Hello All, I have for some time been trying to document the oft-quoted ancestry of Gilbert Weeks (1741-1799) of Philips Precinct, Dutchess/Putnam County N.Y. The proposed line, for which I have never found a primary source, is that he was the son of Solomon Weeks and Nancy/Margaret/Gretia Waters/Walters of Oyster Bay, Solomon being the son of Daniel Weeks, son of Francis Weeks, the immigrant. I have some problems with this proposed lineage – no marriage record for Solomon and Nancy, no baptisms for their kids, no wills, no tax records, at least that I can find -- which lead me to try tracking down Gilbert. And that lead to more problems. Below are my thoughts on this line, presented in the hope that someone can either point me in the right direction or tell me where I've gone wrong! I: SOLOMON It appears that Daniel Weeks and his wife Mary Alling did indeed have a son named Solomon born in 1697. However, I believe it was a different and younger Solomon who married Miss Waters/Walters, whatever her actual first name was. I base this on the 1771 Will of William Waters, which mentions his daughter Gretia, her "first husband" Solomon Weeks and his "three grandchildren": Isaac, Solomon and Rachel. It seems unlikely that the Solomon born in 1697 would have a father-in-law alive in 1771. A more likely candidate is the Solomon Weeks whose father, Abraham, was the brother of Solomon of 1697. And if the Solomon born in 1697 DID marry Gretia Walters, this will shows that they had no son named Gilbert. Either way, then, there is a hole in the generally accepted lineage of Gilbert Weeks (1741-1799). If Solomon of 1697 did marry Gretia Walters, then the couple weren't Gilbert's parents. And if the Solomon of 1697 didn't marry Gretia Walters, then the mother of Gilbert had to be someone else. II GILBERTS GILBERTS EVERYWHERE Doubts thus raised, I began looking for records of my Gilbert with the idea of tying him to Solomon or some other Weeks family. One problem: There were at least three Gilbert Weeks alive in the mid-1700s in New York, two of them in Dutchess/Putnam County! We have: -Gilbert Weeks Number One -- who married Phebe Hall at Hempstead, Long Island, in 1751. -Gilbert Weeks Number Two – who married Phebe Southard at Rombout, Dutchess County, Jan. 1, 1764. -Gilbert Weeks Number Three – who as "Gilbert Jr." married Jemimah Van Amburgh at Rombout March 3, 1766, this couple being my ancestors. If Solomon of 1697 DID have a son named Gilbert, it could be any of the above three. How did earlier genealogists tell them apart? Or were they unaware of the existence of more than one or in possession of records I have yet to find? I don't know, and I have yet to find anything to tie any of these Gilberts to Solomon. What I do know for sure about my Gilbert is this: He is buried in the Fishkill DRC churchyard beside Jemima. His stone records his birth on April 27, 1741, and his death on March 12, 1799. An administrator's bond filed after his death gives the date as March 14 and the place as Philips. He appears in the Rombout Church records as Gilbert Jr., baptizing children named Chauncey, Jemima and Richard. Other children were Rachel/Elizabeth (my ancestor), James, George and John. More are possible. I have not found his baptism, which, of course, would solve the mystery of his parentage and eliminate the need for this lengthy post! The earliest reference I have to him comes from an unpublished typescript sent to me by a cousin who got it from the author, Ruth Ewing Bradford. It says: "I have in my possession a paper, the original copy of the indenture of Gilbert Weeks of Courtland Manor, to learn the trade of a Blacksmith, at Fishkill, of James Weeks executed Feb. 1, 1756, witnessed by Abraham Weeks and Daniel Sutton in which it is stated he has the consent of his father and mother, Job Wright and his wife Mary. ... I assume that after Solomon Week's death his widow married Job Wright and that he figured as Gilbert's stepfather." James presumably was a brother, and he is indeed listed as such in the Bradford typescript along with Abraham and Absalom. Their parents are given, without a source, as Solomon Weeks and Mary Waters. Checking the Fishkill cemetery again, I do find a James Weeks there: "James Weeks/Born November ye 10th 1737/Died Novemb ye 15th 1790/Aged 53 years/Remember me I once had breath/In the midst of life--we are in death/Death calls us home--we must obey/I was well--sick--and dead all in one day." Cheerful fellow. In 1793, a vendue (auction) list was filed for the estate of James Weeks of Rumbout Precinct, Dutchess County. Among the purchasers were Agnes Weeks, Chancey Weeks, Richard Weeks and Gilbert Weeks. ("Genealogical Data from Inventories of New York Estates, 1666-1825." Kenneth Scott and James A. Owre, New York, 1970.) This makes it seem all the likelier that Gilbert and James were brothers or at least related. Turning south to look for further records, I have found little on the Weeks family in Cortlandt Manor – certainly no Solomon, Mary or Job Wright. But in the New York Historical Society's "Muster rolls of New York provincial troops, 1755-1764," I do find: Gilbert Weeks, 18, laborer born in North Castle, 5'8", brown eyes and brown hair, enlisted March 19, 1759, in Captain Brown's company of Westchester County militia. North Castle is within stone-throwing distance of Cortlandt Manor and the age matches – could this be Gilbert (1741 to 1799)? In the same book is listed: Gilbert Weeks, 20, laborer born in New England, 5'4", brown hair, brown complexion, brown eyes, enlisted June 9, 1760, in Captain Rogers' company of Westchester County Militia. This could of course by Gilbert (1799-1841), too. Or it could be the Gilbert who married Phebe Southard. Or it could be a fourth Gilbert! In any case, if born in New England, we can safely assume that he, at least, was not a son of Solomon Weeks of Oyster Bay. Things get still more muddled when one turns to Revolutionary War records. A Gilbert Weeks served as an ensign and later a lieutenant in an Orange County, NY, militia company. A biography of the grandson of Gilbert Weeks (1741-1799) included in a late-1800s county history makes the claim that he lived in Orange County at the time and indeed served in the militia at Fort Montgomery. Another Gilbert Weeks (or the same) captained a vessel along the Hudson and served in Capt. Weisenfel's company under Col. Phillip Van Cortlandt. In 1822, a Gilbert Weeks of Peekskill filed a pension application claiming that he was this soldier; it was rejected. And Gilbert Weeks of Fishkill, husband to Phebe, made his will Dec. 13, 1824, naming wife and minor children Samuel, Jane Griffin, Susan, Abigail, John William and Gilbert. Could this or the pension applicant be the same man who married Phebe Southard way back in the 1760s? One final mystery, one final stone in the Fishkill churchyard: "Mistress Nancy Weeks/Born Feb. 26/1712/Died Aug 26/1778/Aged 66 years 6 mos An Honest Dame/a frugal wife/we greved Her much/when she left this Lyfe." Could this be the mother of one of the Gilberts? Congratulations to anyone who's managed to read through this. Any assistance or suggestions are welcome! -Jim Miller jm1982@gmail.com