The McCay Family of Hanover Precinct, Ulster County, New York in the 1700s

The farm of John McCay was adjacent to the farm of Joel Campbell's father. The deed of sale of the Campbell farm in 1793 describes its property line as running "... to the land belonging to John McCay, then along his Line North eighty five Degrees West fifteen Chains and seventy five Links to the said Highway then along the same South ..."

Outline of farm based on description in 1793 deed

The ongoing transcription of the DayBook from the Colden Store reveals purchases of a Patrick McCay in 1767.

On August 18, 1767, Patrick's daughter appeared at the store and purchased a gallon of Y [York?] Rum for her father.

On the 29th of the same month, Frederick Fawker [Faulkner?] picked up one half gallon of W [West Indian?] Rum for Patrick McCay.

Again on September 6th, Frederick Fawkert [Faulkner?] picked up one half gallon of W [West Indian?] Rum for Patrick McCay.

Undoubtedly we will hear more of this family as the DayBook is further transcribed, but one interesting entry appears on March 28, 1768. On this date, William Wear appears at the store and picks up six items "for funeral of Patrick McCay."  The items included:

"5 1/2 Galn  Rum @5/
7 # Sugr [sugar]
1 Galn Wine
1/2 Gross Pipes [a gross is 12 dozen]
1 # Alspice
4 # tobaco"

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I suspect the McCay family may have been part of the company brought over from Ireland in 1729 by Charles Clinton. On that ship was a John McCay who died during the tragic crossing. [p. 216 of Ruttenber's History of Orange County.] He was one of 92 who would not live to see the landing on Cape Cod. Perhaps he had a brother or son who carried on the name in the Little Britain area.

In the 1779 Tax Assessment of Hanover Precinct [NYS Archives], a Mary McKay [McCay] appears adjacent to Joel Campbell's father, Samuel. Presumably this is Patrick McCay's widow. And presumably she is living on the property shown above that lies to the south of the Campbell farm. It is described in the assessment as being 29 acres.

A "John McCay" appears later in the records of the Hardenbergh militia and may be the same John McCay who is listed as the owner of the McCay farm in the 1793 deed. Presumably he is the son of Mary and Patrick McCay.

More to come.....

DNA of Jemima Campbell Tice (daughter of Joel Campbell, 1735-1828) PART II of IV

The difficulties in learning more about the mother of Joel Campbell's children were discussed in Part I of this series. One source of information that does not suffer from incorrect  recollections or lack of documentation is the genetic material that is passed from mother to child.

Maternal DNA testing

Mothers pass genetic material to their children. Some of it, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), is passed intact. In other words, this mtDNA it is not recombined with the father's DNA. Daughters pass it further to their children, creating a genetic signature of the maternal line that continues from generation to generation. An occasional random mutation occurs, perhaps every 5 to 22 generations, marking a "branch" in the mtDNA tree.

If two persons have matching mtDNA, it is fairly certain they have a common maternal ancestor in the past 5 to 22 generations.  [FamilyTreeDNA estimates a 95% confidence of a common ancestor at 22 generations (or to about the year 1500.)]

If the test results from a known maternal descendant of Jemima's mother matched that of another person whose genealogy was known back to the village of Newark, New Jersey in the early 1700s, one could be fairly certain that Jemima's mother was related to that Newark resident as perhaps a sister, daughter, maternal niece, etc. At the least, it would give additional leads on where to focus genealogical searches.

The next article in the series will tell of the search for a living maternal descendant of Jemima's mother (Joel's wife). Such a descendant would carry the same mtDNA as mother of Joel Campbell's children.

DNA of Jemima Campbell Tice (daughter of Joel Campbell, 1735-1828) PART I of IV

If you have done much research in the 18th century and earlier, you know how hard it is to find information on maternal lines. Maiden names were seldom recorded.  Females rarely held office, or were levied taxes, or signed deeds, or joined armies.

That is certainly the case with the females closely related to Joel Campbell. Many questions about the wives of Joel remain unanswered. Their maiden names, even their given names, can be disputed. What is known is this:

No mention of the names of Joel’s wives has been found in historical documents EXCEPT for a 1793 deed that gives her name as ABIGAIL. This is a name that DOES NOT occur in any traditional genealogies.

The evidence that he had more than one wife is fairly strong.  The historian, Craft, states in his 1878 book that Joel's family at the time of settlement in the Ridgebury area in 1805 "consisted of his second wife...", and that "Joel and his wife lived to be very old people." Craft undoubtedly talked with people who knew Joel and his second wife while they were alive, but it is still not a first hand account. In Craft’s accounts, he never mentions the name of the wife.

Traditionally, the wives of Joel are listed as Nancy Leonard and Rebecca Hunter. Nancy is the one most commonly associated with being the mother of Joel's children. The source of this information is purportedly a family bible that belonged to Joel's grandson, Benajiah.

The name of Rebecca Hunter is most certainly an error of genealogists that were searching for Joel's roots in the Boston area.

Because the name of the mother of Joel's children is still debatable, I will refer to her in the remaining text as "Jemima's mother."

With this dearth of historical information, can anything more be learned from the mtDNA that Jemima’s mother passed down to her children?

Part II will review mtDNA and how it is used to research maternal lines.

Also see this related post from 2015.

Cadwallader Colden Jr DayBook of 1767-1768 - Transcription Project - HELP NEEDED!

Joel Campbell (the subject of this blog site) was living in Hanover Precinct, Ulster County in 1767. Within this precinct sat the Colden estate known as Coldengham.  Cadwallader Colden Jr. had a new stone home built for his family in 1767. It is believed that he operated a store out of a building close to that property in the same year.

Colden Home as it looked in early 20th century.

Colden (or his clerks) kept a log of sales (and purchases) at that store from August 1767 to November 1768. That "DayBook" is preserved in the New-York Historical Society.

Joel Campbell was about thirty-two years old. Cadwallader Colden was forty-five.  Joel's father, Samuel Campbell Sr., was about sixty-seven.  Joel's brothers who are mentioned in the DayBook were Daniel (35), Jonathan (28), and Reuben (24). A sister is also referred to, but her name is not given.

More details of Joel's purchases at this store are given in my book.

The Transcription Project

The DayBook contains over 450 pages and over 4000 unique store "visits." It is a trove of genealogical information. I have received permission from the New-York Historical Society to transcribe and share the contents. Clearly I can not do this by myself.  So I am asking friends of history and genealogy to participate in this project. All you need is a computer connected to the internet.

If you are interested in helping out, I will need your e-mail address to send you custom links to the batches to be transcribed. The best way to contact me to join the Joel Campbell Group on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/JoelCampbell/), "friend me," then send me a private message via facebook that contains your e-mail address. I hope you will become part of the effort!

Colden Home Ruins today.

More Evidence of Newark Mountain Origins

2024-11-20 note from author: An updated post on Benjamin is at Benjamin Campbell of Newark Mountain, New Jersey

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A search on Ancestry.com for a "Joel Campbell who was born in 1735 and died in 1828 in Pennsylvania" reveals over 1100 Public Family Trees. Of these, only 11 suggest New Jersey as his birthplace. Just about 1000 still are referencing the old genealogies that claim a Boston connection. It seems like we have not made much progress communicating the new findings and correcting the errors of past research.

This week, more data came to light that supports the New Jersey origins of this line of Campbells.

On August 3, 1758, Benjamin Campbell and his sons Moses and Aaron, were baptized in the Newark Mountain Society (see p. 80 of my book www.bit.ly/JoelCampbellBook). The relationship of Benjamin to Joel has never been proven exactly, although the geographical proximity to other known relatives of Joel make a relationship to Benjamin very likely.

In December of 2016, a known paternal descendant of Benjamin submitted a Y-DNA test. His results match the Y-DNA of known descendants of Joel. This eliminates any doubt that the two lines share a very recent common ancestor. It is also one more piece of evidence that the Samuel Campbell line (Joel's line) that lived in Ulster, New York in the 1760-1800 period, originated in New Jersey, NOT Boston.

Here is the likely relationship tree that connects the line of Benjamin with the line of Joel. (The relationship of Benjamin to John (brother of Samuel) is only a hypothesis as I do not have the documentary proof.  If you have it, please share.) Thanks to David James Campbell, my 8th cousin 1x removed, for letting me share this with you!

David James Campbell (1958 - )
8th cousin 1x removed
Marshall Sutphen Campbell Jr (1926 - 2014)
father of David James Campbell
Marshall Sutphen Campbell (1899 - 1968)
father of Marshall Sutphen Campbell Jr
George Whitfield Campbell (1873 - 1955)
father of Marshall Sutphen Campbell
Richard Cleveland Campbell (1834 - 1918)
father of George Whitfield Campbell
William Culver Campbell (1812 - 1888)
father of Richard Cleveland Campbell
Ezekiel Campbell (1781 - 1863)
father of William Culver Campbell
Moses Campbell (1752 - 1802)
father of Ezekiel Campbell
Benjamin Campbell (1730 - )
father of Moses Campbell
John Campbell (1698 - )
father of Benjamin Campbell
Robert Campbell (1665 - 1720)
father of John Campbell
Samuel Campbell (1700 - 1773)
son of Robert Campbell
Joel Campbell (1735 - 1828)
son of Samuel Campbell
Jonathan Campbell (1770 - 1849)
son of Joel Campbell
Benoni Campbell (1800 - 1850)
son of Jonathan Campbell
Joseph Hyrum Campbell (1837 - 1925)
son of Benoni Campbell
Hopkin Benoni Campbell (1866 - 1944)
son of Joseph Hyrum Campbell
Hopkin Benoni, Jr. Campbell (1894 - 1966)
son of Hopkin Benoni Campbell
J Allan Campbell (1925 - 2007)
son of Hopkin Benoni, Jr. Campbell
Jay Allan Campbell (the author)
son of J Allan Campbell

The Wileman Patent and Peter DuBois

An earlier post discussed the 1760 Farm of Samuel Campbell (Joel Campbell's father) that was situated on the southern border of the Wileman Patent.

The Wileman Patent was a rectangular parcel of 3,000 acres that was located in what is now the northeast corner of the current Town of Montgomery, Orange County, New York. At the time Samuel located to this property, it was in Wallkill Precinct, Ulster County, New York.

The parcel was named after Henry Wileman who acquired the "patent" in 1712. By the time Samuel Campbell was farming this land in 1765, the ownership had transferred to Henry Wileman's step-grandson, Peter DuBois.

No deed has been found that contains any transaction between Samuel Campbell and Peter DuBois. It appears Samuel did own the property (versus tenant farming) as he bequeathed it to his son, Daniel, in his will of 1773. However, by 1794, the heirs of Peter DuBois are again in possession of the property and a deed was recorded of the sale of the property to Robert Beattie. There is more on this transaction in the recent book on Joel Campbell.

Peter DuBois fled from Ulster County in 1776 when the War for Independence broke out. He would never return to his home on the Wallkill River. His life was an interesting one and is described in a recent article (by yours truly) in the Orange County Historical Society Journal.

Just Published! Book on Joel Campbell.

My posting has been a bit spotty in the past year. Sorry, but my focus has been the completion of my book on Joel Campbell. The good news is that I have wrapped it up and made it available to the public. The bad news is that it will not be the "final chapter." There are so many unknowns about his life yet undiscovered.

The paperback and eBook are available at lulu.com:

bit.ly/JoelCampbellBook

bit.ly/JoelCampbell-eBook 

The paperback is in 6" x 9" format. It is about 400 pages and contains 561 footnotes, 24 maps, and many images and tables. You will find it a priceless addition to your family histories. It is also a fantastic gift for descendants of Joel.

The book contains a lot of local history. If you wonder what your Campbell relatives were doing during the Revolutionary War (and what everyone else was doing), this book contains some answers. In many cases, the exact role of Campbells in local events is not known and the roles of neighbors are used as surrogates. Some sections of the book are written as historical fiction and are clearly marked as such. This was done to aid in the story-telling.

What is a "Yeoman?" If you could go back in time and ask an eighteenth century colonist, "What is your occupation?" the majority would have answered, "Yeoman." The term denoted a person who owned his own land and farmed it primarily for his own subsistence. Joel Campbell (1735-1828) described himself as a yeoman. His ninety-three years spanned three wars, two religious reawakenings, and the birth of the United States. He was born before Jefferson and Adams, and died after them. He settled wilderness areas in three states and left over 100 descendants at this death.

This is his story and the story of his times. It is typical of the yeomen of that day who were the stuff of which the new nation was made.  Jefferson described them as "the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands."

You can see a preview of the book at bit.ly/JoelCampbellBook. Let me know what you think!

The electronic version contains color maps which are easier to read (see example below). The maps and images in the paperback book are in "gray-scale" to reduce costs.

Map of Campbell Farm in current Montgomery, New York near the Wallkill River.

Here is one of the many jewels in the book:  Joel's signature!

Deed "signed" by Joel Campbell

The author is a 5th great-grandson of Joel Campbell. He is an amateur author, historian, and genealogist. He lives within an hour’s drive of Newark Mountain and Newburgh and has researched the life of Joel “on location.” He is also the author of 1685 - The Year that Changed Scotland and Clan Campbell. He is a volunteer at the Orange County Historical Society, New York.

Author Jay A. Campbell

His ongoing research can be viewed at http://joelcampbell1735.blogspot.com