LINDSEY–Connecting the Dots; Beginning the Process

 

• In the Absence of Documents
• Puzzle Pieces
• Archibald LINDSEY, DAR and the American Revolution
• Archibald LINDSEY-Who?  What?  Where is the Source?

*Image Note:  For ease of viewing, click any image to enlarge

The posted links above document my journey in researching my LINDSEY ancestors.  And, hallelujah!  I believe I am making progress in connecting the dots, eh hmmm, the LINDSEYS, with the goal of all dots coming together in the shape of a family tree at the end.

Having traced the direct lineage from myself to my third Great Grandfather, Edwin Galloway LINDSEY, my current LINDSEY research is to prove or disprove the direct lineage from Edwin to his father, Archibald LINDSEY.
I am plodding my way through a large amount of circumstantial evidence; evidence with no source citations, and yet, it had to come from somewhere.  So, to this point, I’ve read and reviewed all that I have and, I have taken notes on the various clues as to where I might look for primary documents and source information that might help in substantiating the information I have or to disprove it.  I have begun the process of seeking out / ordering the documents that may hold the information I seek and in the interim, I’ve begun piecing together a working theory.

So, let’s play connect the dots.

The book “The Lindsays of America” by Margaret Isabella Lindsay says this about Archibald LINDSEY . . .

“Archibald LINDSEY married three times and left numerous family behind him . . . The names of Archibald LINDSEY’s sons and daughters are:  Benjamin, Cyrus, Kiliab, Eliakim, Luke, E Galloway, Isabel, Polly, Achseh, and Nancy LINDSEY.” (page 141)

And, has this to say about my third Great Grandfather. . .  “. . . E Galloway married Amerilla Skinner of Glens Falls, New York, 27 January 1828 . . . Issue:  W I LINDSEY; Isabel, the eldest daughter married a Mr. Church; Polly married Mr. Elijah Buttles; Nancy married Mr. Thomas Orton; Achseh married Mr. Ebenezer Beebe; Peggy married Mr. Randall.” (page 142)

On the 1953 approved DAR application the following children were listed as the children of the revolutionary war ancestor, Archibald LINDSEY. . .

Benjamin
Spouse: Abigail Moore
Spouse:  Sarah Finch

Cyrus

Kiliab  
Spouse: Eleanor Loop

Eliakim

Luke

E Galloway
Spouse: Amerilla Skinner

Isabel
Spouse: Mr. Church

Polly
Spouse: Elijah Buttles

Achseh
Spouse: Ebenezer Beebe

Nancy
Spouse: Mr. Orton

Peggy
Spouse: Mr. Randall
Source:  Margaret Isabella Lindsay, The Lindsays of America, (1889; Reprint,Westminster, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 2008), pages 141 - 142

Okay, I encourage each of you to go back and review those quoted paragraphs and the names of Archibald’s children and their spouses and compare them with the names of E Galloway’s children with Amerilla (Skinner) and their spouses. 

Here, maybe this will make it easier. . .
(remember to click on the image for a larger view)

What are the odds that not only did Edwin Galloway name his children after his siblings, but they ALL (his siblings AND his children) married spouses with the same names?

This is just one, in my opinion, glaring instance where the research for the 1953 DAR application fell short.  IF they had just used the FAN method (Family, Associates and Neighbors) and not just looked at the direct lineage between Archibald LINDSEY and the applicant, but also looked at Archi’s family in its entirety, they might have caught this.  I don’t know . . . yet, the information may not be in error, it’s possible that Edwin’s children - named after his siblings - did indeed marry cousins of the same name.  But, this begs for further investigation.

I realize that our ancestors didn’t have a book or books of ‘trending’ given names like we do today, but seriously, this business of naming your children the same name more than once, and over and over and over again, within the same family and throughout each successive generation is . . . well . . . just confusing and ripe with possible error.  Can I get an AMEN?!!!

As we go through this, it will seem as though I am all over the map, but honestly, there is a method to my madness; specifically the F A N method (as described above). And, because I’ve decided to keep researching while I await the documents ordered.

As discussed previously, two descendants; a 2x Great Granddaughter and 4x Great Granddaughter submitted applications to DAR and were ultimately approved for membership. After finding no supporting source documents cited on the applications, I next ordered the applicants’ complete documentation files; the specific contents of which can be found here  - Archibald LINDSEY-Who?  What?  Where is the Source? While the file was still short on source citations and documents it did yield further information and clues as to where to look for sources and source information.

The earliest information on Archibald LINDSEY is the information that he “assisted in the establishment of American Independence during the War of the Revolution while acting in the capacity of Private in Captain Ephraim Jenning’s Company, Colonel David Wells’ Regiment.”
Source:  Membership Application, Frances E Whitney, National Number 336908, National Society Daughter’s of the American Revolution, Daughter’s of the American Revolution Library, Memorial Continental Hall, Washington, DC

Archibald is said to have enlisted 22 September 1777 and to have been discharged 18 October 1777; service on expedition to Northern Department.

Source: Wright & Potter Printing Co., State Printers, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Boston, Massachusetts 1902), Page 827, Digital Images, Internet Archive (http://archive.org/stream/massachusettssolklsumass#page/827/mode/1up : accessed 16 June 2014)

“The Lindsays of America” Records Eliphat, Jeduthan, and Eliab LINDSEY as being Archibald’s brothers.  In email discussions with my LINDSEY ‘cousin,’ it was mentioned that Eliab LINDSEY had served in the same regiment as Archibald during the Revolutionary War.  Looking again to, “The Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors,” I find the listings for both Eliab and Eliphalet LINDSEY.

Eliphalet (Eliphat) LINDSEY assisted in Establishing American independence, while acting in the capacity of Private, Captain Isaac Newton’s Co., Col. S. Murray’s Regt.; enlisted 29 July 1780; discharged 10 October 1780; service, 2 months 21 days, including 9 days (172 miles) travel home; regiment raised in Hampshire County, Massachusetts to reinforce Continental Army for 3 months.

Source: Wright & Potter Printing Co., State Printers, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Boston, Massachusetts 1902), Page 8279, Digital Images, Internet Archive (http://archive.org/stream/massachusettssolklsumass#page/827/mode/1up : accessed 16 June 2014)

I do have a spelling problem; in the book, “The Lindsays of America,” we have the given name Eliphat.  In the “Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors,” the spelling of the given name is Eliphalet.  My working theory at this point, is that Eliphalet LINDSEY is Archibald’s brother, Eliphat. CAUTION:  That is all it is, a theory; much more research required.

While “The Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors” provided no source citations for the information contained within its covers, it does say “All names are given exactly as they appear on the original records.” 

Now, I know that it is dangerous to presume, but . . . I presume, this means that somewhere in Massachusetts there are original documents for Archibald, Eliab, and Eliphalet LINDSEY and their respective regiments.  I need to contact the New England Historic Genealogy Society; fingers crossed.

Also, the regiment that Eliphalet is said to have served in caught my attention due to it having been established in Hamshire County Massachusetts.  On page 141 of “The Lindsays of America,” Archibald LINDSEY is said to have moved with his family to Attica, New York from South Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts.  And, the 1953 DAR application cites the same information and “The Lindsays of America” by Margaret Isabella Lindsay as the source.

I have been able to track Archibald LINDSEY and his family in New York, but other than the information on his state of origin, Massachusetts, provided in “The Lindsays of America” and in the Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors, I currently have no primary source documents to support that one way or the other.  I will continue to work my way back in time to connect the dots.

Census Records . . .

Note:
1.   Children: While both the “Lindsays of America” and the 1953 DAR application provided the names of Archi’s children, they did not provide birthdates for them.  However, I do have some information courtesy of my LINDSEY ‘cousin.’  Using those clues as a ‘jumping off’ point, I can, I believe, make some assumptions as to which children may be living in his home during the census years.

2.  Marriage: Archi was married three times.  Two of the wives’ given names are known: Isabel and Hannah, however, their surnames are unknown.  And, the name of the third wife is currently unknown.  While I don’t know the order of marriages, I do now believe that Hannah was the 3rd and final wife.  I will address why I believe that to be true in a bit.

3.  F A N: Family, Associates and Neighbors.  My goal is to prove or disprove a direct relationship between my third Great Grandfather, Edwin G LINDSEY and Archi; to aid in that endeavor, the F A N method is proving helpful, as will be seen shortly.

US Federal census records record the following information on Archibald LINDSEY.

The 1790 U.S. Federal Census is the first documentation of Archi’s residence in New York state.  He and his family are living in Qeensbury, Washington County, New York.  The census records that there are two (free) white males under the age of 16; two (free) white males over 16; and four (free) white females. 

Using the clues I have, I believe the following to be in the 1790 household:  Archibald LINDSEY, born 1744; Kiliab LINDSEY, born 1786; Archi’s wife and 3 daughters are living in the home. (Which of Archi’s three wives is unknown, as are the names and ages of the three daughters). – 2 members of the household unknown.

When viewing the 1790 census image on ancestry.com I see the following families living in the ‘hood in close proximity to Archi and his family: 

• Eliphat (Eliphalet) LINDSEY (Brother)
• Isaac Buttolph (An associate’s family)
• Thomas Orton (Neighbor – family member of future son-in-laws?)

 Source: New York,Washington County, 1790 U.S. Census, Population Schedule, Digital Images, ancestry.com.  http://www.ancetry.com : 2014

The 1800 U.S. Federal Census documents Archi’s residence as being in the town of Fairfield, Washington County, New York.  The census records that there are two free white males under 10; three free white males aged 10 – 15; one free white male aged 16 – 25; one free white male over 45 years of age; three white females under 10; one free white female aged 10 – 15; one free white female aged 16 – 25; one free white female aged 26 – 44. For a total of 13 persons living in the home.

Using the clues I have, I believe the following to be in the 1800 household:  Archibald LINDSEY, born 1744; Kiliab, born 1786; Margaret, born 1794; Benjamin, born 1794*; Nancy, born 1798;  (Which of Archi’s three wives is unknown, as are the names and ages of the three daughters). – 4 members of the household unknown.**
*There is some discussion / concern over the accuracy concerning the birth year of Benjamin and Margaret.  Unless. . . they were twins(?).  However, the source document that provided Benjamin’s date birth for the DAR 1953 application is an old book that was owned by Benjamin LINDSEY and presumably it was he, who wrote the information on the inside cover. 

More research required, but I am leaning toward Benjamin’s birthdate being ‘accurate’ as it is he, that most likely wrote the information on the inside cover of the book he owned.  And, there is also the  possibility is  that they were twins.

** The 1800 census was taken beginning 4 August 1800 for 9 months. 
Source: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/United_States_Census_1800
Archi’s son, Edwin Galloway LINDSEY was born in 1800, month and date are unknown.  So, we are not sure IF he was enumerated in this census.’‘’

Note: The LINDSEY surname on the 1800 census is misspelled, it appears as ‘Lansy.’

When viewing the 1800 census image on ancestry.com, I see the following families living in the ‘hood in close proximity to Archi and his family.

• Henry Loop (Neighbor - Son’s (Kiliab) future father-in-law)
• Elijah (Elisha) Buttolph (Associate)

Source: New York, Washington County, 1800 U.S. Census, Population Schedule, Digital Images, ancestry.com.  http://www.ancetry.com : 2014

The 1810 U.S. Federal Census documents Archi’s residence as being in the town of Luzerne, Washington County, New York.  The census records that there is one free white male under 10; one free white male aged 10 – 15; one free white male aged 16 – 25; one free white male aged 45+; one free white female under 10; three free white females aged 10 – 15; one free white female aged 16 – 25; and one free white female aged 45+.  Total number of persons living in the home 10.

Using the clues I have, I believe the following to be in the 1810 household:  Archibald LINDSEY, born 1744; Benjamin, born 1794; Margaret, born 1794 Nancy, born 1798; Edwin, born 1800; Isabel, born 1804; (Which of Archi’s three wives is unknown, as are the names and ages of the three daughters).

When viewing the 1810 census image on ancestry.com I see the following families living in the ‘hood in close proximity to Archi and his family: 

• Eliphat (Eliphalet) LINDSEY (Brother)
• Isaac Buttolph (An associate’s family)
• Ebenezer Beebe (Neighbor son-in-law)*
• Thomas Orton (Associate – family member of future son-in-law?)
• Kiliab LINDSEY (Son and next-door neighbor)
• Cyrus LINDSEY (brother)

*The 1953 DAR application records Archi’s daughter, Achseh, being married to a Mr. Ebenezer Beebe.  However, the “Lindsays of America” records that Edwin’s daugher, Achseh, was married to a Mr. Ebenezer Beebe.  I have done some research on this, which will be discussed at length in a separate post.

Source: New York, Washington County, 1810 U.S. Census, Population Schedule, Digital Images, ancestry.com.  http://www.ancetry.com : 2014

The 1820 U.S. Federal Census documents Archi’s residence as being in the town of Luzerne, Warren County, New York.  The census records that there is one free white male aged 10 – 15; one free white male aged 45+; one free white female under the age of 10; one free white female aged 16 – 25; and two free white females aged 45+. Total number of persons living in the home 6.

Using the clues I have, I believe the following to be in the 1820 household:  Archibald LINDSEY, born 1744; Hannah (maiden name unknown), Archi’s wife*; Isabel, born 1804;  – 3 members of the household unknown.

When viewing the 1820 census image on ancestry.com I see the following families living in the ‘hood in close proximity to Archi and his family:

• Kiliab LINDSEY (Son and next-door neighbor)
• Elijah Buttles (Associate)
• Luke LINDSEY (Son)

Source: New York, Warren County, 1820 U.S. Census, Population Schedule, Digital Images, ancestry.com.  http://www.ancetry.com : 2014

A note about the towns and counties that Archi lived in between 1790 and 1820.  In 1792 the town of Lake Luzerne was set off from the town of Queensbury as the town of Fairfield and in 1808 the town changed its name to Luzerne.  In 1813 Warren County was split off from Washington County.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Luzerne,_New_York
             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_County,_New_York

Note:  While Wikipedia is not an authoritative source, it did provide me with an understanding of when and how towns and county boundaries were formed or changed.

In the process of researching and documenting where Archi and his family resided once they arrived in New York, I discovered secondary information to document the intervening years of 1814 and 1827 – 1829.

1. “The History of Saratoga County, New York, 1878” records that Hannah LINDSEY was one of the first members of the Congregational Church of Hadley and Luzerne.  The book records that the church was established in 1814 and that the church died out in 1852.  I have emailed the Corinth Town Clerk to inquire after church historical records – memberships, baptisms, marriages, and funerals – below is the reply I received.

“Hi Tracy,

Thank you for your inquiry. After looking through our files here it appears that we do not have any records from the Presbyterian Church in Corinth. I looked in our books about the history of Corinth here and none of them state what happened to the records when the church became inactive. You could contact Corinth Historian Rachel Clothier to see if she has any suggestions, her email address is clothierfarm@yahoo.com. Also, the current Presbyterian Church in Corinth may also be helpful in locating these records, their website with contact information can be found here: http://www.corinthfirstpres.org/ “

I plan to do as suggested and contact both the Corinth Historian and the Corinth Presbyterian Church.

2. Collaboration, as a tool, is an interactive way to research and document your ancestor; recently my genea pal, Char, sent me a Land Deed, which records Archi and his wife Hannah, as the first party listed.  Knowing that Archi died in 1836 and that this deed was entered into in 1827 and executed in 1829, I now know that Archi’s third wife was Hannah. (Thank you Char for the assist. ) 

We’ll delve more into the land deed and its contents in a future post.  Yes, yes, there are more dots, a lot more dots!  They need connecting . . . does this dot connect to . . . no, maybe not, maybe it connect to that dot?  Scratching my head . . . so many dots so many choices, so many rabbit holes . . . what’s a genealogist to do?

I will close with this interesting tidbit to ponder. . .

The complete documentation files for the approved DAR 1953 and 2006 applications and the 2012 supplemental application included an overview written by Elisha S. Loomis, Loomis Genealogy.  While going through the 1790 – 1820 U.S. Federal census records, I noted several Loomis families living in close proximity to Archibald and his family.  This leads me to ponder whether Mr. Elisha S Loomis might have had a first-hand knowledge of Archibald and the LINDSEY families?