Searching for the children of Adam Clark and Olive Burdick of Westerlo, NY

I am a descendant of Adam Clark, MD 1791-1860 and his wife Harriet Watson. It took me a number of years to confirm that his father was Rhode Island born Rev Adam Clark Sr 1764-1837, a Baptist minister, who relocated to Albany County, NY.  A post identifying Adam’s gravestone in the Tan Hollow Cemetery in Westerlo, NY along with that of his wife Olive, naming her as Burdick, was a bonus. Both the Clark(e) and Burdick families were part of a tight-knit community of Seventh Day Baptists primarily living in Hopkinton and Westerly, Rhode Island. I have yet to confirm Olive’s parents, their marriage date + place, and their offspring.

 

As I went back to view early census records I could see that various children were in the Adam Clark household in Coeymans and later Westerlo, though some of the ages were confusing and contradictory. Since both Adam and Olive died before 1840, there are no names in the census records.

Through links on Findagrave (thanks to all the contributors !!) I discovered two of Adam Sr’s daughters, Dorcas and Marinda, both of whom married ministers and had obituaries that mentioned their father. Yeah !!  Dorcas,1799-1863, wife of Deacon Charles Lapaugh,  remained in Westerlo.  Marinda, 1807-1872, wife of Rev Nelson Ferguson, moved around NY state ending up in Monroe County about 200+ miles from Westerlo. Their brother Adam, 1791-1860, moved around a bit also and and died in Westchester County. 

Now, if I could just find the rest of the assumed siblings.

 

The Coles buried at Tan Hollow Cemetery, Westerlo, NY

Simeon Cole had been a neighbor of one of my ancestors and I noticed that he and other family members were buried in this small cemetery in Albany County as were my Adam Clark and his wife Olive Burdick.

The Coles listed were:

Eddy S, age 68, died 1885 [1817]

Edwin, age 57, died 1870 [1813]

Elizabeth Slade, wife of Simeon, age 86, died 1873 [1786]

George, age 22, died 1867 [1845]

Mercy, age 75, died 1889 [1814]

Simeon, age 74, died 1863 [1788]

How were they related?

Simeon married Elizabeth Slead, daughter of John, in 1812. In researching the others buried with them, I could verify that Eddy, Edwin and Mercy were their offspring. George was their grandson, son of Edwin.

Simeon and Elizabeth had 6 children, the others were: Hannah 1819 (married Zina Babcock),  Leonard 1821 (married Margaret Lockwood), Angeline 1825 (married Wm H Haswell). In 1840 Edwin married Harriet Lockwood (sister of Margaret who married his brother Leonard); Mercy  and Eddy were unmarried.

Luckily the Cole family bible was transcribed by Greene County genealogists and posted on Rootsweb. It gives specific dates and relationships and confirms the information I found elsewhere. 

Wish I could find bible records for all the family groups I investigate.

Rev Adam Clark and Olive Burdick of Westerlo, NY

Adam and Olive are buried in the Tan Hollow Road Cemetery in Westerlo where she is listed as his wife. Adam died in April 1837 and Olive in Jan 1838. This listing came to my attention while seeking to identify the parents of my ancestor Dr Adam Clark (1791-1860) who married Harriet Watson, daughter of Wheeler, about 1820 in Albany County. A manuscript held at the NY State Library regarding Adam Senior’s farm in Westerlo identifies him as the father of Adam Clark and confirms the land deed records of Adam and Harriet found on the American Ancestors database of NEHGS.

Census records show Adam Senior in Coeymans in 1800 and 1810 with an assumed wife and 5 children, then in Westerlo in 1820 and 1830 with a less clear mix of adults and children. The ages for the oldest child match up with Adam Junior though the other children have not yet been identified. There is some confusion over the reported age of the female in the household making me wonder if Olive was the mother of the children.

Based on her burial record, Olive was born in 1770.

         Census year                  Reported Age             Olive’s Age

           1800                                 over 45                      30

            1810                                 26 – 44                      40

            1820                                 over 45                      50

            1830                                  60 – 69                     60

Understanding that ages are not always correctly reported, this makes me strongly suspect that the female in 1800 is a different person than the one reported in 1810.

I have been unable to find a marriage record or any record of the other Clark offspring. If you might happen to know, I’d love to hear from you.