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Erastus Edgerton, son of Nathan and Sally (Belshaw) Edgerton.

Sophronia Willis, daughter of Azariah and Deidamia (Douglas) Willis.                                                                                       PHOTO

Children:

1. George W., b. October 11, 1811; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.
2. Hannah D., b. March 17, 1814; Franlin, Delaware Co., NY.
3. Erastus Smith, b. December 9, 1816; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.
4. Thomas H., b. June 26, 1819; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.
5. Elizabeth S., b. August 6, 1821; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.
6. Mary Jane, b. July 1834; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.

Erastus Edgerton was the eldest child of Nathan and Sally (Belshaw) Edgerton.  He is reported in a number of sources to have been born at Franklin, Connecticut, on December 20, 1783.  This date is somewhat suspect, given that it predates the marriage of his parents on May 2nd of the following year (Franklin Cong. ChR 1:385).  However, two separate gravestone inscriptions in Franklin, New York do confirm the above birthdate.  First, his individual headstone reads:  “ERASTUS EDGERTON, Died June 6, 1837, Aged 53 years”; and an adjacent family monument (probably erected later), lists his specific dates, that is,  “BORN DECEMBER 20TH 1783 / DIED JUNE 6TH 1837”.

Erastus Edgerton was married on January 7, 1812 at Franklin, New York, to Sophronia Willis.  Sophronia was the daughter of Azariah and Deidamia (Douglas) Willis, and was born at Stephentown, New York on February 27, 1794.  Erastus and Sophronia had a family of six children – three sons and three daughters – all born in Franklin, New York.  The eldest son, George W., died in infancy; and the eldest daughter, Hannah D., died in 1831 at the age of seventeen.

There is some confusion as to the date of Erastus and Sophronia’s marriage.  According to the Douglas Genealogy (Charles Henry James Douglas, 1879), they were married on January 7, 1812.  However, this would postdate the birth of their eldest son, George, on October 11th of the preceding year.  This latter date is provided by the inscription on the Edgerton family monument at the Old Congregational Church Cemetery in Franklin Village.  It is not known whether one of the above sources was in error, or if the eldest son was born illegitamate.  (The latter seems a bit improbable, given the high esteem afforded to Mr. Edgerton in the Franklin community.)

The household of Erastus Edgerton was recorded in the 1820 Federal Census of Franklin, Delaware County, New York (pg. 62), with the following enumeration:

1 male “of 26 and under 45”  (Erastus);

1 male “of 16 and under 26”  (?);

2 males “under 10 years of age”  (sons Thomas and Erastus);

1 female “of 26 and under 45”  (wife Sophronia);

1 female “of 10 and under 16”  (?); and,

1 female “under 10 years of age”  (daughter Hannah).

The household of Erastus Edgerton was recorded in the 1830 Federal Census of Franklin, Delaware County, New York (pg. 69), with the following enumeration:

1 male “of 40 and under 50”  (Erastus);

2 males “of 10 and under 15”  (sons Erastus and Thomas);

1 female “of 30 and under 40”  (wife Sophronia);

1 female “of 15 and under 20”  (daughter Hannah); and,

1 female “of 5 and under 10”  (daughter Elizabeth).

Erastus Edgerton resided in Franklin, New York throughout his life.  The following biographical sketch is excerpted from History of Delaware County, New York (New York, New York: W.W. Munsell & Co.; 1880; pg. 359):

“But few of the early settlers of this town are remembered with more pleasure than the subject of this sketch.  His father, Nathan Edgerton, located here in 1786, when Erastus, who was born at the native place of his parents, Franklin, Conn., was three years old.  Soon after arriving at his majority Erastus Edgerton married Sophonia Willis, a daughter of Azariah Willis, an early settler and noted physician of the town and a man of great ability and intelligence.  They had six children, viz.:  George W., Hannah D., Erastus S., Thomas H., Elizabeth E., and Mary J.  Erastus S. Edgerton held the dangerous office of deputy sheriff during the anti-rent war, and had his horse shot under him when deputy sheriff Steele was killed.  He is now engaged in the banking business at St. Paul, Minn.  He was married to Eliza Cannon, of Cannonsville, and Mary J. became the wife of Delos A. Monfort, who also lives at St. Paul.  Erastus Edgerton was largely interested for many years in milling, lumbering, speculating and distilling, having built the first distillery in the town in 1810.  Hon. John Edgerton, his brother, still lives on the land first settled on by his father.  He was town clerk from 1823 to 1826, supervisor eight years, member of the Legislature in 1833, sheriff in 1840, and has held many other civil and military positions by both election and appointment.”

Erastus Edgerton died at Franklin, New York on June 6, 1837 and was buried at the Old Congregational Church Cemetery, one of three small, now delapitated cemeteries in the village of Franklin.  At the rear of this cemetery, is a small, fenced-in plot (called the “Douglas-Edgerton” plot), where Erastus and Sophronia were buried, as well as his parents, Nathan and Sally, and several other family members.  Also buried in the plot are Sophronia’s parents, Azariah and Deidamia, and other immediate Douglas relatives.  Apart from the individual headstones for Erastus, Sophronia and their children, there is also a larger Edgerton monument – presumably erected at a later date – containing detailed inscriptions for this family.

Erastus Edgerton left a Last Will and Testament, dated May 24, 1837, which was proved at Delhi, New York on July 15, 1837 before Amasa Parker, Surrogate.  In the will, Erastus left bequests to his “beloved wife and companion” (ie. wife Sophronia, not mentioned by name), and his four surviving children – “daughter Elizabeth S. Edgerton”, “daughter Mary Jane Edgerton”, and “sons Erastus S. Edgerton and Thomas H. Edgerton”.  The two daughters were each granted cash legacies and annuities to be paid until the time of their marriage or until they reached the age of twenty-one; the two sons were left the real estate.  Sophronia was granted a life interest in one third of the real estate and also one third of the personal property.  The eldest son, Erastus Smith, was appointed executor of the will, which was witnessed by John R. Taylor and George Payne, both of Franklin.

Sophronia (Willis) Edgerton survived her husband over thirty years.  There is no record of her remarrying.   Sophronia was listed as a head of household in the 1840 Federal Census of Franklin, Delaware County, New York (pg. 440), at which time her household was enumerated as follows:

2 males “20 and under 30”  (sons Erastus and Thomas);

1 female “40 and under 50”  (Sophronia);

1 female “15 and under 20”  (daughter Elizabeth); and,

1 female “5 and under 10”  (daughter Mary).

The household of Mrs. Sophronia Edgerton was recorded in the 1850 Federal Census of Franklin, Delaware County, New York (pg. 74; dwelling #120; family #130; enum. July 24, 1850), as follows:

The household of Mrs. Sophronia Edgerton was recorded again in the 1860 Federal Census of Franklin, Delaware County, New York (pg. 76; dwelling #604; family #625; enum. July 6, 1860), with the following enumeration:

Mrs. Sophronia (Willis) Edgerton died at Franklin, New York on May 10, 1869, aged 75.  Her death was recorded at the First Congregational Church of Franklin; and the following obituary notice was published in the Delaware County Gazette on Wednesday, May 12, 1869:

“Deaths…Mrs. Sophronia Edgerton, relict of the late Erastus Edgerton, at Franklin, Sunday Eve last, aged about 75 years.”

Sophronia was buried beside her husband at the Old Congregational Church Cemetery.

Original Source Documents:

1820 Federal Census – household of Erastus Edgerton; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.

1830 Federal Census – household of Erastus Edgerton; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.

1840 Federal Census – household of Erastus Edgerton; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.

1850 Federal Census – household of Erastus Edgerton; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.

1860 Federal Census – household of Erastus Edgerton; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.

For the maternal ancestry of Sophronia (Willis) Edgerton, consult:

• Douglas, Charles Henry James;  A Collection of Family Records, with Biographical Sketches, and other Memoranda of Various Families and Individuals bearing the name Douglas or allied to Families of that Name; E.L. Freeman & Co., Providence, R.I., 1879.