The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Four

This is Chapter Four of seven, as we continue with the unfolding history of the McClintock family.

This chapter of our narrative has two parts. The first part is about wars and conflict; the second part, peace and community. It is unusual for us to find so many records about an ancestor who was not well known to history. This is due to the fact that William McClintock was deeply involved as a Selectman for the town of Derryfield in both governmental and religious matters, (and that the records have survived!)

Colonists Walking to Church, by James S. King (Public domain).

Before the American Revolution, a town like Chester had a widely scattered population. The History of New Hampshire states, that “men, women and children had been accustomed to walk six and eight miles to attend [religious] services.” (Ya gotta hand it to these ancestors… show of hands for anyone who does this today on a regular basis…) (1)

In Times of War, We Suffer

In the year 1748, there was palpable fear in Tyng’s Township of Indians (Native Peoples) attacking the “There seems to have been more fear of the Indians this year than in any other. There were several garrisons kept in town. The house now occupied by Benjamin Hills still has the port-holes through the boarding…” (These portholes are related to the sides of a wooden ship which was repurposed to build the wall of a house. The portholes were windows which the setters would shoot through toward people they viewed as aggressors.) Below is an example of a petition that our ancestors, who appear to have lived far from the town center. (History of Old Chester)

The third petition of 1748.

Our ancestors were inhabiting the lower reaches of the British New Hampshire Province. The upper portion was a border area, sparsely filled with the French, who had their various alliances with Native Peoples. Hence, the region was a border area filled with conflict, some of it percolating down to southern New Hampshire. “In British America, wars were often named after the sitting British monarch, such as King William’s War or Queen Anne’s War. There had already been a King George’s War in the 1740s during the reign of King George II, so British colonists named this conflict after their opponents, and it became known as the French and Indian War”. (Wikipedia) (2)

Louis-Joseph de Montcalm trying to stop Native Americans from attacking British soldiers and civilians as they leave Fort William Henry at the Battle of Fort William Henry, during the French and Indian War. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Military Service in Two Wars

The French and Indian War
“The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years’ War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. Two years into the war, in 1756, Great Britain declared war on France, beginning the worldwide Seven Years’ War. At the start of the war, the French colonies had a population of roughly 60,000 settlers, compared with 2 million in the British colonies. The outnumbered French particularly depended on their native allies. The British colonists were supported at various times by the Iroquois, Catawba, and Cherokee tribes, and the French colonists were supported by Wabanaki Confederacy members Abenaki and Mi’kmaq…” (Wikipedia)

American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain, 1783-1784,
London, England, by Benjamin West,
(oil on canvas, unfinished sketch), Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware.
From left to right: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. The British commissioners refused to pose, and the picture was never finished.

Records show that that William and his twin brother Michael were involved in military service for two wars during the decades of the 1740s through the 1770s. William McClintock achieved the rank of Sergeant, and his brother Michael achieved the rank of Captain. We found records of military payments in pounds and shillings, made to William McClintock and his brother Michael. Browne writes in the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield, “Paid by the Sundrey persons hereafter Named to Nethaniel Martin Teopilus Griflfen & Nat Baker as volenters men they went to Noumber four about the Retreet from Ty — are as followeth
William mc Clintok 0 6 0 0. (See the notes from the Harvard Library at the end of this section, for an explanation about payments).

The conflict William was paid for was the siege of “Number four about the retreat from Ty [Tyngstown] which was a frontier action at present-day Charlestown, New Hampshire, during King George’s War”. (Collections of The Bennington Museum, Bennington, Vermont)

The Association Test
“In March 1776 the Continental Congress resolved that all persons who refused to sign the Association to defend the cause of the Colonies should be disarmed. To put this resolve into effect, the New Hampshire Committee of Safety directed the local authorities, usually the selectmen, to have all adult males sign the Association and to report the names of those who refused to sign. The end result amounted to a census of the adult male inhabitants of New Hampshire for 1776…” (Inhabitants of New Hampshire 1776)

From this document we learned that both Michael(Nicheall) and William signed the Association, and that they were both still living in Derryfield. William’s sons Alexander and John also signed, but were then living in the nearby town of Hillsborough.

Battle of Bennington, August 16, 1777, by Alonzo Chappel.
(Image courtesy of The Bennington Museum).

The Battle of Bennington, Revolutionary War
John Stark of Derryfield, New Hampshire was friends with both of the McClintock brothers as he had served with them as one of the town administrators during the 1760s. During the Revolutionary War, he “was commissioned [as]a brigadier general of the New Hampshire militia and was ordered to lead a force to Bennington, there to cooperate with Seth Warner’s Green Mountain Boys posted at Manchester.

Stark agreed to take the independent command, so long as he was issued a commission from only New Hampshire. He refused to take orders from Congress or from any Continental officer.  As the historian Richard Ketchum has emphasized, “the effect was startling.  Within six days, twenty-five companies – almost fifteen hundred men – signed up to follow him, some of them even walking out of a church service when they heard of his appointment. [In August 1777] General Stark marched his force to Bennington – a small village that one British officer called ‘the metropolis of the [future] state of Vermont’.” (Champlain Valley NHP, see footnotes).

From the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield, “Paid by indeviduels to hold on John Nutt Enoch Harvey Theophilus Griffin & David Farmer and others went with General Stark at the Battel at Benenten are as folloeth (viz)
Micheal mc Clintok   1  2  0  0
William mc  Clintok   1  4  0  0”

It’s unclear if William and Michael were paid in (£) Pound sterling, shillings, and pence, or in the scrip of the Continental Congress. “When the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1775, it authorized the issue of bills of credit to the value of two million Spanish milled dollars as a way of funding the Revolutionary War. The Continental Congress granted a charter to create the Bank of North America in Philadelphia to issue the notes. Paul Revere of Boston engraved the plates for the first of these bills, which were known as Continental Currency. As had been the case in the days of Colonial Scrip, each of the colonies printed its own notes, some denominated in pounds, shillings, and pence, and others in dollars.” (Harvard Library)

The Stamp Act of 1765 was one of the outrages which helped lead to the American Revolution in 1776. At the time, the British government was forcing American Colonists to pay for the costs of the French and Indian War through extra taxation. (See footnotes).

Observations: In 1755, when the French and Indian War began, both of the brothers would have been 46 years old. When the conflicts for the Revolutionary War began in 1775, they would have been 68 years old. We thought that might be a bit too old to serve, but the records for the date of the Battle of Bennington correspond to gaps in their records with the town administration of Derryfield. So, even though they were older, it seems possible. Family Search records that the age range for Servicemen during the French and Indian War, and the Revolutionary War, was 16-60 years. Additionally, author Browne wrote in The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921,“An examination of this list made nearly a year after the battle of Lexington shows that… of the forty-seven men eighteen were over fifty years of age, and beyond the military limit, though this did not deter the most of them from entering the service sometime during the war.” (3)

William Wore Many Hats in Addition to His Tricorne Cap!

As we wrote about in the last chapter, our McClintock ancestors lived in an area that had several names (Tyng’s Township, circa 1727 > Derryfield, circa 1751 > Manchester, circa 1810). William McClintock was the most active member of the town administration and there are many records which feature his various responsibilities. From the book, the History of Manchester, 1735-1921, author Browne writes:

“…a board of officers known as “Select Men,” usually consisting of five of the most prominent men in the community, were chosen to look after matters in the intervals [between town meetings]. Finally these came to be elected for a year, and the meetings were made annual, unless some uncommon subject demanded a special meeting, and March, the least busy period of all the year for the tillers of the soil, was selected as the month in which to hold these gatherings. Soon the Selectmen became known as ‘The Fathers of the Town,’ a very apt term, considering that they were in truth masters of the situation and lawmakers as well as lawgivers.

New England town meeting image courtesy of Winchester News. (Public domain).

The next officer of importance to the Selectmen, and we are not unmindful of the Moderator, who must have been the oldest official, was the person who was intrusted [sic] with the keeping of the records, the Clerk… There had to be men to keep the peace, and the restrictions were very rigid in those days, and these officers were called ‘Constables.’ As soon as the time came when money was needed to finance the public business taxes had to be assessed, which called for ‘Assessors,’ though the Selectmen usually performed this duty, and do until this day in most country towns. In order to obtain these taxes, men had to go out and collect them, for even then money was not paid over until called for, and this duty was performed for a time by the Constable. (The History of Hillsborough, 1735-1921)

Records for Michael and William McClintock were gathered from two sources: Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H. 1751 – 1782, and The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921).

RoleYearsBroad duties
Assessor1751Raised money
Committees1751, 1754, 1769, 1778
Constable1756Collects taxes
Moderator1753, 1754, 1758, 1766, 1767, 1769, 1775Manages meetings
Preacher1759
Selectman1754,
1758 through 1760
1763 through 1765
1769 through 1772
Administration
Surveyor of Highways1758, 1779Field work

Michael McClintock had several roles over the years, but he seems to have spent more time doing other activities such as his agricultural work. With his brother being involved in local government more deeply, he must have been quite aware of what was going on at different times, but chose to keep a lower profile.

Public notice posted by Michael McClintock the year he was a Constable, advising the townspeople of an upcoming meeting. (Early Records of the Town of Derryfield, p. 61)
RoleYearsDuties
Constable1757 through 1759Collects taxes
Deerkeeper1766
Surveyor of Highways1766Field work
Tithingman1752, 1760, 1761, 1771Preserves order during church services

In January 1776, New Hampshire became the first colony to set up an independent government and the first to establish a constitution. (Wikipedia) By 1778, town records indicate that William McClintock was part of a committee involved in the framing a new state Constitution.

Comment: To create the above charts, we did an extensive analysis of the copious administrative records for both William and Michael McClintock. If interested in that level of detail, please see the many index entries listed in the footnotes of the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H., 1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII. (4)

In Times of Peace, We Try to Build A Community

The Colonial Meeting House
“A colonial meeting house was a meeting house used by communities in colonial New England. Built using tax money, the colonial meeting house was the focal point [central focus] of the community where the town’s residents could discuss local issues, conduct religious worship, and engage in town business.” [It] was usually the largest building in the town.

Most were almost square, with a steep pitched roof running east to west. There were usually three doors: The one in the center of the long south wall was called the Door of Honor, and was used by the minister and his family, and honored out-of-town guests. The other doors were located in the middle of the east and west walls, and were used by women and men, respectively. A balcony (called a gallery) was usually built on the east, south, and west walls, and a high pulpit was located on the north wall.

From the Derryfield history, the 1754 seating plan for the town Meeting House.

Following the separation of church and state, some towns architecturally separated the building’s religious and governmental functions by constructing a floor at the balcony level, and using the first floor for town business, and the second floor for church.

“They were simple buildings with no statues, decorations, stained glass, or crosses on the walls. Box pews were provided for families, and single men and women (and slaves) usually sat in the balconies. Large windows were located at both the ground floor and gallery levels. It was a status symbol to have much glass in the windows, as the glass was expensive and had to be imported from England”. (Wikipedia)

The following YouTube.com video, by photographer Peter Hoving, beautifully explains the layout and concepts behind New England Meeting Houses. Some of which he as photographed in New Hampshire.

Please click on this link to watch the above video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSgmQzbnkOU

In the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield, in describing the period after the French and Indian War, “An era of prosperity had dawned upon the province, but unfortunately for the harmony and welfare of the new town two combative elements of human life made up the minds and sinews of the men of Derryfield. Its inhabitants consisted of two distinct races, the Scotch-Irish who had begun to settle within the bounds of its territory as early as 1720, with others following from time to time… while the grant of the Tyng township in 1735 called thirty or more families of the English colony of Massachusetts, the latter largely along the banks and at the mouth of Cohas brook.

The Scotch Presbyterians, who somewhat outnumbered their contemporaries, were imbued with their set, vivid views of what constituted their civil and religious liberties, while the English in their belief were as rigid and dogmatical as they. We see the coloring of this difference of opinion coming to the surface almost immediately, for within a year of the granting of the charter a controversy arose relative to the building of a meeting-house and settling of a minister”.

The gist of this history seems to be that there were two groups of people who made up Derryfield: the Scotch Presbyterians, and the resettled English from Massachusetts. (Remember that Massachusetts had once long been an overlord of New Hampshire province). It seems that in an era when religious practice was a very strong component of people’s lives, both sides had resolute religious viewpoints.

Center: Irish Bible, circa 1690, Background top: Section of a mural depicting The Rev. John Wise of Ipswich, and Bottom: Illustration artwork for a barn in the English style. (See footnotes).

In the town records of Derryfield, we saw William McClintock involved as early as 1752, in conducting Presbyterian religious services out of his home. Apparently, since the town lacked a meeting center, and a Preacher (as they termed it), it was not unusual to do religious services at one’s home, or even one’s barn. Additional town records indicate that the Selectman who administered the town were actively interviewing and seeking preachers throughout the 1750s. Occasionally they would find someone, but it seems that it was never a long-term solution.

In this era, town residents had been paying taxes and fees which were collected to provide for a a town center, i.e. a Meeting House. This was a normal New England circumstance — that a Meeting House would exist at the center of the village and this facility would be where town meetings, town administration, and religious services would be conducted. For myriad reasons that are not important now, locations would be chosen, taxes would be paid, things would be agreed to, and then at the next town meeting, all of it would be undone as different sides squabbled. This literally delayed construction for decades.

Comment: No wonder they couldn’t get a Preacher. Who would want to work in that environment if everyone was so inflexible and argumentative.

A meeting house building plan and site would eventually be agreed to, and construction begun, but the building was only used as the Meeting House for a short period, before being replaced by another structure, built by a new generation. Lost tax revenues due to the Revolutionary War didn’t help matters. (5)

From The Town Church of Manchester, by Thomas Chalmers, 1869 (1903 edition).

A Rhum and A Sunset

Not everything was about war and politics. The book, The Town Church of Manchester records, “The records of Tyngstown contain an interesting account of the expense of the raising of the meetinghouse. [As monetary records for pounds and shillings] The first two items are —
To Joseph Blanchard for Rum & Provisions  2  5  3
To the Rev’d M’r Thomas Parker  2  0  0

After all our respect for the piety of the fathers, preaching seems to have been a secondary matter when it came to ‘rum and provisions.’ Rum was an important factor in that raising, for it constituted both the first and the last items in the bill of expenses. The last item is —

“Had of William McClinto for Raiseing 6 g’lls [gallons] of Rhum 
at 18s per G’ll [gallon] @ 5  8  0”

After all, William was the descendant of a Glasgow ‘Maltman’ (a brewer).

I measured off 20 acres of Meadow and Swamp for
William McClintock in the meadow below his house to
Abraham Merrill and others for which McClintock
paid me a Dollar and I paid him
11/ Hampshire old Tenor for 1/2 a pint of Rum

Matthew Patten
December 28th, 1770 diary entry from
The Diary of Matthew Patten of Bedford, N.H.


Matthew Patten lived in Bedford, not very far from William McClintock. From the quote above, observe the odd words like Hampshire old Tenor to describe the form of payment. We forget that as America was being settled each province had it’s own currency. It must have been very confusing to travelers back then.

Example of the currency use in the New Hampshire Province before 1799.
(Compiled from various Google image searches).

From the article, Money in The American Colonies, we learned from writer Ron Michener, “The monetary arrangements in use in America before the Revolution were extremely varied. Each colony had its own conventions, tender laws, and coin ratings, and each issued its own paper money. The units of account in colonial times were pounds, shillings, and pence (1£ = 20s., 1s. = 12d.). These pounds, shillings, and pence, however, were local units, such as New York money, Pennsylvania money, Massachusetts money, or South Carolina money and should not be confused with sterling. [the English currency]To do so is comparable to treating modern Canadian dollars and American dollars as interchangeable simply because they are both called dollars… after 1799, in which year a law was passed requiring all accounts to be kept in dollars or units, dimes or tenths, cents or hundredths, and mills or thousandths”.

The Sotzmann-Ebeling Map of New Hampshire, Circa 1796. (Image courtesy of Boston Rare Maps).

In 1769, New Hampshire created five counties: Cheshire, Grafton, Hillsborough, Rockingham, and Strafford. Subsequently, much of the historical records have William and Michael McClintock in the records of both Hillsborough County and the city of Manchester. New Hampshire became a state in 1781. However, for most of their lives, they lived in the Province of New Hampshire, without a County, in the small town of Derryfield.

We are not sure how long either Michael McClintock or William McClintock lived. For Michael, we do know this — From the National Archives, “The census began on Monday, August 2, 1790, and was finished within 9 months.” In Derryfield, Hillsborough County, there is a record of a Michael McClintock living there with a woman. Both are recorded as being over 16 years of age. A general issue for genealogical research with this first census, is that it provides almost no detail, nor context. By the time 1790 rolled around, Michael would have been about 81 years old. It could be him, we just cannot say for sure. The last tax record we have for him is from the Derryfield history, for the Continental County and Town Tax for 1779-80.

As for William McClintock, the same tax record observation applies to him. We are not sure that he was still living by the time of the 1790 census, because there is no record of him being counted directly. He had five children and perhaps he could have been living in one of their homes? As we know with Michael… the 1790 census only records someone as being either over, or under 16 years of age, providing no further detail. However, since there was no listing for William McClintock we can assume that it is possible that he was probably no longer living by 1790.(6)

In the next chapter, we will meet our 4x Great Grandfather, John McClintock (Sr.), the youngest son of William and Agnes McClintock.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

(1) — one record

Colonists Walking to Church, 19th-Century Print
by James S. King
https://www.magnoliabox.com/products/19th-century-print-of-colonists-walking-to-church-f1299
Note: For the family image.

History of New Hampshire
by J. N. McClintock
https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8e6FpX4eu1wC/page/130/mode/2up?q=%22men%2C+women+and+children+had+been+accustomed+to+walk+six+and+eight+miles+to+attend%22
Book page: 131, Digital page: 130/691

In Times of War, We Suffer

(2) — one record

History of Old Chester [N. H.] from 1719 to 1869
by Benjamin Chase 1799-1889
https://archive.org/details/historyofoldches00chas/page/558/mode/2up
Book page: 107, Digital page: 106/702
Note: For the Third Petition of 1748.

Military Service in Two Wars

(3) — nineteen records

French and Indian War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_and_Indian_War
Note: For the text.

Louis-Joseph de Montcalm trying to stop Native Americans from attacking British soldiers and civilians as they leave Fort William Henry at the Battle of Fort William Henry
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montcalm_trying_to_stop_the_massacre.jpg
Note: For the battle image.

American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement
with Great Britain, 1783-1784, London, England, by Benjamin West
(oil on canvas, unfinished sketch), Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware
From left to right: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1783)#/media/File:Treaty_of_Paris_by_Benjamin_West_1783.jpg
Note: For the painting image. The British commissioners refused to pose, and the picture was never finished.

Office of The Historian of the Department of State
Treaty of Paris, 1763
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/treaty-of-paris#:~:text=The%20Treaty%20of%20Paris%20of,to%20the%20British%20colonies%20there.
Note: For the data.

Fort at Number 4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_at_Number_4
Note: For the reference.

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1782 — 1800, Volumes II and IX

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow00nhgoog/page/n6/mode/2up
Book pages: 109-110, Digital pages: 129-131/425
Note: For the data. Descriptions of payment for year 1776 military service to “Noumber four about the Retreet from Ty” “the Battel at Benenten”.

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1782 — 1800, Volumes II and IX

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow00nhgoog/page/n128/mode/2up
Book pages: 108-110, Digital pages: 129-131/425
Note: For payments due to military service.

This file confirms the above footnotes, for military service payments:
History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
History of Manchester
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/23240/images/dvm_LocHist008921-00058-1?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=38
Book page: 45-46, Digital page: 71-72/878
Note: For the data.

Inhabitants of New Hampshire, 1776
by Emily S. Wilson
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/49199/images/FLHG_InhabitantsofNH-0071?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=52151
Book pages: 4 and 71, Digital pages: 4/170 and 71/130
Note: For the data.

Battle of Bennington, August 16, 1777
by Alonzo Chappel.
https://bennington.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/A4B796E5-ADE8-455B-8DF7-217237214000
Note: For the battle painting.

Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership
Threads of History
John Stark, The Hero of Bennington
https://champlainvalleynhp.org/2022/08/john-stark-the-hero-of-bennington/
Note: For the text.

Battle of Bennington
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bennington
Note: For the data.

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1782 — 1800, Volumes II and IX

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow00nhgoog/page/n128/mode/2up
Book pages: 108-110, Digital pages: 129-131/425
Note: For payments due to military service.

Harvard Library Curiosity Collections
American Currency, Continental Currency
https://curiosity.lib.harvard.edu/american-currency/feature/continental-currency
Note: For the text.

Stamp Act Congress
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamp_Act_Congress
Note: For the data and artwork.

The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/historyofhillsbo01brow/page/110/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 111, Digital page: 110/567
Note: For the quote about military age over 50 years.

Ages of Servicemen in Wars
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Ages_of_Servicemen_in_Wars
Notes: Revolutionary War Duration, 1776-1783 > Typical Years of Birth, 1757-1767 > Typical Ages 16 to 60
Note: For the data.

The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/historyofhillsbo01brow/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 225-226, Digital pages: Page numbers are inaccurate.
Note: For descriptions of Assessor, Selectman, Constable.

Manchester A Brief Record of its Past and a Picture of its Present…
by Maurice D. Clarke, 1875
https://archive.org/details/manchester00clarrich/page/n5/mode/2up
Book pages: 33-34, 38, Digital pages: Page numbers are inaccurate.
Note: For the text.

William Wore Many Hats in Addition to His Tricorne Cap!

(4) — three records

Winchester News
Chaos Reigns on Fourth Night of Town Meeting
https://winchesternews.org/20231118chaos-reigns-on-fourth-night-of-town-meeting/
Note: For the New England town meeting image.

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n4/mode/2up
Book page: 61, Digital page: 67/407,
Note: For Michael McClintock constable posting.

From the Derryfield History, we see many index entries for the McClintock family. From the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H., 1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII.

History of New Hampshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_Hampshire
Note: Regarding new state Constitutional issues

In Times of Peace, We Try to Build A Community

(5) — eight records

Colonial Meeting House
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_meeting_house
Note: For the text.

History of Old Chester [N. H.] from 1719 to 1869
by Benjamin Chase 1799-1889
https://archive.org/details/historyofoldches00chas/page/96/mode/2up
Book page: 96, Digital page: 96/702
Note: For the architectural plan. The Ground Plan of the Old-Meeting House as Seated in 1754…

Colonial Meeting Houses of New England – (2007}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSgmQzbnkOU
Note: For the video.

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n4/mode/2up
Book pages: 10-11, Digital pages: 15/407
Note: For the description of the two different communities which made up Derryfield.

Credits for Church and Barn Gallery:
BIBLE, Irish — 1690
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/english-literature-history-childrens-books-and-illustrations/bible-irish-1690
and
Historic Ipswich
Mural depicting The Rev. John Wise of Ipswich
https://historicipswich.net/2022/11/15/john-wise/
and
English Historical Fiction Authors
Barn image cover artwork for The Red Barn Murder
by Regina Jeffers
https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-red-barn-murder.html
Note: For the tvarious artworks.

Towns of New England and Old England, Ireland and Scotland … connecting links between cities and towns of New England and those of the same name in England, Ireland and Scotland
https://archive.org/details/townsnewengland02stat/page/n10/mode/1up
Book page: 120, Digital page: 120/225
Note: For the text.

A Rhum and A Sunset

(6) — six records

The Town Church of Manchester
by Thomas Chalmers, 1869 (1903 edition)
https://archive.org/details/townchurchofmanc00chal/page/n5/mode/2up
Book pages: Frontispiece and 26, Digital pages: 26/155
Note: For the photographs. Frontispiece photograph, and the Rhum quote.

The Diary of Matthew Patten of Bedford, N.H.
(Copied from Matthew Patten’s diary)
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/23193/images/dvm_LocHist008938-00132-1?ssrc=pt&treeid=18269704&personid=635978899&usePUB=true&pId=256
Book page: 257, Digital page: 257/545
Note: For the text.

Money in the American Colonies
by Ron Michener, University of Virginia
https://eh.net/encyclopedia/money-in-the-american-colonies/
Note: For the text.

Boston Rare Maps
The Sotzmann-Ebeling Map of New Hampshire, Circa 1796
https://bostonraremaps.com/inventory/sotzmann-ebeling-new-hampshire-1796/
Note: To document the five original counties established in 1769.

The National Archives
1790 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1790
Note: For the data.

Michael McClintock
in the 1790 United States Federal Census

New Hampshire > Hillsborough > Hollis
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/213949:5058?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=643749156
Digital page: 4/4, Right column, entry 1.
Note: For the data.

The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Three

This is Chapter Three of seven. So many of our ancestors came to British North America through the classic New England colonies: Massachusetts, Vermont, New York. In this chapter we learn about one place which is new to our history — New Hampshire Province.

People Were Hearing Stories About America

What was pulling Presbyterians from Scotland and the Ulster, Ireland plantations to New Hampshire in British North America? “In the early 1700s, however, [the English] Parliament imposed strong restrictions on trade, which caused severe problems in both Irish and Scottish commerce. This in turn led to more conflict between the Irish and the Scots settlers over rapidly dwindling resources, made especially urgent by a harsh winter in 1717...

“Beginning of petition dated March 26, 1718, sent by 319 “Inhabitants of the North of Ireland” to the “Right Honourable Collonel Samuel [Shute] Governour of New England,” expressing interest in moving to New England if encouraged. New Hampshire Historical Society.”

The situation was dominated by the Ulster-Irish / Ulster-Scots Presbyterians and their sympathizers in Scotland. “New England was being touted as a paradise of opportunity, cheap land, and religious tolerance – things very much lacking in Ulster at this point – and in 1718 a petition was signed by over 300 Ulster Scots families to ask the governor of Massachusetts for land. Rev. William Boyd undertook the long journey from Ulster to Boston to give the petition to Gov. Samuel Shute, who was amenable to the idea. Between 1718 and 1755, what is known as the Great Migration took place, with hundreds of thousands of Scots travelling across the Atlantic to Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.” (Worcester Historical Museum Library and Archives)

Across the ocean in the British Colonies of North America, “In 1679 King Charles II separated New Hampshire from Massachusetts, issuing a charter for the royal Province of New Hampshire, with John Cutt as governor.  New Hampshire was absorbed into the Dominion of New England in 1686, which collapsed in 1689. After a brief period without formal government (the settlements were de facto ruled by Massachusetts) William III and Mary II issued a new provincial charter in 1691. From 1699 to 1741 the governors of Massachusetts were also commissioned as governors of New Hampshire.

The province’s geography placed it on the frontier between British and French colonies in North America, and it was for many years subjected to native claims, especially in the central and northern portions of its territory. Because of these factors, it was on the front lines of many military conflicts, including King William’s War, Queen Anne’s War, Father Rale’s War, and King George’s War. By the 1740s most of the native population had either been killed or driven out of the province’s territory.

Governor Benning Wentworth, by Joseph Blackburn, circa 1760.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Since the political powers in Massachusetts had been used to running things in New Hampshire, there were many disputes about borders which were not resolved until 1741. “Benning Wentworth in 1741 became the first non-Massachusetts governor since Edward Cranfield succeeded John Cutt in the 1680s”. (Wikipedia) (1)

The Province of New Hampshire

“New Hampshire has been known as the Province of New Hampshire, the Upper Province of Massachusetts, the Upper Plantation of Massachusetts, and New Hampshire Colony”. (American History Central)

Notice in the very old, (very brown) 1757 map of the New Hampshire Province below, that most of the settlement is located in the southeastern corner. These communities are not far from the location of the port of Portsmouth, and also hug the northern Massachusetts border. This map doesn’t yet delineate a true shape for the state.

An Accurate Map of His Majesty’s Province of New-Hampshire in New England…
by Samuel Langdon, circa 1757. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

The Massachusetts Colony had been settled much earlier, and the terrain was a far more friendly environment for farming and settlement. New Hampshire was mountainous and the soils were more like what was found back in Scotland.

The terrain of New Hampshire Colony was rough and covered with forests, rivers, plateaus, and mountains. The soil was rocky, which made it difficult for farmers to cultivate fields and raise certain crops. The plentiful forests provided access to timber. New Hampshire features around 1,300 lakes and ponds, plus 40,000 miles of streams… Access to rivers and the coast made fishing and whaling popular. The thick forests provided wood that was used for timber, including masts for ships. The forests were also full of animals that provided valuable furs for trade”. (American History Central) (2)

Thomas. Cole’s engraving of the White Mountains, New Hampshire.
(Image courtesy of the Syracuse University Art Museum).

The Scotch Range of New Hampshire

Four travelers — Michael McClintock and his wife Margaret; William McClintock and his wife Agnes — immigrated to the Province of New Hampshire around 1731. From William Copley’s book, Scotch-Irish Settlers in New Hampshire, 1719-1776, we learned that the “date and place of first mention of residence in the New World” is 1731. This date is “Extracted from several sources, mainly New Hampshire Provincial Deeds, 1641-1771,” and it implies that they had the resources to acquire property. They arrived either in 1731, or shortly before that time.

They had left the Scottish Belt (Glasgow) behind and moved to what was known as the Scotch Range in New Hampshire. “The southernmost towns in New Hampshire… town names like Londonderry, Antrim, Bedford” were brought over from Scottish and Irish locations (Quora). Additionally, “The Scotch-Irish settlements, like Londonderry, were Presbyterian”. (American History Central)

The Copley book record (cited above) is conclusive for us because it documents two records for each couple, both of which agree in the details: dates, spouses, and family surname spellings. The book, History of Old Chester, from 1719 to 1869, by Benjamin Chase, also contains information about our family, but importantly, the surname is oddly recorded as McClento. This matches up like a hand and glove to the Copley book for their journey, along with land records.

From this point forward, unfortunately, there isn’t really any history about their wives. This often happens with ancestral lines.

A View of Portsmouth in Piscataqua River, aquaqtint print by J.F.W. Des Barres, circa 1781. (Image courtesy of Boston Rare Maps). Note that this image was created half a century after they journeyed from Scotland. Portsmouth must have been much simpler when they arrived.

Due to their arrival date (1731 or earlier) in the Colonies, we believe that it is certainly plausible that the four traveled together. Very few ship records exist from that time period, but it is likely that they ventured from the port at Glasgow, Scotland to the port at Portsmouth, New Hampshire Province. It’s also interesting to note that as twins, both men would have been 22 years old, which means that they had reached their age of majority in Scotland.

In the Old Chester book, Chase further records: “The first [settlement] in that part of Chester was by William and Michael McClento. Michael was in Londonderry and bought land there in 1731, and 1733. He is in Chester in 1744. William McClento of Kingstown [Kingston] bought of Thomas Packer of Dracut, 1 lot in the 3d range in ‘Tyngstown,’ in June, 1739.* So they probably settled there under a claim from Tyngstown, about 1740. But so far as Chester was concerned, they were squatters.”

*Tyngs Township was one of the early names for Derryfield. The name was changed in 1751.

Please note: Judging distances on this map is deceiving. This inset from the Langdon map above, shows the communities in which they lived. William’s family walked up to 120 miles from Kingston to Londonderry and from there, both families went to Chester. (See footnotes).

“The Proprietors sued them, and a verdict was rendered in favor of the defendants, Dec. 8, 1743, and appealed. The land on which they settled was not lotted until 1745. They came up from Londonderry on foot with their effects. [That is a distance of up to 120 miles]. It is said by some that Michael settled on No. 1, 4th D… William with his pack, and his wife with a ‘bairn’* in her arms, forded the brook some distance below the present road, with the water to their “haunches”, and erected a hut [log cabin] near the river, but afterwards built at the Huse place, on lot No, 4. William’s wife was Agnes”.

*Bairn is a Northern England-English, Scottish-English and Scots term for a child. It originated in Old English as bearn, becoming restricted to Scotland and the North of England c. 1700. (Wikipedia)

“Michael McClento had a daughter Nancy. He used to buy thread and perhaps fine linen cloth, and he and his daughter would take each a pack, and carry it to Boston to sell, taking from four to six days, and sometimes netting them three pounds”. (3)

The Mt. Desert Widow Book Half-Problem

There has been much confusion between the histories of the McClintock family and the Gamble family and we would like to address this. We know that the McClintock families and the Gamble families knew each other because they lived in the same communities.

William McClintock had a son named Alexander McClintock who was born about 1738. In 1760, he married a woman named Janet Gamble, and in 1895 a book titled The Mt. Desert Widow: Genealogy of the Maine Gamble Family from First Landing… by Greenleaf Cilley and Jonathan Cilley was published. This is where the troubles began.

At the end of the 19th century, it was very popular to publish family histories that were essentially vanity publications. These sources can be invaluable for genealogy research, but they can also be problematic unless they are very, very carefully reviewed.  Sometimes materials that were submitted to the authors were not well vetted. (This is a problem created by families where stories get repeated over time until someone writes them down, and then storytelling becomes a fact, when [ha!] in fact, it is nothing like that.)

It seems as if someone blended together the history of another William McClintock family who are Irish, and immigrated from Ireland… (There was a William McClintock family from Ireland living in Portsmouth, New Hampshire during this period, but this is not our family.) Our William McClintock family is from Scotland — and our family never lived in Ireland. As we said, no one thought to look carefully at the history…

Parts of the McClintock family history, such as the towns where they lived: Londonderry, Derryfield, Hillsborough, are certainly true, and the stories of the bridges which they built, are likely true. However, other parts of the Gamble / McClintock history are completely wrong.

The Mt. Widow book had wrong arrival dates, direct statements that Michael and William were father and son, it cites Ireland as their origin location, etc., but none of this is true. What we do know is that William Gamble was born in Derry, County Cavan, Ulster, Ireland, and that he came to New Hampshire in 1736, after our ancestors were already there. We looked at his birth information, along with his Will, his marriages, and estate probate records to verify his information. It’s unfortunate that in the present day, so many tree-makers cite a record like the Mt. Widow book, but for our family, it is quite simply not accurate.

One last thing, we discovered is a book titled (the) History of Manchester, formerly Derryfield, in New-Hampshire… by Chandler Eastman Potter, which was published in 1856 — 40 years earlier that the Mt. Widow book. The story in the Mt. Widow book was lifted almost word-for-word from the previous book, and it still reads like family apocrypha. (See footnotes).

Cohas Brook in Manchester, New Hampshire. It is likely that the sites where our McClintock ancestors (possibly) built bridges were probably similar to this image. (See footnotes).

As problematic as some of the information is, it is plausible that the information about the bridges which the McClintocks built is accurate, because it does describe where they were living. (We are taking it as anecdotal evidence because this is the only place where we have seen this information). “They were industrious, thriving people and… built the first bridge across the Cohas, and also another across the little Cohas on the road from Amoskeag to Derry. These bridges were built in 1738… The McClintocks were voted 20 S. [shillings] a year for 10 years for the use of the bridges. The McClintocks moved to Hillsboro, N.H., where their descendants yet reside”. (Note: Hillsboro is also spelled as Hillborough, and the spelling in old documents varies). (4)

Polyonymous: Which Means — Known By Several Different Names

This area of New Hampshire Province where they lived went through name changes during their lifetimes. In 1722, a man named John Goffe settled in Old Harry’s Town, in the British Province of New Hampshire. (Even so, this was never an official name for the place). Five years later in 1727, Tyngstown (or Tyng’s Township) was established. The McClintock’s were in the area by 1731.

Hand-drawn map indicating the boundaries of the newly-formed town of Derryfield. From the book, the Early Records of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N.H. (See footnotes).

Some sources indicate that their community was sometimes referred to as Nutfield because of the Chestnut trees, and in 1751, Tyngstown was rechartered as Derryfield, which was created from carving out sections from portions of the other surrounding communities, such as Chester.

From the book, the Early Records of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N.H., “…As this territory was not deemed of sufficient size to make a ‘respectable township’, enough was taken from the adjoining towns to make up the desired area… Thus the Derryfield charter covered about thirty-five square miles of coimtry [a colonial word for country > meaning, land] from the following sources: eight square miles of Tyng township, nine square miles of the northwestern portion of Londonderry, formerly Nutfield, and seventeen and three-fourths square miles of Chester, erstwhile called ‘the chestnut country’. The name of Derryfield is claimed to have originated from the practice of stock [sheep and cattle] owners of Londonderry in allowing their herds to graze on the clearings within its limits, and arising from the term ‘Derry’s field’.”

Cows Grazing Under The Oaks, by Edward Mitchell Bannister, circa 1893.
(Image courtesy of Grogan & Company, see footnotes).

So then, the question becomes, did they move from Chester to Derryfield, or did Derryfield come to them? It seems that Derryfield came to them.

On June 21, 1788, after the American Revolution, the Province of New Hampshire becomes the State of New Hampshire. In 1810, long after both William and Michael had passed on, Derryfield was renamed Manchester and remains named that to this day.

Comment: Since various record writers have used town names from different eras in a mix-n-match fashion, the proper sequence is this: Harry’s Town, circa 1722 > Nutfield (unofficial) > Tyng’s Township, circa 1727 > Derryfield, circa 1751 > Manchester, circa 1810. (5)

The Family of William McClintock

William McClintock, who along with his twin brother Michael, was born on September 18, 1709, in Glasgow Scotland, the son of Thomas and Margarit (Gilhagie) Mclintoch. William married Agnes (last name unknown) before 1731, in Scotland.

As a reference point for an extended Colonial New England family from this time period, we like the sensibility of this portrait — The Peale Family, by Charles Willson Peale, circa 1771–1773.

We’ve uncovered records that William and Agnes had at least five children, all born in the Province of New Hampshire. The first three children were likely born in Chester; the last two, in Tyngstown, (all locations eventually becoming Derryfield > Manchester).

  • William Jr., about 1736 — death date unknown
  • Alexander, about 1738 — death date unknown
  • Mary (McClintock) Starrett, September 29, 1739 — December 19, 1785
  • Janet (McClintock) Dickey, about 1742 — June 11, 1811
  • John McClintock, about 1744 — October 9, 1803,
    (We are descended from John).

We believe that William and his brother Michael made their livings in agriculture, through farming and some animal husbandry. Even though this was not their background in their younger lives in Glasgow, Scotland, it was the primary occupation of their community in New Hampshire. Even with that, both of them, but especially William, were deeply involved in the local government through various activities. In the book index for the Derryfield History, there are almost one hundred entries for ‘Sergeant’ William McClintock alone. In addition, his brother Michael, his sons William Jr., Alexander, and John are all also indexed with numerous entries. (6)

In the next chapter, we will explore the life of this family during the years before, and during the Revolutionary War, as well as their lives within the community.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

People Were Hearing Stories About America…

(1) — five records

Worcester Historical Museum Library and Archives
The Water is Wide: Scottish Journeys to Ireland and New England, 1603-1718
https://worcesterhistorical.com/worcester-1718/the-water-is-wide-scottish-journeys-to-ireland-and-new-england-1603-1718/
Note: For the text.

History of New Hampshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_Hampshire
Note: For the text.

Timeline of New Hampshire History
https://www.nhhistory.org/Timeline?id=1676.1
Note: For the data.

Benning Wentworth
by Joseph Blackburn, circa 1760
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Governor_Benning_Wentworth.jpg
Note: For his portrait.

New Hampshire Colony Facts, 1622–1761
https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/new-hampshire-colony-facts/
Note: For the data.

The Province of New Hampshire

(2) — one record

Library of Congress
An accurate map of His Majesty’s Province of New-Hampshire in New England…
by Samuel Langdon, 1723-1797
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3740.ar086900/?r=0.343,0.005,0.964,0.464,0
Note: For the map image, which is circa 1757.

The Scotch Range of New Hampshire

(3) — eleven records

Book, not available online:
COPELY, WILLIAM. Scotch-Irish Settlers in New Hampshire, 1719-1776.
In Historical New Hampshire (New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord), vol. 50:3/4 (Fall/Winter 1995), pp. 213-228.
“Date and place of first mention of residence in the New World. Extracted from several sources, mainly “New Hampshire Provincial Deeds, 1641-1771,” which is on microfilm at the New Hampshire Historical Society”.
Note: For the data.

Michael McClintock
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1609990:7486
Note: Page 222, His wife Margaret is with him. This is the record of their New Hampshire residency in 1731.
and
Michael McClento
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1612648:7486?tid=&pid=&queryId=8a6a4302-ef12-4ec3-bf2f-96f04e36caf7&_phsrc=PXe49&_phstart=successSource
Note: The McClento surname agrees with the history in Chester book, (see below).

William McClintock
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1610051:7486
Note: His wife Agness is with him. This is the record of their New Hampshire residency in 1731.
and
William McClento
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1612649:7486?tid=&pid=&queryId=47d1a30e-7c5b-4b2d-a03b-10ed68419e19&_phsrc=PXe43&_phstart=successSource
Note: The McClento surname agrees with the history in Chester book, (see below).
Note: For the data.

History of Old Chester, from 1719 to 1869
Chapter XVII : A Notice of the Early Settlers, or the Genealogical and Biographical History of Chester
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/23246/images/dvm_LocHist008953-00319-1?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=573
Book page: 558-559, Digital page: 573-574/713
Note: Fully transcribed record. The family name is recorded here as McClento.
and
History of Old Chester [N. H.] from 1719 to 1869
by Benjamin Chase 1799-1889
https://archive.org/details/historyofoldches00chas/page/558/mode/2up
Book page: 558-559, Digital page: 558-559/702
Note: For the data.

Quora reference about The Scotch Belt of New Hampshire
https://www.quora.com/Why-did-the-Scotch-Irish-leave-Scotland-and-Ireland-What-were-their-reasons-for-coming-to-America
Note: For the data.

Syracuse University Art Museum
White Mountains, New Hampshire (engraving)
Thomas Cole, circa 1831
https://onlinecollections.syr.edu/objects/29389/white-mountains-new-hampshire
Note: For the landscape image.

Boston Rare Maps
A View of Portsmouth in Piscataqua River
(Lovely Aquatint View of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
from The Atlantic Neptune, circa 1781)
by J.F.W. Des Barres
https://bostonraremaps.com/inventory/atlantic-neptune-portsmouth-new-hampshire-1781/
Note 1: For the landscape image.
Note 2: These comments were attached at the file source — Lovely Aquatint View of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from The Atlantic Neptune, circa 1781)

Bairn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bairn#:~:text=Bairn%20is%20a%20Northern%20England,the%20word%20Bain%20is%20used.
Note: For the data.

The Mt. Desert Widow Book Half-Problem

(4) — seven records

Agnes
in the North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
The Mount Desert Widow: Genealogy of the Maine Gamble Family from First Landing : On the Coast of Mount Desert Down to the Present Day 
(From the Knox County Historical and Genealogical Magazine, August 1896)
Article by Greenleaf and Jonathan P. Cilley
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3949974:61157?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635978908
G > Gamble > The Mt Desert Widow : Genealogy of the Maine Gamble Family…Book page 192, Digital page: 198/207
and
The Mount Desert Widow: Genealogy of the Maine Gamble Family from First Landing : On the Coast of Mount Desert Down to the Present Day 
https://archive.org/details/mountdesertwidow1895cill
Book page 192, Digital page: 192/196
Note: For the data.

William Gambell
in the New Hampshire, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1643-1982

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/128905:8996?tid=&pid=&queryId=f8150094-67fe-4e60-a4a6-0db37ffebc35&_phsrc=cMr5&_phstart=successSource
Note: For the data.

William Gamble
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1611488:7486?tid=&pid=&queryId=9f251364-4870-42e0-b43f-def86aefbdc2&_phsrc=xam12&_phstart=successSource
Note: For the data.

William Gamble
in the Geneanet Community Trees Index

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6737731216:62476
Note: For the data.

History of Manchester, formerly Derryfield, in New-Hampshire : including that of ancient Amoskeag, or the middle Merrimack Valley, together with the address, poem, and other proceedings of the centennial celebration of the incorporation of Derryfield at Manchester, October 22, 1851
by C. E. Potter, (Chandler Eastman)
https://archive.org/details/historyofmanches00pott
Book page: 184, Digital page: 184/763
Note: For the text.

Cohas Brook, Manchester, New Hampshire (postcard)
High-Resolution Image File – 600 DPI Scan #419277
https://www.cardcow.com/stock-photo/419277/
Note: For Cohas River image.

Polyonymous: Which Means — Known By Several Different Names

(5) — five records

Merriam-Webster dictionary
Polyonymous
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polyonymous
Note: For the data.

Timeline of Manchester, New Hampshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Manchester,_New_Hampshire
Note: For the data.

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n4/mode/2up
Book page: 8-10, Digital page: 13-15/407,
Note: For the town map and Derryfield naming information.
Note: For the data.

From the Derryfield History, we see many index entries for the McClintock family. From the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H., 1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII.

Index page from the Derryfield book, as shown above:
Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n390/mode/2up
Book page 384, Digital page: 391/407
Note: For the data.

Defunct Placenames of New Hampshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defunct_placenames_of_New_Hampshire#cite_note-Fogg-1
Note: For the data.

The Family of William McClintock

(6) — six records

Cows Grazing Under The Oaks
by Edward Mitchell Bannister, circa 1893
https://www.groganco.com/auction-lot/edward-mitchell-bannister-american-1828-1901_2524D4E929
Note: For the pastoral landscape image.

Mary M. Starrett
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/88923493:60525?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=643749176
and
Mary M. McClintock Starrett
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7624518/mary-m.-starrett
Note: For the data.

Colonial Gravestone Inscriptions in the State of New Hampshire
Alphabetical List of Towns and Cemeteries > New Boston
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48183/images/GravestonesNH-006438-102?pId=232883
Book page: 102, Digital Page: 102/160
Note: The exact text reads, “DICKEY, Janet, d. June 11, 1811, ae. 69 yrs.”

John McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96906535/john-mcclintock?_gl=1*7cddiw*_gcl_au*MTk5MDU4MTkzOC4xNzIyODU4NDQ0*_ga*MTQ4NjkxODM4NC4xNzIyODU4NDQ0*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*OTM1MmQyNGYtOWRhYS00MzZiLTk3NDgtOTdhY2I2ZjAwZGUxLjQuMS4xNzIyODc2OTUzLjEwLjAuMA..*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*OTM1MmQyNGYtOWRhYS00MzZiLTk3NDgtOTdhY2I2ZjAwZGUxLjQuMS4xNzIyODc2OTUzLjAuMC4w
Note: For the data.

The Peale Family
by Charles Willson Peale, circa 1771–1773
Collection of the New-York Historical Society.
from The American Yawp, 4. Colonial Life
https://www.americanyawp.com/text/04-colonial-society/
Note: For the family portrait image.

The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Two

This is Chapter Two of seven, where we explain just what the heck was going on in Scotland and England with all of the squabbling going on between the various monarchs. We also get to meet our 6x Great-Grandfather and his family, who were definitely not monarchs!

If you are a stickler for details as we are…

… then we really like you! Sometimes we need to pause and explain why we see records which have odd differences when they are recording similar information. A note about place names, standard spelling, and what is this shire thing all about?

Shire means that the area is the fiefdom of a Sheriff. Not the type of Sheriff you and I might encounter today, but one from the Middle Ages. It all begins with “Malcolm III (reigned 1058 to 1093) appears to have introduced sheriffs as part of a policy of replacing previous forms of government with French feudal structures. This policy was continued by Edgar (reigned 1097 to 1107), Alexander I (reigned 1107 to 1124)…” and so on and so forth, and finally, “were completed only in the reign of King Charles I (reigned 1625 to 1649)”.

“Historically, the spelling of the county town and the county were not standardized. By the 18th century the names County of Dunbarton [with n]and County of Dumbarton [with m] were used interchangeably”. Additionally, “In Scotland, as in England and Wales, the terms ‘shire’ and ‘county’ have been used interchangeably, with the latter becoming more common in later usage. Today, ‘county’ is more commonly used, with ‘shire’ being seen as a more poetic or [an] archaic variant”. (Wikipedia)

In practical terms, this means that the area near Loch Lomond is called: Dunbarton > Dunbartonshire > County of Dunbarton (with either n or m). Similarly, the area south of there around Glasgow is called: Lanark > Lanarkshire > County of Lanark. (1)

The Central Belt of Scotland

If you look at this map from 1710, you can observe a cinched-in area in central Scotland that looks like the country is almost corseted, (see the yellow oval). The McClintocks and the other families from the surrounding communities, lived in this area — what is generally still referred to as the Central Belt of Scotland. These generations from the 1600s were the parents and grandparents of our ancestors.

The National Archives, The North Part of Great Britain Called Scotland, by Herman Moll, Geographer, 1714. (Image courtesy of The National Archives UK).

Observation: Sometimes ancestry research is like a treasure hunt through the internet with many red herrings thrown into your path. This is the case with this family, which we originally thought was from Bonhill, Dunbartonshire, but when we looked much more closely at the details — we saw lots of things that made us reconsider the paths other researchers had taken. Suffice it to say that we found accurate, reliable records for our family. (2)

The Thomas Mclintoch Family of Glasgow

Our 7x Great Grandparents are Michael Mclintoch and Jonat Wining. [Note the spelling of McClintock for this family.] They had a son named Thomas Mclintoch who married Margarit Gilhagie, our 6x Great Grandparents. We don’t know Thomas’s birthdate, but we know he was baptized on October 5, 1662 by his parents at the High Church of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland. This building in the present day, “is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow.” (Wikipedia) The name High Church is how it was referred to after 1560.

Thomas Mclintoch baptism record for 1662. (Image courtesy of Scotlands People).
Honestly, we’re not sure if this is written in Latin (?) or perhaps, in Scottish Gaelic?

Thomas and his wife Margarit (Gilhagie) Mclintoch on March 10, 1698 baptized their son, Michael Mclintoch, who was likely named for his grandfather. He must have died young because they used the name Michael again for another son born later. (Comment: This idea of repeating a deceased child’s name for a later subsequent child might seem very odd to us today. However, we have seen this in many family lines during earlier centuries.)

On September 18, 1709, they had twin boys and named them Michael and William. (We are descended from William). We will be writing about them extensively in the following chapters. In our research we discovered additional siblings. The known children of Thomas and Margarit (Gilhagie) Mclintoch are as follows:

  • Jonet, May 12, 1696 — death date unknown
  • Michael, born March 10, 1698 — death date before 1709
  • James, born March 23, 1701 — death date unknown
  • Agnes, born November 12, 1702 — death date unknown
  • Elizabeth, September 11, 1705 — death date unknown
  • Michael, September 18, 1709 — death date unknown
  • William, September 18, 1709 — death date unknown

By 1723, Thomas Mclintoch had died. We discovered on the death register that he was what was know as a Maltman. “The name Maltman means a brewer, which is a craft which goes back to prehistoric times in Scotland. By the seventeenth century maltmen or brewers were well established in every town. Their craft symbol of malt shovels and sheaves of corn can still be found on gravestones all over the country”. (Scotland’s A Story to Tell…see footnotes)

Thomas Mclintoch’s death record for 1723. (Image courtesy of Scotlands People).

In an era when clean water was not necessarily safe enough to drink, everyone drank fermented or distilled beverages like beer or whiskey, because the fermentation process killed the nasty microorganisms. Hence, Brewers were considered important, and it was a protected Guild.

Our ancestors might have been enjoying fermented beverages to pass the time, but much had been going on in Europe which affected their peace and prosperity… (3)

John Calvin Was a Big Interrupter to The Status Quo

For centuries Europe had been struggling with dueling monarchies, fractious wars, and shaky alliances —but the world was slowly changing. Some of the English and Scottish monarchy knew this and had been plotting ways to hold things together through state centralization.

The gist of it is this: The Reformation had brought much change to Europe through the rise of the Protestant religion, greatly influenced by the French theologian John Calvin. “He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism, including its doctrines of predestination and of God’s absolute sovereignty in the salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation.” (Wikipedia)

For a veeerry looonng time much ado was made about whether you were Protestant, or Catholic. In 1534, the English King, Henry the VIII, wanted to divorce his first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon, a devote Catholic. The Pope, in Rome disagreed. So Henry got cranky and had all of the Catholics removed, along with their power, because he was mad at the Pope. The English then adopted a form of worship in the Anglican Church, which was technically Protestant, but still looked rather Catholic in its painstaking presentation.

John Calvin, French theologian ((1509-1564), The Houses of Stuart and Orange: King William III (reigned 1689 – 1703), Queen Anne (reigned 1702 – 1707), and then she continued as Queen under The House of Stuart, (reigned 1707 – 1714).

For years afterward, there were still a lot of Catholics in England, Ireland and Scotland. By the reign of James VI and “…he was the last Catholic monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland. His reign is now remembered primarily for conflicts over religious tolerance, but it also involved struggles over the divine right of kings. He was deposed in 1688, and later that year leading members of the English political class invited William of Orange [a Protestant] to assume the English throne.
*[He was King James VI in Scotland. When he became King of England, after Queen Elizabeth I’s death, he also became King James I].

Until the Union of Parliaments, [when the Scottish and English parliaments merged], the Scottish throne might be inherited by a different successor [a non Protestant] after Queen Anne, who had said in her first speech to the English parliament that a Union was very necessary.” (Wikipedia) Anne’s father was Catholic, but she and her sister Mary were raised Protestant. As writer Hamish MacPherson puts it in The National, “The English nobility’s obsession with securing ‘correct’ succession for Queen Anne overrode all other considerations…” (i.e., they wanted only a Protestant in charge of things).

Long story short, between 1706 and 1707, things were worked out by the Acts of Union, whether people liked it or not.

The Parliamentof England and The Parliament of Scotland

“The Acts of Union refer to two Acts of Parliament, one by the Parliament of England in 1706, the other by the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. They put into effect the Treaty of Union agreed on July 22, 1706, which combined the previously separate Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into a single Kingdom of Great Britain. The Acts took effect on 1 May 1, 1707, creating the Parliament of Great Britain, based in the Palace of Westminster”. (Wikipedia)

How did this affect our ancestors living in Scotland? Our Glasgow brewer ancestor, Thomas Mclintoch would have interacted much with the growers of wheat, barley, rye, and corn, because he needed their products to do his craft. Price fluctuations, embargoes, crop failures, taxes, exports to England, etc., would have brought additional stresses… If the Scots had a feeling of autonomy, they were now completely beholden to England. The years leading up to the Acts of Union had been difficult for the Scots. (4)

A Scotsman, An Englishman, and a Volcano, Walk Into a Bar

“The Scottish economy was severely impacted by privateers during the 1688–1697 Nine Years’ War and the 1701 War of the Spanish Succession, with the Royal Navy focusing on protecting English ships. This compounded the economic pressure caused by the seven ill years of the 1690s, when 5–15% of the population died of starvation.” (Wikipedia) But this may not have been all that was going on —

From the Daily Mail, “Crop failures that lead to Scotland signing up to the 1707 Acts of Union with England were caused by tropical volcanic eruptions thousands of miles away, scientists have claimed. When the two lava-chambers blew their tops within three years of each other, first in 1693 and then a second in 1695, the Caledonian temperature dipped by about 1.56C across Caledonia. The added cooling meant plants like wheat and barley did not grow properly, leading to a famine that killed up to 15 per cent of the country’s population”.

View of Gunung Api, from the Atlas of Mutual Heritage, circa 1758. (Image courtesy of the Royal Library of the Netherlands, via Wikimedia Commons).

And from Science magazine, “the second-coldest decade of the past 800 years stretched from 1695 to 1704. Summertime temperatures during this period were about 1.56°C lower than summertime averages from 1961 to 1990, the team will report in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research

All of this coincides with two major volcanic eruptions in the tropics: one in 1693 and an even larger one in 1695. The one-two punch likely sent Scotland into a deep chill that triggered massive crop failures and famines for several years, the team speculates”.

Miss Kennedy distributing clothing at Kilrush.
(Wood engraving from an English newspaper of 1849, via Alamy).

“The migration of Scot-Irish settlers to America began in the 1680s but did not occur in large numbers until the 1720s. Although the Scottish emigrants, in coming to America, were assured freedom to exercise their Presbyterian religion at a time when the Stuart monarchy favored spreading the Anglican Church throughout the British Isles, the most important motivation for Scottish emigration was economic. (Encyclopedia of North Carolina) (5)

Presbyterianism

Our research on American records has determined that these ancestors followed the Presbyterian line of Protestant faith. In the European world in which they lived, religions had always been sanctioned by the Monarchies, or the Pope, or a combination of the two. The Acts of Union had guaranteed the Scots the right to self-determination in worship, but we believe that they were still a bit wary about believing this right truly existed.

“The word Presbyterian is applied to churches that trace their roots to the Church of Scotland or to English Dissenter groups that formed during the English Civil War.

Contemporary illustration of the Scottish Presbyterian Cross.
“The cross many people know as the Presbyterian cross has its roots in the Celtic tradition and the Scottish Reformation. This design emerged in early Christian Ireland and Scotland around the 5th-8th centuries. The circle on the cross is interpreted by some as representing eternity, the sun, or the cycle of life and death”. (See footnotes).

Presbyterian church government was ensured in Scotland by the Acts of Union in 1707, which created the Kingdom of Great Britain. In fact, most Presbyterians found in England can trace a Scottish connection, and the Presbyterian denomination was also taken to North America, mostly by Scots and Scots-Irish immigrants. The Presbyterian denominations in Scotland hold to the Reformed theology of John Calvin and his immediate successors, although there is a range of theological views within contemporary Presbyterianism”. (Wikipedia)

Times were rather tough. There were economic troubles, wars, crop failures, absentee landlords… and religious considerations. We’re certain these ancestors were hearing reports about new opportunities in America. It was probably due to the lack of opportunity for economic advancement and a desire to break free from the hierarchical restrictions of Scottish culture which made the younger McClintocks seek to move on. (6)

In the next chapter we will write about the twin sons Michael and William McClintock and their move to America.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

If you are a stickler for details as we are…

(1) — three records

Playing Detective, 1950s (photo)
https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en/noartistknown/playing-detective-1950s-photo/photograph/asset/8677960
Note: For the detective photo.

Shires of Scotland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shires_of_Scotland
Note: For the data.

Dunbartonshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbartonshire
Note: For the data.

The Central Belt of Scotland

(2) — one record

The National Archives
The North Part of Great Britain Called Scotland.
“With Considerable Improvements and many Remarks not Extant in any Map.
According to the Newest and Exact Observations”
by Herman Moll, Geographer, 1714
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/jacobite-1715/geographers-map-scotland/
Note: For the map image.

The Thomas Mclintoch Family of Glasgow

(3) — seventeen records

Thomas Mclintoch
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9444758:60143?tid=&pid=&queryId=29665721-b3bc-46cf-81e3-90eaeb046c41&_phsrc=doN9&_phstart=successSource
Note: For the data.
and here:
Thomas Mclinto
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1515775:60143?tid=&pid=&queryId=1df482c4-0a37-46c3-97a7-ee527c0ee257&_phsrc=HNd3&_phstart=successSource
Note: For the data.
and here:
Scotlands People
https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/saved-images/N1pTU1l2d0U1WmNNMDMzdFlNUk0waHRlNXR4dUlVUTNxY0lOdXVZWlBrTG4vTzhRZk9rZkx5NWtOOWdLeld3PQ==
Note: For the death information.

1723 Death record for Thomas Mclintoch.
(Image courtesy of Scotlands People).

Glasgow Cathedral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Cathedral
Note: For the text.

Michael Mclintoche
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/12584581:60143?tid=&pid=&queryId=dd9446ff-1e7a-440f-9eb5-41145af4a704&_phsrc=PXe62&_phstart=successSource
Note: For the data — who the parents are, Thomas Mclintoche and Margarit Gilhagie.

Michael Mcclintoch
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7823422:60143
and
William Mcclintoch
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3584815:60143
Note: For the data.

Jonet, 12 May 1696
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7051421:60143
Note: For the data.

James, 23 Mar 1701
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/20653534:60143
Note: For the data.

Agnes, 12 Nov 1702
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/11591501:60143
Note: For the data.

Eliz. Mcclintock
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/12445644:60143
Note: For the data.

Scotlands People 1723 Death Register record
https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/saved-images/N1pTU1l2d0g0SjBNMDMzdFlNSkF3UnRlNXR4dUlVUTNxY0lOdXVZWlBrTGovTzhRZk9nYkxDNWtOOWdLeld3PQ==
Note: For the data — Thomas McClintock, which also lists his profession as Maltman.

1662 Baptism record for Thomas Mclintoch. (Image courtesy of Scotlands People).

A Story to Tell, Pubs & Bars
The Maltman, A Story of Architecture and History
https://www.scotlandspubsandbars.co.uk/location/the-maltman/#:~:text=The%20name%20Maltman%20means%20a,gravestones%20all%20over%20the%20country.
Note: For the text.

The Tradeshouse of Glasgow
Maltmen
Note: For the text.

History of Malting
https://www.brewingwithbriess.com/malting-101/history-of-malting/
Note: For Malt floor image.

Brief History of the Incorporation of Maltmen of Glasgow
https://www.tradeshousemuseum.org/maltmen.html
Note: For the guild symbol.

Our Story
https://www.arranwhisky.com/about/our-story
Note: For the Master Distiller image.

John Calvin Was a Big Interrupter to The Status Quo

(4) — seven records

John Calvin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin
Note: For the data.

Kunstkopie.de
Portrait of John Calvin (1509-64)
Attributed to the Swiss School
https://www.kunstkopie.de/a/swiss-school/portrait-of-john-calvin-1-2.html
Note: For his portrait.

James II of England
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_England
Note: For his portrait.

List of English Monarchs
Houses of Stuart and Orange
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_monarchs
Note: For their portraits.

Queen Anne
File:Dahl, Michael – Queen Anne – NPG 6187.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dahl,MichaelQueen_Anne-_NPG_6187.jpg
Note: For her portrait.

This is How Famine Forever Changed Scottish History
by Hamish MacPherson
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18626007.famine-forever-changed-scottish-history/
Note: For the text.

Acts of Union 1707
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1707
Note: For the text and the Royal Crest of Parliament artwork for both countries.

A King, A Queen, and a Volcano, Walk Into a Bar

(5) — five records

How Volcanoes Helped Create Modern Scotland: Crop famine that led to country signing up to the 1707 Acts of Union with England…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7766021/Crop-famine-lead-Scotland-signing-Union-caused-tropical-volcano.html
Note: For the text.

How a Volcanic Eruption Helped Create Modern Scotland
https://www.science.org/content/article/how-volcanic-eruption-helped-create-modern-scotland?rss=1?utm_source=digg
Note: For the text.

Complexity in Crisis: The volcanic cold pulse of the 1690s and the consequences of Scotland’s failure to cope
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377027319303087
Note: For the text.

The Royal Library of the Netherlands
View of Gunung Api
by Pierre d’ Hondt and Jacobus van der Schley, circa 1758
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AMH-8034-KB_View_of_Gunung_Api.jpg
Note: For the volcano illustration from the Atlas of Mutual Heritage.

Encyclopedia of North Carolina
Scottish Settlers
https://www.ncpedia.org/scottish-settlers
Note: For the text.

Alamy
Miss Kennedy distributing clothing at Kilrush
(Wood engraving from an English newspaper of 1849, via Alamy).
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-irish-potato-famine-1846-7-nmiss-kennedy-distributing-clothing-at-95413912.html
Note: For the illustration.

Presbyterianism

(6) — three records

Presbyterianism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterianism
Note: For the text.

St. Charles Avenus Presbyterian Church
A New Pilgrimage to Scotland
https://www.scapc.org/scotland/
Note: For the Contemporary illustration of the Scottish Presbyterian Cross.

First United Presbyterian Church
The Presbyterian Cross
https://www.fupcfay.org/the-presbyterian-cross/
Note: For the text regarding the Scottish Presbyterian Cross

The McClintock Line, A Narrative — One

This is Chapter One of seven, about a family line which begins in Europe and through the remarkable deeds of two twin brothers, they found an expansive family line in America.

Clara (McClintock) DeVoe is our Great-Grandmother on our mother Marguerite (Gore) Bond’s maternal side of the family. Through her family, she is our direct connection to Scotland during the period of colonial immigration. On our father Dean Bond’s side of things, some of our Irish relatives went to Scotland to find work (and survive) during the Great Hunger of the potato famine. They also had many children there, but maintained their cultural identity as Irish people. (His side then immigrated to the United States in the 1880s).

Clara McClintock’s family also immigrated, but at a much earlier time than the Irish side did. Their story starts here…

Scotland in the Early Middle Ages — This general map of Scotland is attributed to Robert Gordon of Straloch, circa 1654. Along the right side of the map is an inset with representations of the islands north of Scotland. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Fàilte! (This Means Welcome in Scottish Gaelic)

Our story begins in the Highlands of Scotland, around the shores of the famous Loch Lomond. Our ancestors in this family line are descended from the Clan McClintock families who lived there. The Loch is pictured in this map almost exactly in the center section.

This inset detail from the earlier map above, indicates the area around Loch Lomond where the Clan Colquhoun were situated, and it is from this area where the McClintock name originates.

But first, let’s explain the origins of the surname, and then its affiliation as a Sept of the Clan Colquhoun from this area. (1)

All Around Loch Lomond

The following text is excerpted from The History of the McClintock Family, by Col. R. S. McClintock. “The name Mac Lintock, McLintock or McClintock is a Highland one, and, in Scotland, though nowhere else, is chiefly to be found in the South-western Highlands and especially in the district round Loch Lomond, formerly subject to the Laird of Luss whose name was Colquhoun.

In Gaelic it is spelt ‘Mac Ghiolla Fhionntog’, or – to adopt the Scottish method which omits the mute letters – ‘Mac’ill’intog, and means son of the servant (i.e. religious follower) of Fintag. Fintag, like the better known name of Fintán, is a diminutive of Fionn (anglicized Finn) meaning fair-haired”.

Saint Fintan of Clonenagh, circa 524 – 603.
(Image courtesy of Ana St. Paula).

[R. S. McClintock was] “…making researches in Edinburgh [and discovered]…the record of an action taken in 1528 by the Abbot of Cambuskenneth against the parishioners of the parish of Kilmarnock in Dumbartonshire. These parishioners were sued for refusing to pay their ‘tiends’ or tithes which were due to the Abbot, who was patron of the parish… probably caused by the Abbot neglecting to appoint a minister and [instead] putting the stipend into his own pocket.

However this may be, we have a list of the defaulting parishioners with the amounts of their assessments, and among such names, in modern spelling… we find three McClintocks: Andrew of Ballagane, Donald of Balloch and Andrew of Boturich: probably there was only one Andrew – who was assessed on two separate holdings. Balloch is at the south end of Loch Lomond where the river Leven flows out of the Loch and Ballagane and Boturich lay 2 and 4 miles respectively to the northwards.”

“I had always imagined that the McClintocks were people of importance and I pictured them as striding over the heather in kilts with an eagle’s feather in their bonnet, but this dream was rudely shattered when I was lunching with the Duke of Argyll at Rosneath — I asked whether there were many of the name in Argyll. ‘Oh yes,’ said the Duke, ‘there are plenty – they are mostly tinkers, water tinkers.’* Water tinkers, I may mention, is a branch of the trade much looked down upon by the other tinkers. However, the Duke added ‘They’re very good chaps: you’d like them’.” 

From our research, we have learned that Water Tinkers were likely tinsmiths who traveled by boat. (2)

From left to top right: Portrait of the 28th Clan Chief — Colonel Sir Alan Colquhoun of Luss (1838–1910). Frontispiece and Crest from Chiefs of Colquhoun and their country, Volume 2, and Excerpt from the Gill Humphreys Clan Map of Scotland. (See footnotes for image sources).

Clan Colquhoun

“Clan Colquhoun (Scottish Gaelic: Clann a’ Chombaich) is a Highland Scottish clan whose lands are located around the borders of the Loch Lomond lake. The Clan Colquhoun International Society, the official organization representing the clan considers the following names as septs* of clan Colquhoun. However several of the names are claimed by other clans, including Clan Gregor – traditional enemy of clan Colquhoun.

As follows — Calhoun, Cahoon, Cahoone, Cohoon, Colhoun, Cowan, Cowen, Cowing, Ingram (or Ingraham), Kilpatrick, King, Kirkpatrick, Laing (or Lang), McCowan, McMains (or McMain), McManus, McClintock and McOwan, Covian, McCovian.

*In the context of Scottish clans, septs are families that followed another family’s chief, or part of the extended family and that hold a different surname. These smaller septs would then be part of the chief’s larger clan. A sept might follow another chief if two families were linked through marriage, or, if a family lived on the land of a powerful laird [estate owner], they would follow him whether they were related or not.

Dunglass Castle, by F.A.Pernot. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons).

The clan chief’s early stronghold was at Dunglass Castle, which is perched on a rocky promontory by the River Clyde. Dunglass Castle was also close to the royal Dumbarton Castle, of which later Colquhoun chiefs were appointed governors and keepers.” (Wikipedia)

“The Colquhouns can claim to be both a Highland and Lowland clan, as their ancient territory bestrides the Highland Boundary Fault, where it passes through Loch Lomond”. (The National). (3)

We Know Where They Lived — But, How Did They Live?

We are of course curious about the lives of these relatives, but we know little about them until they immigrate to British North America. They did come out of the Scottish culture of the late 17th century, so what was that like?

“The Highlands, for most people, started at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs.  They still do – but no longer in the sense understood by Lowland Scots until well into the 18th century.

The Highlands were a different society, where the Highland clan system held different values. The feudal system of Lowland Scotland (and England), where ‘vassals’ held land from ‘superiors’, did not prevail in the Highlands. Instead land tenure was closely linked to kinship and loyalty – members of the clan had an allegiance to their chief, a kind of mutual protection whereby the clansfolk lived securely in their territories but would unswervingly answer the chief’s call to arms if it came.  In effect, clans were – potentially – private armies. In mediaeval Scotland they had even threatened the established monarchy.

Antique Scottish Landscape Highland Cattle on Loch Pathway Mountains, by A. Lewis.
(Image courtesy of 1st Dibs).

A clan’s wealth was formerly measured in cattle (as a means of seeing them through the harsh Highland winters). Many of the clans around Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, closest to the Highland line, and with the rich farms of the Lowlands within easy reach, gained a reputation as cattle-thieves. At the very least they had expertise both in cattle-droving or protecting cattle from other marauding clans.” (Clans of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs)

There Were Established Levels to Everything
“Scotland in this period was a hierarchical society, with a complex series of ranks and orders” for those that lived in the urban centers and the rural areas:
Of course, at the top we can see the Monarchy, and just below them are the High Noble Classes, consisting of the Dukes and Earls.

A table of ranks in early modern Scottish society, (Wikipedia).

In rural society, we see some middle ranking people, mostly defined by how much land they owned. At the Rural Top were the Lairds / Bonnet Lairds, who owned the most; the Yeoman, (still major landholders); the Husbandmen (smaller landholders); the Cottars (peasant farmers). In urban society, at the upper end we see the Burgesses, and the Alderman Bailies, who were essentially different levels of municipal administrators. Then the merchant class, craftsmen, workers, and brute laborers. (Wikipedia)

Observation: This societal hierarchy was probably very hard to transcend. In records that have survived to this day, we see that our later McClintock ancestors could sign their names, and read and write. We know this through their participation in local government. But some other accounts also describe them in a bit rougher terms regarding their behaviors. In regard to Scotland, we are not sure about what social rank they were inhabiting, but they were from Glasgow, so it was likely the Merchant Class, or Craftsmen. They had to have the resources necessary to pay for their ship passage to the Colonies, and to then provide for themselves afterwards.

A Scottish Lowland farm from John Slezer’s Prospect of Dunfermline,
published in the Theatrum Scotiae, 1693.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

“17th century Scotland looked very different to today: it was predominantly rural, the landscape being made up of clusters of small farms, surrounded by narrow strips of cultivated ground (rigs) in an otherwise barren landscape. There were few trees or hedges, but plenty of bogs, mountains and moorland. There were very few roads, with access generally being by muddy tracks that were frequently impassable due to the weather. Most of the farms were quite small — usually less than 300 acres in total. Individual families lived on as little as 20 acres and survived by subsistence farming. 

The departure of King James to London in 1603 [as Heir to the English throne after Elizabeth I’s death] brought about change, particularly for wealthy Scottish landowners. If they wanted to remain part of the King’s court and retain their political influence, then they had to follow James to England. As a result, many became ‘absentee’ landlords. In England, however, they became aware of potential improvements and alternative methods of farming that would fuel the agricultural revolution that followed in the 18th century.” (Scottish Archives for Schools, a division of the National Records of Scotland)

The actions of these absentee Scottish landlords precipitated a big change in Scotland called the Lowland Clearances. From Wikipedia, “As farmland became more commercialized in Scotland during the 18th century, land was often rented through auctions. This led to an inflation of rents that priced many tenants out of the market. Thousands of cottars and tenant farmers from the southern counties (Lowlands) of Scotland migrated from farms and small holdings they had occupied to the new industrial centers of Glasgow, Edinburgh and northern England or abroad.” Big population changes were starting to occur. (4)

Inset image from the Robert Gordon of Straloch map of Scotland from the Introduction. This map shows the location of the city of Glasgow in the Lanarkshire District, just south of Loch Lomond. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Lanarkshire and the City of Glasgow

Our ancestors had begun in the areas around Loch Lomond, but had migrated south down the River Clyde, to the area of the City of Glasgow in Lanarkshire. From Wikipedia, “By the 16th century, the city’s tradesmen and craftsmen had begun to wield significant influence, particularly the Incorporation of Tailors, which in 1604 was the largest guild in Glasgow; members of merchant and craft guilds accounted for about 10% of the population by the 17th century. With the discovery of the Americas and the trade routes it opened up, Glasgow was ideally placed to become an important trading centre with the River Clyde providing access to the city and the rest of Scotland for merchant shipping...

The engraving above shows Glasgow, Scotland, the area where our ancestors lived circa 1700. (Image courtesy of Random Scottish History, Port Glasgow, pp.87-98, public domain).

Access to the Atlantic Ocean allowed the import of slave-produced cash crops such as American tobacco and cotton along with Caribbean sugar into Glasgow, which were then further exported throughout Europe. These imports flourished after 1707, when union with England made the trade legal.” Interestingly in 1726, the famous English novelist Daniel Defoe (of Robinson Crusoe) describes Glasgow as “The cleanest and best-built city in Britain; 50 ships a year sail to America”.

It is from this location that two brothers decided to immigrate directly from Glasgow to the British Colonies in North America. This city underwent much change in the century after they left, losing much of its rural character. (5)

Who Immigrated to North America in the 17th Century?

“Immigration to North America in the 17th and 18th centuries reflects a complex blend of motivations. European royals, political, and business leaders sought wealth, power, and resources. Missionaries wanted to convert Native Americans to Christianity, while others looked to escape religious persecution. Violent conflicts, high land rents, and criminal punishments also caused—or forced—people to sail to the colonies.

The first immigrants came mainly from northern European countries. They arrived to establish a new life in North America—the British colonies, New France, New Netherlands, New Sweden, or New Spain. In the 18th century, European migration to North America continued and increased, as colonies became more established.

English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and Scots-Irish people from Ulster [Ireland]left their homelands for myriad reasons. Religious refuge was sought by Quakers, Puritans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Catholics, for example. And as the British agricultural system shifted in favor of larger landholders—through the 18th-century Enclosure Movement—smaller farmers were forced off their lands. This prompted many to journey across the Atlantic.” (Ancestry) (6)

Who are the — Scots / Scotch-Irish / Scots-Irish / Ulster-Irish / Ulster-Scots ?

We have been observing how some writers use different terms when describing these ancestral groups who came to British North America. (It’s confusing enough to drive one to drink!) Our ancestors appear to have come directly from Scotland to New England, without stopping over in England, or Ireland (now chiefly known as Ulster-Scots). Therefore, we agree with  this expression — “Scotch is the drink, Scots are the people.”

The Highlander on the right looks a bit like he is wearing a kilt that’s pretty close to that of the Clan Colquhoun tartan?

Writer Michael Montgomery helped us understand these various descriptors when he wrote, “I began noticing Scots-Irish [no small h]. I observed that academics and genealogists used it to some extent… to conform to usage in the British Isles, where today people from Scotland are called Scots rather than Scotch. 

In the United States Scotch-Irish [notice the small h] has been used for Ulster immigrants (mainly of Presbyterian heritage) for more than three centuries and well over one hundred years for their descendants. Why Scotch-Irish rather than Scots-Irish? Simply because, as we will see, people of Scottish background were known as Scotch in the eighteenth century, so that term was brought to America, where it took root and flourished.

In the nineteenth century Scotch-Irish widened to encompass other Protestants (Anglicans, Quakers, etc.) and eventually some writers applied it to Ulster immigrants collectively [Ulster-Scots] because they were presumed all to have absorbed the Scottish-influenced culture of Presbyterians who had come to Ulster from Scotland in the seventeenth century”. (7)

Therefore, it seems that these ancestors are, to put it simply, Scots.

We don’t definitively know why the McClintocks came to British North America, but we do understand that they were likely Presbyterians based upon their histories. In the next chapter, we will lift a glass and toast to them as they eventually make plans to journey across the Atlantic Ocean to their new home.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Fàilte! (This Means Welcome in Scottish Gaelic)

(1) — one record

Click on this link below to watch this very short video:
How to Pronounce Fáilte? (WELCOME!) | Irish, Gaelic Scottish, Pronunciation Guide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijgg-z1nPqs#:~:text=Information%20%26%20Source%3A%20Fáilte%20(Irish,a%20word%20meaning%20%22welcome%22.

All Around Loch Lomond

(2) — five records

Saint of the Day – 17 February
Saint Fintan of Clonenagh (c 524 – 603)
The “Father of the Irish Monks”
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/17/saint-of-the-day-17-february-saint-fintan-of-clonenagh-c-524-603-father-of-the-irish-monks/
Note: For the data.

Anastpaul.com

Saint of the Day – 17 February – Saint Fintan of Clonenagh (c 524 – 603)

“Father of the Irish Monks.”
By Artist unknown
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/17/saint-of-the-day-17-february-saint-fintan-of-clonenagh-c-524-603-father-of-the-irish-monks/
Note: For his portrait.

Fintán of Taghmon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fintán_of_Taghmon
Note: For the data.
“In Scotland, he is venerated as the patron saint of Clan Campbell.”

Scotland in the Early Middle Ages (map)
Attributed to Robert Gordon of Straloch, circa 1654
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atlas_Van_der_Hagen-KW1049B11_038-SCOTIA_REGNUM_cum_insulis_adjacentibus.jpeg
Note: For the map and data. “In 1654 Joan Blaeu (1598-1673) published an atlas which was completely dedicated to the kingdom of Scotland. Blaeu composed this atlas in cooperation with the Scottish Government. The framework of the atlas was a collection of manuscript maps by the Scottish pastor Timothy Pont (c. 1560- c. 1614). This material had been prepared for publication from 1626 under orders from Blaeu by the Scottish cartographer Robert Gordon of Straloch (1580-1661) who completed the collection with 11 new maps. This general map of Scotland is one of those new maps. Along the right side of the map is an inset with representations of the islands north of Scotland.”

A History of The McClintock Family
By Col. R. S. McClintock
https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/12464119?h=4f58fa
Note: For the text.

Clan Colquhoun

(3) — seven records

Clan Colquhoun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Colquhoun
and
Sept
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sept
Note: For the data.

Clan Colquhoun Tartan

Colquhoun Gallery Images:
Colquhoun Tartan Shop
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/382383824601666368/
Note: For the portrait of the 28th Clan Chief — Colonel Sir Alan Colquhoun of Luss (1838–1910).
and
Chiefs of Colquhoun and their country, Volume 2
https://digital.nls.uk/histories-of-scottish-families/archive/96522650#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-1363,-196,5224,3907
Note: For Arms and Book Frontispiece.
and
Scot Clans
Clan Colquhoun History
http://109.74.200.198/scottish-clans/clan-colquhoun/
Note: Excerpt from Gill Humphreys Clan Map of Scotland.

File:Dunglass Castle.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dunglass_Castle.jpg
Note: For the image. From Wikimedia Commons — “Ruines du Chateau de Dunglass, Dunglass Castle” drawn by F.A.Pernot and printed by A.Dewasme. Published in Vues Pittoresque De L’Ecosse,1827. This cannot be Dunglass Castle, East Lothian, because that building was some distance inland, next to a stream, whereas this image is clearly next to a substantial body of water, i.e. The Clyde”.

The Best Tales from Scotland’s Most Prolific Lowland Clans
by Hamish MacPherson
https://www.thenational.scot/culture/20061267.best-tales-scotlands-prolific-lowland-clans/
Note: For the text.

We Know Where They Lived — But, How Did They Live?

(4) — seven records

Friends of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Park Clans
Clans of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs https://www.lochlomondtrossachs.org.uk/park-clans
Note: For the text.

Antique Scottish Landscape Highland Cattle on Loch Pathway Mountains
by A. Lewis
https://www.1stdibs.com/art/paintings/landscape-paintings/lewis-antique-scottish-landscape-highland-cattle-on-loch-pathway-mountains/id-a_12176282/
Note: For the landscape painting.

Scottish Society in the Early Modern Era
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_society_in_the_early_modern_era
Note: For the data, A table of ranks in early modern Scottish society.

A Scottish Lowland farm from John Slezer’s 
Prospect of Dunfermline
published in the Theatrum Scotiae, 1693
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Scotland_in_the_early_modern_era#/media/File:17thC_Scottish_Lowland_farm.jpg
Note: For the image.

The Scottish Archives for Schools
Seventeenth Century Scotland
https://www.scottisharchivesforschools.org/unionCrowns/17thCenturyScotland.asp
Note: For the text.

Prospect of Dunfermline
by John Slezer, circa 1693
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:17thC_Scottish_Lowland_farm.jpg
Note: For the illustration.

General History of the Highlands
The Living Conditions in the Highlands prior to 1745 (Part 1)
https://www.electricscotland.com/history/working/index.htm
Note: For the plough image.

Lowland Clearances
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowland_Clearances
Note: For the data.

Lanarkshire and the City of Glasgow

(5) —three records

History of Glasgow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Glasgow
Note: For the text.

Random Scottish History
Port Glasgow from the South East, circa 1700.
Drawn by J. Fleming, engraved by Joseph Swan.
https://randomscottishhistory.com/2018/05/23/port-glasgow-pp-87-98/
> Random Scottish History, Port Glasgow, pp.87-98
Note: For the landscape image.

Timeline of Glasgow History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Glasgow_history
Note: For the data.

Who Immigrated to North America in the 17th Century?

(6) — one record

Immigration in the 1600s and 1700s
https://www.ancestry.com/c/family-history-learning-hub/1600s-1700s-immigration
Note: For the text and data.

Who are the — Scots / Scotch-Irish / Scots-Irish / Ulster-Irish ?

(7) — two records

The Ulster-Scots Language Society
Scotch-Irish or Scots-Irish: What’s in a Name?
By Michael Montgomery
http://www.ulsterscotslanguage.com/en/texts/scotch-irish/scotch-irish-or-scots-irish/
Note: For the text.

Scotch Whisky – A Primer From Vintage Direct
https://www.nicks.com.au/info/a-scotch-whisky-primer-761065
Note: For the vintage whisky advertisement images.

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Ten

This is Chapter Ten of eleven. One of the consistent challenges we have had in documenting our family history is verifying the actual facts, and providing enough supporting details so that the records are trustworthy and credible.

Many of our ancestors thought they knew the correct information (for example on death certificates), but actually, they often times didn’t and therefore knitted something together that made sense to only them… (looking at you Aunt Nell).

So this raises a question:
Where was our Great-Grandfather Clinton DeVoe born?

Our Great-Grandfather was born on April 10, 1858 in either New York or Vermont. He died on November 19, 1930 in Russell, Geauga, Ohio. His death certificate indicates that he was born in Sandgate, Bennington County, Vermont. We believe he was born in New York because it is listed on all of the future censuses he is found on. The following explanation gives a little background on the confusion —

On the 1850 census, Mary Ann Warner (his future mother), is living in Sandgate, Bennington, Vermont, where she was born to William and Prudence (Nickerson) Warner in 1833. By the 1855 New York State census, she was living in a boarding home in Victory Village / Wilton, Saratoga County, New York and is identified as a “weaver” — noting that she had been living there since 1852. We do know that she married Clinton’s father Peter A. Devoe on February 2, 1856.

1860 United States Federal Census for Russell township, Geauga County, Ohio.

By 1860, Peter A., Mary Ann, and Clinton are found on the census for Russell township, Geauga County, Ohio. That census began in June 1860, and it indicates that he was two years old and born in “NY”, which can only stand for New York State. We’ve never discovered the exact location, but suspect it may have been Easton, Washington, New York where his father Peter grew up.

Between their marriage in February 1856 and their move to Russell, Ohio by June 1860, where did they live? After they married, did they move back to New York where Clinton was born, or did they stay in Sandgate, Vermont to have their baby? Mary Ann’s father, William Warner, died shortly after Mary Ann and Peter married. Whichever scenario happened, we know that they traveled west in 1859 to start a new life in Ohio.

Wherever he first entered this world, Clinton Chauncey DeVoe was most certainly born at home and therefore, had no birth certificate.

Observation: Perhaps in her extraordinary state of grief at providing the details about her father’s life to the “record keepers”, our Aunt Nell was quite bewitched, bothered, and bewildered? One can only think of the befuddled, humorous character of Aunt Clara, from Bewitched, who always messed up her spells. (Please see the end of the footnotes for a humorous video). (1)

A Victorian Era Marriage

On November 18, 1877 Clinton married Clara Antoinette Mc Clintock. She was born on July 14, 1860 in Solon, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Her parents were Dexter McClintock and Sarah Olive Dickinson, and she died on November 6, 1932 in Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga, Ohio. (We will be written about her life and family, in The McClintock Line, A Narrative — One through Seven).

Clinton DeVoe and Clara McClintock marriage license, 1877.
Clinton DeVoe and Clara McClintock marriage contract.
The marriage license was granted on November 15, 1877 and they married three days later on November 18, 1877. Note that some of the ink is much faded. (Family photograph).

The DeVoe family were lifelong farmers and based upon family stories, there were always struggles with money and resources. The story passed down to us was that Clinton had a drinking problem, or what we would now call, an alcoholic. He and Clara raised a large family and things were never easy.

A Shocking Story to Our Modern Ears

Grandmother Gore, when she was quite old, — (see Grandmother Lulu Mae DeVoe and Grandfather Harley Gore below) — would, with reticence, occasionally share a story about the poverty of her childhood. For those of us who had grown up in the prosperous post World War II era, some things we heard were a surprise…

Clara DeVoe in her later years, circa 1920s. (Family photograph).

One story we recall is about the Christmas holidays in the 1890s. The family was very poor, and her father Clinton had broken his leg and could not work, nor had he actually worked, for some time… There was literally no money for presents, a holiday dinner, and certainly no money for decorations of any sort, including a Christmas tree. Lulu was the oldest girl in the family and she had three younger sisters (which she referred to as the little ones), who just wouldn’t be able to comprehend the direness of the situation. So, Lulu put on warm clothes and went out into the winter cold to find a solution. What she ended up doing was cutting down a thorn bush and dragging it home. She then tore up rags to make bows to decorate the “Christmas tree” and apparently the ruse worked.

Observation: In this blog, it is a coincidence that we have an illustration of a holiday tree in the chapter titled “With All Our Grandparents — It’s a Numbers Game”. This small story brings another dimension to that picture — a more realistic understanding that each of us are descended from the sacrifices of many others who came before us. (2)

The Family of Clinton and Clara (McClintock) DeVoe, circa 1920s. From left to right: Lena (DeVoe) Danforth, Nell (DeVoe) Schulte, Clinton DeVoe, George DeVoe, Clara (McClintock) DeVoe, Anna (DeVoe) Rufner, Lulu (DeVoe) Gore. (Family photograph).

Our Great Uncles, Our Great Aunts, and — Their Families

Our Great-Grandparents Clinton and Clara Devoe had six children, five of which survived into adulthood. Although they were our Great aunts and uncles we have always referred to them just as “aunt and uncle”. Below are simple outlines of their narratives.

Uncle George and Aunt Anna (Frost) Devoe
Our Uncle George was the oldest child in the family, born at home in Russell township, Geauga County, Ohio on June 20, 1878. He died on May 26, 1946 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. George Eugene Devoe married Anna Carrie Frost on June March 12, 1904 in Geauga, Ohio. She was born on September 26, 1882, in Newbury township, Geauga, Ohio. She was the daughter of Charles K. Frost and Mary Ann Stanton. Anna died on March 26, 1970, in Warrensville Heights, Cuyahoga, Ohio.

George Eugene DeVoe and Anna Carrie Frost marriage application, June 1904

They had three children:

  • Jessie M. (DeVoe) Sloat, born June 23, 1905 — died February 12, 1982
  • Carl Harold DeVoe, born January 26, 1909 — died March 23, 1996
  • Ralph George DeVoe, born July 11, 1914 — died January 7, 2000

George worked for years at the Chase Bag Company in Chagrin Falls, Ohio as a Beaterman, which means he was the operator of the machinery that mixed, beat and hydrated pulp and other ingredients used in making paper. Chagrin Falls had hydro power from the waterways that ran through the village. In his lifetime, the two major manufacturers were the Adams Bag Company and the Chase Paper Bag Company, which merged in 1925.

Grandmother Lulu Mae (DeVoe) and Grandfather Harley Gore
(We are descended from Lulu and Harley.) Lulu Mae was the oldest daughter and the second oldest sibling in the family. We have written quite a bit about her life with our Grandfather Harley, their children, and their larger extended family. (Please see The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Ten and Eleven, and The Gore Line, A Narrative — Eight).

The DeVoe daughters, circa 1890s, left to right:
Lena Belle DeVoe, Lulu Mae DeVoe, Helen Rae “Nell” DeVoe, and in back: Anna Maud DeVoe (Family photograph).

Aunt Anna Maud (DeVoe) and Uncle Johnny Rufener
The third child born into the family was our Aunt Anna Maud Devoe. She was born at home in Russell, Geauga County, Ohio on August 8, 1886. She died on June 20, 1970 in Ashtabula, Ashtabula County, Ohio. Anna Maud DeVoe married John Rufener (Jr), on July 15, 1904 in Geauga, Ohio. He was born on September 8, 1885, in Hudson, Ohio, the son of John Rufener and Anna Kampf. He died on April 8, 1960 in Russell, Geauga, Ohio.

Anna Maud DeVoe and John Rufener marriage application, 1904.

They had two children:

  • Wayne George E. Rufener, born June 8, 1901 — died January 18, 1988
  • Dora (Rufener) Heck, born November 9, 1904 — died May 27, 1977
Left to right: Our Uncle Johnny owned a hardware store located on Main Street
in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Aunt Anna shared with our mother Marguerite, her passion for
Girl Scout cookies. Please observe that this recipe looks a bit “iffy”.
(See footnotes for image credits).
Sisters Lulu Mae (DeVoe) Gore and Aunt Anna Maud (DeVoe) Rufener, mid-1960s. (Family photograph).

Aunt Lena Belle (DeVoe) and Uncle William Danforth
The fourth child born was Aunt Lena Belle. Like her siblings, she was also born at home in Russell, Geauga County, Ohio on June 11, 1889. She died on January 15, 1958 in Willoughby, Lake County, Ohio. Lena Belle DeVoe married William Marshall Danforth on August 29, 1912 in Geauga, Ohio. He was born on September 12, 1874 in Munson, Geauga, Ohio, the son of Charles A. Danforth and Cordelia Cummings. He died on April 8, 1950 in Kirkland, Lake, Ohio.

Lena Belle DeVoe, June 11, 1889 in Ohio Births and Christenings, 1841-2003.
Note: It has been rare that we have found birth records for this family, so we were delighted
to find a record for Lena!
Lena Belle DeVoe and William Marshall Danforth marriage application, 1912.

Observation: Despite what is written on their marriage document, from everything we know from our long family history, Aunt Lena was not born in Auburn, Ohio as she wrote on her marriage application. We do not know why she wrote that.

They had three children:

  • Willieta Florence “Billie” (Danforth) Poole, born June 18, 1916 — died November 1, 2005
  • Ilda Clara (Danforth) Hockenberry, born August 15, 1917 — died February 15, 2007
  • Charles Henry Danforth, born April 3, 1929 — died January 28, 2000
This is a pencil rendering I did in the Spring of 1980, based upon a photograph
of our Grandmother Lulu, and her niece Billie (Danforth) Poole.
Lulu had titled it: Billie and Me . The original photo was taken circa 1917. (Thomas)
Left to right: Sisters Ilda Clara (Danforth) Hockenberry and
Willeta Florence “Billie” (Danforth) Poole,
with cousins Carl Harold DeVoe and Marguerite Lulu (Gore) Bond.
Photographed at the Warner Family Reunion held in Hamden township,
Geauga County in 1983. (Family photograph).

Uncle Peter M. DeVoe, the young baby
Toward the end of her life our Grandmother Lulu talked about her younger brother who lived to be about one year old. It was a revelation to us, because this baby boy was never discussed, and we think that many descendants haven’t heard of him. She said that he was named after his paternal Grandfather Peter M. Devoe. We believe that he lived and died circa 1892.

Guardian Angel With a Sleeping Child, circa 1900.
(Image courtesy of myartprints.co.uk).

Aunt Helen Rae, aka Aunt Nell (DeVoe) and Uncle Frank Schulte
The youngest daughter in the family was named Helen Rae, but everyone knew her as Aunt Nell or Nellie. Holding up the family tradition, she was born at home on November 8, 1893, in Russell, Geauga County, Ohio. She died on July 20, 1966 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Helen Rae DeVoe married Frank J. Schulte (Jr) on March 11, 1912 in Geauga, Ohio. He was born on June 20, 1891, in Ohio, the son of Frank Schulte and Mary Busch. He died on September 14, 1977 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio.

Helen Rae “Nellie” DeVoe and Frank J. Schulte marriage application, 1912.

Observation: Despite what is written on their marriage document, it is riddled with errors, as follows: Frank’s last name ends with the letter E, not the letter Y, his mother’s maiden name is Busch, the place he was born in is spelled N_____, Ohio and Aunt Nell was certainly not born in Mantua, Ohio.

Left to right: A Gibson Girl postcard image from the Belle Epoque era featuring Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Right: A Roseville Donatello pottery bowl. The Roseville Donatello pottery line was the most globally successful line of the Roseville Pottery Company. Most of the pieces were manufactured in the 1920s in Ohio. [Aunt Nell gave a bowl like this to her sister Lulu as a thank you gift for helping her with her gambling addiction]. Her great nephew Thomas discovered this piece 70 years later in his parents’ basement, and it sent him spiraling into a long Martha Stewart inspired pottery collecting phase. Susan describes Aunt Nell as having been Happy-Go-Lucky, so here we are with an excerpt from a 1943 Rudy Vallee movie… Aunt Nell probably would have loved this.

Aunt Nell and Uncle Frank did not have any children. When she died, our grandmother and mother were cleaning out her home, they found lots of money squirreled away in the oddest places. There were background whispers that she had a gambling problem, and that our Grandmother Lulu had tried to help her overcome it — so, it seems that the stories were likely true.

Film still of sisters Nell (DeVoe) Schulte and Lena (DeVoe) Danforth at the wedding of Dean and Marguerite Bond, June 1946.

It seems that the five surviving children of Clinton Clara Devoe were all lifelong friends — something that is rather remarkable for the 20th century. In the next chapter, we will be writing about our Grandmother Lulu Mae (DeVoe) Gore, her husband Harley Gore, and their family. (3)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

So this raises a question:
Where was our Great-Grandfather born?

(1) — one record

Aunt Clara from Bewitched image
Aunt Clara, Vision, and the Audacity of Excellence at Any Age
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aunt-clara-vision-audacity-excellence-any-age-david-lord
“One of the most delightful characters is Aunt Clara, an elderly witch who can never quite get her spells right.  These mishaps frequently cause humorous predicaments for Sam and Darrin, as they try to correct the damage from Clara’s well-intended but disastrous interference in their lives.  Aunt Clara meanwhile is consistently portrayed as a lovable but doddering and somewhat feeble character.  What is fascinating though is to contrast that image with the actress who played her, Marion Lorne.  Born in 1883, Lorne portrayed Aunt Clara from 1964, until her death in 1968 at the age of 84.  While Lorne had a long career in both the stage and screen, there is little doubt, that it was the role of Aunt Clara that brought her the greatest amount of fame and acclaim, resulting in her posthumously receiving the Emmy for best supporting actress.”

A Victorian Era Marriage, and A Shocking Story to Our Modern Ears

(2) — three records

Clinton C. Devoe
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZ6L-7YF
Book pages: 247, Digital pages: 160/322, Right page, entry 2.

Clinton C Devoe
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8T2-VKW
Digital page: 1313/3000

Observation: Our Aunt Nell provided the information for Clinton DeVoe’s 1930 death certificate, and like other documents to which she is attached, the information is wrong. Clinton was certainly born in New York State, not Sandgate, Vermont.

Clara A De Voe
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6SP-PMB
Digital page: 1360/3438

Clara A. DeVoe 1932 death certificate.

Our Great Uncles, Our Great Aunts, and — Their Families

(3) — forty six records

_______________________________________
Uncle George, and Aunt Anna (Frost) Devoe

Military – United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X5C3-2JM
Digital page: 56/5736
Note: Birth date confirmation for George Eugene Devoe.

George Eugene DeVoe WWI draft registration card.

George Eugene De Voe
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XX9R-1BZ
Digital page: 1293/3475

George Eugene DeVoe 1946 death certificate.

Anna Frost
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDK5-52Y
Book page: 313, Digital page: 189/206. Right page, top.

Anna Frost
Mentioned in the Record of George Eugene Devoe (Anna Frost’s Husband)

Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XX9R-1B6
Digital page: 1293/3475
and
Anna Frost Devoe
Obituary – United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4HZY-TNT2

Anna Carrie Frost DeVoe
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157471508/anna-carrie-devoe

Carl H Devoe
Social Program Document – United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K3M-5KBV

Carl Harold DeVoe

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157471561/carl_harold_devoe

Ralph George Devoe
Social Program Document  United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K33-8S9L

Ralph George Devoe
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/231293167/ralph_george_devoe

Jessie M. DeVoe Sloat
Death – Find a Grave Index

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q23B-LPQ5

Jessie M. DeVoe Sloat
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158153737/jessie_m_sloat

Ohio, Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007
https://www.familysearch.org/search/linker?ark=/ark:/61903/1:1:VK24-5Y6&id=MD8H-4JD&hinting=/tree/person/details/
Note: Confirmation file for the details on the three children of George and Anna (Frost) DeVoe.

Discover Chagrin Falls History | Adams Bag Factory
https://www.chagrinhistorical.org/discover/?c=manufacturing&t=adams-bag-factory
Note: For Adams Bag factory image.

Hip Postcard
Natural Falls Chagrin Falls Ohio Postcard
https://www.hippostcard.com/listing/natural-falls-chagrin-falls-ohio-c1973-postcard/47860445/?shopping=1
Note: For waterfall image.

Historic Structures
Abandoned paper bag mill in Ohio
Adams Bag Company Paper Mill and Sack Factory, Chagrin Falls Ohio
https://www.historic-structures.com/oh/chagrin_falls/adams_bag_company
Note: For Adams Bag factory image.

_______________________________________
Aunt Anna Maud (DeVoe), and Uncle Johnny Rufener

Ann Maud Devoe
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDK5-R2T
Book page: 339, Digital page: 202/206. Right page, entry 1.

Anna D Rufener
Vital – Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VKYK-9L8

John H Rufener
Census – United States Census, 1930

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4SY-HPV
Book page: 7B, Digital page: 1086/1118, Entries 58 through 61.
Note: On this census he reports that his parents were born in Switzerland.

John Rufener
Social Program Document • United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K3Q-7237

Johnny Rufener
Death – Find a Grave Index

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLK-26J3

Wayne George E. Rufener
in the U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/590422329:61843?tid=&pid=&queryId=0c8c2016-6078-4c37-8a75-160110b5c266&_phsrc=ynL6&_phstart=successSource

George E. Rufener
in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/53794437:3693

Dora Heck 
in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/26609629:3693

Dora M Heck
in the Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1028266:5763?tid=&pid=&queryId=7cea0677-b234-4e52-a329-ca7741ef1d3e&_phsrc=XXd1&_phstart=successSource

Discover Chagrin Falls History | Hardware Stores
https://cfhs.me/?c=business&t=hardware-stores
Note: For hardware store images.

ABC News 5 Cleveland
Open for 165 years: Chagrin Hardware shares secrets of success
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/open-for-165-years-chagrin-hardware-shares-secrets-of-success
Note: For hardware store images.

Chagrin Hardware & Supply Co.
Facebook Gallery Photo
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=533349471911247&set=pb.100057085974305.-2207520000
Note: For hardware store images.

Girl Scouts show off their Girl Scout Cookie display, 1960.
https://www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/cookie-history.html
Note: For Girl Scout troop image.

_______________________________________
Aunt Lena Belle (DeVoe), and Uncle William Danforth

Lina Bell Devoe
Vital – Ohio Births and Christenings, 1841-2003

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X695-3MZ
Book page: 202, Digital page: 135/319, Left page, center. Entry 1 for 1890.

William Danforth
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDKG-3PL
Book page: 53, Digital page: 54/241. Right page, entry 2.

Lena B Danforth
Vital – Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VK2T-45L

William Marshall Danforth
Military – United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6FJ-LHM
Digital page: 3351/5779
Note: Birth date confirmation for William Marshall Danforth.

William Marshall Danforth WWI Draft Registration card.

William Marshall Danforth
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6GS-67H
Digital page: 2820/3017

William Marshall Danforth 1950 death certificate.

Ilda C. Hockenberry
in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/88760968:3693

Ilda Clara Hockenberry
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/132259297:6052

Willieta Florence Poole
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/132259297

Charles Henry Danforth
in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/23744478:60901?tid=&pid=&queryId=c0cdde64-2919-4b85-9905-0ae0acdcc1af&_phsrc=bQu19&_phstart=successSource

Charles H. Danforth
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/94589346:60525

_______________________________________
Aunt Helen Rae, aka Aunt Nell (DeVoe), and Uncle Frank Schulte

Frank Schulte and Nellie R. DeVoe 1911 marriage license.

Nellie R. Devoe
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZZYV-XRT2
Book page: 32, Digital page: 44/241. Left page, entry 2.

Nellie R Schulte
Vital – Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VKTT-8TY

Frank J Schulte
Obituary – United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4CR4-6KW2

8″ Shallow Round Bowl, Donatello Green Ivory
https://www.replacements.com/china-roseville-donatello-green-ivory-8-shallow-round-bowl/p/74378991

Roseville Pottery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseville_Pottery#:~:text=The%20company%20was%20founded%20by,and%20other%20practical%20household%20items.

Cine Material
Happy Go Lucky 1943
https://www.cinematerial.com/movies/happy-go-lucky-i35969/p/eegmzvvd

YouTube.com
Aunt Clara from BewitchedThe Best of Aunt Clara
https://youtu.be/2QHUx-KomMs?si=EsoD7AiPf9DNpUnJ
(Click on the link just above, to play on You Tube.)

Can you imagine if we had Laugh Tracks in real life?

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Nine

This is Chapter Nine of eleven. In this chapter we write about the two Peters: father Peter M., and his son Peter A. We try to consistently use the letters of their middle names to distinguish them from each other, because it seems that in life, they each used their middle initial frequently to do exactly that. Despite this, it is ironic that we have never seen documentation which actually informs us of either of their complete middle name(s).

A Chip Off The Old Block?

As we learned in the previous chapter, Peter A. DeVoe was the fourth of eight children born to his father Peter M. DeVoe and his mother Alida (Shaw) DeVoe. We don’t know very much about the first twenty years of his life, but his father was a prosperous farmer, so it’s likely that the younger Peter A. followed the same model — at least for a while, anyway.

Map excerpted from the 1813 edition of H.G. Spafford’s gazetteer: A gazetteer of the
State of New-York. Albany, 1813. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

The above map shows the eastern edge of New York State and the western edge of Vermont as they abutted each other just after the War of 1812, and before the commencement of the Civil War. The three principal communities indicated show where our ancestors lived during this period, prior to the westward emigration of our Great-Great-Grandparents to the Ohio Country. (1)

Learning From the 1855 New York State Census

Here is what makes the 1855 New York state census unique and also very helpful with our research: “The 1855 New York state census is notable because it was the first to record the names of every individual in the household. It also asked about the relationship of each family member to the head of the household—something that was not asked in the federal census until 1880. 

The 1855 New York state census also provides the length of time that people had lived in their towns or cities as well as their state or country of origin—this is particularly helpful for tracing immigrant ancestors. If born in New York State, the county of birth was noted, which is helpful for tracing migration within New York State.

Peter A. DeVoe is listed on line 10, as being 20 years old, living in his parents’ home, working as a farmer, and that he was born in Saratoga County, New York.

1855 New York State Census for Easton, Washington County.

In 1855, Mary Ann was already residing in the town of Wilton* in Saratoga County, for three years, having moved there from Sandgate, Vermont. She is shown on line 24, as being 22 years old, and working as a weaver. We can also observe that she was born in Vermont, and that she is a boarder among ten other women who are also working as weavers. All of these women are living in a boarding house belonging to Bethelvel Shaw.

1855 New York State Census for Wilton, Saratoga County.

*In carefully analyzing the census materials, we learned that the landlord, Bethelvel Shaw and his family, ran a boarding house (which appears to have been situated amongst other boarding houses), in Victory Village, Saratoga County, New York. For both the 1855 and 1860 censuses, it is that same location, [despite being recorded as Wilton on the 1855 census].

Left to right, top: A cotton flower and bole, a millworker weaver working bobbins.
Center: Map of the Victory Mills hamlet in Saratoga County, New York, where our 2x Great Grandmother Mary Ann lived and worked in the early 1850s. Bottom: Stereoscopic view of a cotton mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, (See footnotes for credits).

When Mary Ann Warner lived there she worked as a weaver, so we analyzed histories of Saratoga County and maps from that era. We learned that there were very few mills that processed wool or cotton in Saratoga County during the period of 1852 through 1855. Having determined that she was recorded as living in Victory Village, the only place she could have worked at was the nearby Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company. (2)

The Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company

We don’t know what brought Mary Ann Warner to come and leave Vermont and move to Saratoga County, New York, but it plausibly could have been for economic opportunity. In the 1820s, one of the first cotton factory mills to have opened to great success in the United States was in Lowell, Massachusetts, and word likely spread out from there about employment.

As the National Park Service writes: “The term ‘mill girls’ was occasionally used in [1840s] antebellum newspapers and periodicals to describe the young Yankee women, generally 15 – 30 years old, who worked in the large cotton factories… To find workers for their mills in early Lowell, the textile corporations recruited women from New England farms and villages.”

Female textile workers often described themselves
as
mill girls, while affirming the virtue of their class and
the dignity of their labor. 

These “daughters of Yankee farmers” had few economic opportunities, and many were enticed by
the prospect of monthly cash wages and room and board
in a comfortable boardinghouse.

The Mill Girls of Lowell
The National Park Service

Beginning in 1823, with the opening of Lowell’s first factory, large numbers of young women moved to the growing city. In the mills, female workers faced long hours of toil and often grueling working conditions. Yet many female textile workers saved money and gained a measure of economic independence. In addition, the city’s shops and religious institutions, along with its educational and recreational activities, offered an exciting social life that most women from small villages had never experienced.

Recruitment flyer for mill workers, circa 1840s.
(Image courtesy of Medium, via Thinking Citizen Blog).

Although not as famous as the factories in Lowell, Massachusetts, the Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company grew to be a very large business enterprise. It operated under several owners until finally closing in the year 2000.

From the Eustace Families Association website:
“The village of Victory is a suburb of Schuylerville, Saratoga County, New York. Victory is located just south of Schuylerville on Fish Creek, a tributary to the historic Hudson River… Victory is the product of the industrial revolution. The number of textile mills, which required abundant waterpower, grew rapidly during the mid-1800s… [By 1846], The Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company [was built as]a three-story cotton cloth manufacturing plant costing $425,000. The company flourished and the number of employees living near the mill increased. In 1850, the cotton mill employed 160 men, 209 women, working at 12,500 spindles and 309 looms and produced over 1,800,000 yards of cotton cloth.”

“The development and expansion of Victory Mill coincided with the Potato Famine in Ireland. As a result, many Irish Catholic immigrants found work at the mills and as early as 1847, there was already a significant number of Irish families settled there.Observation: The frequency of Irish family names was something that we took note of when we analyzed the census materials. In this era, on our father’s side of the family, our Irish 2x Great Grandmother Elizabeth (McGuire) McMahon also worked as a weaver at a mill in Doune Village, Stirlingshire, Scotland. (See The McMahon / McCall Lines, A Narrative — One). (3)

The City’s Shops and Religious Institutions… Offered an Exciting Social Life

To be honest, we really don’t know how, nor where, Peter A. and Mary Ann met. Were they introduced by friends at a dance, or a picnic? We have read that for many of the young women who worked in the mills, churches offered an acceptable social outlet for their young lives. At nearly 170 years ago, one can only conjecture what the circumstance was.

We also understand from his 1909 obituary, “He and his wife confessed Christ and united with Baptist Church in the East”. This explains how they became involved with the Baptist Church — but for all of the Dutch generations before him, his family had been devout members of the Dutch Reformed Church. Was this conversion the influence of Mary Ann’s family, or was it a natural progression of life, as one moves away from their parent’s home and ventures out into the world to find one’s self?

Photos to record the wedding of Peter A. and Mary Ann (Warner) DeVoe, circa 1856.
Marriage date: February 2, 1856
(Contemporary family photographs obtained from daguerratypes).
The Descendants of Andrew Warner > Seventh Generation, page 381.

Peter A. DeVoe and Mary Ann Warner were married on February 2, 1856. The location is likely either in Sandgate, Bennington County, Vermont, or in Easton, Washington County, New York. However, we cannot yet confirm the exact location, because a specific marriage record has not been discovered. We will keep on searching for it, but for now, we have relied on other credible sources for their marriage date. Mary Ann Warner is the youngest daughter of our 3x Great-Grandparents William Warner of Vermont, and his third wife, Prudence Nickerson.

Peter A. and Mary Ann had two children:

  • Clinton Chauncey DeVoe, born in New York, April 10, 1858 — died November 19, 1930 (We are descended from Clinton).
    For the specifics about Clinton Chauncey DeVoe’s life, please see
    The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Ten.
  • Charles Raymond DeVoe, (see below)

Charles Raymond DeVoe was the younger son in the family. He was born at home in Russell, Geauga County, Ohio on November 4, 1861. He died July 28, 1939 also in Russell, Ohio. Charles DeVoe married Adeline M. “Addie” Parker, on November 4, 1884, in Geauga, Ohio. She was born on November 10, 1865 in Munson, Geauga, Ohio, the daughter of DeWitt Clinton Parker and Lucina Robinson. She died on March 25, 1944 in Auburn, Geauga, Ohio. (4)

Marriage License for Charles R. Devoe and Addie M. Parker,1884.

The Years Before the Civil War — How Did They Travel?

We do not know by which route Peter A., Mary Ann, and young Clinton Devoe traveled to Northeast Ohio. In the late 1850s, for people emigrating westward to Ohio from the counties in New York and Vermont where our ancestors lived — they would have likely traveled by a combination of canals, railroads, and roads.

This contemporary image indicates the travel options that existed in the 1850s
between Saratoga County, New York and the Western Reserve of Ohio. (Image courtesy of Quora).
Red = roadway routes, Blue = canal routes, Black = railway routes

The Canal Routes
The primary water route was a series of linked canals, dominated by the Erie Canal, which connected with the Champlain Canal. The Champlain ran between the Saratoga and Washington County borders, where Peter A.’s parents and other relatives lived. It would have been very easy for them to access this route. Wikipedia states about the Erie,“The Erie’s peak year was 1855 when 33,000 commercial shipments took place.

View on the Erie Canal (1830-32) by John William Hill
via The New York Public Library.

The Railway Routes
During this decade, railroad lines were also being constructed. If a traveler were fortunate, a rail line might exist for their destination. From Wikipedia: “The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad opened in 1837, providing a bypass to the slowest part of the canal between Albany and Schenectady. Other railroads were soon chartered and built to continue the line west to Buffalo, and in 1842 a continuous line (which later became the New York Central Railroad and its Auburn Road in 1853) was open the whole way to Buffalo”.

The Roadway Routes
Roadways, however, were a rough, mixed-bag of environments. What type of road surface one encountered depended upon the circumstances of the area you were passing through. There were: improved surfaces, packed dirt, corduroy (felled trees were used as planks), and pathways through fields. Taking a land route the entire way would have been the most difficult option.

We heard family stories about wagon travel, but to be honest, we just do not know how they made their way to northeast Ohio. What we do know is that the western end of the Erie Canal, and the endpoint for the railroads [in 1859], was at Buffalo, New York, on Lake Erie. This became the decision point about what to do next.

Inset image: Horse drawn covered wagon. (Image courtesy of the Little House books).
Background image: Gathering With Covered Wagon, 20th century image correct for
Conestoga wagon, oxen, style of dress, and Ohio designation.
(Image courtesy of digitalcommonwealth.org).

At Buffalo, a horse drawn wagon, or a heavy covered wagon such as the Conestoga wagon, would have been required for travel across Pennsylvania to the their new home in the Western Reserve of Ohio. This type of wagon was extremely popular in the years just before the Civil War, which started in 1861. (5)

Map of the Western Reserve Including the Fire Lands 1826. On this map, Geauga County is still combined with the future Lake County and Russell township (pink area) is not yet named. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Many New Englanders Were Moving to the Western Reserve in Ohio

We believe that their attraction to northeast Ohio was most likely because the influence of family members from Mary Ann’s side of the marriage. She was part of the large, extended Warner family.

Note: Her father William S. Warner Sr., was married three times: first to Lucy Coan which brought seven children into the world, and second to Abigail Root —a brief marriage due to Abigail’s death; without children. William Warner’s third marriage was to Mary Ann’s mother, Prudence B. Nickerson, bringing four more children.

From William’s first marriage to Lucy Coan, five older brothers of Mary Ann were living in the Western Reserve of Ohio, all of them in Geauga County. Her older sister, Lucina married Clark Reed and they settled in Pike County, in southeast Ohio. The Warner siblings migrated to Ohio in two waves. The first was in the 1830s, and the second was in the 1850s. The Willoughby Independent Newspaper, of Willoughby, Ohio, in 1881, recounts:

“Out of a family of eleven children of William Warner, Sr. of Sandgate, Bennington County, Vermont, seven migrated to Geauga County, Ohio at a time in American history when Ohio was considered the far west. Six located permanently in Geauga County, the other, Lusina (Warner) Reed, removed with her husband Clark Reed, to Pike County, Ohio.”

“The first to arrive was Gaylord C., who came in 1830 followed the next year by his brothers, William Jr., Joseph and Benjamin and later John and a sister, [Mary] Ann, who married Peter DeVoe and settled in Russell. For the past 120 years these Warners, with their descendants, have contributed their bit to the progress of the Western Reserve. There are at present descendants of the family living in 10 of the 16 townships of Geauga. Besides many who moved on to help build a bigger and better America.” For many decades up to the present time, a yearly Warner Family Reunion has been held. The first reunion was in 1880 at the home of William Warner Jr.

Peter A. DeVoe’s 1909 obituary states that they entered Ohio in 1859. The 1860 United States Federal Census records them living in Russell township, Geauga County, Ohio.

1860 United States Federal Census for Russell township, Geauga County, Ohio.
1863 Civil War draft registration record for the counties of northeast Ohio in 1863.
Note that below Peter’s name is his younger brother Chauncey Devoe,
who must have been living in the area before he returned to New York state.

In the midst of the Civil war period, Peter A.’s younger brother Chauncey must have been living in the area, because he and Peter registered for Civil War service. Even though the War did not affect Ohio very much, Peter’s obituary in 1909 states, “His musical talent was above the ordinary… He served for a short time in the Civil war as a musician.

March 1870 United States Federal Census for Russell township, Geauga County, Ohio.

By the time of the March 1870 census, Prudence Warner, Mary Ann’s mother, is living with them. We observed that one of the children listed — Warren French, is the neighbor’s child who must have been residing there also. We are neither sure when, nor how, Prudence Warner in her elder years, traveled to Ohio from Sandgate, Vermont. Since it was the 1860s, railroad lines were fast developing, and it is quite possible that perhaps the entire trip was by railroad. (6)

Russell Township, from the Atlas of Lake and Geauga Counties 1874, Ohio
Published by Titus, Simmons and Titus, Philadelphia. Image courtesy of historicmapworks.com.

The Last Township to be Named

If you look carefully at the 1826 Western Reserve Firelands map/illustration a few paragraphs above, you can see that Russell township is not yet named. When researching why this is, we came across this passage from the 1878 book, the History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio:
“Russell was the last to be peopled, of all the townships, and the most of her early inhabitants removed to her borders from the surrounding country. This is said by her historians to have resulted from the high prices at which the proprietors held the land. It was also due to the generally low estimate which prevailed, set upon her soil and timber.

This was rather startling to read, because (at present) the township is heavily forested and there is also much farmland. We wonder if perhaps local politics and land speculation was affecting the early settlers, of which there were many in our family. From the 1880 edition of the Pioneer and General History of Geauga County..., we learned that both aspects were true.
“At the commencement of its settlement, it was called the West Woods by the people of Newbury. The reason why it was not settled as soon as the adjoining townships, I suppose, to be that the speculators who bought of the Connecticut Land company, held it out of the market, or held it above the market price.

Interestingly, we learned that other people from Bennington County, Vermont, where the Warner family hailed from, were present in the area since the 1820s…
“Clark Robinson moved from Shaftsbury, Bennington County, Vermont, to Middlefield, in the fall of 1820… and bought a lot of land in Russell Center at three dollars per acre…on the eighth of November, 1825, moved his family into the body of a log house…” (7)

The Legacy of Briar Hill and Old Riverview

Riverview Chapel, 1930s newspaper epherma, Old Riverview / Briar Hill Cemetery,
Russell township, Ohio.

Amongst old family ancestry records we discovered a portion of a small 1910s(?), 1920s(?) newspaper article about our 2x Great Grandfather Peter A. Devoe. It describes how in earlier years he had donated a portion of his land to create the Riverview Cemetery, an adjunct to the Briar Hill Cemetery. If you examine his property map (shown above) from 1874, you can discern on the upper corner that it says Wesleyan Cemetery and shows a small indication labeled ‘Ch’ for a church, or chapel.

From the 1880 edition of the Pioneer and General History of Geauga County..., we discovered this:
“The Wesleyan Methodist Church. — About the year 1848 there was a division among the Methodists on the slavery question, a part of the members withdrew, and a Wesleyan Methodist church was organized embracing two families that were left of a Congregational church, that was formed in the northwest part of Russell, in the summer of 1840, when J. M. Childs was chosen deacon, and A. H. Childs was chosen clerk, which had become reduced to the two families mentioned, when their organization was given up, and they, uniting with those who came away from the Methodist Episcopal church, formed the Wesleyan Methodist church, and in 1850 they bought a piece of land of L. T. Tambling, two miles north of the center, on the west side of the Chillicothe road, a nice sandy knoll for a burying ground, and to build a meeting house on, and four of them paid for it, to-wit: H. Cummins, John Wesley, David Nutt, and J. M. Childs, and had it deeded to the trustees of the first Wesleyan Methodist church in Russell, and to their successors in office. The first three named that paid for the burying ground are dead and gone to their reward; Mr. Childs is living yet. He says that in 1851 they began to make preparations to build a meeting house, but, being poor, and new beginners, it went on slow, but with a hard struggle with poverty and bad management, it was finished.

The Wesleyan Cemetery eventually became known as Briar Hill Cemetery. The meeting house became the Riverview Chapel where Baptist religious services were held. Peter A. Devoe and his extended family members gathered there for worship. Our Grandmother Lulu Mae (DeVoe) Gore often spoke of his love of music and how he would lead musical performances at the chapel.

There are six generations of our family buried in Riverview Cemetery. These family lines are: Bond, DeVoe, Gore, McClintock, and Warner. (8)

They Joined Their Ancestors

Both Peter and Mary Ann were descended from many generations of people who earned their living as farmers from an agrarian economy. They carried on that tradition, as their sons did after them.

Mary A. Devoe death record, 1899.

Mary Ann (Warner) DeVoe was the first to pass away on April 10, 1899. We have found two records about her death, and they indicate that she died from either consumption, or measles.

Peter A. DeVoe was born on June 23, 1834 in Saratoga County, New York. After his wife Mary Ann passed away, he lived into the 20th century for another ten years . He died on October 31, 1909 from an accidental fall. This newspaper account describes what happened. Peter’s obituary (further below) speaks to how beloved he was in his community. (9)

An account of his death was published in
The Geauga Republican, or the Cleveland Leader, on November 3, 1909.
Peter died on October 31, 1909. This obituary was published (likely in the Geauga Republican)
on November 12, 1909.

In the next chapter we will write about Peter and Mary Ann’s son Clinton Chauncey DeVoe, his wife Clara Antionette McClintock, and their children.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

A Chip Off The Old Block?

(1) — one records

Library of Congress
State of New-York for Spafford’s gazetteer, 1813
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3800.ct003432/?r=-0.195,0.049,1.46,0.862,0
Note: For a portion of the map image.

Learning From the 1855 New York State Census

(2) — eight records

New York Genealogical & Biographical Society
New York State Census Records Online
https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/subject-guide/new-york-state-census-records-online#1855

Peter M Devoe
in the 1860 United States Federal Census

New York > Washington > Easton
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/48630571:7667?tid=&pid=&queryId=35ec4bd5-43de-42e5-bb2e-505bfa1707e1&_phsrc=Rxw27&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 160, Digital page: 28/80, Entries 23 through 29.

Mary A Warner
Census – New York State Census, 1855

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K63D-4G5
Digital page: 247/481, Entry 24.
Note: This census is recoded as Election District 2 / Wilton, but the location it covered for our Great-Great-Grandmother Mary Ann Warner is actually the small town of Victory Village, just south of Wilton. See the notes below on Bethuel Shaw.

Bethuel Shaw (or Nathaniel Shaw)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118426704/bethuel-sha
Notes: Much research was done on Bethuel Shaw, and the following was determined — He and his family ran a boarding house (which appears to have been situated amongst other boarding houses), in Saratoga County, New York. For the 1855 “Wilton” census and for the “Victory Village” 1860 census, it is the same location because the names of the neighbors are exactly the same (the Taylor family and the Kelly family). On the 1860 census, his name Bethuel is recorded as Nathaniel.

History of Saratoga County, New York, with Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers
by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester, 1878
https://archive.org/details/cu31924028833064/page/n7/mode/2up

New Topographical Atlas Of Saratoga Co. New York
From Actual Surveys by S.N. & D.G. Beers and Assistants

Stone & Stewart, Publishers. Philadelphia. 1866
https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/saratoga/Atlas.html

Gossypium barbadense, cotton plant
Illustration from the Botany Library Plate Collection held at the
Natural History Museum, London
https://www.mediastorehouse.com.au/mary-evans-prints-online/gossypium-barbadense-cotton-plant-8613143.html
Note: For the cotton plant illustration.

Resources for History Teachers
The New England Textile Industry in the 19th Century
http://resourcesforhistoryteachers.pbworks.com/w/page/125185436/The%20New%20England%20Textile%20Industry%20in%20the%2019th%20Century
Note: For the Lowell, Massachusetts stereoscopic view card mill image.

The Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company

(3) — four records

The Mill Girls of Lowell
https://www.nps.gov/lowe/learn/historyculture/the-mill-girls-of-lowell.htm#:~:text=To find workers for their,board in a comfortable boardinghouse.

Eustace Families Association
http://www.roneustice.com/Family History/IrishFamiliessub/EustisVictoryMills/VictoryMills.6.7.09.htm

Thinking Citizen Blog — Massachusetts (Part Two) Textiles, Shoes, Telephones
https://john-muresianu.medium.com/thinking-citizen-blog-massachusetts-part-two-textiles-shoes-telephones-55beeb38c6de

“Several companies owned and operated the facility over the years and unfortunately ended up closing its doors in 2000.”
https://www.villageofvictory.com/about-historical-victory/

The City’s Shops and Religious Institutions… Offered an Exciting Social Life

(4) — five records

The Descendants of Andrew Warner
> Seventh Generation
Compiled by Lucien C. Warner and Mrs. Josephine Genung Nichols
https://archive.org/details/descendantsofand00warn/page/380/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 381-382, Digital page: 380-382/804, Right page, entry 355.
Note: “Ann (or Mary Ann) Warner marries Peter DeVoe”

Charles R. Devoe
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XD2M-HMQ
Book page: 321, Digital page: 182/516      Right page bottom, entry 3.
Note 1: Spouse is, Addie Parker / Adeline M. Parker
Note 2: Marriage date, November 4.1884, in Geauga County, Ohio

Chas Raymond Devoe
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8MR-L8D
Digital page: 1544/3320
Note: This file also documents his birth date.

Charles Raymond DeVoe death certificate, 1939.

Addie Parker Devoe
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8ML-Y6F
Digital page: 2697/3295
Notes: Birth date and location, death date and location. 

Addie M. (Parker) DeVoe death certificate, 1944.

Adeline M. Parker
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/99B3-JDD
Note: Addie DeVoe’s parents are: DeWitt Clinton Parker and Lucina Robinson.

The Years Before the Civil War — How Did They Travel?

(5) — five records

Quora map image
How would someone in the 1850s get from New York to Kansas?https://www.quora.com/How-would-someone-in-the-1850s-get-from-New-York-to-Kansas

CBS News
All Hail The Erie Canal
“View on the Erie Canal” (1830-32) by John William Hill
via The New York Public Library
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/all-hail-the-erie-canal-200th-anniversary/
Note: For the landscape painting.

Erie Canal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal

Covered Wagon With Horses photo
Little House Books
http://lhbooks.weebly.com/covered-wagons.html
Note: For the covered wagon image in color.

Gathering With Covered Wagon
by Associated Photofeature Syndicate, 58 Charles Street, Boston, Massachusetts
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:0r96gd67j
Note: For the covered wagon image, sepia toned.

Many New Englanders Were Moving to the Western Reserve in Ohio

(6) — six records

Western Reserve Including the Fire Lands 1826
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Reserve_Including_the_Fire_Lands_1826.jpg
Note: On this map, Geauga County is still combined with the future Lake County and Russell township is not yet named.

North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 for Ann Warner
W > Warner > The Descendants of Andrew Warner
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61157/images/46155_b290135-00262?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=1810137
Book page: 254-255, Digital page: 262-263/812
Note: Entry 355 on page 263, is a notation for her marriage to Peter Devoe.

P Devon
in the 1860 United States Federal Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/43403745:7667?tid=&pid=&queryId=a14478bc-ce31-4745-9564-8089cb4f9791&_phsrc=cUK2&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 18, Digital page: 18/25, Entries 27-29.

Peter Devoe
in the U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865

Ohio > 19th > Class 1, A-K, Volume 1 of 4
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1035699:1666?tid=&pid=&queryId=74778971-fe58-4cc5-a090-2f50318fd932&_phsrc=cUK4&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 145, Digital page: 168/338, Entries 13 and 14.

Peter De Voe
Census – United States Census, 1870

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M62W-W7Z
Book page: 2-3, Digital page: 612-613/733
Notes: Entries 35 through 40 at the bottom of the left page and entry 1
at the top of the (next right) page.

Extracts from the Willoughby Independent, 1881, Willoughby, Ohio Newspaper
Judy Jane Stebbins, 3/1/2013
https://usgenwebsites.org/OHLake/newspaper/Willoughby%20Independent%201881c%20Stebbins.pdf

The Last Township to be Named

(7) — three records

Cover for the Atlas of Lake and Geauga Counties 1874, Ohio.

Historic Map Works
Russell, Fowler’s Mills
From Lake and Geauga Counties 1874, Ohio

Published by Titus, Simmons and Titus in 1874
https://historicmapworks.com/Map/US/24292/Russell++Fowler+s+Mills/

History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio
https://archive.org/details/oh-geauga-lake-1879-williams/page/n9/mode/2up
Book page: 207, Digital page: 318/443

1798 – 1880, Pioneer and General History of Geauga County, with Sketches
of Some of the Pioneers and Prominent Men
by The Historical Society of Geauga County
Russell > For Early Proprietors, and > Early Events:
https://archive.org/details/oh-geauga-1880-historical-society/page/109/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 109-110, Digital page: 109-110/821

The Legacy of Briar Hill and Old Riverview

(8) — two records

Russell Township
Township Cemeteries
https://russelltownship.us/departments/administration-1/cemetery
Note: For the Riverview Chapel image.

1798 – 1880, Pioneer and General History of Geauga County, with Sketches of Some of the Pioneers and Prominent Men
by The Historical Society of Geauga County
Russell > The Wesleyan Methodist Church
https://archive.org/details/oh-geauga-1880-historical-society/page/113/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 114, Digital page: 113/821

They Joined Their Ancestors

(9) — four records

Mary A. Devoe
Vital – Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6D5-ST5
Book page: 8, Digital page: 435/469, Left page, entry #4828.
Note: her cause of death is listed as consumption (tuberculosis).

Peter Devoe
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6XS-W2N
Digital page: 98/3051

Peter A. DeVoe death certificate, 1909.

Peter Devoe
in the Ohio, U.S., Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index, 1810s-2016

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2222115:1671?tid=&pid=&queryId=8f21bb29-7ea3-4d5b-9aed-f7ae3dc6ea30&_phsrc=bTB3&_phstart=successSource

Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998 for Peter De Voe
Geauga > Probate Files, Dutton, Charles O-Downing, Cornelia A
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8801/images/005441006_01234?pId=15350799
Digital pages: 1234 through 1250
Note: There are about 17 images in this docket.

Peter Devoe
in the Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018

D
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6201688:5763?tid=&pid=&queryId=138f15d6-7ebf-4d55-ae45-6660f57adcfa&_phsrc=Wxe18&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 335, Digital page: 30/2684, Entry 15 from the bottom.

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Seven

This is Chapter Seven of eleven parts. An unusual circumstance has required an unusual chapter for our DeVoe family history. We’ve created this unique chapter to address both the scarcity of records on this branch of the family, and to document our insights about working through a knotty challenge like this.

Ballston Spa was the “Center” of Saratoga County

Saratoga County Courthouse, built 1819. From the Saratoga Today newspaper article
How Ballston Spa Became the County Seat, published April 1, 2021.

If you give a couple of ne’er-do-well convicts a lighted candle, they just might burn the jail down — and this is exactly what happened. According to the newspaper, Saratoga Today
“Fire broke out in the courthouse in the middle of the night on March 23 [1816]. Two prisoners, Fones Cole of Northampton (held on a forgery charge) and Peter Drapoo (a horse thief) used a candle they purchased from the jailor (reportedly for playing cards) to set fire to their cell and escape. Two other prisoners also escaped during the fire but a fifth prisoner, George Billings, was chained to the floor and perished in the flames.”

After the drama of that event, for three years, different interested Saratoga County towns vied for the new courthouse to be built in their community, but when all was said and done, the new courthouse stayed in Ballston Spa, opening in 1819. “The style of the building was essentially the same as the original building on Courthouse Hill, though they built this one out of brick.

At the time of this chapter in our family history, the Surrogate of the County of Saratoga was George Palmer, esq., and he was working from this new courthouse. (1)

Our Dilemma With Peter M. DevoeThat “M” is Pretty Important!

In our search for our 3x Great Grandfather, Peter M. Devoe — as sometimes happens in genealogy research, you find yourself tracing a relative who has a rather common name. In this part of the world at that time, there were many, many Devoe(s) living in New York State. Also, the first name of Peter was (and stilll is!) quite popular. Occasionally we might luck out and see a middle name initial: Peter D., Peter J., etc., but without that special “M” nothing could be certain we had the right person.

And then there’s the surname. The Holland Society records these variants for the Devoe surname: De Voew, De Vous, Devoe, Du Fou, Du Voe, D. Fou, d. Fou, D. Vou, De Voe, Devou, De Vous, Vous, Du Vou. In a preliterate world, we find many of these spellings on census records, court records, correspondence… you name it!

We found his 1829 marriage record to Alida Shaw, and we will be writing about his and his family’s life together in the next chapter. The only other document we have located, where we are certain that it is him, is the Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe. This 1832 Will is a treasured document from our research, — it is the only document that captures the name of Peter M. Devoe, and lists all the people who are his likely siblings. Being a rare item, we feel that it is important to explain to readers exactly how we came to these conclusions. (2)

Reading The Will by David Wilkie, 1820. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The Enigmatic Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe

We are presenting the actual pages of Elias Devoe’s will as written on July 17, 1832, and probated on October 8, 1832. Each page has the actual words, first shown in the court copy, with a transcription following.

Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe, page 1.

“Be it remembered that on this 8 day of October 1832, came before me George Palmer, Surrogate of the county of Saratoga, at my offices in the village of Stillwater Maria Devoe and Hoffman Steenburgh executors named in the last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe late of the town of Halfmoon in said County deceased and showed to said Surrogate that they and duly cited and notified Isaac M. Devoe, Peter M. Devoe, Maria Devoe, Elizabeth Quackenbush, Getty Gray, Catherine Vandekar, Alida Devoe, Anna Quik, Martin Van Curen and Asahel Philo Guardian to Maria Van Curen and Alida Van Curen minors, being the heirs at law and next of kin of the said deceased that they would on the said 8 day of October, at the place aforesaid present said will to the said Surrogate to be proved and allowed as a will of real a personal estate, and also on Cornelius Devoe, also an heir and next of kin of the said deceased to the same effect.

An example of American mourning artwork, circa 1830.
(Image courtesy of herald net.com).

And leave being given to the said Maria and Hoffman they then and there produced to said Surrogate a certain instrument in writing purporting to be the last Will and Testament of the said Elias bearing date the Seventeenth day of July in the year of our Lord, one thousand, Eight hundred and thirty two and that then and there introduced Abram Van Wart and James McNiece who”

Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe, page 2.

“being duly sworn did say that they were present and saw the said Elias _____ said instrument by signing the same, and adopting the seal and heard him declare the same to be his last Will and Testament and that they put their names to the same as witnesses in the presence of the testator and of each other, and of Platt Burtis, who also signed his name as a witness in presence of the said testator and of this witnesses. And that the said testator at the time of so executing the same was of sound mind and memory, and Hoffman Steenburgh also a witness to said Will being duly sworn says that at a subsequent day he was called on to be a witness to said Will, that the testator acknowledged to him that he executed said instrument as his Will and that when he so made his acknowledgement he was of sound mind and memory and then this deponent put his name to said Will as a witness in presence of the said testator. And hereupon the said James further said that he wrote said Will by actions of the testator, and that he was perfectly rational and knew well what he was about. And on the application of the said executors, I adjourned the further hearing and consideration of the proof of said Will until the 13th day of October, 1832 at 12 O clock noon, at my office in the village aforesaid, at which time and place came the said Platt Burtis also a witness to said Will, who being duly sworn and said that he was in presence of the testator at the time the above named Abram and James signed their names to said Will, that he then signed his, that the said testator in presence of these three witnesses acknowledged the execution of said instrument as his last Will and Testament and that at the time thereof, the said testator was of sound disposing mind and memory. And the said witnesses declared the testator above the age of twenty-one. It appearing to said Surrogate that said Will was properly executed, and that the testator at the time of executing the same was in all respects competent to devise real estate, and not under restraint, the said Surrogate records said Will and certifies to be in the words and figures following: In the name of God, Amen. I, Elias Devoe of the town of Halfmoon, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York being weak in body, but of sound mind and memory, and knowing the uncertainty of this life, for the purpose of making a disposition of such property real and personal, wherewith it has pleased Almighty God to bless me in this present world do make this my last Will and Testament, as follows, viz: Item. I give devise, and bequeath unto my”

Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe, page 3.

“beloved wife Maria Devoe all my real estate, situate in the town of Halfmoon in the county of Saratoga aforesaid for and during her natural life, or as long as she shall live excepting therefrom my right in the mill lot, one third of which belongs to the estate of Cornelius Fonda, Deceased, one third to Henry Fonda, and the remaining third to myself, and also my store on the west side of the canal together with the basin on the east side of the same and also a small piece of Lands along the west side of the new roads, leading from the aquaduct [sic] to Tartalus Frosts and north of the road leading from the aquaduct [sic] to the village of Middletown all of which I do hereby except from this above devise of my real estate to my said wife Maria. Item. I do also hereby give, devise and bequeath unto my said wife Maria all my personal property for her own and sole use, benefit, and behoof forever. Item. From and after the death of my said wife, Maria, I do hereby give devise and bequeath unto my two sons Elias Devoe and Stephen Devoe all the real estate above given devised and bequeathed unto my said wife Maria to be divided equally between them share and share alike to them, their heirs, and assigns forever. Item. I give devise and bequeath unto Elias Link son of John Link, of the town of Watervliet in the county of Albany the above mentioned excepted small piece of land lying on the west side of the new road leading from the aqueduct to Tartalus Frosts and north of the road leading from the aqueduct to the village of Middletown, to him his heirs and assigns forever. Item. I order will and direct that my right in the mill lot above mentioned excepted be sold by my executrix and executor hereinafter named for the purpose of paying off and satisfying my just debts and the overflows if any there be, I hereby give to my said wife Maria. Lastly, I do hereby nominate, constitute and appoint my said wife Maria Devoe executrix and Hoffman Steenburgh Executor of the town of Halfmoon in the county of Saratoga aforesaid, of this my last will and testament, hereby revoking and annulling all former wills by me made, if any therebe. In witness whereof I have hereunto in my hand and seal, as and for my last will and testament this seventeenth of July, in the year of our Lord, One thousand Eight hundred and thirty two in the presence of the subscribing witnesses disinterested persons who have”

Hereunto subscribed their names as witnesses hereto in my presence and in the presence of each other. Elias Devoe, SS. Witnesses present Abram M. Van Wart of Halfmoon, Saratoga County. Platt Burtis, Jas. [or Jan] McNiece of Halfmoon, Saratoga County. Hoffman Steenburgh of Halfmoon, Saratoga county.

I, George Palmer, Surrogate of the county of Saratoga do certify that the preceding record is a true copy of the last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe, of Halfmoon, in said county, deceased.

George Palmer, esq.” (3)

Further Notes Regarding Elias Devoe’s Estate

In an earlier era of America, when someone died, if their estate had any debts such as unpaid bills, mortgages which were not yet completed, etc., the courts required that their assets be evaluated for sale to satisfy the debts owed. This was very difficult for some families.

An example of 1830 American currency.

Some of the other Surrogate Court documents which follow from the Probate of the Will, are shown with a transcription, or are simply described:

March 11, 1833
Further notes regarding Elias Devoe’s estate: This is a public notice for people to appear before the court Surrogate George Palmer on April 27, [1833], is they have concerns about property being sold to pay off debts from the estate.

April 27, 1833
Further notes regarding Elias Devoe’s estate: Land surveying is described.

July 19, 1833
Further notes regarding Elias Devoe’s estate: George Palmer is acknowledging that some property has been sold.

October 12, 1832
This notice regards the documentation that the Van Curen children are heirs to the Will of Elias Devoe.

Portrait of Two Children, circa 1830, American School.
(Artwork courtesy of Mutual Art).

“ Asahel Philo, Esq. Is appointed special guardian to Maria Van Curen and Alida Van Curen infant heirs and ___ next of kin of Elias Devoe late of Half Moon deceased, for the sole purpose of appearing for and taking care of this interest under an application of Maria Devoe and Hoffmann Steenbergh executors named in the last will of the said deceased to have the same ____ __recorded as a ____ of __ formal estate. George Palmer, esq.”

October 21, 1833
This notice describes guardianships for both the Devoe and Van Curen children who are mentioned in Elias Devoe’s Will.

“Asahel Philo is appointed guardian to Elias Link and to Stephen Devoe & Elias Devoe; and also Maria Van Curen & Alida Van Curen infant heirs as days [daughters], of Elias Devoe late of Halfmoon deceased, to take care of the interest of said infants under the application of Hoffman Steenbergh one of the executors of said Elias for the authority to mortgage, base or __ so much of the residue os his real estate as said be moneys [?] to pay the balance of his assets. George Palmer, esq.”

December 2, 1833
Further notes regarding Elias Devoe’s estate: It seems that at this point Elias Devoe had enough debts that what was sold previously, did not fulfill the obligations to pay off all of his estate debts. More land was to be sold and very specific descriptions of the property dimensions are specified.

Note: As stated in the chapter The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Six, this Probate document is where we learned of the death of our 4x Great-Grandfather, Martinus Devoe.

“…to the estate of the said deceased, by mortgage or lease, it is ordered by said Surrogate, and he doth hereby order, pursuant to the Revised Statutes, that the said Executor Sale the following real Estate of the said deceased, to enable him to pay the balance of the debts of the said deceased, vis, that certain piece, track or parcel of land situated in the town of Halfmoon and county of Saratoga and being part of a lot of land known and distinguished in the map of Halfmoon patent by the name of the mill rights which lately belonged to Martin Devoe, deceased, described and bounded as follows…”

February 20, 1834
Further notes regarding Elias Devoe’s estate: Confirmation for the land sale to Joseph Knights in the amount of $130.88 on “first Monday of December last” — (December 2, 1833). (4)

What Do We Know About Elias Devoe, Outside of His Death?

Compiled sample, Index — United States, New York Land Records,
1630-1975, page 584. (For the year 1830).

There just aren’t a lot of records… but, there are tax records for his land holdings in the Halfmoon / Waterford community, so we believe that he was a farmer like many of his other relatives. Shown above is a representative sample of a land sale he did with his father Martin Devoe in 1830. In this case, Martin as the Grantor, was transferring ownership of a portion of his land to the Grantee, his son Elias DeVoe.

When he was a teenager, we know that Elias DeVoe served in the 2nd Regiment of Varian’s New York Militia in the War of 1812. His commander was Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Varian of Westchester County. In the years after the war, there are no records of a pension being drawn for his service. (5)

To Sum Up, Who Were These Ancestors?

From our family stories, we knew that Canada was somehow involved in the story of Peter M. Devoe’s father, but the information was (to be polite) rather cloudy. The story about Canada found its resolution in the chapter: The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Five. We had also heard that there were up to twelve children in this family, which made us conclude that inherited resources were apt to be thinly spread. That realization supported our idea as to why some of the descendants of these Devoe siblings eventually emigrated west to the northeast Ohio frontier.

When looking at the various censuses in the previous chapter, we were especially interested in the 1810 census — this seemed to represent the largest number of people who were living together. Since records no longer exist, we really had no idea of the actual names for some of the household occupants, but now we think we know. The Will of Elias DeVoe was the key document which helped us solve this riddle. In 1810, including Martinus, listed are 14 people total:

  • 2 woman 26 to 45 years old: the mother Maria, and daughter Marytje
  • 3 boys under 10 years old
  • 1 boy 10 to 16 years old
  • 2 men from 26 to 45 years old: Martinus – the Head of Household and one more
  • 2 girls under 10 years old
  • 4 girls 10 to 16 years old
Compiled image for the 1810 United States Federal Census
for Halfmoon, Saratoga County, New York.

It took many hours of research, but we were able to correlate the next of kin from this Will, the Notice of Probate, one birth record, and several census records. Now we finally have the identities of all of the siblings of our 3x Great Grandfather Peter M. Devoe. Listed in the chart below are the immediate family — only the parents, Martinus and Maria (Steenbergh) Devoe, and their children.

Now that we have resolved the enigma of this era of our family’s records, let’s move on to the life of our 3x Great Grandfather Peter M. Devoe and his family. (6)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Ballston Spa was the “Center” of Saratoga County

(1) — one record

Saratoga Today [newspaper article]
How Ballston Spa Became the County Seat, published April 1, 2021
https://saratogatodaynewspaper.com/history/item/13327-how-ballston-spa-became-the-county-seat

Our Dilemma With Peter M. Devoe — That “M” is Pretty Important!

(2) — one record

Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany,
New York, 1683–1809

Excerpted from Year Books of the Holland Society of New York
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/albany/part3.html
Note: Listed under “D” in the Preface to The Index at the bottom of the scrolled file.

The Enigmatic Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe

(3) — four records

New York Probate Records
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/New_York_Probate_Records
“Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.” Genealogists often refer to ‘Probate Records’ as “All records which relate to the disposition of an estate,” whether the person died leaving a will (testate) or not (intestate).”

Reading The Will
painting by David Wilkie, 1820
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilkie,_David_-_Reading_the_Will_-_1820.jpg
Note: For the genre painting.

Elias Devoe
in the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6723613:8800?tid=&pid=&queryId=88d79b36-b6ab-407f-9e67-eda45e0e1fb4&_phsrc=dYM5&_phstart=successSource
October 8, 1832
The Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe.
Book pages: 39-42, Digital Pages: 402-404 /538

This mourning picture from about 1830 sold for over $22,000
https://www.heraldnet.com/life/this-mourning-picture-from-about-1830-sold-for-over-22000/
Note: This is an example image from the period and not related to our specific family.

Further Notes Regarding Elias Devoe’s Estate

(4) — five records

Image of Currency from 1830
Philadelphia, Bank of the United States, December 2, 1830
https://www.currencyquest.com/item.php?item_id=2475

Mutual Art
Portrait of Two Children, circa 1830
American School, 19th Century
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Portrait-of-Two-Children/A0CFE61DF82FAAD6
Note: For their portrait.

Elias Devoe
in the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999

Saratoga > Minutes, 1832-1842
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8359086:8800?tid=&pid=&queryId=3f388875-8429-4056-b4e4-a90559098290&_phsrc=Teb3&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 17, Digital page: 16/538
Note 1: October 12, 1832, This notice regards the documentation that the Van Curen children are heirs to the Will of Elias Devoe.
Note 2: The date on this Ancestry file is not correct.

New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 for Elias Devoe
Saratoga > Minutes, 1832-1842
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8359187:8800
October 21, 1833
Book page: 45 , Digital page: 30/538
Note: This notice describes guardianships for both the Devoe and Van Curen children who are mentioned in Elias Devoe’s Will.

New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 for Elias Devoe
Saratoga > Minutes, 1832-1842
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8359187:8800
Book pages: 55-56 , Digital pages: 35-36/538
Note: December 2, 1833, This Probate document describes additional land sales to satisfy the debts of Elias Devoe’s estate. Most importantly it states, “the mill rights which lately belonged to Martin Devoe, deceased…”

What Do We Know About Elias Devoe, Outside of His Death?

(5) — six records

Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Soldier Dress & Uniform in the War of 1812
https://www.pritzkermilitary.org/soldier-dress-uniform-war-1812#:~:text=Soldiers%20wore%20a%20single%2Dbreasted,wools%20were%20used%20as%20well.
Note: For soldier uniform images.

Elias Devoe
in the U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/351001:4281?tid=&pid=&queryId=179239cb-6fcf-484d-8ac2-0f12cfd342cc&_phsrc=mAt30&_phstart=successSource
and here:
Elias Devoe
Military – United States, War of 1812 Index to Service Records, 1812-1815

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29K-9VCL
Digital page: 1,429/2,229

New York State Militia Index, as of 4 July 1812
Gary M. Gibson, ed.
Derived primarily from the Military Minutes of the Council of Appointment
of the State of New York 1783-1821,

Volume II (Albany: James B. Lyon, 1901) pp.1400-1409
https://www.napoleon-series.org/military-info/Warof1812/2018/Issue28/NewYorkStateMilitiaIndex.pdf

Elias DeVoe
Index to Land – United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DCPC-2Q2M
Book page: 584, Digital page: 142/627
Note: For 1830.

Grantor Vs. Grantee: What Do They Mean In Real Estate?
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortgages/real-estate/grantor-vs-grantee/#:~:text=What%20Is%20a%20Grantor%3F,their%20property%20to%20someone%20else.

To Sum Up, Who Were These Ancestors?

(6) — eight records

Elias Devoe
in the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999

Saratoga > Wills, Vol 0007-0009, 1791-1836
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6723613:8800?tid=&pid=&queryId=88d79b36-b6ab-407f-9e67-eda45e0e1fb4&_phsrc=dYM5&_phstart=successSource
Book pages: 39-42, Digital Pages: 402-404/538
Note: October 8, 1832, The Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe.

Town of Half Moon Cemeteries
West Cresent Cemetery, Town of Half Moon Saratoga Co NY
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/16573/images/dvm_LocHist004233-00071-1?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=69
Book page: (SAHM 18) or 2, Digital page: 72/76
Note: For Elizabeth (DeVoe) Quackenbush marriage to Isaac Quackenbush

Town of Half Moon Cemeteries
West Crescent Cemetery, Town of Half Moon Saratoga Co NY
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/16573/images/dvm_LocHist004233-00071-1?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=69
Book page: (SAHM 18) or 2, Digital page: 72/76
Note: For Gitty (DeVoe) Gray marriage to James Gray
and
Gitty Gray
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/25706499?tid=&pid=&queryId=a224a20b-c0af-4610-9121-3d82a76423d0&_phsrc=UnS7&_phstart=successSource

Headstone DeVoe Elida wife of Issac
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/81477860/person/320109355934/media/84c3c62d-6fc3-4895-a264-272f2b4f5d47?queryId=ff05a863-5bc7-4690-ae93-4ad0f7355844&_phsrc=sRF2&_phstart=successSource
Note: For confirmation of her marriage to Isaac M. Devoe.

Town of Half Moon Cemeteries
Union Cemetery Crescent Town of Half Moon Saratoga Co NY
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/16573/images/dvm_LocHist004233-00066-1?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=64
Book page: (SAHM 17) or 2, Digital page: 67/76
Note: We believe that the death dates for the wives are in error.

Martin Devoe
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95514353/martin-devoe?_gl=1*1y0v87m*_gcl_au*NjkzNDQwODk0LjE3MDMyMzUyNDU.*_ga*MzQ2NDI3NzguMTcwMzIzNTI0Nw..*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MGI0MjUzNzYtMWEyZi00ZDdmLTlmNGItMWEzMTc1ODQxM2FhLjEwLjEuMTcwMzY5Njg3Ny41OS4wLjA.*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*MGI0MjUzNzYtMWEyZi00ZDdmLTlmNGItMWEzMTc1ODQxM2FhLjEwLjEuMTcwMzY5Njg3Ny4wLjAuMA..
Note: This record is for Elizabeth (West) DeVoe, the wife of Martin DeVoe.

Peter Devoe
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Bought > Bought, Book 6
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/216615:6961
Book page: 13, Digital page: 59/105, Peter M. DeVoe, entry 1 / Cornelius DeVoe, entry 3.
Note: For the marriage dates both men.

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Six

This is Chapter Six of eleven. In the few years immediately following the Revolutionary War, we lose track of Martinus DeVoe until March 1786, when he married.

Prior to then, we believe he was likely rebuilding his life in the community of Halfmoon, New York. He may have been living there already when he married, but we can definitely confirm his presence there with his young wife and family by the time of the 1790 United States Federal Census.

It’s apparent that his local community had not perceived him to be a Loyalist (due to his time of forced servitude at Fort St. Jean, Quebec, Canada). There are no records of his property having been seized by the American Patriots. In contrast within other communities, in retaliation, actual Loyalist families were often stripped of their property and then forced to flee to Canada.

He Was Both a Miller and a Farmer

We know that Martinus was a landowner and likely a farmer, because he described himself as working in agriculture on census materials. We also know that he very likely had a grist mill, due to where his property was located adjacent to water and a mill road. He owned valuable “mill rights” which were written about in the Will of a relative.

Winter in the Country, The Old Grist Mill, by George H. Durrie (1820-1863)
Published by Currier & Ives.

The illustration above shows a grist mill which is similar in time frame and landscape to where Martinus lived then.

As excerpted from Pennsylvania State University’s online article, Colonial America’s Pre-Industrial Age of Wood and Water:
“The development of mills was the first step in freeing agricultural people from the drudgery of rural life. Colonial farmers often traveled up to 50 miles to get grain ground into flour. The long trip to the mill was offset by the fact that it saved them the labor of grinding by hand... Mills were so important that communities often offered inducements such as free mill sites and adjoining land, limited monopoly rights, tax exemptions, exemptions from military duty, and even outright money gifts. Mills helped to attract settlers to a town and increased land value.

We learned from the book The History of Waterford, New York by Sydney Ernest Hammersley, exactly where Martinus owned property in Half Moon — Lot #84, (map inset portion).

The above map is known as the Van Schaick of Halfmoon Patent Map #1, 1762-1767 which includes both the Village and the Town of Waterford. The Patent itself was also known in 1700 as the Precinct of Halfmoon. Observations: 1) The map orientation requires the viewer to visualize the map as the top side is West, the right-hand side is actual North, the bottom side is East. 2) There is a Mill Road which bisects the town near Martinus’s property. This would have corresponded to his mill rights. 3) There are other nearby DeVoe properties belonging to DeVoes.

We also have located property tax records which support the fact that he was a landowner. Above is an example tax record from the year 1802. (1)

Understanding That Borders and Boundaries Were In Flux

Most research records indicate that Halfmoon, New York is/was located in Saratoga County, but this was not always the circumstance. This part of the newly-minted United States of America had borders which seemed to be altered every few years. From Wikipedia, “When counties were established in the Province of New York in 1683, the present Saratoga County was part of Albany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York, as well as all of the present state of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. This large county was progressively reduced in size by the separation of several counties until 1791, when Saratoga County and Rensselaer County were split off from Albany County.

So in 1791, Halfmoon became part of the new Saratoga County and home to our DeVoe ancestors.

The following is commentary is provided by Joseph Garver, Research Librarian, Map Collection, Harvard College, via Google Arts & Culture: “In the first decades after the American Revolution, cartographers played a critical role in the political and economic development of the new republic. The settlement of boundary disputes, the sale of public lands, and the planning of infrastructure projects all required accurate surveys. In New York the challenge of compiling a detailed, reliable map was placed in the capable hands of Simeon DeWitt, who served as the state’s surveyor general from 1784 to 1834.

A Map of the State of New York, 1804 (inset portions),
by Simeon DeWitt, (Image courtesy of Google Arts & Culture).

As the official responsible for the disposition of millions of acres in the public domain (primarily land seized from Loyalists and the Iroquois), De Witt needed to coordinate many teams of surveyors, equipped only with compasses and chains, in the sparsely inhabited western and central parts of the state. He also consulted British colonial maps, incorporated new state boundary surveys, and collated hundreds of manuscript plans submitted by town supervisors and county clerks. The resulting map would show the state of New York entering the 19th century in its new boundaries, with an accurate depiction of its rivers, lakes, roads, and new settlements… It was admired not only for its scientific accuracy, but also for its vision of a state reinventing itself.

The 1856 map below, shows the town of Waterford after it was carved out of the existing community of Halfmoon. From the History of Waterford, NY: “In 1816 the old precinct of Halve Maan (Halfmoon) was divided into two separate towns, Halfmoon and Waterford. The Village of Waterford is located within the town and holds the distinction of being the oldest continually incorporated village in the United States.”

Halfmoon & Waterford 1856 Old Town Map, showing the town of Waterford, New York
as being separated from the community of Half Moon.

Waterford had always been a hamlet within Halfmoon, but now it was its own separate community. By 1816, our ancestors now lived within the community of Waterford, in Saratoga County, New York. (2)

Martinus Takes A Bride

On March 18, 1786, Martinus DeVoe married Maria Steenbergh with the record located in the register of the Dutch Reformed Church Schenectady Marriages Vol 5. We found the record in The Holland Society archives, it being a transcription from older records. It is interesting to see that the record is written in Dutch — it translates as:
March 18 Martinus DeVoe, born in Half Moon with
Maria Steenbergh, born in Fishkill and both wed in Halfmoon.

Martinus’s marriage to Maria Steenbergh on March 18, 1786, from the Holland Society Archives.
(This is a 20th century transcription due to being a typewritten entry).
Maria (Steenbergh) DeVoe’s birth record, March 24, 1765 (hand transcription).

As noted above, Maria is identified as being from Fishkill, a town south of Halfmoon. Her family’s history took place primarily in Kingston and Dutchess counties. Let’s begin with her great-great grandfathers Theunis and Jan.

View near Fishkill, New York: Preparatory Study for Plate 17
of The Hudson River PortFolio, 1820 by William Guy Wall.

Since we do not know how Maria and Martinus met, we are not sure when she was actually residing in Fishkill, Duchess County, or perhaps somewhere else in Albany County. At her wedding, maybe she just identified that her family was originally from the Fishkill area? From Wikipedia, “The third New York Provincial Congress convened in Fishkill in May 1776. Fishkill became part of one of the largest colonial military encampments during the Revolutionary War… [and that] The Dutch Reformed church was used as a military prison [during the war]. (3)

Concerning The Bunschoten or Benschoten Family in America

Maria (Steenburgh) DeVoe’s 2x Great Grandfather was Theunis Eliasen Van Bunschoten. The English translation of his name is Thenuis (Anthony) Eliasen, son of Elias, from the town of Bunschoten in Holland. This is important because the name Elias moved forward from generation to generation and eventually helped us uncover a great mystery in our family tree.

Theunis Eliasen, born November 11, 1643, in Bunschoten, Utrecht, Netherlands — died, 1727-28 in Kingston, Ulster, New York. His arrival in New Amsterdam is thought to be before 1660. He married Gerritje Gerrits Van Der Burgh February 27, 1674 in Bergen, Essex, New Jersey. Gerritje was born September 16, 1649 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands — died, after 1700, also in Kingston. She arrived in New Amsterdam in 1662, at 13 years old.

Theunis and Gerritje’s daughter Marritje (Maria), married Matthias Van Steenbergen.

Family Surnames Can Be Complicated
Some background information on the name Van Steenbergen before we continue: Matthias (Matthew) was the son of Jan Jansen Van Amersfoort. As we can see, his father’s name translates as Jan (John) > son of Jan (John) > from Amersfoort, Holland. He was Maria’s other 2x Great Grandfather.

Map of Utrecht: Amerſuoert, circa 1570. (Image courtesy of WikiTree).

From the book, The Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten Family in America, William Henry Van Benschoten writes, “Jan Jansen van Amersfoort or Jan Jansen Timmerman (the carpenter) as he was at first styled until the Van Steenbergen displaced both”. [Comment: Historically, family surnames have traditionally been connected to where someone was from, or what their profession was. Sometimes it was both things. The pattern we see here is: location (from Amersfoort), then profession (Timmerman, the carpenter), then Van Steenbergen (of the stone hills). We haven’t been able to find out why the family surname was changed to Van Steenbergen(!) because it doesn’t fit the pattern. This mystery gives us something to research in the future].

Note: Just as with the DeVoe ancestors, there are several spelling variations when we are documenting records of the same family. Among the variations you will see are: Van Steenbergen, Steenburgh, and Steenberg.

The stockade at Kingston, New York (formerly Wiltwyck), circa 1695, by L. F. Tantillo Fine Art.

Continuing.., “Jan Jansen was among the very earliest residents at Esopus [Kingston, New York]; in 1658 he signed the agreement to concentrate the scattered settlements and erect a stockade; in 1662 he owned a lot in the village; in 1667, at the time of the so-called mutiny, he was one of the burghers [wealthy citizen] who took up arms against the English garrison; and, in fact, he figured quite extensively in the small community for years.”

Jan Jansen van Amersfoort/van Steenbergen, born about 1630 in Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands — died, about 1678 in Kingston, Ulster, New York. He married Catryntie (Katryn) Mathysen Van Keuren, October 3, 1660 in Kingston. She was born about 1640 at Ft. Orange, Albany, New York — died, 1680-84 in Kingston.

The Van Bunschoten and Van Steenburgen families were joined when Matthias Van Steenbergen, born March 31, 1678 — died, about 1745, Kingston, married Marritje Van Bunschoten on March 12, 1699. She was born before 1678, also in Kingston, and died there about 1768. The new Van Steenburgen family had eight children, all of them born in Kingston, New York.

Their second son, Johannes Van Steenbergen (or Steenburgh by this time), was most likely born before January 1700 as there is a record he was baptized January 21, 1700 at the Dutch Reformed Church in Kingston, New York. There is no record of his death other than a document dated October 18, 1801 stating he died without a Will. From this many people think he died in 1800, which would have made him about 100 years old…quite an achievement in those days! In 1770 he owned land in Dutchess County. One could infer that perhaps he lived there in 1770. In this county we find the town of Fishkill, which was named as Maria Steenburgh’s location when she married Martinus DeVoe in 1786. (We are descended from Johannes.)

Upper image: Kingston was first known as Wiltwyck (meaning wild place), then next as Esopus, and then finally as Kingston. Native Peoples frequently attacked the site regardless of what it was named. Shown is a British cartoon portraying “the murder of Jane McCrea by Natives”.
Lower image: Prior to the American Revolution, the city of Kingston was the Capitol of New York. During the Saratoga Campaign of that war, the British burned the city to the ground by destroying over 300 buildings. Interestingly, The Tobias Van Steenburgh House is shown as a late 1880s illustration portraying the home in 1777. It is regarded as the only house that survived from the burning of Kingston during this period, and still stands to this day. (See footnotes).

Comment: One son, Tobias Van Steenburgh, 1732-1738, inherited the family home in Kingston, New York. The footnotes give an interesting overview of how the house survived the American Revolution.

Johannes Van Steenbergen/Steenburgh married Grietjen Wiesborn on February 3, 1722 in Kingston, Ulster, New York. Grietje was born May 30, 1702 in Flammersfeld, Altenkirchen, Rheinland-Pfalz [Germany]. Her death date is unknown. Johannes and Grietje had nine children, all born in Kingston, New York.

The Dutch Reformed Church in Fishkill, New York, date unknown.
(Image courtesy of ancestry.com).

Maria’s Parents
Jacobus Van Steenburgh, born 1731 Kingston, Ulster, New York — died 1800, Halfmoon, Saratoga, New York. He married Maria ‘Molly’ Schouten, 1755 in Kingston, New York. She was born, 1732 in Kingston – died, date unknown, Halfmoon. Molly’s parents were: Syman Schouten, 1717 – 1770, and Annatje Duytscher, 1718 – 1758.

During the Revolutionary War many men were required to serve at least a three month term in a local militia. On a document called The New York Colonial Muster Rolls we find Jacobus Van Steenburgh listed along with his brothers Tobia and Johannes.

It appears that it was this generation of the Van Steenburghs that moved north from Dutchess and Ulster counties, to Saratoga and Rensselaer counties. In the many census and cemetery records, beginning in the 1780s and 1790s, we find listings of Steenbergh siblings and their descendants. It is also in this period that the Van portion of the surname began to disappear, with the spelling, resulting in the simplified form of Steenburgh, or Steenbergh.

View from Fishkill Looking to West Point by W.G. Wall; engraved by I. Hill (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

Jacobus and Molly had nine children, the first two born in Fishkill, Dutchess County, New York and the other seven born in Halfmoon, Saratoga County, New York. All were baptized at the Dutch Reformed Church at Schaghticoke, Rensselaer, County, New York. (4)

  • Annatje Van Steenburgh, born December 14, 1758
  • Jacobus (James) Van Steenburgh, born December 3, 1759 — died March 31, 1838, Alburgh, Grand Isle, Vermont. Married Rebecca Lake in 1779.
  • Maria Van Steenburgh born March 29,1764 — death date unknown. Married Martinus DeVoe, March 18, 1786. (We are descended from Maria).
  • Derick (Richard) Van Steenbergh, born 1769 — died February 6, 1847, Halfmoon, Saratoga, New York
  • Johannes (John) Van Steenburgh , born 1771
  • Margaret Van Steenburgh, born 1774
  • Jannitje Van Steenburgh, born 1776
  • Cattrina Van Steenburgh, born 1779
  • Stephanus Van Steenburgh, dates unknown

Martinus and Maria Started a Family…

Right away, it seems! Almost exactly one month to the day after they were married, Maria (Steenbergh) DeVoe gave birth to her first child, a daughter they named Marytje. (As a very popular and common name in this era, it corresponds to the English name Mary, and would have been pronounced as Mahr-id-je).

Marytje Defoe’s birth record in the
U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989,
Schenectady, Berne, and Schaghticoke, Book 5.

Marytje was born on April 17, 1786. Observation: This is the same record book in which her mother Maria Steengergh’s birth is noted. Maria’s record is on book page 167; Marytje’s on page 393 —a difference of 21 years, and 266 pages.

Marytje DeVoe is also the only child from this marriage of whom we have a birth record. We spent years researching records, and have developed very plausible theories as to why the records likely do not still exist. To get to that, we first need to see the history of the Dutch Reformed Church in Waterford, and then review the various Census records available for this family. (5)

The Waterford Dutch Reformed Church

Our oral family stories have told us that Martinus and Maria had a large family. This is also confirmed through the various censuses in the next section. So why haven’t we been able to locate any baptismal records for their children, except for their firstborn daughter Marytje? (Their marriage record and Marytje’s birth record are found in the records of other congregations outside of the Halfmoon / Waterford immediate area. These areas are where other family members were then living).

There is only one seventy-nine page catalog available for the Waterford church: the Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Waterford, Saratoga County, N.Y., 1824-1862, and it exists only on microfilm in Utah State. What is most noteworthy however, is that the records start in the year 1824, and by that time all of Martinus’s and Maria’s children were already born and well beyond their baptismal ages.

We have spent years turning over every stone and reviewing every congregation record that we could, and have turned up nothing. Although very frustrating, we have gained insights into what may have happened to this information.

The records have been lost within the DRC congregations…
From the records of The Holland Society, there were nearly eighty Dutch Reformed Church congregations dotting the Hudson River Valley in New York and portions of New Jersey during these centuries. Together, both services and records were provided in the Dutch language until the decades following the Revolutionary War. What this means for history, is that the population that made up the DRC congregations diminished through both emigration and intermarriage with people from other church denominations. As actual churches were closed, their records were then passed to other locations.


Some records just could not be salvaged…
It is clear that not all of the materials seem to have been preserved. Within The Holland Society records there are historical notes that some registers crumbled into myriad fragments which could not be salvaged. Those records which are still with us, are either handwritten or typed transcriptions from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Reformed Dutch Church of Waterford — “It was a bit of rare luck to have a kind neighbor give us a picture of this first known Waterford Church after it had been moved into the village in 1799 from its site on the ‘Great’ or Hudson River Road.” (via author Hammersley, in The History of Waterford, New York).

The church was relocated while they were still becoming parents…
Excerpted from History of Saratoga County, New York: “This society, now extinct, was the old pioneer church of Waterford; emphatically, the church of old times… [The old church] was taken down and removed [to] the corner of Middle and Third Streets, the work being finished in 1799… The year when the old house of worship up the river was built seems to be unknown, nor is it certain that it was the first… the records of this ancient society do not seem to have been preserved, and the names of its founders are not easily found.” Who knows? If there were records in Waterford prior to 1799, perhaps this is when they were lost in the shuffle.

And Then Mother Nature intervened…
In addition to the above short bit of history, Hammersley wrote: In 1874 this old Dutch Church was said to have been struck by lightning and partly burned. It was torn down in 1876. Its cornerstone was fortunately preserved and is part of the foundation of the residence owned in 1955 by Miss A. Marian Button, resting upon the exact site of the old church, at No. 22 Third St.” A fire, smoke, and water damage, although it happened much later, is a sure way to have old paper records vanish.

Could they have just not cared anymore?
We have wondered if perhaps they just gave up on baptizing their children? It seems incredibly unlikely in that era. In fact, we know that their son Peter M. Devoe (our 3x Great Grandfather) was married in the Dutch Reformed Church in Boght, Albany County, New York in January, 1829. We will cover his family life in the chapter, The Devoe Line, A Narrative — Eight.

To sum this up, we believe that the birth records for most of the children of Martinus and Maria Devoe have been lost. Being ever the optimists, perhaps one day we will get lucky and discover a fresh resource. (6)

Starting With The First United States Census…

When George Washington was inaugurated as President in 1789, no one knew how many people lived in the new United States. From mountvernon.org: “The 1790 census was the first federally sponsored count of the American people. One of the most significant undertakings of George Washington’s first term as president, the census fulfilled a constitutional mandate and was interpreted by many as evidence of national prosperity and progress.” The art of conducting a census properly on a national level was something that would take decades to work out. What we see in some of these early records are just the bare bones information.

Observation 1: Please note with each census that spelling errors with surnames was then quite common. Sometimes this was due to the quill pen writing, and sometimes the general spelling was deemed not important.

Observation 2: It is interesting to note that initially, census formats were not standardized. The government required that the census takers provide their own paper to conduct their work. This led to much of the uniqueness we see in the early records.

Taking the Census, by Francis William Edmonds, American, 1854.
In this genre painting, Edmonds is depicting a time period much earlier than 1854.
Note the small portrait of George Washington above the fireplace.
(Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).

1790, the first census
The first census of the United States, which started on August 2, 1790 and lasted for several months. In addition to Martinus, there are 4 free women listed in the home: his wife Maria, daughter Marytje, and 2 others.

1790 United States Federal Census, Halfmoon, Albany County, New York.

1800, the second census
The second census began on Monday, August 4, 1800, and was finished within nine months.

1800 United States Census for Halfmoon, Albany County, New York.

Martinus is the last entry on the page. Including him, listed are 11 people total:

  • 2 boys under 10 years old
  • 1 man from 26 to 45 years old: the father, Martinus – the Head of Household
  • 3 girls under 10 years old
  • 3 girls 10 to 16 years old: the daughter Marytje, and 2 others
  • 1 woman 16 to 26 years old: the mother, Maria
  • 1 slave

1810, the third census
The census began on Monday, August 6, 1810, and was finished within nine months.

Compiled image for the 1810 United States Federal Census
for Halfmoon, Saratoga County, New York.

Including Martinus, listed are 14 people total:

  • 3 boys under 10 years old
  • 1 boy 10 to 16 years old
  • 2 men from 26 to 45 years old: the father, Martinus – the Head of Household and one more
  • 2 girls under 10 years old
  • 4 girls 10 to 16 years old
  • 2 woman 26 to 45 years old: the mother, Maria, and daughter Marytje

1820, the fourth census
The census began on Monday, August 7, 1820, and was finished within six months. It appears that this was the first census that inquired about categories of status: Foreigners, Agriculture, Commerce, and Manufacturing. For his family, Martinus indicated that 2 people were employed with Agriculture.

1820 United States Federal Census for Halfmoon, Saratoga County, New York.

Please note: There are 9 people listed according to the record, but it seems like there should be 10:

  • 2 boys 10 to 16 years old
  • 1 boy 16 to 18 years old
  • 3 boys 16 to 26 years old
  • 1 man 45 & up: the father, Martin – the Head of Household
  • 2 girls 16 to 26 years old
  • 1 woman 26 to 45 years old: Marytje is 34 years old at this point. This is either her, or her mother Maria. We wonder if Maria is still alive, or if Marytje has moved out of the home?
Newburg, no.14 (engraved by J. Hill),
of The Hudson River PortFolio, 1821-25 by William Guy Wall.

1830, the fifth census
The census began on Tuesday, June 1, 1830, and was finished within six months. Shown below is a cropped excerpt of the final form to allow for scaled visibility of the information.

Please note: This is a very difficult scan to read and we noticed that some of the data is not correct. (This is likely due to machine reading). We have noted and made the corrections below. Listed are 5 people total:

  • 1 boy under five years of age
  • 1 man of 20 and under 30
  • 1 man of 50 and under 60
  • 1 man of 90 and under 100
  • 1 woman of 20 and under 30

    We have not located a death record, nor a tombstone for Martinus DeVoe. Therefore, we are not absolutely sure that he is still alive after approximately June 1831-32, because on December 22, 1830, he would have been 76 years old. By 1830, he was not likely listed as the Head of Household, so who was the Martin Devin listed above is most likely a relative (perhaps a son?) Also note that a male “of 90 and under 100” is listed, but we do not know who that likely was. The census enumerator could have placed whoever that is, into the wrong age category by accident?

    What we do know is this: From the Probate Records / Land Sale documents following the probate of Elias Devoe’s Will, (which we will write about in the next section titled The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Seven, we speculate that Martinus was dead by 1830-31.
Excerpted detail from the Probate Records of Elias DeVoe, dates December 2, 1833.

Quoting from the Probate document, the following is entered into the record by George Palmer, the Surrogate of the Court of Saratoga County, on the first Monday [the 2nd] of December 1833: “…to the estate of the said deceased, by mortgage or lease, it is ordered by said Surrogate, and he doth hereby order, pursuant to the Revised Statutes, that the said Executor Sale the following real Estate of the said deceased, to enable him to pay the balance of the debts of the said deceased, vis, that certain piece, track or parcel of land situated in the town of Halfmoon and county of Saratoga and being part of a lot of land known and distinguished in the map of Halfmoon patent by the name of the mill rights which lately belonged to Martin Devoe, deceased, described and bounded as follows…” (7)

The next chapter in our narrative about The Devoe Line, is a “deep-dive” analysis into a document which is the only item we have found which helps us understand the next steps of our family history.It took years of work to complete this task…

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

He Was Both a Miller and a Farmer

(1) — four records

Winter in the Country, The Old Grist Mill
by George H. Durrie (1820-1863)
Published by Currier & Ives
https://www.cartermuseum.org/collection/winter-country-old-grist-mill-1970173

The University of Pennsylvania
Colonial America’s Pre-Industrial Age of Wood and Water
From the Collections at Historic Bethlehem [PA]
https://www.engr.psu.edu/MTAH/articles/colonial_wood_water.htm

Martinus Devoe
in the New York, U.S., Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804

Saratoga > 1802 > Halfmoon
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6771/records/292915?tid=&pid=&queryId=702fdd50-c895-4c8a-8216-01be75ab657b&_phsrc=dxF3&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 7/24, Entry 17 from the bottom of the page.
Note: Representative example for the year 1802.

The History of Waterford, New York
by Sydney Ernest Hammersley, 1957
https://archive.org/details/historyofwaterfo00hamm/page/n5/mode/2up

Understanding That Borders and Boundaries Were In Flux

(2) — three records

Saratoga County, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_County,_New_York

A Map of the State of New York, 1804
by Simeon DeWitt (1756-1834)
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/a-map-of-the-state-of-new-york/gQG44G8fdQpGwQ?hl=pt-PT
Note: For the map image.

Halfmoon & Waterford 1856 Old Town Map with Homeowner Names New York
https://www.etsy.com/listing/769981799/halfmoon-waterford-1856-old-town-map
Note: For the map image.

Martinus Takes A Bride

(3) — four records

Martynus Devoe
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Schenectady > Schenectady Marriages, Vol 5, Book 45
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/14332:6961
Digital page: 54/113                    Last entry at the bottom of the page.
and here:
Records for 1786
Holland Society Archives > 10 Research Collections > 4 Collegiate / Dutch Reformed Church Collections > 3 Dutch Church Records, 42037 > Book 45 – Schenectady Marriages Vol 5, 1695-1800
https://hsny.localarchives.net/?a=d&d=A1695-RG10-SG04-S03-Bk-45-Schenectady-Marriages-Vol-5.1.54&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN%7ctxTA%7ctxCO%7ctxTY%7ctxTI%7ctxRG%7ctxSG%7ctxSE%7ctxSB%7ctxCT%7ctxIE%7ctxIT%7ctxTE%7ctxLA%7ctxSU%7ctxSP%7ctxDS%7ctxAD%7ctxPR%7ctxTR%7ctxFI-Schenectady———-
Book page:42, Digital page: Image 54 Last entry, bottom of the page.

Maria Steenberg
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Schaghticoke > Schenectady, Berne, and Schaghticoke, Book 5
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/48838:6961?tid=&pid=&queryId=f83438c3-25b9-4c85-b847-281bdf6a718c&_phsrc=KVr4&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 167, Digital page: 5/209

Fishkill, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishkill,_New_York#:~:text=The%20third%20New%20York%20Provincial,Alexander%20Hamilton%20took%20residence%20here.

Concerning The Bunschoten or Benschoten Family in America

(4) — thirty records

Kingston
New York, United States
https://www.britannica.com/place/Kingston-New-York
Note: “A fur-trading post was established on the site about 1615. The first permanent settlement, called Esopus, was made by the Dutch in 1652.”

WikiTree
https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Claeszen-7
Note: For the Utrecht: Amerſuoert map image.

The Fine Art of Historical and Marine Painting
The stockade at Kingston, New York (formerly Wiltwyck) circa 1695
by L. F. Tantillo
https://lftantillo.com/17th-century/kingston-new-york-1695.html

Van Bunschoten Concerning The Van Bunschoten Or Van Benschoten Family In America 
By William Van Benschoten, 1907
https://archive.org/details/VanBunschotenConcerningTheVanBunschotenOrVanBenschotenFamilyInAmericaByWilliamVanBenschotenPub1907/mode/2up Book pages: 10-20, Digital pages: 26-36/937
Note: For Theunis Eliasen Van Bunschoten.
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/73812899/person/48549432682/facts

Gerritje Gerrits Van Der Burgh
https://www.ancestry.com/family- tree/person/tree/73812899/person/48549432684/facts

Van Bunschoten Concerning The Van Bunschoten Or Van Benschoten Family In America 
By William Van Benschoten, 1907
https://archive.org/details/VanBunschotenConcerningTheVanBunschotenOrVanBenschotenFamilyInAmericaByWilliamVanBenschotenPub1907/page/n865/mode/2up
Book pages: 798-804, Digital pages: 866/872
and
Jan Jansen vanAmersfoort Timmerman Van Steenbergen
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/73812899/person/48549423476/facts

Catryntie Matthysen Van Keuren
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/73812899/person/48549423477/facts
Note: for Catryntie (Van Keuren) Van Steenbergen

Van Bunschoten Concerning The Van Bunschoten Or Van Benschoten Family In America
By William Van Benschoten, 1907
https://archive.org/details/VanBunschotenConcerningTheVanBunschotenOrVanBenschotenFamilyInAmericaByWilliamVanBenschotenPub1907/page/n865/mode/2up
Book pages: 798-804, Digital pages: 866/872
Note: for Marritje, Daughter of Theunis Eliasen

Marritje Van Benschoten
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/73812899/person/48549419814/facts
Note: Her her marriage and children.

Matthias Van Steenburgen
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/73812899/person/48549419665/facts

Library of Congress
The Closet, from the British Cartoon Prints Collection
https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/pnp/ds/11600/11617v.jpg
Note: Upper left corner inset detail of “the murder of Jane McCrea by Natives”

Burning of Kingston
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Kingston

The History Of Kingston, New York
by Marius Schoonmaker
https://archive.org/details/historyofkingsto01scho/page/n5/mode/2up
Book page: 304, Digital page: 304/558
Note: For the illustration of the Van Steenbergh house.

Note: Below are two contemporary accounts of why the Van Steenburgh house was not burnt: a newspaper article, and a Wikipedia entry. We did not use either article, but the reader may find them interesting.
Van Steenburgh House Withstood Kingston Torching
by Anthony P. Musso
https://eu.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2016/06/28/van-steenburgh-local-history-dateline/86484310/ 
and
Tobias Van Steenburgh House
“The house was built by Jan Jansen Van Steenbergen presumably in the 1660’s. His descendant Tobias Van Steenburgh, son of Matthias Van Steenbergen, was the owner of record at the time of the American Revolution. It was the only house in Kingston, New York not burned to the ground by the British and is still standing today.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobias_Van_Steenburgh_House

Johannes Van Steenburgh
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/31076362/person/13749401704/facts
and
Baptismal Records of Old Dutch Church in Kingston New York
Kingston Baptismal Register
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/20911/images/dvm_LocHist006999-00037-0?ssrc=pt&treeid=168567716&personid=102191024415&usePUB=true&pId=66
Book page: 58, Digital page: 67/806
Note: Entry 4 under subhead 1700, labeled #1148.

Grietjen Wiesbom
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/31076362/person/13749401708/facts
and
Van Bunschoten Concerning The Van Bunschoten Or Van Benschoten Family In America
by William Van Benschoten, 1907
https://archive.org/details/VanBunschotenConcerningTheVanBunschotenOrVanBenschotenFamilyInAmericaByWilliamVanBenschotenPub1907/page/n867/mode/1up
Book pages:  799-800, Digital pages:  868-869/937
Note: For marriage and family of Grietjen (Weisbom) Van Steenbergen.

Fishkill NY Dutch Reformed Church
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/87441358/person/320142427851/media/ecda803e-41ca-42b7-afa8-374708585ea5
Note: For the church image.

Jacobus Van Steenburgh
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/87441358/person/320142427850/facts
and
New York Colonial Muster Rolls, 1664-1775, Vol. II
Index to New York Colonial Muster Volumes I & II
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48600/images/NYMusterRollsII-004402-1108?pId=416649
Book page: 1108, Digital page: 676/698, Left column, center position.

Maria Schouten
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/87441358/person/320142427851/facts
Note: For the mother of Maria Van Steenbergh.
and
Symen Schouten
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/87441358/person/320142428456/facts
Note: For the maternal grandfather of Maria Van Steenbergh
and
Annatje Duytscher
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/87441358/person/320142428458/facts
Note: For the maternal grandmother of Maria Van Steenbergh

Library of Congress
View from Fishkill Looking to West Point
by W.G. Wall; engraved by I. Hill
https://www.loc.gov/resource/pga.03829/
Note: For the landscape image.

Steenbergen [surname]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steenbergen_(surname)

We did not use the reference below, but the reader may find interesting regarding the Van Steenbergh family surname change:
The History Of Kingston, New York
by Marius Schoonmaker
https://archive.org/details/historyofkingsto01scho/page/n5/mode/2up
Book page: 493, Digital page: 492/558
Note: for the Van Steenbergh name history

Martinus and Maria Started a Family…

(5) — three records

Martynus Devoe
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Schaghticoke > Schenectady, Berne, and Schaghticoke, Book 5
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/150048134:6961
Book page: 393, Digital page: 118/209 4th entry from the page bottom
Note: The record for their daughter Marytje, born on April 17, 1786.
and here:
Records for 1786
Holland Society Archives > 10 Research Collections > 4 Collegiate / Dutch Reformed Church Collections > 3 Dutch Church Records, 42037 > Book 05 – Schenectady Berne Schaghticoke
https://hsny.localarchives.net/?a=d&d=A-RG10-SG04-S03-Bk-05-Schenectady-Berne-Schaghticoke.1.153&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN%7ctxTA%7ctxCO%7ctxTY%7ctxTI%7ctxRG%7ctxSG%7ctxSE%7ctxSB%7ctxCT%7ctxIE%7ctxIT%7ctxTE%7ctxLA%7ctxSU%7ctxSP%7ctxDS%7ctxAD%7ctxPR%7ctxTR%7ctxFI-Schenectady———-
Book page: 393, Digital page: Image 153, Entry 4 from the page bottom.
Observation: This is the same record book in which her mother Maria Steengergh’s birth is noted.

View near Fishkill, New York: Preparatory Study for Plate 17
of The Hudson River PortFolio, 1820
By William Guy Wall
https://www.meisterdrucke.ie/fine-art-prints/William-Guy-Wall/307264/View-near-Fishkill,-New-York:-Preparatory-Study-for-Plate-17-of-The-Hudson-River-PortFolio,-1820-(Watercolor,-graphite,-selective-glazing,-and-scratching-out-with-touches-of-gouache-on-paper,-laid-o.html
Note: For the landscape image.

The Waterford Dutch Reformed Church

(6) — three records

Holland Society Archives > 10 Research Collections > 4 Collegiate / Dutch Reformed Church Collections > 3 Dutch Church Records, 42037 > Inventory and Digest of Early Church Records in the Library of the Holland Society of New York
https://hsny.localarchives.net/?a=d&d=A-RG10-SG04-S03-Inventory-Digest-Early-Church-Recs.1.4&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN%7ctxTA%7ctxCO%7ctxTY%7ctxTI%7ctxRG%7ctxSG%7ctxSE%7ctxSB%7ctxCT%7ctxIE%7ctxIT%7ctxTE%7ctxLA%7ctxSU%7ctxSP%7ctxDS%7ctxAD%7ctxPR%7ctxTR%7ctxFI-Schenectady———-
Book pages: 4-5, Digital pages: Image 4 and 5.


History of Saratoga County, New York, with Biographical Sketches
of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers
by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester, 1825-1894
https://archive.org/details/cu31924028833064/mode/2up
Book page: 329, Digital page: 472/780

The History of Waterford, New York
by Sydney Ernest Hammersley, 1957
https://archive.org/details/historyofwaterfo00hamm/page/n5/mode/2up
Book pages: 203-205, Digital pages: 203-205/408
Note: For “The Reformed Dutch Church of Waterford” text and photo.

Starting With The Very First United States Census…

(7) — thirteen records

The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon
First United States Census, 1790
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/first-united-states-census-1790/#:~:text=The%201790%20census%20was%20the,of%20national%20prosperity%20and%20progress.

Taking the Census,
by Francis William Edmonds
American, 1854
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/10423
Note: For the genre painting.

Martinus Devow
in the 1790 United States Federal Census

New York > Albany > Half Moon
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/234153:5058?tid=&pid=&queryId=d18e010c-9fa5-4d31-a3fa-c801a1534d75&_phsrc=PcI1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: Noted as 322, Digital page: 2/4
Right column, 21st entry from the bottom of the page.

1800 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1800?_ga=2.142501554.1264195649.1717870981-1900689503.1717870949

Martinus Devoo
in the 1800 United States Federal Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/284855:7590?tid=&pid=&queryId=20648f7c-7d32-4950-ade5-d497104be4a1&_phsrc=PcI5&_phstart=successSource
New York > Saratoga > Halfmoon

1810 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1810#:~:text=The%201810%20population%20census%20was,snapshot%20of%20the%20nation’s%20population.

1810 United States Federal Census
New York > Saratoga > Halfmoon
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/323949:7613?tid=&pid=&queryId=0ab43030-032d-4e57-b2d4-15bbe6b8aa95&_phsrc=kyI1&_phstart=successSource
Digital Page: 16/17
Notes: For some reason, we were not able to “search for “pull up” this file directly using Martinus’s name, and had to search for it using the name of a neighbor.

1820 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1820?_ga=2.213796116.1264195649.1717870981-1900689503.1717870949

Martin Devoe
Census – United States Census, 1820

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHG8-V61
Digital page: 380/499
Notes: Martin is listed about halfway down the page. There are 9 people listed according to the record, but it seems like there should be 10.

Newburg, no.14
from the Hudson River Portfolio, engraved by J. Hill, 1821-25
by William Guy Wall
https://www.meisterdrucke.ie/fine-art-prints/William-Guy-Wall/369817/Newburg,-no.14-from-the-Hudson-River-Portfolio,-engraved-by-J.-Hill,-1821-25-.html
Note: For the landscape image.

1830 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1830?_ga=2.240011907.1264195649.1717870981-1900689503.1717870949

Martin Devin
in the 1830 United States Federal Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/82451:8058?tid=&pid=&queryId=7646fa1d-f83d-4e7d-a36e-f117b6198cfb&_phsrc=gaz5&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 86, Digital page: 25/28
Notes: The fifth census began on June 1, 1830. This is a very difficult scan to read and we noticed that some of the data is not correct. (This is likely due to machine reading). We have noted this and made the corrections.

New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 for Elias Devoe
Saratoga > Minutes, 1832-1842
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8359187:8800
Book pages: 55-56 , Digital pages: 35-36/538
Note: December 2, 1833 — This document describes additional land sales to satisfy the debts of Elias Devoe’s estate. Most importantly it states, “the mill rights which lately belonged to Martin Devoe, deceased…”

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Five

This is Chapter Five of eleven. In 1939, Winston Churchill was giving a radio address when he coined a phrase that ended up becoming an idiom. He said, “It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, but perhaps there is a key”. When it comes to “a riddle wrapped in a mystery”… well, that seems to aptly sum up what we came up against with this chapter on the Devoes.

Preface — Sometimes Family Stories Are Just Plain Wrong

Tracing the history of our 4x Great Grandfather Martinus Devoe has been frustrating, difficult, and challenging. Our troubles began with his son, Peter M. Devoe (our 3x Great Grandfather), who was an enigma to us. We knew when he was born, we knew whom he married, we knew when he died, but beyond that… c r i c k e t s . We couldn’t be sure of exactly who his parents were. It didn’t help that our Grandmother Lulu (DeVoe) Gore, and our Mother (Lulu’s daughter) Marguerite (Gore) Bond, weren’t comfortable discussing him. It seems they thought he had turned his back on the American Colonies and made his way to Canada. (What?! This was news to our ears.)

From left to right, Marguerite (Gore) Bond, Richard and Daniel Bond, Lulu (De Voe) Gore,
at home circa 1954. (Family photograph).

Hearing something like that raised even more questions and it opened up a lot of mysterious doors for us as we did our research. It turns out that they were incorrect in their understanding of the actual family history for both Peter M. Devoe and his father Martinus Devoe. It’s quite likely that they had heard family stories, and as families do over time, they knitted something together which made sense for them. Whatever they thought they knew, it wasn’t an accurate history. However, there were some clues here and there…

Very little evidence about Martinus Devoe, prior to the 1780s, has survived and now we know why. There was a war and the Devoes lived right in the midst of it. We’ve finally unwrapped the riddle, having solved what really happened in the story of Martinus Devoe (this generation) and the one which followed (his son Peter M). It’s actually quite an interesting account.

A Map of the Provinces of New-York and New-Yersey [sic], with a part of Pennsylvania
and the Province of Quebec
, by Claude Joseph Sauthier, and Matthäus Albrecht Potter
Published in Augsburg, 1777.

The focus of this chapter is specifically on the period of the Revolutionary War when the Devoe family and their extended clan were living in different communities along the Hudson River Valley. Martinus Devoe’s family was centered around Halfmoon and Albany, but some of the story also unfolds just across the border within Canada.

Of special note: In this era, the Hudson River waterway was the superhighway of its time and led directly north from the Atlantic Ocean at Manhattan, all the way up to Lake Champlain and Canada.

The map above, which was printed in Europe in 1777, show how the borders of the American Colonies were still in flux. Vermont does not yet exist, the border with Canada was somewhat permeable, New Jersey was misspelled as New-Yersey, many Native American tribes lived in their own ‘country’, and the mapmakers colorfully described one section as The Endless Mountains. (1)

This contemporary map, shows the constraints of the 13 American Colonies in 1775.
Note how New York State contained an area which eventually became Vermont.
Much of what eventually became the United States was still held by other interests.
(Image Courtesy of The American Battlefield Trust).

The Patriots, The Loyalists, and The Fence-Sitters

In the midst of the Revolutionary War, the population of the British Colonies of North America could be divided into three groups. Those who wanted the War of Independence to succeed were called The Patriots. On the other side of the coin were The Loyalists who felt much more comfortable staying aligned with Great Britain and the interests of King George III. Between them were The Fence-Sitters. No matter which side you were on, there was much colorful language used all around to describe those on the other side, but we will keep things polite, and generally use: Patriots and Loyalists.

The Patriots
We all know who the Patriots were — a veritable cascade of famous names from American history: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, etc. Besides being the winners of the war, they got to write The History. This means, as it always has with the victors of any conflict, that they could shape the history of those who lost in whatever form they wanted.

Any early example of viral media meme that existed centuries before the internet,
Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 cartoon “Join Or Die” depicted the original 13 American colonies.
Later, the Colonists repurposed it as a symbol of their unity against British rule.

What we never really learn about when studying American history, is what it was like for the people on the other side, or even more so, for those who were in the middle. It always seems to be a binary choice: The Patriots are usually given many virtues, and The Loyalists are dismissed as being unworthy traitors and losers. For our family, especially those living in the Hudson River Valley, the truth was not so black-and-white. There are many more shades to consider when writing about the character of —

The Loyalists
From the book, Loyalism in New York During The American Revolution by Alexander Clarence Flick, Ph.D., —“The loyalists were Americans, not Englishmen… Most American historians have characterized them as unprincipled royal office-holders, scheming political trimmers, a few aristocratic landlords and merchants, who were fearful of losing their wealth and indifferent to the rights of man…”, but there was actually more to this…

Flick continues, “Thus it appears that the loyalists of New York had within their ranks persons of all social positions from that of the poor emigrant but recently come to America; to the oldest and wealthiest family in the colony; from the ignorant agriculturist to the president of the only college in the province; from the humble cobbler and blacksmith to the most celebrated lawyer and physician in the metropolis…

The Wheat Field, by Currier & Ives. Reproduced from the article,
New York: The Original Breadbasket of America, by Museum of the City of New York.

[There were many] conservative farmers in all parts of the colony, but especially in Queens, Kings, Richmond, Westchester, Albany and Tryon counties. They were happy and prosperous under the old regime. They did not feel the burdens complained of by the revolutionists, and consequently, had no sympathy with whig [Patriot] principles. But when their incomes were injured by the edicts of congress and committees and by war, their eyes turned toward the king’s army to restore their former peace and security”.

The Fence-Sitters
These people were the ones caught in the middle. The neighbor on this side could be an excitable Patriot (!), and the neighbor on that side could be an excitable Loyalist (!), and what was one to do (?) when the crops needed to be tended to, the children fed, etc.

In actuality, there was a third group that very nearly made
up the majority of the populous. Nearly 40% of the colonists were neither Patriot nor Loyalist, but neutral. These people
were the type that were either pacifists, recent immigrants,
or simply apolitical. They simply had no interest in the matter
or committing to either cause.
Another term for this group was ‘fence-sitters’.

From Loyalists vs Patriots: America’s Revolutionary Divide
History In Charts

The Wikipedia article Loyalists Fighting In The American Revolution states: “The Loyalists were as socially diverse as their Patriot opponents but some groups produced more Loyalists. Thus they included… many tenant farmers in New York and people of Dutch origin in New York and New Jersey. Loyalists were most often people who were conservative by nature or in politics, [and who] valued order…

Finally, again from Wikipedia: “The great majority of Loyalists never left the United States; they stayed on and were allowed to be citizens of the new country. Some became nationally prominent leaders…

Map of the State of New York, 1788 via the New York State Archives Partnership Trust
Although this map is from five years after the end of the American War for Independence,
it delineates the ten counties and Native Peoples territories which existed in 1788.
(That is the year that New York became a State).

Creating A Continental Army
Initially in this era, being a soldier was not a full time job for many recruits. That might seem odd today, but back then a soldier would sign up for a term of work and then be relieved when he had to attend to farm duties, or if there were acute and pressing needs for his family.

In the archive of the Library of Congress: “In order to ‘preserve a good army’, one had to be created in the first place. It was a long and difficult road from the Continental Congress’s edict designating the militia around Boston as a Continental Army and creating such an army in fact. Although many colonials had had some military experience in the French and Indian War, most had served in militia units, a far cry from service in a regular European-style army.

This watercolor by Charles M. Lefferts shows the wide variety of soldiers who made up the Continental Army. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

“Prior to 1777, enlistment in the Continental Army was of various durations but generally for a year of service. After 1778, Congress changed the rules and men served for either three years or the duration of the war. In some cases, bounties were paid to entice men to enlist or for men who chose to serve longer. Bounties could consist of additional money, additional clothing, or land west of the Ohio River, where many veterans would settle after the war.

Life in the Continental Army was difficult. It was mundane and monotonous. Generally, when not engaged in combat, soldiers in the Continental Army served three duties: fatigue or manual labor, such as digging vaults (latrines), clearing fields, or erecting fortifications. They also served on guard duty and drilled daily with their musket and in marching formations.
— The Fighting Man of the Continental Army, Daily Life as a Soldier

Jacobus Van Schoonhoven’s Regiment of Militia,
and the 12th Albany County Militia Regiment

We believe that our 4x Great Grandfather Martinus Devoe was a Patriot, because we can document that part of his history, starting in 1777. Of the Devoes listed below, Isaac Devoe, Jr. is likely his brother, and some of the others are cousins.

New York in the Revolution, page 120.

From Wikipedia, “The Van Schoonoven’s Regiment of Militia, also known as the 12th Albany County Militia Regiment, was called up in July 1777 at Halfmoon, New York, to reinforce Gen. Horatio Gates’s Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. The regiment served in Brigadier General Abraham Ten Broeck’s brigade.” The Saratoga Campaign was a resounding success for the Patriots in the war. (See The Saratoga Campaigns below).

When a young person is taught about the advent of the American Revolutionary War, the events are typically described almost as a level of mythos, (a body of interconnected myths or stories, especially those belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition.) The midnight ride of Paul Revere, the Boston Tea Party, Patrick Henry’s Give Me liberty, or give me death! — Americans are taught about the battles of Lexington and Concord, since they are the initial (1775) incidents… but the fact is, New York State was the scene of many terrible, epic battles. These events greatly affected our family. (3)

Pressed From All Sides: New York State in the Revolution

When the invasion of New York City was imminent, George Washington, as Commander of the Continental Army, wanted to burn The City to the ground, rather than allow that to happen. Congress disagreed and let it be invaded. In August 1776, British forces attacked Long Island in southern New York and within days, took over control of Manhattan Island for the duration of the war, (1776 to 1783). Due to the fact that much property was owned there by British occupants (Tories) and Loyalist sympathizers, Manhattan was never directly bombed by the British navy.

The Saratoga Battles: Burgoyne’s March on Albany June-October 1777.
Note: Observe how Lake Champlain leads directly to Albany, New York as the Sauthier / Potter map (from above) indicates. (Image courtesy of wikipedia.com).

Written below are very brief notes about a few of the nearby battles.

The Saratoga Campaign
North of New York City, as the Hudson River moved north toward Lake Champlain, our ancestors were living in the area of Albany and Halfmoon. (Albany was just south of the area where the Battle of Saratoga took place, and Half Moon was slightly west). The Saratoga Campaign, which was actually two major battles in that area, was a complicated situation. Pressed from the north by the British forces from Quebec, who were moving south along Lake Champlain, and pressed from the south by the British forces around Manhattan who were moving north along the Hudson River, our ancestors were caught right in the middle.

Ultimately, the Patriots prevailed in the Saratoga Campaign and several important things resulted for the American Cause. The British learned that ‘the Rebels’ could be fierce fighters even with the haphazard state of the Continental Army at that time. In addition, the country of France decided to support the Americans (likely because they despised the British and hoped to make money and ruin England at the same time).

The Battle of Oriskany
From Wikipedia, “The Battle of Oriskany was a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign of the  American Revolutionary War, and one of the bloodiest battles in the conflict between Patriot forces and those loyal to Great Britain”. It took place in the Mohawk Valley on the Mohawk River which joins the Hudson River just above Albany. (This would be near the area of Halfmoon).

Patriot General Herkimer at the Battle of Oriskany by Frederick Coffay Yohn.
(Image courtesy of the public library of Utica, New York).

“The battle also marked the beginning of a war among the Iroquois, as Oneida warriors allied with the Patriot cause, as did the Tuscarora. The Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga and Onondaga allied with the British. Each tribe was highly decentralized, and there were internal divisions among bands of the Oneida, some of whom became allies of the British. The battle location is known in Iroquois oral histories ‘A Place of Great Sadness. ’ ”
Wikipedia — The Battle of Oriskany

Hand-drawn map indicating specific points at The Battle of Klock’s Field. Note that the city of Albany is shown on the right-hand side, on the Hudson River.

The Battle of Klock’s Field
Our 4x Great Grandfather Martinus Devoe, could have participated in The Battle of Klock’s Field which occurred in 1780 on the north side of the Mohawk River. (It is likely that other members of his family did). Some regiments from Albany County were called up to fight, but we cannot verify conclusively whether-or-not he was there, because very soon after this battle, he and his cousin William were kidnapped by the British. (This would also be near Halfmoon). (4)

Excerpted from the Public Papers of George Clinton, First Governor of New York,
1777-1795, 1801-1804… This is the key document that helped us trace what happened to Martinus Devoe in Canada during a portion of the Revolutionary War.

Taken From Albany County Under Trick, Coercion and Violence

When we discovered the bit of evidence about Martinus Devoe’s life, it was the exciting key catalyst that helped us learn much more about him. When we analyzed it carefully, we learned that:

  • It confirmed that Isaac Devoe is indeed his father
  • Isaac Devoe’s brother Ruliff (Roelof), is the father of William Devoe
  • Martinus and William are therefore cousins
  • Martinus and William align with The Patriots
  • Joseph Bettes (Bettys) is their kidnaper
  • This petition was filed with George Clinton, Governor of the Province of New York
  • It was either filed with, or recorded on the date: May 14, 1781
  • The leader of their Albany regiment, Jacobus Van Schoonhoven (who was retired at this time), signed the petition along with “many others”

The Devoe families of Martinus and William were hopeful for a prisoner “exchange”, but this did not happen. Unbeknownst to them at the time, this type of complicated arrangement was only (and rarely) done for members of the Continental Army who were officers. Martinus and William never rose above the rank of Private. Additionally, The British were reluctant to recognize prisoner exchanges because that would have meant that they recognized The American Rebels as a sovereign state.

Observation: Martinus had indeed gone to Canada, not as someone who chose to be there, but as a kidnaping victim. We realized that this document confirmed what our mother and grandmother certainly did not knowthat this part of the story was new information. They thought that Martinus’s son, Peter M. Devoe, had gone to Canada, and they likely didn’t seem to even know who Martinus was.

We had always wondered what the “M” stood for in Peter M. Devoe’s name, and now we think it possibly could have stood for Martinus, or Martin. It now made sense that over the generations as people shared stories, any mention of Canada just automatically came to mean that that person was a Loyalist “traitor”. Now we understand that perhaps Marguerite and Lulu had some familial self-imposed shame with this matter.

George Clinton, by Ezra Ames, circa 1814.

Joseph Bettys, Professional Scoundrel
The man who had arranged for the kidnapping to happen was one Joseph Bettys. A local man from Albany County known as “a renowned kidnapper of patriots in upstate New York with St. Johns, Canada as his base”. (McBurney, see footnotes) In writing about him, Wikipedia states: “He joined the Patriot forces and was made a Sergeant. He was said to be courageous, but intolerant of military discipline, for which he was demoted. In the summer of 1776 he was again promoted, and transferred to the fleet on Lake Champlain commanded by Benedict Arnold.

Illustration of the capture of British Loyalist spy Joseph Bettys
in the town of Ballston, New York, 1782, United States Magazine, 1857, p. 569.

On October 11, 1776 he distinguished himself in the Battle of Valcour Island, but was captured by the British and taken as a prisoner to Canada. In 1777, during his captivity, he changed sides, joining the British forces as an ensign. He served as a spy and messenger for the British; at one point he was captured, but was freed due to influence of family and friends. He rejoined British service and began recruiting soldiers among the population of Saratoga County[at that time still Albany County], raiding, burning farms and taking captives or killing Patriots”.

Observation: Joseph Bettys may have indeed “recruited” some people to the Loyalist side, but those words sound to us more like a euphemism for forced servitude.

In 1782, Bettys was captured and sent to Albany, where that year on the orders of General George Washington, he was tried and executed by hanging. Actually — after the noose was around his neck, he jumped down and died from the choking while falling. (We wonder if they kicked him when he was down).

British Prison Ship 1770s, Five Americans Escaping From The British Prison Ship Jersey
Anchored In The East River New York During The Revolutionary War
Wood Engraving American 1838.

The British Prison Ships
It was not that uncommon for soldiers, and especially for sailors, to be kidnapped and forced to serve for the opposing side. The worst possible fate that could befall someone in that situation would be that they were classified as a traitor to Great Britain, and be sent to rot in one of the many prison ships which were located in New York harbor… Wikipedia confirms the cruelty shown The patriots: “King George III of Great Britain had declared American forces traitors in 1775, which denied them prisoner-of-war status. However, British strategy in the early conflict included [the] pursuit of a negotiated settlement, and so officials declined to try or hang them, the usual procedure for treason, to avoid unnecessarily risking any public sympathy the British might still enjoy.”

History.com writes, “Most of the young Americans knew what imprisonment would mean. Colonial newspapers had reported on the horrific conditions and brutal treatment aboard the prison ships from the beginning…” And from the George Washington Presidential Library: “Though estimates vary, between eight and eleven thousand American prisoners (or perhaps higher) died in British custody in New York. These deaths were not caused by a deliberate policy, but rather through poor or indifferent planning and care”. [Read: cruelty, disease, pestilence, and indifference] (5)

Following the Breadcrumbs That Led Us to Canada

Early on, we first came across a record of a Martin Dafoe [Martinus Devoe?] in an ancestry.com file. His was a name at that point which we had never heard of, and the file was a puzzling record stating “War Office Records: Monthly Return of Loyalists coming in from the Colonies to Lower Canada, from Halfmoon”. Much later we then came then across this record:

Excerpted from The Old United Empire Loyalists List, (Supplementary List, Appendix B).

We learned that in Canada, the name Devoe was frequently spelled as Dafoe in record-keeping, and we uncovered a name for something called the King’s Rangers. Suddenly, the bread crumbs that we had already found were starting to point us into a direction where everything was new. Long story short: many months later we eventually came upon a resource which pulled everything together: A Short Service History and Master Roll of James Rogers’ 2nd Battalion, King’s Rangers, by Gavin K. Watt.

From Watt’s book: “Some of the best known Loyalist names that have ties to the King’s Rangers include Bell, Brisco, Dafoe, Kemp, Pringles, and of course Rogers.” We found our ancestor (!) listed there:

Dafoe, Martin
Alternate spellings of surname: Dave, Devore, Dave, Devon
Alternate spellings of given name: Martin, Martinne, Martain
Rank: Private
Enlistment date: November 18, 1780
Company: Captain Azariah Pritchard’s
Age: 29 [This is incorrect — he was closer to 26.]
Height: 5 feet, 6 inches
Place from and trade: Albany City, New York, and farmer

Excerpted from A Short Service History and Master Roll of James Rogers’ 2nd Battalion, King’s Rangers, page 50/85. Please see the footnotes for the explanation of codes.

Something was puzzling about the entry. His arrival date in Canada was listed as November 18, 1780? Earlier we had assumed that if he was in Canada the arrival date should correspond to something closer to the date noted on the Petition to Governor Clinton of New York. That date was May 15, 1781, fully six months later… what was going on? It now makes sense that the families of Martinus and William, were probably beside themselves with worries. It would have required much time and difficult logistics for the petition to be drafted, to gather multiple signatures, to present it to the Governor, etc. All of this while the War was raging all around them — that is why we believe that the 1781 date is likely the recording date.

Some of the other names we saw on this roster confirmed other data we had previously collected. The William Devoe who arrived on “18 Nov 80” was likely his cousin William, a fellow kidnap victim. Observe the names of the brothers Abraham and Jacob Dafoe, sons of John Ernst Devoe from a different Devoe line. The arrival dates for Abraham and Jacob are the same 01 Oct 80”, having arrived about six weeks earlier. There is a notation that Abraham arrived via boat. There is another record of Jacob Defoe dated 1782- 1783, recorded near the end of the War (see footnotes). John Ernst DeVoe and his sons were Loyalist during the Revolutionary War. After the war the family remained in Canada. We even came across one of Abraham’s payroll sheets. Conversely, if Martinus and William were ever paid for their time in the KIng’s Rangers, those records have not been found. (6)

Corporal Abraham Defoe’s sheet from the Pay Roll of Ruiter’s Company.
Image courtesy of A Short Service History and Master Roll of James Rogers’ 2nd Battalion,
King’s Rangers
, by Gavin K. Watt, page 18.
Siege of The Fort Saint-Jean, circa 1775, Watercolor by James Peachey (d. 1797)

Fort St. Jean, now known as Fort St. John

The operational center for the King’s Rangers was Fort St. Jean, Quebec. Martinus and William were fortunate enough* that they ended up at Fort St. Jean — which was just across the border from New York Province in Quebec. (See map at the top of this chapter). In fact, this fort was exactly 207 miles directly north from Albany City, New York, where they were likely ensconced until taken to Canada.

*If they had been P.O.W.s, they could have been sent to the death ships in New York Harbor. Since they were kidnapped and forcibly recruited, they were probably assigned with tasks like cleaning horse stables, and digging latrines, etc. We conjecture that they kept their heads down and decided to lay low. We observed on The Old United Empire Loyalists List from above, that William Devoe had deserted, but we do not know when this happened.

There were those in the fledgling United States who believed that it was their right to annex portions of Canada as new territories.

The Siege of Fort St. Jean
From the Siege of Fort St. Jean… article in the Revolutionary War Journal — “By late summer, 1775, the American Second Congress was determined to bring Canada, the British 14th colony in America, into the fold of rebellion along with the other thirteen colonies. Two small American armies would advance into Canada. The larger, commanded first by Major General Phillip Schuyler and later by General Richard Montgomery, would push up Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River into Canada. They would quickly capture Montreal. Then head northeast, down the St. Lawrence River to join the other American force approaching Quebec through Maine, led by Colonel Benedict Arnold. Together, the two factions would claim the crown of the Canadian colony; Quebec City’s Citadel”.

Ultimately, even though the Americans had prevailed at first, many of their soldiers grew sick over the winter. When reinforcements from Great Britain arrived six months later, the Americans withdrew and returned to the Colonies. (7)

Plan of Fort St. Jean in Quebec, Canada, circa 1775.
(Image courtesy of Bibliothèque et Archives Canada).

The King’s Rangers, also known as The King’s American Rangers

There were many companies on both sides of the war which used the word Rangers in their name. Our research has shown that our ancestors were part of the King’s Rangers, which is sometimes also referred to as The King’s American Rangers.

“In September 1779, the Second Battalion of King’s Rangers were garrisoned for a time at Fort St. Johns on the Richelieu River (now Saint Jean, Quebec). In October of 1780, a detachment of the Second Battalion took part in raids by Major Christopher Carleton into the Champlain Valley and the attacks on Fort Anne and Fort George NY. When rebels surrendered at Fort Anne, the King’s Rangers took advantage of an easy opportunity: they recruited 16 of the enemy prisoners into their own relatively small ranks.

There was, however, another side of the war. The Second Battalion was involved in the business of spying for the British. One of the more interesting missions was when James Breakenridge, Jr. of the King’s Rangers accompanied another loyalist carrying a secret proposal from Vermont’s Governor Thomas Chittendon and Ethan Allen regarding negotiations for Vermont to become a Canadian province. [In other words, similar to the earlier ambitions of the American Second Congress regarding Canada, both sides wanted more territory]. Known as The Vermont Negotiations, Major James Rogers was reportedly heavily involved in correspondence and face to face meetings with Allen and his associates”.
— Excerpted from History of the King’s Rangers, via James Breakenridge’s Company of the King’s Rangers

From Wikipedia, “Despite recruitment issues being faced by the Rangers, the second battalion was active in scouting and recruiting along the frontiers of New York, Lake Champlain and the area that was to later become Vermont. They also engaged in the taking of Patriot prisoners of war… Due to the relatively small size of the Rangers, [they were] restricted [in] their operational capabilities to conducting reconnaissance for other corps, constructing fortifications, executing general garrison duties, assisting refugees in Quebec, aiding the escape of Loyalist families, and guarding prisoners of war”. (8)

These illustrations represent descriptions of the uniforms worn by The King’s Rangers.
Artwork by artist Don Troiani.

The Winding Down of The War, and The Treaty of Paris

The American War for Independence formally ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. From the National Archives: “The American War for Independence (1775-1783) was actually a world conflict, involving not only the United States and Great Britain, but also France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The peace process brought a nascent United States into the arena of international diplomacy, playing against the largest and most established powers on earth”.

Page one of twelve pages for the Treaty of Paris; September 3, 1783,
Perfected Treaties, 1778 – 1945, General Records of the United States Government,
Record Group 11, National Archives Building, Washington, DC.

“The three American negotiators – John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay – proved themselves ready for the world stage, achieving many of the objectives sought by the new United States. Two crucial provisions of the treaty were British recognition of U.S. independence and the delineation of boundaries that would allow for American western expansion”.

American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain, 1783-1784,
London, England, by Benjamin West
(oil on canvas, unfinished sketch), Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware
From left to right: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. The British commissioners refused to pose, and the picture was never finished.

As a perfect bookend to where our search for Martinus Devoe began, we came across the file that is the Canadian record for when he returned to New York State. “Martin Dafoe” returned from Fort St. Jean in Canada sometime in 1782-1783. We conjecture that is was likely 1783 after the Treaty of Paris had been signed. The record reads: Memorandum — of the names of the whole 245 Persons of the King’s Rangers — collected from the Muster Rolls and paylists of Maj. Rogers’s, Capn. Pritchards and Capn. Ruiters Co. in the years 1782-83″

The above document is a record of payment found in The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. It was payment given to troops that were held as prisoners-of-war in Virginia. We have not been able to locate a similar payment record for Martinus which records him as a prisoner-of-war. This confirms our belief that, unlike Abraham Devoe, he may not have been paid due to his forced servitude.

Martinus Devoe’s payment for Revolutionary War service. Payment date is December 14, 1784.

However, our 4x Great Grandfather Martinus was indeed paid for his service in the Continental Army. On the above record, the four sets of numbers correspond to certificates that all soldiers and sailors were given. It is interesting and a bit ironic to see that the records are in (£) British Pound Stirling . English Sterling was the money standard until after the Revolution. Money was scarce, with only two to three million pounds in circulation. (Hammersley) The newly formed USA did not have much cash money on hand, but it made promises, i.e. some soldiers received land in newly opening areas such as the Ohio Valley to the west.

Our next chapter will discuss Martinus’s life in Halfmoon, New York, his marriage, and his rather large brood of children, from which, our 3x Great Grandfather Peter M. Devoe emerges. (9)

“Tory Refugees on the Way to Canada” by Howard Pyle.
The work appeared in Harper’s Monthly in December 1901.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Preface — Sometimes Family Stories Are Just Plain Wrong

(1) — one record

“a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+riddle%2C+wrapped+in+a+mystery%2C+inside+an+enigma

The Patriots, The Loyalists, and The Fence-Sitters

(2) — nine records

Library of Congress
A Map of the Provinces of New-York and New-Yersey, with a part of Pennsylvania and the Province of Quebec
by Sauthier, Claude Joseph and Lotter, Matthäus Albrecht, 1741-1810
Published in Augsburg, 1777.
https://www.loc.gov/item/74692644
Note: For the map image.

The American Battlefield Trust
American Revolution Facts
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/american-revolution-faqs

History.com
How Benjamin Franklin’s Viral Political Cartoon United the 13 Colonies
https://www.history.com/news/ben-franklin-join-or-die-cartoon-french-indian-war
Note: For the drawing.

Loyalism In New York During The American Revolution
by Alexander Clarence Flick, Ph.D.
https://archives.gnb.ca/exhibits/forthavoc/html/NYLoyalism.aspx?culture=en-CA

Loyalists Fighting in the American Revolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalists_fighting_in_the_American_Revolution

Loyalist (American Revolution)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalist_(American_Revolution)

The Wheat Field, by Currier & Ives.
Reproduced from the article, New York: The Original Breadbasket of America, by Museum of the City of New York
https://www.mcny.org/story/new-york-original-breadbasket-america
Note: For the farming image.

Loyalists vs Patriots: America’s Revolutionary Divide
https://historyincharts.com/patriot-and-loyalist-support-for-the-american-revolution/

New York State Archives Partnership Trust
Map of the State of New York, 1788
1788 Map of New York State showing native lands and ten counties, printed by Hoffman & Knickerbocker, Albany, N.Y.
https://www.nysarchivestrust.org/education/consider-source/browse-primary-source-documents/indigenous-history/map-state-new-york-1788
Note: For the map image.

Jacobus Van Schoonhoven’s Regiment of Militia,
and the 12th Albany County Militia Regiment

(3) — six records

Library of Congress
Creating a Continental Army
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/american-revolution-1763-1783/creating-a-continental-army/

The American Battlefield Trust
The Fighting Man of the Continental Army, Daily Life as a Soldier
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/fighting-man-continental-army

Van Schoonhoven’s Regiment of Militia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Schoonhoven%27s_Regiment_of_Militia

Jacobus Van Schoonhoven
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobus_Van_Schoonhoven

New York In The Revolution as Colony and State
A Compilation of Documents and Records From the Office Of the State Comptroller
https://archive.org/details/newyorkrevolution01statrich/page/120/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 120, Digital page: 120/534

Myth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth#:~:text=Because%20%22myth%22%20is%20sometimes%20used,particular%20religious%20or%20cultural%20tradition.

Pressed From All Sides: New York State in the Revolution

(4) — five records

The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon
British Occupation of New York City
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/british-occupation-of-new-york-city/#:~:text=Five%20days%20later%2C%20an%20expeditionary,the%20City%20of%20New%20York.

Battles of Saratoga
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Saratoga

Saratoga Campaign
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_campaign

Battle of Oriskany
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Oriskany

Battle of Klock’s Field
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Klock’s_Field

Taken From Albany County Under Trick, Coercion and Violence

(5) — nine records

Petition for Exchange of William and Martinus Devoe, Taken from Albany County under Trick, Coercion and Violence
from the Public Papers of George Clinton,
First Governor of New York, 1777-1795, 1801-1804 …
by New York (State). Governor (1777-1795 : Clinton)
https://archive.org/details/publicpapersofge06innewy/page/906/mode/2up
Book page: 906, Digital page: 906/918

Early New Netherlands Settlers
David <?> Du Four, (Rn=25344)
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rclarke/genealogy/page1/dufour.htm
Note: Information about Isaac, Roelof, and William Devoe.

George Clinton
by Ezra Ames, circa 1814
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:George_Clinton_by_Ezra_Ames_(full_portrait).jpg
Note: For his portrait.

Journal of The American Revolution
What do you think was the strangest or most unconventional moment, battle or event of the Revolution?
https://allthingsliberty.com/2017/01/weirdest-moment/
I would have to pick the antics of Joseph Bettys, a Tory who became a renowned kidnapper of patriots in upstate New York with St. Johns, Canada as his base.  In the Great Kidnapping Caper of 1781, the British Secret Service at St. Johns planned for eight parties of kidnappers to attempt abducting upstate New York patriots at the same time so as to keep the element of surprise.  The leader of one of the bands, Joseph Bettys, was charged with kidnapping a Patriot in Ballstown, New York.  Bettys had a crush on a local young woman.  Amazingly, he left his band in the lurch and went off to persuade her to run off with him, which she did.  Her outraged father, even though he was a Tory, went to the local Patriot committee, called the Albany County Commissioners for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies.  This alerted Patriots the entire kidnapping plot.  None of them succeeded, but Bettys did successfully bring his girlfriend to Canada.  Later, after succeeding in kidnapping some Patriots, Bettys was captured and hanged”. –Christian M. McBurney

Joseph Bettys
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bettys#:~:text=Joseph%20Bettys%20(%22Joe%22),a%20British%20Spy%20in%201782.&text=Joe%20was%20born%20and%20grew,Town%20of%20Ballston,%20New%20York.

The Capture of Joe Bettys
United States Magazine, 1857, p. 569.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bettys#/media/File:The_Capture_of_Joe_Bettys.png
Note: For the Bettys illustration.

Prisoners of War in the American Revolutionary War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoners_of_war_in_the_American_Revolutionary_War

History.com
The Appalling Way the British Tried to Recruit Americans Away from Revolt
https://www.history.com/news/british-prison-ships-american-revolution-hms-jersey

The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon
Prisoners of War
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/prisoners-of-war/

Following the Breadcrumbs That Led Us to Canada

(6) — five records

Martin Devoe
in the Canadian Immigrant Records, Part One

War Office Records: Monthly Return of Loyalists coming in from the Colonies to Lower Canada, from Half Moon
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/118848:3795?tid=&pid=&queryId=35bfa0c6-6799-4cd1-8778-623c4e66d6b6&_phsrc=Fpd49&_phstart=successSource
National Archives of Canada:
Microfilm Reel No. B-2867 (MG 11 W.O. 28/10), page 118

The Old United Empire Loyalists List (Supplementary List, Appendix B)
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48267/images/OldEmpireLoyalists-006200-293?treeid=&personid=&queryId=f6d5dc2a-b2db-4138-8a89-4648724a3b67&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Rlk7&_phstart=successSource&pId=273793&rcstate=OldEmpireLoyalists-006200-293:180,1134,275,1159;279,1135,411,1161;180,1164,274,1191;290,1453,429,1480;180,1071,275,1097;180,1103,275,1129 
Book page: 293, Digital page: 297/339

A Short Service History and Master Roll of James Rogers’ 2nd Battalion,
King’s Rangers

By Gavin K. Watt
Published by Global Heritage Press, Milton, 2015
ISBN 978-1-77240-029-8
https://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/loyalist/resources/101044.htm
Note: Digital edition, .pdf download for purchase. Page 50/85 is the roster page which contains Martinus Devoe’s information.

The five listings below are the specific information for each transcription from the above reference, for the roster records for Martinus Devoe:
(P2)
Return of a Detachment of the King’s Rangers Commanded by Major James Rogers, in Canada, for which he is entitled to the King’s Bounty, at five Dollars pr. Man. St. John’s, 10th January 1782. AO, HO, AddMss21827, 296-97.
(S11)
E. Keith Fitzgerald, Loyalist Lists: Over 2000 Loyalist names and families from the Haldimand papers (Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 1984) transcribed from the LAC transcript, MG21, B166, ff154-56. (AddMss21826) circa 1783.
(T2)
Muster Roll of a Detachment (three companies) of the King’s Rangers Commanded by Major James Rogers, St. John’s 27th July 1781. Horst Dresler research. LAC, W028/4/96-98.
(T3)
A Return of the Names, Cuntry [sic], Age, size and tim [sic] of service of a Detachment of the Kings rangers quartered at St. Johns — 1st January 1782. Braisted research. LAC, W028/10-142-43.
(T6)
Nominal Rolls of the King’s Rangers, 27th January, 1784. LAC, HP, B160 (AddMss21820) 153-56. Transcribed in H.M., Rogers’ Rangers, A History (Toronto: self published, 1953) 187-202.

Jacob Dafoe
in the Canadian Immigrant Records, Part Two

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1648:3798?ssrc=pt&tid=14402677&pid=427511048


Early New Netherlands Settlers
David <?> Du Four, (Rn=25344)
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rclarke/genealogy/page1/dufour.htm
Note: Reference for information about the various DeVoe’s: William, Abraham, and Jacob Devoe.

Fort St. Jean, now known as Fort St. John

(7) — four records

Siege of The Fort Saint-Jean, circa 1775
Watercolor by James Peachey (d. 1797) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Saint-Jean_(Quebec)#/media/File:FortStJeanPeachey1790.jpg
Note: For the fort image.

Siege of Fort St. Jean, September 17 – November 3, 1775
https://revolutionarywarjournal.com/siege-of-fort-st-jean-september-17-november-3-1775/

Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Saint-Jean_(Quebec)

[Plan of Fort St. Jean in Quebec, Canada, circa 1775]
Plan des redoutes érigées à Saint-Jean lors de l’été 1775. Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, NMC-2771
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_St._Jean#/media/File:Redoutes_Sud_et_Nord_1775.jpg

The King’s Rangers, also known as The King’s American Rangers

(8) — three records

James Breakenridge’s Company of the King’s Rangers
History of the King’s Rangers
http://www.kingsrangers.org/history.php

King’s Rangers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Rangers#:~:text=The%20King’s%20Rangers%2C%20also%20known,during%20the%20American%20Revolutionary%20War.

Pinterest, King’s Royal Regiment of New York
by Don Troiani
https://fi.pinterest.com/pin/483362972507218407/
Note: For the King’s Ranger’s uniforms.

The Winding Down Of The War, and The Treaty of Paris

(9) — nine records

National Archives, Milestone Documents
Treaty of Paris (1783)
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/treaty-of-paris

American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement
with Great Britain, 1783-1784, London, England, by Benjamin West
(oil on canvas, unfinished sketch), Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware
From left to right: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1783)#/media/File:Treaty_of_Paris_by_Benjamin_West_1783.jpg
Note: The British commissioners refused to pose, and the picture was never finished.

Martin Dafoe
in the Canadian Immigrant Records, Part Two

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1650:3798?tid=&pid=&queryId=76c7720d-1bb8-48a9-af88-2ad63bd07ae4&_phsrc=Fpd55&_phstart=successSource
Transcribed from original documents held in the collection of the
National Archives of Canada [Ottawa]: RG 19, vol. 4447, file 36.

Prisoners of War in the American Revolutionary War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoners_of_war_in_the_American_Revolutionary_War

The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon
Prisoners of War
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/prisoners-of-war/

New York. Military Records 1775–1783
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WB-8Z7H?view=index&action=view
Digital page: 125/691
and
Martinus Deve
in the U.S., Compiled Revolutionary War Military Service Records, 1775-1783

New York > Van Schoonhoven´s Regiment (Albany County), Militia > A – Z
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1309/records/218144?tid=&pid=&queryId=47f4707e-798a-418b-83ac-3a4bb9d45038&_phsrc=dxF1&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 380-381/1593

The History of Waterford, New York
by Sydney Ernest Hammersley, 1957
https://archive.org/details/historyofwaterfo00hamm/page/n5/mode/2up

“Tory Refugees on the Way to Canada” by Howard Pyle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalist_(American_Revolution)#/media/File:Tory_Refugees_by_Howard_Pyle.jpg
Note 1: For the illustration.
Note 2: The work appeared in Harper’s Monthly in December 1901.

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Four

This is Chapter Four of eleven. We are very lucky to have so many interesting ancestors whose history we are able to trace (for the most part!). There are some unexpected discoveries in this chapter as we learn about our Great Grandparents of nearly 400 years ago.

Preface: It’s Finally Settled!

In the book, the Genealogy of The De Veaux Family, we came across an rare anecdote about our Grandfather Isaac. This little tidbit has finally settled (when) the surname spelling of our branch of the DeVoe family name, became what it is today. (1)

This anecdote was found on page 20 of the Genealogy of The De Veaux Family. (See footnotes).

What Was Attractive to Our Ancestors in This Part of New York State?

We can thank the last ice age for the rich farming country that exists in both the Hudson River Valley and the Mohawk Valley —exactly the areas our ancestors were drawn to in this era. From the history of the Town of Colonie, we learned, “The lowland areas of the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys are characterized by long alluvial flats [deposition of sediment at riverbanks]. These were the first lands selected by both the Indians and the early colonists, since the continual flooding created fertile soils for agriculture. The alluvial flats along the Mohawk River near the Mohawk View area was designated by the Indians as ‘Canastagione’, a name that had many spellings, and eventually became Niskayuna.

‘Canastagione’ referred to the Indian corn fields on the Mohawk.”

The landscape painting below starts to allude to this perspective. The riverbanks are low and fertile, the forest is crowded with life, the water is fresh and abundant. One can see clearings in the distance that our ancestors likely embraced for their farm fields.

Mohawk River, New York, by Albert Bierstadt, 1864 (Image courtesy of the Portland Art Museum).

At a time when there were few roads, the Hudson River waterway was a super-highway for people to travel by ship up the Hudson from Manhattan to the outpost of Albany. Near this place, the Mohawk River branched off from the Hudson, and at this delta, our ancestors also lived in Halfmoon. For the most part, they were all farmers, but at least once, a “tailor, and sometime fur trader” has turned up. (2)

This is the composite map of the British Empire in America, 1733, by Henry Popple. Up to this time, New York had been settled mostly along the Hudson River. Observe in the lower left corner all of the still-existing nations of Native Peoples., which were sometimes referred to as the Iroquois Confederacy. (Image courtesy of the David Ramsey Map Collection).

Life in Albany and Halfmoon Before The Revolutionary War

It was still a dangerous time to leave the relatively protected area like Manhattan and move to a new area. From American History Central, “The conflicts between Britain and France for control over North America often took place in the frontier between New York and New France [the St. Lawrence River, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, expanding to include much of the Great Lakes], and both nations sought to secure the support of the Iroquois Confederacy. Due to their control of the Fur Trade and influence in Western New York, the Iroquois skillfully manipulated the English and French, pitting them against each other to serve their own interests.”

The Houses of Stuart and Orange: King William III (reigned 1689 – 1703), Queen Anne (reigned 1702 – 1707), and then she continued as Queen under The House of Stuart, (reigned 1707 – 1714), The House of Hanover, George II (reigned 1727 – 1760).

“The first three Anglo-French conflicts — King William’s War (1689–1697), Queen Anne’s War (1702–1713), and King George’s War (1744–1748) — had significant consequences in North America due to: destruction of frontier settlements, disruption in the fur trade, and [an] increased importance of New York in the effort to remove France from North America. During the French and Indian War (1754–1763), most of the major battles on the mainland took place north of Albany, which is where the final invasion of Canada was launched. Albany became the focal point for mainland operations, and the French were finally driven out of North America in 1763.” (3)

Illustration of First Dutch Reformed Church building, Albany, NY,
built in 1715 and replaced in 1789. It was demolished in 1806. (Public domain).

Isaac DeVoe, Marytje Van Olinda, and Their Children

Isaac DeVoe, was baptized December 11, 1720, in the Dutch Reformed Church of Albany, New York, British American Colonies — death date unknown. On August 19, 1750 he married Marytje (Van Olinda) DeVoe in the Dutch Reformed Church, also in Albany. She was baptized on April 27, 1729 also at the same location. Her death date is unknown.

Dutch Reformed Church records for the birth of Isaac DeVoe, December 11, 1720.
Dutch Reformed Church marriage record for Isaac DeVoe and Mareytje Van Olinda, our 5x Great Grandparents on August 19, 1750.
Dutch Reformed Church baptismal record for Mareytje “Maria” Van Olinda, for April 27, 1729.
Entry from Genealogies of the First Settlers of Albany, via American Ancestors. (See footnotes).

Together, they had six children, all of whom were born in Albany, Albany County, New York, British American Colonies, and baptized at the Dutch Reformed Church in the same location.

  • Catarina (DeVoe) Quackenbosch, baptized December 24, 1752 — death date unknown. She married February 3, 1776, Jacob Quackenbosch.
  • Martinus DeVoe, baptized December 22, 1754 — died 1831-32. He married March 18, 1786, Maria (Steenbergh) DeVoe. (We are descended from Martinus).
  • Jan (John) DeVoe, baptized November 20, 1757 — death date unknown. He married September 10, 1778, Annatje (Conover) DeVoe.
  • Jannetje DeVoe, baptized November 9, 1760 — death date unknown
  • Isaac DeVoe (2), baptized June 5, 1763* — death date unknown
  • Gerardus DeVoe, born April 19, 1766 — death date unknown. He married September 1, 1795, Annatje (Merkel) DeVoe.

    *as per Dutch Reformed Church records: Isaac DeVoe (2) was four weeks old when he was baptized, and Gerardus DeVoe’s birthdate is listed as being April 19, not April 14, as per the American Ancestors record.
Birth record for Martinus DeVoe, our 4x Great Grandfather. (See footnotes)

Finding actual records on our 4x Great Grandfather Martinus is a cause for celebration (!) because there just isn’t much out there on him that has survived. That being said, tenacious as we are — we dug in and found enough information about his life to craft an excellent history about his interesting life. We document his family thoroughly during the Revolutionary War and into the years following, in: The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Five, Six, and Seven. (4)

When Did the DeVoe(s) Relocate to Halfmoon?

This is a funny question to resolve absolutely… Here’s what we do know, along with what we cannot know—

Isaac DeVoe’s father John (2) was born in 1680 in the Bloemendaal section of Manhattan, New York. For reasons we cannot explicitly explain John (2) chose to move to the Albany area up the Hudson River. He married Catharina VanderWerken in 1706 in Albany, and by the early date of 1720 he was a Freeholder in Halfmoon. They had eleven children between 1707 and 1725, all born in Albany. Did the whole family live live in Halfmoon that early, when the community would have been rather rough?

Their eighth child, Isaac DeVoe, was born in 1720 in Albany. He married Marytje Van Olinda in 1750 in Albany and had six children with her. Did Isaac’s wife Marytje and some of the children stay in Albany until things were more stable in Halfmoon?

The two communities were not that far from each other, but this was still an early period of settlement and the infrastructure (roads) were very poor to non-existent, and things were rather unsafe. During this time frame there were two major wars: King George’s War (1744–1748), and the French and Indian War (1754–1763). (From Life In Albany… above) “…most of the major battles on the mainland took place north of Albany, which is where the final invasion of Canada was launched.” After this period, there continued to be many conflicts leading up to the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). So the question is: If you were a parent, would you want your kids living safe in the Albany stockade, or exposed in the unprotected Halfmoon farm fields?

Isaac and wife Marytje (Van Olinda), married in Albany in 1750. All of their children baptized at the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany, New York. This location most likely was chosen because her side of the Van Olinda family lived in Albany and had and had ties to that church.

The background is A Map of the State of New York, 1804 (inset portions),
by Simeon DeWitt — the only known map that shows Halfmoon before there were boundary and name changes soon after 1804. When our family first moved there, Saratoga County did not yet exist until 1791. The inset panel is a description from an 1871 Gazetteer and Business Directory of Saratoga County. (Background image courtesy of Google Arts & Culture).
Plan, of the City, of Albany, in the Province of New York, by Thomas Sowers, 1756, (Image courtesy of the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center at the Boston Public Library).

In 1756, about six years after Isaac and Marytje were married, the City of Albany looked like this — basically a small fortress still surrounded by an outer wooden stockade. (One wonders if Halfmoon is just a backwoods hamlet at this point, even though there are people living there. We covered the development of Halfmoon in the previous chapter, The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Three).

Early American Colonial City: AlbanyAlbany 1770, by Robert Yates. (Image courtesy of The Urban Anecdotes).

After twenty years of marriage, there are some changes. It’s interesting to see that by 1770, Albany has grown some. The biggest change is that the outer wooden stockade has been removed, which opens things up a lot.

The only documents we can access for this period which give us clues about where his family was living are the 1790 Census and some tax records. The Isaac DeVoe who is our 5x Great Grandfather would have been about 70 years old at this point— he may have no longer been living. In fact, he could have lived his entire life without being recorded in a discernible way either by a Census, or by tax records. We have located only one Isaac DeVoe living in Halfmoon at that time, and it could possibly be his son (also named Isaac, born 1763).

1790 United States Federal Census, Halfmoon, Albany County, New York.

1790, the first census
The first census of the United States, which started on August 2, 1790 and lasted for several months. In addition to “this particular” Isaac, there are 7 people total living in the home. Censuses done during this era have an inherent problem, in that they are very limited, (in other words little information is provided). We will never know, but at 70 years of age, it is unlikely that this is our Grandfather Isaac because of the ages of the people living in the home.

  • 3 free white persons – males 16 and over
  • 2 free white persons – males under 16
  • 2 free white persons female

The 1786-1788 Tax Records
The earliest Halfmoon tax records we have located are for 1786 and 1788. From those we see taxes being paid in both years by what are presumably two sons of Isaac DeVoe: his son John (born 1757) and his namesake son, Isaac (2). Here are the records for Isaac (2) in 1786:

Halfmoon tax roll for 1786, New York State Archives Digital Collections.

It appears that many people in the community were a little slow, or reluctant, (or both!) to pay their taxes. By 1788, the local Powers That Be posted a rather cranky notice to the villagers, most of whom could not read and had to get someone kind to inform them.

Halfmoon tax roll for 1788, “Hereof you are not to fail at your Peril” cranky notice,
New York State Archives Digital Collections.

What we do know is this: Isaac’s son, Martinus DeVoe was living in Halfmoon by 1790 because we have both the 1790 Census and 1802 tax records to support this view. (See The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Six.)

So the point of all this is to demonstrate that we really don’t know exactly when Isaac and Marytje were living in Halfmoon. We know that several of their children took up residence there, and it is plausible that if they lived into their elder years, perhaps they were living with one of their children. (5)

When People Had Free Moments…

All of these territory conflicts were serious matters, but not everything in life is serious…

The writer Lindsay Forecast, in the article Leisure Activities in The Colonial Era, states, “The amount of time devoted to leisure, whether defined as recreation, sport, or play, depends on the time available after productive work is completed and the value placed on such pursuits at any given moment in time. There is no doubt that from the late 1600s to the mid-1850s, less time was devoted to pure leisure than today. The reasons for this are many – from the length of each day, the time needed for both routine and complex tasks, and religious beliefs about keeping busy with useful work. There is evidence that men, women, and children did pursue leisure activities when they had the chance, but there was just less time available.”

The Soldier’s Wife by George Smith, (Cropped image, courtesy of Gallerix.org).

“Before the revolution, one’s station in life tended to determine how one would spend one’s leisure. For the cultured elite, the necessity of sharpening social skills to an acceptable level occupied many hours and eventually many years of one’s life. Chances for social interaction outside the towns of colonial America included the quilting and sewing bees organized by women to provide company in what otherwise could become a too-cloistered environment. Most men were also required to attend periodic militia drills. As the individual aged, what was considered leisure activities changed with them.”

Quill pen writing illustration courtesy of The Paul Revere House, (Public domain).

Quilting Bees, Sewing Bees —Just Wondering If They Ever Had Spelling Bees…
We have commented in other chapters about how for many people at this time, spelling was more of a phonetic adventure, rather than a disciplined practice. Here is an example: We once read a colonial era letter that, in addition to having to discern quill pen calligraphy (our nemesis), some of the words had what appeared to be idiosyncratic spellings. One word was “yfe” which we could not figure out.

It turns out that it was a clever phonetic spelling for the word wife. (6)

The Van Olinda Family Were Early Pioneers

One thing that we took note of with this family line, is that the name of a female Van Olinda ancestor was quite present in the documents which have survived. This is a bit unusual, and not typical of the histories we encounter from this era — but we applaud it. Frequently, her name appears in treaties and real estate documents.

This 1866 map from two centuries later, shows the area being described as “purchased by Alice van Olinde in 1667 from the Mohawk natives.” Of note is the small hamlet of Boght Corners in the lower portion. In 1829, “Alice’s” 4x Great Grandson Peter M. DeVoe, was married at the Dutch Reformed Church located there. (Image courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Archives).

Here is an example from Wikipedia, “Boght Road, which was once called Cohoes Road and Manor Avenue, was the northern boundary of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck. North of the Manor was purchased by Alice van Olinde* in 1667 from the Mohawk natives, and the van Olinde family then sold and leased out farms to potential settlers. Loudon Road (today US 9), named in honor of Earl Loudon was built in 1755 for the purpose of bringing provisions north from Albany to Lake George and Fort Ticonderoga.”

*We were intrigued. Who is this Alice van Olinde? It turns out her real name was slightly different than this. Further on, see our Observation at the end of the section below, subtitled The Legacy of Our Grandmother… (7)

The Legacy of Our Grandmother — Hilletje (Van Slyck) Van Olinda

The dictionary defines the word apocryphal as being of questionable or doubtful authorship or authenticity — and so it is when it comes to some research in genealogy. Usually we refer to these items as family stories, but when the passed-on information gets to be very, very old, it can become apocryphal. It’s almost like the game of telephone: stories > told > again > and > again > become > altered.

To recount the history of the Van Olinda branch of the family forces us to confront a bit of this, and make some decisions. We know that our 8x Great Grandmother in this line is named Hilletje (Van Slyck) Van Olinda and that she was half Mohican. Her history is quite compelling, which we will get to in a moment, but first we need to address the issue of who her mother was, or was not. There is much information out there about her, with some researchers claiming that her name was Ots Toch Owisto’k, and that Hilletje’s father was a French fur trader named Jacques Hertel. The problem with this specificity is that there is no direct evidence to support it. In fact, there is no indirect evidence either. [We prefer to see some form of evidence to support claims.] Apocryphal stories which are put out there without supporting evidence are a genealogist’s version of the game of telephone.

“The practice of historians is to treat legends as meritless unless merit can be demonstrated. A rule of thumb that some historians apply to oral traditions is that after 200 years they have lost any reliability they might have had at the beginning.”

Jacques Hertel in Legend And History II
by Genealogical Researcher Cynthia Brott Biasca

Genealogical Researcher Cynthia Brott Biasca does a remarkable investigation and refutation into the many claims of Hilletje’s parentage. We observed that the overall problem lies with the notions of writers from the 18th and 19th centuries, (and then the unquestioned adoption of that information by later writers). Unlike the world today, where we are marinated in media, back then writers only had the power of words to intrigue and impress their readers. It was natural to freely embellish histories with opinions, prejudices, half-truths, (and an occasional Indian Princess). When we first encounter our Grandmother Hilletje, this is how she is described in the book, The Mohawk Valley : Its Legends and Its History

“She was born of a Christian father (Van Slake) and an Indian mother of the Mohawk tribes. Her mother remained in the country and lived among the Mohawks, and she lived with her the same as Indians live together. Her mother would never listen to anything about Christians, as it was against her heart from an inward unfounded hate. As Hilletie sometimes went among the whites to trade, some of the Christians took a fancy to the girl, discovering more resemblance to the Christians than the Indians, and wished to take her and bring her up, but her mother would not let her go. The little daughter had no disposition to go at first, but she felt a great inclination and love in her heart to those who spoke to her about Christ and the Christian religion. Her mother observed it and grew to hate her and finally drove her from her forest home. She went to those who had solicited her to come so long. She had a particular desire to learn to read and finally made her profession and was baptized.” (This was written in 1901, by Reid. See footnotes).

Left to right: The Mohawk Valley : Its Legends and Its History by W. Max Reid, 1901. Journal of Jasper Danckaerts, 1679-1680, and a Dutch Bible from 1782. (See footnotes).

Much of this is derived from three chapters of an earlier book written in Dutch in the late 17th century and titled [the] Journal of Jasper Danckaerts, 1679-1680. It was discovered > and translated about 80-90 years later in the 18th century >, then continually edited > again and again > for other editions. It is the closest we get to the actual description of the woman Hilletje. However, Danckaerts was a missionary, and it is through his lens that we see her —

“While we were there, a certain Indian woman, or half-breed, that is, from a European and an Indian woman, came with a little boy, her child, who was dumb, or whose tongue had grown fast. It was about four years old; she had heard we were there, and came to ask whether we knew of any advice for her child, or whether we could not do a little something to cure it. We informed her we were not doctors or surgeons, but we gave her our opinion, just as we thought. Sanders told me aside that she was a Christian, that is, had left the Indians, and had been taught by the Christians and baptized… She had said all this with a tender and affectionate heart, and with many tears, but tears which you felt proceeded from the heart, and from love towards God. I was surprised to find so far in the woods, and among Indians — but why say among Indians? among Christians ten times worse than Indians — a person who should address me with such affection and love of God; but I answered and comforted her. She then related to me from the beginning her case, that is, how she had embraced Christianity. She was born of a Christian father and an Indian mother, of the Mohawk tribes. [text continues as per Reid above, word-for-word]… She had especially a great desire to learn to read; and applied herself to that end day and night, and asked others, who were near her, to the vexation and annoyance of the other maids, who lived with her, who could sometimes with difficulty keep her back. But that did not restrain her ; she felt such an eagerness and desire to learn that she could not be withheld, particularly when she began to understand the Dutch language, and what was expressed in the New Testament, where her whole heart was. In a short time, therefore, she understood more about it than the other girls with whom she conversed, and who had first instructed her…” Finally, she made her profession, and was baptized.” (This was written by Danckaerts in the late 17th century and translated much later.)

*Observation: The genealogy game of telephone (before there were real telephones!) was actively being played soon after Hilletje met Jasper Danckaerts. This became apparent as we were sorting through the many variations of her first name.

We have no record of her given Mohawk name. Jasper Danckaerts in 1680 wrote her name in Dutch, which was then translated about 80 years later into the first English edition as: Aletta. Most of the time we see spelling variations that are: Hilletje (which is a Dutch name equivalent for Hilda). If the name is pronounced with a silent ‘H’ it is possible to sound a bit more like Aletta. However, the Dutch language name equivalent for Alice is: Aaltje, or Aeltje. (Google search) So it seems some contemporary writers have just selected Alice.

The Lake of the Iroquois by L. F. Tantillo. The artist writes, “Lake of the Iroquois depicts two Mohawk tribesmen crossing an Adirondack lake in a time frame after contact with Europeans, circa 1640. The canoe is based on period accounts of native vessels constructed of elm bark. The musket in the canoe was a common trade item at that time.”

The Southern Border of the Mohawk Nation
The map below shows the community of Schenectady, which is slightly northwest of Albany. This area and the Rensselaer Manor adjacent to the south, is where most of the Van Olinda families were initially granted land patents. The areas west of here were still Native People areas, called the Country of the Five Nations of Indians (also sometimes referred to as the Iroquois Confederacy) — and the aptly named Mohawk River, represented the southern border of the more northerly Mohawk Nation. During an era of many conflicts between Dutch and English Colonists with the Native Peoples and also the French — this border community was evolving from a dangerous area to a somewhat settled area in which to live.

A Plan of Schenectady from A History of The Schenectady Patent in The Dutch and English Times, page 317. In Hilletje’s life, this area would have been much less settled. (See footnotes).

So what do we know about her life?
From Greene’s book on the Mohawk Valley (see footnotes), her father, “the original Van Slyck, was Cornelis Antonissen Van Slyck, meaning ‘Cornelis, the son of Antonis of Slyck.’ The Dutch immigrant Antonissen Van Slyck, (alias ‘Borer Carnelis’ by the natives)” is noted as her father in Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs, Vol. II, and that she was born circa 1640s.

From Stefan Bielinski, Historian for the Colonial Albany Social History Project at the New York State Museum, we learned regarding Hilletje, “By the 1670s, this legendary historical character had become the wife of Albany businessman and regional property holder Pieter Danielse Van Olinda and the mother of several of his children.”

Map from page 58 of A History of The Schenectady Patent in The Dutch and English Times:
Being Contributions Toward a History of The Lower Mohawk Valley
, by Jonathan Pearson.

“Well known in the country west of Albany, Hilletie’s special talent was that of the interpreter. In 1667, she is said to have been given five islands in the Mohawk at Niskayuna in payment for her services. During the 1690s and possibly afterwards, she was paid by the provincial government as the ‘interpretess to the Indians at Albany.’ She was able to secure a number of parcels of land in the region in payment for her work as interpreter. A number of visitors mentioned her in their narratives.” (Bielinski)

Remember this word from the Introduction? “Canastagione” referred to the Indian corn fields on the Mohawk.” (Colonie) “Their lifestyle included farming on cleared flats near the river and hunting over a vast forested area. Their small villages were moved as necessary to preserve their way of life.” (Town of Halfmoon website) These islands were considered ideal locations for the growing of corn, and in a sense, show how esteemed Hilletje must have been by the Mohawks to have received such valuable areas as gifts.

Indian Deed to Hilletie Van Olinda, October 6, 1704. Note the Native American pictorial glyph signature alongside the wax seals. (Image courtesy of the New York State Archives Digital Collections)
Dutch Reformed Church 1707 death record for Hilletje Van Olinda.

We know that Hilletje was married to Pieter Danielse Van Olinda and that they had several children. She died on February 10, 1707. Her husband Pieter, outlived her and “was a farmer, tailor, and sometime fur trader… He has been identified as one of the original patentees of Schenectady. In 1674, he was among those invited to the funeral of the director of Rensselaerswyck — where he held property… he filed a Will in August 1715 (died 1716)Much of this real estate came to him through the work of his wife, the then late Hilletie Van Slyck… (Bielinski)

Which children eventually lead to Marytje (Van Olinda) DeVoe?
As per American Ancestors (see footnotes) for our family, we are descended from the Van Olinda family as follows:

  • Antonis of Slyck, Dutch immigrant father of Antonissen Van Slyck
  • Antonissen Van Slyck was the father of a (half Mohawk) daughter, Hilletje Van Slyck
  • Hilletje (Van Slyck) Van Olinda — married Pieter Danielle Van Olinda. She died February 10, 1707. They had a son named…
  • Daniel Van Olinda, named as the eldest son in the Will of his father Pieter, continued the family line in the community of Halfmoon where he lived. Daniel Van Olinda married Lysbeth (Kregier) Van Olinda on June 11, 1696. They had a son named…
  • Marten Van Olinda, married Jannetie Van Der Werken on April 8, 1724. They had a daughter named…
  • Marytje [Maria] (Van Olinda) DeVoe, who became our 5x Great Grandmother (8)

In the next chapter, we feature our 4x Great Grandfather Martinus DeVoe, and his life during the Revolutionary War. It was one of the most complicated chapters of the DeVoe Line to write (truly and actually) because of the game of > telephone >> and >>> family >>>> stories.


Just ask Ernestine. We’re sure that she knows all about our history.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Preface: It’s Finally Settled!

(1) — one record

Genealogy of The De Veaux Family : Introducing the Numerous Forms of Spelling the Name by Various Branches and Generations in the Past Eleven Hundred Years
by Thomas Farrington De Voe, 1811-1892
https://archive.org/details/genealogyofdevea00thom/page/n7/mode/2up
Book page: 20, Digital page: 20/302
Note: For the anecdote about Isaac DeVoe and the receipted bill.

What Was Attractive to Our Ancestors in This Part of New York State?

(2) — three records

Town of Colonie, Town Historian
The Early History of Colonie
https://www.colonie.org/departments/historian/early-history

Mohawk River, New York
by Albert Bierstadt, 1864, oil on canvas – Portland Art Museum – Portland, Oregon – DSC08750.jpg
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohawk_River,_New_York,_by_Albert_Bierstadt,_1864,_oil_on_canvas_-_Portland_Art_Museum_-_Portland,_Oregon_-_DSC08750.jpg
Note: For the landscape image.

David Ramsey Map Collection
Composite (map): British Empire in America, 1733
by Henry Popple
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~887~70081:-Composite-Map-of–A-Map-of-the-Bri
Note: For the map image.

Life in Albany and Halfmoon Before The Revolutionary War

(3) — five records

Britannica
Iroquois Confederacy, American Indian confederation
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Iroquois-Confederacy

American History Central
New York Colony 1524 – 1763
New York Colony, the Iroquois, and New France
https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/new-york-colony/

List of English Monarchs
Houses of Stuart and Orange
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_monarchs
Note: For their portraits.

[Queen Anne]
File:Dahl, Michael – Queen Anne – NPG 6187.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dahl,MichaelQueen_Anne-_NPG_6187.jpg
Note: For her portrait.

King George II
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_George_II_by_Charles_Jervas.jpg
Note: For his portrait.

Isaac DeVoe, Marytje Van Olinda, and Their Children

(4) — fifteen records

Illustration of First Dutch Reformed Church building, Albany, NY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Church_in_Albany_(Reformed)#/media/File:1715_Dutch_Reformed_Church,_Albany,_NY.jpg
Note: For the church building image.

First Church in Albany (Reformed)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Church_in_Albany_(Reformed)

Albany County, New York: First Settlers, 1630-1800 (Archived1)
https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/albany-county-new-york-first-settlers-1630-1800-archived1/image?volumeId=63472&pageName=42&rId=10007842425
Book page: 42, Digital page: 42/182

Isaac De Voe
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Albany > Albany, Vol I, Book 1
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/40264:6961?ssrc=pt&tid=48708924&pid=240082063566
Book page: 95, Digital page: 99/368, Right page, entry 2 from the top.
Note: For marriage information. Hand transcription      

Genealogies of The First Settlers of Albany
https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/albany-county-new-york-first-settlers-1630-1800-archived/image?rId=6526998&volumeId=7370&pageName=129&filterQuery=
Book page: 129
Note: See left column entry for Van Olinda, and follow:
Pieter/Hilletie > Daniel/Lysbeth > Marten/Jannetie > Maria

Maritje Van Olinda
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/6000267/person/252272497714/facts?_phsrc=wfr1&_phstart=successSource
and
Part 4, 1750–1764, Holland Society of New York (1907)
Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, New York, 1683–1809
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/albany/part4.html#marriage
Note 1: Click on this link: Marriages, 1750 to 1762, then see entry for August 19, 1750.
Note 2: Both entries are for marriage records.
Note 3: We have not been able to discern what the notation “with pardon” means in this context. It is interesting to look at the other notations: “2 living at the Half Moon, born at Nistigoenen, live near Schaghticoke”.

U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989
New York > Albany > Albany, Vol I, Book 1
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/39413:6961?tid=&pid=&queryId=c38b5d34-11bb-42af-a384-6478a5a4718a&_phsrc=yJB1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 268, Digital page: 272/368
Note 1: Birth record for Marytje Van Olinda.
Note 2: The entry is noted under April 20, 1729, with the indication of d7 — that it is 7 days after is her actual birthday (d7 equals April 27).
Note 3: This is the same location that all of their children were baptized.

Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, New York, 1683–1809
(Excerpted from Year Books of the Holland Society of New York, 1907)
DRC of Albany Baptismal Record, 1789 to 1809
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/albany/refchurch.html
Note: We have itemized each individual record for their children which are found in three links, as directed below.

Here are the individual records for the first 4 children of Isaac DeVoe and Marytje (Van Olinda) DeVoe —
Catarina, Martinus, Jan (John), and Jannetje are found at this link,
Baptismal Record, 1750 to 1762:
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/albany/part4.html#baptismal

> [page 31] 1752
1752, Dec. 24. Catarina, of Isaac De Voy and Maritje V. drlinden. Wit.: Isaac Vosburg, Geerteruy Van de Linden
and here also:
Isaac De Voy
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989
New York > Albany > Albany, Vol III, Book 3
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/150162502:6961?ssrc=pt&tid=48708924&pid=240082063566
Book page: 64, Digital page: 268/506
Note: Hand transcription.        Left page, fourth entry from the top

> [page 44] 1754
1754, Dec. 22. Martinus, of Isak Du Foe and Marytje Van der Linde. Wit.: Martinus V. d. Linden, Elisabeth Doxs.

> [page 57] 1757
1757, Nov. 20. Jan (John), of Isaac Devoe and Maria Van Olinde. Wit.: Jan Dox, Maria Coerteny.

> [page 71] 1760
1760, Nov. 9. Jannetie of Izak De Voe and Marytje V. der Linde (Van Olinde). Wit.: Daniel V. der Linde (Van Olinde), Elisabeth Bekker.
and here also:Izak De Voe
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989
New York > Albany > Albany, Vol III, Book 3https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/150163354:6961?ssrc=pt&tid=48708924&pid=240082063566
Book page: 186, Digital page: 190/506
Note: Hand transcription.        Left page, fifth entry from the bottom

Isaac is found at this link: Baptismal Record, 1763 and 1764:
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/albany/part4.html#baptismal2
> [page 93] 1763
1763, June 5. Yzaac (Isaac) of Yzac (Izak) de Foe (de Voe) and Maria V. d. Linde. Wit. Cornelis V. d. Berg, Claartje Knoet. Note: Four weeks old.

Gerardus is found at this link: Baptismal Record, 1765 and 1771:
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/albany/part5.html#baptismal
> [page 19] 1766 (bo = born on)
bo. Apr. 19. Gerardus, of Yzaac du Voe and Marytje V. Olinde. Wit.: Gerardus V. Olinde, Lena du Voe.

Early New Netherlands Settlers
David <?> Du Four, (Rn=25344)
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rclarke/genealogy/page1/dufour.htm

When Did the DeVoe(s) Relocate to Halfmoon?

(5) — nine records

Gazetteer and Business Directory of Saratoga County, N.Y.,
and Queensbury, Warren County,
for 1871
https://archive.org/details/gazetteerbusines00chi/page/92/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 92, Digital page: 92/303

A Map of the State of New York, 1804 (cropped portion)
Simeon DeWitt (1756-1834)
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/a-map-of-the-state-of-new-york/gQG44G8fdQpGwQ?hl=pt-PT
Note: For map image.

Boston Public Library
Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center
Plan, of the City, of Albany, in the Province of New York (map)
by Thomas Sowers, 1756
https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:hx11z365w

The Urban Anecdotes
Early American Colonial City: Albany
Albany 1770 (map)
by Robert Yates
https://www.the-urban-anecdotes.com/post/early-american-colonial-city-albany
Note: For the map image.

The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon
First United States Census, 1790
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/first-united-states-census-1790/#:~:text=The%201790%20census%20was%20the,of%20national%20prosperity%20and%20progress.

American Revolutionary War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War#:~:text=The%20American%20Revolutionary%20War%20(April,and%20commanded%20by%20George%20Washington

Isaac Devoe
in the 1790 United States Federal Census

New York > Albany > Half Moon
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/234148:5058?tid=&pid=&queryId=47cac8d0-7968-4a12-b3a0-4d1b0ec73750&_phsrc=nLK2&_phstart=successSource
Book page: Noted as 322, Digital page: 1/4, Left column, entry 25 from the bottom of the page.

New York State Archives Digital Collections
Halfmoon tax roll, 1786
https://digitalcollections.archives.nysed.gov/index.php/Detail/objects/57252
Note: There are 16 downloadable files.This is the relevant file: NYSA_A1201-78_1786_Albany_Halfmoon_p04.tiff

New York State Archives Digital Collections
Halfmoon tax roll, 1788
https://digitalcollections.archives.nysed.gov/index.php/Detail/objects/95585

When People Had Free Moments…

(6) — three records

The Revere House Gazette, Spring 2016
Leisure Activities in The Colonial Era
by Lindsay Forecast
https://www.paulreverehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PaulRevereHouse_Gazette122_Spring16.pdf

The Soldiers Wife (image cropped)
by George Smith (1829-1901)
https://gallerix.org/storeroom/1073111432/N/718/
Note: For the image of the children playing.

Quill Pen Writing and Drawing illustration
https://www.paulreverehouse.org/event/quill-pen-writing-and-drawing-aug2023/
Note: For the illustration.

The Van Olinda Family Were Early Pioneers

(7) — three records

History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925,
Volume 1

Nelson Greene, editor
https://www.schenectadyhistory.org/resources/mvgw/history/022.html
Book pages: 326-351
Note: Chapter 22: Settlers at Schenectady, 1661-1664

Watervliet, New York (map)
New Topographical Atlas of the Counties of Albany and Schenectady New York
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e3-72e9-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99/book?parent=76f52680-c5f6-012f-6a69-58d385a7bc34#page/17/mode/2up
Book page: 31
Note 1: For the map image.
Note 2: Known in the present day as the town of Colonie.

Boght Corners, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boght_Corners,_New_York
Note: For the mention of “was purchased by Alice van Olinde in 1667 from the Mohawk natives…”

The Legacy of Our Grandmother  — Hilletje (Van Slyck) Van Olinda

(8) — eighteen records

Apocryphal [definition]
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocryphal#:~:text=apocryphal%20implies%20an%20unknown%20or,itself%20is%20dubious%20or%20inaccurate.

Jacques Hertel in Legend And History II
by Cynthia Brott Biasca
https://www.familysearch.org/memories/memory/134755036

The Mohawk Valley: Its Legends and Its History
by W. Max Reid, 1901
https://ia600507.us.archive.org/13/items/mohawkvalleyitsl00reid/mohawkvalleyitsl00reid.pdf
Book pages: 156-160

1782 BÍBLIA ENCADERNADA DE COURO com FECHOS BIBLIA SACRA
antiga na Holanda Holandesa
[1782 LEATHER BOUND BIBLE with LOCKS Antique HOLY BIBLE in Dutch Holland]
https://www.ebay.com/itm/364780333183?norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-167022-160074-6&mkcid=2&itemid=364780333183&targetid=296633477513&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9197425&poi=&campaignid=20741944936&mkgroupid=158218881347&rlsatarget=pla-296633477513&abcId=&merchantid=5300591862&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh_LgbL-MlCni_jX5IWQJNcW7&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkdO0BhDxARIsANkNcrdM9VcKURsHWIfTYIAb3fyHXC8OqZt0uH34KI6nRzdABQ_ESrxluZMaArrcEALw_wcB

Smithsonian Libraries
Journal of Jasper Danckaerts, 1679-1680,
These three chapters: The Story of Aletta, The Indian, The Story of Wouter, Aletta’s Nephew, Interview With Aletta and Wouter
https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/journalofjasper00danc
Book pages: 201-211, Digital pages: 200-210/313

Mohawk Village, 1780
A Mohawk Native American village in central New York, c1780.
Engraving, 19th century
https://www.mediastorehouse.com/granger-art-on-demand/mohawk-village-1780-mohawk-native-american-7505681.html
Note: For the village illustration.

Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs, Vol. II
Hudson-Mohawk Family Histories
by Cuyler Reynolds (editor)
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48324/images/HudsonMohawkII-002620-704?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=291902
Book page: 704, Digital page: 221/465

The Fine Art of Historical and Marine Painting
Lake of the Iroquois
Two Iroquois in the Adirondacks, circa 1640

by L. F. Tantillo
https://lftantillo.com/native-americans-in-new-york/lake-of-the-iroquois.html

A History of The Schenectady Patent in The Dutch and English Times: Being Contributions Toward a History of The Lower Mohawk Valley
by Jonathan Pearson, and Junius Wilson MacMurray
https://archive.org/details/historyofschenec00pearuoft/historyofschenec00pearuoft/page/n7/mode/2up
Note 1: For the Bouwlands map, Book page: 58, Digital page: 86/514
Note 2: For the Schenectady map, Book page: 317, Digital page: 349/514

History of the County of Schenectady, N. Y., from 1662 to 1886…
by John H. Munsell , George Rogers Howell
https://archive.org/details/historycountysc00howegoog/page/n30/mode/2up
Book pages: 15-16, Digital pages: 31/254

A Brief History of Early Halfmoon
by The Town of Halfmoon, New York
https://www.townofhalfmoon-ny.gov/historian/pages/a-brief-history-of-early-halfmoon

New York State Archives Digital Collections
Indian Deed to Hilletie Van Olinda, October 6, 1704
https://digitalcollections.archives.nysed.gov/index.php/Search/objects?search=Van+Olinda
Description of the document:
“Indian deed to Hilletie van Olinda, accompanying a petition for a patent for a tract of woodland, known by the Indian name of Dewaethoeiacocks, lying on the south side of the Maquase river, being bounded on the north side by Killian Van Ransleaer’s patent; on the west by the patent of Peter Hendrick de Haes; easterly down along the said river, by the Kahoos or Great falls, containing about 400 acres.”

U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989
New York > Albany > Albany, Vol III, Book 3
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6961/images/42037_1521003239_0772-00018?ssrc=&backlabel=Return
Book page: 13, Digital page: 17/506, last entry before November 4, 1710.
Note: 1707 death record for Hilletje Van Olinda

Pieter Danielse Van Olinda
by Stefan Bielinski
https://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/bios/vo/pdvolinda.html

Calendar of wills on file and recorded in the offices of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals, of the County Clerk at Albany, and of the Secretary of State, 1626-1836
Berthold Fernow, 1837-1908
https://archive.org/details/calendarwillson00appegoog/page/449/mode/2up
Book page: 449 Digital page: 449/657, Left page, middle.
Note: For Peter van Olinda 1715 Will.

Albany County, New York: First Settlers, 1630-1800 (Archived1)
https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/albany-county-new-york-first-settlers-1630-1800-archived1/image?volumeId=63472&pageName=42&rId=10007842425
Book page: 42, Digital page: 42/182

We present this family tree for information purposes only, since some of the information is unsourced. Be careful!
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/LDHG-GMP

The Hollywood Reporter
Laugh-In’ Tribute Set at Netflix With Original Star Lily Tomlin
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/laugh-tribute-set-at-netflix-original-star-lily-tomlin-1191978/

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Three

This is Chapter Three of eleven. When generational family names repeat, we made the decision long ago, that the best way to keep people sorted was to number them in this circumstance. Accordingly, please meet 7x Great Grandfather John Devoor (1), and his son, 6x Great Grandfather John Devoe (2). The family surname in these generations has evolved from Du Four to Devoor to DeVoe.

Manhattan 1660 (view from Governor’s Island), by L. F. Tantillo Fine Art
(Image courtesy of the New Amsterdam History Center).

David Du Four’s Oldest Son, John DeVoor

John DeVoor (1), born about 1651, Sedan, Provence du Picardie, France — died before April 1724, Bloemendaal, (New York City), British American Colonies, at 73 years of age.

He married first, Jannetje (Van Isselteyn) DeVoor, born about 1656 at Leyden, South Holland, Netherland — died after May 1701 at 45 years of age. They married July 5, 1676, Bloemendaal, (New York City), British American Colonies. They had twelve children, all born in Bloemendaal (New York City), British American Colonies:

  • Marritje (DeVoor) Van Der Werken, born 1677, and married Gerrit Van Der Werken
  • John DeVoor (2), born May 1680 — died July 27, 1746. He married Catharina (Van Der Werken) DeVoor in 1706. (We are descended from John 2).
  • Margrietje (DeVoor) Pier, born November 1681, and married Teunis Pier
  • David DeVoor , born 1683, and married Anna (Wakefield) Van Bremen/DeVoor
  • Peter DeVoor, born February 1686, and married Annatje (Bisset) DeVoor
  • Rachel (DeVoor) Grootvelt, baptized February 23, 1687, and married Hendrik Hendrikszen Grootvelt in 1706
  • Arriantje (DeVoor) Vanderbeek/Montayne, born November 1688 and married Conradus Vanderbeek, and Jacob Montayne
  • Jannetje (DeVoor) Bisset, baptized February 28, 1690, and married Andrew Bisset in 1712
  • Elizabeth (DeVoor) Michielszen, born May 13, 1693, and married Michiel Michielszen
  • Teunis DeVoor, born 1696, and married Gertie (Barheyt) DeVoor and Sarah (Van Oblinus) DeVoor
  • William DeVoor, born about 1698, and married Charity (Conklin) DeVoor
  • Abraham DeVoor, baptized May 11, 1701

After his first wife’s death, he married second, a widow, Marritje (Von Woggelum) Hendrickson/DeVoor. They married March 7, 1705, at the home of her father Pieter Von Woggelum in New York City, New York, British American Colonies. They had no children.

Collect Pond, New York City watercolor illustration
by Archibald Robinson, circa 1798 (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Observation: ( Please see the footnotes)
Where John DeVoor (1) died is now a vanished area of Manhattan, New York City: In February 1667, the first land grant was issued for a section of Manhattan, which today is the Upper West Side (and Harlem). The Dutch called the area, Bloemendaal, (Bloomingdale) which translates to ‘Valley of Flowers’ (after Holland’s tulip region), as the area was once a rural home to many farms and forests.

From the History of Harlem book, “John Devoor, [whom we refer to as John 1] born during his father’s sojourn at Sedan, married, in 1676, a Leyden girl, Jannetie, daughter of Jan Willems Van Isselsteyn, otherwise called Tan of Leyden. He bought a farm at [Bloemendaal] Bloomingdale, where he died, leaving a widow, Mary. She was daughter of Capt. Peter Van Woglum, of Albany.

The New York Historical Society, extract from the Will of John Devoor.

John Devoor (1) left a Will, the content of which is cited in the records of the New York Historical Society, “In the name of God, Amen. July 24, 1717. I, John Devoer, of New York, yeoman [farmer], being at present sick and weak, All my lands and real estate in New York or New Jersey, with the waggon and utensils of husbandry, are to be sold within three months “at Publick vendue,” and the money to be paid into the hands of Johanes Jansen, Esq., and Philip Minthorne, whom I make executors.

I give to my eldest son John [John 2], £3 for his birthright, and after that he shall share with the rest. I direct that my daughter, Rachel Devoer, shall have from my executors one English shilling, wherewith I cut her off and utterly debar her for her undutifulness, from demanding any more. I leave to sons Peter, David, William, Teunis, and Abraham, each a milk cow. To my sons William and Teunis each £7, 10s. To my daughter Ariantie, wife of Jacobus Montanye, one cow. To my daughter, Elizabeth Devoer, my painted cupboard. My executors are to punctually observe all the articles contained in a certain indenture made before my last marriage, between Peter Van Weglum, my wife, and myself.

I leave to my wife Mary one quarter of the winter wheat and rye. I leave all the rest to my children, John, David, William, Teunis, Peter, Abraham, Greetie, wife of Teunis Pier; Araintie, wife of Jacobus Montanye, Jannette, wife of Andrew Bisset, and Elizabeth, and to the children of my daughter Mary, wife of Geritt Roelofsen.”

“Witnesses, Geraldes Comfort, Jan Van Hoorne, Maximus Reolofsen. [sic]
Proved, April 13, 1724.”

Observation: Unfortunately, it’s quite obvious that he had some type of serious disagreement with his daughter Rachel, which he took right up to his grave. (Talk about trying to have the last word!) (1)

The Family From Bloemendaal

View of Lower Manhattan, Showing the Church Within the Fort, by Jaspar Danckaerts, 1680.

The opening image at the top of this page shows a remarkably painted view of Manhattan in 1660, but as cinematic as it looks, the reality of the times are a bit more humble. Around the time that John Devoor (2) was born in 1680, things were much more rustic.

Our ancestor, John Dufour/Devoor/DeVoe (2), born May 1680, Bloemendaal, (New York City), British American Colonies — died July 27, 1746, Halfmoon, Albany County, New York, British American Colonies, at 66 years of age.

From The Yearbook of The Holland Society, 1905, page 6.
From the Dutch Reformed Church Records, for Albany, Book 2, page 234.

He married Catharina (Van Der Werken) DeVoe, at Albany on June 5, 1706. She was born January 12, 1687 at Albany, British American Colonies — died July 1, 1746, at 59 years of age in Halfmoon, Albany, New York. They were initially buried at “Reformed Dutch Church graveyard” in Albany. (See footnotes).

They had eleven children. All of the children were baptised in the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany, New York, British American Colonies:

  • John Devoe (3), born February 1707, and married Fytje (Van Der Werken) DeVoor
  • Geertruy Devoe, baptized September 26, 1708, and died young
  • Geertruy (Devoe) Doxie, baptized November 5, 1710, and married Peter Doxie in 1736
  • Roelof Devoe, baptized April 19, 1713
  • Jannetje Devoe, baptized December 25, 1714, and died young
  • William Devoe, born September 1716 — married Sara (Van Vorst) DeVoor
  • Marritje (Devoe) Van Der Kaar, baptized August 3, 1718, and married Abraham Van Der Kaar
  • Isaac Devoe, born December 11, 1720, and married Marritje (Van Olinda) DeVoe, (We are descended from Isaac).
  • Jannetje Devoe, baptized January 20, 1723
  • [Twin daughters] Catherine (Devoe) Quackenbush, born September 26, 1725, and married Gerrit Quackenbush, February 6, 1750
  • Arriantje Devoe, born September 26, 1725
Dutch Reformed Church records for the birth of Isaac DeVoe, our 5x Great Grandfather. (See footnotes).

We believe that John DeVoe (2), although he had been living in Bloemendaal, New York City, he relocated to Albany when he married Catharina (Van Der Werken) DeVoe. This is supported by the records that all of his children were baptized at the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany, starting with his oldest son John (3). [Who was born almost exactly nine months after his parents married]. (See footnotes).

The John Miller Plan of Albany in 1695. The community would have still looked much like this when John DeVoe (2) and his wife Catharina (Van Der Werken) DeVoe moved there. (Image courtesy of The Albany Institute Collections).

At the time, Albany was (essentially) the northernmost outpost on the Hudson River. The area was still very rough, but their timing was fortuitous, because in the coming decades, the location was to develop into a place to prosper and raise a family. After a number of years living in Albany, they moved to the Halfmoon community (sometime between 1720/1724, and 1746 — we don’t know exactly when). From the History of Harlem book by James Riker, “…John [2], eldest son, married, in 1706, Catharine, daughter of Roelof Gerrits Vander Werken, of Half Moon, to which place he removed [we just don’t know exactly when this move was], and, on April 1, 1724, sold his interest in his father’s farm to his brothers David and William. He died in 1746, and his descendants are called De Voe.” (2)

Halve Maen (ship, 1608).

Henry Hudson

John Devoe (2) and his wife Catharina took up residence in Halfmoon, New York, north of Albany, after their marriage. Halfmoon was settled where the delta of Hudson River and the Mohawk River meet, in the more northerly part of the Hudson River Valley. The town name came from the ship: The Halve Maen, which was Henry Hudson’s ship.

Comment: You might be asking — Why’ re so many things named Hudson This, or Hudson That in New York state? It turns out that the first European person to discover the area was Henry Hudson, and even though there were Native Peoples already living there, it was his name that was placed on maps made for the Dutch and British merchants.

Portrait of English explorer, Henry Hudson.

Wikipedia records, “Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the Northeastern United States... In 1609, he landed in North America on behalf of the Dutch East India Company [his employer, even though he was English] and explored the region around today’s modern New York metropolitan area. Looking for a Northwest Passage to Asia on his ship Halve Maen (“Half Moon”), he sailed up the Hudson River, which was later named after him, and thereby laid the foundation for Dutch colonization of the region.

On his final expedition, while still searching for the Northwest Passage, Hudson became the first European to see Hudson Strait and the immense Hudson Bay. In 1611, after wintering on the shore of James Bay, Hudson wanted to press on to the west, but most of his crew mutinied. The mutineers cast Hudson, his son, and six others adrift; the Hudsons and their companions were never seen again.” (3)

The Land Grant Process

In the current day, we tend to think of the word patent as applying to an invention, such new type of component for a computer. For our ancestors in this early era, the word patent meant something quite different. It meant land, and land meant wealth and prosperity.

From the article, New York Land Grants: Some History Until The American Revolution, the author Richard Williams writes: “Land policy in colonial times in what is now New York State favored nobility and prominent men with connections to the Crown. This involved several countries (The Netherlands, England, and France), several explorers, several early pioneers, and appointed officials who oversaw the disbursement of land by land grants or patents.

Patents are land and privileges granted to one or more persons by the British crown or, later, by the state of New York. Proprietors were joint owners of a patent, who then often surveyed, subdivided and sold individual allotments.” In other words: Patents were issued by the governor as the representative of the Duke of York, who in turn represented the King of England.

Observation: This was pure Imperialism in the age of Colonialism.

In early New York, “Settlement was not initially important and trading with Indigenous people was prohibited reserved to the [Dutch West India] Company, but from the earliest settlements along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers many freemen turned from farming to the fur trade...In New Netherland the Dutch had a great port and a long navigable river, the Hudson River, to move into the Indigenous territory, particularly important in the absence of roads in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1624, 18 Walloon families arrived in at Fort Orange (Beverwyck, now Albany), adjacent to old Fort Nassau, and the prominent Dutch soon established manors..”

“After the English took over the New Netherland colony and renamed it New York, a fundamental principle of English law applied: that the King is the original owner of all lands in his realm, including the colonies, and that title to that land may be received only from the crown through the colonial governor.” (4)

The Community of Halfmoon, in Albany County

Several generations of our DeVoe ancestors lived in, or adjacent to this Albany County community in New York. The town was known as Halfmoon for much of its history, but in 1816, a southern section where many of our ancestors lived, cleaved off to became a new town named Waterford. (Twenty five years prior to that, both towns had left Albany County when Saratoga County was formed in 1791).

Only two old maps of the Halfmoon / Waterford community before this split have survived. The first, the Lands Sold by Annetie Lievers to Roelof Garrets… map shown below on the right. This is referred to as Map 3 from the book, The History of Waterford, by Sydney Ernest Hammersley. It shows the various delta islands where the Mohawk and Hudson rivers met; the spaces between them were eventually filled in. The second map by Simeon DeWitt, to this day is the only map which documents Halfmoon in Saratoga County, before the Waterford split. [For more about the DeWill map, see The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Six].

The map inset portion on the left is titled A Map of the State of New York, 1804 by Simeon DeWitt. It documents Halfmoon in Saratoga County before a large portion of it cleaved off to became Waterford. The map on the right, known as Map 3, Lands Sold by Annetie Lievers to Roelof Garrets, Dated February 4, 1686 By James Frost, Surveyors December 25, 1844, is the only surviving map showing the original town site. (From Hammersley).

As Hammersley’s book describes it, “This map valuable, until 1844 when civilizations, canal and railroads were added to it, shows the Village of Waterford, part of the Town, and fourteen islands once in the Mohawk delta. The map maker took pains to show the direction of the Mohawk’s flow through its four branches… This map was obtained from virtually the last, local Vanderwerken…” which loosely translates from Dutch to mean for the workers.

Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick,
5th Colonial Governor of New York from 1683-1688.

The land which eventually became Halfmoon was granted as follows, cited from the Sylvester’s History of Saratoga County, New York, “The boundaries of a certain parcel of land in the county of Albany, confirmed unto Anthony Van Schaick, by Governor Thomas Dongan, 31st May, 1687.

A certain parcel of tract of land, and being to the north and above the town of Albany, and is commonly called and known by the name of the Half-Moon, which stretches up alongst the North river, from a certain place where are several streams of water, to a creek or kill, where there is a fall of waters, which, running into the land, hath its course into the North river; the said creek, or kill, and fall being by the Indians called Tieuwenendahow; and from thence runs up the Maquas kill westward, to a place called Dowailsoiaex, and so strikes presently eastward up along by the said stream, and then to the North river aforementioned. A true copy, taken from the original by Philip Livingston.”

The Van Schaick Patent, 1762-1767 (Map 1), (From Hammersley). Note: The map orientation requires the viewer to understand that the right-hand side is actual true North.

So let’s take a look at where John Devoor (2) actually owned property. We know that he was one of the original freeholders of land in 1720. Hammersley writes, “The title of ‘Freeholder’ dates back to the 1600’s in England. Such were persons, responsible in character and frequently the recipients of land grants. They possessed almost as much authority as the nobles in Europe. These attributes were certainly well diluted by the characteristics of settlement living in the Precinct of Halfmoon.” We interpret the author to mean: as a community of farmers, our ancestors had long surrendered any pretensions of nobility.

John DeVoe (2) had been living in Albany before he was in Halfmoon. By 1720, he was free to either be a landlord from Albany by leasing his land to others in the Halfmoon community, or he was free to farm the land himself. At some point, he permanently relocated his family from Albany to Halfmoon. We know that he and his wife Catharina (Van Der Werken) DeVoe both died in Halfmoon in 1746. (5)


“Let’s All Be Dutch!” Begins Evolving to “Let’s All Be American!”

From the article, River People in Early Albany, we learn that, “Following three decades of peace on the northern frontier, geographically huge Albany County began to fill out as its population rose from just 2,273 in 1703 to 10,634 in 1749.

The descendants of Albany’s founders already had established satellite settlements [for example Halfmoon] at the most advantageous regional locations, and the Van Rensselaers, Livingstons, and Albany-based landholders now were ready to exploit their large estates in the lands beyond Albany city. To do this, upriver developers first persuaded some overflow native sons and one-time garrison soldiers from Albany and New York that farming represented a viable first step forward. But increasingly, landholders sought out more available German and Scots-Irish immigrants to join sons and soldiers in farming fertile valley lands as tenants.

“The names of the 1720 Halfmoon Freeholders show the almost complete domination of the Dutch inhabitants. In the same area,
70 years later, the Dutch preponderance had been reduced
by English, Irish and Scotch people to 20 per cent of the original Dutch figure.”

The History of Waterford, New York
by Sydney Ernest Hammersley, 1957

By mid century, Albany County and Ulster and Dutchess as well had become agricultural dynamos as many new hands cultivated and harvested fields and forests to produce large surpluses that would be much in demand in New York and across the British empire.

After 1750, another new group of Albany river people emerged to follow on the heels of the Hudson River transporters. Unlike traditional merchants and skippers, they did not share New Netherland roots. Even though they sometimes married into the region, they were much less able to call on established kinship networks for clients. These comparative newcomers were able to gain a toehold in the carrying trade [shipping on the Hudson River] because of the increased demand for transport and a leveling of opportunity, as colonial New York was becoming more populous and more diverse. As such, they were in the forefront of the transition between old Dutch New York and a more Anglo-American New World.” (6)

In the next chapter, we follow the family life of our 5x Great Grandfather Isaac DeVoe and his wife Marritje Van Olinda in their small community of Halfmoon, New York.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

David Du Four’s Oldest Son, John DeVoor

(1) — eleven records

New Amsterdam History Center
Mapping New York | Encyclopedia, Place: New Amsterdam, New Netherland
Manhattan 1660
by Leo Tantillo
https://encyclopedia.nahc-mapping.org/place/new-amsterdam-new-netherland
Note: For the illustration.

Early New Netherlands Settlers
David <?> Du Four
, (Rn=25344)
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rclarke/genealogy/page1/dufour.htm

Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs
Cuyler Reynolds, 1866-1934, ed
https://archive.org/details/hudsonmohawkgene00cuyl/page/1670/mode/2up
Book page: 1670, Digital page: 1670/1843
Note: on page 1670, see the entry for DeVoe.

Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals
by James Riker
https://archive.org/details/revisedhistoryh00unkngoog/page/n12/mode/2up
Book pages: 409-410, Digital page: 408/410
Note: For general biographical information.

Jannetje Van Esselstein
in the Web: Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-2015

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/11366826:9289
and
Jannetje Janse Van YSSELSTEYN
in the Geneanet Community Trees Index

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6993373989:62476

*Observation: “Where John DeVoor died is now…”
Bloemendaal notes: The image and text was extracted from these four articles:
Unearthing Bloemendaal, The Upper West Side in Historical Context
https://cooperatornews.com/article/unearthing-bloemendaal
and
My Walk In Manhattan
Day Eighty-One: Walking the Avenues of Manhattan Valley (the Bloomingdale District) from West End Avenue to Manhattan Avenue from West 110th to West 96th Streets July 31, 2017
https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/tag/manhattan-valley/
and
File:Collect Pond-Bayard Mount-NYC (cropped).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Collect_Pond-Bayard_Mount-NYC_(cropped).jpg
Note: For the image.
and
Bloomingdale District, Manhattan https://www.cityneighborhoods.nyc/bloomingdale-district

Collections for The Year
by New-York Historical Society, John Watts De Peyster publication fund series
Abstracts of Wills — Liber 9
https://archive.org/details/collectionsforye26newyuoft/collectionsforye26newyuoft/page/286/mode/2up
Book pages: 287-288, Digital pages: 286-288/505
Note: For the Will of John Devoor (1)

The Family From Bloemendaal

(2) — eighteen records

View of Lower Manhattan, Showing the Church Within the Fort
by Jaspar Danckaerts, 1679-1680
https://hsny.localarchives.net/?a=d&d=A1628-LiberA-bk1-final.1.41&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN|txTA|txCO|txTY|txTI|txRG|txSG|txSE|txSB|txCT|txIE|txIT|txTE|txLA|txSU|txSP|txDS|txAD|txPR|txTR|txFI-John+Devoor———-
Note: For the image.

Year Book of the Holland Society of New York, 1905
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/34846/?offset=0#page=30&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
Book page: 6, Digital Page: 30/38
Note: The correct title page is found on page 2/381.

Jean Devoor
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/48708924/person/12923080708/facts
Note: This file contains excellent sourcing information for the baptisms of the children. However, some of the other information found here is not correct: For example, the name of his wife is incorrect.

Catharina Roelof van der Werken
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/197844427/person/352602749157/facts?_phsrc=ZOm1179&_phstart=successSource
Note: General biographic information.

Catharina Roelofse Van DE Werken
in the Geneanet Community Trees Index

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4439049971:62476
and
Catharina Roelofse Van De Werken
https://gw.geneanet.org/willypaans2?n=van+de+werken&oc=&p=catharina+roelofse&_gl=1*10cttgu*_gcl_au*MjA1NTM1OTYxOC4xNzE2MTQ4NTk2*_ga*MTU4MTY5MjA2NC4xNjkwOTIzNzM2*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*ZTRhZjBhZDYtYmJmYy00ZmVkLThiMWUtMGM5Mjg4ZmU3NTFhLjE3MC4xLjE3MjA0NzA0MzMuMC4wLjA.
Note: For her birth information.

U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989 for Jean Du Four
New York > Albany > Albany, Vol II, Book 2
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6961/images/42037_2421401574_0611-00122?pId=219449
Book page:117, Digital page: 121/308, Entry 3 from the page bottom.
Note 1: John (2) DuFour/Devoor/DeVoe
Note 2: For baptism in Dutch Reformed Church, Albany, New York on February 19, 1707.

Katharina Roelofse Vander Werke
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Albany > Albany, Vol II, Book 2
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2220244:6961
Book page: 234, Digital page: 238/308, Left page, entry 1.
Note: For her marriage.

The Quackenbush Family in Holland and America
by Adriana Suydam Quackenbush Andrew, 1871
https://archive.org/details/quackenbushfamil00andr/page/58/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 58, Digital page: 58/193
Note: This confirms the marriage date of February 6, 1750 for Gerrit Quackenbush and Catherine DeVoe.

Contributions for The Genealogies of The First Settlers of The Ancient County of Albany, From 1630 to 1800
by Jonathan Pearson, 1813-1887
https://archive.org/details/contributionsfor00pearuoft/contributionsfor00pearuoft/
Book pages: 41-42, Digital pages: 40-42/144

Isaac De Voy
U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Albany > Albany, Vol III, Book 3
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/150162502:6961?ssrc=pt&tid=48708924&pid=240082063566
Book page: 85, Digital page: 89/506, Entry 4.

Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals
by James Riker
https://archive.org/details/revisedhistoryh00unkngoog/page/n12/mode/2up
Note: For general biographical information —
Book page: 410, Digital page: 410/907

Genealogy of the De Veaux Family
Introducing the Numerous Forms of Spelling the Name by Various Branches and Generations in the Past Eleven Hundred Years

by Thomas F. De Voe
https://archive.org/details/genealogyofdevea00devo/page/20/mode/2up
Book pages: 19-22, Digital page: 19-22/302
Notes: For John Devoor, and the marriage date and spouse of Geertruy (Devoe) Doxie.

Hendrik Hendrikszen Grootvelt
in the New York City, Compiled Marriage Index, 1600s-1800s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/403970:7854?tid=&pid=&queryId=a483c3bc-9664-40c5-b214-1c92db84d8ad&_phsrc=IrT12&_phstart=successSource
Note: For the marriage record of Rachel Devoor Grootvelt

Genealogical Notes of New York and New England Families
by Sebastian Visscher Talcott
https://archive.org/details/genealogicalnote00talc/page/454/mode/1up
Book page: 454, Digital page: 454/747
Note: From page 454 —They were initially buried at “Reformed Dutch Church graveyard” in Albany, and “Copy of a book kept by Barent Bradt of the burials in the Reformed Dutch Church graveyard and under the church in the city of Albany, from 1722 to 1757 inclusive.”
and here:
Genealogical Notes of New York and New England Families
by Sebastian Visscher Talcott
https://archive.org/details/genealogicalnote00talc/page/467/mode/1up
Book page: 467, Digital page: 467/747
Notes: Page 467 indicates the interment dates of July 1 for the “wife of Jan de Voe” and then the following July 27, for “Jan de Voe”.

Jan De Voe
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84357455/jan-de_voe?_gl=11o6jga0_gcl_auOTQ4MDE0MjY5LjE3MjAyNjUxNTQ._gaMTA1Mzc0MTAxMi4xNzIwMjY1MTU0_ga_4QT8FMEX30M2UyYTE2NDktOTdkOC00NmFkLWE2NmMtYWIwNjc3NTU2OTVmLjEuMS4xNzIwMjcxMTU1LjM2LjAuMA.._ga_LMK6K2LSJH*M2UyYTE2NDktOTdkOC00NmFkLWE2NmMtYWIwNjc3NTU2OTVmLjEuMS4xNzIwMjcxMTU1LjAuMC4w
Note: For cemetery location.
Comment: Despite what it says on the Find A Grave website link, this may or may not be the final location for where John DeVoe (2) is actually interred. Our research has shown that he was relocated perhaps two times.

John Miller Plan of Albany in 1695
by James Eights, after John Miller
https://www.albanyinstitute.org/collection/details/john-miller-plan-of-albany-in-1695
Note: For the map image.

Henry Hudson

(3) — three records

File:Half Moon in Hudson.jpg
Henry Hudson’s Half Moon sailing ship — the Halve Maen
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Half_Moon_in_Hudson.jpg
Note: For the ship image.

Henry Hudson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Hudson

Famous Explorers
Henry Hudson – Discovery of Hudson Bay and Hudson River
http://www.famous-explorers.com/famous-english-explorers/henry-hudson/
Note: For historical information and his portrait.

The Land Grant Process

(4) — three records

New York Almanck
New York Land Grants: Some History Until The American Revolution
https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2023/12/new-york-land-grants-history/

New York State Archives
New York State Department of State Bureau of Miscellaneous Records Letters Patent > Administrative History
https://www.archives.nysed.gov/research/res_tips_011_land_patents.shtml

The New York Public Library Digital Archives
The Duke of York’s Charter, 1664
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-f3e2-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Note: For the image of The Duke of York’s charter.

The Community of Halfmoon, in Albany County

(5) — ten records

A Map of the State of New York, 1804
Simeon DeWitt (1756-1834)
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/a-map-of-the-state-of-new-york/gQG44G8fdQpGwQ?hl=pt-PT
Note: For the map image.

The History of Waterford, New York
by Sydney Ernest Hammersley, 1957
https://archive.org/details/historyofwaterfo00hamm/page/n5/mode/2up
Inserts: Maps #1 and #3 from the pocket at the back of the book. Indicated on Digital page: 400, for all map descriptions by author
Digital page: 404, Van Schaik Patent Map 1762-1767 (Map 1)
Digital page: 408, Lands Sold by Annetie Lievers to Roelof Garrets… (Map 3)
Book pages: 41-42, Digital page: 42/408 for the chart, “The 1720 Freeholders…”

Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dongan,_2nd_Earl_of_Limerick#

Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center
https://waterfordmuseum.com/hammersley-history-of-waterford-ny-maps/
Note: For inset image of “Map 3, Lands Sold by Annetie Lievers to Roelof Garrets, Dated February 4, 1686…”

Hudson-Mohawk Vernacular Architecture
— Formerly The Dutch Barn Preservation Society (DBPS)
https://hmvarch.org/dbps-news.html
Fall 2006 link > https://hmvarch.org/dbps-news/2006-fall-dbps-news.pdf
Note: The bottom of page 2 in this document further explains the history of land ownership within Halfmoon at the time of this narrative The DeVoe Line, A Narrative, — Three.

Halfmoon, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halfmoon,_New_York#:~:text=History,-This%20section%20does&text=The%20earliest%20settlements%20took%20place,name%20was%20restored%20in%201820.

“Let’s All Be Dutch!” Begins Evolving to “Let’s All Be American!”

(6) — two records

River People In New York
by Steve Bielinski 
https://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/art/art-rpea.html

History of Saratoga County, New York, with Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers
by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester, 1878
https://archive.org/details/cu31924028833064/page/n7/mode/2up
Book page: 76, Digital page: 76/514

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Two

This is Chapter Two of eleven. In this chapter we introduce you to our 11x Great Grandfather David Du Four, who was the progenitor of our DeVoe line in North America. He had an interesting life in New Amsterdam, which in today’s world we know as one of the world’s most famous places — Manhattan, New York City.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.” — William Shakespeare

The Cobbe Portrait of WillIam Shakespeare (1564-1616), artist unknown. (Image courtesy of wikipedia.org).

Writer Chris Waugh comments that “William Shakespeare made these lines immortal in his legendary tale of star-crossed lovers named Romeo & Juliet. The question within the quote (What’s in a name?) is still regularly used today as a popular adage expressing the point that the name or label we put on things or persons may vary, but these can still accurately describe the subject at hand. Simply put: “It is what it is” and “You are what you are.” 

In this part of our history, we’ve carefully observed that the DeVoe family surname varies much in spelling within the records. Do not be alarmed, because the spelling of family surnames in this pre-literate era was not yet considered to be very important. Among the jumble of variations you will observe here are: de Foar, De Foo, De Four, Du Four, De Vaux, Devauxe, De Voor, DeVors, Devoor, and DeVoe.

Frontispiece for Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): its origin and early annals
by James Riker, which is cited much in this history.

James Riker wrote in The Revised History of Harlem — “From Mons, the rich capital of this province, seated to the north of Avesnes… came David du Four whose posterity, which became numerous in his coimtry [territory or country], changed the form of their name to Devoor and Devoe.”

Our research turned up a similar story of surname confusion with a French immigrant family named Vorce. Their history relates, “there is the same confusion as other family names arising from the fact of their being written by those unfamiliar with their correct spelling… [hence, converted] comfortably to the pronunciation of their Dutch neighbors.” They even quoted Riker’s speculative story about David Du Four, “…settled in Harlem, where… in 1662… he was residing when Nicholas de Vaux arrived from France. The surnames of each being so much alike, they may have been led to the conclusion they were kinsmen, which led DeFour to alter the F to V, which later became DeVors, Devoe and other forms of the name…” The Vorce family solved the confusion around their surname by deciding “they were all Dutch together.” It’s likely Du Four also decided: Let’s All Be Dutch. (1)

Was David Du Four Belgian?

Not really… Belgium didn’t exist then.

Belgium didn’t become Belgium until more than 200 years after David Du Four was born. From Wikipedia, “For most of its history, what is now Belgium was either a part of a larger territory, such as the Carolingian Empire, or divided into a number of smaller states, prominent among them being the Duchy of Brabant, the County of Flanders, the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, the County of Namur, the County of Hainaut [where he lived], and the County of Luxembourg. Due to its strategic location as a country of contact between different cultures, Belgium has been called the ‘crossroads of Europe’; for the many armies fighting on its soil, it has also been called the ‘battlefield of Europe’…”

Map of the Netherlands in the Shape of a Lion, by Leo Belgicus, circa 1650.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Historically, there were royal families ruling Europe at this time, and conquest whether for resources, or for religious reasons, was in its heyday. The locations where the Du Fours lived were border areas, and hence regions of conflict, with battles fought repeatedly. Over the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, this area was repeatedly attacked and occupied by the Dutch, Spanish, French, and English forces. (At the beginning of the David Du Four’s life, Spain was supposedly in control of the area where David lived the Southern Netherlands but, neighboring France, and also Holland, wanted control).

Observation: Like a tide that kept washing in and out, it was a long era of endless hostilities…

Here is the short history version, continuing with Wikipedia: “The Eighty Years’ War (1568–1648) later led to the split between a northern Dutch Republic and the Southern Netherlands from which Belgium and Luxembourg developed. The area, long a Habsburg stronghold, briefly came under Bourbon control during the War of the Spanish Succession.

This map from 1705, indicates (with the red oval) the very southerly region within which our ancestors lived, before they emigrated to New Amsterdam.

The French Revolutionary wars led to Belgium becoming part of France in 1795. After the defeat of the French in 1814, the Congress of Vienna created two new states, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg… The Southern Netherlands rebelled during the 1830 Belgian Revolution, establishing the modern Belgian state…” (2)

A portion of the Walloon Region in present day Belgium. Namvrcvm Comitatvs, (county of Namur) circa 1665. (Image courtesy of Blaeu Prints).

David Du Four Identified as a Walloon

What this means essentially, is that he lived in a part of the world, where his cultural identity was not necessarily tied to the nearby borders (which were always in flux). The Wallonia region is part of the low-lying area of Flanders and the hilly region of the Ardennes. The ancestral description of being a Walloon refers to the ancient Roman populations of the Burgundian Netherlands. As we have learned, this area was occupied by other nations many times, consequently, the Walloons are a mixed cultural ancestry of French / Dutch / Germanic / Celtic. Today, being Walloon is still a unique culture-based identity, recognized within the present borders of Belgium. David likely spoke in French dialects (or perhaps some Flemish), and then later in life, in Dutch.

Wikipedia writes: “Walloons are primarily Roman Catholic, with a historical minority of Protestantism which dates back to the Reformation era.” We know through research in the historical records, that David Du Four was a Protestant, and that eventually his family were members of the Dutch Reformed Church. It also seems that they likely also had affinities with the Huguenots and their diaspora. We speculate that perhaps with all of the religious and political turmoil within Wallonia — this may have inspired him to relocate his family to New Amsterdam. (3)

Map of Mons in the 16th century by Lodovico Guicciardini

The Man From Mons

David Du Four was born about 1620 at Bergen, Graafschap Henegouwen, Habsburgse Nederlanden (now Mons), Province de Hainaut, Southern Netherlands (now Belgium). He married twice — died before May 1699 at age 79, in Harlem or Turtle Bay, Manhattan, New York City, British American Colonies. [Note: New Amsterdam officially became New York City in the British American Colonies in 1665.]

Riker continues, “David Du Four, a native of Mons, in Hainault, upon this place being threatened by the successes of the French in the Walloon districts, retired [relocated] with others of his family to Sedan, and afterward to Amsterdam, where Du Four, though fitted by education for a better position, became an “opperman,” or drayman*. Left by the death of his wife, Marie Boulen [Boulyn], with a young child, Jean [John], born during their stay at Sedan…”
*A drayman was historically the driver of a dray, a low, flat-bed wagon without sides, pulled generally by horses or mules that were used to transport all kinds of goods. (Wikipedia) 

Contemporary map of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, (c. 1900), which shows the exact locations where the David Du Four family lived in Europe. Please note: The borders of these countries did not look at all like this in earlier centuries: see The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — One, Holland & Huguenots.

So, David’s first wife was Marie Boulyn. After they had relocated to Sedan, Ardennes, France, they had a boy whose name is John. Marie died sometime before 1657, and unfortunately, other than those facts, we really don’t know very much about her life.

Archief van de Burgerlijke, 1657, (Civil Archives of 1657).

In those days, especially if a man had a young child, he usually remarried pretty quickly. Again, from Riker: “…He found another companion in Jeanne Franzes, a lady of mature thirty-two years, from Queivrain, a little east of Mons, to whom he was married July 10th, 1657. That same year, with his new wife and his little son aforesaid [Jean], he sailed for Manhattan Island.”

Jeanne (Franzes) Du Four was born about 1625 at Quievremont, Province de Hainaut, Belgium — died after 1699 at Coale Kill, Turtle Bay, Manhattan, New Amsterdam, [New York City] after 74 years of age. Together, including the first born son John (1), they had seven children:

  • John DeVoor (1), born about 1651, Sedan, Provence du Picardie, France — died before April 1724, Bloemendaal (Bloomingdale), Manhattan, New York City, British American Colonies, 73 years of age. (We are descended from John (1), whose name is also sometimes recorded as Jan, or Jean).
  • Joris DeVoor, baptized July 7, 1658, and died before 1671
  • David DeVoor, baptized October 5, 1659, and married Elizabeth (Jansen) DeVoor
  • Pieter DeVoor, baptized October 15, 1662
  • Anthony /Teunis DeVoor, born about 1664 — died August 31, 1668.
  • Adriaen DeVoor, baptized January 28, 1665 — died before 1671
  • Glaude DeVoor, born about 1667 — died after February 1687. (4)
Map of New Netherland published by Nicolaes Visscher II (1649–1702) in 1684. (Image courtesy of world history.org).

A New Life In Harlem, New Amsterdam

We have not located the actual ship that David Du Four traveled on with his wife Jeanne and their son John. In fact, we are not sure if he arrived in 1657, or soon after, but we do know that he was there early on. We would be very lucky indeed if we found a ship manifest which names him, but at that time and in that era, it was not considered essential and was usually done only if the ship Captain thought it was necessary.

According to the Wikipedia article New Netherland, “The colony experienced dramatic growth during the 1650s, and became a major center for trade across the North Atlantic… The inhabitants of New Netherland were European colonists, Native Americans, and Africans imported as slave laborers. Not including Native Americans, the colonial population, many of whom were not of Dutch descent, was 4,301 in 1650, and 8,000 to 9,000 at the time of transfer to England in 1674.” (Colonial America to 1763)

View of New Amsterdam circa 1653, copy of a 17th Century painting for I.N. Stokes —
Iconography of Manhattan Island, vol. IV plate 9, NYC Municipal Library.

We learned that he had been there “for three years” already by the “close of 1661” when it was documented in Riker’s Harlem history on page 183: “For three years this had been steadily growing, and at the close of 1661 contained over thirty adult male residents, mostly heads of families and freeholders. The following [top chart below] are the names of these pioneers, who first succeeded in planting the seeds of civilization and religion in this vicinity.” David is in the lower left column: note that he is listed by “nationality” as one of four Walloons, amongst French, Hollanders, Danes, Swedes, and Germans.

Charts extracted from the Revised History of Harlem (City of New York) by James Riker,
from pages 183, 186 and 190.

More records continued — The middle and bottom charts show that, not surprisingly, he was a farmer who owned land. From the Riker book, (paraphrasing)… It seems that he had tired of being a drayman, so then he was helping his neighbors by shepherding their cows and oxen. Things didn’t go so well and somehow he lost some of the oxen. His understandably upset neighbors complained loudly and he had to find something else to do.

Riker wrote “Du Four, the Amsterdam drayman, better at driving a team [farming] than stupid cows, was soon disgusted with his new occupation and turned it over to Jean Gervoe, the soldier. But now the cattle were not well looked after, as was alleged; in fact, some of the oxen, when needed for the yoke, were missing.” Apparently one of the ways that Du Four had to compensate his neighbors, was by paying them “guilders” and giving them butter…

In early 1662, “the Van Keulen Hook lots were drawn” and we noticed that David was first on the list. The final chart, from slightly later in 1662, shows the amount of land he owned: 10 morgen(s). Hopefully, his neighbors were no longer upset about the oxen incident.

The blue arrow indicates David Du Four’s property. Map of Harlem, Showing the Lands as in the Original Lots and Farms. Appendix F from the Revised History of Harlem (City of New York) by James Riker.

The word morgen is from both the Dutch and German languages, and was used in their former colonies. It means morning. In practical usage it corresponds to as much land as one person can plow in a morning. As a unit of land measure it is equal to about two acres, or 0.8 hectare. (Dictionary.com) (5)

The Tragic Death of Young Teunis

On top of all the other many unfortunate things that our ancestors dealt with, one particular event has stood out in the historical record. The Du Four son Teunis (also known as Anthony), was accidentally murdered by John Copstaff, a drunken soldier who was shooting off a gun. He was only about four years old.(Riker) “In 1668, Du Four, passing in a canoe un the East River, and with him his child, Anthony, when, between Turtle Bay and Blackwell’s Island, John Copstaff, a drunken soldier in another boat, let off a gun which wounded little Anthony; this was on August 18, and he died August 31. Copstaff was convicted of manslaughter. Du Four being very ill, he and wife, Jannetie, made a will, September 14, 1671, naming…” The Will was a precaution against future unknown circumstances. Both of the Du Four parents lived for many more years. (6)

For. Every. Little. Kerfuffle. With. Your. Neighbors.

It seems that David Du Four had several showings in court because the records have survived. Here’s a little background on the times. In 1670s he was a “frequent flyer” at court, with several cases. In New Amsterdam, people from all walks of life could bring a case to court. They could defend the case themselves, or ask someone to speak for them.  It was not necessary for them to have a lawyer for every case. This is because…

The city tavern was renamed the City Hall, the Stadt Huys in 1653.
George Hayward for I.N. Stokes — Iconography of Manhattan Island.
(Image courtesy of the NYC Municipal Library).

(The following is extracted from Wikipedia)
“In the first years after Henry Hudson sailed up the river in 1609 and claimed the area for the Dutch East India Company and… there was no real New Netherlands government and judicial system. The inhabitants of the small trading community of Manhattan Island as well as the members of the crew of the ships that came to the area, were subject to the rule of their captains.”

Around 1621, “the Dutch presence in America intensified and… the New Amsterdam judicial system was initially developed privately by the Dutch East India Company, and gradually brought into closer conformity with Dutch law of the period. There were no jury trials and the use of arbitration to resolve disputes was widespread. Although the magistrates were laymen, they were generally held to have a good knowledge of Dutch (customary) law. The Dutch East India Company provided law books…”

To a degree, it seems like going to court was similar to being sent to the Principals Office. You had to go and plead your case. For example:

Case: Ariaen Vincent v. David de Four:
demand for payment of debt for a purchased horse: disputed: ordered to pay.

Case minutes for Ariaen Vincent v. David de Four, 1674. (Our ancestor’s case is found in the bottom section).

Our transcription will give you the gist of it:
Mr. Vincent (the plaintiff) demands payment from the defendant (Mr. de Four), the sum of 100 florins for a horse sold him last year, which defendant must pay him in beavers* at 20 florins the [a] piece. Defendant says, he did not make any agreement, how high the beavers should go [sounds like it was about the price per beaver?]. The W. Court condemns the defendant to satisfy and pay the plaintiff the sum demanded in beavers at 20 florins, unless he [the] defendant proves[s] the contrary at the next Court day. (7)

*We’re just guessing, but that must be about 5 beavers?

New Amsterdam Becomes New York

The English had their own designs for the developing colonies in the New World, and their plans did not include letting the Dutch keep control of Manhattan. However, getting the Dutch out of Manhattan is not the same as getting the Dutch out of Manhattan. Much culture remained, and it took years for things to settle out.

Wikipedia writes: “The city was captured by the English in 1664; they took complete control of the colony in 1674 and renamed it New York. [The official name change was in 1665]. However the Dutch landholdings remained, and the Hudson River Valley maintained a traditional Dutch character until the 1820s.” and “…British ships entered Gravesend Bay in modern Brooklyn, and troops marched to capture the ferry across the East River to the city, with minimal resistance: the governor at the time, Peter Stuyvesant, was unpopular with the residents of the city. Articles of Capitulation 1664 were drawn up, the Dutch West India Company’s colors were struck on September 8, 1664, and the soldiers of the garrison marched to the East River for the trip home to the Netherlands…”

By 1677, the residents of Harlem were collectively desiring to expand their land holdings under the British. This was something that involved the attentions of the new Governor Andros. James Riker writes, “No little concern was felt at the silence of Governor Andros in regard to his promise to distribute more land among them, and at reports of the large grants he was intending to make in their immediate vicinity, and even within their limits.” A resolution was reached and new farms were established along the banks of the East River. Later that year, “60 [acres were granted] to David du Four and son [likely John 1]at Turtle Bay. (Notice that the land measurement units were no longer the Dutch morgens, but are now the English acres).

Manhattan map, inset detail, illustration and deed showing the location of the Turtle Bay farm.

Side Bar Observation: My, how times change! To be honest, as descendants of David Du Four, we wish that our family still owned that land at Turtle Bay… Presently it is the site of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

“Standing on the eastern shore of Manhattan Island, on the banks of New York City’s East River, the 18-acre UN Headquarters remains both a symbol of peace and a beacon of hope.”

“During the latter half of 1946, following selection of the US as host country, a special UN site committee studied possible locations in such places as Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco. While consideration was given at first to areas north of New York City, crowded Manhattan had not been seriously investigated. A last-minute offer of $8.5 million by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. for the purchase of the present site was accepted by a large majority of the General Assembly on 14 December 1946. The site chosen by the UN was a run-down area of slaughterhouses, light industry and a railroad barge landing.”
— History of United Nations Headquarters. (8)

Some Thoughts About Their Lives

Mary Louise Booth writes in her book, the History of The City of New York that, “In the beginning of the settlement, the people had been forced to accommodate themselves to the necessities of a new country, and their houses, furniture and apparel had necessarily been of the rudest kind… the houses were one story in height with two rooms on a floor. The chimneys were of wood, and the roofs were thatched with reeds and straw. The furniture was of the rudest kind, carpets were unknown, as indeed they continued to be for many years after; the stools and tables were hewn out of rough planks by the hands of the colonists; wooden platters and pewter spoons took the place of more expensive crockery, and naught but the indispensable chest of homespun linen and a stray piece of plate or porcelain, a treasured memento of the Fatherland, was seen to remind one of civilization.”

Dutch Cottage in New York, 1679. (Image courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collections).

She continues, “As the forests became cleared away, and the colony increased, the style of living experienced a material change. The straw roofs and wooden chimneys were deemed unsafe, and were ordered to be removed ; and the settlers commenced to build their houses of brick and stone…

Household in the old Dutch Colony times. (From the History of The City of New York, by Mary Louise Booth, page 176).

The windows were small and the doors large; the latter were divided horizontally, so that, the upper half being swung open, the burgher could lean on the lower and smoke his pipe in peaceful contemplation. Not less comfortable were the social “ stoeps,” and the low, projecting eaves, beneath which the friendly neighbors congregated at twilight to smoke their long pipes and discuss the price of beaver-skins. These institutions have come down to our own times, and are still known and appreciated in the suburbs of the city.”

Upper portion of page one of David Du Four’s 1671 Will.

David Du Four died before May 1699 at age 79, in Harlem or Turtle Bay, Manhattan, New Amsterdam, [New York City]. His wife Jeanne (Frances) Du Four, died after 1699 at the same location after 74 years of age. 

Page 97 extract, Calendar of Wills on File and Recorded in the Offices of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals, of the County Clerk at Albany, and of the Secretary of State, 1626-1836

On September 14, 1671, after the unexpected death of their son Teunis, they had written a Will. Historian James Riker indicates that, more than twenty five years later “His will was proved May 1, 1699. It names his children Jan [John 1], David, Pieter and Glaude.” The Will had not been updated in those years, and not all of these sons had survived as long as their father, or mother. (9)

Importantly for our family, we are descended from the oldest son, John (1). We will write about the history of his family in the next chapter.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.”

(1) — eight records

“What’s In A Name?”
by Chris Haugh
http://www.historysharkproductions.com/whats-in-a-name.html

The Cobbe Portrait of WillIam Shakespeare (1564-1616)
File:Cobbe portrait of Shakespeare.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cobbe_portrait_of_Shakespeare.jpg

Genealogy of the De Veaux Family
Introducing the Numerous Forms of Spelling the Name by Various Branches

and Generations in the Past Eleven Hundred Years
by Thomas F. De Voe
https://archive.org/details/genealogyofdevea00devo/page/n3/mode/2up

Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals
by James Riker
https://archive.org/details/revisedhistoryh00unkngoog/page/n12/mode/2up
Note: For general biographical information —
Book page: 65, Digital page: 64/907
Book page: 193, Digital page: 192/907
Book page: 408, Digital page: 408/907

VORCE
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~hubbard/genealogy/NNY_index/vorce.html
and
Genealogical and Family History of Northern New York:
A Record of The Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and The Founding of a Nation
by William Richard Cutter, 1847 edition
https://archive.org/details/genealogicalfami02incutt/page/430/mode/2up
Book page: 431, Digital page: 430/860

Was David Du Four Belgian?

(2) — four records

Belgium’s Independence (1830 – present time)
“… A provisional government declared independence on October 4th, 1830.”
https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/country/history/belgium_from_1830#:~:text=Following%20this%20rising%20Belgium%20separated,or%20who%20had%20special%20qualifications.

History of Belgium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Belgium

Map of the Netherlands in the Shape of a Lion, by Leo Belgicus, circa 1650
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joannes_van_Deutecum_-_Leo_Belgicus_1650_-_published_by_Claes_Jansz_Visscher_Amsterdam.jpg
Note: For the map image.

Sanderus Antique Maps & Books
Northern Netherlands (VII Provinces), by Pieter Mortier. c. 1705
https://sanderusmaps.com/our-catalogue/antique-maps/europe/low-countries-netherlands/northern-netherlands-vii-provinces-by-pieter-mortier
“United Provinces of the Netherlands with their Acquisitions in Flanders, Brabant, Limburg, and Lyege and the Places which they possessed on the Rhine, in the Duchy of Cleves, and in the Archbishopric and Electorate of Cologne.”
Note: For the map image.

David Du Four Identified as a Walloon

(3) — three records

Namvrcvm Comitatvs, circa 1665 (map)
Prints Blaeu website
https://shop.blaeuprints.com/buy/maps/belgium/namur-malonne-jambes/?v=35357b9c8fe4 
Note: ‘Namvrcvm Comitatvs’ translates to ‘County of Namur’ in English.

The Flag of Wallonia

Walloons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walloons
and
Flag of Wallonia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Wallonia

The Man From Mons

(4) — sixteen records

Map of Mons in the 16th Century, circa 1550
by Lodovico Guicciardini
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mons,_Belgium#/media/File:Stadsplan_Mons_uit_de_zestiende_eeuw.jpg
Note: For the map image.

Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals
by James Riker
https://archive.org/details/revisedhistoryh00unkngoog/page/n12/mode/2up
Book pages: 99-100, Digital pages: 98-100/907
Note: For general biographical information.

Drayman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drayman

Davidt de Four (abt. 1625 – bef. 1699)
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/De_Four-2
Notes: Various points of information were pulled from this file:
– David Du Four’s exact birthplace
– The marriage certificate of David du Four and Jeanne Franzen —
https://archief.amsterdam/indexen/persons?ss=%7B%22q%22:%22Jeanne%20Fransen%22%7D
File number: OTR00052000157, Digital page: 15C/242, Left page, entry 1.

WikiTree
Marie (Boulen) Bouvie (1635 – bef. 1657)
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Boulen-1

Britannica.com
Map of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, (c. 1900), 
from the article Low Countries in the 10th edition of Encyclopedia Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/place/Low-Countries
Note: For the map image.

WikiTree
Jeanne Frans (abt. 1625 – aft. 1699)
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Frans-85
Note: For Jeanne (Franzen) Du Four’s death location

David Du Four
in the Netherlands, Select Marriages, 1565-1892

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/611949:60076?tid=&pid=&queryId=4ea6d503-225d-4d73-bf58-9ed334277e1c&_phsrc=LhJ2&_phstart=successSource

Early New Netherlands Settlers
David <?> Du Four, (Rn=25344)
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rclarke/genealogy/page1/dufour.htm

Jean Du Voor
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1620944:7486?ssrc=pt&tid=108788208&pid=162384998722
Notes: Sourced from the book The Early Germans of New Jersey, Their History, Churches and Genealogies, Dover, NJ: Theodore Frelinghuysen Chambers, 1895, located at: https://archive.org/details/earlygermansofne00cham/page/344/mode/2up?view=theater&q=%22Du+Voor%22
Book pages: 344-345, Digital pages: 334-345/667

Baptisms from 1639 to 1730 in the Reformed Dutch Church, New York
by Thomas Grier Evans
https://archive.org/details/baptismsfrom163921evan/page/n11/mode/2up
Notes: These are transcribed records. The following children of David du Four and Jeanne (Frans) Du Four are confirmed in this book, as follows:
Joris, Book page: 49, Digital page: 104/680
David, Book page: 54, Digital page: 114/680
Pieter, Book page: 67, Digital page: 126/680
Adriaen, Book page: 78, Digital page: 162/680

A New Life In Harlem, New Amsterdam

(5) — six records

New Netherland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Netherland
and
Colonial America to 1763
by Thomas L. Purvis.
https://archive.org/details/colonialamericat00purv_0/page/128/mode/2up
Book page: 128, Digital page: 128/386

New York City Department of Records & Information Services
View of New Amsterdam circa 1653,
copy of a 17th Century painting for I.N. Stokes —
Iconography of Manhattan Island, vol. IV plate 9, NYC Municipal Library.
From:
A Charter for New Amsterdam: February 2, 1653
https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2023/1/31/a-charter-for-new-amsterdam-february-2-1653

Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals
by James Riker
https://archive.org/details/revisedhistoryh00unkngoog/page/n12/mode/2up
Note: For general biographical information, three charts,
and the oxen incident
Book pages: 182-183, Digital page: 182/907
Book page: 186, Digital page: 186/907
Book page: 190, Digital page: 190/907
Book pages: 193-194, Digital pages: 192-194/907

Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals
by James Riker
https://archive.org/details/revisedhistoryof01rike/page/n861/mode/2up?view=theater&q=1
Book page: Appendix F, pull-out map, Digital page: 862/952
Note: This is a different edition from the above reference, and is for the pull-out map Appendix F only featured at the back of this edition.

Dictionary.com
Morgen
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/morgen#

The Tragic Death of Young Teunis

(6) — one record

Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): its origin and early annals
by James Riker
https://archive.org/details/revisedhistoryh00unkngoog/page/n12/mode/2up
Book page: 408, Digital page: 408/907
Note: General biographical information.

For. Every. Little. Kerfuffle. With. Your. Neighbors.

(7) — six records

Stadt Huys (City Hall) in 1679
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Stadt_Huys_(City_Hall)_of_New_York_in_1679_at_Pearl_Street.jpg

New Amsterdam Judicial System
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Amsterdam_judicial_system

New York Municipal Archives
Guide to the records of New Amsterdam, 1647-1862
Collection No. MSS 0040
https://www.nyc.gov/assets/records/pdf/Dutch-NewAmsterdam_MSS0040_MASTER.pdf

The records of New Amsterdam from 1653 to 1674 anno Domini
Vol. VII. Court minutes of New Amsterdam
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/12896/images/dvm_PrimSrc000280-01255-0?treeid=&personid=&queryId=efac883e-ba59-4547-b7e9-bfda4edf6885&usePUB=true&_phsrc=LhJ1&_phstart=successSource&pId=2487&rcstate=dvm_PrimSrc000280-01255-0:1086,1979,1290,2028
Digital page: 2489/2765

New Amsterdam History Center
Mapping New York | Encyclopedia
Document: Minutes | Case | Philip Waldman v. Jan Smedes: default
https://encyclopedia.nahc-mapping.org/document/minutescasephilip-waldman-v-jan-smedes-default

Vintage BEAVER print
https://www.etsy.com/listing/156335324/vintage-beaver-print?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share&epik=dj0yJnU9MnJJVzhqQTcwWTdJckhfeE1UakNfd2FhVGtEd2Q3LXcmcD0wJm49cGpfWGlUSXA2ZkJneGlUWXRrVGpNQSZ0PUFBQUFBR1o5Z1N3

New Amsterdam Becomes New York

(8) — seven records

Colonial History of the United States
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_history_of_the_United_States

Conquest of New Netherland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquest_of_New_Netherland

Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals
by James Riker
https://archive.org/details/revisedhistoryh00unkngoog/page/n12/mode/2up
Book page: 338-340, Digital page: 338-340/907
Note: General biographical information.

Map of New York City and of Manhattan Island with the American Defences in 1776.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1878_Bien_and_Johnson_Map_of_New_York_City_(Manhattan_Island)_During_the_Revolutionary_War_-_Geographicus_-_NewYorkCity-johnsonbien-1878.jpg
Note: Used for two small inset maps to indicate where David Du Four owned property in Turtle Bay, Manhattan.

Turtle Bay, East River, N.Y. 1853
by George Hayward
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Turtle_Bay,_Manhattan_1853.jpg
Note: For the Turtle Bay image.

The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909
by Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes,1867-1944; Victor Hugo Paltsits,1867-1952; Frederik Caspar Wieder, 1874-1943
https://archive.org/details/iconographyofman06stok/page/n239/mode/2up
Book page: 138, Digital page: 240/820.
Note: Left page, right column, under the heading: The Edmund Seaman Farm, Block Check List. 1345-1364-1325-1362, Introduction: The Grant to David du Four

History of United Nations Headquarters
https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/headquarters.pdf
Note: For the building image.

Some Thoughts About Their Lives

(9) — six records

History of The City of New York, from its Earliest Settlement to The Present Time
by Booth, Mary Louise, 1831-1889
https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofn00boot_0/page/194/mode/2up

Dutch Cottage in New York, 1679
The New York Public Library Digital Collections
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-2ba1-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

1648: A Glimpse into Dutch Household: Daily Life in New (Nieuw) Amsterdam
https://www.history101.nyc/dutch-household-new-amsterdam-1600s?v=2

David Du Four
in the New York County, New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1658-1880 (NYSA)
J0038-82: Probated Wills, 1671-1815 > Wills, Box 04-06, Crispell, Cornelius-Erwin, Samuel, 1767-1778
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/52776:60387?tid=&pid=&queryId=f8d0f93f-3723-4704-8f8a-6f507ee548b1&_phsrc=LiJ42&_phstart=successSource
Digital pages: 197-201/964
and
David Du Foor
in the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1747140:8800?tid=&pid=&queryId=14cf0f49-97b0-412e-82e5-d6dab8e8581c&_phsrc=LhJ4&_phstart=successSource
Digital pages: 501-504/688

The Dutch language Will of David Du Four, from the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999. (See footnotes).

Calendar of Wills on File and Recorded in the Offices of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals, of the County Clerk at Albany, and of the Secretary of State, 1626-1836
by Fernow, Berthold, 1837-1908, Comptroller of the New York (State) Court of Appeals; Albany County (N.Y.); New York (State) Secretary’s Office
https://archive.org/details/calendarwillson00appegoog/page/97/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 97, Digital page: 97/657, Left page, entry 3

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — One, Walloons in The Low Countries

This is Chapter One of eleven. With this chapter we begin a long and complicated history of the DeVoe branch of our family. There will be eleven chapters total in this family line.

Nearly all of our family lines were in North America very early on, including the DeVoes. Like the tap root of a tree, the key foundational event for America is the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock, and their founding of the first sustained immigrant community. It is also because of the DeVoe line, that we connect to two Mayflower passengers: Pilgrim George Soule, and Pilgrim Edward Doty. In future posts, we will be writing their family narratives.

The Best Place to Find a Needle is a Haystack

On the one hand, we have found that doing genealogy research can bring a happiness which results from discovering something cool about an ancestor you only vaguely knew. (Or better yet, finding ancestors you never knew existed!) On the other hand, frustration comes when you know the beginning and ending to a story, but the needed documents which connect those ends, are like trying to find a needle in the proverbial haystack.

Haystacks, End of Summer, by Claude Monet, 1890-1891

From writer Mark Baker, “Conventional wisdom tells us that the best place for a needle is in a needle case, and the best place for hay is in a haystack. If you want to find something, or want other people to find it, you should put it in the right place. As we were all taught: a place for everything, and everything in its place.That was true when we lived in the physical world. But we don’t live in the physical world anymore. We live on the Internet, and the Internet is topsy turvey world in which the best place to find a needle is actually a haystack. [As we know…]

Internet research has become the defacto tool of this era, and sometimes it is like a haystack. With this family, we found all the needles we were looking for, and some we weren’t, and learned a thing or two along the way. We have a great story to tell. So please, enjoy!

Preface: This particular history has two important paths, Politics and Religions. The first path is Politics. It is about the land — who lived where, and who was in charge of that land, etc. The second path is Religions — concerning what was happening with religious conflicts throughout these areas, during these centuries.

A note before we begin: For this blog chapter we are streamlining the complex history of this region, and only focusing on the time periods that affected our ancestors. Please think of this chapter as a synthesized history from many sources, (see footnotes). (1)

The First Path: Politics and Land — Understanding the Low Countries

The Low Countries, historically also known as the Netherlands, is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe… consisting today of the three modern “Benelux” countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Up until the very recent past this was not the case, because the region was almost continually overrun by ambitious imperial powers from adjoining regions. Over the centuries, geographically and historically, the area has also included parts of France and Germany.

Map showing the northern border of the Roman Empire (the Lines), which ran through what is now the Netherlands. (Image courtesy of Quora.com).

Comment: It’s natural for people today to think that their ancestors are defined by today’s borders, because for the most part, we live in an era where borders hardly move at all. Today, we identify through Borders. But this isn’t the way it should be thought about regarding ancestors who precede us. The world was different then. These ancestors lived in a place that doesn’t exist anymore. To use the “Benelux” example from above: then, Belgium didn’t exist; then, the Netherlands was an unrecognizable mash-up; then, Luxembourg was an obscure, distant Netherlands province.

Medieval Market Scene, (Public domain).

From the Romans to the Mid-1400s
During the Roman Empire, the region of the Low Countries contained a militarized frontier and was the contact point between Rome and the Germanic tribes. After the long decline of the Roman Empire, this area was the scene of the early independent trading centers that marked the reawakening of Europe in the 12th century. As such, during the Middle Ages, the Low Countries were divided into numerous semi-independent principalities, where guilds and councils governed most of the cities along with a figurehead ruler. Interaction with these various rulers was regulated by a strict set of rules describing what the latter could and could not expect. All of the regions mainly depended on trade, manufacturing, and the encouragement of the free flow of goods and craftsmen.

What was very, very slowly emerging as the Netherlands, rivaled northern Italy as one of the most densely populated regions of Western Europe. Dutch and French dialects were the main languages used in secular city life.

Otto I, known as Otto the Great, (912 – 973), founder of the Holy Roman Empire, The House of Valois-Burgundy, Mary of Burgundy (1457 – 1482), Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500 – 1558) Archduke of Austria, King of Spain, and Lord of the Netherlands [as the titular Duke of Burgundy].

The Holy Roman Empire and The Habsburg Netherlands 
The Saxony kings and emperors ruled the Netherlands in the 10th and 11th centuries. The Holy Roman Empire was founded by Otto I, known as Otto the Great. Through strategic marriages and personal appointments, Otto installed members of his family in the Duchy of Saxony kingdom’s most important duchies [the future Germany]. This strategy reduced the various dukes, who had previously been co-equals with the king, to royal subjects under his authority. In the latter part of his life, he conquered the Kingdom of Italy, thus being crowned in 962, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, by Pope John XII in Rome. Hence, Germany was called the Holy Roman Empire after the coronation of King Otto the Great, as Emperor.

About 500 years later, the Habsburg Netherlands was the Renaissance period collection of feudal land estates in the Low Countries, held together by the Holy Roman Empire’s House of Habsburg. The Hapsburg rule began in 1482, when Mary of Burgundy died. She was the last Valois-Burgundy ruler of the Netherlands, and the wife of Maximilian I of Austria. Their grandson, Emperor Charles V, was born in the Habsburg Netherlands and made Brussels one of his capitals. The Seventeen Provinces (the de facto fiefs of the Holy Roman Empire) formed the core of the Habsburg Netherlands, which passed to the Spanish Habsburgs, upon the abdication of Emperor Charles V in 1556.

 A Brief History of the Netherlands map, circa 1555, by Brian A. Smith, D.C. The red circles indicate areas where our ancestors would live in the Walloon Provinces, during a time of shifting borders. Note: These Walloon Provinces are important to our family history.

The Spanish Netherlands
Becoming known as the Seventeen Provinces in 1549, they were held by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556, and known as the Spanish Netherlands from that time on. They named the area Flandes, which evolved into the name Flanders, and the Army of Flanders was given the task of defending the territory under Spanish service. 

These Seventeen Provinces were already changing… In 1581, in the midst of the Dutch Revolt (see next section), the northern portion came together as the Seven United Provinces, and seceded from the rest of this territory to form the Dutch Republic. They still stayed under Spanish rule until the War of the Spanish Succession, (circa 1700). The remaining 10 provinces, in the area to the south where our ancestors lived, were also under Spanish control, but the area was referred to as the Southern Netherlands.

As the power of the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs waned in the latter decades of the 17th century, the territory of the Netherlands under Habsburg rule, was repeatedly invaded by the French and an increasing portion of the territory came under French control in many successive wars. (2)

The Battle of Gibraltar, 1607, by Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen, circa 1621. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The Dutch Revolt and the 80 Years War

The Eighty Years’ War, or Dutch Revolt, was an armed conflict in the [Spanish] Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels, and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralization, taxation, and the rights and privileges of the nobility and cities. After the initial stages, Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Netherlands, deployed his armies and regained control over most of the rebel-held territories. However, widespread mutinies in the Spanish army caused a general uprising.

The view from history is that “The Reformation led to many Netherlanders leaving the Catholic church and joining Protestant churches. The rise of Protestantism became closely linked to the movement for independence from Spain.” (Family Search) This desire to be free from Spain makes sense for our ancestors because they lived in a conflicted border area…. Some sections of the Low Countries were Catholic, and some sections were turning to the Reformation-led Protestantism…. This led to more strife. The Seven Provinces which had formed the Dutch Republic in 1581, were considered to be Protestant dominant by 1588.

The Oudewater Massacre, committed by Spanish soldiers against Dutch civilians in 1575, during the 80 Years War. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.com).

Observation: This revolt began in 1568 and ended in 1648, hence it’s aptly named as the Eighty Years’ War. When our ancestor was born into this milieu, [surroundings, setting, scene, environment] in 1620, the War had been going on for over half a century at that point.

In the ten years thereafter, the Dutch Republic made remarkable conquests in the north and east against a struggling Spanish Empire, and received diplomatic recognition from both France and England in 1596. The Dutch colonial empire emerged, which began with Dutch attacks on Portugal’s overseas territories.

The two sides agreed to a Twelve Years’ Truce in 1609; when it expired in 1621, fighting resumed as part of the broader Thirty Years’ War. An end was reached in 1648 with the Peace of Münster (a treaty part of the Peace of Westphalia), when Spain recognized the Dutch Republic as an independent country. (3)

The Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild, by Rembrandt, 1662. (Image courtesy of Google Art Project).

The Dutch Golden Age and The United East India Company

This was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 until 1672 , in which Dutch trade, science, art, and the Dutch military were among the most acclaimed in Europe. The Golden Age continued in peacetime during the Dutch Republic until the end of the century, when expensive conflicts fueled economic decline. The transition by the Netherlands to becoming the foremost maritime and economic power in the world has been called the “Dutch Miracle” by some historians.

…both foreigners and Dutchmen were apt to believe that the
Dutch Republic was unique in permitting an unprecedented degree of freedom in the fields of religion, trade, and politics…
In the eyes of contemporaries it was this combination of freedom and economic predominance that constituted the true miracle
of the Dutch Republic.

Koenraad Wolter Swart
Professor of Dutch History and Institutions in the University of London
An Inaugural Lecture Delivered at University College London
on November 6, 1967

The United East India Company* was a chartered company established on the March 20, 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands uniting existing companies into the first joint-stock company in the world, granting it a 21-year monopoly to carry out trade activities in Asia. Shares in the company could be bought by any resident of the United Provinces and then subsequently bought and sold in open-air secondary markets (one of which became the Amsterdam Stock Exchange). It is sometimes considered to have been the first multinational corporation.

Various artifacts of the Dutch East India Company, left to right: An Arita Dish, Eco Period, Japan / The Arms of the Dutch East India Company and of the Town of Batavia / Logo of the Amsterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company / copper coins / Batavia Ship Replica (See footnotes).

It was a powerful company, possessing quasi-governmental powers, including: the ability to wage war, imprison and execute convicts, negotiate treaties, strike its own coins, and establish colonies.

*In Dutch, the name of the company was the Vereenigde Nederlandsche Geoctroyeerde Oostindische Compagnie (abbreviated as the VOC), literally the “United Dutch Chartered East India Company”. Today, we generally refer to this company as The Dutch East India Company. (4)

The Second Path: Religious Persecution

James Riker wrote in The Revised History of Harlem — “From Mons, the rich capital of this province, seated to the north of Avesnes… came David du Four, of the same name, — and not improbably the same blood, as the martyr of Le Cateau [*], but whose posterity, which became numerous in his coimtry [territory or country], changed the form of their name to Devoor and Devoe.”

*This is what happened to the “The martyr of Le Cateau“— He was a man named David Du Four of whom Riker wrote: “Huguenots being held prisoners in the neighboring village of Troisville by the castellan and echevins [Roman Catholics] of Le Cateau, David Du Four and others went with arms and liberated them…” This happened in the late summer and autumn of 1566. The aftermath didn’t go so well: “Many executions followed during the ensuing month. One was that of David Du Four, before named. He was a tailor at Le Cateau, and only twenty-two years of age. But on his examination he with firmness declared that ‘he paid more regard to his salvation and to God, than to men.’ He and four others were hung, on April 9th [1567].

The Persecution of Huguenots in France
Before the Edict of Nantes, 1598
. Woodcut, 19th century.

Our immigrant ancestor to New Amsterdam will also be named David Du Four, but he won’t be born for another half century yet [1620], but that’s in the next chapter. Back to our telling of this tale…

This was the first intriguing reference we had found as to where our possible ancestor with the DeVoe family name had originated, and it was linked in the context with the word martyrdom. Riker’s book was about the New Amsterdam Colony in North America, but this was about some place in Europe…

After much research, and coming to an understanding about what Holland was like in this period, we learned that our ancestors in Holland identified as Walloons. (See The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Two). This was compelling, because we had been coming across some histories [like Genealogy of The De Veaux Family], indicating that our DeVoe ancestors could have been Huguenots. (Observation: Some contemporary writers have picked up on this Huguenot idea and run with it.) However, we have come to believe that the Holland DeVoe(s) were likely surrounded by Huguenots due to where they lived, not because of who they were. Due to religious persecution, many Huguenots were fleeing the areas in France where they lived, and resettling in England. This June 2012 article from The International Institute of Genealogical Studies, explains the situation very well.

History and Beliefs
The French-speaking Protestants who fled from religious persecution and civil war on the continent are all loosely referred to as Huguenots, however this term properly refers to only those from France, and not to the Walloons from the Low Countries. However, it is often impossible to distinguish the two groups because of the shared language and churches as well as much intermarriage in the early communities in England. Their beliefs were Calvinistic [Protestant] and closest to the English Presbyterian style of church government.

Landing of the Walloons at Albany, circa 1620s.
(Image courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collections).

Walloons
The first wave of many thousands of French-speaking Protestants were Walloon refugees who arrived in England from the Spanish Netherlands (now Belgium and the Netherlands) in 1567, having been forced to flee the suppression of Protestantism by King Philip of Spain’s forces lead by the Duke of Alva. This group had been in England for over a century before the true Huguenots came and the two groups settled in London and the same south-eastern towns.

And in the Province of New York in New Amsterdam
From Genealogy Magazine.com: It was French-speaking Walloons from Hainaut who were among the first to settle the Hudson River Valley and Manhattan Island between 1620 and 1626. Eight Belgian [Southern Netherlands Walloon] Protestant families, fleeing from Catholic Spanish religious persecution, joined the Dutch settlers in 1624 to settle what became New Amsterdam. [Apparently, some writers as late as 2006, fail to understand that Belgium didn’t exist for 200 more than years, that is, until 1830.]

“An example of a round robin, which was a document written in circular fashion to disguise the order in which it was done. This document is a promise by certain Walloons and French to go and inhabit Virginia, a land under obedience of the Kings of Great Britain’. 1621.” (Image courtesy of The National Archives, Great Britain).

Huguenots
The Huguenots, (Protestants from France), first came in 1572 [to England] after the Massacre of St. Bartholomew in Paris,which saw 70,000 Huguenots across France brutally murdered. Elizabeth I’s court enter a period of mourning in honor of the Protestant lives lost to the Catholic terror. Although there was support for their religious freedom during the reigns of Elizabeth and James I, during that of Charles I… [there were restrictions imposed which forced the Huguenots to consider resettling somewhere else again]. In response, some moved to Holland, and the majority to the USA* [many to the new Amsterdam Colony in New York Province] taking their craft skills with them. 

*OK, it should be obvious, but there was no USA yet. At the time, North America had Native Peoples, and was colonized by the British, Dutch, French, Spanish, and anybody else who could row a boat there. (5)

The Massacre of St. Bartholomew in Paris

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, by François Dubois. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence, directed against the Huguenots (French Protestants) during the French Wars of Religion. Traditionally believed to have been instigated by Queen Catherine de’ Medici, the mother of King Charles IX.

The massacre started a few days after the marriage on August 18, 1572 of the king’s sister Margaret to the Protestant King Henry III of Navarre. Many of the wealthiest and most prominent Huguenots had gathered in largely Catholic Paris to attend the wedding.

Catherine de Medici Gazing at Protestants in the Aftermath of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew
by Édouard Debat-Ponsan, 1880. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

The massacre began in the night of August 23-24, 1572, the eve of the feast of Bartholomew the Apostle, two days after the attempted assassination of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, the military and political leader of the Huguenots. King Charles IX ordered the killing of a group of Huguenot leaders, including Coligny, and the slaughter spread throughout Paris. Lasting several weeks in all, the massacre expanded outward to the countryside and other urban centres. Modern estimates for the number of [the initially] dead across France vary widely, from 5,000 to 30,000. [Eventually] between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease directly caused by the conflict, and it severely damaged the power of the French monarchy. 

The massacre marked a turning point in the French Wars of Religion. The Huguenot political movement was crippled by the loss of many of its prominent aristocratic leaders. The fighting ended with a compromise in 1598, when Henry of Navarre, who had converted to Catholicism in 1593, was proclaimed King Henry IV of France and issued the Edict of Nantes, which granted substantial rights and freedoms to the Huguenots. However, Catholics continued to disapprove of Protestants and of Henry, and his assassination in 1610 triggered a fresh round of Huguenot rebellions in the 1620s. (Wikipedia) (6)

The popular name for this image is “All The Ways to Leave France,” from 1696, by Élie Benoist. In many ways, it aptly portrays the scattering of the Dutch Huguenots. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The Global Diaspora of The Huguenots and Their Protestant Allies

We’ve described the persecutions of the Huguenots, and their resulting diaspora. The term diaspora comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “to scatter about.” And that’s exactly what the people of a diaspora do — they scatter from their homeland to places across the globe, spreading their culture as they go. Our ancestors were Protestants, and eventually members of the Dutch Reformed Church.

In total, around 200,000 Huguenots were believed to have left France with around 50,000 settling in England. Many others immigrated to the American Colonies directly from France and indirectly from the Protestant countries of Europe, including the Netherlands, England, Germany, and Switzerland. Although the Huguenots settled along almost the entire eastern coast of North America, they showed a preference for what are now the states of Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina. The colonists became farmers, laborers, ministers, soldiers, sailors, and people who engaged in government. (7)

Our ancestors have followed many roads. In the next chapter, we will meet David Du Four, our Walloon ancestor from the Southern Netherlands who immigrated to New Amsterdam, which eventually became New York City.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

The Best Place to Find a Needle is a Haystack

(1) — two records

Every Page is Page One
The Best Place to Find a Needle is a Haystack
by Mark Baker
https://everypageispageone.com/2011/10/12/the-best-place-to-find-a-needle-is-a-haystack/

Haystacks, End of Summer
by Claude Monet, 1890-1891
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Claude_Monet._Haystack._End_of_the_Summer._Morning._1891._Oil_on_canvas._Louvre,_Paris,_France.jpg
Note: For the haystack image.

The First Path: Politics and Land — Understanding the Low Countries

(2) — thirteen records

Low Countries
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Countries

Was the Netherlands part of the Roman Empire?
https://www.quora.com/Was-the-Netherlands-part-of-the-Roman-Empire
Note: For the map.

Representation of a guild in the Middle Ages. (Public domain)

Brewminate: A Bold Blend of News and Ideas
The Economics of Medieval and Early Modern Guilds
By Dr. Sheilagh Ogilvie
Professor of Economic History, University of Cambridge
https://brewminate.com/the-economics-of-medieval-and-early-modern-guilds/

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, invading Italy (cropped image)
By Tancredi Scarpelli
https://www.meisterdrucke.ie/fine-art-prints/Tancredi-Scarpelli/36868/Otto-I,-Holy-Roman-Emperor,-invading-Italy.html
(Image courtesy of Meisterdrucke).

Otto the Great
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_the_Great
Note: For his portrait.

Mary of Burgundy (1458–1482)
Attributed to Michael Pacher
File:Mary of Burgundy (1458–1482), by Netherlandish or South German School of the late 15th Century.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Burgundy#/media/File:Mary_of_Burgundy_(1458–1482),_by_Netherlandish_or_South_German_School_of_the_late_15th_Century.jpg
Note: For her portrait.

Mary of Burgundy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Burgundy

Ficheiro:Barend van Orley – Portrait of Charles V – Google Art Project.jpg
by Bernaert van Orley, circa 1515
https://pt.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:Barend_van_Orley_-_Portrait_of_Charles_V_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Note: For his portrait.

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperor

The Most Remarkable Lives of Jan Jansen and his son Anthony
A Brief History of the Netherlands (map)
By Brian A. Smith, D.C.
https://ia801604.us.archive.org/32/items/2013JanAndAnthonyJansenPublic/2013 Jan and Anthony Jansen public.pdf
Book page: 3/145
Note: For the map.

History Maps
Part of the Holy Roman Empire
https://history-maps.com/story/History-of-the-Netherlands
History of the Netherlands, 5000 BCE – 2024

Habsburg Netherlands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habsburg_Netherlands

Spanish Netherlands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Netherlands

The Dutch Revolt and the 80 Years War

(3) — five records

The Battle of Gibraltar, 1607
by Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen, circa 1621
File:Slag bij Gibraltar in 1607 Het ontploffen van het Spaanse admiraalsschip tijdens de zeeslag bij Gibraltar, 25 april 1607, SK-A-2163.jpg

History Maps
The Dutch Revolt
https://history-maps.com/story/History-of-the-Netherlands
History of the Netherlands, 5000 BCE – 2024

Netherlands Church History
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Netherlands_Church_History

The killing of Oudewater (Netherlands) Spanish troops murder al civilisans after a siege during the eighty years war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Oudewater_(1575)#/media/File:Oudewater_moord.jpg
Note: For the The Oudewater massacre… image.

Siege of Oudewater (1575)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Oudewater_(1575)#:~:text=II of Spain.-,Siege and massacre,leading to a major conflagration.

The Dutch Golden Age and The United East India Company

(4) — eight records

The Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild
by Rembrandt, 1662
File:Rembrandt – De Staalmeesters- het college van staalmeesters (waardijns) van het Amsterdamse lakenbereidersgilde – Google Art Project.jpg

The flag of the Dutch East India Company.

Dutch East India Company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company#:~:text=In%20Dutch%2C%20the%20name%20of,the%20United%20East%20India%20Company).

Diana Muir Appelbaum
(We are posting this essay by Koenraad Wolter Swart (1916—1992) both because it is still useful and in order to spare would-be readers the eye strain that results from reading it on microfiche).
Miracle of the Dutch Republic
By K. W. Swart
Professor of Dutch History and Institutions in the University of London
An Inaugural Lecture Delivered at University College London on
November 6, 1967
http://www.dianamuirappelbaum.com/?p=583

Footnotes for the Dutch East India Company artifacts images:
Christie’s
An Arita Dish Commissioned by the Dutch East India Company
Edo Period, Late 17th Century
https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/japanese-art-english-court/arita-dish-commissioned-dutch-east-india-company-39/13671

The Arms of the Dutch East India Company and of the Town of Batavia,
Jeronimus Becx (II), 1651
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-4643

Logo of the Amsterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:VOC-Amsterdam.svg

Dutch East India Company, Gelderland (1726-1793), Duit(C) coins
https://www.educationalcoin.com/product/dutch-east-india-company-gelderland-1726-1793-duitc/

Batavia Dutch East India Company Ship Replica
https://www.amazon.com/Old-Modern-Handicrafts-Batavia-Collectible/dp/B00OP971EA

The Second Path: Religious Persecution

(5) — seven records

Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals
by James Riker
https://archive.org/details/revisedhistoryh00unkngoog/page/n12/mode/2up
Book pages: 35-36, Digital pages: 34-36/907
Note: For general biographical information.

The Persecution of Huguenots in France Before the Edict of Nantes, 1598.
Wood engraving, late 19th century
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Huguenot-Persecution-Nthe-Persecution-Of-Huguenots-In-France-Before-The-Edict-Of-Nantes-1598-Wood-Engraving-Late-19Th-Century-Poster/508758362
Note: For The Persecution of Huguenots image.

Genealogy of The De Veaux Family : Introducing the Numerous Forms of Spelling the Name by Various Branches and Generations in the Past Eleven Hundred Years
by Thomas Farrington De Voe, 1811-1892
https://archive.org/details/genealogyofdevea00thom/page/n7/mode/2up

The International Institute of Genealogical Studies
England History of Huguenots, Walloons, Flemish Religions
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/England_History_of_Huguenots,_Walloons,_Flemish_Religions_-_International_Institute

Genealogy Magazine.com
Belgian Migrations: Walloons Arrived Early in America
https://www.genealogymagazine.com/belgian-migrations-walloons-arrived-early-in-america/
and
Landing of the Walloons at Albany
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-f393-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Note: For the Landing of the Walloons at Albany image.

The National Archives
A ‘round robin’ from Walloon emigrants
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/huguenots-in-england/huguenot-migrants-in-england-source-3a/

The Massacre of St. Bartholomew in Paris

(6) — three records

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
by François Dubois, a Huguenot painter who fled France after the massacre.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_masacre_de_San_Bartolomé,_por_François_Dubois.jpg
Note: For the St. Bartholomew’s Day image.

French Wars of Religion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Wars_of_Religion

Is it just us, or does Catherine de Medici remind you of this famous Disney villain?

Catherine de Medici Gazing at Protestants in the Aftermath of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew
by Édouard Debat-Ponsan, 1880
https://pt.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:Debat-Ponsan-matin-Louvre.jpg
Note: For the Catherine de Medici image.

The Global Diaspora of The Huguenots and Their Protestant Allies

(7) — four records

Vocabulary.com
Diaspora definition
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/diaspora#:~:text=The%20term%20diaspora%20comes%20from,their%20culture%20as%20they%20go.

Historic UK
The Huguenots – England’s First Refugees
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Huguenots/

The Huguenot Society of America
The Huguenots in America
https://www.huguenotsocietyofamerica.org/history/huguenot-history/

Historie Der Gereformeerde Kerken Van Vrankryk
(History of the Reformed Churches of Vrankryk)
by Élie Benoist, 1696
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Houghton_Typ_632.96.202_-_Historie_Der_Gereformeerde_Kerken_Van_Vrankryk.jpg
Note: For the “All The Ways to Leave France” image.

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Eight

This is Chapter Eight of eleven. This chapter of our family’s history takes place almost entirely within Saratoga County and the adjacent Washington County in New York State. Our 3x Great Grandparents Peter M. Devoe and Alida Shaw had a large family and much prosperity during a period of time which saw the advent of The Civil War.

Introduction — A Family of the 19th Century

Some of our ancestors didn’t move around very much. This is likely due to the fact that many of them were farmers and they owned land. Peter and Alida lived most of their lives within (no more than) a thirty mile radius (48 km) of where they were born.

Excerpt showing Saratoga and Washington counties, from
the Atlas & Asher New Topographical Gazetteer of New York, circa 1871.

When they married, our ancestors lived in Halfmoon — but were married in the Dutch Reformed Church located in the nearby hamlet of Boght “Some of the earliest European settlements in Albany County were located in the general Boght Corners area [a hamlet of the present-day town of Colonie, New York],which is usually cited as ‘The Boght’ or ‘The Boght of the Kahoos’ in early colonial documents. ‘Boght’ is a corruption of the Old Dutch word for “bay” or “bend” referring to the bend in the Mohawk River... While hamlets in New York do not have specifically demarcated borders, the corners in the name itself is from the four corners created by the intersection of Boght Road and [present-day]US Route 9.

The first church in this area, the Reformed Dutch Church of the Boght, was established in 1781. The church, which was the first north of the city of Albany, was established on petition from the citizens of that city. The church was an offspring of the Niskayuna Reformed Church due to the common pastorate; this union of the two churches ended in 1803. The church worship was conducted in the Dutch language until the first decade of the 19th century. (Wikipedia) (1)

Peter M. Devoe and Alida Shaw Marry

Marriage of Peter M. Devoe to Alida Shaw, 1829, (This is a 20th century transcription due to being a typewritten entry). Bought U.S. Dutch Reformed Church, Boght, Albany, New York
Background image: Middle Dutch Church, New York City, by William Burgis.
(Courtesy of wikimedia.org).

Peter M. DeVoe was the eleventh of twelve children in the family, born at home in Saratoga County, New York on March 1, 1807. He died on December 26, 1888 in Easton, Washington County, New York. Peter M. Devoe married Alida [or Elida] Shaw on January 22, 1829 in Boght, Albany County, New. York at the Dutch Reformed Church. She was born on April 10, 1812, in Rensselaer County, New York, the daughter of Orman Shaw and Elizabeth ________ (Last name unknown). Alida died on February 17, 1896, in Easton, Washington County, New York. We observed that in some documents, she is also named as Olive, which may have been a nick name.

They had eight children:

  • Clarissa (DeVoe) Doty, born May 1, 1830 — died December 14, 1865
  • Lewis DeVoe, born May 31, 1831 — died January 26, 1901
  • Norman DeVoe, born 1832 — died October 16, 1900
  • Peter A. DeVoe, born June 23, 1834 — died October 31, 1909
    (We are descended from Peter A.)
  • Charles DeVoe, born 1837 — died December 22, 1886
  • Chauncey DeVoe, born 1838 — died November 7, 1902
  • Esther (DeVoe) Norton, born 1840 — died date unknown
  • Sarah C. (DeVoe) Cozzens, born December 25, 1842 — died March 5, 1911

We have not delineated the marriages for all of these siblings, but in the footnotes for this section we have included a chart created by our Grandmother Lulu Mae (DeVoe) Gore, where she has noted the spousal names and some of their children. This chart is also found in the footnotes for The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Eleven. (2)

The Hudson River Valley near Hudson, New York, ca. 1850.
(Image courtesy of Media Storehouse).

Putting On Our Detective Hats When Looking at the Early Census Materials

As we have done research on our family lines, we have always found census material to be helpful, but also sometimes problematic. Early Federal census material lacks much information and as just discussed, we end up having to put on our detective hats to take a look at what was likely going on.

After we were able to solve the mysteries of the parent’s names and the names of all the siblings through our analysis of the Will of Elias DeVoe… We continued to be confounded by a lack of many surviving early records which mention Peter M. Devoe. For a time, we even made comments about him just magically appearing in 1829 to marry Alida Shaw.

The 1840 United States Federal Census
The sixth Federal Census of the United States was done in 1840. The census began on June 1, 1840, and lasted six months. We did locate this particular census record, which shows him already living in the community of Easton, Washington County, New York.

Compiled sample for Peter M. Devoe — United States Federal Census of 1840.

From this Federal census we can learn that including him, listed are 10 people total:

  • 2 boys under 5 years old: Charles, Chauncey
  • 3 boys from 5 to 10 years old: Lewis, Norman, and Peter A.
  • 1 man from 30 to 40 years old: Peter M. — the Head of Household
  • 1 man from 50 to 60 years old: unknown male, perhaps Maty?
  • 1 girl under 5 years old: Esther
  • 1 girl 10 to 15 years old: Clarissa
  • 1 woman 20 to 30 years old: the mother Alida

Here is an example where we have to interpret data: The general guidance on census information is this: you don’t know who answered the questions… you don’t know who was at the door… you don’t know what they knew or didn’t know… you don’t know if perhaps they were guessing, in a hurry, etc., etc.

Author Thomas Halliday describes this type of analysis, when he writes —

“Everything that we will see is nonetheless grounded in fact, either directly observable… [or] strongly inferred, or, where our knowledge is incomplete, plausible based on what we can say for sure.”

Thomas Halliday,
from his book “Otherlands, A Journey Through Earth’s Extinct Worlds”

We see that there is a girl under 5 years old living in the home, yet we have no record of a daughter (Esther) being born until the next year (1841). Yet it makes the most sense to us that this is the daughter Esther — even though some later records say 1841 is her birth year. Since we do not have an actual birth record for her, it’s more than likely that she was born in 1840, perhaps late in the year.

The Consequences of the 1911 New York State Fire
New York State conducted their own census every five years, starting in 1825. However, we learned from the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society that: “The first three state censuses for New York are difficult to access and largely unavailable online…” (1825, 1835, and 1845) “Most records have been lost—due to the 1911 State Capitol fire, all copies of this state census held by New York at that time were completely destroyed.

On March 29, 1911, the collections of the New York State Library,
Manuscripts and Special Collections, Albany, New York, burned entirely. State census records from 1825, 1835, and 1845 were lost.

The 1850 Federal Census
By the 1850 Federal Census, (the seventh census) we are able to account for one additional daughter: Sarah, born in December 1842. Being pretty good detectives, we also started to notice something unusual in the census material starting around 1850. We noticed that a Matey Devoe is listed as being age 60, and a male. We had no accounting as to who this person was.

1850 United States Federal Census — Line 17, Matey (male)
Note: The age is noted incorrectly as 60, (the actual age is 65).

The 1855 New York State Census
We learn (again) from the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society that: “The 1855 New York state census is notable because it was the first to record the names of every individual in the household. It also asked about the relationship of each family member to the head of the household—something that was not asked in the federal census until 1880. The 1855 New York state census also provides the length of time that people had lived in their towns or cities as well as their state or country of origin—this is particularly helpful for tracing immigrant ancestors.”

Extract from the New York State Census of 1855

What caught our attention were two notes listed on line 15, next to the name Maty Devoe — this description noted Maty as being 70 years old, and also a hermaphrodite (known today as intersex), and as a brother to Peter M.

Detail from line 15 of the New York State Census of 1855.

This was a surprise, but a pleasant one and after we spent much time talking about it, it made sense. We had always wondered who this person was and why their name had different spellings and genders in various documents over time.

Marytje Defoe’s birth record in the
U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989,
Schenectady, Berne, and Schaghticoke, Book 5 (hand transcription).

We believe that Maty is Peter M. Devoe’s oldest sister Marytje, who was born on April 17, 1786. (Please see The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Six). Also, we have come to believe that Marytje Devoe / Maty Devoe never married and lived their life in the home of relatives. It seems that at first Marytje lived with her parents Martinus and Maria Devoe of Halfmoon, until they passed away in the 1830s. From the 1840s onward, as Maty Devoe, they lived in the home of Peter M. Devoe and his wife Elida in Easton.

The 1860 Federal Census
The eighth census of the United States took place on June 1, 1860 and took five months. We noticed several important changes in the home — Peter M. and his wife Elida still lived there. Their son Norman also lived there along with his wife Julia. Peter and Elida’s daughters Sarah (aged 17), and Elida (aged 3), were still at home.

Extract from the United States Federal Census of 1860.

Of note, it appears that Marytje / Maty is still living in the home, but now is identified as being named Mita… [Is this a phonetic spelling? One thing to interject here is that census takers were often wrong in how to spell someone’s name.] Interestingly, they are listed with a small ‘f’ for female gender, when five years earlier in the New York State Census of 1855, they were listed a hermaphrodite, and a brother. Perhaps the federal form (and/or the census taker) had no way to reconcile hermaphroditic, intersex information?

This is the last record we see of Marytje /Maty/ Mita, since they are not on the 1865 New York State Census. We believe that they must have passed on before 1865, having lived a long life. (3)

Intersex and Hermaphroditic People

Please note that this section contains an image of sensitive historical medical photography.

We were curious about how our intersex ancestor would have been perceived and how they would have lived during a much earlier era. It seemed to us, even though we cannot document this, that we observed Marytje /Maty as being loved by their family — certainly through the fact that they were always part of either their parent’s, or their brother’s homes.

From the John Hopkins University Press we read: “In early America, there was no surgery to “correct” genital anomalies; people lived with whatever bodies they were born with, in whichever gender that most suited them—though not without worry that their difference would be found out, particularly if they sometimes crossed the gender divide in their daily lives.”

Hermaphrodite (Nadar) is a series of medical photographs of a young intersex person, who had a male build and stature and may have been assigned female or self-identified as female.
Photo taken by the French photographer Nadar (real name Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) in 1860.
(Image courtesy of wikipedia.org).

Having focused on the word “hermaphrodite” found in the census material, we came to understand the need for a more contemporary term. From Wikipedia: “Terms used to describe intersex people are contested, and change over time and place. Intersex people were previously referred to as “hermaphrodites” or “congenital eunuchs”. In the 19th and 20th centuries, some medical experts devised new nomenclature in an attempt to classify the characteristics that they had observed… terms including the word “hermaphrodite” are considered to be misleading, stigmatizing, and scientifically specious in reference to humans… Some people with intersex traits use the term “intersex”, and some prefer other language.” (4)

Peter and Alida Devoe Owned Much Property

The last census in which we see Peter M. Devoe is the Federal Census from 1800. We observe that he and his wife Elida are the only ones living at home, but his son Chauncey and wife Calpurna appear to be living next door. Both men are noted as Farmers, and both women are Keeping house.

Extract from the United States Federal Census of 1880.

When Peter M. Devoe died on December 26, 1888, he had left a Last Will and Testament*, with both monies and land distributed to his wife Alida and amongst his various children. We noticed that he had to sign his Will with an “X” which indicated that he had not received any formal education. His Will was dated June 29, 1881, and probated on August 16, 1889 — (Please see the footnotes).

We found the following map, which is the only resource we have located, which shows Peter M. Devoe’s properties in Easton, Washington County, on the Hudson River. We know that he also owned property in Halfmoon, Saratoga County which was right next door.

Inset detail indicating the two properties owned by Peter M. Devoe in the 1850s in Easton, Washington County, New York. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).
Map of Washington County, New York
by Morris Levy, James D. Scott, Robert Pearsall Smith, Published in Philadelphia in 1853.

Being a farmer, it seems that he left a substantial estate. For example: In the Will he left his son Norman the oddly particular amount of $2,763 dollars. Today, that dollar value would be $91,345 — and Norman was just one of many people named… Lands were also distributed and the eventual administration of these ended up figuring into a lawsuit which the oldest son, Lewis Devoe, brought to the New York Supreme Court ten years later in 1899.

We cannot verify if Peter M. Devoe had received any property from his father Martinus Devoe, when Martinus died circa 1831-32, but… We do know from Lewis’s court paperwork that Peter M. was already acquiring land starting in the 1830s, and that he held on to that land for fifty years.

Sample document which shows the values of Peter M. Devoe’s land holdings in Washington County, New York, as of June 3, 1880.

Many years later our generation heard family stories, in which it was rumored that Peter M. Devoe had much money — but — he also had a lot of children. So when it came down to our 2x Great Grandfather, Peter A. Devoe, there weren’t many resources left. It seems that this doesn’t ring quite true because Peter A. received $1,150 in cash when his father died, which was a substantial amount at that time ($38,019 today). Peter A. also received property even though he had relocated to Ohio decades earlier. (5)

The Lewis Devoe New York State Supreme Court Case

What we have been able to discern from these documents from over 100 years ago, is that Lewis was looking into the records about how different pieces of his family’s land were being assessed in Washington County, New York. It is interesting to note that this occurred nearly ten years after his father Peter M. Devoe had passed away, and also after his mother Alida had passed in 1896.

Compiled Excerpt from the Washington Grantee index 1891-1900 vol 7. 

Observation: Perhaps the death of his mother brought new information to light? Apparently Lewis had strong concerns about what he learned, because he then brought a suit against his siblings that went all the way to the New York State Supreme Court. The gist of all this brouhaha was this: It seems that he was quite upset that properties had been rented to tenants, then monies collected, and… well… Where was the accounting of this? Where did the money go to? To the children of the siblings?

Exterior folder, Page One for the documents relating to the 1899 Lewis Devoe lawsuit.
(Family documents, — please see the footnotes).

What was the outcome of this case? To be certain, we haven’t been able to locate documents which provide resolution, but it is quite likely that it was settled amongst the various family members.

Except for the two siblings who had died in earlier years: Clarissa (DeVoe) Doty, who passed away in 1865, and Charles Devoe, who passed in 1886 — most of the children of Peter M. and Alida Devoe all passed away in the course of the next twelve years. As follows: Lewis (1901), Norman (1900), Peter A. (1909), Chauncey (1902), Esther (unknown), and Sarah (1911).

The Will Found, painting by George Smith, 1868
(Image courtesy of MutualArt).

In the next chapter we will be writing about our 2x Great Grandfather, Peter A. DeVoe, and his life in Ohio. He was very important and influential in the life of our Grandmother Lulu Mae (DeVoe) Gore. (6)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Introduction — A Family of the 19th Century 

(1) — three records

Boght Corners, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boght_Corners,_New_York

Watervliet (town), New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watervliet_(town),_New_York
Note: Watervliet is now known in the present day as Colonie.

Cover page for Atlas & Asher New Topographical Gazetteer of New York, circa 1871

Atlas & Asher New Topographical Gazetteer of New York, circa 1871
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e3-1c74-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99/book?parent=49161ec0-c5f6-012f-15b7-58d385a7bc34#page/2/mode/1up

Peter M. Devoe and Alida Shaw Marry

(2) — fourteen records

Maps of Antiquity
1871 – Warren, Washington, and Saratoga Counties – Antique Map
https://mapsofantiquity.com/products/warren-washington-and-saratoga-counties-asher-and-adams-nyo523
Note: For the map image.

Peter Devoe
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Bought > Bought, Book 6
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/216615:6961
Book page: 13, Digital page: 59/105, Entry 1.

Middle Dutch Church, New York City, by William Burgis
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Middle_Dutch_Church,_New_York_City,_by_William_Burgis.jpg
Note: For background image.

Clarissa Doty
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/117887685/clarissa-doty?
and
Claracy Devorux
in the New York, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1847-1849, 1907-1936

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61377/records/900482362?tid=&pid=&queryId=b5d3795d-78f4-416b-8f9f-b43b80be9baa&_phsrc=UnS9&_phstart=successSource
Washington > 1841-1908
Digital page: 41/428, Left column, entry 1.

Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/562/mode/2up
Book pages: 562, Digital pages: 562 /1048
Note 1: Clarissa DeVoe is also recoded in this history which has been used frequently in our history of The Doty Line — A Narrative. She and her husband Jacob N. Doty are listed in entry 7401.
Note 2: The book index has her listed as entry 7403, which is an error.

As explained by Susan Deanna Bond in an email dated August 9, 2025:

Lewis DeVoe
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120850897/lewis-devoe

Norman Devoe
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95566454/norman-devoe

Peter A. DeVoe
Note: We have written extensively about the life of Peter A. DeVoe in the next chapter. (Please see The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Nine).

Charles DeVoe
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/133711122:60525?tid=&pid=&queryId=0630ab78-d8a5-459e-b4a6-5124ba69049a&_phsrc=FsV3&_phstart=successSource
and
Charles Devoe
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/163938371/charles-devoe

Chauncey DeVoe
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/179186338/chauncey-devoe

Esther DeVoe
Census – New York State Census, 1875
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNVQ-CT8
Book page: 10, Digital page: 141/488 Entry line 10
Note: We know her married name is Norton through Peter M. Devoe’s Will.

Sarah C. DeVoe Cozzens
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84524682/sarah-c-cozzens

Media Storehouse
The Hudson River Valley Near Hudson (Looking Toward Albany, New York)
by Unknown Painter, American School, circa 1850
https://www.mediastorehouse.com.au/heritage-images/hudson-river-valley-near-hudson-new-york-ca-19843763.html
Note: For the landscape image.

Lulu Mae Devoe Gore’s handwritten genealogy notes as she diagrammed her family relationships. (Family epherma).

Putting On Our Detective Hats When Looking at the Early Census Materials

(3) — eleven records

The National Archives
1840 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1840

Peter M Daves
in the 1840 United States Federal Census

New York > Washington > Easton
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1616065:8057?tid=&pid=&queryId=326ef017-2790-44e9-921e-30cf4aca7577&_phsrc=Zxc2&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 142 (or 266), Digital page: 31/40, Entry 12 from the bottom.

Cover for the book Otherlands by Thomas Halliday.

Otherlands, A Journey Through Earth’s Extinct Worlds
or
Otherlands, A World in the Making
by Thomas Halliday, 2022
ISBN-10: ‎ 0593132882, ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0593132883

Fire at the New York State Library
https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/blog/fire-new-york-state-library

Peter M Devoe
in the 1850 United States Federal Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8764443:8054?tid=&pid=&queryId=d9214997-668a-4c15-919e-cc751384d5b2&_phsrc=Rxw29&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 364, Digital page: 37/77, Entries 8 through 18.
Note: Entry 18 lists a 24 year old woman named Mary Augen, from Ireland. We believe that she may have been a servant girl.

The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society
New York State Census Records Online — 1855 New York State Census
https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/subject-guide/new-york-state-census-records-online#:~:text=1825%2C%201835%2C%20and%201845%20New%20York%20State%20Censuses&text=In%20some%20cases%2C%20counties%20may,by%20checking%20with%20county%20repositories.

Peter M Devoe
in the New York, U.S., State Census, 1855

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1654641341:7181?tid=&pid=&queryId=202e327c-c66c-478c-9b6b-4ba4ad93da39&_phsrc=Rxw12&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 4/32, Left page, entries 7 through 15.
Notes: Of particular importance is entry 16 — Maty Devoe, listed as a brother of Peter M. Devoe, aged 70 years, and who is noted as an hermaphrodite.

Martynus Devoe
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Schaghticoke > Schenectady, Berne, and Schaghticoke, Book 5
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/150048134:6961
Book page: 393, Digital page: 118/209, Entry 4 from the page bottom.
Note: The record for their daughter Marytje, born on April 17, 1786.
and here:
Records for 1786
Holland Society Archives > 10 Research Collections > 4 Collegiate / Dutch Reformed Church Collections > 3 Dutch Church Records, 42037 > Book 05 – Schenectady Berne Schaghticoke
https://hsny.localarchives.net/?a=d&d=A-RG10-SG04-S03-Bk-05-Schenectady-Berne-Schaghticoke.1.153&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN%7ctxTA%7ctxCO%7ctxTY%7ctxTI%7ctxRG%7ctxSG%7ctxSE%7ctxSB%7ctxCT%7ctxIE%7ctxIT%7ctxTE%7ctxLA%7ctxSU%7ctxSP%7ctxDS%7ctxAD%7ctxPR%7ctxTR%7ctxFI-Schenectady———-
Book page: 393, Digital page: Image 153, Entry 4 from the page bottom.

The United States Census Bureau
1860 Census: Population of the United States
https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1864/dec/1860a.html

Peter M Devoe
in the 1860 United States Federal Census

New York > Washington > Easton
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/48630571:7667?tid=&pid=&queryId=35ec4bd5-43de-42e5-bb2e-505bfa1707e1&_phsrc=Rxw27&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 160, Digital page: 28/80, Entries 23 through 29.

Intersex and Hermaphroditic People

(4) — three records

Intersex People In The Past and Present:
Contemporary Advocacy in Historical Context
by Elizabeth Reis, Macaulay Honors College, City University of New York
https://www.press.jhu.edu/newsroom/intersex-people-past-and-present-contemporary-advocacy-historical-context
Note: Ms Reis is the author of Bodies In Doubt, An American History of Intersex

Intersex
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex

Self portrait in Smock Félix Nadar, photographer,
(Image courtesy of The Getty Center via commons.wikimedia.org).

Hermaphrodite (Nadar)
1860s medical photography by Nadar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermaphrodite_(Nadar)

Peter and Alida Devoe Owned Much Property

(5) — five records

Map of Washington County, New York Copy 1
by Morris Levy, James D. Scott, Robert Pearsall Smith
Published in Philadelphia in 1853
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3803w.la000573/?r=0.043,-0.261,1.472,0.74,0
Note: At this link the map is zoomable for more detail.

Peter Devoe
Census – United States Census, 1880
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZNZ-9DY
Digital page: 141/898, Entries 27 through 30.

Peter M Deroe
in the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999

Washington > Wills, Vol V-W, 1888-1892
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4806965:8800?tid=&pid=&queryId=5ac78e48-6b64-4511-8d11-0221dae472df&_phsrc=BYb9&_phstart=successSource
Book pages: 240-244 , Digital pages: 130-132/663
Notes: This record appears to be a handwritten transcription from the original document. Below is a typed transcription of the Will from the above file:
__________________________________________

I, Peter M. Devoe, of the town of Easton, in the County of Washington, State of New York, being of sound mind and memory, do make ordain, publish and declare this to be my last will and testament, that is to say:

FIRST — After all my lawful debts are paid and discharged, I give, devise and bequeath to my beloved wife, Alida Devoe, in lieu of ___r, the sole use and control of my homestead farm, with all the appurtenances thereto, including Stock, Horses, Wagons, Plows and all the farming implements, together with all the household furniture, Beds, Bedding, &c., during her natural life.

2nd — I give devise and bequeath to my grand-daughter, Anna Doty, one hundred (100) dollars.

3rd — After the death of my said wife, Alida. I give devise and bequeath to my sons Lewis, Norman, Peter, Charles, and Chauncey and to my daughters, Esther Norton and Sarrah C. Cozzens, and to their heirs, all the residue of my estate, both Real and Personal in whatever it may consist to be divided between them equally, share and share alike, including the several sums or portions heretofore Paid or given to them, which sums are as follows, viz: I have given to Lewis, fifteen hundred and fifty (1550) dollars, to Norman, twenty-seven hundred and sixty three (2763) dollars. For fifteen hundred (1500) Dollars of which I had a mortgage against him, which said mortgage I direct my executors to cancel and discharge after my death, without interest. To Peter, eleven hundred and fifty (1150) Dollars. Charles, three hundred (300) Dollars. To Chauncey, fourteen hundred and seventy (1470) dollars, and to my daughter, Sarah C. Cozzens two hundred (200) Dollars.

4th — I further direct that the premises known as the “Hemlock Grocery.” situated on the Champlain canal, between Schuyler Ville and Cove Ville, shall be included in the portion of Lewis, at the price of six hundred (600) dollars, and hereby give, devise and bequeath same unto him.

5th — 1 further direct that my farm of Forty (40) acres, situated in the town of Halfmoon and known as the “John Simmons” Farm shall be included in the portion of Chauncey, at the price of one thousand (1000) dollars, and I hereby give, devise and bequeath the same to him.

6th — I further direct that the income derived from all Moneys [sic], Notes, Bonds or other indences of debt of which I may be possessed at my death, shall be at the disposal of my said Wife, Alida, if she shall need the same for her support or comfort, and if the same shall not be needed by her as above stated, then I direct that my executors place the same at interest in some safe place, or invest in some safe securities to be accounted for at her decease.

7th and lastly —I further direct that no interest shall be charged on any of the sums paid or given to any my children above named.

Likewise, I make, constitute and appoint my said Wife Alida Devoe, and my son-in-law, Frederick Cozzens, at Easton and Greenwich, in Washington county respectively residing, to be executrix and executor of this my last Will and Testament. hereby revoking all former Wills by me made.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed my seal the 29th day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-one (1881).

PETER M.  X   DEVOE [his mark]

Witness to mark, J. T. Smith
The above instrument consisting of one sheet, was at the date thereof subscribed by Peter M. Devoe, in the presence of us and each he at the time of making such subscription, acknowledged that he made the same, and declared the said instrument so subscribed by him to be his last Will + Testament. Whereupon we then and there at his request and in his presence and in the presence of each other subscribed our names as witnesses hereto.

J. T. SMITH, residing at Schuyler Ville, N. Y.
Thomass Toohey, residing at Schuyler Ville, N. Y.

__________________________________________

Peter M Deroe
in the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999

Washington > Minutes, Vol W-X, 1889-1891
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1724296:8800?tid=&pid=&queryId=78260969-514b-4129-bba5-ddbee3a9efea&_phsrc=BYb13&_phstart=successSource
Digital pages:
Note 1: Peter M. Devoe’s Will was entered into Probate until August 16, 1889. Note 2: Leading up to this there were additional notices filed with the Court on the following 1889 dates: January 14, February 18, April 8, August 16.

“$1 in 1888 is worth $33.06 today…”
https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1888

The Lewis Devoe New York State Supreme Court Case

(6) — two records

Land – United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975
Washington Grantee index 1891-1900 vol 7 

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WC-KCWH?i=121&cc=2078654&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AC33P-G4PZ
Book page: 216, Digital page: 122/531
Note: Categorized as Land Assessment and Deed Records

Exterior folder, Page One for the documents relating to the 1899 Lewis Devoe lawsuit,
(Family documents).
Page Two for the documents relating to the 1899 Lewis Devoe lawsuit,
(Family documents).
Page Three for the documents relating to the 1899 Lewis Devoe lawsuit,
(Family documents).

MutualArt
The Will Found, by George Smith, 1868
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/THE-WILL-FOUND/A5D86394FC8B44A0
Note: For the genre painting.