Tracy

Isaac Tracy b. 1716

/ Kirstin Miller

Isaac Tracy, my 5th great grandpa on RootsMagic tree

Isaac Tracy was born on November 9, 1716 in New London Connecticut. Isaac’s parents were Francis and Elizabeth Parrish Tracy. The Tracy great grandparents arrived from England and Parrish great grandparents came from Scotland.

Isaac married Mehitable Rude in New London on July 13, 1742. They had at least 12 children, maybe more. By 1770 the Tracy family was in the town of Goshen, New York.

Isaac wrote his will on January 10, 1784 and he died in Goshen, New York in 1786. His will was presented in court on April 5, 1786. “We the people of the state of New York by the grace of god freed and independent to all to whom these are present shall come or may concern Send Greeting”, America as a free country was still so new it was part of the court’s reading.

Isaac’s will provided for his widow, and their children were given land and money, “the land that I claim in the Susquehanna purchase in Westmoreland … a right in the Dellaware purchase that I claim to him, his heirs and assigns forever”.

Isaac’s lands were part of the Walking Purchase, “an alleged 1737 agreement” between William Penn’s sons, Pennsylvania, indigenous Delaware, also Lenape, nation, and the King of England. Penn’s sons took advantage of their dad’s good deeds, “were less interested than their father in cultivating a friendship with the Lenape”. The sons a forged document, a made up agreement showing they were entitled to a day’s walk worth of Lenape land. “Unbeknownst to the Lenape, Thomas Penn took measures to ensure that the distance covered by his “walkers” would be as large as possible” and claimed more than 1 million acres.

The Lenape immediately and legally informed the King of England that the agreement was theft. In courts since 1737, the Delaware Nation fought for their land until October 2022 when the US Supreme Court refused to hear the case. [A complicated 285 year event with millions of small and large details of colonial acts, atrocities?, illegal actions and rulings … impacting generations.]

There’s an 11 volume book related to the purchase, with pages and pages of letters. Isaac Tracy was one of many letter writers, maybe called memorialists.

Isaac’s letter in The Susquehannah Company papers.

Sources

Deborah Tracy b. 1722

/ Kirstin Miller

Deborah Tracy, my 7th great grandma on RootsMagic tree

Deborah was born on April 20, 1722 in New London County, Connecticut. Deborah’s mom and dad were Christopher and Lydia Parish Tracy. Deborah had 11 siblings. The Tracy family came to New London, CT around 1670.

History of the First Congregational Church Stonington, Conn. 1674-1874 at Archive.org

Deborah was admitted to the First Congregational Church of Stoningtonin in New London, “Admissions during the ministry of Rev. Nathaniel Eells, Full Communion Aug 2 1741 … Deborah Tracy” with others. A few weeks later, in the same church Deborah married David Dewey on September 28, 1741. Deborah and David had 11 children, all born in New London. Three sons were in the Revolutionary War: David Jr was a minuteman, Jabez died in the Battle of Harlem Heights, and Christopher was a fife-major in the War of 1812.

Deborah was a widow in 1790 and in that same year was on the first US federal census. On the 1790 census she was head of the home with 3 males 16 and older, 2 males under 16, and 3 females living in her house. New London County’s total population in 1790 was about 33,000. Deborah is also on the 1800 and 1810 US censuses. The 1810 census is her last record, her death date and burial place are unknown.

Sources

Jonathan Rawson and Bathsheba Tracy b. 1749

/ Kirstin Miller

Jonathan Rawson and Bathsheba Tracy, 6th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree.

Jonathan Rawson was born March 15, 1749 in Mendon, Massachusetts.  Bathsheba Tracy was born  27 April 1752 in Preston, Connecticut. Jonathan and Bathsheba married on January 1, 1772 in Preston. They had three sons and three daughters born from 1773 to 1788. Jonathan is said to be a private in the American Revolution but there aren’t any records to prove this, only ‘REV WAR’ inscribed on his and Bathsheba’s headstones. Jonathan and Bathsheba joined their sons Solomon and William in Lyndon New York where, “The first settlement was made in 1808 by Solomon Rawson and his brother William. They came with their wives from Pennsylvania.” William ran a tavern, Solomon was a deacon of the church. “Rawson is[was] a postal hamlet near the northeast corner of the town, lying partly in Allegany county. It derives its name from Lyndon’s pioneer. Solomon Rawson.”

Bathsheba and Jonathan died around 1827 and both are buried at  Rawson Cemetery, next to Rawson Church  in Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. The cemetery is also known as Lyndon Cemetery and on the county line between Allegany and Cattaraugus counties. On Google maps the address is Rawson Rd, Cuba, NY 14727.

Rawson cemetery and church via Google maps https://goo.gl/maps/8TuXzSfb3N9AsTnp9

The Rawson family came to America from England in the 1630s, On my maternal side Francis Tracy married Elizabeth Parrish, their son Isaac Tracy married Mehitable Rude, their daughter Bathsheba Tracy married Jonathan Rawson their daughter Margaret married Joseph Benight, their daughter Clementina married Dexter Angell, their daughter Delia married William Flood, their daughter Matilda married Richard Mockford their daughter Philippa married Harve Speedy and had a daughter Elizabeth Speedy who married Stanley Roose, my grandparents.

The Tracy family came to America in the 1630s too. On my paternal side Jonathan Tracy married Mary Griswold, their son Christopher married Lydia Parrish, their daughter Deborah Tracy married David Dewey, their son David married Sarah Witter, their daughter Sarah married John Connable whose daughter Lydia married Obed Gaines, whose son William married Sarah Swain, their daughter Mary Ella married James Miller their son William is the dad of Faber Miller who married Gladys Cable, my grandparents

Sources

Thomas Tracy b. 1610

/ Kirstin Miller

Thomas Tracy 10th great grandpa on RootsMagic tree.

Thomas Tracy was born in 1610 in England.  Thomas sailed for New England and arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1636.  Thomas was a carpenter and ship builder. He held many community posts including leader of the Train Band (militia company of early America), member of the Colonial Assembly and Lieutenant of the New London County Dragoons.

The Tracy family was one of the first to settle in Norwich CT where Thomas died Nov. 7, 1685, age 76. His estate included 5000 acres of Norwich land, he left this to his children. 

Some Tracy family history books state that “No family can claim armorial bearings more ancient than the Tracys, for they were handed down from the middle of the twelfth century”. This may or may not be proven.  Thomas Tracy has a memorial at Find A Grave with more information and a huge headstone erected by ancestors after his death. Find a Grave is generally completely unverified but still has good information.  Thomas Tracy Find a grave memorial 21945755