Who were the parents of Rufus Watson of Catskill ?

Rufus 1806-1876 was a well-known and respected lawyer in Catskill, New York in Greene County. In the 1855 NY census, he reported that he as born in Albany County, not far away.  He married Elizabeth Botsford in her home state of Connecticut in 1838 and they raised 2 daughters, Elizabeth and Emma. Rufus died in 1876 and is buried in the Catskill Village Cemetery.  Elizabeth outlived him by 39 years.

Rufus was a name long used in the Rhode Island Watson line of my ancestors, so I wondered if or where this Rufus might fit in.  Numerous of the Watson siblings relocated from Newport, RI to Rensselaerville, NY (Albany County) in about 1800. One of them was my 5^th great grandfather, Wheeler Watson (1772-1846) and his brothers Thomas b 1770 and Rufus b 1774 (as well as several sisters).

Without finding any records to substantiate or refute the parentage of Rufus 1806, I tried to piece together the possibility that he may have been the son of Rufus 1774 or Thomas.  Since Rufus was born in 1806 (according to his gravestone and census records), his father should be listed in the 1810 census with at least one son under the age of 10.  In checking Rufus 1774, he lists 2 young daughters, but no son of the right age. Thomas, however, is listed with 3 boys under the age of 10 … so, possibly one of them could be my target Rufus. 

Very little is known of Thomas who died in 1813. I found one news item regarding his probate that listed a surviving wife Sally and heirs. No further details.  I did not find Sally as head of household in 1820, so am unsure what happened or who else was in her household.  

If you know, would you drop me a line?  I would love to find Thomas and Sally’s family and determine if Rufus was their son or not.

Marriage and Death of Mercy Watson

Mercy was the youngest daughter of John Watson and Desire Wheeler, born in Rhode Island in 1776. Although I do not yet have definitive proof, I think that she lived in Rensselaerville, Albany County, NY in the early 1800s as did a number of her siblings:  Wheeler, Rufus, Thomas, Desire and Bridget. Desire was married to Peleg Peckham and Bridget was married to Josiah Watson.

And I believe that she was the first wife of Connecticut born Ezra Lester (1772-1863) a farmer and leather tanner in Rensselaerville. It is known and documented that Ezra married Harriet Fuller, daughter of the Rev Samuel Fuller, in 1817.

 The following leads me to my conclusion.

Rev Fuller was the minister in Renssealerville and his published records include the following:
 

Death p 73 1807 - Nov 22, Rufus Peckham,son of Peleg Peckham,aged 16, (lived near Ezra Lester, Mrs. Peckham & Mrs. Lester were sisters. Their brothers were Rufus & Wheeler Watson. Bridget, 2nd wife of Josiah Watson, was their sister.

So, in 1807 "Mrs Lester" was a Watson sister. The only known daughter in the family whose marriage was not known was Mercy. ... but perhaps there was another daughter!

I searched for a newspaper death notice or a cemetery listing for Mercy without luck. No marriage reference was found on familysearch.  I do not have access to a copy of Rev Fuller's records, so I could not check there (but am preparing a research request for one of the 2 libraries known to have a copy). Where else could I look?

Stephen VanRensselaer Watson

Stephen was born June 13, 1817 to RI natives Rufus Watson and Mercy Stanton in their adopted home of Rensselaerville, Albany County, NY.  In 1841 he married his 2^nd cousin Julia Watson, daughter of Elisha Watson Jr and Ann Cole.  ( Stephen’s brother Robert Dunbar Watson married Julia’s sister Laura.) Julia died in 1845 at the age of 23 leaving Stephen with 2 children under the age of 3, Stanton and Julia.

In 1847 Stephen married Charlotte Amelia Sherman, 10 years his junior, daughter of Pardon Sherman and Anna Margaret VanDalsem.  Together they had 4 children:  Rufus, Anna Margaret, Jeannie and Gertrude.  In 1850, he lost his first born son, Stanton, at the age of 8 and in 1871 daughter Julia died in a terrible railway disaster with her husband Arthur W Pease.

Stephen had relocated to Buffalo in the 1840s where he ventured into real estate, built one of the largest and most prominent grain elevators in 1862, was a founder and president of the Buffalo street railroad, a founder of the Erie Savings Bank and Manufacturers & Traders Trust company.  IN 1870 he built an impressive mansion for his family at 388 Delaware Avenue (now the Buffalo Club), although he lost it a few years before his death due to financial difficulties.

Stephen was also philanthropic and fostered the institution that became the Buffalo Public Library.  His wife Charlotte commissioned two impressive stained glass windows by John LaFarge for Trinity Church, opposite their home, one in memory of their daughter Julia lost tragically in a train disaster.  Charlotte outlived Stephen by 20 years.

A recap of Stephen’s children:

            Stanton, died age 8

            Julia married Arthur Pease, died 1871, one daughter

            Rufus, died age 2

            Anna married Samuel S Spaulding, died 1924, 4 children

            Jeannie married Porter Norton, died 1922, 2 children

            Gertrude, unmarried, died 1938

            

Stephen was named in honor of Stephen Van Rensselaer III (1764-1839), Lt Governor of New York, statesman, soldier, and heir to one of the largest estates in the New York region encompassing Albany County where the Watsons settled. Check his Wikipedia entry for interesting information regarding early patroon land ownership.

Watson siblings in Rensselaerville early 1800s

I knew that RI native Wheeler Watson and his wife Sarah Taylor Peckham moved to this village in Albany County, NY soon after their 1799 marriage and that Wheeler’s brother Rufus was there with wife Mercy Stanton and their sister Desire lived there with husband Peleg Peckham.

However, during a recent review of the 1800, 1810, 1820 census records I was surprised to find 6 or more Watson families listed in Rensselaerville (and more in nearby hamlets like Berne). I reviewed all the names and then did some additional research learning that Thomas was another brother and there may have been additional married sisters in the village. This time period is intriguing, but frustrating, as records are not easily available.

The Watson households in 1800 Rensselaerville:

            Wheeler         4         

            Josiah              3

            Benjamin        8

            Thomas          9         

            Hezekiah        8

            Stephen          5

And Peleg Peckham 8

Rufus Watson  was not listed until 1810

Missing: Louisa Watson, widow of James D Fisher

Louisa was born to Josiah and Bridget Watson about 1808 in Rensselaerville, Albany, NY. In 1841 she married James D Fisher, a widower who died the following year.  A newspaper item regarding the settlement of James' estate listed her as Louisa W Fisher of Rennsselaerville in 1843.

I have not been able to find her in later census or newspaper records. Did she remarry?  Move? Die?

Her father died in 1844, brother Thomas died in 1845, mother died in 1849. Until today I thought the only immediate family member living as of 1850 was her half-brother, Arthur B Watson who lived in Otsego County, NY.  But I just received her father Josiah's will and found 5 children named (and I assume they are listed in birth order): Arnold B, William, James, Louisa Fisher, and Thomas. I found that William was a banker who lived in Albany where he died in 1857, leaving a wife and 2 children..  James has not yet been found.

If you know anything of Louisa, please drop me a note as I attempt to fill in all the empty boxes on my ever expanding Watson chart.