Ebenezer Foote

Impression from the signet ring believed to have belonged to Ebenezer Foote

Genealogy

Ebenezer Foote,6 (Daniel,5 Nathaniel,4,3,2,1)

Ebenezer Foote was born 12 April, 1756 [f.f.pp., Foot Fam;1;93] at ___, N. Y. to Daniel Foote and ___ Parsons [“Ebenezer Foote Born on Monday 12th April, 1756” |Foote Fam. Rec;1]. He died at Delhi, N.Y. 28 Dec., 1829 [Foot Fam;1;93]; buried at Arbor Hill, in Delhi, N.Y. [Foote Family Record;1, 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.] Ebenezer Foote married 10 Oct., 1779 Jerusha Purdy [Foote Fam Rec;1, Foot Fam;1;93], daughter of Abraham Purdy and Phebe Strang; she was born, probably at Rye, Westchester County, N. Y. 6 Dec., 1754 [Desc. Purdy;__]. Note from NYHS: “Jerusha Foote ob. 24 Nov., 1818, æ. 64 “A Dear & tender Mother.” Wh. Pub?

Children born, prob, at Delhi, New York:

1. Frederick Parsons Foote, b. 15 March, 1783 [Foot Fam;1;93, “Frederick Parsons Foote Born 15 March mcccxxxiii” |Foote Fam. Rec;1].
2. Charles Augustus Foote, b. 15 April, 1785 [“Charles Augustus Foote Born 15 April 1785” |Foote Fam. Rec;1]; d. at m. at 1808 Maria Baldwin daughter of Jessie Baldwin and Margaretta de Hart of Manhattan [Foot Fam;1;204]. Children: Frances, Catherine, Rensselaer, Charles, James.
3. Harriet Foote, b. 9 Nov., 1787 [Foote Fam. Rec;1, Foot Fam;1;94]; d. at ___; she m. John Foote, Esq. son of Judge Isaac Foote and Mary Kellogg [Foot Fam;1;198]. John Foote was an Attorney and Counsellor at Law, Solicitor and Counsellor in Chancery and District Court of the United States; d. July 1884, res. Hamilton, N.Y. Children [Foot Fam;1;199]
   1. Acsah Sophia Foote, b. 26 Oct. 1812, d. 19 Feb., 1891 [Foot Fam;1;199]
   2. Margaret Parsons Foote, b. 17 April, 1814, m. 11 Feb. 1834 William Hart Williams, son of Solomon Williams and Hepzibah Hart, he was b. Berkshire, Tioga county N.Y., 10 Dec., 1811 [Foot Fam;1;199]
   3. John Johnson Foote, b. 11 Feb., 1816, m. Mary Crocker [Foot Fam;1;199]
   4. Mary Foote, b. ___ “d. in infancy” [Foot Fam;1;199]
   5. Mary Kellogg Foote, b. 3 Jan., 1819
   6. Caroline Della Foote, b. 26 Aug., 1820, m. John Mitchell, Norwich, N.Y. [Foot Fam;1;199]
   7. Susan Foote, b. 2 April, 1822 m. 19 Aug., 1848 Rev. David A. Peck, Clifton Park, N.Y. [Foot Fam;1;199]
   8. William Johnson Foote, b. ___, d. æ. 3 [Foot Fam;1;199]
   9. Dr. Henry Cady Foote, b. 28 Aug., 1825, m. Ann Elizabeth McKee, daughter of ___, res. Galesburg, Ill. [Foot Fam;1;199]
   10. Frederick William Foote, b. 9 Aug., 1827, m. Esther Young.
   11. George W. Foote, b. 4 July, 1829, m. Harriet Morton [Foot Fam;1;199]
4. Margaret Parsons Foote, b. 9 March, 1790 [Foote Fam. Rec;1]; she died 1840 [Foot Fam;1;95]; she married Rev. Ebenezer Maxwell, son of ___ Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Delhi, N.Y.; he d. July, 1840 [Foot Fam;1;95]. Children, [Foot Fam;1;199]
   1. Ebenezer Foote Maxwell, b. ___; he lives in Delhi, on the place which belonged to his Grandfather Foote, and on which he died [Foot Fam;1;95].

Jerusha Purdy Foote died at Delhi, N.Y., Nov., 1818. [Delhi;d.r.?, g.s., “1818” |Foot Fam;1;93]. Ebenezer Foote married, 2d, 1818 Matilda Rosencranz (Halsey) [Foot Fam;1;93]. Said to be living in Illinios, 1849 [Goodwin].

• References: Chidren listed in Foote Family by Abram Foote, and Foote Family records and papers, collection, Main Street Museum.

Hannah Foote, niece of Ebenezer, married Judge Elijah Miller

Frances Adeline Miller Seward (1805 – June 21, 1865) was born in 1805, the daughter of Judge Elijah Miller and Hannah Foote Miller. (She was the second cousin to Charles A. Foote.) She studied at the Troy Female Seminary (now known as Emma Willard School). She married New York attorney William Henry Seward on October 20, 1824 after meeting through his sister, a classmate, in 1821. In his lifetime, William served as a senator in the New York legislature, Governor of New York, a senator from New York and United States Secretary of State under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.

The couple raised five children:

1. Augustus Henry Seward (1826-1876),
2. Frederick William Seward (1830-1915),
3. Cornelia Seward (1835-1836),
4. William Henry Seward, Jr. (1839-1920)
5. Frances Adeline "Fanny" Seward (1844-1866).
6. Some years after his wife's death, in 1870, William formally adopted his companion Olive Risley Seward (1841-1908).

On April 14, 1865, her husband and two of their sons, Frederick and Augustus, and Fanny, were injured in an assassination attempt on her husband in their house. The man responsible for this ordeal was Lewis Powell a.k.a. Lewis Paine, an associate of John Wilkes Booth who had shot and killed President Abraham Lincoln the same day. The attack put Frances into a state of great anxiety about her family. She thought that Frederick would die of his injuries, although he survived. She died on June 21, 1865 of a heart attack. The events of April 14 undoubtedly hastened her death.

References Doris Kearns Goodwin. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (2005).

Biography

Foot Fam;1;93:

At Nineteen Ebenezer Foote was found with the Minute Men at Bunker Hill; made sergeant of the Second Conn.; was at Trenton and Valley Forge; taken prisoner at the battle of Fort Washington, and confined to the old Bridwell, managed to escape, and by means of a plank found on the shore swam the Hudson in the month of December, but the exposure brought on a severe illness, and he never again could engage in active service. His patriotism, however, would not allow him to remain an outsider, and we next find him in the Commissary Department at General Washington’s headquarters on the Hudson, where he remained until his health again forced his resignation just before the close of the war. He saw much of Washington; was temporarily on his Staff, and retired with the rank of Major. One of the most interesting events of his life is well related by Mr. Abbot, in his delightful work entitled “The crisis of the Revolution,” when Capt. Foote, in the early morning of Sept. 22, 1780, for a few moments held the fate of that gallant soldier, Major Andre, in his hands. As officer in command at Crompond, Capt. Foote scanned the pass produced by Andre, but knowing Benedict Arnold and his writing well, and seeing that his appended signature was correct, allowed the party to proceed. After the war Major Foote engaged in a large mercantile and shipping business at Newburgh, N.Y., with his brother Justin, who later married Marie Evertson, whose sister had just married Governor Smith of Conn. Major Foote, whose duties at headquarters caused him to ride much and far, had met and married the charming young Jerusha Purdy, of Yorktown, Westchester, N.Y., and from old tales and letter she appears to have remained a fascinator until her death. Mr. Foote was for a long time Member of Assembly from Ulster, and was largely instrumental in procuring the setting off of Delaware Co., where he came to reside in Aug., 1797. He was Co. Clerk for a number of years, conducted an extensive land agency, and three times was appointed First or Presiding Judge, as well as acting for a short time as puisne on the bench. He represented the old Middle District for four years in the Senate of the Sate; was nominated for Congress, but other duties forced him to decline; sat in the council of Appointment with Gov. Jay, and enjoyed his friendship and confidence. (See Jay Gould’s History) In 1798 the Co. town was erected, and Judge Foote, as chief citizen, was appointed by the Legislature to name it. Not particularly desiring the honor, he said to his intimate friends at Albany, the Patroon, Gen. Schuyler, etc., “I think I shall decline.” They all belonged to a small club, each member bearing some fanciful name; Senator Foote’s was “The Great Mogul,” and his fellow members said, “We shall name it for you, and call it after your city, ‘Delhi’,” which was done, to the great annoyance of Gen. Root, a prominent man and politician, who had also come to reside in the place, and wished much to have the privilege of giving the name. As Speaker of the House in 1801, he gained great credit for his “dignity and courtesy.” At Delhi he assisted in organizing St. John’s Church and an Academy, which for many years enjoyed a wide reputation; of the one he was made the first Senior Warden, of the other, the first President of the Board of Trustees. In the issue of Jan. 7, 1830, “The Commercial Advertiser,” New York City, (See Life of Samuel Foote) in an extended notice of his death, speaks of his integrity, of his prominence in the State, and of his beautiful mansion, Arbor Hill, on the banks of the Delaware, and of the long list of eminent men who enjoyed from time to time its hospitality. A man refined, honest and honorable in all his ways.

His niece, Roxanna, married Lyman Beecher, and became the mother of Henry Ward and Mrs. H.B. Stowe. A grand-niece married William Seward, Governor [of New York] and [United States] Secretary of State [during the Civil War].

“How it was Named Delhi,” Hist Dela;449: Judge Foote, who was in the Legislature of 1796–97 from Ulster county, was instrumental in the formation of Delaware county, and was much interested, with many others, in the location of its county seat. The judge was appointed, from his earnest support of the formation of the new county, to give a name to the town so soon to be brought forth, and the clique with which he boarded and was intimate requested him to allow them to suggest a name; he consented. His nick-name was “The Great Mogul,” and they, knowing he was to reside here, suggested the name of Delhi, that being the city of the Mogul, and he, agreeable to his promise, so named it. This is the proper account, and will explain why so singular a name appears among the many that followed naturally. A former history of this county gives a ludicrous scene that occurred among other warm friends of the new county, who wished the name to be “Mapleton.” General Erastus Root, who was an impulsive gentleman, and leader of those who insisted upon the latter name, when told that the name should be Delhi, said: “Del-hi—hell-hi! Better call it Foote high!” The name was thus given, and the town formed took rank among sister towns in the general work of the new county.

"It is a certainty that Major Foote had the esteem and respect of the public at large to such an extent as few men of his time could boast of. “Arbor Hill” was another word for hospitality and its guest over a period of years number many of the famous men and women of that age. The Van Rensselaers and the Livingstons were friends of the Foote family. General Schuyler, with whom Major Foote had formed a friendship while in the army, came on different occasions to visit at “Arbor Hill.” Martin Van Buren, already famous as a lawyer and state politician and beginning to be known nationally, was another who was entertained by Major Foote. DeWitt Clinton, the brilliant young statesman,destined to have his name permanently fixed in the annals of this country as the builder of the Erie Canal, was a guest of the Major’s. Aaron Burr, one of history’s most tragic figures, crossed the threshold of “Arbor Hill” on at least one occasion."

• Floyd H. Lincoln, Arbor Hill, Fraser, Delaware Co., N.Y., Residence of John D. Clarke, Congressman Thirty-Fourth District, 1921–1925, “reprinted from an article by Floyd H. Lincoln and published in The Walton Reporter, June 6, 1925.

Letters

Letters transcribed here were stored in a trunk of the belongings of R.W. Foote, Charles A. Foote, Charles Marvine and others, along with the genealogical papers of Catherine Adelia Foote, assembled by her in the early to mid-twentieth century. There are also newspapers clippings and business receipts from Ebenezer Foote. Altho a number of papers and significant autographs connected to both Ebenezer and Charles Augustus Foote were sold at auction in the 1940s by Frances Maynard Ford and now reside in the Library of Congress, Washington D.C., a substantial amount of ms material remains with descendants of the family. Not surprisingly, the majority of the letters and other material deal with family subjects.

Letter from James D.L. Walton to Ebenezer Foote, 24 October, 1823, from the collections of the SUNY College at Oneonta, New York

See a scan of the letter here. New York October 24th. 1823
My dear Sir
I arrived safely at Home the 18th Int. without any inconvenience from my Jaunt, except a Slight Cold taken on board the Steam boat, all my Friends think I have improved in Looks, and I can say, with additional stock of Health from inhaling pure Mountain Air & enjoying the good Fare of Arbor Hill, the remembrance of your Friendly Attention and that of the whole Circle remains strongly impreSsed on my mind, it may induce me to pay you another Visit at a more convenient Season. I delivered your Letter for Mr D. Bethune to his lady, he was absent from the City, the one for Mr. Ledyard into her own hands. I inclose one from her. I have put on board the Sloop Superior Captn. Day, a Box of Spermaceti Candles, a Barrel containing a Supply of Coffee for your Breakfast finding you prefer it to Tea, among the contents, of the Cask I have put a Box of Gun Powder for Mrs. Foote don't fear an Explosion, it will only raise Steam, and I hope she and her Friends will enjoy it in the Evenings before a Comfortable fire, I turned Physician while at the Hill and prescribed Cologne Water for the Tooth Ache with SucceSs, there is a Box of it, with the Gun Powder which Mrs. Foote will be pleased to use for the Benefit of herself and Friends as may be required for Various Pains Human Nature is Subject to, a small Box of Segars to replenish the Store I aSsisted in diminishing, & to enable you and Mr. Maxwell to enjoy a social Puff, you will find a small paper Bundle with Melon Seed the smallest parcel contains seed of a Small & Very superior Flavored Melon, the rest are Citron and Nutmeg Melon Seed, wishing them safe to hand & acceptable as a Present from Judge Verplanck & myself as a trifling acknowledgment for attentions & Services rendered to us. My Sister writes in regards with us to yourself & Family ___ in particular to Mr. & Mrs. Maxwell, the Coll. & & & Yours with Esteem James D L Walton
P.S. Captn. Walton regard to the Circle at Arbor Hill E. Foote Esqr. —

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

Abbreviations and Citations

• Dela;b.r., d.r., m.r., g.s: Delaware (county) Birth Record, death record, marriage record, grave stone
• Delhi;b.r., d.r., m.r., g.s.: Delhi, N. Y. (town) Birth, Death, Marriage Record, .grave stone
• fff: Frances Foote [Ford] pp., copies of Bible of other records of births and marriages poss. of Jane and Maynard Ford, photocopy of the ed.

Foote Fam Rec. 1: Foote Family Record, in the form of a sampler showing the children of C. A. Foote, poss. of Jane and Maynard Ford, Fitchburg, Mass., 1996.

References

• Floyd H. Lincoln, Arbor Hill, Fraser, Delaware Co., N.Y., Residence of John D. Clarke, Congressman Thirty-Fourth District, 1921–1925, “reprinted from an article by Floyd H. Lincoln and published in The Walton Reporter, June 6, 1925.
• History of Delaware County, New York, ___
• Mr. W. Abbot, “The crisis of the Revolution; the Story of Arnold and André.” New York. 1899.

Jay Gould. History of Delaware County, and Border Wars of New York: containing a sketch of the early settlements in the county, and a history of the late anti-rent difficulties in Delaware : with other historical and miscellaneous matter. Keany & Gould. 1856.

• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1744–1989, Bicentennial Edition, Washington, U S Government Printing Office, 1989 [alphabetical entries]
• Floyd H. Lincoln, Arbor Hill, 1797–1925, John D. Clarke, Congressman Thirty-fourth District, 1921–1925, with pl. Reprinted from an article published in “The Walton Reporter,” June 6, 1925.

Dorman S. Purdy, “Descendants of Francis Purdy”, ms., New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. 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 Fam;__: Abram W. Foote, The Foote Family, Comprising The Genealogy and History of Nathaniel Foote Of Weathersfield, Conn. And His Descendants..., two vols. Rutland, 1907; volume and age number Ebenezer Foote and Spencer, Letters, 1802, nypl *KF Hist Dela;__: W.H. Munsell & Co. [publishers], History of Delaware County, N.Y., With Illustrations, Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Some Pioneers and Prominent Residents /1797–1880/, N.Y.C., 1880.

• Henry R. Stiles, History of Ancient Weathersfield, N. Y., 1904; page number.
• Marv rec;1 Family records of Charles Marvine family apparently copied from a Bible, black edged letter stationary, provenance: Francis and Charles Marvine, Margaret Marvine Maynard, Frances Maynard Ford, Maynard and Jane Ford, David Ford II.

Marv Bible;2: Bible belonging to Charles Marvine and family, dated in pen on end-papers, “Delhi, Jany 24 1853.” Collection, Ford Family. n.d.: no date, n.p.: no page