Ananias VALENTINE

Ananias married Elizabeth Meeker 15 Oct 1786, probably at Goshen, NY. Ananias served in the 4th Regiment of Orange Co. Militia, NY State in the Revolutionary War. Mildred Ballard Sawyer traced her eligibility to join the DAR to Ananias.

EdeeW of the NYORANGE rootsweb group submitted the following will: Ananias VALENTINE of Goshen, Liber G p.269, Will dated 26 Jul 1824 probated 20 Jan 1825; sons - Stephen, Flemmon H., William; daus - Mary, Keziah, Hannah SAWYER, Elizabeth SAWYER w/o Moses SAWYER, Phebe, Sarah. Sons-in-law - Calvin G. SAWYER, Moses SAWYER; Exec: Stephen VALENTINE, Calvin G. SAWYER; Wit: Solomon WOOD, Dolly ELY, Edward ELY. Wit to Codicil made 4 Nov 1824; Hannah MOORE, Emelin HULSE, Edward ELY.

I'm puzzled by the daughter Elizabeth who married Moses SAWYER. Ananias' son Stephen had a dau Elizabeth who married Moses SAWYER and I know of 4 other Moses SAWYERs (see SAWYER page), but none of them married an Elizabeth VALENTINE as far as I know(?)

Andrea GALE-KELLY has information on a Mary VALENTINE (possibly above Mary). Her GALE ancestors lived across the road from (General) Calvin G SAWYER. Both GALE parents died in 1846 and C. G. SAWYER was the executor of the administration and guardian to the two children. Daniel GALE's wife Belinda Jane REEVE had a step mother named Mary VALENTINE. The owner of the REEVE bible also has the bible of Mary VALENTINE REEVE. Apparently Mary and Hannah were sisters. This may be why Calvin SAWYER and his wife Hannah were so kind to take in the children when their parents died. Hannah would have been their step Aunt. Andrea will contact the owner of that bible and see what it says for Mary VALENTINE. The owner lives in Wisconsin where Mary VALENTINE died. Looking at dates, its unclear if everything fits (Mary would have been b. ca. 1790). Mary VALENTINE was the widow of Daniel PAYNE when she married Daniel REEVE. He (REEVE) died 1840 so she may have remarried.

I wonder if Elizabeth MEEKER was related (daughter perhaps?) to the Major MEEKER in this story of the Battle of Minisink? This site has many other interesting stories from the early days of the Shawangunk region of the Hudson River valley.

From Doris (SAWYER) JIMISON: Elizabeth MEEKER, I believe, was the daughter of Stephen MEEKER. My first clue was that in the census rolls, his name was about 3 away from Ananias'. Elizabeth and Ananias named their first son Stephen. In Ananias' will he leaves to his "son Stephen the farm on which he now lives, known as the old MEEKER farm". Then I stopped at the Morristown Library, which was known to have a MEEKER genealogy. A Stephen MEEKER had settled in the area of Goshen, N.Y., just the right age to be Elizabeth's father. He was an older brother of the Major MEEKER of Minisink battle fame.

Source: Dear Folks