WILL: David Pierson; Hillsdale, Columbia co., NY surname: Pierson, White, Rose, Allen, Colt, Barron submitted by Jude Collin Gleason (gleasonc at hotmail.com) ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ny/nyfiles.htm Submitted Date: December 1, 2004 This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/nyfiles/ File size: 10.2 Kb ************************************************ Source: sampubco.com Columbia County, New York, Will Book Vol. D, Page 514 Written: January 19 1816 Recorded: December 9 1819 The Last Will and Testament of David Pierson of the Town of Hillsdale in the County of Columbia deceased. I David Pierson of the Town of Hillsdale County of Columbia and State of New York, do make and ordain This as my last Will and Testament of first ordain that all my Just Debts be paid out of my personal property; Then I Give and bequeath to the children born of my beloved daughter Catherine late the wife of Rufus White, deceased one hundred acres of my lands lying in the County of Broome in the State of New York to be equally divided between David P. White, Samuel White, Henry White and George White, and further I give to the said David P. White fifty dollars in Cash and my Silver headed Sword, I next give to my beloved daughter Mary Rose and her heirs one hundred acres of my lands lying in the County Brome [sic] aforesaid and one hundred dollars in cash, next I give to the Son of my beloved daughter Hannah Allen deceased one hundred acres of my lands lying in the County of Brome [sic] aforesaid, and in case she should die without issue said land is to revert back to my Heirs still Surviving; I nexly [sic] give to my grand daughter Elizabeth Colt fifty dollars in cash, I nexly give unto my beloved daughter Jane Allen the wife of Horace Allen - one hundred acres of my lands lying in the County of Brome [sic] aforesaid, and one hundred dollars in Cash, I next bequeath to beloved Son David Peirson [sic] Junior all my wearing apparel and a cane given to me by my Sister Sarah Barron, I next give to my beloved daughter Laurana Peirson [sic] four hundred dollars together with all my household furniture and Silver plate, viz, a Silver Tankard, a silver can, a Set of Silver table Spoons, nine Tea Spoons, and a Silver Porringer, and one hundred acres of my land lying in the County of Brome [sic] aforesaid and in case she should die without issue the property is to my Surviving Heirs, and I ordain that each and every one of my grand children that are now living shall have of my Estate Ten dollars my Silver headed cane I give to my grandson Henry White, and the residue of my Estate I ordain to be equally divided between my beloved children David Pierson Junior, Mary Rose, Jane Allen and Laurana Pierson, I declare this to be my last Will and Testament, and appoint William Tanner, David Peirson [sic] Jun.r and Henry White to execute the same. This Instrument made and executed this nineteenth day of January in the year of our lord one thousand eight hundred and Sixteen. Sign'd and Sealed in Presents [sic] of us and in Presents [sic] of each other. Ralph Tanner ) David Pierson Maria Tanner ) Cornelia Tanner ) State of New York County of Columbia. Be it remembered that on the ninth day of December in the year of our lord one thousand eight hundred and nineteen personally appeared before me James I Van Alen Surrogate of the County of Columbia Ralph Tanner who being duly sworn does depose and say that he saw David Pierson execute the preceding Instrument as and for his last Will and Testament, That at the time of the Execution thereof he the said David was of Sound disposing mind & memory to the best of the knowledge and belief of this deponent, and that Maria Tanner, Cornelia Tanner and this deponent severally subscribed their names as witnesses thereto in the presence of the Testator and of each other. James I Van Alen, Surrogate State of New York County of Columbia: Be it remembered that on the same day and year last aforesaid David Pierson Jun.r Executor in the said Will named came before me the said Surrogate and was duly qualified to the due performance and Execution thereof by taking the oath as in such case is by law appointed. James I Van Alen, Surrogate The People of the State of New York by the grace of God free and Independent, To all to whom there presents shall come or may concern send greeting: Know ye that at Kinderhook in the County of Columbia the day of the date hereof before James I Van Alen Esquire Surrogate of ever said County The last Will & Testament of David Pierson deceased, (a copy whereof is hereunto annexed) was proved and is now approved & allowed of by us, and the said deceased having whilst he lived and at the time of his death, goods chattels or credits within this State by means whereof the proving and registering the said will and the granting administration of all and singular the goods chattels and credits, and also the auditing allowing and final discharging the account thereof doth belong unto us, the administration of all and singular the goods chattels and credits of the said deceased and any way concerning his Will is granted unto David Pierson Jun.r Executor in the said Will named he being first duly sworn will and faithfully to administer the same, and to make & exhibit a true and perfect Inventory of all and singular the said goods chattels and credits, and also to render a Just and true account thereof when there unto required. In Testimony whereof we have caused the Seal of office of our Surrogate to be hereunto affixed. Witness James I Van Allen Esquire Surrogate of the said County at Kinderhook the ninth day of December in the year of our lord one thousand eight hundred and nineteen and of our Independence in the forty fourth year. James I Van Allen, Surrogate Additional Comments: Based on the date the will was proved (9 December 1819), this is likely the same David Pierson buried in Green River Cemetery in the nearby town of Austerlitz, Columbia County, New York. That stone reads "Col. David Pierson, d. Sept. 24, 1819, aged 77 years" See: Colubia County Historical Society (Kinderhook, NY), Green River Cemetery Inscriptions, Book 1:23. That would put David Pierson's birth year around 1742. This may be the same David Pierson originally of Sag Harbor, Suffolk Co., Long Island, New York. Although 'Pierson Millenium' (Richard E. Pierson & Jennifer Pierson, Heritage Books: 1997) never mentions Capt. David Pierson (son of Lemuel Pierson and Martha Stratton) as going to Hillsdale, NY later in life, there is evidence to suggest that this might be the same David Pierson of Long Island. In his will, David Pierson mentions a cane given to him by his sister Sarah Barron. A Sarah Pierson married an Andrew Barron on 22 November 1756 in Suffolk County, Long Island (NY Marriages, 1600-1784). If this is the same Sarah Pierson Barron, it would support the premise that David Pierson of Hillsdale, Columbia County, was originally from Long Island. Also, the family tree of David Pierson's daughter, Jane Pierson Allen, wife of Horace, would suggest that David Pierson is the Capt. David Pierson mentioned in 'Pierson Millenium' on pp. 159-161. According to Vol. I, pp. 268-270 of 'Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs,' edited by Cuyler Reynolds (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911), Jane Pierson Allen and her husband Horace Allen (both mentioned in David Pierson's will, above, had children Elizabeth Gelston Allen, Jane Pierson Allen, Henry Augustas Allen, and Caroline Allen. Elizabeth Gelston was the name of the wife of Capt. David Pierson of Sag Harbor, according to 'Pierson Millenium', p. 160. That Jane Pierson Allen would name her daughter after the wife of Capt. David Pierson of Long Island, would suggest that she was the daughter of that couple. Indeed, the author of 'Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs', Cuyler Reynolds, states that Jane Pierson Allen's father was the David Pierson originally of Long Island. The David Pierson who died in Hillsdale, New York, seems to have resided in Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts at the time of the 1800 census (but not at the time of the 1790 census). He seems to have moved from Pittsfield, Massachusetts to nearby Hillsdale, Columbia County, New York between 1800 and 1810, where he, and David Pierson, Jr. appear on the 1810 Hillsdale, NY census. Indeed, there is record of a deed of sale between "David Pierson, gentleman of Hillsdale, Columbia Co., NY, to Joseph Hooper yeoman of Pittsfield,[Mass.] dtd 8 Jan. 1808" (1808; Berkshire Co MA Deeds vol 48; p 275; FHL film 872,101). David Pierson would not have been the first Pierson from Long Island to migrate to Berkshire County, Massachusetts and nearby Columbia County, New York ('Pierson Millennium' details Nathan Pierson's move to Richmond, Berkshire County, Massachusetts among other Long Island Piersons). There is still no firm evidence that this David Pierson is the same Capt. David Pierson of Long Island. Indeed, this David Pierson's dates don't correspond exactly to those of the Long Island David according to 'Pierson Millenium' pp. 159-161. The source of the dates in 'Pierson Millenium' was George Rogers Howell's 1887 book 'The Early History of Southampton, L.I.' and I can't help but wonder if the dates provided by Howell are actually for one of the other David Pierson's living in Southampton in the 18th century ('Pierson Millenium,' p. 160 discusses the three David Piersons living in Southampton at that time). Any help in sorting out whether the David Pierson who died in Hillsdale, NY was the same as the son of Lemuel Pierson, of Suffolk County, NY, would be greatly appreciated. I can be contacted at gleasonc@hotmail.com