Revolutionary War Veteran Noah Davenport - 52 Ancestors: #5

For this week's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge from blogger Amy Crow Johnson of No Story Too Small, the theme is "Plowing Through." I decided to use this theme to look for an ancestor who lived through snowy winters in a northern state. I realized that I have never fully explored the life of my 4th great grandfather, Noah Davenport, who lived most of his adult life in upstate New York.

Noah Davenport was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island, on August 17, 1758, to Oliver and Mary (____) Davenport.

He served in the Revolutionary War and there is a wealth of information provided in his Revolutionary War Pension application, which I found at Ancestry.com. He enlisted in May 1778 when he was living in Lebanon, Connecticut. He served as a private in several different enlistments between 1778 and 1780. He applied for his pension from Harpersfield, Delaware County, New York in 1832.

Noah Davenport married Lydia Metcalf in Bozrah-Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, on September 23, 1784.

Noah and Lydia moved to Columbia County, New York soon after their marriage, as their first child was born there in April 1785. They had eight children: Frances (Fanny), William, Lydia, Erastus, Ira, (Henriette) Marie, Charles, and Lucy.

The decennial U.S. Census from 1790 until 1840 only displayed the head of household and I find Noah Davenport in 1790, 1800, 1810, in Hillsdale, Columbia County, N.Y. By 1820, he was in Harpersfield, Delaware County, N.Y. and in 1830, he is in nearby Stamford, Delaware County. In the 1840 census, Noah Davenport is listed as Revolutionary War veteran in the household of son-in-law, Nicholas N. Champlin, in Stamford.

Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services, Included in the Foregoing
Noah Davenport [age] 82

Noah Davenport died later that summer, on August 13, 1840.

I did some searching at the wonderful Fulton History website, hoping to find an obituary, and instead, I found a legal notice (luckily two copies since they're both hard to read) that lists all of the children, which requests that they appear for the reading of the will on November 5, 1840. This legal notice, in the Albany Evening Journal for both October 2 and October 8 is transcribed as follows:

   The people of the state of New York, to Lydia Davenport, widow of Noah Davenport, deceased, of the town of Stamford, in the county of Delaware and state of New York, Fanny Davis, wife of Orlando Davis, of the town of Sherburne, in the county of Chenango and state aforesaid, William Davenport of Austerlitz, in the county of Columbia and state aforesaid, Lydia Hotchkiss, widow of Joseph Hotchkiss, deceased, of the town of Harpersfield, in the said county of Delaware, Erastus Davenport of the same place, Ira Davenport of the town of Hornellsville, in the county of Steuben and state aforesaid, Maria Dayton, wife of Abel Dayton, junior, of the said town of Harpersfield, Charles Davenport of the town of Angelica, in the county of Allegany and state aforesaid, and Lucy Champlin, wife of Nicholas N. Champlin, of the said town of Stamford, heirs at law and next of kin to the said Noah Davenport, late of Stamford, in the said county of Delaware, deceased.
   You and each of you are hereby cited and required, personally to be and appear before our surrogate of our county of Delaware, at his office in the village of Delhi, in said county, on the fifth day of November next, at ten o’clock to the forenoon, to attend the probate of the last will and testament of the real and personal estate of said Noah Davenport, deceased, which will then and there be offered for that purpose, on the application of Erastus Davenport, as executor named in said will.
   Given under the hand and seal of office of our said surrogate at the village of Delhi, aforesaid, the 14th day of September, 1840.
                                                                         CHAS. HATHAWAY, Surrogate

So his children, listed in order of age, and where they resided in 1840:
Fanny Davis, wife of Orlando Davis [her second husband], Sherborne, Chenango County
William Davenport, Austerlitz, Columbia County
Lydia Hotchkiss, widow of Joseph Hotchkiss, Harpersfield, Delaware County
Erastus Davenport, Harpersfield, Delaware County
Ira Davenport, Hornellsville, Steuben County
Maria Dayton, wife of Abel Dayton, Jr., Harpersfield, Delaware County
Charles Davenport, Angelica, Allegany County
Lucy Champlin, wife of Nicholas N. Champlin, Stamford, Delaware County

See a photograph of his tombstone here.

I descend from Noah Davenport as follows:

Noah Davenport
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Frances (Fanny) Davenport
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James Monroe Adsit
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Charles Chapin Adsit
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Elizabeth Adsit
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Charles McAlpin Pyle, Jr.
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Me