To Nancy Kent Thoben and interested Woolsey researchers: www sent the following to Nancy Kent Thoben: >----- Original Message ----- >From: Wilford W. Whitaker <wwwhit@integrityonline3.com> >To: <joenan@koan.com> >Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2000 9:18 PM >Subject: Illinois Woolseys > >> Hi, Nancy: >> >> Thank you for writing to me. I would appreciate a copy of the children of >> Ira Stevens and Hannah Sophia Woolsey, dates, spouses, etc. I am trying >to >> have a complete family group for each one named WOOLSEY. >> >> Do you have any documentation on the older Woolsey generations that would >> connect them back into New York. That would be greatly appreciated. >> >> Thank you. >> >> Sincerely, >> >> Wilford W. Whitaker To which Nancy responded: >> Dear Wilford, >Glad someone is finally documenting all this info on the Woolseys. >Glad to do my part. >Ira Rawson Stevens b 8 apr 1839 Sandy Creek Ny mar Hannah >Sofia Woolsey b 7Apr 1844 Knoxville, Knox, Il on 23 Mar 1865 >in Knoxville, Knox, Il. Ira d 27 Oct 1916 and Hannah d 22 Jan 1909. They >are both buried in Linwood Cem, Galesburg, Il >They had 4 daughters; Carrie Evelyn b 22 Apr 1866, d 23 Sep >1909, never married,--- Estelle Rebecca b 20 Apr 1871 mar >Robert Kent (my line) Sep 1891 d 20 Apr 1932, Alta Miller >b 28 Oct 1872 d 3 Aug 1950 Never married.---- Jeanette Parry >b 10Jan 1882 mar John Ross Mc Clure 1904, d 9 Oct 1956. >Hannah's parents: Wright Woolsey b 24 June 1820 in Ashtabula, >Ohio, moved to Il when a small boy. He was a grocer in Knoxville, Civil War >Record shows he was a Calvary Capt., >Mar 26 Jan 1842 Rebecca Yeager (I have her picture) Mar in >Ravenna, Portage, Ohio ( Marriage Cert) Rebecca was born 3 >Feb 1825 in Penn (According to census) Children were: >Prudence Jane Woolsey 1842 mar John A Woolsey, >Hannah, Mary C. Woolsey 1845 died age 4, >George Wright Woolsey 1847 mar Sarah Fink, William Homer >Woolsey 1848 mar Martha Ann Curry, Eliza Ann Woolsey 1849, >Almira C. Woolsey 1851 never married, Cardinal B Woolsey 1853, died age 8 >years., Susan A. Woolsey 1857, Chauncy >Dunbar Woolsey 1860, John Grant Woolsey 1863 mar Rozine Emmert, Gabriel Woo >lsey 1865 never married, Luther Clark >Woolsey 1869... >I have Wright's Civil War Record, his marriage record and his >will. Also have pictures of gravesite in Knoxville. ********************************************************* *******It appears that Rebecca Yeager Woolsey married Wright's brother John Leander Woolsey in later life after Wright died. Do you have that? ******* ********************************************************* >Wright's parents: John Woolsey III b 6 May 1781 Newburg Ny >went to Ohio in 1820 then on to Il in 1846 mar Elizabeth Bradshaw b 5 Dec >1781 Charlton, Saratoga, Ny mar >1815 in Boylestown, Ny . John d 1 Apr 1854 Knoxville, Elizabeth d 16 June >1878 Both buried in Knoxville, Children" >Deborah Ann Woolsey 13 June 1816 mar Chauncy Dunbar, >William Henry Woolsey 1818, mar Margaret, He was in Civil >War. d 17 June 1864 of war wounds, Wright Woolsey, James >Bradshaw Woolsey 1822, mar Hannah Reeve d 1908, John >Leander Woolsey 1826 mar Martha d 1881, Edwin Wheeler >Woolsey 1828 mar Mary Tingle D 1910, Leonard Woolsey >1830 mar Elizabeth d p1870, Elizah Woolsey 1831 d 1878, >Eli Homer Woolsey 1831 mar Mary Massey d 1918 >John was son of John Woolsey II and Deborah Ann Wright, >John b 1759 near Marlborough, Ulster, Ny mar Deborah 1780 >in Newburgh Ny, John d 1848 and is buried in Riverside Cem, >Marlborough Ny ( I couldn't find his gravesite.)They had 8 children. **************************************************** **** One researcher says the above John Woolsey md a second time (in 1815) and had a daughter Lucretia who md Jonathan Wright. [www thinks there was a son Deyo Woolsey born to this marriage, also. Do you have this?] That same researcher says that John died in Ashtabula Co., Ohio. Which may be why you didn't find his gravesite in Marlborough??? **************************************************** ******* >John was son of John Woolsey I b 1731 Marlborough, Ny mar >Chlorine Peck b 1731 in Westchester Co., Ny, John d 1757 also >buried in Riverside Cem, Marlborough NY.( I have copy of his >will) Listed in History of Marlborough and old gravestones of >Ulster Co, Riverside Cem Marlborough. They had 12children. >John I was son of Richard Woolsey b1697 in Jamaica Long Island >mar 1718 Sarah Fowler b 1698 Flushing, LI, NY. They had >7 children. They moved to Bedford about 1719. Richard left a >will (I do not have a copy) proved 12 Dec 1782 in Dutchess Co. >NY He died in Dutchess Co. where he left a will but some time >later relatives moved his grave to Bedford in Westchester NY. >His tombstone can be found there but the dates on it are wrong >if one is to believe his will. ********************************************************** *******I have enclosed a copy of the will of Richard Woolsey. Cyprian Meech Woolsey, who wrote that fine "History of Marlborough", stated that his great-grandparents Richard Woolsey and Sarah Fowler had 12 children, 4 girls and 8 boys. I have 13 children listed for them, but he is probably the more correct. See his will annexed. ******************************************************* ******* >Richard was son of Thomas Woolsey b 1655 in Flushing LI, NY, >mar 1679 Ruth Bailey d 1730 Will probated Westchester Co. >Surrogate Court Buried in Old Cemetery of Bedford, Westchester NY . He >moved from Flushing to Jamaica as a small >boy. **************************************************** It appears that Thomas was baptized in Flushing. His father George lived in New Amsterdam (New York) near the "Stadt Huse" (State House) and then "purchased land in Flushing" and then moved to Jamaica. **************************************************** In 1721 bought farm in Bedford from then on known as the >Woolsey Farm./ ********************************************************* It appears that one or two sons were in Bedford about 1717 ********************************************************* >Richard son of George Woolsey b 1610 Yarmouth Eng. Came to >America 1623. ( He was christn' 1616 at St. Lawrence Church in >Ipswich Eng.) mar 1647 at Dutch Church Brooklyn Church to >Renecca Cornell . >They are both buried in Old Cem North of Jamaica L,I.. > ****************************************************** I have found no original document that will substantiate that George Woolsey, the Immigrant, was born in 1610. I have discounted that date, though it is common among the early researchers of the Woolsey family. He was christened 27 Oct 1616 but not in Ipswich, but in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England at St. Nicholas Church there. One researcher suggested that George was born in 1610 and then christened six years later, but that is highly unlikely, especially in a well-settled town with a large church, where they would take the new-born as soon as possible after birth, usually within a week or two. **************************************************** >Hope this helps some. Nancy Kent Thoben > Nancy, Thank you for your interesting post. I have responded to known discrepancies within your post above. The following is the WILL of Richard Woolsey, who md Sarah Fowler and is the ancestor of many, many of us throughout the country. !PROBATE: In the Name of God, amen. I Richard Wolsey of Bedford in Westminister County and State of New York, being Weakly in Body But of perfect Mind and Memory Thanks be given unto God, calling to mind the Mortality of my body and Knowing that it is appointed to all Men once to Die, Do make and ordain this My Last Will and Testament That is to Say Principally and first of all I give and Recommend My Soul into the Hand of Almighty God that gave it and My Body I Recommend to the Earth to be buried in Decent Christian Manner at the Discretion of My Executors Nothing Doubting but at the general Resurection I Shall Receive the Same again by the Mighty Power of God, and as touching Such Worldly Estate Wherewith it has Pleased God to Bless me in this Life I give demise and Dispose of the same in the following Manner and Form: First I make Daniel Wolsey of New Palze and Jacob Griffin of Fish Kills the Sole Executors of this My Last Will and Testament. I give to Sarah My well beloved Wife all My Estate During her life and after her Decease to be Divided in the following Manner: First I give to my Eldest Son Thomas ten pounds New York Money the Rest of my Estate I give to my three Daughters that is Ruth, Sarah and Hannah to be divided Equally Between the three, and I do hereby Utterly disallow Revoke and Disanul all and every other former Testament Wills Legacies Bequests and Executons, by me in any ways Before Named Willed and Bequeathed Ratifying and Confirming this and no other to be My Last Will and Testament in Witness whereof I have hereunto Set My Hand and Seal this twenty first Day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Nine. Signed Sealed Published Pronounced and Declared by the Said Richard Woley as his Last Will and Testament in the Presence of us Who in his Presence and in the Presence of Each other have here to subscribed our names. Justes Harris James Clark Richard Wooley Bettey Clark I have not seen the original, so I can't comment on its correctness and there are problems associated with the dates here and the dates on Richard's gravestones. [For example, his gravestone gives his death date as 1777 and the will was not written until 1779 and not probated until (I think) 1784.] This was found in the Dutchess County records, but I haven't found it yet. James W. Woolsey, who had a copy of the will, made several startling statements about the Woolsey family, gave almost no "chapter and verse", which was quite frustrating to following researchers, especially about some of his remarks about the Dutch period, which I have not been able to duplicate (with one exception). It is so important to put down book number, page numbers, where the documents are stored, etc. etc. Well, I hope this helps. Sincerely, Wilford W. Whitaker