The

Edgerton

Database

Home

Index

Sources

Search

Researchers

Notes...

Contact info

Photos

Links

Credits…

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

Susan Bartlett, daughter of Ichabod and Sally (Mahagan) Bartlett.

Children:

1. Robert, b. ~1826; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.
2. Susan, b. ~1827; Franklin, Delaware Co., NY.

Sally Finney, daughter of Jonathan Finney.

Children:

3. Thomas A., b. April 1, 1832; Delhi, Delaware Co., NY.
4. Emily S., b. ~1834; Delhi, Delaware Co., NY.
5. Helen M., b. ~1836; Delhi, Delaware Co., NY.
6. Henry, b. December 1843; Delhi, Delaware Co., NY.

Henry Edgerton was born at Franklin, New York in the year 1802, the youngest son of Nathan Edgerton Jr. and Sally Belshaw.  Henry was raised in Franklin and resided in Delaware County for the majority of his lifetime.  He made his living as a farmer, businessman and cattle dealer.  Henry was often referred to with the courtesy title of Esquire.

Henry Edgerton was married twice.  His first wife was Susan Bartlett, daughter of Ichabod and Sally (Mahagan) Bartlett, of Franklin, New York.  Henry and Susan were married in Franklin, New York on January 27, 1825 by “Rev. Mr. Waterbury”.  A notice of the marriage was printed in the Delaware County Gazette on February 2, 1825.  According to the notice, both Henry and Susan were “of Franklin”.

Henry and Susan had two children – a son, Robert; and a daughter, Susan – both born in Franklin.  Mrs. Susan (Bartlett) Edgerton died at Franklin, New York on Friday, May 9, 1828.  A notice of her death was printed in the Delaware County Gazette on May 14, 1828.  Susan was buried at the Old Congregational Church Cemetery, in the enclosed Douglas-Edgerton plot where many of her in-laws are also interred.

At the time of the 1830 Federal Census, Henry and his two children were residing on the family homestead in Franklin, New York.  They were recorded in the household of his elder brother, John Edgerton, who had succeeded to the estate after the death of their father, Nathan, in 1822.

Henry Edgerton was remarried on Monday, August 29, 1831 at Franklin, New York to Miss Sally Finney, daughter of Jonathan Finney.  A notice of the marriage was printed in the Delaware County Gazette on September 7, 1831.  Subsequent to his second marriage, Henry settled in the neighboring village of Delhi, where he resided for a number of years.  Henry and Sally had four children together:  two sons, Thomas A. and Henry Jr., and two daughters, Emily S. and Helen M.  The younger son, Henry, died at the age of five years.

Henry was a successful businessman in Delhi.  His elder brother, Gurden H., was also a prominent member of the Delhi community, and the two brothers were partners in a number of business enterprises.  Together, they built the Edgerton House, a large three-story hotel, which operated to great success in Delhi throughout the 19th century.  Henry and Gurden were also the original contractors for a mail route between Delhi and Deposit, New York – part of the old “Catskill route”.  They were the proprietors of the stage route from its opening in 1824 through the early part of  1830.  In 1839, Henry Edgerton was also active in the formation of the Delaware County Bank, of which his grandson, Walter Griswold Edgerton, was later a Cashier.  From April 1852 and for a period of about three years, Henry ran a daily stage coach out of Delhi, which ran as far as Kingston, in Ulster County, New York.

The household of Henry Edgerton was recorded in the 1840 Federal Census of Delhi, Delaware County, New York (pg. 405), with the following enumeration:

2 males “40 and under 50”  (?);

1 male “30 and under 40”  (Henry);

9 males “20 and under 30”  (?);

1 male “10 and under 15”  (son Robert);

1 male “5 and under 10”  (son Thomas);

2 females “30 and under 40”  (second wife Sally and ?);

2 females “15 and under 20”  (?);

1 female “10 and under 15”  (daughter Susan);

1 female “5 and under 10”  (daughter Emily); and,

1 female “under 5 years”  (daughter Helen).

The household of Henry Edgerton was recorded in the 1850 Federal Census of Delhi, Delaware County, New York (pg. 243; dwelling #1212, family #1265; enum. September 12, 1850), as follows:

Henry’s elder son, Robert, was already of age at the time of this census.  He was recorded residing in the Edgerton House in Delhi (then run by his uncle, Gurden Edgerton), where he was enumerated as “Robert Edgerton, aged 24, born in New York, steer driver”.

Henry and his second wife, Sally, were members of St. John’s Church in Delhi.  “Mrs. Sally Edgerton” was admitted to communion at the Church on August 17, 1850 (ChR 2:25); and the death of Henry and Sally’s younger son, Henry Jr., on June 24 [sic], 1849 was listed in the Church Records (ChR 2:29) as, “Henry son of Mr. Henry Edgerton, aged 5 years 5 months”.  [Note:  According to the obituary notice in the Delaware County Gazette (6/27/1849), Henry Edgerton Jr. died on “Saturday morning June 23rd inst., aged 5 years and 6 months.”]

In the mid-1850’s, Henry removed from Delhi and settled in the town of Allegany, in Cattaraugus, New York.  He died there on May 18, 1858, aged 56 years.  A notice of his death was printed in the Delaware County Gazette on May 26, 1858.  Henry Edgerton was buried at the Allegany Protestant Cemetery, in the town of Allegany, New York (Section B3, Lot 32, Grave #5).

Henry Edgerton left a Last Will and Testament, dated at Delhi, New York on February 29, 1856, which was proved at Ellicottville, New York on June 23, 1858 before Allen D. Scott, Surrogate.  The will itself was brief.  After making a traditional one-third bequest to his “beloved wife”, he left a yearly annuity to his elder son, Robert, and the remainder of all real and personal estate to his two daughters, “Emily Edgerton and Hellen Edgerton”.  The younger son, Thomas A., was not mentioned anywhere in the will, so it is presumed that he received his share from his father prior to Henry’s death.  Henry named his two daughters and his brother, John Edgerton, as joint executors of the will.  The will was witnessed by Henry’s cousin, Hiram Edgerton (son of his uncle, Roger Edgerton), and by Henry’s nephew, Edward Edgerton (son of his elder brother, Nathan Edgerton III).

After Henry’s death, his son Thomas A. Edgerton took over the family homestead in Allegany, New York.  Thomas was listed as a head of household there in the 1860 Federal Census, and his household included besides his wife, Elizabeth, and son, Walter, also his mother, Sally, and sisters, Emily and Helen.

At the time of the 1870 Federal Census, Mrs. Sally (Finney) Edgerton was residing in Delhi, Delaware County, New York in the household of her son-in-law, George H. McMurray (pg. 115; dwelling #56; family #72; enum. June 13, 1870).  She was enumerated as, “Sally Edgerton, housekeeper, aged 65, born in New York, with $500 personal estate”.

Sally (Finney) Edgerton died at Delhi, New York on Tuesday, May 6, 1884.  Her death was recorded in the Vital Records of Delhi (Register #1); and a notice of her death was printed in the Delaware County Gazette on May 14, 1884.  The former record gave her age as 82 years and the latter as 83 years.

Original Source Documents:

1840 Federal Census – household of Henry Edgerton; Delhi, Delaware Co., NY.

1850 Federal Census – household of Henry Edgerton; Delhi, Delaware Co., NY.