The

Edgerton

Database

Index

Sources

Thomas Selden Edgerton, son of Roswell and Sarah (Selden) Edgerton.

born:	November 5, 1793; Stamford, Bennington Co., VT. (FG3)
died:	October 7, 1854; Rome, Oneida Co., NY. (FG3) (FG11)
buried:	Old Delta Cemetery; Western, Oneida Co., NY. (FG11)

married:

April 1, 1823; Rome, Oneida Co., NY. (FG3)

Stattira Driggs, daughter of John and Stattira (Arnold) Driggs.

born:	December 14, 1797; Stafford, Tolland Co., CT. (FG3)
died:	January 12, 1875; Beaver Dam, Dodge Co., WI. (FG3)
buried:	Old City Cemetery; Beaver Dam, Dodge Co., WI. (FG3)

Children:

Eliza S., b. November 11, 1824; Rome, Oneida Co., NY.
Henry O., b. August 22, 1828; Rome, Oneida Co., NY.
William Driggs, b. December 5, 1830; Rome, Oneida Co., NY.

The following biography of Thomas Selden Edgerton has been provided by Mr. Foster Dunwiddie, from his extensive family research. Mr. Dunwiddie is descended through Thomas’ younger son, William Driggs Edgerton.

“Thomas Selden Edgerton was a farmer by trade. He and his family lived on a farm on the ‘Ridge’ in Rome Township, Oneida County, New York, not far from the city of Rome and the Erie Canal in upstate New York.

However, Thomas was considering moving his family west to Wisconsin. As early as 1844 he had acquired 160 acres of land in Fond du Lac Township, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. He returned to New York, planning to bring his family west to settle on the land. However, he did not immediately return to Wisconsin. Instead, his brother, Hiram Edgerton, came west to Wisconsin in 1846 and settled on the farm that Thomas has acquired. Thomas’ brother-in-law, John J. Driggs, also settled in Fond du Lac County and was serving as Sheriff of the County in 1844.

In 1854, Thomas again headed west to Wisconsin, perhaps at the urging of his brothers, Hiram and Sims, who had by this time both removed to Wisconsin. (Sims Edgerton had settled in Spring Prairie Township, Walworth County, Wisconsin by 1850.) Thomas returned to New York intending to bring his family to Wisconsin in the fall of 1854.

However, a dreadful accident occurred on September 25, 1854. Thomas was returning from a meeting in the evening. He was riding on a wagon filled with lumber along with two neighbors, Sam Splee and Harry Watson. Unfortunately, the wagon struck the stone wall of an abandoned gate house between Rome and the ‘Ridge’, tipping over, and throwing the load of lumber onto Thomas and Harry Watson. Harry had a broken leg, but Thomas was more seriously injured. He sustained a broken leg and internal injuries. Sam Splee went for help but there was little that could be done for Thomas. He lived until October 7th. He was buried the day he had planned to start west for Wisconsin.

After his death, his wife, Stattira, did not like to go west. She and her son, Henry Edgerton, moved to the Lorenzo Edgerton ‘log’ house on the Ridge, intending to go west the following spring. Instead it was her son, William Driggs Edgerton and his wife, Helen Marion Martin, along with children, Olive and Wiley, that left for the west on October 23, 1854 to settle on 120 acres of land near Fond du Lac. The land had been purchased for them by Thomas Selden Edgerton.

Stattira did eventually go west. She is buried in the Old Beaver Dam Cemetery in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, not far from the cemetery plot of her son, William Driggs Edgerton and his family.”

The household of Thomas S. Edgerton was recorded in the 1830 Federal Census of Rome, Oneida County, New York (pg. 404), with the following enumeration:

1 male “of 30 and under 40” (Thomas);

1 male “under 5 years of age” (son Henry);

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

1 female “of 10 and under 15” (?); and,

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

The household of Thomas S. Edgerton was recorded in the 1840 Federal Census of Rome, Oneida County, New York (pg. 79), with the following enumeration:

1 male “40 and under 50” (Thomas);

1 male “10 and under 15” (son Henry);

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

1 female “30 and under 40” (wife Stattira – actually aged 42).

The household of “Thomas S. Edgerton” was recorded in the 1850 Federal Census of Rome, Oneida County, New York (pg. 7, dwelling #53; family #53; enum. July 25, 1850). The next dwelling on the census roll (dwelling #54; family #54) was shared by Thomas’ two sons, Henry and William, together with several other individuals. The two households were enumerated as follows:

Thomas S. Edgerton	56	b. NY	Farmer $5,000 real estate
Statira	52	b. CT
Henry	21	b. NY	Farmer
William	19	b. NY	Farmer
Helen	17	b. NY
Solomon Williams	96	b. CT
Fanny	55	b. NY
Fransis	29	b. NY
B. Whitman	25	b. NY	Farmer $2,500 real estate
Synthia L.	22	b. France
Francis Conover	21	b. NY	Laborer
William Hulbert	17	b. NY	Laborer
Marthy Wells	14	b. NY

Original Source Documents:

1830 Federal Census – household of Thomas Selden Edgerton; Rome, Oneida Co., NY.

1840 Federal Census – household of Thomas Selden Edgerton; Rome, Oneida Co., NY.

1850 Federal Census – household of Thomas Selden Edgerton; Rome, Oneida Co., NY.