The Ancestors of Asenath Warren

Tracing the history of the Warren family was challenging yet interesting.  The initial information from Leigh Zahler goes back to Pomeroy Warren and his father Daniel Warren, who moved to Wyoming county, New York, early in the 1800s, from the Town of Gorham in Ontario County, New York.  The hard part was conncenting to our Warren ancestors in Massachusetts.  Information on our early Warren ancestors was found on chart of The Warrens Family of Williamsburg, Massachusetts.

The Family of William Warren and Dorothea

Our immigrant ancestor, William Warren was born in England and came to America with his wife Dorothea and their family²⁸¹.  They sailed from Exmouth, England on June 15, 1715, in the ship Expectation, Capt. Andrew Newton commanding²⁸¹.  William initially settled in Boston, Massachusetts, but bought lands in the frontier town of Leicester, Massachusetts, in 1727 and apparently moved there soon after²⁸¹.  He is shown as a tax payer in Leicester between 1727 and 1742.  William Warren died in Leicester early in 1746²⁸¹.

The known child of William and Dorothea is:

The Family of William Warren, Jr. and Susannah Mather

William Warren, Jr., son of William and Dorothea, was born in England in about 1705 and came to America with his parents²⁸¹.  On June 26, 1727, William married Susannah Mather in Roxbury, Massachusetts²⁸¹.  Susannah was born on February 3, 1700²⁸², the daughter of Jeremiah Mather and Hannah Riggs²⁸¹.  Soon after their marriage, William and Susannah joined his parents in Leicester, Massachusetts²⁸¹.  Then, in 1743, William moved to Hatfield, Massachusetts, where he was the first pioneer to settle in the western part of Hatfield which lay across the Horse Mountains²⁸¹.  The land, which he purchased from the Indians for a few muskets, was granted in the third division of the town.  In 1771, this area of Hatfield was set off as the new town of Williamsburg.  William died there March 12, 1768²⁸¹, and Susannah died on March 17, 1789²⁸¹.

The children of William and Susannah are:

The Family of Thomas Warren and Lydia Northway

Thomas Warren was born in Leicester, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1736²⁸¹, and moved with his family to Hatfield.  On May 16, 1765 he married Lydia Northaway, the daughter of John Northaway and Susannah Woodford, at Farmington, Connecticut.  Thomas and Lydia settled in the section of Hatfield which became the Town of Williamsburg.  Thomas is mentioned several times in the town records as a Town officer.  In 1771 was chosen as a Town Constable, in 1772 as Town Warden, in 1774 as Town Deer Reeve (essentially a Game Warden) and in 1775 as a Town Surveyor²⁸⁴.

Thomas and Lydia are key characters in connecting the Warren family of Williamsburg to our Warren family in New York.  The story begins with the Phelps and Gorham Puchase of 1788, by which Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham purchased a large section of land in central New York, which was claimed by Massachusetts.  The Purchase, stretching from Lake Seneca to the Genesee River, was divided into lots to be sold to new settlers.

Thomas Warren was one of the potential new settlers, who probably accompanyed General Israel Chapin to the newly established Town of Canandaigua.  Not surprisingly, Thomas Warren appears in the 1790 U.S Census of Ontario County²⁸⁵.  The Census entry consists of two males, age 16 and older; Thomas being the head of the family.  The second male is most likely Daniel Warren, Thomas' son.  Coinsidentally, Thomas Warren also appears in the 1790 U.S. Census of Williamsburg, Massachusetts²⁸⁶.  This entry was likely entered by Thomas' wife and gives a more complete picture of their family.  In addition to two males over 16, the entry gives one male under 16, and four females.

Thomas Warren is last noted in Williamsburg Town Records in 1791²⁸⁴.  In both May and December of that year the valuation of Thomas Warren's farm is recorded by the Town Assessor's record²⁸⁷.  Thomas is not listed in 1792, but Daniel Warren now appears in the Assessor's record in 1892 through 1894²⁸⁷.  This suggests that Thomas Warren died in early 1792.  Lydia Warren survived for several more years and moved with her son, Daniel, to Ontario County, New York.  The Index to the Hopewell Pioneer Cemetery lists Lydia Warren among those buried there²⁸⁸.

The know and likely children of Thomas and Lydia are:

The Family of Daniel Warren and Rhoda Pomeroy

Marriage Record of Daniel Warren and Rhoda Pomeroy
South Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
May 2, 1793

Deed of Sale by Daniel Warren

Daniel Warren was born at Hatfield about 1768²⁹³.  On May 2, 1793, he married Rhoda Pomeroy from neighboring Hadley, Massachusetts²⁹².  Rhoda was the daughter of Ebenezer Pomeroy and Mindwell Lyman (Note the misspelling of the Warren name in the above image).  Shortly after his marriage, Daniel continued the pioneering efforts of his father and moved to Ontario county, New York.  In September of 1894, Daniel, along with his brother John, purchased 273 acres of land in what became the Town of Gorhan, Ontario County, New York²⁹⁰.  Then, in November of that year, Daniel sold the family farm in Williamsburg²⁸⁹.  As seen in deed of sale, his wife, Rhoda also signed the deed and his mother, Lydia, witnessed her signature.  There inclusion in the deed confirms that Daniel was the son of Thomas Warren.

Deed of Sale to Daniel Warren

Daniel and Rhoda lived in Gorham (later renamed Hopewell) for about seven, during which time Daniel purchased his brother's share in their joint property²⁹⁰.  In April of 1911, Daniel and Rhoda sold their land in Gorham for $2,400²⁹⁰, a very substantial sum.  They then moved with their family to Sheldon, Wyoming County, New York, where Daniel purchased a 167 farm in November 1911, for $700.  Unfortunately, Daniel died in 1812 at the age of 44, before he could develope the farm.  Uncle Leigh recalls his grandmother telling of her grandfather, Pomeroy Warren, and his brother standing over their father's grave and swearing off liquor²⁰.  Daniel Warren apparently died from too much drink.

In 1820, Rhoda Warren was living in Town of Sheldon with one son, persumably Pomeroy, and one daughter²⁹⁶.  In later years, she lived with Pomeroy on his farm in the Town of Bennington^275,297.  Rhoda lived to the age of 80, and died June 8, 1846²⁹³.  She is buried in the Persons Pioneer Cemetery along with her husband.

The known children of Daniel and Rhoda are:

The Family of Pomeroy Warren and Harriet Buell

Pomeroy Warren was born on January 12, 1796²⁷⁰, at Gorham, New York and moved with family to Wyoming County in Western New York.  At the age of 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, only serving for 32 days in September and October²⁹⁸.  His service may have been shortened by the death of his father.  In later years, he applyed for a pension for his service in the Army.  However, it was denied because of it was necessary to serve for 60 days to obtain a pension.

Deed of Sale to Pomeroy Warren

At this point, Pomeroy, at the age of 18, approached the Holland Land Company seeking to aquire land²⁹⁹.  Prior to 1800, the Holland Land Company had purchased most of the land west of the Genesee River comprising most of Western New York.  The Company then arranged the sale of plots to new settlers.  Typically, plots were sold for $3 per acre, with 10% down and 8% interest on the balance²⁹⁹.  Daniel, as a new settler, would have to clear the land and prepare the ground for planting crops and provided pasture.  It took Pomeroy 20 years before he paid off his debt and on February 4, 1834, he recieved a deed os sale for his intial purchase of 76 acres²⁹¹.

Pomeroy's plot was located in the south-central area of the Town of Bennington, near its border with the Town of Sheldon.  Over the next six years Pomeroy purchased eight addition plots of land adjacent to the original farm²⁹¹.  It is tempting to speculate that this success was due in part to the money from sale of the Gorham farm.  However, this remains unansweresd.

Warren Century Farm

About 1824, Pomeroy married Harriet Buell.  Harriet was born on July 29, 1801, the daughter of Abel Buell and Wealthy Bailey²⁷⁰.  Initially, the family lived in Bennington on the farm they were building.  However, By 1850, Pomeroy and Rhoda were living in Attica, New York, with their growing family²⁷⁷.  Their real estate was valued at $15,000²⁷⁷, and the 1860 U.S. Census referred to Pomeroy as a Gentleman, indicating their success.  Shortly before 1860, Pomeroy placed his son-in-law, Williams Perry in charge of operating the Warren farm.  Williams likely operated the farm until the death of Pomeroy Warren.

After Pomeroy's death, the farm was deeded to his son, Lyman Pomeroy.  The farm then passed to Lyman's daughter, Harriet, and her husband Burton D. French, and finally the farm passed to Harriet's daughter, Dorothy French, and her husband, Henry Manley.  In 1947, the Warren-French-Manley Farm was designated as a New York Century Farm.  The farm had been owned and operated by a member of the Warren family for over 100 years.

Pomeroy Warren died January 25, 1882²⁷⁰, and was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Attica, N.Y.  His wife, Harriet died December 30, 1886²⁷⁰, of paralysis and was buried next to her husband.

The children of Pomeroy and Harriet are:

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