Archive:TAG Volume 68

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Devine, Donn, "John A.⁵ Freer of Cortland County, New York," TAG, vol. 68 (1993), pp. 150-158.

[p. 155]

"2 viii JOHN JAMES [FREER, son of John A.⁵ and Rachel (DePUY) FREER] b 11 Nov. 1809; m. (1) ALICE M. WHITNEY, (2) SARAH (METZGER) TARBELL. ..."

"2 JOHN JAMES⁶ FREER (John A.⁵, Anthony⁴, Solomon³, Abraham², Hugo¹) was born in New York state on 11 November 1809 (Heidgerd; age 41 in 1850 Census, Cortland Co. p. 371). His death on 30 October 1884, as listed by both Cutter and Heidgerd, is supported by contemporary records: He was alive in February 1882, when he joined in the deed to his brother Stephen D. (above), and died before September 1885, when his sister Catharine described him as deceased in her will. He married first ALICE M. WHITNEY, who was born in New York on 3 September 1820, daughter of James Whitney, and died on 24 July 1851 (Cutter). In 1850 (Census, Cortland Co. p. 371), he was listed as a farmer in Cortlandville, with real estate valued at [p.156] $3,000. He married secondly SARAH (METZGER) TARBELL, of Freetown, New York, born 1816, died 1903, daughter of Jonas Metzger and widow of Simon Tarbell (Cutter, 247). In the 1860 census (Cortland Co., p. 317), he is listed as James J., farmer; his second wife Sarah is listed as forty-three, born in Pennsylvania, so about 1817; by then he owned real estate valued at $13,300, with a personal estate of $500. Mary A. Tarbell, eighteen, domestic, listed with them ahead of the Freer children in the family, was probably Sarah's daughter by her earlier marrige. Heidgerd names the second wife as 'Mrs. Turble,' and credits them with nine unnamed children, probably the total number from both marriages. While Heidgerd shows their residence as Rochester [county not specified], Cutter lists John J. Freer living successively at Solon, Cortlandville and Harford, all in Cortland County. Cutter lists a tenth child, DeWitt J. Freer, born in 1877 of the second marriage, and died 1879 (Cutter, 247), but this is improbable, since his mother would have been seventy, if his birth year and her age as reported in the 1860 census (above) are both correct. If both Sarah's and DeWitt's birth dates are correct, he may have been a grandchild, perhaps being reared by his grandparents.

"Children (FREER) of John James⁶ and Alice M. (Whitney) (Cutter, 246; those also listed in the 1850, 1860 or 1880 census or in the will of their father's sister Catharine [above] are noted):

JOHN A.⁷ b. Solon, N.Y., 27 Dec. 1840, d. 8 Nov. 1928 (Wills Index, above). After Civil War service in Co. M, 10th N.Y. Cavalry, he m. June 1867 MARY E. (WARREN) HYDE, b. Schenectady, N.Y., Nov. 1836, dau. of Rev. Ira D. and Eliza (Caldwell) Warren and widow of Adam Hyde, by whom she had four children. Children (FREER): 1. Burr[ell] B. (will of Catherine Freer), b. 20 March 1871, Cortland, N.Y.; m. Della Smith; dau. Kathryn living 1912. 2. James Sturtevant (will) b. Chanute, Kans., 17 March 1877; m. Borgia Wang of Chicago; dau. Eleanor living 1912.

WATTS S. b. 31 Oct. 1843 (Watson S., 1880 Census, Cortland Co., ED 120, p. 8, where his wife and family are enumerated with his father's), d. 1905; m. his stepsister MARY A. TARBELL, dau. of Simon and Mary (Metzger) Tarbell, b. ca. 1842 (1880 Census). Child (FREER): 1. Charles b. ca. 1871 (1880 Census)), mentioned in 1885 will.

FRANCIS D. (1850 Census) b ca. 1846.

HENRY D. (1850 Census) b. ca. April 1850.

child d. infancy.

"Children (FREER) of John James and Sarah (Metzger)(Tarbell):

ALICE J. b. ca. 1852 (1860 Census), m. HENRY HALL of Virgil, N.Y.

CHARLES D. b. 1855, d. 1857.

JOSEPH D. (1860 Census; called Joseph W. in Catharine Freer's will) b. 8 Jan 1857, d. 13 April 1940 (Cortlandville, N.Y., Death Cert. #1151).

ELLA M. (Catherine Freer's will; Ella N. in Cutter) b. ca. 1861 (1880 Census), m. after 1880, FRANK BURT of Blodgett's Mills, Cortland Co., N.Y."

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