Every once in a while, I revisit portions of my family tree in order to check for accuracy and update with new information. And if I'm lucky, I just might discover a new source that really brings the lives of my ancestors into clearer focus.
This happened recently. I obtained a new source, "Abstracts of the Land Records of Westchester County New York 1774-1801 by Brendan S Burns. This book, published in 2019, was not available when I first started researching my many ancestors who migrated (mostly) from Fairfield County, Connecticut to (mostly) Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York from about the 1740s onward.
The lineage in question is that of my maternal gg grandmother MARY ANN (SCOFIELD) MARTINE, who was born 1835 in New York City, and died 3 Dec 1914 in Everson, Whatcom County, Washington. She married JOHN FELTON MARTINE (Civil War Veteran) on 21 April 1851 in Yorkville, Racine County, Wisconsin.
I considered MARY ANN SCOFIELD MARTINE's pedigree fairly complete. Her lineage stretches back to nearly all the original Puritan settlers of Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut who arrived in the 1630s-1640s. Honestly, except for the maiden names of two women who married into the families, I thought I knew everything about this part of my family tree!
But the discovery of the Brendan Burns book, followed by other sources, changed my mind. I quickly discovered that:
--Even though some of my ancestors were migrating to what would become Pound Ridge possibly as early as the 1740s, records were often recorded & kept in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut. The area was referred to in records as above the "eight mile line" or part of "North Castle" as early as 1718; there are no solid records or indications as to when Pound Ridge was actually separated as distinct from the town of North Castle.
--"The History of Westchester County Part 1" by Frederic Shonnard & Walter Whipple Spooner, publ 1900 p 225 notes that: "In 1741 JOSEPH LOCKWOOD, JAMES BROWN, DAVID POTTS, EBENEZER SCOFIELD & others from Stamford made a settlement on the site of the present village (Pound Ridge)". In reality, there were settlers in the area as early as 1717 or 1718: JAMES WHITE, MICHAEL WARING & THOMAS BRUSH, all from Huntington, Long Island, NY.
--1763 was the first tax list available for Pound Ridge, Westchester, New York.
--During the Revolutionary War, on 2 July 1779, Pound Ridge was attacked & raided by British General Banastre Tarleton.
Clearly, there is much more to learn about the history of Pound Ridge, its connection to Stamford, Connecticut and its role in the Revolutionary War! With more records & sources in hand, I am hopeful that I will someday be able to discover the maiden names of the two women who are currently the biggest brick walls in my maternal line!
My Pound Ridge ancestors were:
JAMES BROWN I b abt 1700 Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, settled in Pound Ridge about 1741, died Cortlandt, Westchester, New York (not to be confused with James Brown II b 1661 of Norwalk, Fairfield, Connecticut who died in Salem Westchester NY and married Rebecca Ruscoe)
ELIPHALET BROWN b abt 1724 married THANKFUL WOOD (marriage record from Darien, Fairfield county, Connecticut shows he was "of North Castle"and she was daughter of ISAAC WOOD of Norwalk)
SOLOMON BROWN b abt 1746 Pound Ridge (Rev War) married SARAH SALLY SLASON/SLAWSON, daughter of THOMAS SLASON & MARY BATES of Stamford.
SAMUEL BROWN b 15 Apr 1773 d 5 Oct 1866 Pound Ridge; married RHEUA/RUHAMAH maiden name unknown.
JONATHAN DIBBLE (Rev War) b abt 1747 Fairfield County, Connecticut; d 27 Jun 1827 Pound Ridge; married RACHEL SLASON/SLAWSON, daughter of ELEAZER SLAWSON SR & SARAH RAYMOND of Stamford and Pound Ridge
SIMEON DIBBLE b 10 May 1786 Pound Ridge; d 10 Nov 1868; married MARY POLLY BROWN, daughter of SAMUEL BROWN & RHEAU/RUHAMAH
SARAH SALLY ANN HOYT DIBBLE b 18 Apr 1815 Pound Ridge; d 12 Feb 1865 Yorkville, Racine, Wisconsin; married CHARLES SCOFIELD, the parents of MARY ANN SCOFIELD MARTINE.
ELEAZER SLASON/SLAWSON SR (Rev War) born 24 Apr 1726 Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut; d aft 1790 Pound Ridge, Westchester, New York; fought in the French & Indian War (1762), and the Revolutionary War; was listed in Westchester Militia, 4th Regiment, under Thaddeus Crane; his son ELEAZER SLASON/SLAWSON JR also in regiment.
Some Sources used:
--Abstracts of the Land Records of Westchester County New York 1774-1801 by Brendan S Burns publ 2019
--God's Country: A History of Pound Ridge, New York by Jay Harris publ 1971
--History of Westchester New York Part 1 by Frederic Shonnard & Walter Whipple Spooner, publ 1900
--Stamford Town Records Volume I 1641-1723 by Paul R Finch, publ 2011
Link to my public family tree for MARY ANN SCOFIELD on Ancestry.com MARTINE OF WESTCHESTER CO NY & SCOFIELD OF STAMFORD, FAIRFIELD CO CT
Have a great day!
Betty
© Betty Tartas 2023
