First and foremost, I am not a genealogist. That position is held
by Donna Cuillard and she is the expert in this field.
I have made the following assumptions after about 8 months of
reasearch of this family. If you have better information please
let me know. I am certainly open to better information and would
like to post it on the site.
Joseph Harper - Catherine Douglass family
assumptions:
1790 Census
Harpersfield New York
Joseph Douglass
Enumerators Free White
Number Head of Free White Free White females incl. Present
Household Males 16 yrs. + males under 16 heads of families Location
288 Harper, Joseph 1 1 3 Harpersfield
Conclusions from 1790 Census:
In 1790, in the Joseph Harper household, there were 3 children living.
1 male and two females. The one male was under 16. Because we have
the dates of birth of two males, one in 1796 and another in 1798 John,
Joseph or Alexander had been born in or prior to 1790. Of the three
females, two had been born in or prior to 1790.
Additional Assumptions:
Catherine Douglass was born between 1750 and 1770. Based on the age
of her last child, who was born in 1798, we can speculate that she
was not much over 40 years of age. This would place her birth in the
late 1750's. Her father moved to Harpersfield as one of the first settlers,
between 1772 and 1775. She would have been approximately 15 to 18 years
of age at that time. Until now, speculation gave her year of marriage
as between 1762 and 1765. This seems highly improbable and a date after
1772 is far more likely.
Joseph's older brother John, b.1734, had his first child when he was
30 and the last at age 53. These children were born of two marriages
and there was a Alexander fathered his first at age 28 and last at
age 47. His father was married at 23 had his first child at age 24
and his last child at age 44. His wife, Abigail Montgomery, is assumed
to be approximately the same age as John b. 1705.
The naming convention used at the time in protestant society and generally
in the Harper family in the 18th Century, would suggest that John
was the first male child and born in or before 1790.
John, born in or prior to 1790, would have been named after his grandfather,
Joseph after himself, Alexander after Joseph's brother.
Margaret is the name given to the first female named by Joseph
Harper's brothers John and Alexander. Mary is the 2nd named female
by his sister Mary, and brother John and the third by his brother
Alexander. These may be the two females born in or before 1790.
This leaves Alexander, Joseph, and Agnes who would be born between
1790 and 1795.
If we further assume an average of 18 to 24 months between births we
can speculate that:
Margaret born mid 1779 - Age of parents, Joseph is 45 and Catherine
is 21. If Margaret was her first born, the birth could have been as
early as 1776.
Mary born about 1784
John born ca. 1786
This would complete the accounting of children identified in the 1790
Census
Joseph may have been born early 1791
Agnes born about mid 1793
Alexander born early in 1795
Birth approximations given assumptions above:
Joseph HARPER, b. 4 February 1742 at Middletown, Conn., m. Catherine
DOUGLASS b.ca.1758, marriage ca. 1775 at Harpersfield, Delaware, New
York, Joseph d. 16 May 1805 at Harpersfield, Ashtabula, Ohio
1 Margaret HARPER (5), b. ca. 1779 at
Harpersfield, Delaware, New York
2 Mary HARPER (5), b. ca. 1784
at Harpersfield, Delaware, New York
3 John HARPER (4), b. ca. 1786
at Harpersfield, Delaware, New York
4 Joseph HARPER (3), b. ca 1791
at Harpersfield, Delaware, New York
5 Agnes HARPER, b. ca 1793 at
Harpersfield, Delaware, New York
6 Alexander HARPER (3), b. ca
1795 at Harpersfield, Delaware, New York
7 Montgomery HARPER, b. 1 May
1796 at Harpersfield, Delaware, New York,
m. Sabrina Rice, 10 September
1816 at Ashtabula Co., Ohio, m. Angelina
Parshall, 6 September 1829 at
New York, d. 25 September 1864 at Avon, Rock,
Wisconsin ...
8 Joshua HARPER, b. 21 February
1798 at Harpersfield, Delaware, New York,
m. Permelia LUCE, ca. 1820
at Ohio, d. 21 November 1851 at Trumbull Co.,
Ohio ...
--------------------------
Gilchrist Cemetery, Route #33
DOUGLAS, Elizabeth 67y September 5, 1879
DOUGLAS, Gydio E. 23y October 5, 1840 Wife of Thomas
DOUGLAS, Joseph 47y August 23, 1819
DOUGLAS, Mary 73y August 4, 1853 Wife of Joseph
DOUGLAS, Samuel ? May 1, 1840 Son of Thomas & Lydia
DOUGLAS, Thomas 39y December 9, 1841
--------------------------
Deed Book A Delaware County
Stephen Judd of Harpersfield, yeoman, on October 3, 1784, purchased
from John Harper of Harpersfield, Esquire, land in Harpersfield, lots
33 and 34, 110 acres each. Witnesses Joseph Harper and Timothy Doly?.
Recorded July 28, 1797. Pages 44-47.
Joel Mack of Harpersfield, Otsego County, NY, on May 4, 1793, purchased
from Joseph Harper Jr. of Harpersfield, Otsego County, NY, blacksmith,
land in Harpersfield, part of lot 157, 34 acres. Witnesses Daniel Mack
and Caleb D. Farris. Recorded July 29, 1797. Pages 55-57.
Joel Mack of Harpersfield, Otsego County, NY, on July 20, 1796, purchased
from James Wardwell of Stamford, Fairfield County, CT., land in Harpersfield,
part of lot 182, 23 acres. Witnesses Joseph Harper and Joseph Harper
Jr. Recorded July 29, 1797. Pages 57-59.
Peter Burt Jr. of Middleburgh and Joachim Staats of the town of Schoharie,
Schoharie County, NY, on March 5, 1798, purchased from Joseph Harper
and Catharine his wife of the town of Harpersfield, Delaware County,
NY, land in Harpersfield, according to the original survey, lot 77,
100 acres; lot 78, 100 acres; and lot 79, 100 acres, exclusive of 2
1/2 acres for public roads. Witnesses Aaron Wheeler and Mathew Bellamy.
Recorded March 24, 1798. Pages 78-79.
James Hill, town of Montgomery, Ulster County, NY, on May 9, 1793,
purchased from John Brown, town of Harpersfield, Otsego County, NY,
land in Harpersfield, lot 187, 102 acres. Witnesses Robert Allen and
Joseph Harper. Recorded October 24, 1799. Pages 130-131.
Elisha Whitehead, William Minturn and Robert H Bowne, merchants of
New York City, on May 26, 1802, purchased from Asa Emmons and Eunice
his wife of Kortright, Delaware County land in Harpersfield, part of
lot 159, starting at the corner of Daniel Prentice's land, the same
land conveyed to Asa Emmons by Joseph Harper ans Susannah his wife,
one acre and 29 rods. Witnesses Salmon Emmons and Barney Weagor. Recorded
August 24, 1802. Pages 283-285.
Deed Book B Delaware County
John Brown of Harpersfield, Otsego County, NY, gentleman, on July 14,
1793, purchased from William Harper, John Harper, Joseph Harper, and
Alexander Harper, Esquires, and Mary More and Miriam McFarland of the
town of Harpersfield, Otsego County, NY, land in the town of Harpersfield,
lot 6, 125 acres. Witnesses Roswell Hotchkiss, James Montgomery, and
John Moore. Recorded June 4, 1805. Pages 166-167.
Samuel Knapp, town of Harpersfield, Otsego County, NY, farmer, on June
18, 1792, purchased from John Brown, town of Harpersfield, Otsego County,
NY, yeoman, land in the town of Harpersfield, lot 52, 100 acres exclusive
of 2 1/2 acres for public roads. Witnesses Joseph Harper and Eden Hamilton.
Recorded January 21, 1806. Pages 205-206.
Daniel Clark of Ulster County, NY, Cordwindor, on February 12, 1788,
purchased from John Harper of the town of Harpersfield, Montgomery
County, NY, Esquire, parts of lots 51 and 52, 641 acres. The land was
conveyed to John Harper by Thomas Tillotson and Gulian Verplank. Witnesses
Joseph Harper and Timothy Dotey. Recorded June 28, 1808. Pages 465-466.
