For years I worked to identify the father of Dr Adam Clark
(1790-1860), husband of Harriet Watson, who lived in Albany County, NY. I had
found a few records referring to him as Adam JR, but had also learned that did
not necessarily indicate that his father was also named Adam.
Using Albany County land deed indices on American Ancestors,
I found numerous land sale transactions for Adam and Harriet, leading me to
suspect that Adam Clark of Coeymans/Westerlo was likely his father. Adam Sr was
listed in the 1830 Westerlo census between Amos Baker and Simeon Cole. Adam was
NOT listed in 1840. In his place between Cole and Baker was George Baumas and George was recorded as
having obtained that land from Adam Clark Jr and wife Harriet in 1837.
That made me search for additional information on Adam Clark
of Westerlo, New York and I came upon a reference for a manuscript held at the
New York State Library in Albany titled:
Land Papers of Adam Clark’s farm in Westerlo, Albany County,
NY 1810-1848
That sounded intriguing!
So I contacted the NY State Library and was told there were 58 pages of
information that could be scanned for me since I live far from Albany. The packet contained a hand written document
citing inability to maintain his property due to age and infirmity signed by
Adam Sr conveying his property to his son Adam Jr, the doctor, in exchange for
his lifetime care. BINGO !! That’s more than I was hoping for.
Additionally there were numerous copies of business papers
that I know refer to Adam Jr and his sons who established a leather tannery in
Middletown, NY. Adam’s wife Harriet came from a prominent leather tanning
family (most especially, her brother-in-law Zadock Pratt and her brother John).
The documents name several of Adam and Harriet’s sons and record contracts with
John Watson’s NYC firm Thorne, Watson & Co. I think I would have been quite
puzzled by these records if I had not already done extensive research on the
Watson line.
I was curious about the source of this manuscript and when
it had reached the NY State Library. I
was told that their records simply showed it was donated in 1946 by Mrs, J.P.
JERSEY. That did not immediately ring a bell, but …. I went back and looked
through my records of extended family (I always try to add as much information
as I can find on siblings, in-laws, cousins, etc) and found a Mrs J.P. JERVEY
who died in 1947, the widow of Brigadier General James Postell Jervey.
She was born Jean Bontecou Webb in 1868, the daughter of
Edward Cook Webb, MD and Mary J. Sandford. Her mother’s only brother, Clarence
Sandford, married Hattie Clark, the youngest child of Dr Adam Clark and Harriet
Watson in 1874. What is really
astounding about Jean Webb Jervey having these family papers is that her aunt
Hattie Clark Sandford has died in 1877, 60 years before they were donated !
Hattie’s husband Clarence lived until 1923 and it seems he
held onto these documents all those years. He never remarried and had no
surviving children, so it appears they passed to his niece who kept them and
thoughtfully donated them. Thank you Mrs, Jervey, I am truly indebted.
