Rensselaer William Foote

Artifacts in the Collection

• Materials that were part of the uniforms worn by R.W. Foote consist of a black felt hat, epaulets, a belt and a velvet cadet's cap. These were in two small trunks, mentioned in his last letter to his sister, to be shipped to Delhi, New York.

Journal and Letters

• Journal of Rensselaer William Foote
• Letters of Rensselaer William Foote
  • Letters of Rensselaer William Foote; the 1830s and 40s
  • Letters of Rensselaer William Foote; the 1850s
  • Letters of Rennselaer William Foote; the 1860s
• Obituaries and Other Published Records

The Journal of Rensselaer William Foote was written, mainly in central Florida at various U. S. Army encampments, in 1839-42 when Foote was a young man, in his 20s. He was a Captain, 6th Infantry U.S. Army, in the Seminole Wars. After a term of service that included duty in California, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico and Wyoming territories, he died, æ. 46 at the battle of Gaine’s Mill. It was the first battle he participated in during the American Civil War.

Read the Journal here...

Relics

• Four small, circular Braids of Hair (tied with string and saved in folded paper):
  • Hair, labelled "Eliza Nichols, Creek Indian"
  • Loosely Bound Hair "Malichia"
  • Tightly Tied Circle of Braided Hair "Malachia — Chickasaw"
  • "Phebe, 1847"

Biography

Rensellaer William Foote, was born prob. Delhi, New York [William Rensellaer Foote], 12 Nov., 1815 to Charles Augustus Foote (US Congress from Delhi) and Maria (Margaret) Baldwin. [Foote Fam;205, foote fam rec ms Main Street Museum].

He graduated West Point in 1834 at age 19. Other sources say he graduated in the same class as P.G.T. Beauregard, 1838.

He entered service in the United States 6th Infantry in 1838, where he served in Florida, Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, the "Dakotahs", Arizona and California. Illness called him home to Delhi, New York in 1859-60.

He died at Gaines' Mill, Virginia, 26 June, 1862, æ. 46. Memorial stone at Woodlawn Cemetery, Delhi New York.

Union Soldiers display jaunty headwear at Gaine's Mill, Virginia in 1862.

The Official Record states, [June] 26 to July 1—Seven Days Battles/The Seven Days' Retreat. Army of the Potomac, Maj.-Gen. George B. McClellan commanding, including engagements known as Mechanicsville or Ellison's Mills on the 26th, Gaines’ Mills or Cold Harbor and Chickahominy on the 27th, Peach Orchard and Savage Station on the 29th, White Oak Swamp, also called Charles City Cross Roads, Glendale, Nelson's Farm, Frazier's Farm, Turkey Bend and New Market Cross Roads on the 30th and Malvern Hill…” from his, the Sixth Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. Franklin, there were 245 killed, 1,313 wounded, 1,179 missing. The Sixth Corps, in the entire series of battles lost; Total 1,582 killed. 7,709 wounded, 5,958 missing.

“Capt. in 6th Infantry U.S. Army, Brevet Major and Acting Col. in the first battle in which he took part, and in which he was killed, Gaines’ Mill. Was stationed in Arizona when war broke out." Rensselaer William Foote,8 (Charles Augustus Foote,7 Ebenezer,6 Daniel,5 Nathaniel,4,3,2,1) —Abram W. Foote, Foote Family, p. 205

Chronology of the Life of Rensselaer William Foote

U.S. 6th Infantry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grattan_Massacre

Obituaries and Clippings

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Impression from the signet ring believed to have belonged to Charles A. Foote

Genealogy

Charles Augustus Foote born 1785 to Ebenezer Foote and Jerusha Purdy. He died at Delhi, N. Y. 1828 and is buried “in the private burying ground at “Arbor Hill.” He married 1808, Maria Baldwin, daughter of Jesse Baldwin and Margaretta de Hart of New York City, or Newark, New Jersey.
Children:

• i. Francis Foote, b. 1 Aug., 1809; she d. 27 July, 1891; she m. at ___ 15 Oct.,1832 Charles Marvin, son of Anthony Marvin and Abigail Paine; children:
  • 1. Charles Augustus Marvin, b. 8 July, 1833, d. 31 March, 1840.
  • 2. George Edward Marvin, b. 14 June, 1836, d. at ___ , m. 15 Oct., 1853 Harriet N. Steele [f.f.pp.], daughter of Dr. Eben Steele and Harriet Danforth.
  • 3. Margaret Maxwell Marvin, b. 9 Aug., 1840 [f.f.pp.], d. , m. 28 June, 1871 Isaac Horton Maynard, son of Isaac Horton and Jane Falconer, he was b. at Bovina, N. Y. 9 April, 1838 [ibid.] Their daughter, Frances Maynard, m. David Ford of Rome Georgia and New York City.
• ii. Catherine Bruen Foote, b. 14 Sept., 1811 [f.f.pp.]; died Nov., 1897; “Never married but spent her time and money on good works.” [Foote Gen.;205].
• iii. Harriet Baldwin Foote, b. 1814 [f.f.pp.]; she d. 1814.
• iv. Rensselaer William Foote, b. 12 Nov., 1815.
• v. Charles Augustus Foote, b. 18 March, 1818; died 28 Feb., 1896 at Delhi; married 11 Sept., 1844 Adelia Johnson. children, [Foote Hist;338]:
  • 1. Katherine Adelia Foote, b. 27 Sept., 1845, “Active in local affairs, and with a large social acquaintance outside Delhi. Member of D. A. R. and County Regent for a number of years. Secretary of State Charities Aid for 25 years. Secretary for Columbia Exposition, etc.” [Foote Hist;338]. She was an editor of a book, largely incomprehensible, on her gr. grandfather, Ebenezer Foote.
  • 2. Charles Augustus Foote, b. Feb., 1862, d. Feb., 1862 [Foote Gen.;205].
• vi. James Buren Foote, b. 16 April, 1821; died 13 May, 1910.

The Removal of the Seminole People/Seminole wars

The US government committed almost $40,000,000 to the forced removal of slightly more than 3,000 Maskókî men, women, and children from Florida to Oklahoma. This was the only Indian war in US history in which not only the US army but also the US navy and marine corps participated. Together with the desultory Third Seminole War, a series of skirmishes that took place between 1856 and 1858, the United States spent much of the first half of the 19th century in trying, unsuccessfully, to dislodge about 5,000 Seminoles from Florida.

References

• http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/home.html
• John D. Clarke, Congressman Thirty-fourth District, 1921–1925, Arbor Hill, 1797–1925, with pl. Reprinted from an article by Floyd H. Lincoln and published in “The Walton Reporter,” June 6, 1925.
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1744–1989, Bicentennial Edition, Washington, U S Government Printing Office, 1989 [alphabetical entries]
• Dorman S. Purdy, “Descendants of Francis Purdy”, ms., New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, date, folder number.
• Ebenezer Foote and Spencer, 1802, nypl ms.
• Margaret Maxwell Marvin [Maynard], through Frances Maynard [Ford] pp., copies of Bible of other records of births and marriages. Collection Main Street Museum.
• Katherine Adelia Foote, Ebenezer Foote, the Founder; Being an Epistolary Light on His Time as Shed by Letters From His Files; Selected by his Great Granddaughter... Delhi, 1927.
• Foote Family Record, embroidered sampler showing the children of C. A. Foote, ms. Main Street Museum.
• Abram W. Foote, The Foote Family, Comprising The Genealogy and History of Nathaniel Foote Of Weathersfield, Conn. And His Descendants..., two vols. Rutland, 1907.
• W. H. Munsell & Co. [publishers], History of Delaware County, N.Y., With Illustrations, Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Some Pioneers and Prominent Residents, N.Y.C., 1880.
• Henry R. Stiles, History of Ancient Wethersfield, N. Y., 1904.
• Jay Gould, History
• Mr. Abbot, “The Crisis of the Revolution”

http://www.dcnyhistory.org/cemdelhiwoodland.html

From Woodland Cemetery, Delhi, New York:

• Foote, Katherine, Charles Augustus, Adelia, Capt. Rensselaer W.
• Ford, Frances Maynard, Louisa
• Harris, Lucy Ford
• Maynard, Isaac Horton, Margaret Marvine
• Marvin, Charles Augustus, Francis, Charles, George E., Charles Augustus, (Babies)
• Marvine, Francis, Charles, Charles E., George E.
• Maynard, Isaac Horton, Margaret Marvin