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Andrew Jackson Edgerton, son of John and Lydia (Reynolds) Edgerton.

Clarissa Coburn, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Larned) Coburn.

Children:

1. Lorin R., b. August 31, 1822; Cabot, Washington Co., VT.

Mary Hoyt, daughter of Enoch and Mary (Smith) Hoyt.

Children:

2. Harvey, b. September 12, 1829; Cabot, Washington Co., VT.
3. Mary Angeline, b. ~1835; Hookset, Merrimack Co., NH.
4. Lydia Ann, b. May 7, 1838; Hookset, Merrimack Co., NH.
5. William Andrew Jackson, b. August 1844; Hookset, Merrimack Co., NH.

Andrew Jackson Edgerton was born in Clarendon, Vermont, the youngest son of John and Lydia (Reynolds) Edgerton.  According to the precise age at death reported in his obituary (see below), Andrew was born on September 30, 1795.  When Andrew was about three years old, his parents removed north to the town of Cabot, in Washington County (then Caledonia County), Vermont.  Andrew was raised in Cabot and resided there for the first years of his adult life.  He was listed as a head of household in Cabot, Vermont in the Federal Censuses of 1820 and 1830.

Andrew Edgerton served as a drummer boy in the War of 1812.  The following entry is excerpted from Roster of Soldiers in the War of 1812 – State of Vermont (Herbert T. Johnson, Adjutant General, comp.; 1933, pg. 147):

“EDGERTON, ANDREW.  Cabot.  Volunteered to go to Plattsburgh, September, 1814, and served 4 days in Capt. Anthony Perry’s Company.  Ref:  Book 52, AGO Pages 179, 252, 254.”

Andrew Jackson Edgerton was married twice.  His first wife was Clarissa Coburn, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Larned) Coburn, who was born at Charlton, Worcester County, Massachusetts on March 12, 1798 and removed to Cabot at a young age.  Andrew and Clarissa Edgerton are known to have had only one child – a son, Lorin R. Edgerton, born in Cabot on August 31, 1822.  No other children have been documented for this couple.

The household of Andrew Edgerton was recorded in the 1820 Federal Census of Cabot, Caledonia County (now Washington County), Vermont (pg. 15), with the following enumeration:

1 male “of 16 and under 26”  (Andrew);

1 male “of 10 and under 16”  (?);

1 female “of 45 years and upwards”  (mother Lydia); and,

1 female “of 16 and under 26”  (wife Clarissa).

According to cemetery records at Cabot, Vermont, Mrs. Clarissa Edgerton, “wife of Andrew”, died on December 10, 1828, aged 31 years – this information being derived from her gravestone inscription at West Hill Cemetery in Cabot (see Cemetery Records of the Town of Cabot; Montpelier, Vermont: Capital City Press; 1870).  It is probable that this inscription – or the reading – was in error (perhaps only the year), given the fact that Andrew was already remarried by this time.  If not, then the record of Andrew’s second marriage (see below) was somehow in error.

Andrew Edgerton was remarried on November 30, 1828 at Cabot, Vermont to Mrs. Mary (Hoyt) Atkins, daughter of Enoch and Mary (Smith) Hoyt of Deerfield, New Hampshire and widow of Avery Atkins.  According to the marriage record (Cabot Vital Records, Volume I, pg. 79), both Andrew and Mary were “of Cabot” and the marriage was performed by “Jonathan Woodman, Minister of the Gospel”.

Andrew had four children by his second wife – two sons, Harvey and William Andrew Jackson, and two daughters, Mary Angeline and Lydia Ann.  The first son, Harvey, was born in Cabot, Vermont and the younger three children were born in New Hampshire.

The household of Andrew Edgerton was recorded in the 1830 Federal Census of Cabot, Caledonia County (now Washington County), Vermont (pg. 332), with the following enumeration:

2 males “of 30 and under 40”  (Andrew and ?);

2 males “of 20 and under 30”  (?);

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

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

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

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

1 female “of 5 and under 10”  (step-daughter Nancy Atkins)

In the early 1830’s, Andrew left Vermont and settled for a time in the town of Hookset, Merrimack County, New Hampshire.  The household of Andrew “Egerton” was recorded in the 1840 Federal Census of Hookset, Merrimack County, New Hampshire (pg. 267), with the following enumeration:

1 male “50 and under 60”  (?);

1 male “40 and under 50”  (Andrew);

1 male “30 and under 40”  (?);

3 males “20 and under 30”  (?);

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

1 female “40 and under 50”  (second wife Mary);

1 female “20 and under 30”  (?);

2 female “15 and under 20”  (step-daughter Nancy Atkins);

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

1 female “under 5 years”  (daughter Lydia Ann).

By the time of the 1850 Federal Census, Andrew had moved his family west and was living in the city of Kenosha, in Kenosha County, Wisconsin.  The household of Andrew Edgerton was recorded in the 1850 Federal Census of Kenosha (Ward 1), Kenosha County, Wisconsin (pg. 231; dwelling #150; family #171; enum. July 14, 1850), as follows:

By the year 1859, Andrew had removed to Barr Township, Macoupin County, Illinois – in the central western part of the state.  His younger daughter, Lydia Ann, was married at Macoupin County, Illinois on December 15, 1859.  The household of “Andrew Edgdon” was recorded in the 1860 Federal Census of Barr Township, Macoupin County, Illinois (pg. 252; dwelling #48; family #49; enum. June 8, 1860), as follows:

Mrs. Mary (Hoyt) Edgerton died in the year 1866 and was buried at Union Cemetery in the town of Palmyra, Macoupin County, Illinois.  Unfortunately, the gravestones in this cemetery are drastically eroded and largely unreadable.  All that can be currently deciphered of the inscription on Mary’s headstone is her name “Mary, wife of Andrew Edgerton” and her age at death:  68 years, 8 months and 3 days.  The date of death is not readable.

At the time of the 1870 Federal Census, Andrew Edgerton was residing with his son, William A. Edgerton, in Chesterfield, Macoupin County, Illinois.  He was enumerated as:  “Andrew Edgerton, aged 75, retired, b. in Vermont”.  At the time of the 1880 Federal Census, Andrew Edgerton was still residing in Barr Township.  He was enumerated in the household of Benjamin L. Grime (pg. 12) as “Andrew Edgerton, aged 85, born in Vermont, both parents born in Vermont”.  Andrew’s  younger daughter, Lydia Ann (Edgerton) Reynolds, was also residing in Barr Township at this time, with her husband, James W. Reynolds.

According to the family Bible record of Charles Lorin Edgerton (Andrew’s grandson), Andrew Jackson Edgerton died in 1883 at Charles’ home in Braidwood, Illinois.  Soon afterwards, Charles removed to Grants Pass, Oregon, where many of his descendants have resided to this day.  We are indebted to Ms. Molly Edgerton, of Adin, California, who has provided numerous family materials relating to this branch of the Edgerton family.

The following biographical excerpts regarding Andrew Jackson Edgerton are taken from two drafts of a letter written in February 1940 by Mr. Arthur Lorin Edgerton (1876 – 1943), a grandson of Andrew’s eldest son, Lorin R. Edgerton.  The typewritten drafts (unsent), contain a few handwritten corrections which are noted here in brackets.

“The history I have of my grand-parents is very meager and I do not know much of their achievements in life.  I have in my possession a photo of my great-grandfather, Andrew Lorin [Jackson] Edgerton, born in 1795 and died at the home of my father in Braidwood, Illinois, in 1883 [sic].  He was a drummer boy in the war of 1812.  He had three sons, Harvey Edgerton of Chicago, Ill who became wealthy, no children, and William Edgerton who was engaged in the mercantile business at Clatskanie, Oregon, for many years; he later moved to Long Beach, Calif. and died there.  Had quite a family.  Next son was my Grandfather Lorin R. Edgerton, of whom I also have a photo, born in 1822 and died in 1877.  [correction. Lorin Edgerton, our grandfather was Andrew Jackson Edgerton’s eldest son, William and Harvey were sons of his 2nd marriage.]”

The following excerpt is also from the aforementioned letter:

“As I remember there was a Clarica, or Clarissa Edgerton who married a man by the name of Coburn…Coburn became wealthy, and as I remember, that at the time of his death, he had no children and his wife had died, so he left his fortune to his nephews and niece by blood, that were living at the time he died.  We were contacted in this matter and it seems that grand-father Edgerton (Lorin R. Edgerton) was a nephew but had died prior to the death of Mr. Coburn, hence he or his heirs were not eligible to a share in the fortune.”

The writer of this letter was apparently confusing Andrew’s first wife, Clarissa Coburn, with a supposed sister.  The “Mr. Coburn” mentioned here who died childless was most likely Clarissa’s younger brother, Major Joseph Leander Coburn, who was quite wealthy and died without leaving any children.

Andrew Jackson Edgerton died at the home of his grandson, Charles Lorin Edgerton, in Braidwood, Illinois on January 11, 1884.  The following obituary was published in The Saturday Herald (Decatur, Illinois) on January 14, 1884:

“DIED… At his home in Braidwood, January 11, 1883 [sic], Andrew Edgerton, aged 88 years , 3 months and 11 days.  The deceased was one of the early settlers of Chicago.  He was a soldier of the war of 1812, and as a drummer boy, took part in the battle of Plattsburg.  He was the father of three children, Henry Edgerton, of Chicago, Mrs. J. Reynolds, of Palmyra, and W. A. Edgerton, of this city.  The funeral occurred Friday.”

The descendants of Andrew Edgerton’s children have not yet been previously researched in great detail.  The following is a brief summary:

The eldest son, Lorin R., resided in Boston and Natick, Massachusetts.  He was married twice and had two sons, Charles Lorin and Joseph Andrew; the former removed to Braidwood, Illinois before finally settling further west in Grants Pass, Oregon.

The second son, Harvey, was married to Christiana L. Annis of New Hampshire and resided in Chicago, Illinois; he did not have any children.

The elder daughter, Mary Angeline, was married on November 25, 1856 at Walworth County, Wisconsin to Henry Willby, a native of Yorkshire, England.  She died prior to July 11, 1858, when Henry was remarried at Kenosha, Wisconsin to Mary Thomas.

The younger daughter, Lydia Ann, was married to James W. Reynolds, of Kentucky, and resided in Barr Township, Macoupin County, Illinois.  At the time of the 1880 Federal Census, Lydia and her husband were recorded with a family of six children.  Lydia and James were still living in Barr Township at the time of the 1900 Federal Census, but all of her children were out of the household.  According to this latter census, Lydia had a total of seven children, four of whom were still living in June 1900.

The youngest son, William Andrew Jackson, was married at three times and resided for a time in Decatur, Macon, County, Illinois before moving west to Columbia County, Oregon.  William reportedly died at Long Beach, California.

Original Source Documents:

1820 Federal Census – household of Andrew Jackson Edgerton; Cabot, Caledonia (now Washington) Co., VT.

1830 Federal Census – household of Andrew Jackson Edgerton; Cabot, Caledonia (now Washington) Co., VT.

1840 Federal Census – household of Andrew Jackson Edgerton; Hookset, Merrimack Co., NH.

1850 Federal Census – household of Andrew Jackson Edgerton; Kenosha (Ward 1), Kenosha Co., WI.

1860 Federal Census – household of Andrew Jackson Edgerton; Barr Twp., Macoupin Co., IL.

Obituary – Andrew Jackson Edgerton; The Saturday Herald (Decatur, Illinois) – January 14, 1884.