, Julia 70
Sackett, Anne, 250 251, Reuben 253
Shermer, Henry B 155
Southwood, Dr., Olive, 59, 75, 225,
Anna, Patience, Sally, Thomas,
David, Lemuel 225 225
Smith, N. S., Aaron F. 106, Mercy S.,
107, Nellie 291., Lulu M. 129, Rhoda
283, Reuben, 133, Gerret 209, 211, 221,
F. 277, Marion 277, Silas L., Warren
P., Jessie C, Hugh W., Amy G.,
Lois B., Perry S. 237.
Sexton, Helen, Marjorie, Marie, W.
A. 154, George 294
Swope, Andrew 288
Swever, Geo. H 202
Shatter, Bertha, Cora, Geo. W 203
Schuyler, Peter M., Floyd 203
Search, Annette C 204
Sheldon, Frank S., Norton Z., Sarah,
William A. 217, Hannah, Isaac,
John 286.
Sweezey, L. E 219
Sears, J. S 219
Subine, Wm 220
Snell, Lucy 235
St. Germain 1
Slane, Barony of 4
Southern His. Mag 10
Sodus 53, Shrewsbury Quakers 194, 195.
Shakers Society 128
Tavlor, Harriet 226, 227, Fred S. 217,
B. H. 217, Others, 264.
Teetor, Henry Dudley 4, Clara A. 59,
76 David F., Geo. L., Louise N 76
Thather 50, Hannah 197
Thurston, Lydia H. 70, Thankful 133,
Laurenz 134
Tyrone, Earl of 4
Thompson, Achga, Dennis, Edgerton,
Emma, Eunice, John, Nettie, Will-
iam 104, Norton 237.
Thomas, Eleanor 237, Sarah 250
Tiffany, Nancy Whiting 254
Tibbets, Elizabeth 249
Toogood, Hannah, Anna 249 252
Todd, Lucern 214
Trumbull, Gov. Jonathan 121
Trowbridge, Amasa 128
Trewin, Hannah J 76
Tudor, Royal House 269
Turkington, Wm. L., Flora C, Nor-
man (M.) (L.) 279
Twist, Alphens 121
Union 40, 116, 119
3°4
Index.
Page No.
Ulster 5
Underwood, Sarah 64, 68, 70, 71, David
70, 71, Abigail, Delia Rene, Frank
H., Frederick, Homer, Malcolm,
Nellie May, Richard G. 70. Herbert,
Maud Amy, Sarah 71, Mary Jane.
(See Babcock.)
Utley, Mary A 226
Upham, Gov. W. H. Elsie C 263
Vermont, organized 272
Virginia 3
Van Natta. E. B., H. F. B 107
Van Whv, Andrew, Mary 101, 102
Van Middleworth, J. H 295
Van Alstine, John, Marion 275
Vail, Abel, Warren 274
Verdoorn, Admiral, 207
Vose, Richard, Sarah 287
Vickery, Anna, Ellen, Clara, Joseph,
Marian, John Portz 88, Margaret
46, 88.
Waters. Leo 209, Geo 218
Waggonner, Abraham, Effe, Joanna,
John, Lydia, Susan 204, Peter 203,
204, William 203,
War of 1812 133, 140, 141, 146, 210, 222
Washington, N. J 43
Walton, Emma Augusta, Horace M.,
Josephine Elton 85
Warner. Emma 104, Jemima 256
Wales. Capt. Solomon 122
Webster, A. J. 164, Emma 290, Cecil.. 262
White A. 57, Elizabeth 194
Welcheren Island 206
Welch, Emma F., Ashbel 247
Whitney, Keziah 133
Whipple, Edwin T., Russell 216, 217
Weinman, Catherine 236
Warner, Elizabeth, Joseph, Richard..249
Washburn, Hannah 253
Watts, Mercy 249
Weller, Samuel C 104
Winders, Eva 219
Whitmore, Angeline 216
Whitney, Stephen 258, Carl, Frank,
Fred, Gib, Minnie, Nettie 259
Wheeler, Martha, Isaac 271
Wilcox, Minot259, Sally 283
Wilber, Ann J., Caroline, John... 216
Wilkins, Daniel, Charles 214
Wilkinson, Alonzo. Maud 290
Wilmer, Samuel 288
Willet, Allen, Elisha, Elizabeth, John,
Samuel, Sarah 288
Wilson, H. B 15, 16. 17
Williamson, J. G 32, 36
Page No.
Williams, Helen May, James B. 70.
Keziah 135, Edmond, George, Joana,
Tylee 195, 196, Lydia 245, Adam, An-
drew J. and A. 274, 276, Abraham,
Aaron, Adeline, Abiather, Alonzo,
Almira E. 275, 276, 277, Benajah 272,
274, Cordelia, California, Charles
276, (R.) 277, Clifford 277, Charlotte
R. 276. 279, Emogene, Eddie, Emma
V. 277, Eaton 275, Edward H. 269,
Ephriam, Elizabeth, Eleazer the
Lost Dauphin 270, Francis S. 274,
Flora B. I. 276, 278, Gladys, 277,
George 276. Hannah F. 274. Horace
276, Helen 277, Hyram 275, (B.) 277,
Isaac, 271, Isaia 272, John 270, (Col.)
271. (W.) 274, Joseph 272, James 276.
(C.) 277, Jedediah 287, Jennie 277,
Lucy A. 277, Levisa, Louisa, Lo-
renzo D. 274, Lorella, Lydia 274, 275,
Merritt 277, Margaret 270, Marial
275, Mariah 276. Marv 276, 277. Nan-
cy M. 274, Oliver 276, 277, Perry 275.
Robert of Roxburv 269. (Sir) 269,
Rufus W. 275, Stephen 270, (W.) 269.
Samuel 270. 271, 275, Susannah. Sa-
bella, Sarah, 275. Walton, 275, Will-
iam (McK.) 274, (T.) 277.
Woodward, Rachel 250
Woodford, Thomas, Mary 286
Wyman, Anna 59, 75, 225
Wood, Timothy 113
Wvllys, Col. Samuel 133
Wright, Aaron B. 236, 237, Benjamin
265, Betsey W. 263, Carola, Charlotte
237, Eliza 236, Elizabeth 237, 288, Ed-
ward J. 237, Edith C. 242, 282, Flor-
ence J. 189, 242, 243, (A) 237, Fred-
erick J. 237, Greenburv 235. 236,
George 260, Isaac Hendon 189, 236,
237. 261, Irving W. 237, James H. 242,
243, John 235, (F.) 237, Joshua 235,
236, (W.) 236, Joseph E., Jessie, Jere-
miah L 237, Lewis 236, Lulu E.,
Louisa C. 237, Lillian Ada 242, Mary
236, 288, Malynda 236, Myrtle 203,
Nancy 260, Naomi 236, Pearl E. 203,
Philip 260, Rachel 236, (F.) 189,
Reuben 203, Sarah 235, 236. Thomas
237, William 260, Walter F. 237.
Yeomans, See Addenda 294, Frank
C, M. J. W., Mertie A., Mary C,
Harrv M., Fred B. 106. George C.
214, Ann 214.
Young, Augustus, Bertha B., DeWitt
R., 107, Scott, William. Robert 280,
Janet 115, 280, Jemimie,MaryAnn 280.
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