James SAWYER

I'm not certain that this James is the father of Major James SAWYER, but there is some evidence to support this link. According to researcher Elmire L. CONKLIN, this James was born in 1694 and thought to have migrated to Long Island (L.I.). He seems to have left Hebron, CT between the 1771 and 1776 censuses whereas (sons) Moses and Benjamin remained in Hebron. This James married Martha ?, had a son Richard and a daughter Martha.

James' will of 1771 shows him as a yeoman of Shelter Island, Long Island, NY, and lists his wife Martha and 3 sons: Benjamin, Moses and Richard (deceased). There is no mention here of a son James, a son John or a daughter Martha.

According to Elmire, it appears that the ALLISONs, SAWYERs and VAILs, all living on Shelter Island in the early 1700s, probably began land speculation in Orange County about the same time. It is known that Samuel VAIL of Southold moved first to Shelter Island and then in 1741 to Goshen. Apparently about the same time, a Richard SAWYER also bought land and possibly moved to Orange County. In Orange County mortgage Book A, p. 1, 1754 the boundaries were lands owned by the heirs of Richard SAWYER, deceased (see Note 1 below). This could be either Richard, son of James and Martha who died before 1754 probably in his 20s and possibly having a family, or there may have been an earlier Richard. The names James, Moses, Benjamin and Richard were all Shelter Island SAWYER names and continued in the Shelter Island Sawyer lines as well as the Orange County lines.

The first land record for James SAWYER in Orange County is 1 Jan 1767, Lib. C Page 456. It would appear that Richard bought land very early and James, some 15 years later, making it possible there were 2 generations involved. There was also a John SAWYER age 19 in the same company with James SAWYER and William ALLISON in 1758. He was listed as a blacksmith with red hair.

The forgoing led Elmire to suggest that there was also a sister Martha (i.e. daughter of the James of this page), who was named for her mother on Shelter Island and who married Richard ALLISON. It has been assumed that Richard's wife Martha was Martha WELLS because John WELLS, brother in law, was named executor of Richard's will. However, the Wells Genealogy states that John WELLS Jr. married as his third wife Abigail ALLISON. If Abigail were sister to Richard, John WELLS Jr. would be his brother in law. Thus it is possible that Richard ALLISON married Martha SAWYER, not Martha WELLS.

In a letter dated 5 Jan 1934 from a genealogical researcher in Southold, NY to Mrs. F. A. SAWYER, the author states that the first mention of a SAWYER on eastern Long Island is in 1727, when a James SAWYER was witness to a deed passed between John PECK Sr and John PECK Jr. This would indicate that James was at least 21 years old at the time and in all probability was the James of this page. This James was over 60 at the time of the 1771 census and does not appear in the 1776 census. It seems highly probable that he is the James SAYER who received permission to come from Blooming Grove, Orange County, to secure his personal property on Long Island (Clinton Papers, 5, 650).

Note 1: Elaine MASON found a reference to this land transaction in the Orange County Genealogical Society (OGCS) newsletter, Vol. 2, 1972, pg. 16: Mortgages Liber "A" pg. 2 Goshen, NY. Parcel of land bounded lately belonging to Christopher BANKER of NYC, NE by lands of Isaac ROADS (?RHODES?), NW by lands of heirs of Richard SAWYER, and partly by lands of John DRAKE and SW by Thos. ELLISON of New Windsor. Proved 31 Oct. 1754 and registered 31 Oct 1754 at the instance of Jacob HOFFMAN.

She also found the following references to marriages involving Orange County SAWYERs: Vol. 3, 1973, pg. 5: The "Mehitable" marriages from the Salmon Genealogy: Mehetable HORTON married Moses SAWYER Feb. 13, 1751, Mehetable MOORE married Benjamin SAWYER Nov. 24, 1754 (Its possible these are for the above sons of James, since the dates are about right).

Page 246.--In the name of God, Amen. I, James SAWYER, of Shelter Island, in Suffolk County, yeoman, being sick. All debts to be paid. I leave to my wife Martha the use of all my estate, real and personal, during her life, and she is to pay legacies. I leave to my son Benjamin 5 shillings. To my son Moses 5 shillings. To the heirs of my son Richard 5 shillings. I make my wife, executor. Dated April 30, 1771. Witnesses, Samuel LANDON, Jr., Isaac OVERTON, Aaron OVERTON. Proved, March 30, 1772.

James SAWYER (Source: (1) Original record by William Salmon, Compiled by William A. Robbins, Salmon Records - Deaths, (LI Source Records, Hoff, 1987, pp 181-254)., (2) Will of Sawyer, James - 1771/1772, Son.) was born Abt. 1710, and died Feb 22, 1772 in Shelter Island, Long Island, New York (Source: Original record by William Salmon, Compiled by William A. Robbins, Salmon Records - Deaths, (LI Source Records, Hoff, 1987, pp 181-254).). He married Martha (___) (Source: Will of Sawyer, James - 1771/1772, Wife Martha - living.). She was born Abt. 1710, and died in Shelter Island, Long Island, New York.

Norris
Silver Bullet
Home Page: http://members.aol.com/ntgen/index.html

Thomas Dering			Nicoll Havens
Daniel Brown			Wm Nicoll
James Havens			William Havens
Thomas Conkling 		Obediah Havens
Joel Bowditch			Samuel Case
Abraham Parker			Benjamin Sawyer
Moses Sawyer			Samuel Case, Jun.
Phinehas Parker			Thomas Conkling, Jun.
Walter Havens			John Bowditch
Thomas Harlow			David Conkling
Noah Terry			William Havens, Jr.
William Brown			Moses Horton
Deliverance Pain		George Daval
John Daval