PIONEER JAMES SEARLES FAMILY

1. JAMES SEARLES son of CONSTANT AND HANNAH (MINER) SEARLES was b 4 Aug 1769 Little Compton, Newport Co, RI d 1847 at Ellisburg, N.Y.

CONSTANT SEARLES b 1723 at Little Compton RI married 1751 at Stonington, New London, CT to HANNAH MINER. Searles children: William, Hannah, Constant, Elizabeth, Constant (2), Rev. Roger, Ruth, Sarah, JAMES, Benoni and Robert. Their son, JAMES came to Ellisburg, Jefferson Co., NY and opened a store there with William Searles. It is not clear if William was his son or brother. James Searles came to Ellisburg about 1820 from Vermont and opened a store in Ellisburg where others in the family continued the storekeeping tradition.

James and his two wives are buried in Ellisburg. He married 25 August 1793 in Providence, RI, his first wife,

ABIGAIL THURSTON b 1775 d 23 March 1833 at Ellisburg, N.Y. Her parents were: WILLIAM THURSTON (1747-1782), who it is believed died at sea, and PRISCILLA NORMAN.

He married (2) MARTHA_____b 1775, d 1842 buried in Ellisburg, NY James and his two wives are buried in Ellisburg. Children:

     2    i    MARY ANN SEARLES b 18 Mar 1795 (Smithfield RI) m (1) Jan 1815 1)STEPHEN MARTIN; (2) WILLIAM DENNISON

     3   ii    LUCIA SEARLES b 27 Dec 1796 (RI) d 1861 m Oct 1824 RUFUS PARKS

     4  iii    FANNY SEARLESb 16 Mar 1799 (RI) d 1836 Woodside Cem Ellisburg m 16 July 1822 CALVIN CLARK d 1842 @ 49 yrs

     5   iv    JOHN M. SEARLES b 7 Dec 1801 (Mendon, MA) d 1862 m 21 Feb 1828 PHILOMELIA STODDARD

     6    v    PRISCILLA SEARLES b 9 Apr 1804 (Bennington, VT) d 1881 at 78 m 7 Dec 1838 CALVIN CLARK (widower of her sister Fannie?)

     7   vi    JAMES HARVEY SEARLES b 4 May 1806 (Bennington, VT) d 1860 Ellisburg NY at 53 y 10 m 26 d m 4 May 1830 MARTHA (GOTT) RANSOM b 1810 d 1885 at Ellisburg NY

     8  vii   WILLIAM THURSTON SEARLES b 1808 d 1864 at Ellisburg NY married 1838 (1) LAURILLA WILLIAMS D 1862 Ellisburg (2) LUCINDA (BRICKNELL) WHITE b 1824/1826 d 1901 at Ellisburg, NY  

     9   viii    ELIZABETH THURSTON SEARLES b 20 Dec 1811 (VT) d 19 Feb 1862 m June 1833 EDWARD B. HAWES

    10    ix   MOSES B. THURSTON SEARLESb 9 Feb 1814 (VT) m 1840 MARY ANN PRIMMER

    11   x    BERNARD D. SEARLES b 22 Aug 1815 (Colerain, MA) d 1888 @ 73 y 1 m 16 days m 23 Dec 1843 SOPHIA HARVEY

    12  iii    ABIGAIL (Abbie) SEARLES b 2 Oct 1816 (Colerain, MA) d 1893 m 9 Jan 1838 CAPT. LEWIS N. THOMAS b 1818, son of IRA THOMAS b 1779 and LUCY ALLEN b 1799 in Vermont. ABBIE and LEWIS THOMAS are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery at Henderson, NY

     7   vi    JAMES HARVEY SEARLES b 4 May 1806 (Bennington, VT) d 1860 Ellisburg NY at 53 y 10 m 26 d m 4 May 1830 MARTHA (GOTT) RANSOM b 1810 d 1885 at Ellisburg NY

     13   i   MARTHA ELIZA SEARLES b 23 Apr 1837 Ellisburg m 2 Sept 1856 ROBERT BOGARDUS of Belleville, Jefferson Co.

     14    ii    JAMES H. SEARLES b 6 Aug 1832 and removed to Rome, NY 1857 m (1) FRANCES BARILLA WEBSTER d 1869 at 39 y 5 m Ellisburg, NY; m( 2) ELOISE CATHERINE RUMNEY

      Family Notes:

William Thurston, father of Abigail Thurston Searles, served in the Revolutionary War.

Constant Searles, father of James Searles, served in the Revolutionary War, as did the son, Constant, Jr.

Sources: DAR Index, VIR Stonington/Norwich CT, cemetery and tombstone records, Searles Genealogy, Jefferson Co. Bibliography

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For further information, contact: Marilyn Sapienza