CAPTAIN JOHN SHETHAR (1752-1835), Revolutionary Officer
John Shethar was born on December 14, 1752, in Killingsworth, Middlesex County, Connecticut. John was part of the fifth generation of Shethars to have lived in Connecticut; his Puritan progenitors arrived in Guilford, Connecticut from England in 1639. He was the second of nine children born to Samuel Shethar and Sarah Jones Shethar, although at the time of his birth, his older brother had already died five months earlier. Nothing has been recorded of his childhood. But later on, due to his participation in the Revolutionary War, more information and anecdotes were gathered about him. He was married twice, first to Sarah Smith, in 1773, probably in Connecticut. She was the daughter of Joshua Smith and Mary Stoddard Smith, and she was three years older than her husband. They had four children; the first two, Sarah and James, born about 14 months apart in 1774 and 1775, both died before they were 2 years old, within six months of each other in 1776. They had two other children, also named James and Sarah, the first born in 1777 in Litchfield, Connecticut, and the only one to reach adulthood (and my 4th-great-grandfather), and the latter born in 1781, who died right before her 10th birthday. Her mother, Sarah Smith Shethar, died five years later, on February 17, 1796 at the age of only 46.
By the time John married his second wife, Joan Nelson, he had already moved to upstate New York. Joan Nelson, who was called Nancy, was born April 23, 1766 (and was therefore 13 years younger than John) in Phillipstown, Dutchess County, New York. She was the widow of Major Joshua Drake; they had had one child, a girl named Sally Ann, who was born in early 1790; hence, she was more than a decade younger than her step-brother, and a decade older than her half-sisters, but she is mentioned in later family reminiscences written by her nieces. When she grew up, she married William Faulkner (1785-1838), and they had three children, and stayed in the upstate New York area. Like her stepfather, her father and father-in-law were Revolutionary War veterans. Nancy and John were married on March 6, 1800, in Highland, Ulster County, New York. She and John had three daughters; the first did not live for even one day, but the other two lived into their 70s. Nancy Nelson Drake Shethar, despite being more than a decade younger than her husband, died long before him, on June 12, 1815, in Troy, New York, at the age of only 49. Nancy and John's second daughter was named Elizabeth, but called Betsey, and she was born August 3, 1803, probably in Hammondsport, Steuben County, New York. She never married, and she kept house for her father for the two decades he was a widower after her mother died; Betsey died at age 70, in 1873, in Sheffield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The third daughter, Mary Jane, was born September 3, 1805 in Hammondsport, and when she grew up, she married Robert Scott Hogarth and had seven children. Two of those children, Elizabeth and Mary, wrote reminiscences of their grandfather in 1904 (see below).
Captain John Shethar died June 19, 1835, at the age of 82, in Geneva, Ontario County, New York. He was buried in the Pulteney Street Cemetery in Geneva, but in 1920 this cemetery was taken over by the school district of the City of Geneva to build a new high school on the property. The burials were then removed and taken to a location in Glenwood Cemetery that is known as "Pulteney-in-Glenwood".
Following is more information on John Shethar's Revolutionary War service, and on his life after the war.
By the time John married his second wife, Joan Nelson, he had already moved to upstate New York. Joan Nelson, who was called Nancy, was born April 23, 1766 (and was therefore 13 years younger than John) in Phillipstown, Dutchess County, New York. She was the widow of Major Joshua Drake; they had had one child, a girl named Sally Ann, who was born in early 1790; hence, she was more than a decade younger than her step-brother, and a decade older than her half-sisters, but she is mentioned in later family reminiscences written by her nieces. When she grew up, she married William Faulkner (1785-1838), and they had three children, and stayed in the upstate New York area. Like her stepfather, her father and father-in-law were Revolutionary War veterans. Nancy and John were married on March 6, 1800, in Highland, Ulster County, New York. She and John had three daughters; the first did not live for even one day, but the other two lived into their 70s. Nancy Nelson Drake Shethar, despite being more than a decade younger than her husband, died long before him, on June 12, 1815, in Troy, New York, at the age of only 49. Nancy and John's second daughter was named Elizabeth, but called Betsey, and she was born August 3, 1803, probably in Hammondsport, Steuben County, New York. She never married, and she kept house for her father for the two decades he was a widower after her mother died; Betsey died at age 70, in 1873, in Sheffield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The third daughter, Mary Jane, was born September 3, 1805 in Hammondsport, and when she grew up, she married Robert Scott Hogarth and had seven children. Two of those children, Elizabeth and Mary, wrote reminiscences of their grandfather in 1904 (see below).
Captain John Shethar died June 19, 1835, at the age of 82, in Geneva, Ontario County, New York. He was buried in the Pulteney Street Cemetery in Geneva, but in 1920 this cemetery was taken over by the school district of the City of Geneva to build a new high school on the property. The burials were then removed and taken to a location in Glenwood Cemetery that is known as "Pulteney-in-Glenwood".
Following is more information on John Shethar's Revolutionary War service, and on his life after the war.
Revolutionary War Service - 2nd Continental Dragoons, Hero at Brandywine
John Shethar was 23 years old and living in Litchfield, Connecticut, when he enlisted in the Army in 1776; in November of that year, he was made a Sergeant in Captain Seymour's Company, part of a regiment of Connecticut Light Horse Cavalry. That winter, he and his regiment were with General Washington in the march through New Jersey. On New Year's Eve 1776, John was made Lieutenant of the 2nd Continental Dragoons. This regiment was commissioned by the Continental Congress in December 1776 and consisted of four troops from Connecticut one troop each from Massachusetts and New Jersey, and two companies of light infantry; it was also known as "Sheldon's Horse", as Colonel Elisha Sheldon was the leader. The unit was involved in a number of battles, but almost never served as a whole. Individual troops were assigned as necessary, and also performed various raids. In addition, parts of the unit acted as General Washington's personal bodyguard; this role was particularly important in 1778 when Loyalist agents and a British commando team were trying to kidnap the general. The Dragoons were also involved in spying, and in guarding prisoners, such as John Andre, the British officer spy involved with Benedict Arnold. The regiment's main patrol areas during the Revolutionary War were southern Connecticut and New York, where they intercepted British supplies and fought with Loyalist troops. The Dragoons were thus called "Watchdogs of the Highlands"; their spying activities earned them the nickname, "Washington's Eyes".
Because the regiment was frequently divided up among several areas, we do not know about all the battles and actions which John Shethar was involved in, but we do know that he fought in the Battle of Brandywine, and participated in various patrols and actions in New York, and in spying and guarding prisoners. His conduct was noteworthy in the Battle of Brandywine, which took place on September 11, 1777, near Chadd's Ford, Pennsylvania. John "greatly distinguished himself" -- this is from a Genealogy of the Shethar Family, published in 1904 -- and since this bravery came under the personal observation of George Washington, the General presented John immediately after the battle with a sword and highly commended him for his judicious acts. This sword was understandably treasured by the family and remained in its possession for a number of generations. John Shethar was named Captain shortly after the battle, on October 11, 1777.
The Battle of Brandywine was a defeat for the patriots, however, and Captain Shethar was with the Continental Army during its dark days at Valley Forge in the winter of 177-1778. When I visited Valley Forge in June 2013, I found his name in the database. He remained with the Army through 1780, and according to family reminiscences, he was also a spy. The following story was collected for the book, The Genealogy of the Shethar Family, in 1904 from Elizabeth Hogarth, daughter of Mary Jane Shethar Hogarth, who in 1904 was 78 years old and living in Brooklyn (she never married). She had the following facts "direct from Captain Shethar, her grandfather" (she was 9 years old when he died):
During the Revolutionary War, Captain John Shethar was arrested as a spy, taken to New York at a time when the English held only New York. He was examined before Admiral Digby who a short time previous had arrived with Prince William, Duke of Clarence, then 17 years of age, who was afterwards William IV*, the King, who preceded Queen Victoria. Prince William was present at the examination before Admiral Digby. Captain Shethar when committed for trial said, "As a soldier I have no favors to ask, but as a gentleman, Sir, I have one!’ Well, what is it? ‘That my guardsmen be British officers, Sir, not American refugees who have fled from their country's altar." Then the young Prince said, "Well, young man, when this disgraceful affair is settled, I intend to make a tour of this continent and would like to have you for a traveling companion," to which Captain Shethar replied, "Well, Sir, if our circumference was no larger than yours, (referring to occupation of New York), we could soon make a tour of it." Then Admiral Digby said, "I guess your Highness has got it now," to which Captain Shethar replied, "We do not now in our country pay that deference to royalty that you do in yours."
Captain Shethar once had for a prisoner a Captain Williamson, of the British Army, who after he was released, returned to New York and told his wife of the good treatment he had received at the hands of Captain Shethar. So pleased was she, that while Captain Shethar was a prisoner, she arranged matters and gave him a grand dinner, and ever afterwards, he was, through this influence, treated well. He was visited every day by the young Prince William who admired his sturdy manhood. When released Captain Shethar called on the Prince.
Note: Prince William _______________
Among other adventures during the war, he came near to being captured by the Mohawk Chief, Captain Joseph Brandt, who fought on the side of British in the Mohawk Valley of upstate New York. Captain Shethar resigned his commission towards the end of the war, on March 6, 1780, because he had been wounded badly enough to preclude further active service for a long time.
Because the regiment was frequently divided up among several areas, we do not know about all the battles and actions which John Shethar was involved in, but we do know that he fought in the Battle of Brandywine, and participated in various patrols and actions in New York, and in spying and guarding prisoners. His conduct was noteworthy in the Battle of Brandywine, which took place on September 11, 1777, near Chadd's Ford, Pennsylvania. John "greatly distinguished himself" -- this is from a Genealogy of the Shethar Family, published in 1904 -- and since this bravery came under the personal observation of George Washington, the General presented John immediately after the battle with a sword and highly commended him for his judicious acts. This sword was understandably treasured by the family and remained in its possession for a number of generations. John Shethar was named Captain shortly after the battle, on October 11, 1777.
The Battle of Brandywine was a defeat for the patriots, however, and Captain Shethar was with the Continental Army during its dark days at Valley Forge in the winter of 177-1778. When I visited Valley Forge in June 2013, I found his name in the database. He remained with the Army through 1780, and according to family reminiscences, he was also a spy. The following story was collected for the book, The Genealogy of the Shethar Family, in 1904 from Elizabeth Hogarth, daughter of Mary Jane Shethar Hogarth, who in 1904 was 78 years old and living in Brooklyn (she never married). She had the following facts "direct from Captain Shethar, her grandfather" (she was 9 years old when he died):
During the Revolutionary War, Captain John Shethar was arrested as a spy, taken to New York at a time when the English held only New York. He was examined before Admiral Digby who a short time previous had arrived with Prince William, Duke of Clarence, then 17 years of age, who was afterwards William IV*, the King, who preceded Queen Victoria. Prince William was present at the examination before Admiral Digby. Captain Shethar when committed for trial said, "As a soldier I have no favors to ask, but as a gentleman, Sir, I have one!’ Well, what is it? ‘That my guardsmen be British officers, Sir, not American refugees who have fled from their country's altar." Then the young Prince said, "Well, young man, when this disgraceful affair is settled, I intend to make a tour of this continent and would like to have you for a traveling companion," to which Captain Shethar replied, "Well, Sir, if our circumference was no larger than yours, (referring to occupation of New York), we could soon make a tour of it." Then Admiral Digby said, "I guess your Highness has got it now," to which Captain Shethar replied, "We do not now in our country pay that deference to royalty that you do in yours."
Captain Shethar once had for a prisoner a Captain Williamson, of the British Army, who after he was released, returned to New York and told his wife of the good treatment he had received at the hands of Captain Shethar. So pleased was she, that while Captain Shethar was a prisoner, she arranged matters and gave him a grand dinner, and ever afterwards, he was, through this influence, treated well. He was visited every day by the young Prince William who admired his sturdy manhood. When released Captain Shethar called on the Prince.
Note: Prince William _______________
Among other adventures during the war, he came near to being captured by the Mohawk Chief, Captain Joseph Brandt, who fought on the side of British in the Mohawk Valley of upstate New York. Captain Shethar resigned his commission towards the end of the war, on March 6, 1780, because he had been wounded badly enough to preclude further active service for a long time.
Post-Revolution Life
John was 27 years old when he resigned his commission. When did he and his family move to New York from Connecticut? That is unclear. His fourth child by his first wife, was born soon after his return from the war, but there is no record of where baby Sarah was born. It is possible that the family first moved somewhere in between Connecticut and New York -- their post-war little girl died in 1791, and the wife Sarah died in 1796, and both died and were buried in Berkshire County, in western Massachusetts. Did the family move there after the war? Did the family live there, while John pursued business or work in nearby New York state? The record is silent. Later recollections were written by John's grandchildren, when the family was in New York. At any rate, John married his second wife, Joan/Johanna "Nancy" Nelson Drake on March 6, 1800, in Highland, Ulster County, New York. His one surviving son, James Smith Shethar, from his first marriage was already a young man, age 23. Nancy Nelson was born April 23, 1766 in Phillipstown, Dutchess County, N.Y. Her first husband was Major Joshua Drake, and he died almost a decade before Nancy's marriage to John. She also brought a child to her marriage to John, a daughter Sally Ann, who was born on January 14, 1790, just five months before her father died.
The early part of the nineteenth century found the family living mainly in the Finger Lakes section of New York, but also in other parts of New York and further south. It appears that John Shethar was a prosperous farmer for a time, and then hard financial times befell the family. According to his granddaughter, John lost the bulk of his money by backing "William Root of Albany". There is a reference in a book about the history of Steuben County of New York (History of the Settlement of Steuben County, by Guy H. McMaster, 1853) that implies that William Root was a land speculator. After this disaster, John and his family moved to Albany and Troy, where he ran a boarding house. After his wife, Nancy, died in 1815 in Troy, John and his daughters moved to Alexandria, Virginia for awhile to live with his son, James Smith Shethar. After several years there, they moved back to New York, to Geneva (Ontario County), at the top of the Seneca finger lake. In his later years, John was much afflicted by rheumatism. In 1820, he petitioned for a continuance of his war pension. Here is a description of these years from his granddaughter, Mary Osborn Hogarth (born in 1836 in Geneva, New York), and younger sister of Elizabeth Hogarth, quoted above:
My mother, Mary Jane (Shethar) Hogarth, was born in the village of Hammondsport, Steuben County, New York, September 3, 1805. Her father, Captain John Shethar, died June 19, 1835, aged 84. Her mother Johanna Nelson was born in Phillipstown, Dutchess County, New York, died at Troy, New York, 1815, aged 50. My grandfather Shethar owned a very large and valuable farm in the valley in which Hammondsport is situated. He became security for a Mr. William Root of Albany, and lost all his property. With a wagon load of household goods, fifty dollars in money and two little girls, one of them my Aunt Betsey, then four, and her sister, my mother, two years old*, Grandfather and Grandmother Shethar, started for my grandfather Nelson's in Phillipstown. There Grandfather Shethar was laid up with rheumatism for six months, could walk only with crutches. As soon as he was able he went to Albany, rented a house and took boarders; there my mother's first recollections of herself begin. When she was six years old, Grandfather Shethar moved to Troy, New York. After about four years' residence in that city, her mother died and was buried there, where also her Aunt Martha Haight died in April, and in the September following** Grandfather Shethar moved to Alexandria, Virginia, to reside with his son, my mother's half-brother, James Smith Shethar, who was very much my mother's senior. His son James Shethar (son of James S.) was two years older than my mother and they were always more like brother and sister than cousins. When my grandfather and mother went to Alexandria, Aunt Betsey went to Bath to live with Aunt Faulkner***, the daughter of my grandmother Shethar by a former marriage with Major Joshua Drake. They stayed in Alexandria four years, when my half-uncle left them to reside in Charleston, South Carolina. They came "across the country to Bath, New York, in a one horse wagon." My mother speaks of this as a very interesting journey. She took her first horseback ride, five miles, behind her father. They remained in Bath, New York, six months and then went to Geneva, New York. Mrs. James Shethar after her husband's death**** also moved to Geneva. My mother spent a part of the time with Aunt Faulkner at the hotel and part with Mrs. James Shethar. For a short time before her marriage, she kept house for her father.
* In other words, in 1807.
** September 1816.
*** Aunt Faulkner is Sally Ann Drake, who married William Faulkner, and who was born in 1790.
**** James Smith Shethar died in July 1820.
__________________________
John Shethar died on June 19, 1835, at the age of 82, in Geneva, New York. Both his wives and five of his seven children died before him, but eight grandchildren lived to adulthood and produced descendants. Captain John Shethar was buried in one of the earliest cemeteries in Geneva, the Pulteney Street Cemetery, probably laid out about 1797. In 1920, this cemetery was taken over by the Geneva city school district to build a new high school, so the burials were removed and taken to a location in Glenwood Cemetery and is known as "Pulteney-in-Glenwood". John's daughter-in-law, Mary Collins Shethar (widow of James Smith Shethar), and his daughter, Elizabeth "Betsey" Shethar (1803-1873), are also buried there, as are some of his Hogarth descendants: his son-in-law, John Scott Hogarth (1793-1861); his infant grandson, James Hogarth (born and died in 1824); and his grandson, John Shethar Hogarth (1831-1852), who died at only 20 years old.
The early part of the nineteenth century found the family living mainly in the Finger Lakes section of New York, but also in other parts of New York and further south. It appears that John Shethar was a prosperous farmer for a time, and then hard financial times befell the family. According to his granddaughter, John lost the bulk of his money by backing "William Root of Albany". There is a reference in a book about the history of Steuben County of New York (History of the Settlement of Steuben County, by Guy H. McMaster, 1853) that implies that William Root was a land speculator. After this disaster, John and his family moved to Albany and Troy, where he ran a boarding house. After his wife, Nancy, died in 1815 in Troy, John and his daughters moved to Alexandria, Virginia for awhile to live with his son, James Smith Shethar. After several years there, they moved back to New York, to Geneva (Ontario County), at the top of the Seneca finger lake. In his later years, John was much afflicted by rheumatism. In 1820, he petitioned for a continuance of his war pension. Here is a description of these years from his granddaughter, Mary Osborn Hogarth (born in 1836 in Geneva, New York), and younger sister of Elizabeth Hogarth, quoted above:
My mother, Mary Jane (Shethar) Hogarth, was born in the village of Hammondsport, Steuben County, New York, September 3, 1805. Her father, Captain John Shethar, died June 19, 1835, aged 84. Her mother Johanna Nelson was born in Phillipstown, Dutchess County, New York, died at Troy, New York, 1815, aged 50. My grandfather Shethar owned a very large and valuable farm in the valley in which Hammondsport is situated. He became security for a Mr. William Root of Albany, and lost all his property. With a wagon load of household goods, fifty dollars in money and two little girls, one of them my Aunt Betsey, then four, and her sister, my mother, two years old*, Grandfather and Grandmother Shethar, started for my grandfather Nelson's in Phillipstown. There Grandfather Shethar was laid up with rheumatism for six months, could walk only with crutches. As soon as he was able he went to Albany, rented a house and took boarders; there my mother's first recollections of herself begin. When she was six years old, Grandfather Shethar moved to Troy, New York. After about four years' residence in that city, her mother died and was buried there, where also her Aunt Martha Haight died in April, and in the September following** Grandfather Shethar moved to Alexandria, Virginia, to reside with his son, my mother's half-brother, James Smith Shethar, who was very much my mother's senior. His son James Shethar (son of James S.) was two years older than my mother and they were always more like brother and sister than cousins. When my grandfather and mother went to Alexandria, Aunt Betsey went to Bath to live with Aunt Faulkner***, the daughter of my grandmother Shethar by a former marriage with Major Joshua Drake. They stayed in Alexandria four years, when my half-uncle left them to reside in Charleston, South Carolina. They came "across the country to Bath, New York, in a one horse wagon." My mother speaks of this as a very interesting journey. She took her first horseback ride, five miles, behind her father. They remained in Bath, New York, six months and then went to Geneva, New York. Mrs. James Shethar after her husband's death**** also moved to Geneva. My mother spent a part of the time with Aunt Faulkner at the hotel and part with Mrs. James Shethar. For a short time before her marriage, she kept house for her father.
* In other words, in 1807.
** September 1816.
*** Aunt Faulkner is Sally Ann Drake, who married William Faulkner, and who was born in 1790.
**** James Smith Shethar died in July 1820.
__________________________
John Shethar died on June 19, 1835, at the age of 82, in Geneva, New York. Both his wives and five of his seven children died before him, but eight grandchildren lived to adulthood and produced descendants. Captain John Shethar was buried in one of the earliest cemeteries in Geneva, the Pulteney Street Cemetery, probably laid out about 1797. In 1920, this cemetery was taken over by the Geneva city school district to build a new high school, so the burials were removed and taken to a location in Glenwood Cemetery and is known as "Pulteney-in-Glenwood". John's daughter-in-law, Mary Collins Shethar (widow of James Smith Shethar), and his daughter, Elizabeth "Betsey" Shethar (1803-1873), are also buried there, as are some of his Hogarth descendants: his son-in-law, John Scott Hogarth (1793-1861); his infant grandson, James Hogarth (born and died in 1824); and his grandson, John Shethar Hogarth (1831-1852), who died at only 20 years old.
John Shethar's children and grandchildren
As noted above, out of John Shethar's four children by his first wife, Sarah Smith Shethar, only one lived to adulthood, James Smith Shethar, my 4th-great-grandfather. He was born March 26, 1777, in Litchfield, Connecticut, a few months after his father left to fight in the Revolutionary War. His two older siblings died before he was born, but he did grow up for awhile with a younger sister, Sarah; she died at age 9 when James was just 13. It is unclear when the family moved to New York, but since his mother and sister died in western Massachusetts, and James married a girl whose family was from the same area of Connecticut, it appears reasonably likely that he grew up in New England; in adulthood, he moved further afield. He married Mary Collins (born on June 5, 1774, probably in Connecticut) on August 3, 1797, when he was only 20 and she was 23. Nine months later, their first child, John Shethar, was born, on May 18, 1798, in Rochester, New York; he is my 3rd-great-grandfather. Their second son, Samuel, was born on May 15, 1800; he died at age 20 and is buried near his grandfather in the Pultenay-in-Glenwood cemetery. So James was already married and had two children when his father married for the second time, to Nancy Drake. A third son, James, was born to the couple on January 11, 1804.
At some point in the early 1800s, James and his family moved to Alexandria, Virginia; perhaps one or both of the younger sons was born there. I have not been able to find out what occupation James was involved in in Alexandria. As noted in the recollections of his half-niece, Mary Hogarth, James's father, stepmother, and half-sisters came to Alexandria to live with him and his family, and stayed for four years. They left to return to New York because James moved from Alexandria to Charleston, South Carolina (why is not known) in 1819 or 1820. However, James died very soon after that, on July 27, 1820, on the way from Coosawhatchie, South Carolina back to Alexandria, at the age of only 44 years old. He died at the Cross Key Tavern in North Carolina, near Danville, Virginia, and was buried at the Wolf Island Primitive Baptist Cemetery in Rockingham County, North Carolina. His wife had a gravestone erected there in his memory, with a lovely inscription: "Mary Shethar, in memory of her husband, James Shethar, who on his way from Coosawhatchie, where he had resided, to the State of N.Y., died in this County, on the 27th day of July, 1820, in the 44th year of his age. He was an enterprising and beneficent man." Then there s a poem, not completely legible, about life being a journey, and the grave a portal to immortality.
James's second son, named Samuel, had very tragically died the year before, at age only 18 years old; in the family Bible is a notation by his grandfather, Captain John, that says about young Samuel, A very promising young man. James's widow, Mary, and their two surviving sons, John and James, moved back to New York, to Geneva, to join the rest of the family. Mary died ten years later, in September 1830, at the age of 56. More about the oldest son John Shethar and his family can be found here, in the section on his son, Samuel Shethar. John also died young, outliving his grandfather by just three years.
James Smith Shethar's youngest son, also named James, was born in January 1804. He stayed in upstate New York in his adulthood and married Ann Gregory, and they had seven children, of whom four lived to adulthood.
Captain John Shethar's other two surviving children, besides James, were two daughters by his second wife, Nancy Drake Shethar. The first, Elizabeth "Betsey" Shethar (1803-1873), lived to age 70 and never married. The second, Mary Jane, was born in 1803 in Hammondsport. On August 21, 1823, when she was 19, she married John Scott Hogarth, whose family is related to the artist, William Hogarth. John S. Hogarth was born in 1793 in Patterson, Passaic Co., New Jersey, When he moved to New York is not known, but he and Mary Jane lived in the Finger Lakes region of New York their whole married lives. They had seven children, four girls and three boys. One of the children, the oldest, died at only 4 months old, and another son, John Shethar Hogarth, died at age 20. Two of the daughters, Elizabeth and Mary Osborne, are the sources of the anecdotes on this page, and never married. Of the remaining three children who lived to adulthood, Alice, born in 1842, lived only until age 39 and never married, and the youngest, Robert, who was born in 1844, died at age 59, and I have no record that he ever married either. The third, Sarah Jane, born June 8, 1828, lived a long life, until age 85, until 1914, and married Harwood A. Dudley, a major in the Union Army during the Civil War. They lived in western New York state, in Warsaw. Wyoming County, where Harwood was editor of the Western New Yorker for 40 years; he and Sarah Jane had seven children, five girls and two boys, of whom three lived to adulthood.
At some point in the early 1800s, James and his family moved to Alexandria, Virginia; perhaps one or both of the younger sons was born there. I have not been able to find out what occupation James was involved in in Alexandria. As noted in the recollections of his half-niece, Mary Hogarth, James's father, stepmother, and half-sisters came to Alexandria to live with him and his family, and stayed for four years. They left to return to New York because James moved from Alexandria to Charleston, South Carolina (why is not known) in 1819 or 1820. However, James died very soon after that, on July 27, 1820, on the way from Coosawhatchie, South Carolina back to Alexandria, at the age of only 44 years old. He died at the Cross Key Tavern in North Carolina, near Danville, Virginia, and was buried at the Wolf Island Primitive Baptist Cemetery in Rockingham County, North Carolina. His wife had a gravestone erected there in his memory, with a lovely inscription: "Mary Shethar, in memory of her husband, James Shethar, who on his way from Coosawhatchie, where he had resided, to the State of N.Y., died in this County, on the 27th day of July, 1820, in the 44th year of his age. He was an enterprising and beneficent man." Then there s a poem, not completely legible, about life being a journey, and the grave a portal to immortality.
James's second son, named Samuel, had very tragically died the year before, at age only 18 years old; in the family Bible is a notation by his grandfather, Captain John, that says about young Samuel, A very promising young man. James's widow, Mary, and their two surviving sons, John and James, moved back to New York, to Geneva, to join the rest of the family. Mary died ten years later, in September 1830, at the age of 56. More about the oldest son John Shethar and his family can be found here, in the section on his son, Samuel Shethar. John also died young, outliving his grandfather by just three years.
James Smith Shethar's youngest son, also named James, was born in January 1804. He stayed in upstate New York in his adulthood and married Ann Gregory, and they had seven children, of whom four lived to adulthood.
Captain John Shethar's other two surviving children, besides James, were two daughters by his second wife, Nancy Drake Shethar. The first, Elizabeth "Betsey" Shethar (1803-1873), lived to age 70 and never married. The second, Mary Jane, was born in 1803 in Hammondsport. On August 21, 1823, when she was 19, she married John Scott Hogarth, whose family is related to the artist, William Hogarth. John S. Hogarth was born in 1793 in Patterson, Passaic Co., New Jersey, When he moved to New York is not known, but he and Mary Jane lived in the Finger Lakes region of New York their whole married lives. They had seven children, four girls and three boys. One of the children, the oldest, died at only 4 months old, and another son, John Shethar Hogarth, died at age 20. Two of the daughters, Elizabeth and Mary Osborne, are the sources of the anecdotes on this page, and never married. Of the remaining three children who lived to adulthood, Alice, born in 1842, lived only until age 39 and never married, and the youngest, Robert, who was born in 1844, died at age 59, and I have no record that he ever married either. The third, Sarah Jane, born June 8, 1828, lived a long life, until age 85, until 1914, and married Harwood A. Dudley, a major in the Union Army during the Civil War. They lived in western New York state, in Warsaw. Wyoming County, where Harwood was editor of the Western New Yorker for 40 years; he and Sarah Jane had seven children, five girls and two boys, of whom three lived to adulthood.