Rensselaer County – Our Ancestors, Our Narratives

The Doty Line, A Narrative — Eight

This is Chapter Eight of nine, being the next-to-last chapter of our narrative about the Doty Line. This chapter will introduce a new family line, the Shaw family, whose surname replaces the Doty surname in this part of our family history.

Setting The Stage

For the first part, the entire history takes place in a relatively small area of the upper Hudson River, at its confluence with the Mohawk River. As you can see in the map below, the town of Cohoes (Falls) is circled in orange. The area circled in yellow covers the district of Schaghticoke, and the towns of Lansingburgh, and Pittstown. Note the town of Troy shown just below Lansingburgh.

Detail from *A Map of the State of New York*, by Simeon De Witt, circa 1804. (Image courtesy of the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library).

In their era, borders, place names, and populations were always in flux, so we try to feature images which are as accurate as possible to the timeframe. As powerful as maps are for location orientation, we do sometimes come upon an image which helps readers to be grounded in a particular place. One such image is shown below, Troy from Mount Ida (No. 11 of The Hudson River Portfolio).

*Troy from Mount Ida* *(No. 11 of The Hudson River Portfolio)*
Various artists/makers, circa 1821–22. (Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art).
This view shows the Hudson River at the border of Lansingburgh.

Look within this artwork and observe that the rain clouds have just cleared away, the late afternoon sunlight is just starting to shine through, it’s very quiet, except for the birds who are starting to call to one another. Two people are making their way along the river road. Maybe we can hear the murmur of their voices?

Imagine that you are standing at this most southern viewpoint in the new town of Lansingburgh, looking toward the south, down the Hudson River. Before you lies the small village of Troy.* In front of you are three islands, located where the Hudson meets the Mohawk. One island is named Van Schaick — which is likely named after one of Lydia Doty’s ancestors who were very early to this area. Behind you, with the breeze to your back, lie the towns of Lansingburgh, Pittstown, and Schaghticoke, where the future of this family unfolds.

Finally, to the right of the three major islands, lies the small town of Cohoes, where the our exploration truly begins.

Excerpted image of Lansingburgh, New York in 1847, as Point-of-Interest #153
from *Wade & Croome’s Panorama of the Hudson River from New York to Waterford*,
by Wade, Disturnell, and Croome.

The image above is an open panoramic view from the 1840s, found within a unique souvenir book. It is built in an accordion style, with views that stretch out for 38 continuous hand-colored panels. It features aerial and panoramic views along both shores of the Hudson River, from New York City, on Manhattan Island, up to the Mohawk river junction at the town of Waterford (across the river from the town of Lansingburgh).

Our Comment: This souvenir book literally mirrors the historical movement of our family as it journeys from Manhattan, to Lansingburgh.

*We learned about the eventual ascendance of Troy as a metropolitan city; with it eventually overtaking and eclipsing all the other communities in the area in terms of prominence. From Wikipedia, “Through much of the 19th and into the early 20th centuries, Troy was one of the most prosperous cities in the United States. Prior to its rise as an industrial center, it was the transshipment point for meat and vegetables from Vermont and New York, which were sent by the Hudson River to New York City. The trade was vastly increased after the construction of the Erie Canal, with its eastern terminus directly across the Hudson River from Troy at Cohoes in 1825”. (1)

This oak tree, which eventually became known as the Witenagemot Oak Peace Tree, was planted to commemorate a treaty. It stood until 1949 when a flood toppled it. (Image courtesy of the Knickerbocker Historical Society).

A Tree of Welfare

This family eventually lived in several adjacent communities on both sides of the upper Hudson River. This area had earlier been populated first by Native Peoples, who then gave way to the Dutch, and then the British.

“In 1675, Governor Andros, governor of the colony of New York, planted a tree of Welfare near the junction of the Hoosic River and Tomhannock Creek, an area already known as Schaghticoke, “the place where the waters mingle.” This tree symbolized the friendship between the English and the Dutch, and the Schaghticoke Indians. The Native Inhabitants were Mohican refugees from New England welcomed to Schaghticoke [through a treaty] because they agreed to help protect the English from the French and the Iroquois. They stayed until 1754.

Prior to the proclamation of colonial independence, Schaghticoke was part of the colony of New York with most of its citizens governed by the city of Albany, which owned the land they rented.” (Wikipedia)

Daniel Shaw, like many of our other ancestors, was a farmer for most of his life. (This was confirmed through his Will). (2)

Getting To Know Daniel Shaw

Our research on Daniel Shaw and his birth family is ongoing. At first glance, we thought he may be related to a man named John Shaw who arrived in Plymouth Colony, in 1623 and was very involved in the settling of that place. However, a direct link between the family lines has not yet been found. We learned that another family of Shaws settled in Connecticut, so, as we publish this section of our family blog, we are researching that possible connection. (Updates will be added as we resolve the Shaw family line history).

Therefore, this grandfather is a bit enigmatic — due to the fact that not much information about his life before meeting Lydia Doty seems to have surfaced. He was barely mentioned in the Doty-Doten Family in America book by Ethan Allan Doty, (DDFA).

Despite that, in the rather comprehensively titled book, the History of the Seventeen Towns of Rensselaer County, From the Colonization of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck to the Present Time, we first observe Daniel Shaw’s name and the (likely) name of his future father-in-law, Joseph Doty. The context was what was then known as a patriotic pledge, made when American Colonists knew that a war with Great Britain was imminent.

It was a long, patriotic pledge, made on May 22, 1775. The opening paragraph reads: “A general association agreed to and subscribed by the freemen, freeholders and Inhabitants of the town of Lansingburgh and patent of Stone Arabia: Persuaded that the Violation of the rights and liberties of America depends, under God, on the firm opinion of its Inhabitants in a vigorous prosecution of the measures necessary for Its safety,— convinced of the necessity of preventing the anarchy and confusion which attend a dissolution of the power of government, we, the freemen, freeholders and inhabitants of the town of Lansingbugh and patent of Stone Arabia, being greatly alarmed at the avowed design of the British ministry to raise a revenue In America, and shocked by the bloody scenes now enacting In Massachusetts bay government, in the most solemn manner…”

Excerpted text from the *History of the Seventeen Towns of Rensselaer County, From the Colonization of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck to the Present Time*, page 34. In the left column we see Daniel Shaw as one of the signatories to a Patriotic Pledge, given in Lansingburgh on May 22, 1775. Despite the misspelling of the surname, in the right column we see the name of his future father- in-law, Joseph Doty. (See footnotes).

This tells us that he was living in the Lansingburgh area as early as May 1775.

The Albany County area and the local communities were the scenes of many fierce battles during the Revolutionary War. We learned that Daniel had served in the Albany Militia’s Fourteenth Regiment. It appears that years later, in March 1789, he was paid in certificates. The currency of the new United States was not regularized yet and many States still printed their own money. Certificates were issued by the government, which could be used with merchants to pay for goods. (See footnotes).

*New York Revolutionary War Tax Lists* *By County — Albany*, showing page 4, October 1779, Land and Property Tax Lists – Schachtakoke. See Daniel Shaw of Cohoes indicated by the arrow, along with three siblings of Lydia Doty listed — her brothers Peter, Ormond, and Jacob Doty.

The United States was very new in this era and it was unclear to whom and how property taxes were to be paid. This was still not finalized until many years after The War had ended. We did find tax records from the year 1779. As explained by, the Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, “Subcommittee on Revolutionary Taxes and have been found to support the War and/or address a request of the Continental Congress. The lists therefore provide evidence of Revolutionary service for those whose names are found on the lists…” In a very young United States, paying the taxes to a government that was not very organized and still evolving… this was seen as a hallmark of patriotic behavior. (3)

Excerpted and collaged content from the *U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for Daniel Shaw*
New York > Willett´s Regiment of Levies, 1781-1783.

The Colonial Militias of New York

The 14th Albany County Regiment of Militia was a regiment of the New York Militia, and was part of the 2nd Brigade alongside the regiments of Tryon County. (Renamed as Montgomery County in 1784). Militiamen for Albany County were recruited into the 2nd New York Regiment.

Generally speaking, the “Albany County militia was the colonial militia of Albany County, New York. Drawn from the general male population, by law all male inhabitants from 15 to 55 had to be enrolled in militia companies, the later known by the name of their commanders. By the 1700s, the militia of the Province of New York was organized by county and officers were appointed by the royal government. By the early phases of the American Revolutionary War the county`s militia had grown into seventeen regiments.” We learned that Lydia Doty’s brothers Peter, Ormond, and Jacob Doty, were also part of this regiment.

As they were allied with the 2nd New York Regiment, this “regiment would see action in the Invasion of Canada (1775), the Battle of Valcour Island (1776), the Battles of Saratoga (1777), the Battle of Monmouth (1778), the Sullivan Expedition (1779), and the Battle of Yorktown (1781). The regiment would be furloughed, June 2, 1783, at Newburgh, New York.” (Fandom AR Wiki, and Wikipedia) We have another family line living in this exact same area during that time, who also participated in the Battles of Saratoga. Either family or both, may have also participated in The Battle of Klock’s Field, and The Battle of Oriskany. (See The Devoe Line, A Narrative — Five).

Observation 1: It is important to note that these men certainly did not participate in all of these battles. (We know this because they were paying property taxes in March and October 1779). We can credibly believe that The Battles of Saratoga in 1777, is an event which they fought in, because it took place right in their back yard. Other than that, they may have been called up periodically for campaigns.

Observation 2: Daniel Shaw’s friendship with (and awareness of) the Doty brothers, could have led to his meeting their sister, Lydia Doty. (4)

*Wedding scene from Ramsay’s The Gentle Shepherd, Act V.* Printed for G. Reid and Co., 1798.
(Image courtesy of The Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University).

Title About Their Marriage

For this section, unless noted otherwise, all events took place in Albany County, New York State. Of note: Albany County was reformed to be Rensselaer County, in 1791. So, before 1791 > Albany County, and after 1791 > Rensselaer County. Furthermore, when a county name changes, such as in a record for a marriage or a death, we have noted this.

We believe that in about 1783, Daniel Shaw, married Lydia Doty (likely) in Lansingburgh. He was born about 1760 in ___________ — died August 13, 1842, Lansingburgh, Rensselaer, New York. Lydia Doty was born in December 1769 in Lansingburgh,(then Albany County), New York — died November 2, 1830, in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer, New York.

Daniel was about 9 to 10 years older than Lydia, and she was only about 14 to 15 when she married him. Even though we do not know the exact death date for Lydia’s mother Giesje ‘Lucretia’ Doty, we believe that Lydia was very young when her mother died. During this time, the American Revolution was raging all around her. (We speculate that she may have been cared for by an older sister, but we do not have evidence for this. Even though we have seen similar circumstances in other family lines). The truth is, we do not know who actually cared for her, or her younger sister Nancy.

Together Daniel and Lydia had 10 children, who are listed below. In the 1790 Census, the family is shown as living in Pittstown, Albany County. Therefore, we believe that the first five children: Lucretia, Daniel Jr., Nancy, William, and Orman, were born there.

Taken on August 2, 1790, The 1790 population census was the First Census of the United States. (The National Archives).

Lucretia (Shaw) Preston. She was born about 1784 — died after 1865 in Verona, Oneida County. She married James Preston, date unknown.

Daniel Shaw, Jr. He was born about 1786 — died January 17, 1857 in Greenwich, Washington County.
Nancy (Shaw) Stover. She was born April 11, 1788 — died March 21, 1872 in Somers, Kenosha County, Wisconsin. She married Joseph Stover. We noted that of all these siblings, she was the only one to relocate outside of New York State.
William Shaw. He was born September 11, 1789 — died May 16, 1876 in Ulster County, New York. He married two times, with both marriages being in New York. First, to Hannah Burhans on July 25, 1812 in New York; second, to Eliza Bonestell on February 7, 1856 in Kingston, Ulster County. Please see the footnotes for an obituary about William’s life.
Orman Shaw. He was born on March 3, 1790 — died November 24, 1867 in Halfmoon, Saratoga County. About 1811, he married Elizabeth ________ (last name unknown).
We are descended from Orman and his wife Elizabeth.

The next five children: Henry, Soloman, John, Elizabeth, and Hiram, were likely born in the Schaghticoke District, (now) Renssaelar County. This was located just slightly to the west, right next to Pittstown. It could also be that the family may have already been living in Lansingburgh. It was technically a separate municipality from the Schaghticoke District. (Who knows exactly after more than 2oo years of various record keepers?)

Taken on August 4, 1800, the 1800 population census was the Second Census of the United States. (The National Archives).

Henry Shaw. He was born 1796 — died ________ (date unknown). He is noted as being the 1842 executor for his father Daniel Shaw’s Will.
Solomon Shaw. He was born 1797 — died 1863.
John Shaw. He was born 1799 — died August 1859 in Cohoes. He married Mary Elizabeth Hutchins about 1827.
Elizabeth (Shaw) Baninger. She was born 1802 — death date unknown. She married (first name unknown) ________ Baninger.
Hiram Shaw. He was born 1804 — died May 25, 1857, Waterford, Saratoga County. He married Jane A. Patten about 1823. (He died a tragic death, please see the footnotes). (5)

Perhaps He Was A Prudent Man?

Lydia Doty died in November 1830, and consequently her husband Daniel was maybe feeling a little bit blue in the years afterward— or maybe not. Perhaps he was just prudent? We observed that he executed his Will on September 22, 1834, but continued to live on for almost eight more years, dying on August 13, 1842.

The Will of Daniel Shaw, dated September 22, 1834.

When we looked at the Will contents, we read that he left his son Henry “the whole of my real estate, the crops on the ground and all the grain, hay fodder on the premises at the time of my death and also one mare and one colt and all the farming utensils”. (It seems Henry never married so perhaps he was living with his father in his older age?) For his other children (excepting for Henry who was provided for), he asked that his estate “be equally divided among them”.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Will is that after he indicated what he was providing to his son Henry, and before he mentions his other children, he specifically requests provision for a servant girl (we added commas to make the text understandable) —

To Misa, a Mulatto girl in my family, I give and bequeath one bedstead, one bed and straw-bed, two blankets, two sheets, two pillows, and one bolster, which I have usually had for my personal use, and one cow, which she may select from my cows, as a compensation for her services…

We checked the 1840 census to see if Daniel owned any slaves.* He did not. However, that census did indicate that there were three “Free Colored Persons” residing in the home, as follows:

Two males, one under 10, and one between 10-24 years old
One female, between 24-36 years old

*Slavery was fully abolished in New York following a gradual emancipation act passed in 1799 that freed children born after that date. An act on March 31, 1817, set the timeline for final emancipation, and the last enslaved people in the state gained freedom on July 4, 1827. (See footnotes).

We speculate that the Free Colored Person on the census (female) was Misa, and we wonder if the two males could have been her sons? By 1840, Daniel Shaw had been living in his Lansingburgh home for many years. When we looked at the ages for the other residents in the home, none of them aligned perfectly with the very scant knowledge we have about his children… Conceivably, he could have had a family boarding there. It makes sense that in his older age, and being a widower, he needed people around him. (6)

Crossing The Bridge

In the era we live in today, with the general ease of transportation, getting around is something we don’t pay much heed to. (Unless of course, we get stuck driving in traffic, or worse, we get a bit anxious because our luggage is taking much too long to show up at the carousel at the airport!) For our ancestors, getting around town took some real effort. Just imagine what it was like to cross the Hudson or Mohawk Rivers back then? It’s no wonder people got excited when a new bridge was built!

Page 108 from *The Hudson, From the Wilderness to the Sea*, by Benson John Lossing, 1866. The Union Bridge was built between 1800-1810.

From a Wikipedia article on the History of Lansingburgh, “The structure which spans the Hudson River between Lansingburgh and Waterford, Saratoga county, known as the Union Bridge, is distinguished as being the oldest wooden bridge in the United States. It stands intact today as strong apparently as in the early days of the century. When the bridge was constructed it was deemed a marvel of engineering skill. How the public looked upon the structure at that time is manifested by the elaborate character of the exercises which attended its opening.

The day was a holiday in Lansingburgh. A ‘very numerous procession’ was formed at noon at Johnson & Judson’s hotel and marched to the bridge, and thence across to Waterford, ‘under the discharge of seventeen cannon,’ where a dinner had been provided at Van Schoonhoven’s hotel at the expense of the stockholders of the bridge. Among the prominent persons in attendance were the governor, the secretary of state, the comptroller, ‘and a large number of respectable gentlemen from Albany and the adjacent villages,’ who ‘partook in much harmony and conviviality.’ The structure is 800 feet (240 m) long and thirty feet wide…”

In the next chapter, we will literally cross over this Union Bridge with our 4x Great Grandfather Orman Shaw, and learn about a union of another kind — that with his future wife Elizabeth. They will come to reside in the community of Halfmoon, Saratoga County. (7)

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

Setting The Stage

(1) — four records

Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library
A Map of the State of New York
by Simeon De Witt, circa 1804
https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:p8418t73n
Note: For the map image.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Troy from Mount Ida
(No. 11 of The Hudson River Portfolio)
Various artists/makers, 1821–22
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/418421
Note: For the river and town image.

Wade & Croome’s Panorama of the Hudson River from New York to Waterford
[electronic resource]
by William Wade, John Disturnell, and William Croome, circa 1847
https://archive.org/details/ldpd_11290386_000/page/n1/mode/2up
Note: For the cover image, and the panoramic Point-of-Interest view #153 of Lansingburgh, New York

Troy, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy%2C_New_York
Note: For the text.

A Tree of Welfare

(2) — two records

50 Objects — New York’s Capital Region in 50 Objects
Witenagemot Oak Peace Tree
https://www.albanyinstitute.org/online-exhibition/50-objects/section/witenagemot-oak-peace-tree

Schaghticoke, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schaghticoke,_New_York
Note: For information about the Tree of Welfare and Albany land ownership.

Getting To Know Daniel Shaw

(3) — four records

(DDFA)
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/512/mode/2up
Book pages: 513, Digital pages: 512 /1048
Note: For the text.

History of the Seventeen Towns of Rensselaer County, From the Colonization of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck to the Present Time
by Arthur James Weise, circa 1880
https://archive.org/details/cu31924064123015/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 34, Digital page: 40/168, Left and right columns at bottom.
Note: For the names Daniel Shaw and Joseph “Dody” as observed within the text.

Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution
New York Revolutionary War Tax Lists
https://www.ess-sar.org/pages/nys_taxlists.html
Note: For the text.

Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution
New York Revolutionary War Tax Lists by County — Albany
October 1779 Land and Property Tax Lists — Schachtakoke
https://www.ess-sar.org/pages/nystax_counties/nys_taxlists_county_albany_schachtakoke_october-1779.html
Document page: 4, Digital page: 5
Note 1: Entry 16 lists Danl Shaw of Cohoes.
Note 2: Three siblings of Lydia Doty are listed: Peter, Orman, and Jacob Doty.

The Colonial Militias of New York

(4) — seven records

U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for Daniel Shaw
New York > Willett’s Regiment of Levies, 1781-1783 (Folder 173)
— Various Organizations (Folder 181)
Digital page: 226/644
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/4282/records/1725089
Note 1: “An account of certificates” with Daniel Shaw being listed 25th from the bottom. Indications read “Investigation shows that a large number of the names on this records as of Col. Peter Yates’ Reg’t. NY”
Note 2: Further notations on digital page 228/644 indicate that payments were paid on 3 March 1789 in Lansingburgh by John VanRensselaer.

JAR: Journal of the American Revolution
How Was The Revolutionary War Paid For?
https://allthingsliberty.com/2015/02/how-was-the-revolutionary-war-paid-for/
Note: For reference.

Albany County Militia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany_County_militia
Note: For the text.

American Wars
Albany County Militia – 14th Regiment
https://www.americanwars.org/ny-american-revolution/albany-county-militia-fourteenth-regiment.htm
Note: For the listings of the Shaws and the Dotys.

Fandom
American Revolutionary War Wiki
14th Albany County Regiment of Militia
https://arw.fandom.com/wiki/14th_Albany_County_Regiment_of_Militia#cite_note-1
Note: For the text.

2nd New York Regiment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_New_York_Regiment
Note: For the data.

Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York
by Various Authors, circa 1853
(is enclosed within)
New York In The Revolution, Volume One
by The Board of Regents and Berthold Fernow, circa 1887
https://archive.org/details/documentsrelativ15alba/page/n9/mode/2up
Note 1: On book page 469 —Daniel Shaw, private, and Peter Doty, private, are listed on the Roster of the State Troops as being members of Yate’s Regiment.
Note 2: On book page 361 —Jacob Doty, private, and Orman Doty, private, are listed on the Roster of the State Troops as being members of Van Rensselaer’s Regiment.

Title About Their Marriage

(5) — eleven records

The Hammond-Harwood House Museum
18th Century Marriage
https://hammondharwoodhouse.org/18th-century-marriage/
Note: For the colonial wedding image.

Schaghticoke, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schaghticoke,_New_York
Note: For information about Rensselaer County in 1791.

(DDFA)
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/512/mode/2up
Book pages: 513, Digital pages: 512 /1048
Note: For the text.

Lydia Shaw
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/81992848?tid=&pid=&queryId=7c715aee-d3b7-4366-ba38-8699a4dee0c0&_phsrc=RPj2&_phstart=successSource
and
Lydia Shaw
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/121224259/lydia-shaw

Daniel Shaw
in the 1790 United States Federal Census
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5058/records/235427?tid=&pid=&queryId=1604fcd7-4f55-449e-8ae3-7d9d14acac82&_phsrc=UbN8&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 355, Digital page: 324/647, Left column, entry #20 from the bottom.
Note: This indicates that the family was living Pittstown.

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

Daniel Shaw
in the 1800 United States Federal Census
New York > Rensselaer > Scaghticoke
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7590/records/270758
Book page: 782 (handwritten), Digital page: 9/9

1800 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1800
Note: For the data.

William Shaw obituary from an uncredited Kingston, New York newspaper.

William Shaw
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/106338154/william-shaw
Note: For the obituary profile from an uncredited Kingston, New York newspaper. There are errors in the profile, such as his birthplace. He was not born in Dutchess County.

Hiram Shaw
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/142742279/hiram-shaw
Note: We speculate that he may have committed suicide.

Perhaps He Was A Prudent Man?

(6) — four records

[Record of the Will of Daniel Shaw]
New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971 > Rensselaer > Wills 1842-1843 vol 33
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GY4J-6ST?lang=en&i=167
Book pages: 279-285, Digital pages (images): 168-171/277
Note: The first six pages are notices to all the siblings of the probate. The actual Will begins on book page 285, or image 171.

The Historical Society of the New York Courts
When Did Slavery End in New York?
https://history.nycourts.gov/when-did-slavery-end-in-new-york/
Note: Our text was derived from this article.

Daniel Shaw
in the 1840 United States Federal Census
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8057/records/3781404?tid=&pid=&queryId=a0d38961-eb39-4ef6-8a80-0f8cea30f959&_phsrc=Szr6&_phstart=successSource
Note: For the data.

1840 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1840
Note: For the data.

Crossing The Bridge

(7) — two records

The Hudson, From the Wilderness to the Sea
by Benson John Lossing, 1866
https://archive.org/details/hudsonfromwilder00lossi/page/108/mode/2up
Book page: 108, Digital page: 124/486
Note: For the bridge image.

History of Lansingburgh, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lansingburgh,_New_York
Note: For the text.

The Doty Line, A Narrative — Seven

This is Chapter Seven of nine. We have wondered if Joseph Doty, Jr. moved from New Amsterdam, up to the Nine Partners area of the Hudson River Valley due to the influence of the family of his wife Geisje (Lucretia) Van Schaick. Perhaps he somehow connected with her family through the prevalence of the Dutch culture of Manhattan when he lived there? (His militia service was also was affiliated with the Dutch Burgher Guards).

Joseph also had his cousins Charles and Elias Doty from Oyster Bay, living in the Dutchess County area. So, it’s also possible that he and Lucretia could have connected through family, or the Dutch Reformed Church. Who knows, we’re just glad that they met!

Tintin struggles as he peers intently at a map of the Hudson River Valley. He is surrounded by clues and artifacts, piecing them together to try to puzzle-out the hidden locations.
(Image courtesy of Shutterstock).

From Wikipedia, **The Adventures of Tintin** is a series of 24 comic albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century. The country of Belgium was created in 1830, after it gained independence from the Southern Netherlands.

Let’s Talk About Place Names

During their lifetimes, our ancestors lived in a places that changed their name(s) quite a few times. This gets confusing. We have corrected the history in this chapter to reflect these transformations.

We have observed that many researchers have rather clumsily used inappropriate place names for locations mentioned in this history. Some of this is understandable, since two different countries clashed over who had control of the area. Be that as it may, many past record sources, and then more contemporary records, have not thought about this sufficiently. We are following them in time and have a longer view of how the area names and boundaries evolved. So let’s address this issue —

New Netherland vs. The Province of New York
The area was first known as New Netherland, a Dutch colony, until 1664. The English renamed it when they took control in 1664 as the Province of New York, after the Duke of York (later King James II).

New Amsterdam > Manhattan
First, it was called New Amsterdam, then the English changed the name to New York City in 1664, for the same reason cited above.

Fort Orange > Albany
Located on the upper Hudson River, it was named as Fort Orange by the Dutch. It was initially founded in 1614-1624 as a fur trading post. The English then renamed it Albany, designating it first as a settlement in 1664, a county in 1686, then as a city in 1686. It is the oldest city in New York State.

*Early Autumn on Esopus Creek*, by A. T. Bircher. (Image courtesy of The Old Print Shop).

Esopus > Wiltwyck > Kingston
This was a broad area on the upper Hudson River named by Native Peoples to describe a creek. The Dutch used this name because it was convenient to do so. In 1657, Peter Stuyvesant, the director-general of New Netherland, built a stockade to protect the Dutch, and renamed the Esopus village Wiltwyck. A few years later the English renamed portions of it as Kingston in 1669.

Kinderhook
This was a settlement which existed prior to 1651. First it was in Albany County, then this area became Columbia County in 1786, after the American Revolutionary War.

Ulster County
Derived from parts of the Esopus area by the Duke of York in 1683. Prior to that it was simply named Esopus. (Note: The Dutch were not very concerned about the names of interior settlements, since they concentrated mostly on extracting resources, such as beaver pelts from along the Hudson River). (1)

*Manhattan 1660* (view from Governor’s Island)*, by L. F. Tantillo Fine Art.
(Image courtesy of the New Amsterdam History Center, via The Dutch Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art). *Technically, the location then is *New Amsterdam.*

The De Longs, and The Van Schaicks, Come to America

Both family genealogical histories for our 6x Great Grandmother Geisje (Lucretia) DeLong’s maternal and paternal lines begin in The Netherlands (Holland). These lines then cross the Atlantic Ocean to America in a like manner, with them then building new lives in a Dutch-controlled New Amsterdam (Manhattan), in a similar time frame. However, the two families then diverge slightly for a couple of generations, before coming together in the third generation. We’ll start with the De Longs, who are the paternal side. Please note that in all records there are several spellings for this family surname. Among them: Delange, De Lange, Delong, De Long.

The Paternal Line, the De Langes / De Longs —
During this period of history, it was completely normal for Dutch immigrants to enter America through New Amsterdam. We don’t know the amount of time this family actually stayed there, but it seems plausible that fairly quickly they chose to relocate again. This time, they moved northward up the Hudson River to the area known by the Dutch as Esopus. In that area, they are considered to be very early pioneers since that area was still a rough frontier.

Detail excerpt from The Provinces of New York and New Jersey; with part of Pensilvania,
and the Province of Quebec, by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776.
(Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).
The lower orange circle indicates where the De Longs and the Van Schaicka certainly first entered New Amsterdam. The upper blue circle indicates where the De Long family was active; the upper green circle, where the Van Schaicks were active.

The first DeLange to arrive in America was Franciscus Adrianus (Arie) De Lange, born about 1627 in Leur, Etten-Leur, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands — died April 17, 1699 in Kingston, the Province of New York. He married Anna (maiden name unknown).

In the next generation, the De Lange line continues on in the Esopus and (then the) Kingston areas. Adrianus Franciscusz De Lange, was born about 1650, in the same location as his father Arie — died before April 17, 1699 in Brabant, an area of Kingston, Ulster County, the Province of New York. He married first Rachel Jansen, date unknown. He married second, Anna (maiden name unknown), date unknown.

The Maternal Line, the Van Schaicks
For Geisje (Lucretia) maternal family line, we return to The Netherlands. This history begins with Niclass Laurenzen Van Schaick, born about 1633 in Utrecht, The Netherlands — died about 1688 at Kinderhook, Albany County, the Province of New York. He married Jennetjie Cornelis circa 1664, before they immigrated to America. She was born about 1642, (possibly) in Beverwyck, Netherlands — died February 8, 1728, in the same location as her husband.

*Fort Orange and The Patroon’s House*, by L. F. Tantillo.
(Image courtesy of the New York State Museum).

As with the De Longs, we do not know how long the Van Schaicks were in New Amsterdam. Some of the literature suggests a family connection — and that perhaps Niclass was the brother of Gerrit Goosensz Van Schaick, who was also born in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Known as Goosen, he was one of the original settlers in the community of Fort Orange > Albany. It makes sense that Niclass and Jennetje would live in the same area.

Often, other researchers have not captured the birth of all ten of Niclass and Jannetje’s children. Maritje Van Schaick, our 7x Great Grandmother was the last of their children, born about 1683 at Kinderhook, Albany settlement, (Albany County in 1686). After several generations in America, the DeLange/DeLong family is finally joined by marriage to the Van Schaick family.
(See our Research Observation in the footnotes).

Marriage Record of September 6, 1703 for Frans Arie DeLong and Maritje Van Schaick.
(Note that their names are spelled differently).
From the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany, the Province of New York.

Frans Arie DeLong, born April 24, 1681, in Ulster County, the Province of New York — died May 29, 1755, in Beekman, Dutchess County, same Province. He married Maritje Van Schaick, September 6, 1703 She was born October 19, 1694, in Stuvesant/Kinderhook, Albany County [Columbia County, circa 1786] — died February 1758 in Dutchess County, Province of New York. Frans and Maritje (Van Schaick) DeLong had a large family of twelve children, with the eleventh being our 6x Great Grandmother, Giesje (De Lange/De Long) Doty. (2)

If the DeLange, or Van Schaick families were dressed in their very, very, very best clothes, their portraits would have looked somewhat like this. (Image courtesy of *Nicole Kipar’s late 17th Century Costume history*).

A Flourishing Family In The Hudson River Valley

The Joseph Doty Jr. family spent the arc of their lifetimes situated on either Long Island Sound, or within the Hudson River Valley. He was born in 1708 in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York Province — died about 1788 likely in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer County, New York State.

Marriage Record of March 20, 1743 for Joseph Doty Jr. and Giesje De Lange.
From the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Fishkill (Rombout Patent), Dutchess County, the Province of New York.

On March 20, 1743, Joseph Doty Jr., married Geisje De Lange* at the Dutch Reformed Church located in the hamlet of Fishkill, Rombount Precinct, Dutchess County, New York Province. She was born in the Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County, the Province of New York, about 1725, daughter of Frans Arie DeLong and Maritje (Van Schaick) DeLong. She died after 1773, likely in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer County.

*Geisje DeLong’s surname became anglicized to De Long (from De Lange). On many records, her first name is recorded as “Lucretia”. This was actually her nickname which she used for most of her life.

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

Together Joseph and Lucretia had 10 children, who are listed below. The records cited are quoted from the The Doty-Doten Family in America (DDFA) book.
Note: All of their children were born in the Province of New York. We have made corrections to their birth locations.

The first five children, Ormond, Peter, Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Rhoda, were born in the Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County:

Ormond Doty was born November 24, 1746 in Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County. He died in South Wallingford, Vermont, November 18, 1826. He married Phoebe Vail; she died at the same location, May 1, 1830. “It is reported that during the Revolution Ormond Doty lived at or in the vicinity of Albany, N. Y.; that he was a Loyalist and was imprisoned at Albany for some time on that charge, but at the intercession of his brothers, who were Patriots, he was released on the condition of going to South Wallingford, Vermont, at that time a wilderness. He removed there with his family, where they settled and remained.”
Peter Doty was born about 1750 in Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County. He died in 1811 after a Will was written dated July 2, 1811. He married Catharine Overrocker, who died January 1820.“They lived Schaghticoke. N. Y. He was a prosperous farmer there. His Will, dated July 2, 1811, is on record at Troy, N. Y.”
Rebecca Doty (twin) was born about 1756 in Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess, New York. She married (1) John Irish; (2) Stutely Stafford.
“She married first John Irish. He was killed as a British spy at Tinmouth, Vermont, during the Revolution. She married second, Stutely Stafford. They lived South Wallingford, Vermont.”
Elizabeth Doty (twin) was born about 1756 in Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County. She married Daniel Barheit.
Rhoda Doty (also known as Rhody), was born about 1759 in Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County. She married Jacob Stover.
“They lived Schaghticoke. N. Y., and it is probable that descendants lived Schuylerville, Saratoga County, and Greenwich, Washington County, N. Y.”

The next three children, Mary, Jacob, and Marian, were born in the same location, but renamed as the Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess County:
Mary Doty (also known as Polly), was born about 1763 in Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess County. She married Leonard Schermerhorn. “They lived Berne, N. Y.”
Jacob Doty was born about 1766, in Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess County. He married Zilla Berrie. “He is said to have lived in Albany or vicinity, during the Revolution, but afterward removed to Vermont.”
Marian Doty was born about 1768 in Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess County. She married Ephraim Putnam.

The last two children, Lydia and Nancy, were born in a new location: Lansingburgh, Rensselaer County:
Lydia Doty was born in December 1769, in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer County. She married Daniel Shaw about 1783. Lydia died November 2, 1830 in Schaghticoke, also in Rensselaer County.
(We are descended from Lydia and Daniel).
Nancy Doty was born about 1773, in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer, County. She married Mark Jimney. (3)

*Hudson River Scene*, by John Frederick Kensett.
(Image courtesy of the Beacon Historical Society via the Metropolitan Museum of Art).

The Dutch Words Were — Kromme Elleboog

While doing research for this chapter on the Doty Family, we encountered these odd-seeming place names in the Hudson River Valley: Crum Elbow, or Crom Elbow. They seemed like real head scratchers to us, but we’ve seen other odd things — such as trying to interpret quill-pen written manuscripts where the writer was implausibly scribbling away while experiencing a serious medical emergency.

Therefore, we were delighted to learn the following, simply because it made this aspect of our family history, that much more interesting. From the Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook of 1933 —

In the seventeenth century, while the Dutch held sovereignty over the valley of the Hudson, that is: from 1609 to 1664, they established settlements at three places,—one on the site of the city of New York, one on the site of Albany and one on the site of Kingston. They made no attempt to explore or to clear the forested regions on either side of the river between New York and Albany, chiefly because they were greatly concerned with the trade in furs, and the three settlements just mentioned did an active business as trading posts.

Ignoring the hinterland [the interior land areas], the Dutch plied the river in sailboats, learned to know the river well and had names for many of the sailing courses and for natural features along the shores.

In 1664 sovereignty over the Hudson valley passed to the English. They, after a few years, began to be interested in the regions east and west of the river and in 1683 the colonial legislature passed an Act by which those lands were laid out into counties. Coincidently with the creation of counties there arose an era of speculation in land, during which the desirable tracts along the river were bought up and ultimately opened for settlement.

In the course of the development, government officials filed documents and conducted correspondence in English and encouraged the common use of that tongue. It took just about a century for the English language to supplant the Dutch and, while the two were in use at once, original documents were recorded in which may now be found many instances of phonetic spelling, occasions when an Englishman tried to write down the Dutch words he heard in use about him.

An instance of such phonetic spelling and of partial translation is the place-name: Krom Elbow. The Dutch words were: Kromme Elleboog, meaning a bent or crooked elbow. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; Kromme was rendered in the records as: Krom, Krum, Crom, Crum and even Crown (K being a characteristic Dutch letter and C English), while Elleboog was translated in full into Elbow.

[Excerpted from from an article by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds,
in The Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook for 1933.]

The following bit of information from the excerpt above, became very important with the ongoing history of the Doty Family. “In 1683… coincidently with the creation of counties there arose an era of speculation in land, during which the desirable tracts along the river were bought up and ultimately opened for settlement”. (4)

The Nine Partners Patent in Dutchess County

“The Great Nine Partners Patent, also known as the ‘Lower Nine Partners Patent,’ was a land grant in Dutchess County, New York, made on May 27, 1697, by New York governor Benjamin Fletcher. The parcel included about four miles (6 km) along the Hudson River and was eight to ten miles (13 to 16 km) wide, extending from the Hudson River to the Connecticut border…

It was the ninth of fourteen patents granted between 1685 and 1706 which came to cover the entirety of historic Dutchess County [which until 1812 also included today’s Putnam County]”. (Wikipedia, 9 Partners) Some modern writers also refer to the patent as the Nine Partners area.

The sepia rectangle shows *The **Great Nine Partners Patent**,* a land grant in Dutchess County, New York, as surveyed by Richard Edsall, circa 1740. [It is barely legible] The map which overlays the The **Great Nine Partners Patent** map is from the Dutchess Count Historical Society yearbook of 1939, and indicates the many land patents that were scattered over the breadth of Dutchess County.

Note also in the lower left corner of Duchess County is the hamlet of Fishkill in the Rombout Patent. This is the place where Joseph Doty and his wife Giesje De Lange (Lucretia De Long) were married.

The Crum Elbow Precinct
Encouraging settlers to move into the new counties that lined the Hudson River superhighway was very successful.“Prior to 1734, there had been little settlement in the area, but it proceeded rapidly thereafter. Settlers came to the area up the Hudson, but also from New England. When the legislature divided Dutchess County into precincts in 1737, the Nine Partners Grant was included in the Crum Elbow Precinct.” (Wikipedia, 9 Partners)

Observation: The Province of New York used many Precinct Names in this era, but not many town names. “Towns” were quite frequently scattered, and being very tiny hamlets, of not much more than where two paths crossed. Some modern researchers have developed a tendency to magnify and enlarge some of these characteristics of places / hamlets / crossroads in their desire for a sense of a “town”.

So the historical place naming sequence (generally speaking) is:
> Counties (commencing in 1683)
> Patents (for Dutchess County, from 1685 until 1706)
> Precincts (or Dutchess County, in 1737, and then ongoing as needed for an administrative function)
> Town names (This varies, but precincts were eliminated in 1788. From that point on, only town names were used).

The Crum Elbow Precinct Is Divided Twice More
In 1762, the Crum Elbow Precinct was divided into two new precincts, called the Amenia and Charlotte Precincts. From that point forward, the Amenia Precinct was a separate entity. In 1786, Charlotte Precinct was divided again into: the Clinton Precinct and the Washington Precinct. Washington Precinct included the towns presently known as Stanford and Washington. Clinton Precinct included present-day Clinton, Hyde Park, and Pleasant Valley.

The later divisions of 1786 did not affect this family, because, in 1769, the whole family relocated to Lansingburg, Rensselaer County, which was the next county north of Dutchess County moving up the Hudson River.

The Doty family had lived in the Crum Elbow Precinct for many years, but we do not know exactly where. We likely never will know where unless some new records turn up. Some researchers have mentioned the Charlotte Precinct, but the Dotys only experienced that place name for about seven years before they moved. Some have mentioned the Clinton Precinct, but this precinct did not exist when they lived there. (5)

*The Van Allen Homestead,* by Henry A. Ferguson
(Courtesy of the Albany Institute of History & Art).

Literally Mending Fences Here And There

This was an era when there was no municipal government to take care of roads so that they were safe and passable. In addition, since many people had livestock, and boundary markers were generally a bit vague, someone had to pay attention to where the fences actually were. Joseph Doty was not alone in this role. Many of his neighbors had similar roles and a few interesting records do survive, such as —

In the book Records of Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County, New York, 1738… President Franklin D. Roosevelt (who knew he liked genealogy?), cited that Joseph Doty [Jr.] was:

Either an Overseer, or a Path Master of the High Ways in the Crum Elbow Precinct for the years: 1756 and 1759
Then the same role for the Charlotte Precinct four years later
The Delong family’s bridge (of his wife’s family) is also mentioned as being in the Charlotte Precinct in 1772
(See footnotes). (6)

A Blacksmith, Probably in Good Circumstances…

In the later 1760s, Joseph and Lucretia sold some of their properties in the Crum Elbow Precinct (which had recently been renamed as the Charlotte Precinct). There are two records which are written about in the Doty-Doten Family book, on page 505 — “Joseph Doty was a blacksmith, probably in good circumstances, his sons and daughters all being people of good position… June 5, 1767. Joseph Doty, blacksmith, of Crum Elbow, Dutchess Co., N. Y., mortgages land there. March 30, 1769. Joseph Doty, blacksmith, and his wife Cashea [Lucretia] of Charlotte, sell lots there, being part of nine partners, to Samuel Smith, Jr. of Jamaica, Queens Co., and Melancthon Smith of Charlotte.” The Precinct they lived in was populated by farmers and tradesmen. We speculate that Joseph may have learned the blacksmith trade during his time in Manhattan, perhaps as part of his militia service role.

From these old records we were able to learn his profession as a blacksmith. Also, we recovered an index record for the second land sale (likely due to the fact that we were fortunate to have a distinctive name such as Melancthon Smith to work with). The index indicates that the original deed is found on page 292, but the original record book is not cited. What’s more, we found a tax record for Joseph Doty of Nine Partners / Crum Elbow / Charlotte, for the time period of June 1754 – June 1768. This supports both his residency there, and the fact that since his tax record ends in June 1768, that there was change afoot. (See footnotes).

Dutchess County, Grantee Deed Indexes. (Image courtesy of Family Search)

Observation: Finding colonial era records in New York State is a very hit-or-miss affair, due to both the history of the area, and to be quite honest, the State of New York bureaucracy. They have not been very organized when it comes to digitizing older documents. We don’t have any records for when the Dotys first acquired property. So, we can only speculate as to when they left Fishkill, and moved north to the Crum Elbow Precinct. Does this mean that their residency there began about June 1754, as the tax records could imply? No, not really, because tax records for the years 1749, 1750, 1751, and 1752 are missing.

Records are quite scant. Censuses for population did not yet exist, nor did income taxes, and you cannot pay property taxes, unless you own property. (7)

Where the Hudson Meets the Mohawk

In 1769, they moved to Lansingburgh [Village], New York, located further north in Rensselaer County. The specific area where they moved to was at first, very sparsely settled. This is where the Hudson River meets the Mohawk River. Just slightly north, across the rivers was the established community of Halfmoon, and the town of Albany was to the south. (Albany had long been established; initially as a Dutch trading post in 1614).

The book, the History of Rensselaer County records, “The purchase by Abraham Jacob Lansing on June 21, 1763, was followed soon after by his actual settlement. Two or three other families were already here… and several others soon followed. In seven years quite a settlement was formed. The map of the city plat laid out by Mr. Lansing was tiled May 11, 1771. The survey had taken place a year or two earlier, for quite a number of lots were sold in 1770, and the town-meeting that adopted the ‘proposals’ had met in January before the map was tiled.” This book does not record that they were purchasers of property there.

Initially the area was called the New City. A. J. Weise’s History of Lansingburgh records that there were an estimated 50 people living there in 1771, 400 living there in 1780, and that by 1790, the population had increased to 500 people. In 1788, the year that Joseph Doty, Jr. likely passed away, this enthusiastic description was written: “Elkanah Watson, a traveler, thus writes in his journal concerning New City, in the year 1788: “This place is thronged with merchants, emigrants, principally, from New England, who have enjoyed a very extensive and lucrative trade, supplying Vermont and the region on both banks of the Hudson, as far as Lake George, with merchandise, and receiving in payment wheat, pot [potash] and pearl ashes, and lumber.” (See footnotes). (8)

These two maps indicate the position of the ‘New City’ of Lansingburgh
near the town of Halfmoon, the Province of New York.
(Images courtesy of the Lansingburgh Historical Society).

Our story about the Dotys is nearing its final resolution with the Doty family name giving way to the Shaw family name in the next chapter. Be that as it may, we have one more chapter to go, where the Shaw name then gives way to the Devoe family name, of which we have much, much history.

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

Let’s Talk About Place Names

(1) — nine records

The Adventures of Tintin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tintin
Note: For information on Tintin and his creator Hergé.

Province of New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_New_York
Note: For the data.

History of Manhattan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Manhattan
Note: For the data.

Fort Orange (New Netherland)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Orange_(New_Netherland)
Note: For the data.

The Old Print Shop
Early Autumn on Esopus Creek
by A. T. Bricher, circa 1875
https://oldprintshop.com/product/147946
Note: For the landscape image.

Esopus Creek
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esopus_Creek
and
Esopus, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esopus,_New_York
Notes: For the data.

Kinderhook, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinderhook,_New_York
Note: For the data.

Ulster County, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_County,_New_York
Note: For the data.

The De Longs, and The Van Schaicks Come to America

(2) — ten records

The New Amsterdam History Center,
via The Dutch Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Manhattan 1660 (view from Governor’s Island), by L. F. Tantillo Fine Art.
https://newamsterdamhistorycenter.org/fat-event/metropolitan-museum-of-art/
Note: For the panoramic artwork of New Amsterdam.

Library of Congress
The Provinces of New York and New Jersey;
with part of Pensilvania, and the Province of Quebec.
by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3800.ar104500/?r=0.402,1.183,0.673,0.371,0
Note: For sections of the map which indicate the areas of Esopus and New Amsterdam.

Franciscus Adrianus De Lange
https://www.geni.com/people/Franciscus-De-Lange/6000000002665615528
Note: For the data. (Use this file with caution!)

Adrianus Franciscuzs DeLange
https://www.geni.com/people/Adrianus-Franciscusz-De-Lange/6000000000115739032
Note: For the data. (Use this file with caution!)

Nicholas <Laurens or Gerrit?> Van Schaick
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rclarke/genealogy/page1/vschai-n.htm
Note 1: For the birth order of Maritjie with her siblings.
Note 2: She is listed as number eleven in the tracing, but looking closely, you will observe that she is child #10.

Nicholas Laurens Van Schaick (1633 – 1699)
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Van_Schaick-116
Note: This document (also) lists Maritje as his daughter.

New York State Museum
Introduction to the Fort Orange Educational Guide
Fort Orange and The Patroon’s House
by L. F. Tantillo.
https://nysm.nysed.gov/fort-orange-educational-guide
Note: For the landscape image.

Frans Arie DeLong
https://www.geni.com/people/Frans-DeLong/6000000002665613104
Note: For the data. (Use this file with caution!)

Maria Van Schaak
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/search/collections/6961/records/2220205
Book page: 230, Digital page: 234/308
Note: For the marriage record.

Research Observation: Unfortunately, many, many, (if not most), genealogical websites and family trees have incorrectly identified Lucretia’s mother, Maritje Van Schaick. Often she is listed as the daughter of Iden Van Schaick and Isabel Bloedgoet. Iden and Isobel did have a daughter named Maritje, but she is not the Maritje Van Schaick who was born in Kinderhook, New York. In fact, it is completely implausible that this mother (Isabel), uniquely gave birth to Maritje in 1680s Kinderhook, which is about 130 miles further north, when all her other children were born in New Amsterdam.

Nicole Kipar’s 17 the century Costume Archive
The Painter’s Family, circa 1630-35
by Cornelis De Vos
http://www.kipar.org/archive/period-galleries/galleries_dutch_paintings1.html
Note: For the family portrait.

A Flourishing Family In The Hudson River Valley

(3) — nine records

(DDFA)
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/504/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 505-506, Digital pages: 504-506 /1048
Note: For the text.

Giesje De Lange
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989
New York > Fishkill > Hopewell, Fishkill and MarbleTown, Book 14
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6961/records/2028806
Book page: 127, Digital page: 33/56
Note: For the marriage record of Joseph Doty, Jr, and Giesje De Lange [Lucretia (De Long) Doty]

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.

Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs:
a record of achievements of the people of the Hudson and Mohawk valleys in New York state, included within the present counties of Albany, Rensselaer, Washington, Saratoga, Montgomery, Fulton, Schenectady, Columbia and Greene
Volume 3
Cuyler Reynolds, 1866-1934, ed
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101030753469&seq=170
Book page: 1058, Digital page: 170/680
Note: On the page, see the entry for Doty-Eaton.

(DDFA)
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/504/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 505-506, Digital pages: 504-506 /1048
Note: For the text, and for the brief biographies of the children.

Ormond Doty and Phoebe Vail,
Book pages: 511-512, Digital pages: 510-512 /1048
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/510/mode/2up

The following are all found on Book pages: 512, Digital pages: 512 /1048:
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/512/mode/2up
Peter Doty and Catherine Overrocker
Rebecca Doty, married two times: 1) John Irish, 2) Stutely Stafford.
Elizabeth Doty (twin sister of Rebecca), married Daniel Barheit.
Rhoda Doty, married Jacob Stover.

The following are all found on Book pages: 513, Digital pages: 512 /1048:
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/512/mode/2up
Mary, or (Polly), married Leonard Schermerhorn.
Jacob, married Zilla Berrie.
Lydia, married Daniel Shaw.

Nicole Kipar’s late 17th Century Costume history
http://www.kipar.org/archive/period-galleries/paintings/dutch/de_vos_family_1635.jpg
Note: For the image.

Apparently, to this day this name is still used for streets in The Netherlands. (Image courtesy of: https://www.rtvdordrecht.nl/nieuws/de-kromme-elleboog-is-een-logische-straatnaam-voor-het-centrum).

The Dutch Words Were — Kromme Elleboog

(4) — five records

The Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook for 1933, Volume 18
Kromme Elleboog
A Seventeenth Century Place-Name in the Hudson Valley
by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds
https://issuu.com/dchsny/docs/dchs_yb_v018_1933_masterfile/s/15204965
Note: For the text.

Hudson River Scene
John Frederick Kensett, circa 1857
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11310
Note: For the landscape image.

Library of Congress
The Provinces of New York and New Jersey;
with part of Pensilvania, and the Province of Quebec.
by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3800.ar104500/?r=0.402,1.183,0.673,0.371,0
Note: For sections of the map which indicate the Great Nine Partners purchase and the Crum Elbow Precinct.

Timeline of Town Creation in the Hudson Valley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_town_creation_in_the_Hudson_Valley
Note: For the data.

The Nine Partners Patent in Dutchess County

(5) — three records

(Wikipedia, 9 Partners)
Great Nine Partners Patent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Nine_Partners_Patent
Note: For the text.

Untitled Manuscript Map of Great Nine Partners Patent
in Dutchess County, New York
by Richard Edsall (surveyor), circa 1740
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/140a7300-fcc4-0132-425e-58d385a7b928?canvasIndex=0
Note: For the map image, (Image ID 5376733)

Dutchess County Historical Society
18th Century Maps
by Author unknown
https://dchsny.org/18th-century-maps/
Note: For the DCHS 1939 Yearbook (map)

Literally Mending Fences Here And There

(6) — two records

Left: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1882 — 1945.
32nd President of the United States, and Right: Frontispiece for *Records of Crum Elbow precinct, Dutchess county, New York*…

Records of Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County, New York, 1738-1761,
together with records of Charlotte precinct, 1762-1785,
records of Clinton precinct, 1786-1788, and
records of the town of Clinton, 1789-1799
by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1882-1945, editor
https://archive.org/details/recordsofcrumelb00roos/page/n7/mode/2up
Note 1: Joseph Doty is listed as either an Overseer, or a Path Master of the High Ways in the Crum Elbow Precinct for the years: 1756 (page 28), 1759 (page 30); then for the Charlotte Precinct in 1763 (page 66).
Note 2: The Delong family’s bridge is mentioned in the Charlotte Precinct in 1772 (page 75).

The Making of the Hudson River School, The Improved Landscape
The Van Allen Homestead
by Henry A. Ferguson
https://www.albanyinstitute.org/online-exhibition/the-making-of-the-hudson-river-school/section/the-improved-landscape
Note: For the painting.

A Blacksmith, Probably in Good Circumstances…

(7) — three records

TuckDB Postcards
The Village Blacksmith
https://www.tuckdbpostcards.org/items/16508-the-village-blacksmith
Note: For the postcard image.

Joseph Doty
Mentioned in the Record of Melancthon Smith
Land – New York, Land Records, 1630-1975
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Z82J-HL6Z?lang=en
Note: For the land deed.
Book page: 2144, Digital page: Image 11 of 347

Crum Elbow tax lists: includes Nine Partners precinct, Crum Elbow precinct, Charlotte precinct, Amenia precinct, Clinton precinct, Washington precinct
by Clifford M. Buck
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/296090/?offset=0#page=13&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
Book page 12, Digital page: 13/76
Note 1: Typed tax record for Joseph Doty of Crum Elbow, for the the time period of June 1754 – June 1768.
Note 2: Document identifier number 285952.

Where the Hudson Meets the Mohawk

(8) — five records

Library of Congress
The Provinces of New York and New Jersey;
with part of Pensilvania, and the Province of Quebec.
by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3800.ar104500/?r=0.402,1.183,0.673,0.371,0
Note: For sections of the map documenting the transition from the Crum Elbow Precinct in Dutchess County, to the hamlet of Lansingburg Village in Rensselaer County in 1769.

History of Rensselaer Co., New York
by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester, circa 1880
https://archive.org/details/historyofrenssel00sylv/mode/2up
Book page: 293, Digital page: 292/844
Note: For the text on the history of Lansingburgh Village.

Albany, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany,_New_York
Note: For reference.

The History of Lansingburgh, N. Y.
From the Years 1760 to 1877
by A. J. Weise, A. M., circa 1877
https://ia801209.us.archive.org/6/items/historyoflansing00weis/historyoflansing00weis.pdf
Note 1: Book page 39 — for the text regarding population statistics.
Note 2: Book page 11 — for the quote from the traveler Elkanah Watson.
Note 3: Book page 7 — For the description of the original town map, as follows,
“The Map is filed in the Albany County Clerk’s office, and is marked number 18. The following description is attached to it: “This Map describeth a tract of land lying on the east side of Hudson’s river, about eight miles above the City of Albany, and is layed out in a regular square for the erecting a City by the name of Lansingburgh; the lots are one hundred and twenty feet long and fifty wide. The streets are seventy feet wide, and the alleys are twenty feet wide the oblong square (the Green or Park) in the center is reserved for publick uses. Laid down by a scale of ninety feet to an inch. June 7, 1771.
Joseph Blanchard, Surveyor. May 11, 1771. A. Jacob Lansingh.”

Lansingburgh Historical Society
Old Maps of Lansingburgh
https://www.lansingburghhistoricalsociety.org/old-maps
Notes: For the two map images, described accordingly on their website —
“Detail showing New City within boundaries of (unlabeled) Stone Arabia, and Iron Hill north of it. Cropped from ‘A chorographical map of the Northern Department of North-America’ (1780)”
and
“This Map describeth a Tract of Land […] Lay’d out in a Regular form for the Erecting a city by the name of Lansinghburrough”

The Doty Line, A Narrative — Nine

This is Chapter Nine of nine. This the last chapter of our narrative about the Doty Line, hence, we are writing about the marriage and family of Orman Shaw and his wife Elizabeth. In the last chapter (Eight), the Doty name gave way to the Shaw surname, and in this chapter, the Shaw surname gives way to the DeVoe surname.

This chapter covers the years from when Orman and his wife Elizabeth were born, from the years after the American Revolution, up the time of the American Civil War. We came across this distinctive bit of history, and feel that because it is unique, that perhaps we should share it. We reminds us of how life was so different for these generations, as compared to how we live today.

So, let’s take a look at the very last soldiers of the American Revolution.

Image capture from the BBC video America’s Last Revolutionaries: Rare Photos of US patriots. (See footnotes).

The Last Six Men of the American Revolution

These men had lived their lives through a period when the United States as we have come to know it, first came into being. The BBC (isn’t that a bit ironic?) has created a celebrated video where we learn about these men who fought in the American Revolutionary War, and lived lifetimes that were so long — the end of their lives generally coincided with the end of those of our ancestors. To see the video (about 8 minutes in length), click on the link below:
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0kh0k3v/america-s-last-revolutionaries-rare-photos-of-us-patriots (1)

A World That Seeks Balance

The young United States which Orman and Elizabeth Shaw were born into, was a world of variability. As such, they grew up in a young country that was trying to figure out how to govern itself, how to pay its debts from The War, how to establish a currency, how to unite the different states into a functioning Republic…

The PBS television program American Experience, aptly describes it this way in their program After The Revolution —
“The period following the Revolutionary War was one of instability and change. The end of monarchical rule, evolving governmental structures, religious fragmentation, challenges to the family system, economic flux, and massive population shifts all led to heightened uncertainty and insecurity.

Although the states had united politically under the Articles of Confederation in 1777, they did not yet exist as a united nation. Each state retained individual sovereignty and operated under its own constitution. Congress struggled to hold the states together, and interests often clashed.” The Articles of Confederation ended in 1789, and were then replaced with The Constitution.

*Saratoga County New York*, by Burr, 1866.
(Image courtesy of Maps Of The Past)

In other chapters we have described how local borders always seemed to be in flux — as described by 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.”

This family stayed local, living their 24 years first in Rensselaer County, and then moving one county westward to the community of Halfmoon in Saratoga County, where they put down deeper roots. The 1855 New York State Census tells us they relocated circa 1835. The Shaws were self sufficient farmers, likely making many of the things they needed, as their forebears had done across generations.

Orman Shaw’s Lot 53 property, where he had his farm. Shown on a map of the *Town of Half Moon,*
from the *New Topographical Atlas of Saratoga County, New York,* circa 1866

Even though this family had been born into an era of much change after the Revolutionary War, and there was much instability, things did evolve. The central government had become strong enough that a war with Great Britain had become inevitable for many reasons, but the basis of this new War was autonomy, and economics for the young United States. (2)

The War of 1812,
and Colonel William Knickerbocker’s 45th Regiment

“The tensions that caused the War of 1812 arose from the French revolutionary (1792–99) and Napoleonic Wars (1799–1815). During this nearly constant conflict between France and Britain, American interests were injured by each of the two countries’ endeavours to block the United States from trading with the other. American shipping initially prospered from trade with the French and Spanish empires, although the British countered the U.S. claim that ‘free ships make free goods’ with the belated enforcement of the so-called Rule of 1756 (trade not permitted in peacetime would not be allowed in wartime).” (Encyclopædia Britannica)

Orman Shaw served in the War of 1812 as a Private, in Captain Samuel Strom’s Company. That group was part of the larger brigade and regiment — the Schaghticoke brigade of Colonel William Knickerbocker’s 45th Regiment, of the New York Militia. They participated in the Plattsburgh Campaign.

At Left: Soldier Dress & Uniform in the War of 1812. (Image courtesy of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library). At Right: *Macdonough’s Victory on Lake Champlain and Defeat of the British Army at Plattsburg by General Macomb, September 11, 1814*, by Engraverː Benjamin Tanner, after painting by Hugh Reinagle. (Image courtesy of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Collection via Wikipedia).

As described in an article titled, Bicentennial of the Battle of Plattsburgh, on the blog History of the Town of Schaghticoke —
“According to a 1936 article in the Albany “Evening News”, the call for the draft went out; the men assembled at Henry Vandercook’s Inn and put slips of paper with their names in a hat. Every fourth slip of paper drawn was opened, and the man whose name appeared [was] drafted for service. I do not know how accurate this account is, as much of the rest of the story was not, but in any case, the 2,200 men began to march north on September 13, first goal Granville. Three solid days of rain ensued, with the march halted at Speigletown.

The newspaper account stated [that] they reached Granville two weeks later. [However…] they reached Granville on September 18. Whatever the case, the battle had occurred on September 11. As soon as that word reached the Brigade at Granville, it was disbanded and the men [were] sent home.”

1857 Pension claim for his service in the War of 1812, for Orman Shaw.
Excerpted from the New York, War of 1812 Certificates and Applications of
Claim and Related Records, 1858-1869. (See footnotes).

So we do not know if Orman actually experienced any other battles, since it seems he was certainly soaked to the bone with the rain and fatigued from the long march to Plattsburgh.

An eventual benefit of that experience was that he was eventually paid (43 years later!). He did qualify for a pension for his war service. The 1857 record for this is shown above, indicating that even at this very late date, he was compensated for costs that initially came out of his own pocket. (Notice that, like many other people of his era, he signed his name with an X). The amount was $54.25, which in today’s time is equal to about $2014.00. His wife Elizabeth was the designated heir for any further pension benefits. (See footnotes). (3)

***Just to be quite clear — this is not our 4x Great Grandfather Ormand Shaw’s family from long-ago New York State.*** Be that as it may, this is still a wonderful image — that of an unknown Ohio family, circa 1855, which we are using to ‘stand-in’ for Orman and Elizabeth’s family, *[if only we had a daguerreotype of them!]*. Image courtesy of Ohio Memory.

One interesting aspect of this time period, is that early forms of photography were starting to emerge as the world moved into the modern era. Some examples of this new photography are: heliography, calotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, daguerreotypes, and albumen prints.

The Seven Shaws of Saratoga County

All birth and deaths took place in New York State, unless noted otherwise. Some county names did change over time — Albany County was reformed to be Rensselaer County, in 1791. So, before 1791 > Albany County, and after 1791 > Rensselaer County. Furthermore, when a county name changes, such as in a record for a marriage or a death, we have noted this.

We believe that in about 1811, Orman Shaw, married Elizabeth ________ (last name unknown) in Rensselaer, New York. He was born on March 3, 1790 in Pittstown, Albany County* — died August 13, 1842, Halfmoon, Saratoga County.
*Albany County became Rensselaer County in 1791.

His wife Elizabeth ________, was born May 1795 (location unknown) — died April 2, 1876 in Saratoga County. She is buried in the Crescent Cemetary, Crescent, Saratoga County.

They had five children, who are listed below. The first four children were born in Rensselaer County; youngest daughter Emeline was born in Saratoga County.

Elida (Shaw) DeVoe. (Who was sometimes recorded as Olive). She was born April 10, 1812 in Rensselaer County — died February 17, 1896, in Easton, Washington County. She married Peter M. DeVoe on January 22, 1829. Please refer to the chapter, The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Eight, for the history of their family. (Note: Elida’s name is sometimes spelled Alida, and she is also occasionally written about with the nick name ‘Olive’ on documents).
We are descended from Elida and her husband Peter M. DeVoe.

Marriage records excerpted from the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, New York > Bought > Bought, Book 6. (See footnotes).

Elizabeth (Shaw) DeVoe Smead. She was born February 12, 1814 in Rensselaer County — died March 29, 1901 in Stillwater, Saratoga County. She was married two times: first to Cornelius DeVoe on October 7, 1830, he died in 1844; second (after) 1844, to Elihu Smead, he died in 1895. It is interesting to note that Elizabeth and her older sister Elida both married men from the DeVoe family, at the Boght-Becker Dutch Reformed Church, Colonie, Albany County.
John W. Shaw. He was born in 1825 in Rensselaer County — died March 8, 1915 in Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida. He married Sarah E. ________ (last name unknown). She was born in 1827.
Luzern Shaw. He was born in 1830, in Rensselaer County — died March 13, 1876, in Cohoes, Albany County. He married Julie Furman about 1855. She was born in April 1837, in either Dutchess or Green County — died December 6, 1838, in Halfmoon, Saratoga County.

Luzern’s death is written about in the March 1876 edition of The Troy Daily Times under the section called: “Cohoes – Temperance Address — St. Patrick’s Day — Sudden Death: Luzern Shaw, an old resident of the first ward, died very suddenly last night. Heart disease is supposed to be the cause of his death.” They had three children, one of whom (Norman) died by suicide. (See footnotes).
Emeline (Shaw) Devine. She was born in 1838, in Saratoga County. She married Michael Devine, and died after 1868, likely in Malta, New York. (4)

Bringing The Farm to The Market

Sometimes we have the opportunity to understand more about the everyday lives of our ancestors when we come across documents which inform us about how they earned their livelihoods. Some pursed being merchants, one was a silversmith, several were painters, and many, many were farmers. For Orman Shaw, we have what are known as Agricultural Assessments from the Federal government in 1850 and 1860, as well as one from New York State in 1865. These reports help to paint a picture of what products he had brought to the market.

*Sunday,* a watercolor painting by Myles Birket Foster, of the English School.
This image demonstrates well the types of products which were produced on Orman Shaw’s farm in the 19th century: grain crops such as wheat farming, and raising livestock, in an area similar to the upper Hudson River Valley. (Image courtesy of Meisterdrucke).

From those documents, and selecting 1860 as an example report, we learned some interesting things. Instead of being a farmer who grew crops, (but not corn, which seems to be stuck in our mind’s eye…) — he grew Irish potatoes, buckwheat, and hay. He raised swine, which were market animals. There were dairy cows, so he had fresh milk with which he made and sold butter. He was selling the wool from his sheep, likely to the newly developing area woolen mills that were opening in nearby counties.

In 1850, he reported his farm as having 211 improved acres, and 8 unimproved acres. The value of the farm was about $1200. Ten years later in 1860, it was clear to us that he had sold much land because his acreage was reduced to 41 acres, but the cash value of his property had increased to over $12,000. It seems that since he was in his 60s by then, he must of felt that having money in the bank was a prudent choice. That makes sense since this is what had been going on in America of the 1850s—

“The Panic of 1857 was a significant economic crisis that began in August 1857, stemming from a combination of agricultural and financial instabilities. The aftermath of the Crimean War reduced European demand for American crops, particularly affecting land speculators in the U.S. Meanwhile, the financial infrastructure was already overextended, and the failure of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company sparked widespread panic. Following this, a series of bank failures in New York led to a loss of public confidence in the banking system, exacerbated by the sinking of the Central America steamer, which carried crucial gold reserves.” (Ebsco)

Excerpts from pages 9 and 10 for Orman Shaw in the U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules for 1860.

The New York State assessment of 1865 actually sought out much more data than the previous Federal assessments in 1850 and 1860. (The amount of questions and the categories actually doubled). Since the survey was done in 1865, this period of time coincided with the end of the American Civil War. We evaluated the data in 1865, it looked remarkably like the data from 1860. The questions then became for us, How did the Civil War affect things for New York farmers by the last assessment of 1865, which occurred soon before Orman’s death? (Technically, the War ended in 1865ish when there was a general cease of hostilities, see below).

“The conclusion of the American Civil War commenced with the articles of surrender agreement of the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, at Appomattox Court House, by General Robert E. Lee and concluded with the surrender of the CSS Shenandoah on November 6, 1865, bringing the hostilities of the American Civil War to a close. Legally, the war did not end until a proclamation by President Andrew Johnson on August 20, 1866, when he declared “that the said insurrection is at an end and that peace, order, tranquillity, and civil authority now exist in and throughout the whole of the United States of America”. The Confederate government being in the final stages of collapse, the war ended by debellatio, with no definitive capitulation from the rapidly disintegrating Confederacy; rather, Lee’s surrender marked the effective end of Confederate military operations.” (Wikipedia)

Center image, *Lee’s Surrender, Peace in Union* by Thomas Nast.
The surrender of General Lee to General Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, April 9, 1865.
(Image courtesy of http://www.granger.com via Wikipedia). The United States Flag and The Confederate States Flag images are courtesy of Google Images.

Unlike the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, no major battles for the Civil War were fought on the soil of New York State. Be that as it may, there were still riots and some fires south of Saratoga County in Manhattan. Perhaps this explains the relative equanimity that we perceive between the 1860 to 1865 surveys. If anything, farmers like Orman Shaw of Saratoga County were more appreciated. “New York boasted the nation’s most valuable farm land both before and after the Civil War. New York City was the nation’s biggest commercial, manufacturing and financial center during Reconstruction. [i.e. after the War]” (PBS, American Experience)

Traveling On The Erie Canal, published in the 1825 edition of *The Northern Traveler* by Theodore Dwight. (Image courtesy of 40 x 4 x 28, see footnotes).

One thing to understand about this period, is that these years marked a transition between farming for one’s own subsistence, to one where many products could now be transported for sale to a larger market. Starting in the 1820s, New York State had built canals, such as the Erie Canal, and they were innovative for transporting goods to market. During the 1850s, new railroad lines were being built (practically everywhere it seems), and they were achieving even greater success with the timing and volume of goods moved. (NY State Canal Commission) (5)

Seen This Way, The Past Isn’t Finished…

As we surmised from reviewing the various agricultural assessments, Orman Shaw seems to have been a sensible and thoughtful man. To that end, he thought about his own end long before it happened, creating his Will many years before it was actually needed. It is a very straightforward document, leaving much of his estate to his wife Elizabeth, but also providing for his children. (See footnotes).

First page of the 1868 Probate Notice, for the December 1858 Will of Orman Shaw.
Excerpted from the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999,
Saratoga > Wills, Vol 021. (His complete Probate and Will is in the footnotes).

The Dotys > the Shaws > and the DeVoes had been making their homes in the New Amsterdam / New York area for many, many years. As an example, while the Dotys began in the Plymouth Colony, our ancestor David Du Four (DeVoe) was also living in Manhattan as a Walloon emigrant from the Southern Netherlands. For the generation that was to follow this one, this statement was prophetic. “Saratoga County was also a gateway for the westward migration of many settlers, as the Mohawk River provided a natural passageway through the Appalachian Mountains. Both the historic Champlain Canal, located on the Hudson River, and the Erie Canal, located on the Mohawk River, operated in this county.” (Town of Saratoga)

We are descended from two of the original Plymouth Pilgrim families, from the 1620 voyage
of the Mayflower. Both of these lines meet with our 2x Great Grandparents, through
the marriage of Peter A. DeVoe (for Edward Doty), and Mary Ann Warner (for George Soule).
Background image, *Isolation: The Mayflower Becalmed on a Moonlit Night*, by Montague Dawson.

This then brings us full circle to Generation 8 in America — to Elida (Shaw) DeVoe’s son, Peter A. DeVoe, who is our 2x Great Grandfather. He is the direct descendant of Mayflower passenger, Pilgrim Edward Doty. When he married our 2x Great Grandmother Mary Ann Warner, she was the direct descendant of Doty’s fellow Mayflower passenger, Pilgrim George Soule. Their union connected the Doty and Soule lineages from the Mayflower.

You can read about Elida (Shaw) DeVoe’s life with her family and the subsequent generations, starting in The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Eight.

We look backward, in order to look forward.
Sometimes we ponder if the genealogy work that we enjoy doing, is similar in a way to the type of work which archeologists do. In a passage found in a recent fascinating book about Pompeii, written by the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, we felt that his words captured our similar point-of-view very well:

“We must realize that we’re the product of the past, the decisions people have taken, sometimes centuries ago, but also that the decisions we make about telling history
in a particular way constructs the present and the future. Seen this way, the past isn’t finished. We, who keep telling and discovering the past, are in the middle of it.”
— excerpted from
The Buried City, Unearthing the Real Pompeii
by Gabriel Zuchtriegel, and Jamie Bulloch (translator] (6)

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

The Last Six Men of the American Revolution

(1) — two records

BBC
America’s Last Revolutionaries: Rare Photos of US Patriots
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0kh0k3v/america-s-last-revolutionaries-rare-photos-of-us-patriots
Note: For the video link.

The original book upon which the video is based:
The Last Men of the Revolution : A Photograph of Each From Life,
Together With Views of Their Homes Printed in Colors: Accompanied by
Brief Biographical Sketches of The Men
by E. B. Hillard, circa 1864
https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012930976/page/n7/mode/2up
Note: For the data.

A World That Seeks Balance

(2) — four records

PBS
American Experience
After the Revolution
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/midwife-after-revolution/#:~:text=The%20period%20following%20the%20Revolutionary,to%20heightened%20uncertainty%20and%20insecurity.
Note: For the text.

Saratoga County, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_County,_New_York
Note: For the text.

Maps Of The Past
Historic County Map — Saratoga County New York
by Burr, 1866
https://mapsofthepast.com/products/historic-county-map-saratoga-county-new-york-burr-1866-23-x-26-38-vintage-wall-art?srsltid=AfmBOoriJTM18WF7QhJ6QUHVM9PG1DdHHVq2Ji6H_5h-tjaPtL8_cO9X
Note: For the map image.

New Topographical Atlas of Saratoga County, New York,
from Actual Surveys by S. N. & D. G.
by Beers and Assistants, Stone & Stewart Publishers, Philadelphia, 1866
Town of Half Moon
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/saratoga/HalfMoon.html
Note: For the map image.

The War of 1812,
and Colonel William Knickerbocker’s 45th Regiment

(3) — eight records

Encyclopædia Britannica
War of 1812, United Kingdom-United States history
https://www.britannica.com/event/War-of-1812
Note: For the text.

Orman Shaw
in the New York, U.S., War of 1812
Payroll Abstracts for New York State Militia, 1812-1815
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5370/records/40678?tid=&pid=&queryId=c54e6ca0-5bf6-48b1-b11e-3f621985e820&_phsrc=XgW11&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 746/1026
Note: For the form and data.

Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Soldier Dress & Uniform in the War of 1812
https://www.pritzkermilitary.org/soldier-dress-uniform-war-1812
Note: For soldier and sailor uniforms for the War of 1812.

Battle of Plattsburgh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Plattsburgh
Note: For the naval battle image.

History of the Town of Schaghticoke
Bicentennial of the Battle of Plattsburgh
https://schaghticokehistory.wordpress.com/tag/war-of-1812/
Note: For the text.

Orman Shaw
in the New York, War of 1812
Certificates and Applications of Claim and Related Records, 1858-1869
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61602/records/1892
Note: For the form and data.

Orman Shaw
in the U.S., War of 1812
Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1133/records/12473?tid=&pid=&queryId=67ee574a-c0de-4bba-a7f3-604dc04b1412&_phsrc=XgW8&_phstart=successSource
Note: For the form and data.

CPI Inflation Calculator
https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1857?amount=54.25

The Seven Shaws of Saratoga County

(4) — eighteen records

Ohio Memory
The Father of Commercial Photography
by Lily Birkhimer
https://ohiomemory.ohiohistory.org/archives/901
Note: For the image of the hand-tinted daguerreotype showing an unknown Ohio family in 1855.

Ormon Shaw
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/64818874?tid=&pid=&queryId=f3dee6ae-c8db-4089-a5d2-9496668ef966&_phsrc=XgW1&_phstart=successSource
and
Ormon Shaw
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/92469264/ormon-shaw
Note: For the data.

Elizabeth Shaw
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/64818889?tid=13457304&pid=122242335478&ssrc=pt
and
Elizabeth Shaw
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/92469282/elizabeth-shaw
Note: For the data.

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.
Note: For the marriage dates of Elida Shaw and her sister, Elizabeth Shaw.

The New York Times
Suicide of a Boy — A Threat Carried Out
https://www.nytimes.com/1870/08/20/archives/suicide-of-a-boya-threat-carried-out.html
Note 1: 1870 Death notice for Norman Shaw, the son of Luzern Shaw and Julie (Furman) Shaw.
Note 2: The online link is for New York Times subscribers.

Research Note — We have included all Census information we were able to locate for this family, from 1810 through 1865.

O Shaw
in the 1810 United States Federal Census
New York > Rensselaer > Schaghticoke
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7613/records/319074?tid=&pid=&queryId=1c086b73-fe18-43fd-973f-86393d43093a&_phsrc=XgW14&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 64, or 435 (handwritten), Digital page: 1/10, Upper portion, entry #19
Note: For the data.

1810 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1810
Note: For the data.

Ormand Shaw
in the 1820 United States Federal Census
New York > Rensselaer > Schaghticoke
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7734/records/504125?tid=&pid=&queryId=5410cdcd-49a1-4779-b96f-4c5ad74bb3a9&_phsrc=XgW10&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 7/9, Upper portion, entry #7 (below his father Daniel Shaw)
Note: For the data.

1820 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1820
Note: For the data.

Orean Shaw
in the 1840 United States Federal Census
New York > Saratoga > Half Moon
Book page: 4 or 5, Digital page: 13/34, Upper portion, entry #5
Note: For the data.

1840 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1840
Note: For the data.

Orman Shaw
in the 1850 United States Federal Census
New York > Saratoga > Halfmoon
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/records/8325089?tid=&pid=&queryId=b5d111be-0778-4a9b-9b32-0d9a0f10ea2f&_phsrc=GES1&_phstart=successSource
Digital pages 28-29/67, Lines 41, 42, (on page 28), Lines 1, 2 (on page 29)
Note: For the data.

1850 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1850
Note: For the data.

Norman Shaw
in the New York, U.S., State Census, 1855
Saratoga > Halfmoon > E.d. 1
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7181/records/1653051873
Digital page: 19/22
Note 1: This census lists a granddaughter named Elizabeth Shear living in the home, who we believe could be a daughter of Elizabeth (Shaw) Smead. (We are still researching this relationship. Observe the difference in the surname spelling). Additionally, in Orman Shaw’s 1858 Will there is a minor boy listed named Norman Shear, who is likely her brother.
Note 2: This census also indicates that they have been living in Halfmoon for 20 years. That means that they relocated there circa 1835. Thus, Emeline is their only child born there.

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

Orman Shaw
in the New York, U.S., State Census, 1865
Saratoga > Halfmoon
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7218/records/1039871?tid=&pid=&queryId=6799a95f-ba3d-474c-b989-2cb60c663a84&_phsrc=XgW18&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 37, Digital page: 19/62, Right page, line 14
Note: For the data.

New York Genealogical & Biographical Society
1865 New York State Census
https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/subject-guide/new-york-state-census-records-online

Bringing The Farm to The Market

(5) — twelve records

Meisterdrucke
Sunday
Watercolor painting by Myles Birket Foster, circa 1861
https://www.meisterdrucke.uk/fine-art-prints/Myles-Birket-Foster/66821/Sunday.html

Orman Shaw
in the U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880
— for 1850
New York > Agriculture > 1850 > Saratoga > Halfmoon
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1276/records/4678711?tid=&pid=&queryId=7ec47de9-f45e-4860-bfae-001c1dda8dad&_phsrc=gDu9&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 2/6, Line 39
and
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1276/records/4678711?tid=&pid=&queryId=7ec47de9-f45e-4860-bfae-001c1dda8dad&_phsrc=gDu9&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 3/6, Line 39

Orman Shaw
in the U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880
— for 1860
New York > Agriculture > 1850 > Saratoga > Halfmoon
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1276/records/4516098?tid=&pid=&queryId=fe821526-8e41-485d-96a7-9c17a3008267&_phsrc=gDu11&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 9, Digital page: 6/7, Line 16
and
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1276/records/4516098?tid=&pid=&queryId=fe821526-8e41-485d-96a7-9c17a3008267&_phsrc=gDu11&_phstart=successSource
Book page 10, Digital page 7/7, Line 16

Ebsco
Panic of 1857
https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/panic-1857
Note: For the text.

Arman Shaw
in the New York, U.S., State Census, 1865
(The file is mislabled. This is actually an Agricultural Assessment.)
– for 1865
Saratoga > Halfmoon
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7218/records/2880127?tid=&pid=&queryId=45bdb53a-b9b7-4bfa-8ee3-f3d512ba51f2&_phsrc=gDu19&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 56-59, Digital page: 29-31/62, Line 7
Note: This is a multipage form with many more data points.

Conclusion of the American Civil War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War
Note: For the text.

Lee’s Surrender, Peace in Union by Thomas Nast
[www.granger.com via Wikipedia]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:General_Robert_E._Lee_surrenders_at_Appomattox_Court_House_1865.jpg
Note: For the painting.

PBS
American Experience
Reconstruction: The Second Civil War
State by State — New York, Union State
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/reconstruction-states/
Note: For the text.

40 x 4 x 28
(Historical Landscapes of The Erie Canal)
Navigating The Noses
Traveling On The Erie Canal, circa 1825
by Henry Inman (painter) and Peter Maverick (engraver)
https://40x4x28.com/category/the-noses/
Note: For the image.

NY State Canal Commission
The Dream of The Erie Canal
https://www.canals.ny.gov/About/History
Note: For the data and the image.

Seen This Way, The Past Isn’t Finished…

(6) — four records

First page of the December 1868 Probate Notice
for the December 1858 Will of Orman Shaw, page 495.

Second page of the December 1868 Probate Notice
for the December 1858 Will of Orman Shaw, page 496.

Third page of the December 1858 Will of Orman Shaw, page 497.

Orman Shaw
in the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8800/records/9143519?tid=&pid=&queryId=dfe2db3c-1d4c-4bdb-b0b1-0c88cfc683fc&_phsrc=XgW6&_phstart=successSource
Book pages: 495-497, Digital pages: 271-272/401
Note: For the document [3 pages total] and data.

Town of Saratoga
County of Saratoga History
https://www.saratogacountyny.gov/departments/county-clerk/historian/county-history/
Note: For the text.

Isolation: The Mayflower becalmed on a moonlit night
by Montague Dawson, (British, 1890-1973)
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Isolation–The-Mayflower-becalmed-on-a-m/FD8D6C1A6976C620
Note: For the image of the Mayflower painting.

The University of Chicago Press
The Buried City, Unearthing the Real Pompeii
by Gabriel Zuchtriegel, and translated by Jamie Bulloch
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo246710287.html
Note: For the pull quote excerpted from the text.