- Anna (1822-1906) m. Richard Davis
- Harriet (1823-before 1880) m. William Holliday
- Louisa (1826-1856)
- Antanetta (1829-1859)
- John Harlow (1835-1895) m. Sarah
Per William's obituary he was born at the Benjamin Bair farm. Further research (in other family trees) suggests that Williams's grandfather Isaac DeGroff Sr. and his second wife Amy Hugaboom De Groff are buried on this farm.
William worked with his father, Isaac, in various mills (grist and saw mills) in the towns of Minaville and Mudge Hollow (south Amsterdam today). A grist mill grinds grain into flour and a saw mill cuts up logs.
Specifically, the father and son managed the following mills:
- 1835 Grist and saw mill in Akin
- 1837 Minaville Mills (purchased by Isaac)
- 1853 Mudge Hollow mill (purchased by William from Waterman Sweet) on the south branch of the Chuctanunda Creek.
On January 31, 1851, William married Rachel Ann Staley (1817-1896) only daughter of John Staley (1796-1863) and Rebecca Davenpeck (1795-1875) at the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Florida, in Minaville.
William served in a local New York Militia during the 1850s; resigning his commission as a Colonel in 1855. Per the 1792 Militia Act, states were authorized to form local militia's; volunteers, ages 18-45 supplied their own supplies and equipment with the federal government funding some weapons and ammunition.
William and Rachel had two children Garrett Staley (1852-1909) and Charles B. DeGraff (1855-1943)
In 1871, The couple bought a farm (according to William's obituary) from Harmonies R. Staley. I have found a deed of sale from 1852 - between William H. and Rachel Ann De Groff and James McDemrott for $180 - the land is described as running from the De Graff Mills along the highway toward Port Jackson - past land owned by the widow of Daniel McMichael. The 1868 map of Florida lists William De Graff as owning two pieces of land in the area - I have guessed that the land detailed in this purchased - upon which William and his family lived is on today's Shellstone Road.
William and Rachel had two children Garrett Staley (1852-1909) and Charles B. DeGraff (1855-1943)
In 1871, The couple bought a farm (according to William's obituary) from Harmonies R. Staley. I have found a deed of sale from 1852 - between William H. and Rachel Ann De Groff and James McDemrott for $180 - the land is described as running from the De Graff Mills along the highway toward Port Jackson - past land owned by the widow of Daniel McMichael. The 1868 map of Florida lists William De Graff as owning two pieces of land in the area - I have guessed that the land detailed in this purchased - upon which William and his family lived is on today's Shellstone Road.
William lived to see his son Garrett marry twice, once to Mary Fuller (1854-1892), a De Graff cousin in 1878 and again to Elsie Mickle (1859-1919) in 1896. Charles married Margaret A. Becker (1859-1949).
William's wife, Rachel Ann, passed away in 1896. William outlived her. William also outlived his oldest son, Garrett Staley
William's obituary says he died of cancer, on the 6th of December, 1910. He is bured in Minaville's Chuctununda Cemetery, with many De Graff family members (detailed below.) William's will, filed on the 12th of December 1910, details land in Duanesburgh, Schenectady to be left to his brother, Charles, and names Elsie Mickle De Graff (his daughter in law) as the guardian of his grandchildren - Elsie and Garrett Staley's children - William H.(1899-***)and Garrett Seymour (1900-1966) and leaves the farm - believed to be on Shellstone Road - to Elsie in care for the grandchildren.
Immediate family of William's in Chuctununda (this infromation was useful in building out William's tree)
- Isaac: William's father
- Esther: William's mother
- Mary B: wife of Culver Paterson, William's great-aunt (Isaac's sister)
- Isaac J.: initially thought to be William's older brother - but now believed to be son of Jacob De Groff (****-1831)
- Catherine A. Lingenfelter, Isaac J 's wife
- Mary M. Fuller, wife of Garrett Staley, William's daughter in law and cousin
- Cora: adopted daughter of Mary and Garrett
- John Harmon: William's brother
- Sarah J.: wife of John Harmon - William's sister in law (John Harmon's wife)
- Rachel: William's wife
- Infant son of George: d. 4/28/1901 - (seeking who George is)
- Anna, wife of Richard Davis: William's aunt (Isaac's daughter)
- Garrett Staley: William's son
- Charles B: William's brother
- Margaret Becker: William's sister-in-law
- Garrett Seymour: William's grandson
- Katherine Young: William's grand-daughter in law
- Garret William: William' s great grandson
* Isaac J is giving me quite a headache. Uncle Jerry's notations had Isaac as the older brother of William, but I have rejected that theory because:
- I find no record of an Isaac living as a child in the household when William was a child (1850 US Census) and earlier US Census records -where the members of the household are numerically listed -do not include include notations for a boy born in 1818 (they list only one boy in that age group - that boy being - I believe- William)
- Isaac J is not mentioned in Isaac De Graff's will - filed in Montgomery County (v14 pg.313); and finally,
- William's obituary references him as the "oldest" son of Isaac and Esther and Isaac J's birth year is 1818 (two years before William's.)
No comments:
Post a Comment