Seward, Aaron

Aaron SEWARD (1732 - 1803) and Elisabeth CLARK (1737 - 1833)

my 5g-grandparents

Aaron SEWARD was baptized 24 Feb 1732/33 in Durham, Middlesex, Colony of Connecticut. His parents were John and Ruth SEWARD or SEAWARD. [CTB] He appeared on a tax list in 1802, but is not found in the 1803 tax list, or in any records after 1802, so he probably died in 1802 or shortly after.

Aaron SEWARD and Elisabeth CLARK were married on 12 Feb 1756 in Granville, Hampden, MA. [VRGM] They lived in Granville, and had at least 5 children. They later moved to Kortright, Delaware, NY.

Elisabeth CLARK was born about 1737 in CT. [IMR] She was probably the daughter of Joseph CLARK, who died in Granville on 15 Oct 1780. [JC] This was probably the same Joseph CLARK who married Grace THOMAS on 15 Feb 1739 Lebanon, New London, CT. There was an Elisabeth CLARK who was baptized on 30 Sep 1739 in Lebanon.

The vital records of Granville show several SEWARD/SEAWARD families in the period from 1750 to 1782. They are probably related in some way, but I have not found all of the connections. Aaron SEWARD had 8 sisters, but only 2 brothers, John and Moses, and Moses seems to have stayed in Durham, CT. [FEG, p. 1074] There was a John SEWARD in Granville, possibly Aaron's brother. After Aaron SEAWARD and Elizabeth were married on 12 Feb 1756, there were two SEAWARD marriages on 2 Nov 1756, in Granville. Damaras SEAWARD married Ephram HOW, and Joel SEAWARD married Loraney SEAWARD. (Aaron had a 1st cousin Damaris SEWARD, who married Josiah WATEROUS.)

Aaron and Elisabeth probably had other children, but the 5 births recorded for them in Granville vital records are Rhode (21 Nov 1756), Jeddiah (26 May 1758), Elisabeth (19 Nov 1765), Aaron Jr (21 Jan 1768), Orindatus (24 Oct 1772). Also, daughter Rhode died on 1 Apr 1757, age 4 months. There is no birth record for Silvanus or Jesse.

At least one son, Jedediah, took part in the American Revolution. See the Revolutionary War and Jedediah SEWARD pages.

Migration

In the few decades after the American Revolution, the westward expansion of European settlement was like an explosion. The counties and townships in NY were renamed and rearranged several times. They must have wanted to make life interesting for historians and genealogists!

Some time between 1776 and 1790, Aaron and Elisabeth, and some of their grown sons and daughters, moved from Granville, MA, about 100 miles west, to Harpersfield, later called Kortright, NY. 

Otsego County, including Harpersfield, was formed from Montgomery County in 1791. Kortright was formed from part of Harpersfield in 1793. Delaware County, which included Kortright and Harpersfield, was formed in 1797 by combining portions of Otsego and Ulster counties. 

"In the year 1790 there was a law enacted and a resolution passed that each farmer in Kortright should establish an ear mark for his live stock, and record it in the town clerk's book. It was recorded of the animals of Aaron Seward that 'they may be known from others by their ear mark, which is a small cut off the near ear, and a half-penny (or semicircle) cut out from under the same ear.'" [WWM]

Jedediah SEWARD, son of Aaron and Elisabeth, came to Harpersfield in 1786 (see below). Since Jedediah was grown, and a veteran of the war, he may have travelled separately. Jedediah didn't stay long in Kortright, but moved his family another 70 miles west, to the area which became Chenango, Broome County, NY, by 1792. Most of his siblings remained in Kortright.

"Jedediah Seward settled on the hill near the Methodist Hollow. He moved from Orange county with oxen." [WWM] I haven't found any Methodist Hollow in Delaware County, but there is such a place about 30 miles northwest of Kortright, in Otsego County, on the south side of Burlington. The mention of Orange County is interesting, since William H. SEWARD, Governor of New York and Secretary of State under Lincoln, was born there. I've always wondered if there was a connection. The account above says he came from Orange County, one of the original counties of NY. (He could have been in the part of Orange County that became Rockland County in 1798.) 

Tax and Census Records for Harpersfield/Kortright

Records for this region of NY contain valuable information on several SEWARD (various spellings) families. What is often missing is relationships among SEWARDs. Records of birth, marriage and death are sparse.

Aaron SEWARD and his wife and grown children came to Harpersfield about 1786, and surely before 1790.

The First US Census, taken in 1790, has 5 STEWART/SEWART families in Harpersfield. Some of these may really be STEWART families, but I think at least Aaron SEWART is really SEWARD. The census for Harpersfield has 5 pages, and the last 4 households listed here are on page 4, with the last 3 listed consecutively. So I think they are at least related. I don't know how Anna, Jessee, William and James fit in. 

Aaron SEWART, who would be 57 in 1790, appears to have a wife, 1 son or grandson under 16, 2 sons 16 or over, and 2 daughters or granddaughters.

The 1799 tax roll for Kortright has Aaron SEWARD Sr and Jr, as well as Zachariah WHITNEY, husband of Elisabeth SEWARD (see below). Aaron Sr and Jr each own real estate valued at $600, which is above the median. There were half a dozen very wealthy landowners, with $7,000 to $20,000, but most were well under $1,000. So the SEWARDs were middle-class farmers. Also on the same page are Jesse STEWART, Samuel STEWART, Henry SWART, Henry SWART Jr, and Peter SWART. They may be related to the SEWARDs, so I keep track of them.

The 1800 US Census has 4 SEWARD/STEWARD families in Kortright, listed almost consecutively. This seems to imply that Aaron and Elisabeth were still living in 1800, and that Jesse, Sylvanus and Aaron Jr were among their sons. Jedediah had moved to Broome County. Aaron and Elisabeth also have in their household a male and female, possibly children or grandchildren, in the 16-25 category, so they were born between 1775 and 1784.

Jesse STEWARD and his wife were both 26-44, born between 1756 and 1774. They had 3 sons under 10. Jesse may have been the father of Rev. Milton H. STEWART, whose gravestone has the STEWART spelling.

Sylvanus SEWARD was also 26-44, but his wife was 16-25, born between 1775 and 1784. They had 2 sons under 10.

Aaron SEWARD Jr and his wife were also born between 1756 and 1774. They had 2 daughters and 1 son, all under 10.

Under the assumption that each household is a nuclear family, it now seems likely that Aaron and Elizabeth had at least 4 sons and 2 daughters. 

The 1801 tax list again has Aaron SEWARD Sr and Jr, and Zacharias WHITNEY, in Kortright. There were several other SEWARDs in other towns in Delaware County, but I have not been able to connect them with Aaron.

The 1802 tax list has Aaron Sr, Aaron Jr and Sylvanie. This is the last record I've seen that mentions Aaron SEWARD Sr, and he did not appear in the 1810 Census.

The 1810 US Census has 3 SEWARD households in Kortright. Aaron SEWARD Sr is absent, so he probably died between 1800 and 1810.

Aaron SEWARD in the 26-44 age group must be Aaron Jr. Other records indicate that he was born 21 Jan 1768, so he was 32 in 1800 and 42 in 1810, both times in the 26-44 group. However, his wife would have been about 40. The female 45 or over must be his wife or his mother.

David SEWARD is 26-44, so he may be the son of Aaron Sr, who was 16-25 in 1800. In 1810 he had a wife who was 16-25, and 3 children under 10.

Sylvanus SEWARD was still 26-44, like Aaron Jr. He had a wife and 8 children in 1810.

The 1810 US Census also had the Jedediah SEWARD family of 8 in Chenango, Broome, NY.

Descendants

We have birth records for 5 of Aaron and Elizabeth's children: Rhode, Jedediah, Elizabeth, Aaron Jr, and Orindatus. These records name the parents, so they are also useful in establishing that Aaron's wife's given name was Elizabeth. A 6th child may be Silvanus SEWARD. There does not seem to be a birth record, but he was baptized in Granville, MA, and lived in Kortright, NY, and is buried in Chenango, Broome, NY. If these records all refer to the same Silvanus SEWARD, he was either a son of Aaron and Elizabeth, or a close relative.

For brevity: Granville was in Hampshire (now in Hampden) County, MA and Kortright (once part of Harpersfield) is in Delaware County, NY.

Aaron SEWARD b: Bef. 24 Feb 1732/33 in Durham, Middlesex, CT, d: 1803
+ Elizabeth CLARK b: 1737 in Coventry, Tolland, CT, m: 12 Feb 1756 in Granville, d: 22 Apr 1833 in Kortright, age 95 [Some of these details are unverified.]
......1. Rhode SEWARD b: 21 Nov 1756 in Granville, d: 1 Apr 1757, age 4 months
......2. Jedediah SEWARD b: 26 May 1758 in Granville, d: May 1842 in Chenango, Broome, NY, age 83
......  + Martha SMITH b: 20 Oct 1768 in Westfield, MA, d: 1814 in NY, age 46
......3. Elisabeth SEWARD b: 19 Nov 1765 in Granville, d: 1843, age 78
...... + Zachariah WHITNEY b: 11 Aug 1764 in Montague, Franklin, MA, m: 1792, d: 1849 in Stamford, Delaware, NY, age 85
......4. Aaron SEWARD Jr b: 21 Jan 1768 in Granville, d: 28 Apr 1838 in Kortright, age 70
......  + Lydia HARRIS b: 1770, m: 1780 ??, d: 27 Mar 1847 in Kortright, age 76
......5. Silvanus SEWARD was born 24 May 1770, d:  23 Jun 1850 in Chenango, NY, age 70 [relationship unproven]
......  + Anna CLARK
......6. Orindatus SEWARD b: 24 Oct 1772 in Granville

Sections below cover each of the probable children of Aaron and Elisabeth, and their families.

1. Rhode SEWARD or SEAWARD was born 21 Nov 1756 in Granville, Hampden, MA, and died on 1 Apr 1757, age 4 months, in Granville. [VRGM]

2. Jedediah SEWARD was born 26 May 1758 in Granville, Hampden, MA, and died in mid May, 1842, in Chenango, Broome, NY, at age 83 or 84. He was my 4g-grandfather. 

See the Jedediah SEWARD page for more information.

3. Elisabeth SEWARD was born 19 Nov 1765 in Granville, Hampden, MA. [VRGM] She died in 1843, probably in Stamford, Delaware, NY. In 1792 she married Zachariah WHITNEY, who was born 11 Aug 1764 in Montague, Franklin, MA and died 1849 in Stamford, Delaware, NY. [DAR, Vol. 83, p. 16] His parents were Zachariah WHITNEY Sr and Sarah STANTON. [JW, p. 89]

Zachariah WHITNEY enlisted in 1780, at about 16, as a Private in the Massachusetts Continental Line. After marriage in 1792, the couple lived in Delhi, Delaware, NY, and eventually settled in Stamford, Delaware, NY.

Their son Aaron WHITNEY was born 23 Oct 1802 and died 25 Oct 1898, at age 96 years and 2 days. The obituary (below) says he was born in MA. He lived and died in Homer Township, Potter County, PA. (I don't understand the reference to Odin.) His wife was Elisabeth BUNDY, born 1812 and died 1863. [DAR]

4. Aaron SEWARD Jr was born 21 Jan 1768 in Granville, Hampden, MA. [VRGM] He married Lydia HARRIS. He is buried in McMurdy Brook Road Cemetery, Kortright Center, Delaware County, NY. The death record from Kortright says he died on 28 Apr 1838, age 70. His gravestone seems to indicate that the died at age 70 y, 2 m, 7 d, which would mean he was born 21 Feb 1768, not Jan.

Aaron SEWARD Jr married Lydia HARRIS. The marriage date in the record above is probably a mistake - I doubt that he was married at age 12.

Aaron SEWARD Jr appeared on a jury list in 1798, Kortright. He was listed as a Yeoman.

As mentioned above, Aaron SEWARD Jr was head of one of the 4 SEWARD households in the 1800 US Census for Kortright. The household of 5 consisted of 1 male and female in the 26-44 age group, and 1 male, 2 females under 10. Assuming a nuclear family, it looks like they had 2 daughters, names unknown.

Also as mentioned above, Aaron Jr appeared on the Kortright tax lists for 1801 and 1802 alongside his father and brothers, and in 1803 with his brothers.

The 1810 US Census has the family of 5, still in Kortright. Aaron would have been 42, and he appears in the 26-44 age group. However, Lydia is 45 or over in 1810, so she was born in 1765 or earlier. I think this is a mistake, since it contradicts other records. They still have 1 son and 2 daughters. The son must be John, born between 1795 and 1800. The daughters were born between 1785 and 1794.

Aaron SEWARD's will was written 12 Mar 1838, in Kortright, and probated 21 Jan 1839. He named his wife Lydia and his "youngest son John," and John was executor, inheriting all property except household furniture.

Lydia (HARRIS) SEWARD died on 27 Mar 1847 in Kortright, at age 76, so she was born in 1770 or 1771. So it seems even more unlikely that Aaron and Lydia were married in 1780. Lydia is buried in Hancock Cemetery, Franklin, Delaware, NY.

5. Silvanus SEWARD was born 24 May 1770, probably in Granville. His gravestone in Bonney Cemetery, Smyrna, Chenango, NY says he died on 23 Jun 1850 at age 80 years and 30 days. The name is spelled Silvanus on the stone, although he is Sylvanus in census records.

Sylvenus SEWARD was baptized in 1770, Granville.

Silvanus married Anna CLARK in NY. The marriage record only tells us that Silvanus SEWARD and Anna CLARK were married in NY, and he was born in 1770. I don't know if Anna was related to his possible mother, Elisabeth CLARK. 

There is no direct evidence that Silvanus was the son of Aaron and Elisabeth, but he was in Kortright in 1800, 1810, and 1820. Silvanus was head of one of 4 SEWARD families listed almost consecutively in the 1800 US Census for Kortright. He had a wife and 2 sons under 10. See above.

In 1810 Sylvanus would have been about 40. The 1810 US Census has him with a family of 10, in Kortright. Assuming a nuclear family, he and his wife are in the 26-44 age group. Listed consecutively with Sylvanus is David SEWARD, age group 26-44, with a family of 5. David could be a brother or son of Sylvanus. Since no David SEWARD had appeared in previous records, he is probably a son. 

6. Orindatus "Orrin" SEWARD was born 24 Oct 1772 in Granville, Hampden, MA. [VRGM] Nothing more seems to be known about him.

I have had some trouble separating Orindatus from his nephew, Orrin SEWARD, who was born in 1788. See the Jedediah SEWARD page.

DNA Evidence

My close matches (i.e., distant cousins) in AncestryDNA included 13 members who traced their ancestry back to Aaron SEWARD and Elisabeth CLARK. Of these 13, 9 were descendants of Jedediah SEWARD, my 4g-grandfather, and son of Aaron and Elisabeth. Three more were descendants of David SEWARD, and 1 of Elisabeth SEWARD. This provides good evidence that I am also a descendant of Aaron and Elisabeth.

Sources

[1829] Map of Delaware County, NY 1829

[1856] Map of Delaware County, NY 1856

[1869] Beers Atlas high res maps of Delaware County 1869

[CTB] Connecticut Town Birth Records (requires ancestry license)

[DAR] Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the DAR Vol 083

[DCM] Delaware County Map Collection

[EDC] Evolution of Delaware County, NY

[FEG] Families of Early Guilford, Connecticut, Vol II, The Seward Family, pp. 1072-88

[IMR] US And International Marriage Records

[JC] Death Record for Joseph Clark, 15 Oct 1780, Granville, Hampden, MA

[JW] Whitney. The descendants of John Whitney, who came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635 by Frederick Clifton Pierce

[VRGM] Birth Records for Aaron Jr, Rhode, Jedediah, Elisabeth SEWARD in New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Massachusetts; Vital Records of Granville, Massachusetts to the Year 1850

[WWM] The Town of Kortright, in The History of Delaware County, by W. W. Munsell, Electronic text by Linda Ogborn

Updated 20 Feb 2024 by William Haloupek. Contact haloupek at gmail dot com.