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| Notes for John DAVENPORT | ||||||||||||
| John was the 2nd or 3rd of 10 children. He was born about 1776 (perhaps early/mid 1774 or late 1776/early 1777). Some records indicate that a previous John, the 1st of 10 children, was born 5 Nov 1772 and apparently died young predeceasing the birth of the second John. The second John was most likely born just prior to or after his sister Zerviah, who was born 3 Dec 1775. It is also possible that there was only one John born 5 Nov 1772 and that this might properly be the birthdate for the John Davenport noted here (born Abt 1776-1829 and buried in Davenport, Delaware County, New York). John married Anna Putnam, about 1800, possibly prior to his moving from Spencertown. He resided, before 1810, in the town of Harpersfield, and later moved to neighboring Kortright to a section that was to become Davenport. In 1817, he was elected Davenport's first town supervisor. John was a prosperous local Davenport, New York, merchant until his death in 1829. His second cousin, Noah Davenport (1758-1840), born in Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut, resided nearby and, as John's local business partner, also played a role in the chronicle of Davenport, New York. [About 1810, John kept an extensive large store at the center (Harpersfield, Delaware County, New York) with his second cousin, Noah Davenport (b.1758, d. 1840) thought mistakenly by some, to be a brother] Cousin Noah's family ties to Connecticut could explain John's final wagon trip to Connecticut in 1829, months before he died. John's only child, John Davenport Jr., born October 20th, 1822, in Harpersfield, was not born to his wife Anna. It seems that Betsy Williams from the Williams family of Harpersfield was the mother. Betsy had lived prior to John Jr.'s birth in the Davenport home, most likely as a young servant. It may be that the sole source of contention between Anna and John, in an otherwise contented, enduring marriage, was John Jr. This contention survived John's death. In 1830, Anna successfully contested the admission of John's will to probate. The court ruled that John, at the time of executing his will (1829), was "of Unsound Mind & Memory." John Jr.'s fortunes diminished as a result. Made after an apparent stroke, the will had left the bulk (75%) of John's estate to his only child. The will presumably was destroyed by the court. Now, only by perusing the court testimony of fifty-two sworn witnesses, in what must have been a major spectacle of the time, can bits and pieces of John Davenport's final differing wishes be gleaned. Likely the richest man in town, leaving an estate estimated at anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000, John Davenport was a strong and formative force in Davenport's early history. He left us but a glimpse of his storied life. His legacy was to continue. | ||||||||||||
| Notes for Betsy Williams Palmatier | ||||||||||||
| It seems that Betsy Williams from the Williams family of Harpersfield was John Jr.'s mother. Betsy had lived prior to John Jr.'s birth in the Davenport home, most likely as a young servant. [per reading of 1830 probate case of the will of John Davenport (Abt. 1776-1829), except assumption that Betsy may have been a servant] The will was successfully contested by John's wife, Anna and was not admitted to probate. Fifty-two sworn witnesses testified from February 16th through 18th, 1830. It was determined that John was of "Unsound Mind & Memory" at the time of making his will. He had suffered an apparent stroke the year before he died. John Jr.'s financial fortunes [he was to inherit the bulk (75%) of his father's estate] diminished as a result. The case records are located at the Delaware County Courthouse in Delhi, New York. | ||||||||||||