Hello Everyone... back again.. this time with my HOSMER family. (and a special note to Vee... "yes" I have HOSMER family in Niagara County... and a copy of the 3-volume set of The Hosmer Heritage... and "still" some loose ends on the direct line... and have been finding out about many of the collateral lines over this past year....). I even have my PRATT family we've been talking about and this HOSMER line meeting up! So... here we go... This line comes from Thomas HOSMER (brother to James HOSMER).. who arrived from ENG into MA.. then became one of the founders of Hartford, CT.. with Rev Hooker.. in 1636. My line comes down several generations in Hartford Co, CT and finally winds up with Stephen HOSMER (1703/4 - 1761) m to Deliverance GRAVES (1713 - 1758). They had 13 children that I know of.. and from them.. the NY story evolves.... (the children were: Sarah, Stephen, Marrianne, Titus, George, Anne, Deliverance, Timothy, Esther, John, Prentice, Mary and Graves.) The children were born from 1731 to 1756. Of those children: I know that Titus m Lydia LORD and remained in CT - in Middletown. Timothy m Elizabeth SMITH and moved to Avon, Livingston Co, NY, although this was after all the children were born.. in Farmington, CT. I believe I hail from the youngest child above: Graves HOSMER. Graves was b 1756 in Hartford, CT... in Rev War out of New London, CT.. (have his military/pension files) ... m to Amy CONGDON (yet I still haven't found the marriage VR in CT..) ... they had 4 children in CT (Prentice, Sylvester, Titus W and Clarissa)... then moved to Avon, Livingston Co, NY... where other HOSMER family was already residing. He had more children there.. (Delia, Maria, James and Stephen). (Have found out about the Hosmer Inn now at the museum, etc...). From Avon, NY over to Niagara County: Of those, I know Prentice (m Helen HENRY), Sylvester and Titus W (m Helen ???) came over to Niagara Co, NY. Prentice was b in 1790 and d 1846 in Porter, NY. Titus W was b 1796 and d 1866 in Wilson, NY. I am descended from Sylvester, b 1794 and d 1873. He m Rebecca KITTREDGE / KITRAGE. Rebecca b 17 Mar 1800 "in VT"? (another loose end here...who were her parents & where was she born?) ----- Sylvester HOSMER and Rebecca KITTREDGE had 8 children: Maria, James E (d young), John (m Harriet Newell DWIGHT), Stephen (m Angeline ASH), Sarah (m Edmund CASE), Samuel C, Jane and Charles - born between 1820 and 1841. Once again, I have no VRs for any of these births (or for the marriage of Sylvester & Rebecca). Sylvester and Rebecca are buried together at Greenwood Cemetery and five of their children are named in Sylvester's estate papers. They died in 1873 and 1880 respectively. ----- Of the 8 children, I descend from the youngest: Charles HOSMER b 1841 in Wilson, NY. He m Isabel M MILLER (aka Libby and aka Elizabeth). She was b in 1844. I have her NY death certificate and know little abt her parents except maybe her father was a "John" Miller? They had just one child: Ella S HOSMER. Charles died in 1923 and Isabel in 1926. ----- Ella S HOSMER, b 1865 in Wilson -- m Calvin Lewis PRATT (b 1865 in Wilson)... and here we have come full circle to my great-grandparents... and the meeting of the PRATT and HOSMER lines. Again, still need marriage VR. Church records are going to be the way to go for that, I guess... (just have to figure out which churches!!) They died in 1902 and 1956 respectively. Here it goes over to the PRATT name... and the marriage of their daughter Marian Bell PRATT to Edward Smith. So, I have family scenarios - cemetery records - some probate - death certificates for more recent deathdates - census - some secondary sources like the Hosmer Heritage books - and "holes" in the middle for the births, marriages, etc. I do know of Holland Land Company deeds (2) in the 1830s and (2) in the 1850s for Sylvester HOSMER.... and he is also mentioned in the Wilson Sketchbook as being a contributor for the Wilson Collegiate Institute. [This is where both he and the senior Calvin PRATT were on the same list!] See anyone familiar? Have any sources I should be checking? Thanks again for reading! debbie CAhobbies@aol.com