Posts Tagged ‘Aaron Burr and Comfort Tyler’

The Troy Irish Genealogical Society (TIGS) is charging forward with their massive indexing project of all things Troy.  Your ancestors certainly do not have to have been Irish to be included in these collections.  TIGS members are working hard constantly making things easier to find the obscure clue that you might need to locate your ancestor that is hiding behind that brick wall.

I particularly like the note at the bottom about one of my favorite Vice Presidents.  Well most interesting anyway.

This has been posted on several NYS mail lists and I know that Bill has asked me before to make announcements for them.

THE TROY NEWSPAPER PROJECT

A multi volume Index of Death and Marriage Records
transcribed from various Troy, NY newspapers

“A.  The Troy Daily Press is the THIRD newspaper to be added to the Troy Irish Genealogy Website.  The records for this paper cover 131 deaths and 460 names on the marriages during the period February 11, 1833 through June 30, 1834.  These records will be of great interest to genealogy researchers since the information in this data base predates the 1880 New York State law requiring the reporting of death and marriage records.  These records may help with breaking down some of those “brick walls” that you have been struggling with.  Also, the residence reported on the marriage records will be of interest as it shows numerous cities and towns throughout New York State as well as Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and other states.

B.    You can view these  records by going to the Troy Irish Genealogy  website at: www.rootsweb.com/~nytigs/ and click on  PROJECTS and then click on THE TROY NEWSPAPER PROJECT.   It should be noted that these records, like most of the TIGS data series, cover the general population in the area and are NOT restricted to Irish surnames.

C.  Transcribers are currently working on the Troy Post paper covering the years 1846-1851,  also the Troy Sentinel covering years 1823-1832 and the Daily Whig for years 1834-1851.  If anyone would like to be a transcriber on this project they can send an email OFF LIST to seamus@nycap.rr.com

D.  Your attention is called to one of the interesting marriage records listed.   On July 5, 1833, at the age of 77, Col. Aaron Burr married Mrs. Eliza Jumel. Eliza was the extremely wealthy widow of Stephen Jumel.  When she realized her fortune was dwindling from her husband’s land speculations, they separated after only four months. The divorce between Burr and Jumel was completed on September 14, 1836, the day of Burr’s death.

Regards,

Bill McGrath
TIGS Project Coordinator
Clifton Park, NY”

As an additional bit of information, you might be interested to know that Aaron Burr and one of the pioneer settlers of Onondaga County, Col. Comfort Tyler, were friends and banded together in 1807 with Tyler as Burr’s chief of military and they were headed down the Ohio River in 1807 to take over what is now parts of Mexico, Arizona and New Mexico with a plan to start a new country.

The whole bunch of Burr’s militia were all arrested by federal troops near Blennerhassett Island and put in stockade.  Burr was tried for treason in Virginia and was released when the court found insufficient proof, at which time Comfort Tyler and about 40 to 50 of their soldiers, mostly Revolutionary War veterans from Onondaga and Cayuga counties,  were released and allowed to return to their homes.

Tyler soon moved to Montezuma, New York and started making salt there.  Burr became one of the primary investors in the Cayuga Bridge Company which allowed goods, including Tyler’s salt, to reach out to the hungry western markets.

You may read our other post about the Troy Irish Genealogy Society by clicking the link provided.