This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: NIcholas Utter, Thomas Utter and John Utter Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/XcB.2ACE/301.1.1 Message Board Post: Hi Pat, I am a descendant of Mrs Stephen Clink (1780-1861) who was Christianna Utter daughter of John Utter born abt. 1750 probably in Fairfield or New London, Connecticut. Christianna's great-grandparents were John Utter and Jemima Benjamin and this Utter line descends from Thomas Utter a son of old Nicholas Utter. The record you mentioned of Gov. Andros that I also have seen was from 1687 or something like that; but that is the earliest record I have seen in Rhode Island for our ancestor. There is thus this 30 yr. gap from the time he arrived at New Sweden in the mid 1650's to 1687 for my records. I have seen some of the early 18th century land transactions which list him and his sons before he died. I also have some accounts of his early years and that of the Swedes at New Sweden; but little else on Nicholas Utter. The next few generations that are related to me seem to have been residing in Preston, New London Connecticut for a number of years in the 1700's and Christianna's grandfather seems to have located at Preston and Westerly, Rhode Island shortly after his marriage to a woman named Hannah who we believe to have been a Greenwich, Palmer apparently of the Denham Palmer Sr. family of Greenwich, Connecticut. Later Utters of our family group named their children Palmer Utter and C! hristianna's father John Utter was infact looked after in his teens by his guardian Uncle Denham Palmer according to Stamford, Connecticut records in the 1760's So that is how I fit into the Nicholas Utter family. Christianna's father and two brothers came to New York State about the time of the revolution and her father apparently lived with the two brother in Tryon County where loyalist support was strong and he briefly joined up or was recruited into a loyalist militia probably as Burgoyne and his forces made into New York State from Canada in 1777. After British General Burgoyne's defeat and capture at Saratoga, New YOrk, most of his loyalist troops had already escaped to Canada because of Burgoyne's fear they would be mistreated or killed by their captors as loyalist soldiers were regarded by the local militias and the population as traitors to their County. Many in New York State, strongly were against the war as much as they were pro British; but were compelled to either join up with their local militia on the rebel side or join with the "enemy". Neutrality seems to have been an option for only a few during the war. In fact many local loyalists because the prisons were too small and loyalists too numerous were paroled with a fine and a warning; so it would seem with my Utter ancestor. John Utter it fairly certain escaped lengthy imprisonment, did not go to Canada to receive official loyalist status or to rejoin with the other Tryon and other New York loyalist, instead he married Margaret Houghteling of an old Dutch New York family whose father Henry Hougteling lived near present day Claverack at a village called Nobletown (present day Hilsdale). John Utter probably married Margaret about 1777-1778 as his first son John Utter JR. was known to have been born abt. 1778 for certain in New York State. The next child as far as we know was my ancestor Christianna Utter born abt. 1780. John Utter Sr. and his family settled farther north up the Hudson River in Albany County, Coeymans Township by the late 1780's apparently following John's older brother Dr. David Palmer Utter who purchased land ! in Albany County beginning in the mid 1780's and subsequently purchased land also at Coeymans in the late 1780's. Dr. David Palmer Utter, although not known to have served on the loyalist side during the war, apparently expressed his unhappiness some years after the Revolutionary War with the new government in Albany, New YOrk and later considered himself to be pro British. This then appears to be the reason why he was banished from ALbany County and New York State in 1790,lost his medical practice and had his small estate confiscated. To make matters worse his first wife Lydia Eaton did not accompany him to Canada and at some point around this time divorced him and married his neighbour in Coeysman, New York. Dr. Utter first arrived at Grimsby, Upper Canada in 1790 and in 1796 petitioned the Crown for a land grant in neighbouring Saltfleet Township in compensation for his mistreatment and losses. Although the Crown did not grant him loyalist status his petition was accepted and he received a generous 243 acre land grant at Saltfleet TOwnship in 1796. By 1803 or 1804, my ancestor John Utter Sr, the Doctor's brother was invited to come up to Canada with his three sons in Coeymans, New York and farm a 50 acre portion of Dr. Utter's land grant near Lake Ontario. In 1811, John's daughter, Christianna Utter and her husband Stephen Clink 1786-1871, my great-great-great grandfather of Albany County, New YOrk came up with wife Christianna and my then infant great-great grandfather John Utter Clink (1810-1887) to settle first of all at Saltfleet with the Utter family. Several years later Stephen Clink applied for a land grant in 1819 and eventually by 1821 the Stephen Clink family established a farm in Erin Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. That greatly symplified is how my Utter connected Clink family ended up in Canada from ALbany County, New York State. Hope this tale is of some interest to you Pat and any of the Utter researchers. I have compiled as much as I can of my Connecticut/New York/Ontario John Utter family, his ancestors and particulary descendants over the last few years. But always looking for info on John Senior's family in old Connecticut and Rhode Island if it turns up. Thanks again for your suggestions. I have also seen the Waterman book; but it does not dwell much on our branch of the Connecticut Utter family I think. I am also researching the David Palmer/Denham Palmer family Greenwich, Connecticut Genealogy as I am apparently a descendant of this family through John Utter's mothers family. regards Donald Clink regards Donald Clink