Paul Sturdevant (c. 1781-1846) of Wilkesport

Paul STURDEVANT (who in 1846 signed his name with just that spelling on his will) was reportedly married to Lydia EDDY (b. 1785 in Danby, Rutland County, Vermont, United States). Paul is a very elusive ancestor. Very little is known about him other than from Wilkesport historic articles of through family-related history. In a 1900 Kimball, St. Clair County, Michigan census, Paul’s son, Hamlet, declares that his father was born in Pennsylvania. Paul’s great-grandson, Dr. Donald Hugh McRAE (son of Jacob Sturdevant’s daughter Susannah and William McRae), in an interview with researcher Barbara BROWN ALLEN, explained that Paul STURDEVANT was born in New York State and was in the lumber business “before the war” (possibly the War of 1812). Paul procured a contract with the EDDY family of New York. According to researcher, Gerald GUEST, Paul's family was hired by the EDDY family (of Eddy Shipping) to build a ship. The Eddys were staunch Quakers. According to The Sprague Family Centennial Celebration, (p. 27), Jacob EDDY was town clerk of Danby Vermont in 1785. He was the leader in the movement of Quakers, including Ebenezer SPRAGUE and Asa SPRAGUE (his brothers-in-law) to East Hamburg, Erie County, New York (now Orchard Park). Jacob’s daughter, Lydia, and young Paul were attracted to one another and apparently ran away together. Another researcher, Harold DOAN, has searched the Meeting Minutes for the Pelham Quakers and discovered that Lydia STARDIPHANT/STURDIPHANT, formerly EDDY, of Danby, Vermont was disciplined for marrying outside the faith. Reference is made in minutes for November 5, 1807, July 6, 1808, and May 3, 1809, the last including the reference to “marrying out.” To date, this is the only reference to the marriage of Paul STURDEVANT and Lydia EDDY that has been located. (It should be noted that Dr. McRAE always referred to his great-grandmother as Julia, not Lydia.)

Although there are many people researching the STURDEVANT surname, by this and many other spellings, very few actually lay claim to Paul and Lydia as their ancestors. If you have information about this STURDEVANT line or can in any way link Paul to another line or another family name, please contact me through this blog or via my e-mail address which you can find in my profile at the right.

Early Wilkesport Settlers

Our family goes back to some of the very first settlers in Wilkesport -- even before the town developed and was named after the Wilkes Brothers. According to Sombra Township history, Paul Sturdevant was one of the earliest to arrive in that swampy, wooded area of Sombra Township. He returned with his sons -- Jacob, Ira, Horace, Hiram, and Hamlet (whom I recently discovered was named James Hamlet). Our own family is descended from Hiram who married Dorcas SELMAN, daughter of Spencer SELMAN and Elizabeth TRILL. Jacob reportedly married three times -- Edna SALISBURY, Sarah WALKER, Mariann WALKER -- but I have located no actual documents to support any of these marriages. Ira married Susan GRESON/GRASON and later Julianne Emma WINFIELD who was previously married to Fredrick S. PRESTON and James "Henry" SALISBURY; Horace married Elizabeth CLIPPERTON; Hamlet married Sarah Ann HENSHAW/HANSHAW and later moved to St. Clair County, Michigan. Following the early death of Dorcas, Hiram married Ellen SALISBURY.

There is much mystery around Lydia (EDDY) STURDEVANT, Paul's wife. No records have as yet been found to place her in Ontario -- then Upper Canada and later Canada West. Family stories tell of her coming to the area but no evidence has yet been located. She was from Vermont and, after marrying Paul, moved for a time to New York State from whence Paul and sons came around 1825-1830.

After many years of research and making many contacts with other Paul STURDEVANT researchers and descendants, I have discovered the vast array of names from the Wilkesport/Sombra area linked to the STURDEVANTs. The BROWNs seems connected as they often act as witnesses to Sturdevant events or vice-versa but the connection has not yet been established.

Paul himself died in 1846 and it was through his will that the link with the Grason family was made. His housekeeper, Anna Grason, was also his executrix. Vague mention was made of Paul's own children who were young adults by then but none was specifically named. He did, however, leave land to both Anna Grason and her children who were by then "known by the surname Sturdevant." These included: Thomas; Sarah Jane, who married Nelson WILSON; and Anna, who married David Edward SHEPPARD/SHEPHARD.

Other surnames in this family include ANDERSON, BURDEN, MC RAE, BARNOTT, BEST, HARKNESS, HARKINS, HAYES, HENRY, JENNINGS, KENNEDY, KITCHEN, LESTER, RAMSAY, SEXSMITH, SHAW, THORNE, TUCKER, TYRRELL, WADE, WATSON, YOUNG and many more.

Please help me find new information or correct erroneous facts.

Let's use this blog to help others learn about their families, to help ourselves learn more about our own, and to share the history of the area through family and community anecdotes.