Ancestor Archaeology: Ulster Co NY

Showing posts with label Ulster Co NY. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Finding Faulkner: The Progeny | Sarah Jane McGowan {Gen 5}

It started, as good quests always do, with a family tale.

Sarah Jane McGowan (Priscilla, John, William Bull, James, William) was born in Orange Co, New York, October 21st, 1823, to parents Priscilla Faulkner and Benjamin McGowan.

Sarah married James Van Keuren (1806-1884) about 1843 most likely in Ulster Co, New York.

The couple had at least 12 children:

Mary Jane Van Keuren b. 24 Mar 1844 d. UNK
Anna Catherine Van Keuren b. Jul 1845 d. BEF 1850 in childhood
Christina J Van Keuren b. Jul 1845 d. 5 Jul 1922 m. Herman Crans no issue
Eugenia Van Keuren b. 15 Dec 1846 d. BEF 1920 m. William A Heath
Anna Louisa Van Keuren b. abt 1848 d. 26 Feb 1928 never married
Ann Margaret Van Keuren b. 1 Feb 1850 d. 1927 m. Hugh Muir no issue
John Fowler Van Keuren b. 24 Aug 1853 d. 17 Aug 1858 in childhood
Sarah Elizabeth Van Keuren b. 15 Apr 1856 d. 26 Mar 1910 never married
Emma Catherine Van Keuren b. 25 Jan 1859 d. 1923 m. James H Boyce
James Hazel Van Keuren b. 28 Jan 1861 d. 1941 m. Gertrude S LNU no issue
William Van Keuren b. 11 Aug 1863 d. 19 Apr 1938 m. Clara LNU
Ella Ettie Van Keuren b. 27 Jul 1866 d. 30 May 1934 m. Thomas S Elder

James was a bachelor farmer when he married Sarah Jane. She was 20 years old, he was 37. The family attended the New Prospect Dutch Reformed Church in Pine Bush, Ulster Co, New York.

James Van Keuren died March 8th 1844. He was 77 years old. He is buried in the New Prospect Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery in Pine Bush, Ulster Co, New York.

Sarah Jame McGowan Van Keuren died April 13th 1895 at the age of 71. She is buried alongside her husband in the New Prospect Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery. Many of their children are buried there as well.

Monday, March 5, 2018

Brick Wall Ancestor | #9 Martha McBride {Genealogy}

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Read part one and part two for the details of this genealogy

Monday, January 8, 2018

Brick Wall Ancestor | #9 Martha McBride {part 1}

We all have them! Those stubborn ancestors that refuse to come out of hiding. No matter how much coaxing we do! Well, I think it's time to bring them out of the shadows - put their redacted story out there - another piece of the puzzle could be lurking just around the (cyber) corner, in someone's basement, or closet, or sitting in a box on a bookshelf ...... You never, ever know where that loose chink will manifest, the one that allows you to push out one brick, then the next. Food for thought. So without further ado....

Brick Wall Ancestor | #9 Martha McBride part 1

Martha is my 3rd great grandmother. I've written about her before. I presented a sketch of her life, as I could suss out, for my 52 Ancestors project. You can read it here. I called it "Invisible Wife" and she still is! I have not learned more about Martha since that time. But I have a (wild) theory or two ......

The portion of New York state that Martha and family resided in began as Ulster County, was annexed to Orange County in 1798 and further added to the new Sullivan County in 1809. The land and the town names remained the same, only the county changed. Because, fun!

Martha was born about 1789/90, deduced from the recording of her death as "taking place about Christmas time, 1845, when she was probably fifty six years old" (from FindAGrave and other histories) Martha married her husband James Faulkner near Wallkill, Orange Co (previously Ulster Co), New York most likely, as James and family are documented in Wallkill, Ulster/Orange/Sullivan Co, New York as land owners and residents; James being a prominent citizen within the community. The Faulkners were long-standing Presbyterians and many held positions within the church. Other Faulkner men and women married other McBride men and women around the same time as James Faulkner married Martha McBride.

In 1790 there were only three male heads of household in all of Ulster Co, New York, where Martha was presumed to have been born. Archibald McBride (resides: Mamakating: 3 males under 16, 2 males 16 and over, 4 females any age), James McBride (resides: Montgomery: 3 males under 16, 1 male 16 and over, 3 females any age, 3 slaves) and John McBride (resides: Montgomery: 1 male under 16, 1 male 16 and over, 2 females any age) The 1790 census is really disappointing as it lists only the total number of females in the household, these records reflect the possibility of Martha being in the household of any of these men. So lots of speculation there!

The author of the Bull Family genealogy book theorized that these three men were brothers, their father being James McBride Sr, who came to the area from Ireland about 1728; so which James is on the census? Both James Sr and James Jr were alive in 1790 and residing in Ulster Co. according to this author. I have not found any further documentation to prove/disprove this and surmise there was some confusion interpreting the death records (fodder for a future post)

More digging revealed that James McBride Jr had been married twice. First, to Martha Hill in 1778, who died in 1790 one month prior to the census being taken. The couple could have had at least 5 children together. James remarried in 1792 to Sarah Eager and had at least 3 children with her before he died in 1798. He is buried in Goodwill Cemetery in Montgomery, Orange Co, New York. He will not appear on any future census.

The 1800 census is a little better, but just as speculative. This census again lists three McBride heads of household but this time Sarah (resides: Montgomery: 1 male under 10, 1 female under 10, 1 females 26 thru 44), James (resides: Montgomery: 2 males under 10, 1 male 16 thru 25, 1 female 16 thru 25, 1 female 26 thru 44) and Archibald (resides: Wallkill: 1 male under 10, 1 male 26 thru 44, 1 female 26 thru 44) appear. Well we know James Jr died in 1798 and the age of the household members does not line up for James Sr, so there might be a son we don't know of yet. Same for Sarah. Sarah McBride was James Jr's second wife and was certainly alive in 1800, but her household only lists two young children, one male and one female. Sarah and James had one daughter and two sons who grew to adulthood, so either one son was not counted or this is not the correct Sarah. That leaves John. The John McBride household could have contained the two children, based on the tally from the 1790 census. Could John have married a Sarah? Could John have died prior to 1800? As for Archibald, the only female listed in 1800 was 26 to 44 years old. Is this the correct Archibald or could this be a son? In that case, where is Archibald from 1790? (put a pin in that)

Other tidbits.

Only James McBride Jr is known to be the son of James Sr. Interestingly, James Jr named his first born son Archibald. Archibald I, James' son (and possibly Martha's brother) married Susan Faulkner, a first cousin of Martha's husband James Faulkner.

It is known that James McBride Jr was a member of the First Presbyterian Church at Goshen. His marriage records can be found on Ancestry dot com. Martha McBride and her husband James Faulkner were Presbyterians.

Oddly, a descendant of Archibald McBride (possible brother of James and John) is a 5th to 8th cousin DNA match with myself and one of my siblings. That would work out to James McBride Sr being our MRCA. (put a pin in that)

Are you taking notes? It gets mighty confusing! Perhaps a flow-chart might help?

A Venn diagram?

A giant detective board with pushpins and string?

So here's my first (wild) theory. I call it the Theory of James. Looking at the paltry information available, and this in NO WAY concludes anything, this theory postulates that Martha belongs in the James McBride Jr household. Her mother would then have been Martha Hill. Martha Hill died in 1790. Martha McBride was born in 1789 or 1790. Could Martha Hill have died in childbirth? Could James McBride have named his newborn daughter after her deceased mother?

This theory asks the additional questions: where is 10 year old Martha in 1800? Could she be living with other relatives? Grandparents? Aunt or Uncle? In this theory her father died in 1798, leaving her with a step-mother who had three small children of her own to deal with.

So much fuzzy information. Just enough to get one in trouble should one choose to take a hunch and run with it. (don't) Kind of like playing a 230 year old game of 'telephone', the whispers of hazy evidence floating up to confound and confuse.

So, just who WAS Martha McBride's father? And where was she born? And when?

Stay tuned for wild theory #2 ......

©2018 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Book Of The Week: The History of Ulster County, New York

The History of Ulster County, New York

Alphonso Trumpbour Clearwater

W. J. Van Deusen, 1907 -

Ulster County (N.Y.) -

712 pages

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Martha McBride Faulkner: Invisible Wife (52 Ancestors #2)

It irks me so that the women of former generations were, for all intents and purposes invisible. They
might well have been strong, opinionated, highly regarded citizens, but the history books record, for the most part, only the accomplishments of their husbands, fathers and brothers.

Such is the case of Martha McBride. Martha is my 3rd great grandmother on my paternal line. She was born about 1789 probably Ulster Co (now Orange Co), New York.

Martha first materialized to me when I was researching my 3rd great grandfather. Colonel James Faulkner. Originally I did not know her name. She was mentioned as "the wife and mother" in a biographical sketch on James. The obituary of my 2nd great grandfather listed her name as "Jane McBride", which was my first clue as to her surname. Another biographical sketch on James listed his wife as "Caroline".

It wasn't until I began to build James' family and research sideways that I discovered Martha. I was able to obtain death certificates on three of the children. Therein was listed the name of the mother: Martha McBride. Happy dance ensued. I had a name! A real name!

That euphoria was to be short lived.

Even with a name and a host of other information I still could not, can not, discover who Martha McBride really was.

The story of Martha can, sadly, really only be told through her husband.

Martha McBride was born about 1789, probably in Wallkill, then Ulster Co, New York. She met and married James Faulkner, son of an early pioneer family in the area, somewhere between 1811 and 1813. (James' uncle and father were well known military men and a couple of 'larger than life' characters in early Wallkill history.) Martha's family is unknown. Martha's new father-in-law owned 1000 acres of farm land, several hundred having been sold to her husband James just prior to the marriage.

Her early married life may have been busy and perhaps worrisome. Her new husband was the Justice of the Peace in Wallkill at the time of their marriage. When the War of 1812 broke out he was put in command of a regiment stationed on Staten Island. Meanwhile Martha was home caring for one or perhaps two babies, and running a farm. After the War, Martha's husband remained an officer of the State Militia.

The years of 1816 and 1817 found Martha's husband elected to the State Legislature, spending time in Albany NY. Meanwhile Martha was home, pregnant with twins, while caring for her two toddlers; and running a farm. (It is said Martha's husband was not reelected due to his siding with Gov. Clinton on the construction of the Erie Canal.)

The years between 1818 and 1826 found Martha pregnant three more times, the third pregnancy being another set of twins. Martha's husband began work as a county land surveyor and was "enjoying in a marked degree the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens", meanwhile Martha was home caring for 8 children; and running a farm.

By 1826 the Faulkners had begun to sell off their farmland, and by 1832 they began to plan a move to the wilderness of Michigan; and Martha had her ninth child.

bit of 1826 land sale record - note Martha only 'made her mark' - she probably could not read or write

Martha's husband purchased 600 acre of Michigan wilderness in 1833 in the area of Grass Lake, Jackson Co, Michigan. The move was soon to follow. The trip took 4 to 5 weeks, traveling by wagon with all they possessed. The Faulkner's were among the first to settle the area. By the fall of 1834 James had erected the first hotel in the new town, having cut the timber himself from the heavily forested wild land which, "he had improved from wilderness to fruitful fields". Martha had her tenth child.

In 1835 Martha had her eleventh, and final, child.

In April 1845 Martha lost her third daughter to complications of childbirth. Amazingly, all of Martha's children thrived and grew to adulthood. Only four of her children married, three daughters and one son, whom I descend from.

At Christmastime 1845 Martha departed the earth, she was only 56. I can find no obituary or death record. Her final resting place remains a mystery, but it is speculated she is probably buried near her daughter, most likely in the old Maple Grove cemetery.

In 1929 the courthouse containing all the early town records burned to the ground.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Samuel Faulkner: Hiding In Plain Sight (52 Ancestors #7)

Samuel Faulkner is my favorite. I think because he was so hard to find. A multi-year brick wall that I just kept butting my head into until it finally cracked. One day a chink fell out and I quickly was able to tear the wall down.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

My introduction into the seductive world of genealogy came with a box of stuff from my grandmother, interesting family lore and Ancestry.com.

On my maternal side were Patriots, Pilgrims, Pioneers and suggestions at Royalty. Talk about Bright Shiny Objects! I quickly entered all my grandmother's research into my new Ancestry.com account and ... Oh My Gosh!! ... Well, I never! What?? By the end of an afternoon I had added centuries to my family tree! Centuries!

Well, that was easy. Mom's side - DONE.

I know, you are either laughing hysterically or totally aghast at this point. Wait. Things were soon to take a turn. I was about to get schooled.

So on to my dad's side. The Faulkner side. No one had ever done any research on my dad's side, that I was aware of. I actually had to build it from scratch. And, to make it even more interesting my dad was an only child. And had recently died. My mom had a few notes from a second cousin who could not be less interested in genealogy - so the quest began. With no one to consult on this family I set out to forge a new trail into the wilderness.

Samuel Faulkner is my 4th great grandfather on my paternal side, but I did not know this for a very long time. The oldest piece of information I had at the beginning of my quest was the name of my 2nd great grandfather. My father has started a file labeled "Operation Grandpa" which I did not find until after he had died, and it made me laugh. He had been searching for the mythical Faulkners too!

Using Ancestry, I plugged in all the information my dad had gathered. I immediately found some good census, birth and death records. I found marriage and divorce records. I found obituaries. I found children. And blessedly I did not find one single Family Tree to mess me up!

I contacted Historical Societies, wrote to cemeteries, joined Yahoo groups, posted to message boards. I posted public trees on every site I could think of hoping to lure a cousin or two. I ordered genealogy and history books through the library that I couldn't view online.

I discovered some second cousins I did not know I had, and managed to track them down via long evenings Googling. That hard work proved unfruitful for family info, but I gained brand new kin.

None of this was easy. There were a lot of misses. A lot of dead ends. A lot of "I'm sorry, we are unable to help you with your request". A lot of years searching in vain for a man with no name.

I can't even describe the twists and turns my research took. The one step forward two steps back. The high hopes dashed in an instant. And all the quitting. Throwing my hands up in disgust and walking away - muttering "it's impossible!" "it can't be done!".

But something kept pulling me back. I was a mad woman on a mission. Why was no one else researching this family? No one! I became very protective of MY Faulkners. Yes, My Faulkners. I had gone there. At this point I had invested 4 years of solely researching this particular family. Investing my own blood, sweat and tears. I lived and breathed Faulkner history. I was pretty annoying to be around.

With all the information I was able to gather I had been able to prove my way back to my 3rd great grandfather - a regionally famous man named James Faulkner - I wrote about his wife here. Of course, in all the biographies and histories done on him there was never a mention of his father.

And I had a very strong candidate for my 5th great grandfather, William Faulkner. Very strong.
Early on in my research I was given a transcript of his will. By all indications this was my 5th great grandfather. And it listed 4 sons. Hallelujah!

Maybe.

So, how to get from James to William? Another year or so passed as I worked the four sons lines. I ruled out one right away as he was deceased and there was no mention of any offspring. Another was a Patriot and there had been some lineage work done on him. The third son married into the Bull family of New York, and traceable through extensive histories. That left Samuel. Invisible Samuel.

Plugging Samuel in to my database brought me nothing. I started my writing, searching, posting campaign yet again, to no avail. This man was invisible! This man who, at one time owned 1000 acres of land in Wallkill, New York was invisible! Another year passed and I sadly put my quest for Samuel away. Vowing to travel to New York one day to pick up the search in person. Time to get on with life. Time to rejoin the living.

Then it happened.

A week after Christmas.

2012.

A casual mention in a chat room about newly added unindexed records on FamilySearch.

Oh. Hell. Yes.

Locked in my Genealogy Cave - fueled on nothing but raw tenacity and coffee - eyes bleary and red from hours of scrutinizing the computer screen ....... there it was!

No. What? Did I do it? Did I just find Samuel?

Staring in shocked disbelief. Frozen in the moment. The quest was over. OVER.

Stumbling out of the Cave I began my happy dance. I did a little Church Lady, and cried tears of joy.

It was a wonderful, frustrating, magical 5 years. I learned a lot. Not only about my Faulkner family, but about researching from scratch and doing it right. Best lesson ever. This is why Samuel Faulkner is my favorite. I worked hard for him and was rewarded magnificently.

Samuel Faulkner was never really lost. Just hiding, in plain sight.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Finding Faulkner: Generation Zero | William and Mary

It started, as good quests always do, with a family tale.

Or, my original title: Faulkners of Wallkill: The Beginning | William and Mary Faulkender

Poor Mary. Mary No-Name. Mary who received from her husband's estate the "use of the two back rooms in my house I now live in, with a bed and furniture and also her maintenance, together with the use of a horse and saddle for and during the term of her natural life." I guess it could have been worse. She did get two rooms and a horse!

Mary's maiden name is unknown. There is a mistaken notation on the Find A Grave memorial for James Faulkner, son of William and Mary, claiming that Mary's surname was Fernow. It is my conclusion that the note-leaver was confused, the will is listed in Fernow's Wills. Compiled by Berthold Fernow. When I questioned his/her source the reply was that it was 'clearly stated in the will'. It is not. The will calls Mary by her married name only.

I have found William as early as 1736, when he 'signs' as witness on a land sale.

Note William 'made his mark' AND that the scribe of this particular document decided to spell his surname 'Faulknier'. (Oh! Is this where that biography writer concluded that William was French?)

In 1738 William is listed as a private in Capt Bayard's Militia, precinct of Wallkill. (Spelled Faulkner/Falkener, depending on the source - in case you're keeping score)

William owned, best to my knowledge, five farms that included buildings, out-buildings and houses (how big are farms?) and an additional 1200 acres of undivided land. I'll explore this in detail when I discuss the will, later in this series.

My current theory is that William and Mary were married in Scotland prior to immigrating to the Colonies sometime around 1730. There are a dozen or more William Faulkner/Falconor/Falconer and Mary (variety of surnames) marriage records on both FamilySearch and ScotlandsPeople from around that time. I still need to investigate them. All I really have to base this on is the family tale ...

The known children of William and Mary are:

James b. 1731 - Ulster Co New York
Joseph b. between 1733/1744 (exact date UNK)
Samuel b. 1740 - Ulster Co New York
Col William Jr b. 1746 - Ulster Co New York

The author of the Bull Book suggested/suspected that John Faulkner, the father of Bethia, was also a child of this couple, as he was in the same place at the same time. That has not been proved.

I suspect that there were daughters as well. The gaps between the sons would indicate more children. Only the lived-to-adult sons were named in the will, which leads me to believe John was not a son - perhaps a nephew. (Whoa! Whole other can of worms!)

William died sometime between 11 Sep 1783 when he dictated his Last Will and Testament, and 23 Dec 1784, when the Will was presented in Ulster Co Surrogate's Court. His burial is unknown.

Whether Mary outlived William is also unknown. The will is the first and last we hear of Mary No-Name. The Mother of generations.

To be continued .......

Sunday, August 7, 2016

The Faulkners Of Ulster|Orange Co NY: A Proof Argument

William Faulkner, it is said, came to the Colony of New York from Scotland as a young man. This is family lore, and as yet is unproved.

William Faulkner was in New York as early as 1738. He was listed among the men serving under Captain John Byard in the company of militia of the "Wall a Kill" in Ulster County.(1)

It is reported by several historians that he resided at Stony Ford. In the book The History of Orange Co (2) it is said that "the Faulkner family made an early settlement" of the area. From The Bull/Wells Family genealogy(3) it is reported that William served as Captain in the Ulster Co militia during the French and Indian war. His name appears in a 1763 muster roll as such.(4) In an area rich with early pioneer stories, it is quite difficult to uncover much more on William, or other Faulkners of that time.

There has been much confusion as to the identity of William. Most of it stems from the numerous spelling variations of his surname found in the area surrounding Wallkill. Variations include Faulkener, Faulkender, Falkener, Falkner and Faulkner. His will has proved the biggest stumbling block. Spelled Faulkender, this will has been attached to many the incorrect family, in a variety of states surrounding New York.

After examining the records I have found to date, I feel I am able to make a convincing argument tying William Faulkner to his sons, William*, James and Samuel; and further establish lineage from Samuel to his sons Robert, John and James. (*William the son is a recognized DAR patriot, for the sake of clarity I will refer to him as Col. William when necessary, from here forward)

This direct evidence has come to light since the Record of Wills Recorded At Albany, New York, 1629 - 1802(5) has been digitized. We can now read the entire probate papers packet that establishes this tie.

William Faulkner died sometime between the writing of his will, dated 11 Sept 1783, Ulster County New York, and 23 Dec 1784, Ulster County New York, when it was entered into probate. William's will reveals that he was a landowner, and owned over 1000 acres of land plus several farms in Wallkill, Ulster Co, New York.

While the family surname is spelled Faulkender throughout the will, it is discovered that William was illiterate, merely 'making his mark' to sign his will. In examining the probate papers and bond of administration letter that follow the will it is further discovered that the three sons did actually sign their names, and in fact spelled their surname either Faulkner or Faulknor.(5)

Final page of William Faulkender's will papers showing William's surname spelled Faulkner along with the original signatures of his three sons, William, James and Samuel, inheritors named in the will.

(My own thought on this is that if William was a Scottish immigrant he may have spoken with a heavy accent. He may have been saying Faulkner (or Falconer), but it sounded like Faulkender! Consistent spelling remember, is a fairly new phenomenon)

To son William, he gives "the farm adjoining the Wallkill which I now live upon (...), one fifty acre lott on the long hill and two hundred acres of my undivided part of the lott of one thousand acres lying in or about the pine swamp". To son James, he gives "the farm he now lives upon (...) and providing that he shall convey to his youngest son when he shall arrive to the age of twenty one years that part of said farm formerly occupied by my son Joseph, while alive". To son Samuel, his gives "the farm he now lives upon, together with one fifty acre lott on the long hill and also two hundred acres of my undivided part of that lott of one thousand acres in or about the pine swamp".(5)

By this will we know that in 1784 there were at least three Faulkner males living in Wallkill.

In the 1790 census of Wallkill, Ulster Co, New York there are 3 Faulkner heads of household. The name is spelled Falkener in this record(6) Samuel, William and James' oldest son, also named William.

There is only one Samuel listed in the town of Wallkill in the census years 1790 through 1810.(6)(7)(8)

In 1807 Samuel deeds some of his land and farm to his son, David, and names his other sons, James, John and Robert, in the transaction. "(...)being a part of that farm or lot of land upon which the said Samuel Faulkner now lives which is bounded as follows (to wit) Northerly by a lot of land sold by the said Samuel Faulkner to his son John Faulkner, Westerly by lands sold by the said Samuel Faulkner to his son Robert Faulkner, southerly by lands of Col. William Faulkner, easterly by the patent line of said tract of one thousand acres containing one hundred and thirty acres (...)" "if the said David Faulkner should die without lawful issue of his body begotten then the remainder over to Robert Faulkner, James Faulkner and John Faulkner, sons of the said Samuel Faulkner (...)"(9)

By this we learn that some of Samuel's land was adjacent to Col. William's land. This evidence strongly suggests that this is the same Samuel and William as recorded in the will of William Faulkender, above.(5)

Col. William Faulkner died in 1831 and in his will leaves land to his son William J. and his daughters Susan McBride, Jane and Martha Faulkner. "First, I give and bequeath unto my son William J the farm on which I live situated in the said town of Wallkill and containing about two hundred acres. Also a fifty acre lot situated in said town of Wallkill on the Long Hill (...) to my daughters Susan McBride, Jane Faulkner and Martha Faulkner (...) I give and bequeath a lot in the pine swamp in the said town of Wallkill containing about forty acres of land"(10)

The description of the land owned by Col. Faulkner is similar enough to the description of the land given to William the son of William Faulkender as to draw a reasonable conclusion that Col. Faulkner is the son. Further, William Faulkner is a proved DAR patriot, ancestor # A039331 and his descendant listings associated with him are the very surnames listed in his will(10)

Looking at the 1800 census, again there are 3 Falkener (note spelling) heads of household.(7) Samuel, Agnes who is William's widow and John who is Agnes' son.

1810 shows 5 Faulkner heads of household.(8) Samuel, Robert who is Samuel's son, Col. William, John and Mathew who are sons of James

1820 4 Faulkner heads (11) Col. William, James and John M who are Samuel's sons, and Mathew.

1830 2 Faulkner (12) Col. William and William J., his son.

In 1839 There is a land sale recorded in Orange Co New York between David, James, John and Robert Faulkner and David Woodruff "This indenture made the fifth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty nine, between David Faulkner, James Faulkner and Martha Faulkner, wife of the said James, all of the town of Grass Lake, county of Jackson and state of Michigan, and Robert Faulkner and Sally, his wife, of of the town of Ontario, county of Wayne, and state of New York, and John M Faulkner and Catherine, his wife, of the town of Benton, county of Tioga, and state of New York, all parties of the first part and David Woodruff of the town of Wallkill, county of Orange, state of New York, party of the second part (...) for consideration of five thousand dollars lawful money (...) northerly by a lot of land formerly owned by John M Faulkner westerly by a lot of land formerly owned by Robert Faulkner southerly by land formerly owned by Col Wm Faulkner easterly by the patent line of the Elinor Tract of which this is a part containing one hundred and thirty acres of land " This document was witnessed by Antonette Faulkner, James and Martha's daughter.(13)

Although there is no known documents to prove this William and Samuel are the same William and Samuel named in the will of William Faulkender, the evidence is compelling and backed by the census records showing that they were the only likely candidates, and thus we can conclude that Samuel and William are the sons of William Faulkender.

In conclusion, although the evidence presented is indirect I feel it is conclusive, and sufficient to tie William Faulkender to Samuel, James and William and to further tie William to Samuel and thusly tie Samuel to Robert, David, John and James.

(1)New York Colonial Muster Rolls, 1664-1775, Vol 1, Report of the State Historian of the State of New York, Appendix H, Muster Rolls of a Century, pg. 608 [database on-line]
(2)Ruttenber, E.M. and Clark, L.H., History of Orange Co New York with Illustrations, Philadelphia: Everts and Peck, 1881 [pg 431]
(3)McWhorter, Emma, Seaman, Phillip and Booth, Dolly, The history and genealogy of the William Bull and Sarah Wells family of Orange County, New York: the first six generations in America and Canada, T.E. Henderson, 1974 [pg 131]
(4)New York Colonial Muster Rolls, 1664-1775, Vol II, Report of the State Historian of the State of New York, Appendix M, Colonial Muster Rolls, pg 735 [database on-line]
(5)Will of "William Faulkender", dated 11 Sept 1783, Albany, NY, Wills, Ad - Af 1629 - 1802, New York Surrogate's Court, Albany Co, [New York Wills and Probate Records, 1659 - 1999 database on-line]
(6)Year: 1790; Census Place: Wallkill, Ulster, New York; Series: M637; Roll: 6; Page: 213; Image: 479; Family History Library Film: 0568146
(7)Year: 1800; Census Place: Wallkill, Orange, New York; Roll: 21; Page: 337; Image: 344; Family History Library Film: 193709
(8)Year: 1810; Census Place: Wallkill, Orange, New York; Roll: 29; Page: 467; Image: 0181383; Family History Library Film: 00259
(9)"New York Land Records, 1630-1975," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32871-19260-30?cc=2078654 : accessed 6 April 2016), Orange > Deeds 1812-1814 vol O-P > image 11 of 534; county courthouses, New York.
(10)New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-28504-23777-43?cc=1920234 : accessed 6 April 2016), Orange > Wills 1830-1837 and 1787-1797 vol 1-2 and A > image 247 of 687; county courthouses, New York.
(11)1820 U S Census; Census Place: Wallkill, Orange, New York; Page: 344; NARA Roll: M33_64; Image: 357
(12)1830; Census Place: Wallkill, Orange, New York; Series: M19; Roll: 113; Page: 145; Family History Library Film: 0017173

(13)"New York Land Records, 1630-1975," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32877-943-38?cc=2078654 : 22 May 2014), Orange > Deeds 1839-1840 vol 66-67 > image 8 of 664; county courthouses, New York.

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