Hi, Dave! Why do you think CT might be a possibility? Many CT folks (from the coast of CT,especially, since so much of it was burned during the war) went westward after the Revolutionary War. I think mostly to Western NY and Ohio. Your ancestors had a much tougher ride as the Erie Canal was just beginning (Rome, NY) to be built. Sorry to get off track!! Kathy (CT) At 11:20 AM 7/10/2005 -0400, Dave wrote: >Hello All, > >Sent this about a week ago to Chris for a preview but with Email mail >problems there until sometime in August, i thought it might as well go on >the board unedited??? So the following is what we have on the still very >elusive Reuben BROOKS... > >Recently, Postings have been made by MJMCKEE1@aol.com and >marigdon@sbcglobal.net on BROOKS NE mentioning the Indian raid in 1778 in >Sullivan County, NY, and the "Missing" Family of a John BROOKS there. >This missing family of BROOKS has intrigued me for a few years now, and >possibly ( maybe wishful thinking ) is somehow connected to my Reuben BROOKS? > >I have also been working on Reuben with my 2nd cousin in Iowa, Deanna, and >she found a journal which states that Reuben's father was a Noel BROOKS? >Could Reuben somehow be connected to a John BROOKS who had a son named >Noel??? below, copied from Deanna's web page is what we have accumulated >on our Reuben BROOKS: > > >Deanna Thomas Family 01-22-2005 >Entries: 24319 Updated: 2005-01-23 02:48:36 UTC (Sun) Contact: >Deanna Brott > ># ID: I00299 ># Name: Reuben BROOKS 1 ># Sex: M ># Birth: JAN 1790 in Buffalo, New York ># Birth: 1790 in Connecticut 2 ># Birth: JAN 1790 in Sullivan, New York 3 ># Death: 24 MAR 1859 in Berlin Twp., Erie County, Ohio ># Occupation: 1850 Farmer ># Residence: 1817 Moved from Sullivan Co., NY and settled in Erie Co., >Ohio in 1817. ># Burial: UNKNOWN Berlin, , Erie, Ohio, Peake Cemetery ># Reference Number: 299 ># Note: > > Moved from Sullivan County, New York in 1817 and settled in Erie > County, Ohio as a pioneer family. > Ruben Brooks was living with William and Mary Hobbs Brooks in the > 1850 Federal Census, Berlin, Erie, Ohio. Occupation: Farmer > > BROOKS-NE-L Archives > > From: Dave > Subject: [BNE] Reuben BROOKS b. 1790 NY? > Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2003 23:19:04 -0400 > > > Hello all, > The name here is Dave, and I'm looking for the origins of a Reuben > BROOKS b. 1790, possibly in Sullivan County, NY, or vicinity. > Reuben Married a Nelly Van BENSCHOTEN in Sullivan County, NY, > then in 1814 Nelly gave birth to their first son, Absalom BROOKS, in > Cayuga > County, NY. During the winter of 1816-7 the small family was > temporarily in Buffalo, NY where on 8 Jan 1817 Nelly gave birth to son > William BROOKS; it is William's line that I'm descended from. Being > hardly people back then, or in a hurry to get out of Dodge, Reuben, > Nelly, and the now two small children boarded a horse drawn sleigh, and > made their way to Erie County, OH, shortly after the birth. > > Below is copied the original story: > > Email from Vic Hillard dated 5-24-2003 > > Dave, > > Nellie Van Benschoten was a sibling of my ancestor. Following > information is in the Van Bunschoten (Van Benschoten) Family in > America, by William Henry Van Benschoten; published 1989 in Baltimore, MD > by Gateway Press, Inc. > > The book goes down one more generation with the grandchildren of > Reuben and Nellie (Van Benschoten) Brooks. Sorry no ancestry of Reuben. > > FIRST GENERATION > > 1. Reuben Brooks was born in JAN 1790. He died on 24 MAR 1859 in > Berlinville, Erie Co., OH. > > Just when they left Sullivan Co. for Holland Patent, N.Y., is not > known, but it was in the winter of 1816-1817 that they started for Ohio > from the latter point, making the entire journey by sleigh. Their > progress was retarded by the birth of their second child, William, at Buffalo. > They settled among her people in Berlin Township, Erie Co., O., at > first on a part of Oliver Peake's purchase but later acquiring lot No. > 17, adjoining. Here they spent their lives. > It was with Nelly Brooks that her mother, Margaret, passed her last > days and died having pathetically outlived al her generation and being > "ready, yes, anxious to go." "Reuben Brooks," said his nephew, George > Peake, "was a powerful, straight man, and when he was in earnest you did > not want to get in his way." He died Mar. 24, 1859, and lies in the Peake > buring ground. Nelly preceded him, dying in Aug, 1846. Children: > Absalom, b. 11 JUN 1814, probably at Holland Patent, NY; > William,b.8 JAN 1817, Buffalo, NY; Harlow, b. 20 AUG 1819 Erie Co., O.; > Rebecca, b.8 APR 1822, Erie Co.; > Eliza J., b. 18 SEP 1825, Erie Co.; > Julia, b. 4 OCT 1828, Erie Co.; > Alvin, b. 25 JUL 1833, Erie Co., d. 1844. > > He was married to Nelly Van Benschoten (daughter of Aaron Van > Benschoten and Margaret Hoffman) on 21 JAN 1811 in Sullivan Co., NY. > Nelly Van Benschoten was born about 1793/94 in Shawangunk, Dutchess Co., > NY. She was baptized on 1 FEB 1794 in Shawangunk, Dutchess Co., NY. She > died in AUG 1846 in Berlinville, Erie Co., OH. > > Prepared by: > Victor Grant Hillard, Jr. > > I do have one small clue to the parents of Reuben from my 2nd cousin > in Iowa. It is copied below: > > Brooks Family Genealogy Forum > > Re: noah brooks from New York? > Posted by: Deanna Brott Date: April 22, 2000 at 13:11:25 > In Reply to: noah brooks from New York? by barb of 8186 > > I have a Noel Brooks who had a son Reuben who was born in Buffalo, > New York. Reuben had several children:Rebecca, Eliza, Julia, Absalom, > Harlow, William, Alvin. I am related through William's son, Albert > William Brooks. Let me know if this helps. > Deanna > > I haven't found any Noah or Noel BROOKS who fits the bill. > I have also checked many of the New York Counties for info on Reuben > and found nothing, but did find all sorts of information on Nelly Van > BENSCHOTEN who was very "DUTCH". It could then be posible that Reuben > also may have either been DUTCH or had ties to the DUTCH community in New > York somwhow. I have checked the name TEN BROEK(s) and found nothing either... > > From some sources I have: > > History of BERLIN TOWNSHIP [Erie County, Ohio] > by Hudson Tuttle > from HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO > 1879 by W.W.Williams > pages 475-489 > > Oliver Peak was born in Starksburg, Vermont, in > 1797, and came to Berlin in 1817. He had previously > married Mary Benschoter, daughter of Aaron Ben- > schoter. He purchased lot eighteen, section four, > which he always retained. They had five children: > Daniel, George, Mary J. (Mrs. George Douglas, now > of Toledo), and Amy. George is the only one now > residing in the township, being one of the most in- > fluential and enterprising farmers. > Oliver Peak came into the wilderness with little > means, but by industry and economy amassed con- > siderable wealth, and had the satisfaction of seeing > all his familv more than usually prosperous. His first > wife died, and he married the widow of the late > Samuel Lewis with whom he lived till his death. He, > for many years, was justice of the peace, and was an > upright, honorable and patriotic citizen. > Reuben Brooks came with Mr. Peak from New > York, and for a time both held the same lot of land. > He afterwards purchased lot seventeen where he re- > sided until his death, about 1860. Only one son, > Absalom, is now a resident of the town. > > Next, We have a family of BROOKS who were attacked in 1778 and are > possible candidates for a relationship to my Reuben BROOKS: > > With the exception of the vague traditions of early settlement by the > Dutch along the Delaware, the first location of a permanent white > inhabitant is said to have been made about the year 1700, by Don > Manuel Gonzales, a Spaniard, who, having married into a Dutch family in > Rochester, (Ulster co.,) removed to Mamakating Hollow, where he > erected a house and raised grain. He opened a trade with the neighboring > Indians, who were then friendly; and other settlers were induced to > follow. Mamakating Precinct was formed in 1743, and until after the > Revolution it embraced nearly all of the present co. of Sullivan. > About 1750 a number of German families settled upon the W. frontiers > of Ulster co. They suffered greatly from Indian hostilities. The first > Indian incursion took place in 1777, when the family of Mr. Sprague, > in Mamakating, was attacked. The next year the family of Mr. Brooks was > attacked, some members were killed, and others taken prisoners. > > So where did this family go? > > Somewhere, in my disorganized files, I believe they appear in Cayuga > County, but now known as TEN BROEKS... This is my guess, but whoever > they were, we should have some record of them, somewhere, and they're > as good as candidates for Reuben's family as any other, at this point... > > Well, this is it, and hopefully, this will connect with someone, and > we can all find out more of our Ancestry. > Dave, in warm PA >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > This thread: > > [BNE] Reuben BROOKS b. 1790 NY? by Dave > > Re: [BNE] Reuben BROOKS b. 1790 NY? by Christopher Brooks > > > BROOKS-NE-L Archives > > > From: Christopher Brooks > Subject: Re: [BNE] Reuben BROOKS b. 1790 NY? > Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 02:20:51 -0400 > In-Reply-To: <3EFFAC28.5030500@zoominternet.net> > > > Dave wrote: > > :The name here is Dave, and I'm looking for the origins of a > :Reuben BROOKS b. 1790, possibly in Sullivan County, NY, or vicinity. > > While I don't recognize your Reuben, perhaps some one else will. It > doesn't strike me as a particularly Dutch name, but I admit to not > having checked my database to see if that's evidentially the case. > > You might try some focused keyword searches of the list archive at > http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=BROOKS-NE > > for given names, county names (Sullivan), or any other applicable > noun which is likely to be reasonably unique. > > The fact that you haven't found Reuben in an Anglo Brooks family does > not strike me as unusual. New York is a zillion times larger than any New > England state, and didn't initiate statewide records until God > knows when.We have dozens of listreaders whose elusive ancestor > vanishes into or emerges from a black hole in New York. > > Is he a Dutch crossover? Anything's possible, but I tend to go with > the philosophical proposition called Occam's Razor. It says (more or > less) that when there are multiple explanations of something, the > simplest will most often be correct :-) I think I'd keep looking at > Brooks families in New York state in 1790. > > Chris > > Christopher Brooks > Researching BROOKS Families of New England > http://www.tributaries.org > >Lastly, Nellie Van Benschoten's father was Aaron Van Benschoten, a >Revolutionary War Hero. Much info exists on his lineage which means that >somewhere there should be some info on the Reuben BROOKS who married his >daughter. Another of Aaron's daughter's, Mary or Mollie Van Benschoten, b. >13 Jul 1792, married Oliver Peake who came with Reuben and Nellie to Erie >County, OH. The Van Benschoten were from Dutchess and Ulster Counties >before Sullivan County. > >Dave Felzke, now back in Michigan, again > > >==== BROOKS-NE Mailing List ==== >To unsub, send ONLY the word UNSUBSCRIBE to > BROOKS-NE-L-request@rootsweb.com >or BROOKS-NE-D-request@rootsweb.com