J}.Merican Ancestry
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J}.merican Ancestry: GIVING THE NAME AND DESCENT, IN THE MALE LINE. OF AMERICANS WHOSE ANCESTORS SETTLED IN THE UNITED STATES PREVIOUS TO THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, A. D. 1776. By THOMAS P. HUGHES. III VOL. I. THE CIT-X OF ALBANY, STATE OF NEW YORK, 18...87. ~ Those who do not look upon themselves as a link connecting the past with the future do not ~- . '- ~ perform t~eir ~ut~~ to the world."-DANIEL WEBSTER• • • ".) ~ ~ ~J~~ :~J .. .. :l J J ~ ~ .. '" J ••• ,,,, 01 0"00". J • • _..... :l",J J ""J .. .J ':I ••••"011.1 J , ... .. ••• .. : •• : :'-.. : } ~ oJ ~ :! .. .,..e.. .. : .. ~ J J J J ••• ....J()JlI:~ A'LBANY, N. Y.: -~T 1.'S SONS, 82 STATE STREET. Copyrighted in 1887 by FRANK MUNSELL and THOMAS P. HUGHES. .' o. 0 " .. ", . e.... ..... ., . o • '. .' tie' •••• o 0 · .. ... ., :" .... :. III. "',"' '" .. .o ...o. It. " .. o 0 0 -. ,.l., • o 0 .... 00 · -:. :. ::::.:: .... : ,": :..... , 00 o 0 :.... :! :' ·.. :.. :.":'!:':: .. .. ,,:!: : . ,,: ." INTRODUCTION. ·'HERE has, for some years, been a g;owing interest in genealogical research, 1 and the literature on the subject is already very extensive, although it is, for the most part, shut up in the archives of historical libraries, and the public are ignorant of its existence. The perusal of elaborate and intricate tracings of genealogical branches is not a popular study, for it is impossible to create a very widespread interest in names the record and recollection of which have passed away in the current of time; but it is not so with the direct pedigrees of those whose living personality is part of our social or nation~l life. "Who is he?" is almost the first question put regarding an individual who happens to come into prominence or notoriety, and the absence of trustworthy information on the subject of ancestry often gives rise to very serious misappre hension. However indifferent some may affect to be regarding this question of ancestry, universal experience of human nature serres to prove that those who really have a pedigree will usually boast of it, whilst only those who lack one, and cannot perhaps even trace to their grandfather, will condemn such as friv olous and foolish. Some of America's greatest citizens have not hesitated to declare their pride of bjrth ',and ,p~di~ree. PRESIDENT GARFIELD delighted to dwell on the traits" Of-,.ilj~ a~~i~fi·.aI}a: wil;s justly proud of his long lineage; SAMUEL J. TIL:q~~}6u"nd leisure amidst: .t~(Ii!~ife of politics to devote to such investigations; nnd;'Da~I~J..JYEBST,;ER oftl'!A ~~cJ;lI:ed that the study of ancestry was an incu~15ent tlrt;i,~~~d' t~dJ ~~ ,i~9~1~ IJ,?J<:,:l.~pon the present generation as connecting links between the eventful past and the unknown future. The preservation of pedigrees is therefore not the mere pastime of the idle or curious. It is the honorable employment of the student and of the historian. It has always formed the basts of all true history. In the ancient records of Assyria, Egypt, and Arabia, the pedigree of an individual was usually the thread upon which was strung the stirring events of IV INTRODUCTION. centuries, and so important a place did the preservation of a lineage occupy amongst the Jewish people that it was established as a positive obligation upon every Levite of the temple. Nor was this genealogical form of history peculiar to Semetic races. The earliest Greek records were also those of pedigrees. The histories of Acusilaus of Argos, and of Hecatreus of Miletus were entitled YEYEa'Aoylaz (genealogies)" and the fragmentary histories of Xanthus, Charon of Lampsacus, and Hellanicus are strongly marked with the genealogical element, a form of history which is clearly sustained in the Greek Testarpent by the writers of the gospel narr~tive, who base the whole structure of Christianity upon the established pedigree Qf its founder. Josephus regarded genealogical study as of the utmost importance, and in giving an account of his personal history, boasts "I have traced my pedigree as I have found it recorded in the public tablets." And it is in harmoriy with such feelings that the present work on AMERICAN ANCESTRY has been undertaken. The names of only those who can trace their lineage to an ancestor who was settled in America previous 'to the DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE are admitted, and when it is remembered that there was only a population of less than two millions and a quarter in the whole of the United States in the year 1,776 (exclusive of slaves and Indians), it will be seen that but a small proportion of the present population can claim the honor of being descended from the original American stock; and consequently in. ages to come, the arrival of the Virginian colonists, the emigration of the Puritan and Dutch settlers, as well as the settlement of the Quaker and Huguenot refugees will form as memorable epochs in the history of the GREAT REPUBLIC as the Saxon and Norman conquests of GREAT BRITAIN now do in the history of that country. A few centuries hence American!!. "llnll experiellce as much pleasure in tracing back their ancestry to tllO$~ penods as tM EnghsQ now do to the days of Williamthe Conqueror. These volumes of AMElutMN A~GEsir"'v W'ln shpPlr 'a mQSt convenient method of preserving su'ch pedigr-ees. An<l although its pages will contai~, for the most part, but simple records of uneventful generations, they will pre serve facts which would otherwise be lost in the history of the people. The number of lineages in the present volume, embracing ALBANY CITY, is comparatively small. But a very large majority of the residents of Albany, who have every reason to believe that they are descended from an old American stock, cannot trace as far back as 1776, whilst not a few of those who bear the INTRODUCTION. v well-known names Qf early Dutch and English settlers have an awkward and inconvenient hiatus in their pedigrees, to which history cannot supply the necessary link. In a few instances the lineages of prominent Albanians have been with- drawn, because the design of our work precludes the publication of auto-bio graphkal sketches (not always of the most modest and unassuming character) of living persons. As our work is exclusively one on Ancestry, we have found it wiser and safer to omit all references to the living beyond the names and marriage. Each lineage is intended to be an impartial record, and we have been care ful to expunge all such adjectives as ".great," "prominent" and" pious" from the pedigrees. The historic record of public offices held, works written, and other remarks pretty clearly define the position of each line of ancestry with out any laudatory statements. We have been anxious to obtain all the information possible regarding the history of a family prior to emigration, and when a distinct pedigree is given to a noble or distinguished ancestry, we have been careful to insert it, but in those cases where the line is at present only probable we have given a qualified state ment to that effect, for as the ipsissima verba of the manuscript sent to the edi tor have in no case been inserted, he practically makes himself responsible for the lineages. Undoubtedly some of the very best blood of the old world flowed in the veins of the early American colonists, and the more carefully their genealogy is investigated, the more deeply interesting will be the facts elucidated, and we cannot but hope that the publication of successive volumes of AMERICAN ANCESTRY will both stimulate inquiry as to the early history of American fami lies and also revive that most ancient method of forming history - the careful and painstaking study of genealogy and pedigree. THE EDITOR. [N OTE. - A blank form for insertion in future editions of the work will be found at the end of this volume.] AMERICAN ANCESTRY. CITY OF ALBANY. BBOTT, JOSEPH, Albany; son of John of Little Valley near Lewistown, A WALTER ABBOTT of Albany, b. Penn., b. 1756, d. 1816 (m. Margaret Clark 1835 (m. Elizabeth Pike); son of James of of Sherman's Valley, Penn.), ruling elder Albany, b. 1794, d. 1854 (m. Jane McCas of Presb. ch., served in Rev. army; son of key of Scotland), served in war of 1812; Hugh of West Nottingham, Penn., who son of James of Newburyport, a sailor. [I] was born in Scotland about 1724, died 1777 CKERMAN, GILBERT H. and AL (m. 1752 Martha Edmiston) one of the fram A FRED H. and JOHN A., Albany; ers of constitution of Pennsylvania, came sons of Garret of Albany; son of Gilbert to America with his father; son of JOHN ALEXANDER of Lanark, Scotland, born of Albany, d. Oct. II, 1834 (m. Feb. 1799 about 1700, married Margaret Glasson of Rachel DeGarmo). Lineage not yet traced. Glasgow, came to America 1736. He was Gilbert had two brothers, Jacob and Rich the son of Thomas Alexander who was in ard. [2] Lanark in 1710. See Records of desc. of DAMS, SOLOMON, Albany; son of John Alexander of Lanarkshire. [5] Benjamin, b. at Schenectady, 1800, A LLEN, ARTHUR A., Albany: son of d. at Albany, 1861 (m. Maria Westfall); Campbell of Nelson, N. Y., b. 1830, son of Jesse (m. Sarah Ulshaver); son of A d. 1877 (m. 1858 Amanda F. Ableman), who came from Massachusetts to Samuel major in civil war, sup. of police, provost Schenectady. [3] marshal; son of Ethan of Nelson, N. Y. LDEN, WILLIAM HAM, b. 1800 (m. (m. Sophia Montgomery); son of SAMUEL A Sarah Becker), Albany; son of David, ALLEN, who came from England and set b.