The Road to Sterling

If you've been following my research journeys this fall, you know that I have taken an interest in identifying Gillespie family groups in early Ulster/ Orange, NY by way of bounty lands that were delivered to the heirs of soldiers who died in the Revolution. The story that came out of the Marcellus bounty land was enough to inspire me to carry on with the next task of identifying the heirs of Robert Gillespie. But the road to Sterling has been more bumpy.

At this point in my genealogy life, I'm usually pretty good at figuring out how county lines changed over time, and where I need to be looking for records. But the more I tried to dig into Sterling, the more empty the results. The Gillespie family went through the NY State Legislature to get this Sterling property -- what happened to it? In Stuck Times like these, I have to pause and wonder What Am I Missing? What Don't I Know? In terms of New York counties as pertains to the Central Military Tract, I know I don't know alot. Time to ask for help.

Let me here express my humble thanks to all those who attempt to share what they know about complicated genealogical questions, and to one particular volunteer at the Cayuga County NYGenWeb Project.  Recently, complete strangers have re-energized my research with their mutual curiosity and willingness to share what they know.  I am certainly not the only one who believes in the importance of history and getting it right.  Thank you.

With that said, here is the helpful reply that I received to my inquiry about where to look for land records pertaining to Sterling Lot 51.  I find this explanation infinitely more clear than anything I have read on the internet:

Be aware that your Sterling Lot 51 land records research may involve looking within 2 or 3 NY counties. The original Military Tract Township of Sterling NY was established & surveyed into lots in circa 1794-1795.  Onondaga County NY was formed from Herkimer County in March 1794. Thus, lot 51 in the Military Tract Township of Sterling was originally part of Onondaga County NY. Cayuga County NY was formed from part of Onondaga County in March 1799. Then in March 1804, the west portion of Cayuga County (including the west half of the original Township of Sterling with Lot 51) became part of Seneca County NY.  A part of Seneca County (Including the west half of Sterling Township with Lot 51) was taken off to become part of Wayne County NY in 1823.  

Consequently, Lot 51 in the original Military Tract Township of Sterling was likely only considered part of Cayuga County from 1799 to 1804. From about 1804 to 1823, Lot 51 in the original Military Tract Township of Sterling was probably considered part of Seneca County NY.  Then after 1823, Sterling M/T Township Lot 51 was part of Wayne County NY. To further complicate things, the west half of the original M/T Tract Township of Sterling was renamed a few times between 1794-1823. I'm not sure of the exact dates... But it looks like the west portion of Sterling Township became known as part of the Town of Junius in Seneca County and then later became known as the Town of Wolcott in Seneca & later Wayne County. Today, Lot 51 in the original Military Tract Township of Sterling is NOW located within the Town of Wolcott in Wayne County NY.  

So Holy Cow. Based on the detailed knowledge of my helpful expert, Sterling would have been part of Seneca county in 1807. And LO! There we find a deed from William Gillespie of Newburgh, Orange, NY selling his 1/4th interest in Sterling Lot #51. The deed recites that this land was the patent granted to the representatives of Robert Gillespie, deceased. This much alone is enough to make me leap from my chair with joy. It all but confirms my working theory that the Ulster Gillespie brothers, namely William, Samuel, and Matthew, were also brothers of Robert who died after being captured by the British in 1777. But if the Sterling land was being sold in undivided fourths, and we now have William and by association Samuel, and Matthew -- who was the fourth? Based on the names in the list of Robert's representatives, I submit the fourth heir was a man named James Gillespie - the name of a man, indeed that of several men I have been spending inordinate amounts of time researching.

But this particular road to Sterling contains a bonus surprise. William Gillespie sold his part of the Sterling land for $1 to Andrew Gillespie of Lansingburgh, Rensselaer, NY, and Andrew and wife Sally subsequently sold it for $261 to Josiah Shippey of NYC. Why should we care about Andrew Gillespie? Because he also served in the Revolution, and in his pension application, he reported that he was born in Shawangunk, Ulster, NY in 1763. And because the only person to vouch for him was Matthew Gillespie of Lansingburgh who had known Andrew for over 60 years (yes, probably Andrew's brother). And because we have a collection of indirect evidence strongly suggesting that the father of Andrew and Matthew Gillespie may have been one James Gillespie.  

And so, this particular research quest to find Gillespie's in Sterling, Cayuga, NY ends in Wolcott, Wayne, NY where it appears, so far, that no Gillespie ever took residence.  But the Pay Dirt on this one is bigger than that.  The bounty land records have given us a much broader understanding of the Ulster/Orange Gillespie family group. Andrew Gillespie was not only a Revolutionary veteran, he was also a skipper on the Hudson, as were the men believed to be his brothers, Matthew and Joseph, and some of their sons after that.  These Gillespie's lived in Troy and Albany and New York City, that we know of, in the years leading to the War of 1812.  Their stories and their connection to the Ulster/Orange Gillespie's seem more clear by the day.  The more we learn, the richer the Gillespie family history becomes.

And finally, let us not forget Robert Gillespie, the one who lost his life in what were surely inhumane prison conditions in 1777.  Thirty years after his death, Robert's family certainly remembered him on the road to Sterling, even without knowing that the struggle to be free from the British was still not over. Freedom is never free. I dedicate this post gratefully to their memory, the resisters, the fallen, the survivors, one and all.