Jefferson County, NY Pioneers

JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK

THOMAS COMSTOCK PIONEER

1. THOMAS COMSTOCK was born 1826/27, probably on Wells Island, son of WILLIAM and MARY COMSTOCK. He was, by profession, a carpenter and boat builder and lived in Alexandria Bay for most of his life. He was a brother of ALPHEUS COMSTOCK, also of Alexandria Bay, and their relationship was established when RUTH COMSTOCK, widow of ALPHEUS, applied for a widow's pension in Wisconsin, based upon the Civil War record of her second husband, Charles Cofren. THOMAS provided an affidavit stating that he was a brother of ALPHEUS, attended him at his death and funeral. THOMAS died in Alexandria Bay on 26 May 1897 at 72 years.

THOMAS COMSTOCK married (1) MARIA McCUE, who was born 1826; she died 10 December 1851 at 26 years.
A child of THOMAS COMSTOCK and MARIA McCUE was:

2 i. GEORGE W. COMSTOCK who was born in 1849. George married on 19 May 1872 at Delta, Ontario, Canada to FRANCES HOADLEY, who was born 7 July 1851, daughter of HENRY HOADLEY and PHEBE PATTISON. Although GEORGE'S mother was MARIA McCUE, he was raised by his step-mother.

THOMAS COMSTOCK married (2)
CAROLINE EAGERLY born 1834 in the state of Maine. She was the daughter of RICHARDd and TERENTIA EAGERLY of Brownsville, Jefferson County, NY. Her surname is often written as EDGELY. CAROLINE EAGERLY COMSTOCK died 22 Sept. 1891 at 57 years.

Children of THOMAS COMSTOCK and CAROLINE EAGERLY:

3 i. ADELIA COMSTOCK, also called “Delia”, was born 1855.

4 ii THOMAS H. COMSTOCK was born 1857 ; m JULIA DUMAS.

5 iii Infant who died January 1862 (Reformed Church records)

6 iv FREDERICK COMSTOCK born 1864 in New York and died 1926. He married EMMA LaFAVRE (Mae) on 28 May 1915. She was born 12 March 1888 and died 29 April 1977, daughter of CLEVIS LaFAVRE and MARY NOLETT. Both are buried in St. Cyrils Cemetery, Jefferson County, NY. Fred was 52 and Emma was 27 at the time of marriage. In the 1920 federal census she is called Mae and stated she was born in New York but her parents were born in Canada.

7 v LODWICK COMSTOCK who was born in June 1866 in New York

8 vi WALTER M. COMSTOCK was born in New York on 27 May 1869 and died 24 October 1912 at 48 years. He married ELVA A. PRIEST, who was born 20 August 1866. In some records her name is recorded as ELBA.

FOOTNOTE: Some sources list JOHN M. COMSTOCK as a son of Thomas Comstock. John was born 1853 and died in January of 1935. His wife is named as Catherine McCormick and she was born 1853 and died in 1940. Both are buried in St. Cyril's Cemetery in Alexandria Bay. Business directories show that John was both boat pilot and captain in Alexandria Bay. It is believed that his middle name was "McCue", which is understandable as he lived with Peter McCue and his wife, Lucy Hoadley McCue in Alexandria Bay for most of his young life and appears in their household for at least two census records. Also living in the same household was grandmother, Lovina Searles, mother of Lucy McCue.

3. ADELIA COMSTOCK, daughter of THOMAS COMSTOCK and CAROLINE EAGERLY was also called “Delia”. She was born 1855.

She married on 15 June 1872
ANDREW C. DUCLON at Alexandria Bay who was born 27 November 1852 at Alexandria Bay, son of CLAUDIUS DUCLON and SOPHIA CURLER who resided on Wells Island. (Vital Records show 29 Nov 1850). ANDREW died in 1927. He was called “Captain” and was a known steamboat builder and also ran a boat livery. Old business directories show that he lived on Holland Street in Alexandria Bay. After ADELIA died in 1899 (buried in Church St. Cemetery, Alexandria Bay), ANDREW married a second time, as a widower and manufacturer, to GERTRUDE MAUDE EVANS who was the daughter of GEORGE EVANS and LUCINDA DUCLON. The marriage occurred on 19 May 1910 at Brockville, Canada. All three are buried in the Church Street Cemetery in Alexandria Bay.

Children of ADELIA COMSTOCK and ANDREW C. DUCLON:

9 i. ARTHUR H. DUCLON b 1878 d 1905 (Church St. Cem.)

10 ii. RUTH DUCLON b 1895 d 1896 (Church St. Cem.)

4. THOMAS H. COMSTOCK, son of THOMAS COMSTOCK and CAROLINE EAGERLY was born 1857 in New York. THOMAS H. was also a boat builder.

He married
JULIA DUMAS who was born September 1855 in New York

Children of THOMAS H. COMSTOCK and JULIA DUMAS:

11 i. HARRY COMSTOCK born 1881 married KATHERINE (---), who was born 1887.

12 ii. GRACE COMSTOCK born May 1885

7. LODWICK COMSTOCK, son of THOMAS COMSTOCK and CAROLINE EAGERLY was born in June 1866 in New York (1880 census shows Michigan as POB) and died 8 July 1919 at 53 years. He is buried in the Church St. Cemetery in Alexandria Bay. His occupation was oarsman.

He married on 4 September 1884 at Alexandria Bay
CARRIE ZYLPHA PERRY, who was born in April 1869. She was the daughter of OLIVER and MARY PERRY of Canada.

Children of LODWICK COMSTOCK and CARRIE Z. PERRY:

13 i. ROLAND COMSTOCK born March 1885 d 1938; buried Walton St. Cem.; married CLARA VanALYSTINE b 1887 and d 1935 Walton St. Cem.

14 ii. OLIVER P. COMSTOCK born August 1888

15 iii. CHARLES E. COMSTOCK died 1894 (Church St. Cem.)

On 20 Sept 1924, as LODWICK'S widow, CARRIE married at Lansdowne, CA (2) FRANKLIN LEE who was age 58, also a widower and boatman. He was the son of EDWARD LEE and ANNA BATES. CARRIE, a 56 year old widow, was living in Johnstown, NY but also stated she had been born in Alexandria Bay. Her cemetery marker in the Church St. Cemetery shows a birth date of 1869 but no date of death.

8. WALTER M. COMSTOCK son of THOMAS COMSTOCK and CAROLINE EAGERLY was born in New York on 27 May 1869 and died 24 October 1912 at 48 years. He married ELVA A. PRIEST, who was born 20 August 1866. In some records her name is recorded as ELBA.

Children of WALTER M. COMSTOCK and ELVA A. PRIEST:

16 i. BRAYTON G. COMSTOCK born 1898 d 1915 at Evans Mills, Jefferson Co., NY

17 ii. MARTHA W. COMSTOCK born 1892 and married 8 February 1915 in Jefferson Co., NY to STANLEY CHEESEMAN, son of H. P. CHEESEMAN and SARAH AVERY.

18 i. FREDERICK THOMAS COMSTOCK born 1902

FOOTNOTE: In the 1880 census for THOMAS and CAROLINE COMSTOCK, there is an entry for a “daughter” listed as HATTIE, who was born in 1873. That little girl's name was MATTIE, whose mother was MARTHA COMSTOCK (b 1850 – d 1874), and whose father was JOHN DOBBINS, son of ANDREW and ELIZA (WARREN) DOBBINS. JOHN DOBBINS returned from the Civil War in 1865 in poor health after three years of duty.

He married MARTHA COMSTOCK, daughter of ALPHEUS and RUTH COMSTOCK, shortly after his return. MARTHA was then barely 15 years old.

The couple had three daughters:

1) EMMA COMSTOCK bc 1866-67- went to Wisconsin to live with her grandmother, RUTH (RUSSELL) COMSTOCK COFREN.

2) GEORGIANNA COMSTOCK bc 1872 who married CHRISTOPHER C. O'REILLY of Watertown, NY

3) MATTIE COMSTOCK bc 1873.

JOHN DOBBINS drowned in the St. Lawrence River in February of 1881; there is a marker in the Walton St. Cemetery for him but has no dates. MARTHA (COMSTOCK) DOBBINS died at about 24 years, or about 1874, of unknown causes; no marker has been found for her. Due to the unfortunate early death of MARTHA and the poor health and subsequent death of JOHN DOBBINS, each of their girls was placed with various Comstock families at very young ages.

SOURCES: census records for Wisconsin, New York and Canada; vital records for Wisconsin, NY and Canada; cemetery records, death records and burial records; Child's Directories; W. Carpenter Rappold; T. Caporaso; C. Howe; Dutch Reformed Church records of Alexandria Bay, NY.

For further information, contact:
Marilyn Sapienza

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