Sunday, April 3, 2016

Persistence - Don't Ever Give Up!

This article was written 28 May 2014 for the West, Fike and Allied Families in MyFamily.com.   I am posting this today to point to the importance of not just deciding the facts will never be found.  Joy Ikelman and Ben West have told me that they are preparing articles for this blog... I am so excited to see their articles, I decided to find something to help the time pass!  My article will show that I am stubborn about finding what I want to learn.  I hope it will encourage all that read this to decide to knock down brick walls in their family tree research or in anything else in their lives that is of importance to them.   - John G. West

Don't ever give up! I have been studying my family history since I was a kid of about 10 years of age. At times life got in the way a little for me to stay at my life-long hobby, but I would pick up again and continue the course. College and dating girls took me away from genealogy. Then being in the Air Force for four years was a serious obstacle to researching... but I would still do a little research and Mom would send me little notes about the family. She knew that the service was not where I wanted to be, but I had to serve like everyone else and it was my duty. She also knew that family history kept me going and made the not so great times more bearable!

Mom's father died when I was about 12 in 1959, he was an old man that had a rough life and 8 kids. He worked very hard - my Dad had worked with him in a factory for a few years... stating that no man worked as hard as he did! He was known to drink a lot over the years, but never missed work, though. He drank only on the weekends!  He was almost 79 when he died and had very little money or possessions. His small life insurance policy paid some of his final expenses, family paid the rest. He had enough to pay for the funeral and a grave spot near his father's grave and a number of family members in a large cemetery in Owensboro, KY where he lived. The $255 from Social Security was supposed to help and should have paid for a grave marker. One son got the check and was the one that was supposed to get the marker made and installed at his grave. It apparently never happened!

Dad's father did not get a marker either. Not long before my father died, he & Mom decided that their father's should have markers. Dad got the one for his Dad (Warner West) in Christian County, KY. It had been over 10 years since Mom's father had died and the cemetery could not figure out from the records where his grave was actually located which made placing a marker impossible. After my Dad died I took Mom to the cemetery to help her find the grave, but we spent a lot of time in vain. I have gone back and walked the whole area trying to figure it out many times. Two years ago, I insisted on the cemetery director to actually go out with me and find the grave. He was determined to help me find it - the cemetery should know where he was buried, the burial was in recent times (1959). We spent several hours even after it began raining. I really did not want to give up.

This Memorial Day weekend (2014), I was determined that I was going to find grandpa's grave. It was an outrage that the cemetery did not know the exact location. They had records, why was this so difficult? I had been in charge of Evansville's city cemeteries with Oak Hill Cemetery being older and larger than the Rosehill-Elmwood Cemetery in Owensboro. After trying again, going from information in the office files and back to the cemetery section and back again three times, I finally asked if I could actually examine the records to see what the problem might be. I finally figured it out. Section G had 3 divisions. The burial list that was recorded in alphabetical order had him buried in Section G,
Division 2, Lot 44. While the burial plot maps had him in Division 3. These two records were never cross-checked before. Division 3 is where all of my grandfather's family was buried, Division 2 is next to # 3 not all that far. However the two divisions had over 800 burials. Once I looked in Division 2 after consulting the records in the alphabetical listing of who should be buried around him, it was easy to find the lot. His was the only plot that did not have a marker in the rolls and graves near lot 44.

It would have been easy to just forget it and accept the fact he was buried somewhere in Division 3 near his father and let it go. Persistence (ok and stubbornness) paid off in finally finding his grave after all of these years. The records have been corrected. Now, if only I had the money to get a marker for his grave.

The moral of this story is to "never give up." The answer is there somewhere, keep looking. Many in this group have found records that everyone said was forever lost. New information seems to pop up from other sources. New technology changes what we currently know. Just look at what DNA has done to help us discover our family connections, what new tools will the near future give us? Keep searching, be persistent and discover the facts!

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Robert West (b. 1834), a Slave Freed During the Time of the U.S. Civil War

[NOTE: This article was submitted to me a few years ago and it apparently got lost in my email archives.  My apologies to George L. Holder (who compiled this information) for my neglect of posting this.  Thanks George for your work on this!  Robert West is the ancestor of Vy Higginsen.  John G. West]

Robert West was a slave until freed under unknown circumstances about the time of the American Civil War.  He and Aggy Minor had a daughter Mary:

Mary West, age 6; born and resides in Caroline County, VA.; last owner,  M. Young, of Caroline Co.; residence of father, Caroline Co.; age (of father?) 32; father’s last owner Henry Young of Caroline Co.; mother Aggy Minor; no age, dead; her own last owner, Henry Young, Caroline Co.; signature of father, Robert West.   [source: Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands], Register of Children of Colored Persons in Caroline County, State of Virginia, whose Parents had ceased to cohabit on 27th February 1866, which the Father recognizes to be his (Fredericksburg, VA.: University of Mary Washington, date unknown,  Web Site title: Caroline County African-American Children list 1866: downloaded 26 Feb 2010 from: http://resources.umwhisp.org/freedmen/CarolineAf-AmChild2.htm, page 18, line 14.  Note: searching this document reveals six mentions of West” and none for “Clayton.”  There no mentions for 29 mentions for “Minor” including one for “Aggy” indicating possibilities for further inquiry.]

1860 census: Robert West, age 30, Male, Mulatto, (occupation not perfectly clear, appears to be a Twister, Tobacco, i.e. twisted tobacco leaves to make tobacco plugs in a manufacturing facility), born Virginia; Mary, age 28, Female, Mulatto, (appears to be a Stemmer, Tobacco i.e. removed stems from tobacco leaf in a manufacturing facility), born in Virginia; Robert, age 4/12, Male, Mulatto, born Virginia. [source: Robert West household, 1870 U. S. census, Hanover County, Virginia, population schedule, Lower Revenue District, Beaver Dam Depot post office,  enumerated 9 July 1870, page 31, lines 33-37, household 468, family 465, National Archives micro publication M593, roll 1651. Downloaded image 16 February from  Heritage Quest.] 


Summarized from a chart as of 27 Feb. 1866: Robert West, age 32, born in Caroline County, Virginia, currently residing in Caroline County, Virginia, a farm laborer by occupation.  His last owner was Henry Young, whose last place of residence was Caroline County, Virginia.  Robert’s wife is Mary Clayton, age 20, who was born in Caroline County, Virginia, currently residing in Caroline County, Virginia.  Mary’s last owner was Anne Toliver, whose last place of residence was Caroline County, Virginia.  Robert and Mary have two children, whose names are Maria, age 2 and Alex, age 1.  The date during which Robert West and Mary Clayton started cohabitating was about 1863.  [source: Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands in the Sub-District of Caroline County, Virginia, Register  of Colored Persons of Caroline County, State of Virginia, cohabiting together and [sic] husband and wife on 27th February, 1866, posted on a web site of the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia, accessed 16 Feb 2010 from: http://departments.umw.edu/hipr/www/freedmen/CarolineAf-Ammarried1.htm, page 31.  [As of 10 Aug 13 this web link no longer works.]  Identical information except for the date they began cohabiting together, which is absent, can be found at: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Virginia_Cohabitation_Records, click on “Caroline County, Freedmen’s Cohabitation Register “ at the Library of Virginia.  Of possible interest is that immediately above the entry for Robert West is “Robert Clayton, born King William County, Virginia, residing Caroline County, Va., employed as a farm laborer, last owner was Samuel Tolliver of Caroline County, Va., wife’s name and age, Julia Thomas, 43, born King William County, Va., living Caroline County, Va., last owner Ann Tolliver, of Caroline County, Va., children Mary 20, Catherine 9.”]

1870 census: Robert West, age 45, Male, Mulatto, Farmer, apparently able to read but not write (image not perfectly clear); Mary, 24 years old, Female, Mulatto, keeping house, cannot read or write; Maria, age 7, Female, Mulatto,; Aleck, age 5, Male, Mulatto,; Nancy, age 2, Female, Mulatto. All born Virginia. [source: 1870 census: Robert West, age 45, Male, Mulatto, Farmer, born in Virginia, apparently able to read but not write (image not perfectly clear); Mary, 24 years old, Female, Mulatto, keeping house, born in Virginia, cannot read or write; Maria, age 7, Female, Mulatto, born Virginia; Aleck, age 5, Male, Mulatto, born Virginia; Nancy, age 2, Female, Mulatto, born Virginia.]


1880 census: Lewis, Lemuel, [head of household], BM, 22, laborer; Catherine, BF, 22, wife; John BM 8/12 [eight months old],Son; Mattie, BF 2, Daughter; Clayton, Julia, BF 60, Mother in Law, Keeping House; Robert West, BM 65, Bro in Law, Laborer; Maria [?], BF 16, Niece; Alexander, BM 15, Nephew; George, BM 12, Nephew; Mary, BF 9, Niece; Ella BF 7, Niece; Emma, BF 6, Niece, Clayton, Robert, BM, 65, Father in Law, Laborer.  Each person and their parents are shown as being born in Virginia. [source: Lemuel Lewis household, 1880 census, Hanover County, Virginia, population schedule, Ashland District, enumeration district [ED] 62, supervisor’s district [SD] 3, sheet 28A-b, dwelling 279, family 282, line 49, National Archives micro publication T9, Roll 1370, page 28A, line 49, [continues on page 28B, lines 1-11].

Monday, February 15, 2016

Are You a Settler and Give Up on Finding All of the Facts?



When I was just a kid, we would watch the TV show "Dragnet" with the police detective, Joe Friday, saying to a lady witness: "Just the facts, Ma'am!"  This is what we as family historians should insist upon - Just the Facts!
I have been researching, questioning, investigating, doubting undocumented (& some documented) “facts” since I was in the fifth grade (age 10, now age 69 about 59 years).  You might think I am a little bit stubborn and generally do not accept circumstantial evidence as “fact!”   One thing that I have discovered over all of these years: if there is any "fact" that does not totally add up or seems suspicious, that "fact" needs further research!  Another important item, is any normal information that is missing like birth, marriage, death, lost periods of time... these missing facts can change all that you knew about that person and much more.  Finding proof (documentation) for “facts” is often elusive and even to seem to be totally non-existent; however, do not give up… keep searching for it, the proof is usually available, we just do not know where to look.  I once found a document in Texas for an estate in Kentucky that was “lost” in Kentucky, but recorded in Texas by an heir to that estate!

Let me provide some background of two important facts believed to be lost forever.  My father was an avid book reader who devoured books of all kinds including my high school and college textbooks and whole sets of encyclopedias.  He loved to read western paperback novels, but his favorite was history.  Dad dropped out of high school after his sophomore year to support his mother and younger sister, but through his readings of math, science, grammar, literature and the arts – he easily acquired more education than what most get from high school.  From his readings (studies), he “knew” he was descended from someone who participated in the Revolutionary War.  He researched in the public libraries in the 1950’s when he was not working.  He learned some about our family in county history books, but also realized that much of that information was generally glorified stories of the family.  He was told that the Christian County, Kentucky courthouse was completely burnt down during the Civil War and the records were all destroyed.  The Health department was burned down several times by fires that included Dad’s birth certificate (which meant that he did not have a certificate to prove his birth, etc.).  If only Dad could have gotten access to U.S. Census records, the latest released was the 1860 census.  Cemetery inscription books began being published in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  Dad died young in 1973.  I had done some research and asked family about our history; so, I knew most of what Dad had learned, though it was limited and undocumented.

Shortly after Dad had died, I learned that the courthouse in Hopkinsville was burned to the ground, but before the Confederate soldiers arrived the citizens removed all of the records with all being saved from 1797 when Christian County was formed.  That same day I found the court records to prove our line back to Thomas West, Jr. and that he provided material aide to the U.S. militia.  I also learned that his son Charles H. West was married to Aquilla Buckner, the daughter of Jesse Buckner a Private who fought in the Revolutionary War.  Dad was right about the family involvement in the development of our country’s independence from England… he just could not find the proof!

Another “fact” that proved to not be absolute was about Dad’s birth certificate.  By state law all births and deaths were required to be “returned” to the State Office of Vital Statistics within 5 days of the event.  Sure enough I was able to get Dad’s birth certificate from the state office!

Another example is Dad’s Woodis family of Christian County, KY.  Littleberry Woodis was in NC in 1810.  I found in Kentucky that his wife was Luvana, but what was her maiden name?  I could not find a marriage record for them.  They had a son, William Woodis, who appears in the 1860 census with his wife, children and mother, Luvana age 90.  In the 1870 census, William is nowhere to be found, but his wife and children are in the census.  Where was William?  Were they divorced, did he run away, was he dead???  He would have been about 53, so I decided he died between 1860 and1870.  Many of his family and other relatives went to Illinois between 1860 and 1870.  I was checking records in Illinois and accidently found William in the 1870 census.  So, he went into hiding again from 1870 thru 1880 Census… lost again.  I assumed he had died this time or ran off to California or whatever!  I gave up on him.  A member from my genealogical society informed me that Henderson, KY (just across the Ohio River from Evansville where I live) had a complete set of the volumes of the State Vital Statistics in their courthouse.  Wow! I could check for many of my family members and send off for birth/death certificates!!!  I was there the next morning looking through the long lists of records.  The state records begin in Kentucky in 1912 with death records being the most important to me.  I checked for Mom’s family and all of Dad’s lines (West, Flatt, Phipps, Martin, Williams, Woodis, Buckner, Rogers, Rager, etc.).  I found a death record of a William Woodis  died in 1913 (lived just long enough).  The record lists name, date of death, county and certificate number.  This couldn’t be Littleberry’s son since he would be very old, it would be about right for William’s son who was named William.  I sent off for the certificate to see who was listed as this William’s mother.  When I got the record, it listed the mother as Luvana Blalock and father Littleberry Woodis – what???  Age 95 years old!  This elusive William Woodis did not die just after 1870, he was alive in 1913!!! I checked the 1910 census and found him, and then I checked the 1900 census and found him again.  I checked all of the surrounding counties and did not find him in the 1880 census.

I gave up on this William Woodis and assumed he had died sometime after 1870… a span of 43 years before he actually died!  I did learn of him for part of that time, but still have 30 years lost (1870-1900).  I only sent off for this death certificate to ensure that Amanda Black was his mother.  My direct line from Littleberry was William (1818-1913) and Luvana then Margaret G. Woodis.  I would have never found this information, if I just assumed it was the wrong William!

We tend to give up and search another line or person.  However, no matter how discouraged we may become or how hopeless the possibility of success, something happens to pull us back into looking some more.  I will say that for myself, I have been to the point of thinking I will never know the answer to our quest and just put away my files and notes in total surrender!  And then, you find some documents out of nowhere that sheds new light on your research.  Or perhaps... Ben, Joy, Ronnie or someone else will ask a simple question that leads us all scrambling to find the answer.  This has happened to me many times and keeps happening over and over.  So many facts were said to be impossible to find from that courthouse to lost deeds, wills, death dates and burials, maiden names, etc., etc., and so on!  [smiling].  Too many people have not been stubborn enough like George, Ben, Ronny, Kevin, Joy, Vy or me.  The less stubborn gave up and said that there existed enough evidence to say that it is likely or highly assumed to be true... only to learn many years later that the “lack of evidence” was because we were on a false trail!  Please do not be like the family on the TV commercial - we are settlers.   Remember, "just the facts, Ma'am!"

Friday, January 22, 2016

Understanding Quaker Records

Compiled by Joy Ikelman, January 2016. All disclaimers apply. Information for this article came
from scholarly works and my personal experiences.

Understanding Quaker Records

Researching a Quaker ancestor is a challenge! Quaker traditions and customs affect
how you should interpret data—even Federal Census records.


The following information applies to Quaker research from the 1600s to about 1828. In
1828, the Society of Friends split along doctrinal lines. If you are doing research beyond
1828, some of the same information will apply, depending on the location or doctrinal
leaning of the Meeting.


This is an example of minutes written on 30 of 1 m 1833 at the Norwich (Canada) Monthly Meeting.
Benjamin West is mentioned. Following this is a note about the visit of Joseph Hoag, a respected
minister. West and Hoag were probably fourth cousins.


(1) A Friend didn’t usually live down the street from his Meeting place.
If you discover your ancestor is associated with a particular Quaker Meeting location, it doesn’t
necessarily mean that he lived in that town. He might not be in the same county, State, or
country! For example, during the 1790s, the Nine Partners Meeting in Dutchess County, New
York, held jurisdiction over Meetings in Canada.

As membership increased in the late 1700s and early 1800s, Meetings were divided into
associated units—from gatherings in homes, to Preparative Meetings, Monthly Meetings,
Quarterly Meetings, and the Yearly Meeting. Beginning in the 1820s, the Meeting units divided
again, this time into Orthodox versus Hicksite (or other Quaker movements). Always follow the
non-Quaker paper trail using Federal Census records or court documents to find your ancestor’s
actual location.

(2) Quaker data are found in Meeting minutes.
Every Meeting was managed much like a business. Detailed Meeting minutes were written in
record books. In these handwritten books there might be birth records, inventories, membership
transfers, disciplinary actions, etc. There were Men’s Meeting Minutes and Women’s Meeting
Minutes, as the genders were considered to be equal. Dates of Meetings were listed with the
day of the month, month designator, and year, i.e. “20 of 12 m 1822.” Pay close attention to
these:

     Quaker Census.
A Meeting’s membership list (also called a Quaker census) might include
all members’ birthdates and birthplaces. Usually the list will only include names for a
particular year. But some lists span several years—adding new members but not
subtracting those who have died or moved to another location.

     Birth Records. By writing the baby’s name in the official book, the Meeting (as a
congregation) promised to take care of the child should anything happen to the parents.
There are no Quaker baptisms. In general, a firstborn boy was named after his mother’s
father. A firstborn girl was named after her father’s mother. Names did not have to be
Biblical.

     Marriage Records. When you find a marriage record, it is actually an acknowledgement
that two people declared their marriage to each other. No minister or legal official was
required. No elaborate ceremony was held. A certificate (document) would be drawn up. It
would be signed by witnesses at the Meeting, and copied into the minutes.

     Death Records. A mention of a Friend’s death in a record is highly unusual. Burials were
simple, without ceremony. Usually there was no marker (tombstone). This tradition
changed over the years. After the 1820s, there were often markers but these were not
ornate. These customs reflected the belief that all people were equal in life and death.

     Quaker Discipline. Disciplinary actions were designed to keep Friends on the proper
path. Discipline might be required for disorderly conduct, immodesty, inappropriate
language, and not attending the Meeting. In all cases, there were chances to be in good
favor again—with a change in behavior, writing an apology, and/or doing work in the
service of the Meeting.

     Dismissals.
Dismissals from the Meeting happened occasionally. The family historian
might think, “That’s the end of it—my ancestor was no longer a Quaker after that.” Not
true! A Friend could offer an apology, usually written, expressing his understanding of the
dismissal. After consideration by committee, the individual was allowed to return to the
Meeting. The most common reason for dismissal was “marriage out of unity.” Another
common reason was not adhering to Quaker beliefs. This reason was used often in the
years up to the major schism of 1828.

(3) The United States Census records can be tough to interpret.
If you attempt to correlate 10-year census records with what you know about your Quaker
ancestors, you may feel like giving up. There are too many or too few children! Some are in the
wrong age group! These issues show up in 1790 to 1840 census records, because children’s
names are not listed.

We know the usual explanations: high infant mortality and census-taker errors, for example. But
there may be other reasons, and these have to do with Quaker customs.

     Apprenticeships. In general, the progression of a child’s life was set. Beginning at about
age 8, a boy and girl would go to school until they were 14 years old. From 14 to about
age 21, boys would be apprenticed. This was almost mandatory. Their field of study was
determined by discussion of Friends in their Meeting. Girls might also become
apprentices. The children were placed with fellow Friends. The apprenticed children lived
with their new family, who were usually acquaintances or relatives. They were counted
with the other children in the house during a Federal Census.

     Taking in additional children. The Friends believed that all Quaker children should be
given care until they could manage for themselves. This included orphans and children
from poor families. The phrase was “put out to Friends.” If there are extra children in your
ancestor’s census record, there may be children who have been welcomed into the family
from these circumstances.

(4) There are some excellent, free resources on the Web for your research.
Many minute books have been lost over time. If a Meeting place was laid down (discontinued),
the record books would often be taken home by a Friend, rather than passed along to the next
closest meeting. These books are still being discovered.

Most Quaker records that still exist have not been scanned for online use. You must go to a
depository library to view these, or request film or microfiche through the LDS or universities.
However, if you are persistent, you can find things for free. A large number of Quaker-related publications and data may be found at:  https://archive.org/details/textsPut keywords in the search feature on the far right (try "Quakers").  Transcribed Quaker data and other publications by Josephine Frost, a genealogist and historian of the early 1900s, are found here.

The best university source for American Quaker records is the Friends Historical Library
Collection at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. The on-line site has an index feature that is
very useful. Visit the site at: http://www.swarthmore.edu/friends-historical-library.

Canadian records are also available. Name searches, indexes, and some transcribed minutes
are found at the Canadian Quaker Archives site, http://quaker.ca/archives/. The Canadian
Friends Historical Association site includes the archive of their journal, and transcriptions of
Nine Partners Monthly Meeting. This is at http://www.cfha.info/.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

The 9 Children of Elijah West (1722-1798)

Compiled by Joy Ikelman, September 2015. Disclaimers apply.

Children of Elijah West (1722-1798)

Thomas West (1630/1631-1720) m. Phebe Waters
       - Benjamin West (1665-1733) m. Hannah Shadduck
            - Benjamin West, Jr. (1696-after 1739) m. Mehitable Bailey
                  - Elijah West (1722-1798) m. (1) unknown; (2) Hannah Thurber
                        - Children of Elijah West: Benajah, David, Elisha, Mary, Abigail,
                            Susan, Elizabeth, Sophia, Lewis   

Please see the blog article about Elijah West for his story: http://westproj.blogspot.com/2015_08_01_archive.html

In 1774, Elijah West (a widower) moved from Pawling, Dutchess County, New York, to Windsor, Windsor County, Vermont. He left behind his five children: Benajah, David, Elisha, Mary, and Abigail. He started a new family with Hannah Thurber Nichols. Their children were Susan, Elizabeth, Sophia, and Lewis.

Elijah West bought land in Windsor using the names of his first five children. He never told them about the land deed. In 1785, West petitioned the court to annul the deed, probably to put it in his own name. He admitted that he did not know where his first five children were, or if they were still alive. The court managed to find them, and the land was re-conveyed to West. By doing this, Elijah West excluded his first five children in New York from any property or wealth that he acquired in Vermont.

The petition of Elijah West connected the children in New York to the children in Vermont. It also connected one of our FG#5 DNA participants back to Thomas West in the 1600s. This article gives a bit of information about Elijah West’s known children.


Children of Elijah and His First Wife
(1) Benajah West
In 1967, an 85-year old genealogist offered “$50 for first documentary evidence of the parents and birthplace of Benajah West.” [1] That is about $350 in today’s money. [2] The fellow must have been researching a long time!

Benajah was born on 17 Sep 1752. [3] Family tradition says Benajah was born and died in New Lebanon, Columbia County, New York. However, in 1752 New Lebanon did not exist. Columbia County did not exist. This area was comprised of “the Canaan settlements” within the Van Rensselaer Manor. [4] Perhaps he was born in one of these settlements.

When Benajah was 6 years old (1758), his father rented land in Beekman Patent, Dutchess County, New York. [5] At age 19 (1771), Benajah has an entry in the ledger of Daniel Merritt’s general store in Quaker Hill (Pawling). [6]

Marriage to Anna Younglove. Benajah West and Anna (or Annah) Younglove were married in July of 1775. [7] Anna’s parents, Isaiah Younglove and Mary Lucas, lived in Cambridge, New York at that time. There is a lot of information on the Younglove family. Their immigrant ancestors, Samuel and Mary Younglove, settled in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts in 1635. [8] Benajah West’s ancestors had also settled in Essex County.

Benajah and Anna were the parents of the following children: Sarah (“Sally”), Mary (“Polly”), Azuba, Marcia, Elijah, David, Abraham, Anna, Elizabeth, Lydia, Eliza, and Isaiah. I have not verified this list of children. I noticed a lot of information on-line. The first three children were baptized at the Schaghticoke Dutch Reformed Church, Rensselaer County, NY [9]

Petition for Military Assistance. In 1777, more than 100 men of Saratoga and Cambridge sent a petition to New York Governor George Clinton. [10] Benajah West and Isaiah Younglove, his father-in-law, were among the signers. The petitioners—living in the frontier of New York—requested that military aid be sent to their region. They expected an attack at any time.

Your Petitioners are Expos’d to the Incursions of the Savages and their more Savage abettors, the British and Tories from Canada, that your Petitioners have Great reason to Expect that the Enemy will Commit depredations on them, and that if they are Under the necessity of Guarding the Frontiers, Their farms must lay waste and their families Exposed to Inevitable want and the Greatest distress.

This was in April. The request was denied by Governor Clinton. He said the current number of troops was sufficient. In June, the British “Saratoga Campaign” began. Forces led by General John Burgoyne moved from Quebec, Canada, down through the Hudson Valley to Saratoga. [11] Local militia forces added to American troops led to a victory, although not without casualties on both sides. General Burgoyne surrendered in October.

Revolutionary War Service. Benajah West belonged to one of the militia regiments fighting Burgoyne’s forces. In July of 1777, Benajah West joined a new regiment led by Colonel Lewis Van Woert—the 16th Cambridge, Albany County, New York militia. [12] West was a Private in Captain John McKillip’s Company [13]. At the time he resided in King’s District, Albany County, New York. [14] I could not find his exact service years.

Census Records. Benajah was mentioned in the 1775 land deed of Elijah West, along with David, Elisha, Mary, and Abigail. All lived in Dutchess County. When the court reviewed the document in 1785, the court discovered that Benajah had moved to Albany County. [15] He appears in the 1790 United States Federal Census as a resident of Cambridge, Albany County, NY. Cambridge would later be designated as part of Columbia County. In the 1800 and 1810 Census his residence is Canaan, Columbia County, NY. In the 1820 Census his residence is Lebanon, Columbia County, NY. [16]

Petitioning for a Pension. In January 1832, Benajah West and other men petitioned the U.S. Government, “respectively praying that their names may be placed on the pension list of the United States.” [17] Most of the requests were passed along to Committees; Benajah’s was tabled. [18]

Deaths of Benajah and Anna West. Anna West died 20 Aug 1821. Benajah West died 30 Dec 1832 in New Lebanon, Columbia County, NY. The tombstone is in the Cemetery of the Evergreens, New Lebanon, New York. However, it might have been moved there. George West Van Siclin, in his application for the Sons of the American Revolution, wrote (in 1896):

        Benajah West, under whom I am entitled to membership in the S.A.R. lies buried in the door yard of the farm-house of his deceased daughter Lydia West Warner, in New Lebanon, Columbia Co., N.Y.; his tombstone is there. The family Bible of his son, David West of Hudson, N.Y., my grandfather, has descended to me and is in my possession.
        The first entry in the fly-leaves between the Testaments relates to Moses Younglove and wife; the next one, which was there before I can remember, and over fifty years ago is “Benajah West born Sept. 17th, 1752, old style. Died Decr. 30th, 1832. Annah Younglove, Born October 23rd, 1758, Died Aug. 20th 1821, married July 1775.” Annah Younglove West’s tombstone is next to that of her brother Dr. Moses Younglove in the old burying ground, Hudson, N.Y. [19]


(2) David West
David West was born 25 Feb 1758—the year that his father first leased land in Dutchess County. [20] We are particularly interested in David West, as he is the direct ancestor of a West FG#5 DNA participant. The birth date is from a Quaker record that mentions his birth place as Pawling, Dutchess County, New York. [21] The town of Pawling was officially founded in 1788, but it was a precinct created from Beekman’s Patent beginning in 1768. [22]. Therefore, the location in the Quaker record is correct.

David West married Susannah (or Susanna) Hoag [23] who was from an established Quaker family. She was the daughter of Benjamin Hoag, Jr. and Lydia Jones of Amesbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. [24] David and Susannah’s known children are Benjamin West, Abraham West, and Levi West. More information about this West family will be in a future blog article. The article will show the family against the backdrop of Quaker history.


(3) Elisha West
Elisha West was born in Pawling, Dutchess County, New York. My theory is that Elisha West was born about 1760 to 1762. Census records show that David is older than his brother Elisha.
In 1777—three years after his father Elijah moved to Windsor—Elisha was involved in a court case.  Elisha was boarding at John Caswell’s house when a murder occurred on the Caswell property. The victim was Lieut. Ephraim Nichols, a settler in Pawling, and a Patriot who had served as a Minute Man in 1776. [25] This murder occurred on 30 Jun 1777. Elisha West was arrested along with eleven others—including John Caswell—and confined to jail. [26]

By 1777, Dutchess County was tense with vigilante activities. New York had declared its independence, and anyone with Tory leanings was suspect. The Caswells had been singled out in other incidents. One family historian wrote: “The Caswell family seems to have been very Tory minded and may account for many of their later migrations.” [27]

Elisha gave the key testimony in the investigation:

        Elisha West being duly sworn, Deposeth & Saith, that on Monday Evening last being the same time when Lieut Ephraim Nichols was shot, the Dept Lodged at the house of John Casewell, where that affair happened; That he does not know what time in the night it was, as he was asleep & did not hear the report of the Gun or Guns.
        That some time after Lieut Nichols was slain two men came up in the Chamber where the Dept lay, the one of them named Moses Northrop havg a sword in his hand addressing himself to the Dept said, that he need not be afraid, that he confessed he had fired the Gun; The other person appeared to have no Arms. That Northrop asked the Dept if there were no Damn’d Rebels up in the Chamber, that upon Examining the Chamber, and finding no person there but the Dept they Departed.
        The Dept further saith, that in the Evening when he retired to bed, he saw no other person there, save, John Casewell & his family, that Casewell was gone to bed before the Dept but that he was not home at that time of night, when the said two persons came up in the Chamber to him.           That the next morning he was informed by the way of Nehemiah Merit, that a party of Tories had been concealed there, back of the house of said Jno Casewell in the woods, and had sent thither for provisions, but recd none. [28]

Elisha West signed “his mark.” The phrase “Damn’d Rebels” referred to Tory sympathizers. On 18 Jul 1777, Elisha was discharged from prison after taking the Oath of Allegiance to the State of New York. [29] John Caswell was sent to the Fleet Prison [30] on Esopus Creek, Kingston, NY—“a place of detention for disloyal and unsafe men.” [31]

The Caswells had been neighbors of the West family. Nehemiah Merritt, also mentioned (above) was another neighbor. [32]

Census Records. In 1785, Elisha lived in Dutchess County, New York according to the investigation of Elijah West’s land deed. [33] The 1790 Census records show both Elisha and David living in Washington, Dutchess County. [34] In 1800, Elisha was counted in Stanford, Dutchess County. [35] His brother, David, still lived in Washington township. Stanford was created from the town of Washington, so it is likely that Elisha did not move. The Census of 1800 indicates that Elisha and his wife probably had two girls and four boys. There is another Elisha West that appears in the 1800 Census. Elisha West of Woodstock, Windsor County, Vermont was a church musician, music teacher, and composer. [36] In 1800, he lived in Pomfret, Windsor County, Vermont. [37]

Tax Rolls. The New York Tax Assessment Rolls for 1799, 1800, and 1801 show that Elisha owned a very small house in Stanford. [38]


(4) Mary West
There is a “Mary West” recorded in the 1771 ledger of Daniel Merritt’s general store in Quaker Hill (Pawling). The Wests are listed in this order: “Mary West, Elijah West, Delight West, Aaron West, Clement West and wife Sarah, and Benajah West.” [39] Mary could be (1) the wife of Elijah West; (2) the daughter of Elijah West; (3) the daughter of Clement and Sarah West; or, (4) from a different West family.

Mary was mentioned in the 1775 land deed of Elijah West, along with Benajah, David, Elisha, and Abigail. She lived in Dutchess County, New York, in 1785. [40]


(5) Abigail West
In his petition to the court in 1785 to nullify his land deed, Elijah West neglected to include Abigail’s name. [41] When the court reviewed the case, they made the correction:

Whereas, it appears by the testimony of sundry persons, and especially by the testimony of the former town clerk for said town of Windsor, that the record of a certain deed or conveyance of land, made by Watts Hubbard of said Windsor, to Benajah West, of Albany county, and David West, Elisha West, Mary West, and Abiga[i]l West, of Dutchess county, in the (then) province of New York, made and executed on the eighth day of December, Anno Domini, seventeen hundred and seventy-five, was made on the said town book, through mistake . . . [42]

From this we see that in 1775 and 1785, Abigail West lived in Dutchess County, New York.



Children of Elijah and Hannah West
In 1774, Elijah West moved to Windsor, Windsor County, Vermont and started a new family with his second wife. She was a widow named Hannah Thurber Nichols. She was 24 years old and Elijah was 52. Hannah had previously been married at the age of 16 to Josiah Bennett Nichols (from Windsor). [43] Hannah and Josiah lived in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. They had one son, Samuel Nichols. Josiah Nichols died before 1774. Hannah left her son in Canada when she moved to Vermont. [44] We do not know if Samuel eventually came to Windsor. Elijah and Hannah had four known children.


(1) Susan (or Susannah) West
Susan (or Susannah) West was born in 1774—the same year that Elijah moved to Vermont from Pawling, Dutchess County, New York. [45] She was most likely born in Windsor, Windsor County, Vermont. Susan did not marry. On 4 Oct 1812, she became a member of the First Congregational Church of Windsor. [46] She died on 19 Jun 1825—she was 51 years old. [47]


(2) Elizabeth West
Elizabeth West was born 29 Jan 1776 in Windsor, Windsor County, Vermont. [48] She married Abner Forbes in Windsor on 24 Sep 1797. [49] They had two children—Charles Forbes and Elizabeth West Forbes. [50]

Elizabeth died on 1 Jan 1801, [51] less than two months after her daughter was born. Abner did not remarry for more than four years. He then married Sarah Spooner on 4 Sep 1805. Abner and Sarah Forbes had thirteen children. [52]

Abner Forbes died on 28 Dec 1828 [53] in Montpelier, VT. [54] He was 57 years old. His tall monument in the Old South Church Cemetery (Windsor) reflects his status. He served Vermont in many capacities: Colonel and General, bank president, judge, and representative in the State Legislature. [55] Elizabeth West and Sarah Spooner are listed on the monument. [56] It is likely that all three are buried at that site.

Abner Forbes and his brother-in-law Allen Hayes were administrators of the estate of Elijah West. [57]


(3) Sophia West
Sophia West was born in 1777 or 1778 in Windsor, Windsor County, Vermont. She died on 2 May 1846 at the age of 68. [58] She married (Captain) Thomas Allen Hayes, a prominent Windsor merchant, in 1796 or 1797. He was born 12 July 1756 in Connecticut, and died on 18 Feb 1831. [59] They were both buried at Old South Cemetery, Windsor, Vermont. [60]

There is a story associated with Sophia West and Allen Hayes:

It is related that this inn-keeper, Mr. West, had a daughter born to him in that memorable year, 1777, and that her name was Sophia. At the bewitching age of nineteen she took, one evening, a brief but rather unexpected walk with a mature bachelor of some forty years, to the parson’s residence at the north end of the village, and returned as the bride of her escort, Mr. Allen Hayes—a thriving merchant of the village . . . [61]

Allen and Sophia had three known children: Eliza Hayes, Augustus Allen Hayes, and Sophia West Hayes. [62]

Hayes eventually moved his mercantile business to the building where his mother-in-law, Hannah West, had kept a millinery shop. [63] Allen Hayes and his brother-in-law Abner Forbes were administrators of the estate of Elijah West. [64]


(4) Lewis R. Morris West
Lewis West was born about 1788 in Windsor, Windsor County, Vermont. [65] He was probably named after a Windsor selectman and Windsor County Clerk at the time—Lewis Richard Morris. [66] Mr. Morris later became active in Vermont government. [67]

Lewis West was about 10 years old when his mother and father died. The property of Hannah and Elijah West was to be divided among their children: Susan, Elizabeth, Sophia, and Lewis. In October 1799, Allen Hayes and Abner Forbes (both were sons-in-law) filed a petition to legally include Lewis (a minor child) in the transactions.

Petition of Allen Hayes & Abner Forbes Adms of Elijah West, filed Oct 14, 1799
    —humbly Sheweth,
    That your Petitioners being Appointed (by the Honble Elijah Robertson, Judge of Probate for the district of Windsor) Administrators on the Estate of Elijah West Late of Windsor deceased—as by the Letters of the Sd Judge bearing dait the 23d day of novemr 1798—may appear, Which estate belongs equally to four heirs, three of which, are of lawfull age to act for them Selves, but that the fourth is a minor of only eleven Years of Age—
    --that the Value of Sd Estate consists chiefly in Buildings, much exposed to Accidents by fire & subject to decay—that they now have an offer for the whole of Sd Real estate, which the three eldest of the Sd heirs wish to have us Accept . . . [68]

In November 1799, a bill was passed in the Vermont House of Representatives to settle the matter:
A bill, passed in the house of Representatives, Entitled “An act to enable Allen Hayes and Abner Forbes to sell and convey all the real estate of Lewis R. Morris West, a minor,” was set up for revision, &c. and being read, Resolved, To concur in passing the same . . . [69]


References and Additional Notes
Benajah West
1. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1967: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume CXXI, January, p. 240. The query is from C. Hamilton West of St. Cloud, Minnesota.
2. The inflation calculator that I used is at http://www.davemanuel.com/inflation-calculator.php. Accessed Jun 2015.
3. Find-a-grave listing for Benajah West. http://www.findagrave.com. Accessed April 2015.
4. John L. Brooke, 2010: Columbia Rising: Civil Life on the Upper Hudson from the Revolution to the Age of Jackson, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, p. 174.
5. Frank J. Doherty, 2005: “Lee to Millington,” Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Dutchess County, New York; An Historical and Genealogical Study of All of the 18th Century Settlers in the Patent, Volume 8, Frank J. Doherty, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Pleasant Valley, New York, p. 758.
6. Warren H. Wilson, 1907: Quaker Hill, A Sociological Study, Columbia University, New York, New York, p. 166.
7. George West Van Siclin, 1896: Application for Membership, Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 9 January 1896.
8. Cuyler Reynolds, 1911: Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs, Volume II, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, p. 829.
9. New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1929 to 1934: Baptisms at the Schaghitoke Dutch Reformed Church, 1752-1866. Copied to the Rensselaer County, NY GenWeb site by Debby Masterson.  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyrensse/index.htm. Accessed September 2015.
10. State of New York, 1900: Public Papers of George Clinton, First Governor of New York, Volume III, James B. Lyon, State Printer, Albany, p. 209-212.
11. Wikipedia, “Battles of Saratoga.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Saratoga. Accessed July 2015.
12. George Neild West, 1914: Application for Membership, Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 2 Jan 1914.
13. Sons of the American Revolution, 1899: Register of the Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, Empire State Society, New York, p. 571-572.
14. Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Research Database. http://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search/. Accessed April 2015. The Canaan settlements were located within the King’s District. Eventually this would be part of Columbia County.
15. William Slade, compiler, 1823: Vermont State Papers: Being a Collection of Records and Documents, Connected with the Assumption and Establishment of Government by the People of Vermont, J. W. Copeland, Middlebury, Vermont, p. 504.
16. United States Federal Census of 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820. Records of the Bureau of the Census, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
17. House of Representatives of the United States, 1831: Journal, Volume 22, Issue 1, U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 187.
18. Ibid., p. 207.
19. Van Siclin, Sons of the American Revolution application.

David West
20. Doherty (2005), p. 758.
21. Josephine C. Frost, compiler, 1910: “Members of Hartland Monthly Meeting, Niagara County, New York, Residing at Elba, Genesee County, New York,” Quaker Records, Hartland Monthly, Niagara Co., NY, p. 4.
22. Wikipedia, 2015: “Timeline of Town Creation in the Hudson Valley.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_town_creation_in_the_Hudson_Valley. Accessed September 2015.
23. Frank J. Doherty, 2003: “Hadden to Hunt,” Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Dutchess County, New York, Volume 6, p. 527. This information is in the “Hoag” family section, and it is possible that the original  information is from Quaker records. The line in Doherty reads: “Susanna, b. 3 July 1755; m. David, b. 25 Feb. 1758, son of Elijah West of Beekman.”
24. Josephine C. Frost, compiler (unknown date): “Quaker Births from Oblong Monthly Meeting, Dutchess County, New York.” LDS Film #873511, transcribed by Debbie Axtman, 1999. Lists the children of Benjamin Hoag, Jr.

Elisha West
25. Frank J. Doherty, 1990: “Historical Records,” Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Dutchess County, New York, Volume 1, p. 426.
26. State of New York, 1925: Minutes of the Committee and of the First Commission for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies in the State of New York, December 11, 1776 – September 23, 1778 with Collateral Documents. New York Historical Society, New York, NY, p. 328.
27. Ray Johnston, 1979: “Letter to Miss Margaret Craven, Tillsonburg, Ontario, from Ray Johnston, Dayton, Ohio, 3 September 1979.” Elgin County, Toronto, Canada Archives. http://www.elgin.ca/elgincounty/culturalservices/archives/tweedsmuir/Eden%20Vol%204/page%200028%20-%200032.pdf. Accessed June 2015.
28. State of New York, p. 329.
29. Ibid., p. 338.
30. Ibid., p. 354, 392. John Caswell was at Fleet Prison from August through October.
31. Benjamin M. Brink, 1913: “The Lady Washington Galley,” Old Ulster: An Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Volume 9, Ulster County, New York, p. 306.
32. Doherty (1990), p. 352. The Caswell and Merritt families were mentioned in the road survey of 1761.
33. Slade, p. 504.
34. Census of 1790, Dutchess County, New York. Records of the Bureau of the Census, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
35. Census of 1800, Dutchess County, New York. Records of the Bureau of the Census, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
36. Henry Swan Dana, 1889: “Church Music and Singing Schools,” History of Woodstock, Vermont, Houghton-Mifflin, p. 220-223.
37. Census of 1800, Pomfret, Windsor County, Vermont. Records of the Bureau of the Census, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
38. New York Comptroller’s Office, 1799-1804: Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, New York State Archives, Albany, New York. Digital data at Ancestry. Accessed April 2015.

Mary West
39. Wilson, p. 166.
40. Slade, p. 504.

Abigail West
41. Edward A. Hoyt, compiler, 1952: “General Petitions: 1778-1787,” Journals and Proceedings of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, Volume 8, p. 183.
42. Slade, p. 504.

Elijah West and Hannah Thurber Nichols
43. Hants County, Nova Scotia Registration Year 1766, Book 1700, p. 45, at http://www.novascotiagenealogy.com.  Accessed June 2015.
44. Katherine E. Conlin, Wilma Burnham Paronto, and Stella Vitty Henry, 1977: Chronicles of Windsor, 1761-1975, The Countryman Press, Taftsville, Vermont, p. 117.

Susan West
45. Sherman Evarts, 1914: “The Vermont Constitution and the Constitution House,” The Vermonter, Volume 19, Number 4, April, 1914, p. 61.
46. Ezra Hoyt Byington, 1898: History of the First Congregational Church of Windsor, from 1768 to 1898, The Journal Company, Windsor, Vermont, p. 58.
47. Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954: True Copy of a Death Record for Susan West. Karl W. Perkins, Town Clerk, Windsor, VT, 27 July 1921. Family Search record, http://www.familysearch.org. Accessed July 2015.

Elizabeth West
48. Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954: Birth record of Elizabeth West. Family Search record, http://www.familysearch.org. Accessed September 2015.
49. Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954: Marriage record for Abner Forbes and Elizabeth West. Family Search record, http://www.familysearch.org. Accessed September 2015.
50. Lewis Cass Aldrich and Frank R. Holmes, editors, 1891: History of Windsor County, Vermont, D. Mason and Company, Syracuse, New York, p. 309.
51. Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954: True Copy of a Death Record for Elizabeth Forbes. Karl W. Perkins, Town Clerk, Windsor, VT, 27 July 1921. Family Search record, http://www.familysearch.org. Accessed September 2015.
52. Aldrich and Holmes, p. 309.
53. Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954: True Copy of a Death Record for Hon. Abner Forbes. Karl W. Perkins, Town Clerk, Windsor, VT, 27 July 1921. Family Search record, http://www.familysearch.org. Accessed September 2015.
54. Lawrence G. Fobes, 1972: The Fobes Family in America: The Descendants of John Fobes, Immigrant in 1636 to Duxbury, Massachusetts, Volume 2, Self Published, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, p. 72. Abner Forbes’ ancestors used the name “Fobes.”
55. Ibid.
56. Find-a-grave listing for Abner Forbes. http://www.findagrave.com. Accessed August 2015.
57. Ed Soule Allen, compiler, 1962: General Petitions, 1797-1799, State Papers of Vermont, Volume 11, Vermont Secretary of State, p. 425-426.

Sophia West
58. Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954: True Copy of a Death Record for Hayes, Sophia West. Karl W. Perkins, Town Clerk, Windsor, VT, 29 July 1921. Family Search record, http://www.familysearch.org. Accessed September 2015.
59. Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954: True Copy of a Death Record for Hayes, Allen. Karl W. Perkins, Town Clerk, Windsor, VT, 29 July 1921. Family Search record, http://www.familysearch.org. Accessed September 2015.
60. Find-a-grave listing for “Capt Allen Hayes.” http://www.findagrave.com. Accessed August 2015.
61. Each child is documented in Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954.
62. Hamilton Child, 1884: Gazetteer and Business Directory of Windsor County, Vermont, for 1883-1884, The Journal Press, Syracuse, New York, p. 267.
63. Conlin et. al, p. 40.
64. Allen, p. 425-426.

Lewis R. Morris West
65. Based on the probate record of Elijah West.
66. Aldrich and Holmes, p. 99. Lewis Richard Morris was the Windsor County Clerk from 1789 to 1796.
67. Wikipedia, “Lewis R. Morris.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_R._Morris. Accessed May 2015.
68. Allen, p. 425-426.
69. E.P. Walton, editor, 1876: Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont, Volume IV, J. & J.M. Poland Press, Montpelier, Vermont, p. 250.