An ongoing correspondence 8 ...

I have been reading the wills with a fine tooth comb, as I only did a cursory read the first time, so excited was I to actually have them in my hands. And a few things seemed important to my story of the Grooms and here are some of them.

October of 1812, almost immediately only a few months after the death of William, Joseph Groom sold lot 70, a portion of lot 71, and lot 27 to Benjamin Haxton (from New York City). The total sale of land was 210 &1/16 of an acre for which Mr Haxton paid $8000. The deed stipulates that 1/8th of an acre be held out of the sale as it is the burial ground of the Groom family (William and Sarah and Rachael were buried there at that time) .

The deed also exempts 1& 1/6th of an acre for the Van Hoesen family plot. Casper Van Hoesen was the son-in-law of Joseph Groom. William Brandow, the husband of Joseph’s sister, Catherine.

I know from other sources that Joseph moved into the Village of Athens and it seemed he became active in local town politics. It is hard to know whether Joseph sold the farm within months after his father’s death because he was ready for life in the Village, (there is not mention in William’s will about the property in the Village) or if the share and share mandate in William’s codicil made it necessary to sell and split the profits with Edwards, but sell he did, to a Benjamin Haxton of New York City. He remained quite active in local civic life. In 1814, his name appeared in an advertisement in the Catskill Recorder as President of the Trustees of the Village of Athens. The advertisement was to petition the New York State Legislature to allow for the Town of Athens to be created out of parts of Coxsackie and Catskill, In 1815, the Town of Athens was make an entity, and would include the Groom farm, now our house, within the boundaries.

Joseph’s name also appears in a later paragraph in the History of Greene County as blocking the approval of the purchase of a bell for the new Trinity Episcopal Church, to be paid for by the town. The bell would have served the town function of calling people to religious services, town events or fire. In 1814, the Trustees had voted to appropriate money, but Joseph refused to put the motion and “took his Hatt and left the Board without adjournment.” It was left to the church to purchase the bell themselves; perhaps Joseph was either a believer in the separation of church and state or just ornery.

He remained an active citizen, being one of the founders of the Dutch Reformed Church of Athens in 1826 which remained in existence until 1886.

Joseph’s will was made in 1828, 5 years before he dies. The first order is for the family burying ground to be entrusted to the care of the Dutch Reformed Church of Athens. He mentions the plot to be on the “farm now occupied by the Reverend Joseph Prentiss in the town ot Athens”.

He leaves the house he lives in the Village of Athens (mentions who he purchased from) to his Daughter Mary, along with all his household furnishings and miscellaneous items. To his daughter Magdeline, he gives land (32 acres) purchased from a John Armstrong in Coxsackie. The rest of the estate to be divided to “all my children” namely: Magdeline, Eytie, Mary, Rebecca and Hannah and the children of Catherine now deceased.

In 1831, Joseph adds a codicil dividing the property appropriately after the death of Hannah.

I think all this adds a lot to the picture, but still so many questions. I guess that’s the nature of the beast; research, research , research!