French Family Association

The Official Website of the Surname French

The Hannibal French House, 186 Main St., Sag Harbor, Long Island, NY, built in 1799.
See photos of the Hannibal French House.

Chart #207, Peter French, 1793
his son Hannibal French, 1817
Sag Harbor, Long Island, NY

First Generation

http://www.frenchfamilyassoc.com/FFA/CHARTS/Chart207/

This chart updated by Mara French on 5/10/15. Send any corrections or comments to this chart to marafrench@mindspring.com. Although this is not my line, I make additions to it, and you will be notified when your data or someone else’s data is added. An asterisk (*) shows continuation of that line.

Links

FFA Home Page

Peter French Home Page

First Generation

Second Generation

Third Generation

Fourth Generation

Fifth Generation

Sixth Generation

Bibliography

First Generation

1.1* Peter French, b. 19 Feb 1793 (for location of his birth, see Origin of this Family), d. 6 Mar 1845 in Sag Harbor at age 52, buried at Oakland Cemetery. Peter is the earliest French buried at this cemetery.

Marriage

Peter m. Sarah “Sally” Smith ca. 1816 when he was age 23 and she was age 17. Sally was b. 1 Mar 1799 in Orange Co., NY, d. 15 Sep 1875 in Sag Harbor, age 76. Her father was Selah Smith who was buried near both Peter and Sally in the Oakland Cemetery. See Selah Smith.

Chronology

1793 Feb 19 – Peter was born 19 Feb 1793.

1800 census – no French in NY; Peter was not a head of household as he was only 7; his father nor any French is listed.

1810 census -- no French in NY; Peter was not a head of household as he was only 17; his father nor any French is listed.

1816 -- Peter m. Sarah “Sally” ca. 1816; she was b. 1 Mar 1799 in Orange Co., NY and was 17 when she married, she d. 15 Sep 1875 in Sag Harbor, age 76, 30 years after Peter died, but she did not remarry.

1817 Oct 13 – Son Hannibal (first child) was born in Orange County, NY.

1820 census, Peter was head of household, of New York Ward 6, NY, NY:

2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 – last mark shows Peter was in manufacturing
2 males under 10, sons born 1810-1820 – Hannibal, b. 1817; Abel Smith French, 1819
1 male 26-44, b. 1776-1794, Peter was b. 1793
1 female 26-44, b. 1776-1794, Sally was b. 1799

1830 census, in Riverhead, Suffolk Co., NY

2 males under 5, b. 1825-1830, Chauncey, Stephen
2 males 10-14, b. 1816-1820, Hannibal, Abel
1 male 30-39, 1791-1800, Peter, b. 1793
1 female 30-39, 1791-1800, Sarah, b. 1799

1831 – Moved from Riverhead to Sag Harbor, Suffolk Co., NY. Peter was 38 years old. Peter kept a store near the wharf as per “History of Suffolk County, NY”.

1838 Oct 29 – from “The Corrector” semi-weekly Sag Harbor Newspaper.

1840 census, Peter was head of household, Southampton, Suffolk Co., NY, page 1 of 76. All these residents were free and white; 24 of them were employed in navigation of the ocean, and 4 were employed in commerce. The 2 remaining were the young children under 5. Other related surnames who appear are Wade, Fordham, Hedges, Smith, Babcock, and Hand, these and the other names come from England. In 1840, Sag Harbor may have been referred to as Southampton.

1 male under 5, b. 1835-1840, Peter Jr., b. 1838
2 males 10-15, b. 1825-1830, Chauncey, Stephen
2 males 15-20, b. 1820-1825,
10 males 20-30, b. 1810-1820, Hannibal, Abel,
5 males 30-40, b. 1800-1810,
2 males 40-50, b. 1790-1800, Peter Sr., b. 1793
1 male 50-60, b. 1780-1790,
2 males 60-70, b. 1770-1780,
1 female under 5, b. 1835-1840, Sarah
1 female 5-10, b. 1830-1835, Fanny, Anna
1 female 15-20, b. 1820-1825,
1 female 30-40, b. 1800-1810,
1 female 40-50, b. 1790-1800, Sally, b. 1799

1841 Aug 25 – Letter written by Peter French and signed by him.

1845 Mar 6 – Peter died in Sag Harbor at age 52, buried at Oakland Cemetery. He was born 19 Feb 1793, died age 52. His wife, Sarah, did not remarry.

Buried at the Oakland Cemetery, Sag Harbor, in the same area are: Mary A. Hand French, Forrest H. French, Cornelia French Round, Sally French McLaughlin, Howard Bascock, Sarah French Babcock, Henry A. Babcock, A. Smith French, Peter French Sr. (the earliest French in this cemetery, born 1793), Chancey H. French, Anna E. French Hinds, Sally French, Col. Peter French Jr., Josephine Bonaparte French, Fanny E. French, Selah Smith, and Ella Hinds.

1850 census, Peter had died, and Sarah was head of household, living in Southampton, Suffolk, NY:

Sarah French, 52
Anna French, 17 (she died 8 years later)
Smith French, 28, b. 1822, was Abel Smith French
Stephen B. French, 22
Sarah F. French, 14
Peter French, 12
Josephine French, 7

1860 census – Southampton, Suffolk Co, NY

Sally French, age 61, b. 1799 NY
A. Smith French, age 40, b. 1820 NY
Sarah French, age 24, b. 1836 NY
Josephine French, age 19, b. 1841 NY
Peter A. French, age 22, b. 1838 NY
Ella Hines, age 5, b. 1855

1870 census – Sally is 71 and lives in Sag Harbor with her sons Abel S. 50 and a mariner, and Peter 32 and a miller, and daughter Josephine 28 with no occupation, living next door to her son Hannibal and daughter-in-law Cornelius and their family. Also living with Sally was Ella Hinds, age 15, the daughter of Sally’s daughter Anna who died, and members of the Babcock family including Sally’s sister Sarah French Babcock. Everyone, including Sally, was born in New York.

1875 Sep 15 -- Sarah “Sally” d. 15 Sep 1875 in Sag Harbor, age 76. She was born 19 Feb 1793, died at age 77.

Selah Smith

Selah Smith was buried near his daughter at the Oakland Cemetery in Sag Harbor. He was born 8 Dec 1776, and died 12 Mar 1844. He was our first clue to going back another generation. The problem with researching him is that many members of his family had this same name and the generations overlapped each other; thereby making it difficult to differentiate these men.

NOTE: Quite a number of men were named Selah Smith; this documentation covers those who “might” be the father of Peter’s wife Sarah Smith, and includes many duplicates that need to be weeded out.

Revolutionary War

“A” Selah Smith appears in the Revolutionary War in Massachusetts with pensioner Mary Smith as his wife.

Research

One man named Selah Smith lived in Brooklyn, Kings County, NY where his name appears in the Evening Post of NY on 5 Feb 1819 where “an” Ann Smith advertises to let or lease a tavern and livery stable, lately occupied by Selah Smith, deceased, situated in Fulton Street, Brooklyn, near the steam boat ferry. He was not Peter French’s father-in-law who died in 1844, but he could have been Selah Smith’s father, and Ann Smith could have been Selah Smith’s mother.

Census

Three men named Selah Smith appear in the 1790 census:

1736-1779 – Claudius Smith was born in 1736 in Suffolk County, NY, and died by hanging in 1779 in Goshen, Orange County, NY. He m. Harriett Hulse and had 4 sons, Samuel, William, James, Richard. No word of a Selah.

Revolutionary War -- During Revolutionary days the inhabitants of Orange County were terrorized by the depredations of Claudius Smith, a notorious outlaw, and his gang of ruffians, who were known as cowboys. Smith was indicted on three charges, one of which was the murder of Major Strong. Rewards were offered by Governor Clinton, and Smith was taken captive at Smithtown, L. I., by Major Brush. He was given into the custody of Colonel Isaac Nichol, sheriff of Orange County, and on January 22, 1779, was publicly executed at the west corner of church park in Goshen, with two other criminals, De La Mar, a burglar, and Gordon, a horse thief. On the gallows near the same spot forty years later two others were publicly put to death for murder.

1776 Dec 8 – Selah Smith was born.

1790 census -- Goshen, Orange County, NY, living in a family of 8:
1 male under 16, born after 1775.
2 males over 16, b. before 1774, Selah Smith
5 females, wife.

1790 census -- Selah Smith appears in Smithtown, Suffolk County, NY, living alone, male age 16 or older, born before 1776 or before. As the name indicates, the surname Smith was very abundant.

1790 census -- Selah Smith appears in Brook Haven, Suffolk County, NY, living with a female, and he was age 16 or older.

1799 -- “All History of the City of Brooklyn, New York, shows that Selah Smith had a tavern. He is on the New York Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates in 1799 in Goshen, Orange County, NY. On this same list of 18 pages, no French is listed. In the same year, he is also listed on the 1799 tax assessment list of Brookhaven, Suffolk, NY, and Huntington, Suffolk, NY, and Smithtown, Suffolk, NY. In 1800 he is listed on the tax assessment list of Brookline, Kings County, NY, which was later called Brooklyn. He is listed on the 1800 tax list of Brookline, Goshen, Brookhaven, Huntington, Smithtown, and Mamakating. On the 1801 tax list, he is listed in Brooklyn, Goshen, Brookhaven, Smithtown, Mamakating. In 1802, Brookhaven, Huntington, Smithtown. In 1803 Brookhaven, Huntington, Smithtown, Thompson.

1799 Mar 1 – Selah had daughter Sarah “Sally” born in Orange Co., NY.

1800 census -- New York, 5 men named Selah Smith appear as head of household in 5 different locations: Mamakating, Goshen, Brooklyn, Brookhaven, Smithtown (Suffolk County). Selah would have had a newly born daughter. The only location that fit this description is Mamakating, Ulster County, NY. Furthermore, Selah would have been age 25+ which does not fit in Goshen, Brooklyn, Brookhaven, or Smithtown, but does fit in Mamakating.

1800 census -- Selah Smith is listed in Mamakating, Ulster County, NY:
1 male 16-25, b. 1775-1784, Selah
1 female under 10, b. 1790-1800, Sarah who married Peter French
1 female, 16-25, b. 1775-1784, Selah’s wife

1800 census – Selah Smith was living in Goshen, Orange County, NY.
1 male 10-15, b. 1785-1790, Selah Smith Jr.
1 male 45+, born before 1755, Selah Smith Sr.
1 female 10-15, b. 1785-1790, Sarah Smith? But she was born in 1799
1 female 26-44, b. 1756-1774, Selah Smith Sr.’s wife
1 slave

1803 -- The Selah Smith in Smithtown m. 1 Feb 1803 to Hester Smith in Smithtown, Long Island, New York.

1809 -- From the Evening Post, NY, NY, 10 Aug 1809.

1810 census – Living in Goshen, Orange County, NY
2 males 16-25, b. 1785-1794, Peter French?
1 male 45+, born before 1765, Selah Smith
1 female 10-15, b. 1795-1800, Sarah Smith
1 female 45+, born before 1765, Selah Smith’s wife
They lived next door to Mary Smith, head of household, who was born before 1765.

1812 -- From the Evening Post of New York, New York, 1 Aug 1812, 5 Aug 1812 and 22 Aug 1812

1812 Sep 18 -- Brooklyn Ferry and Stages

Selah was a volunteer Corporal in the Company of Capt. Andrew Brown, in New York. He ran the Brooklyn Ferry; however, several generations used the name Selah Smith, and more research is needed to establish the correct generation as the father of Sallie Smith.

1814 Apr 9 -- From “History of Orange County, New York, Page 1, Issue 408.

Fort Montgomery is a hamlet in Orange County, NY.

1816 – Selah’s daughter, Sarah “Sally” m. Peter French. She was age 17.

1820 census – Perhaps Peter French lived with Selah Smith.

1830 census – Smithtown, Suffolk County, NY, Selah Smith lived alone, age 60-69 or born 1761-1770.

1830 census – Huntington, Suffolk, NY. This Selah was age 50-59 or born 1771-1780.

1840 census -- Huntington, Suffolk, NY. This Selah was age 60-70 or born 1771-1780.

1844 Mar 12 – Selah Smith died as is buried in the Oakland Cemetery in Sag Harbor, Suffolk County, NY.