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The Edgerton Database |
Charles Edgerton, son of Ariel and Edna (Huntington) Edgerton.
Elizabeth Shaw
Children:
Charles Edgerton was born December 11, 1786 in
Norwich, Connecticut, the second son and fourth child of Ariel and Edna
(Huntington) Edgerton. During his
childhood, Charles’ parents removed from Connecticut and settled in
Brookfield, Orange County, Vermont.
As a young man, Charles settled in Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New
York (in the far northwest corner of the state), along with two of his
younger brothers, Nathan and James. Very little is known about the life and family of
Charles Edgerton. Family records
report that his wife was named Elizabeth (“Betsey”) Shaw, however her
parentage and ancestry are not known.
According to the age listed on her gravestone, Elizabeth was born
circa 1792. The 1850 Federal Census
enumeration (see below) reports that Elizabeth was born in the state of
Vermont. Charles and Elizabeth (Shaw) Edgerton had a family
of five children (all presumably born in Potsdam, New York) – sons Charles
Henry, William B. and Ransom G. and daughters Minerva and Louisa M. According to Edgerton Family Genealogy
(Ida Ferry Welch, et. al.; Sept. 1964; pg. 11), Charles Edgerton “Went to New
York, married, had two children. All
four in this family died between 1845 and 1850.” This statement is clearly in error. The household of Charles Edgerton was recorded in
the 1820 Federal Census of Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York (pg. 134),
with the following enumeraton: 1 male “of 26 and under 45” (Charles); 1 male “of 10 and under 16” (son Charles); 1 male “under 10 years of age” (son William); 1 female “of 26 and under 45” (wife Elizabeth); 1 female “of 16 and under 26” (?); and, 1 female “under 10 years of age” (daughter Minerva). The household of Charles Edgerton was recorded in
the 1830 Federal Census of Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York (pg. 135),
with the following enumeration: 1 male “of 40 and under 50” (Charles); 1 male “of 10 and under 15” (son Charles); 1 male “of 5 and under 10” (son William); 1 male “under 5 years of age” (son Ransom); 1 female “of 30 and under 40” (wife Elizabeth); 1 female “of 10 and under 15” (daughter Minerva); and, 1 female “of 5 and under 10” (daughter Louisa). The household of Charles “Egerton” was recorded in
the 1840 Federal Census of Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York (pg. 199),
with the following enumeration: 1 male “50 and under 60” (Charles); 1 male “30 and under 40” (?); 1 male “20 and under 30” (son Charles); 2 males “15 and under 20” (sons William and Ransom); 1 female “40 and under 50” (wife Elizabeth); 1 female “20 and under 30” (daughter Minerva); and, 1 female “15 and under 20” (daughter Louisa). In each of these three censuses, Charles was
recorded residing adjacent to Daniel Shaw, who may have been a relative of
Charles’ wife Elizabeth (perhaps her father or an uncle). Charles Edgerton died on December 23, 1849,
presumably at Potsdam, New York. He
was buried at the Union Cemetery in Potsdam.
His widow, Elizabeth, survived him sixteen years. At the time of the 1850 Federal Census,
Elizabeth and her son, Ransom G., were recorded in the household of her
son-in-law, Joseph L. Morgan, in Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York (pg.
54; dwelling #782; family #828; enum. August 20, 1850). The household was enumerated as follows:
Mrs. Elizabeth (Shaw) Edgerton died on December 20, 1865, “aged 73”, and was buried beside her husband at Union Cemetery in Potsdam, New York. Also buried at the Union Cemetery were two of Charles and Elizabeth’s sons, Charles H. Edgerton, who died May 1, 1842 and Ransom G. Edgerton, who died in November 1855. Unfortunately the Union Cemetery has been the target of numerous vandalisms over the years and is now reportedly in severe disrepair. For this reason, many of the inscriptions are now only partially legible. |