Recently Tania Woolsey wrote: Hi Va and Wilford, I hope this email finds you both doing well. I have uncovered some information on the identity of the first wife of Rev. Richard Woolsey of Colchester, Delaware County NY and later Seneca County, NY. It seems Va that your Aunt "Code" had all of her marbles when she did the original research. For clarification I'm going to list the known Children of Richard Woolsey: Esther (birth date unknown, died before 1846) Phebe (1795 - 1824) Sarah (birth date unknown, died before 1846) Joseph (Feb. 23, 1801 - 1858) John (August 30, 1802 - August 20, 1887) Richard (May 22, 1804 - 1883) Daniel (March 5, 1808 - June 27, 1887) Electa Mariah (Nov. 21, 1809 - ?) Lucinda (Jan. 13, 1812 - March 11, 1886) Clarinda (March 17, 1814 - Nov. 30, 1874) Belinda (Jan. 25, 1817 - June 14, 1876) We have suspected that the first 3 girls were daughters of Richard and his first wife. Mostly for 2 reasons. First, Richard's second wife Sarah Fuller Gregory was widowed in Dec. of 1796 and had a child in March of 1797. And second, Daniel Woolsey does not mention them in our family bible. So, now the plot thickens.... In a listing of the Covered Bridge Cemetery, Colchester, Delaware County, New York is this grave: Abigale Woolsey Wife of Richard Died May 22, 1804 36 years Notice her death date and the birth date of Richard in the list of children above are the same! So, it appears that Abigale was not only the mother of the first three girls but also the first 3 boys. This does shed light on the 4 year gap between the births of Richard in 1804 and Daniel in 1808. It still leaves me wondering why Daniel left the 3 oldest girls off the list of his siblings in the bible. Maybe he didn't list them because they were already deceased at the time he inscribed the page in the bible. We'll really never know...... Take Care, Tania Woolsey - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I will reply to Va Buchanan and Tania Woolsey as follows: Thank you, Tania, for this interesting post. I know that if you and Va keep "digging" around, you will eventually get this line straight. I am particularly interestested because they are descendants of Richard Woolsey and Sarah Fowler. The parents of Rev Richard Woolsey are Joseph Woolsey and Mary Haight, s/o Richard Woolsey and Sarah Fowler. Joseph Woolsey and Mary Haight also had a son Joseph Woolsey Jr , a blacksmith, who married Mehitable Brown, and had (probably) 13 children. They eventually went to Franklin twp, Erie County, Pennsylvania. Now I have an Arza Woolsey b 26 Nov 1799 in New York, married Betsey ________, abt 1819, and they have 2 boys and 1 girl in the 1830 Saratoga Co, NY census. I next found Arza and Betsey in the 1850 and 1860 census of Frankling Twp, Erie Co, PA and Arza and Betsey are buried in the Francis Cemetery, Franklin Twp, Erie Co, PA. Arza Woolsey, b 1799, is too young to be a son of Joseph Woolsey, Sr. and Mary Haight and Arza Woolsey is too old to be a son of Joseph Woolsey, Jr. and Mehitable Brown. Arza Woolsey would fit into the family of Rev. Richard Woolsey and his first wife Abigail Lyon, but I have no proof. Any suggestions about this Arza Woolsey? Thank you all for your wonderful information and help and interest in the Woolsey family. Sincerely, Wilford W. Whitaker