The Fay Family: Genealogies: Joel M. Fay

THE FAY FAMILY PAGE

GENEALOGIES

Joel M. Fay, greatgrandson of Gershom
And his Descendants

John of Marlborough

Gershom (10/19/1681-11/24/1720) m. Mary Brigham

Gershom (OPF #3) (9/17/1703-4/7/1784) m. Hannah Oakes

Gershom (OPF #16) (3/30/1729-?) m. Dinah Newton

Orlin lists 8 children for Gershom:

1) William, b. July 15, 1752 (35)
2) Timothy, b. May 2, 1754 (36)
3) John, b. Dec. 26, 1755
4) Aaron, b. Sept. 7, 1757
5) Sarah, b. Aug. 25, 1759
6) Moses, b. June 18, 1761
7) Persis, b. Mar 4, 1766
8) Adam, b. Dec. 6, 1770 (44)

According to Orlin, William was in the war of the Revolution (page 334) and Timothy served two years and nine months in the Revolutionary War (page 382). The war record of Moses helped to identify him and trace his descendants, and is discussed elsewhere.

John, the third son, also saw service, but this is not mentioned, and in fact, almost no information is given about him:

JOHN, b. Dec. 26, 1755, res. Otter Creek, Vt., rem. to Salmon River, east of Lake Ontario. 2 chil.
1 John. Killed by Indians in the war of 1812.
2 James. Kept hotel in Canandaigua, N.Y.

That's all there is in Orlin. There is, however, much more to be said.

From the Pension Rolls of the Revolutionary War

Consult Revolutionary War Pensions for information about pension laws and claims

FAY, John, S43543, CT Line, appl 7 Apr 1818 Oswego Co NY aged 59, in 1820 sol stated he was aged 63 a res of Ellisburgh in Jefferson Co NY with a wife aged 64. [The full pension file is now included here with images of documents and transcriptions.]

Moses, Mary, W21086, CT Line, sol enl at Newport RI, sol appl 21 Sep 1819 Cattaraugus Co NY aged 57 a res of Olean NY, sol m Mary Hagar 6 Oct 1785 at Shrewsbury in Worcester Co MA & he was of Bennington VT when they were m, sol d 11 Mar 1842 at Hinsdale in Cattaraugus Co NY, wid appl 19 Jun 1843 Cattaraugus Co NY aged 81 a res of Farmersville NY, a son Jarvis was living in 1856

Timothy, Sarah How former wid, W13469, CT, Cont & MA Line, sol d 24 Apr 1799, sol had m Sarah Hagar of Shrewsbury in Worcester Co MA where they were m 27 July 1777 & he was of Northboro MA when they m, after sol d wid m next to Edmund How in the fall of 1808 & he d 10 Sep 1828, a Lemuel & Susanna Crosby of Hampden Co MA made aff'dt 1 May 1838, wid appl 29 May 1838 Hampden Co MA aged 85 a res of Chester MA, a son Timothy Fay of Chester MA was aged 56 in 1838 & stated his father was drowned by the upsetting of a conoe on the west branch of the Westfield River & he stated he was aged 13 when they had moved from Shrewsbury to Chester MA, the said Edmund Howe d at Hawley in Franklin Co MA

William, S43538, CT Line, sol was b in July 1752, sol appl 14 Apr 1818 Onandaga Co NY a res of same, one researcher stated sol was the son of Gershom Fay & was b in 1752 at Westborough MA not confirmed

[Many thanks to Shirley Miller who provided me with the original information about these pensions and with the Civil War pension information below. She has been very helpful in documenting this line.]

It is a pity that the name of John's wife was not given; Moses married Mary Hagar; Timothy married Sarah Hagar; William had three wives of whom we know. But at the moment, John's wife is not known. One reference was found to a Polly Pierce, but there is no confirmation at all.

After John was released from the war, he travelled to New York, as did Moses. John went to the Salmon River area, in Oswego County, according to Orlin. Oswego county itself was not formed until March 1, 1816; it was separated from Oneida and Onondaga, and named after its river and its main village. In 1810, therefore, John is in "Oneida County"; next to him lives his son John Jr. on one side, and E[lijah] Smith on the other side. John Jr. has a son under five years of age [Joel M.] and his wife [Lucy Lillie]. In John's household are just John and his wife; and in Elijah's household, a woman (probably Lydia Lillie) and two daughters.

New York, 1804, by Dewitt (detail)

In 1818, John is in the recently formed Oswego County, from which he applies for a pension. By 1820, he has moved to neighboring Jefferson County, and settled in Ellisburgh. Also in Ellisburgh are John's son James, with his wife, and the Elijah Smith family. So far, this is the only clear record of James. In spite of repeated efforts, he has not been traced further with any certainty.

John Jr. died in the War of 1812. The exact date of his death is not known. Lucy and Joel are not staying with John Sr.; the story is more complicated. Elijah's family now consists of one male under 10, one 10-15; one 26-45; two females 10-16; and one 26-45. What has happened is this: sometime after 1810, Elijah's first wife died, leaving him with two daughters. About 1812, Lucy's husband died, leaving her with a young son. Lucy was the sister of Elijah's first wife. Elijah and Lucy were married; and they had a son together. The household at this point has Elijah, Lucy, Elijah's two daughters, Lucy's son Joel, and their young son.

From the Pension Rolls of the War of 1812

Fay, John Jr., Lucy Smith former wid, Old War WF-#11491, srv Capt Gad Ackley's NY Mil, wid's last husband was Elijah (Smith)

By 1830 the household has divided. Joel, now 24, has married, and has set up his own household. He had received a parcel of land from Elijah in 1824 at the age of 18 (sold or gifted), and another parcel in 1830. Joel married Harriet Fish, and they have Eliza and Olive. John Sr. is still in Ellisburg, as are the Smiths. However, Elijah and Lucy are no longer living together; they have divorced or separated, and are living in two different households.

Between 1830 and 1840, Joel, the Smiths, and other families related to this group, move to Pennsylvania. Joel purchased land in Concord Township, PA (the Oxbow Will land) on June 3, 1834. Thus the move to Pennsylvania most probably occurred in 1834. (see the Kelsey records.

On to Pennsylvania!