Ancestor # 93

Mary Fraser (1775-1820)

Mary Fraser was born about 1775 in Albany County, New York and died in Sharon, Schoharie, New York between 1815 and 1820. Her parentage is unknown. She married about 1792 in New York Nicholas Winegard who was born in Albany County, New York about 1775 and died in Sharon on July 21, 1838.

Who was Mary Fraser and who were her parents? Was she of Dutch descent or German? Perhaps she was British or Scottish. Scots were beginning to immigrate. Many went to Ireland before coming to North America. I have never found one of her descendants who knows who Mary’s parents are. So, I decided to see if I can find any likely families for Mary in the Albany, NY area.

One thing I do know is her name. I have found baptisms for 4 of her 6 children. Three of her children were baptized at the Reformed Dutch Church at Coxsackie, Greene, New York. Anna was baptized there in 1793[1], parents were Nicholas and Maria Weyngaert and sponsors were Theunis and Catleyntje Withbeek (probably Witbeek). Who are Theunis and Catleyntje Witbeek -a lead to follow?

Peter was baptized at Coxsackie in 1798[2]. His parents were listed as Nicholas Wyngaart and Maria Frazier and his sponsors were Reuben Huntington and Margaret Frazier. Reuben Huntington and Margaret Frazier were married at this church in 1797. John was baptized in 1801[3] son of Nicholas Wyngaert and Mary Frasier. No sponsors were listed for John.

Daughter Margaret was baptized in 1794 at Zion Lutheran Church[4] in Loonenburg, Greene, New York (now the town of Athens). Her parents were listed as Nicholas Weyngarden and Maria Fraser. No sponsors were listed. Reuben and Margaret Huntington had a son, John Frasher Huntington, baptized in this church in 1799.

I feel that with all the activity around Southern Albany and Greene counties that I should concentrate my search for Mary’s parents in this area. My working hypothesis is that Margaret Fraser Huntington is Mary’s sister. Reuben Huntington was living in Coxsackie in 1790. By 1800 he had moved to Bethlehem, Albany, New York. Also living in Bethlehem in 1800 was William Fraser, over 45, who had a woman in his residence who was 26-45. He had 1 boy and 2 girls under 10, 1 boy and 1 girl 10-16 and 1 girl 16-26. This William Fraser is the right age to be the father of Margaret and Mary. To be over 45 in 1800, he would have been born before 1755.

I feel I have several good leads to follow. I may be able to come up with a family for Mary Fraser after all.

Children of Nicholas and Mary (Fraser) Winegard:

  i.             i. Anna Winegard. b. March 1793 in Albany County and baptized in Coxsackie on 31 March 1793. She married Simon Grosphint born 1795.

       ii.   Margaret Winegard. b. September 1794 in Albany County and baptized on 14 September 1794 in Loonenburg, New York. She married John Ball. John and Margaret Ball moved to Webster County, New York and in April 1837 they sold 1 acre of land to her brother, Abraham Winegard.

      iii.   Peter Winegard. b. 4 July 1798 in Albany County, d. 23 July 1858 in Williamsburg, Dundas, Ontario, Canada. He married on 25 March 1825 in Williamsburg Hannah McIntosh, born in 1809 and died in 1860.

      iv.   Catherine Winegard, b. about 1800 in Albany County, died before 1838. She married Peter Wilbur.

       v.   John Winegard, b. October 1801 in Albany County, baptized in Coxsackie on 10 October and d. 3 September 1858 in Mountain, Dundas, Ontario, Canada. He married Anna Maria Barkley on 16 August 1824 in New York. Anna Maria was born in Albany County on 8 December 1808 and d. in Oxford County, Ontario on 6 May 1865.

      vi.   Abraham Winegard, b. 6 October 1806 in New York, d. 18 April 1847 in Webster, New York. He married Maria Glover, b. 1806 and d. in 1870.

     vii.   William Winegard, b. between 1815 and 1820 in Sharon, New York.

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[1] “U.S. Dutch Reformed Church Records from Selected States, 1660-1926”, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 Jan 2017); Baptism of Anna Wyngaert, 14 Jul 1793, Coxsacke, Book 10, p. 189, citing Holland Society records.

[2] Dutch Reformed Church Records, Baptism of Peter Wyngaart, 1798

[3] Dutch Reformed Church Records, Baptism of John Wyngaert, 1801, p. 239

[4] “New York Births and Christenings, 1640-1962”, FamilySearch.org, (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 12 Feb 2015): baptism of MargaretWeyngarden, 14 Sep 1794, citing Zion Lutheran Church of Loonenburg, Greene, New York.

Ancestor #92

Nicholas Winegard (1775-1838)

I haven’t posted one of my ancestor sketches in a while. Both Ancestry and My Heritage announced enhancements to their DNA tools. Ancestry developed Thru Lines which is a tool that links you with your matches. Ancestry looks at all the trees they have that relate to your ancestor and if they can piece together a path between your tree and your match’s tree, they do. Then it is up to you to verify and accept or not accept their analysis. Ancestry had a lot of proposed matches for me, so it took me a while to get through them.

     My Heritage had a similar idea and developed a tool they call “Theory of Family Relativity”. They fit together pieces of trees to form a path from a common ancestor to your tree and to your match’s tree. Since My Heritage is new to the DNA scene, I only had 10 “Theory of Family Relatively Matches" Both tools are very exciting and can cut down the amount of time necessary to find the common link. It is easier to validate information in a proposed link than it is to discover that link in the first place.

     Now, here is Nicholas Winegard’s story – so far.

Nicholas Winegard was born about 1775 in Albany County, New York and died in Sharon, Schoharie, New York on July 21, 1838. He is the son of Peter and Anna (Siberse) Wyngaart. He married about 1792 in New York Mary Fraser who was born in New York about 1775 and died in Sharon between 1815 and 1820. It was Nicholas and his brothers that Anglicized the spelling of the Wyngaart name.

Nicholas paid taxes in Coeymans, Albany, New York in 1803[1]. He owned property valued at $166 and paid 17 cents in taxes. During this period Nicholas and Mary had children baptized in Loonenburg and Coxsackie, New York. Both towns were originally part of Albany County but were transferred to the new Greene County in 1800. Coxsackie is very close to Coeymans. Both are on the west bank of the Hudson River.

By 1810 the family had moved to Sharon. Nicholas’ younger brother, Richard, had moved to Schoharie and purchased land for farming. Another brother, James, and his sister Elizabeth who was married to William Truax also moved to the area. In the 1810 census[2], Nicholas was enumerated with three males under 10, one male over 45, one female under 10, one female 10-16 and one female 26-45. This fits well with Nicholas and Mary’s known family. The three boys under 10 are Peter, John and Abraham, the daughter under 10 is Catherine and the daughter 10-16 is Margaret. Daughter Anna is not accounted for, but she would have been 17 and was probably either helping relatives or working.

On April 20, 1820 Nicholas purchased 78 acres from his brother Richard[3], consisting of lot 25 in the Skinner Patent. He was enumerated in 1820[4] in Sharon with 1 male under 10, 1 male 10-15, 2 males 16-25, 1 male over 45 and 1 female 10-15. The young males are William born between 1815 and 1820 and Abraham born in 1806. The males 16-25 are Peter and John and Nicholas is the male over 45. I do not know who the female 10-15 is but she may be a niece come to help this all male household or an unrelated female hired to help with household chores. All of Nicholas’ daughters would be married by this time.

On November 10, 1829 Nicholas bought 40 acres of land from Ezekiel Smith[5] and his wife, being in lot 19 of the Stephen Skinner Patent.  This purchase and the one from 1820 were both recorded on December 22, 1829. In the 1830 census[6] Nicholas was enumerated with 1 male 10-14 (William), 1 male 20-29 (Abraham), 1 male 50-59 (Nicholas) and 1 female 20-29 (probably Abraham’s wife Maria Glover).

On July 14, 1838 Nicholas wrote his will[7]. He left all his land, his livestock, his household furnishings and his farming tools to his son William and gave his son Abraham $5. His daughters Anna (or Hannah) Grosphint and Margaret Ball each received $50 and 1 feather bed with bedding and the bedstead. He states that his daughter Caty Wilbur is deceased and bequeaths to her daughters Mary Ann and Margaret 1 feather bed with bedstead and bedding and $12. His sons Peter, John and William were to share his wearing apparel. He appointed his friend Benjamin Isham and son William as executors of his estate. He died one week later, and his will was submitted for probate on October 22, 1838[8]. His son William sold all the land in 1839 and followed his brother Abraham to Webster, Monroe, New York.

Children of Nicholas and Mary (Fraser) Winegard:

  i.   Anna Winegard. b. March 1793 in Albany County and baptized in Coxsackie on 31 March 1793. She married Simon Grosphint born 1795.

       ii.   Margaret Winegard. b. September 1794 in Albany County and baptized on 14 September 1794 in Loonenburg, New York. She married John Ball.

      iii.   Peter Winegard. b. 4 July 1798 in Albany County, d. 23 July 1858 in Williamsburg, Dundas, Ontario, Canada. He married on 25 March 1825 in Williamsburg Hannah McIntosh, born in 1809 and died in 1860.

      iv.   Catherine Winegard, b. about 1800 in Albany County, died before 1838. She married Peter Wilbur.

       v.   John Winegard, b. October 1801 in Albany County, baptized in Coxsackie on 10 October and d. 3 September 1858 in Mountain, Dundas, Ontario, Canada. He married Anna Maria Barkley on 16 August 1824 in New York. Anna Maria was born in Albany County on 8 December 1808 and d. in Oxford County, Ontario on 6 May 1865.

      vi.   Abraham Winegard, b. 6 October 1806 in New York, d. 18 April 1847 in Webster, New York. He married Maria Glover, b. 1806 and d. in 1870.

     vii.   William Winegard, b. between 1815 and 1820 in Sharon, New York.

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[1] “New York Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804”, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 Aug 2014), Nicholas Winegard, citing New York State Archives, Albany.

[2] 1810 U.S. census, Schoharie County, New York, Sharon, p. 80, line 3, Nicholas Winegard; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 Jan 2017),  citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M252, roll 36.

[3] “New York Land Records, 1630-1975”, FamilySearch.org (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 25 Aug 2017), Derick and Charity Winegard to Nicholas Winegard, Schoharie County Deed Book Vol. L: 214.

[4] 1820 U.S. census, Schoharie County, New York, Sharon, p. 229, line 9, Nicholas Winegard; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 Jan 2017),  citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M33, roll 65.

[5] “New York Land Records, 1630-1975”, Ezekiel and Altana Smith to Nicholas Winegard, Schoharie County Deed Book Vol L: 213.

[6] 1830 U.S. census, Schoharie County, New York, Sharon, p. 122, line 11, Nicholas Winegard; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 Jan 2017),  citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M119, roll 116.

[7]“New York Wills and Probate Records, 1654-1999”, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2017), will of Nicholas Winegard, Schoharie County, Wills, Vol A-B, 1829-1870, p. 297-299, citing New York Surrogate Court Records, Schoharie County.

[8] “New York Wills and Probate Records, 1654-1999”, Schoharie County, Minutes, Orders, Decrees, Vol R, 1836-1842, p. 159-160.