Your best bet is to search for a probate record for Peter - especially the Petition and other papers which should tell something about Andrew's parentage. ____________________________________________________ Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

Hi Barbara, Thank you for the reply. Yes, we have all the census records and knew that Peter was his grandfather and such. This was always a closed topic among family members even though everyone knew that Andrew was illegitimate and that Peter and Abigal were the grandparents. My mother-in-law, Addie Ruth [Bonesteel] Timber said that whenever the question was raised by her to her father Charles E.Bonesteel [Andrews son], it was : "You will not ask those questions, they are his parents!" End of conversation. My wife Jane asked Charlie about this and got her head bit off over it. My wife will be in Troy next week and this question is one of the things she is looking for answers to.We don't know if it was an unmarried Bonesteel girl or a Bonesteel boy and do not think it was just an adoption of a non Bonesteel boy. The idea of a probate record is one we had not really thought of and could well provide the answer. 1880 census: John Hayner is a shirttail relative from way back thru a Bonesteel/Hayner marriage and there are many Hayners in the immediate area, several of which worked on the farm as kids. Christina Rodgers is the sister of Andrews wife Ruth Rodgers. The unnamed 1 month old son was Loren A. Thanks again for your interest and reply. Regards Dave Rinsem Barbara Jeffries wrote: >Your best bet is to search for a probate record for >Peter - especially the Petition and other papers which >should tell something about Andrew's parentage. > > > > > >

Hi, I am desc. of Bonesteel-Simmons. At one time I had scads of info on Bonesteel, but I never got around to putting them in any kind of order so I threw it all out when I was making space for other things. Here is an abstract of a will from my web page: BONESTEEL, Nicolaus of Troy 26 Nov 1806 - 5 Sep 1809. Heirs: s-i-l, Jeremiah Smith; deceased son, Frederick Bonesteel; sons, Lodwick, Philip, & Henry Bonesteel; daughters: Anna Margaret w/o Henry Simmons, Jr.; Catharine w/o Abraham simmons; Anna Maria w/o Killian Richart; Hanna w/o Jeremiah Smith; and Magdalena w/o Henry Wager. One of these sons may or maynot be the father of Peter. When your wife gets to Troy she should check the 1855 census to see what county Peter was born in, provided he was there at that time. Also, the Troy Library has abstracts of Columbia Co. wills. The Rensselaer Co. probate records are in the Surrogate's Office in the Courthouse next to the Library - the library also has some of the church records in book form. Happy hunting. Barbara __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

Hi Barbara, Thank you for the information that brings us one step closer to who the parents of Peter are and ultimately who the parents of Andrew were. We now also suspect that Peter and Abigal were not son Almons parents either. Our suspicions all along were that Peter decended from the family of Nicolaus and his son Lodwick. Should know next week !!! Best regards Dave Rinsem Barbara Jeffries wrote: >Hi, >I am desc. of Bonesteel-Simmons. At one time I had >scads of info on Bonesteel, but I never got around to >putting them in any kind of order so I threw it all >out when I was making space for other things. > >Here is an abstract of a will from my web page: > >BONESTEEL, Nicolaus of Troy 26 Nov 1806 - 5 Sep 1809. >Heirs: s-i-l, Jeremiah Smith; deceased son, Frederick >Bonesteel; sons, Lodwick, Philip, & Henry Bonesteel; >daughters: Anna Margaret w/o Henry Simmons, Jr.; >Catharine w/o Abraham simmons; Anna Maria w/o Killian >Richart; Hanna w/o Jeremiah Smith; and Magdalena w/o >Henry Wager. > >One of these sons may or maynot be the father of >Peter. >When your wife gets to Troy she should check the 1855 >census to see what county Peter was born in, provided >he was there at that time. Also, the Troy Library has >abstracts of Columbia Co. wills. The Rensselaer Co. >probate records are in the Surrogate's Office in the >Courthouse next to the Library - the library also has >some of the church records in book form. > >Happy hunting. > >Barbara > > > > >__________________________________________________ > >

Hi, I had forgotten the the 1855 census transcription for Grafton is on the Rens. Co. page - Peter was born in Rens. Co. and Abigail had been in Grafton for 25 years and Peter for 49 - it lists his daughters, Abigail 20 and Mary 18. The 1860 census has in the same household: George Mires 25 Mary 23, Martha J. 2, Mary A. 1/12 Peter Bonesteel 54 Abigail 50, Almon 14, Andrew 4 Considering how some of the census takers listed people I might be inclined to think that Andrew was really the son of Mary (Peter's daughter)and George Mires. They often listed people in two different households at the same time depending upon who was present at the time, so you never know. In 1850 there is : David L. Bonesteel 52 Sarah P. 13 (?) Elizabeth WEDEN 45 ALMON WEDEN 4 (again Almon could have been Bonesteel - he is the only Almon of that age in Grafton). What a mess!!!! Have fun. BArbara __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour: http://tour.mail.yahoo.com/mailtour.html