John Hart (1797-1864) in Published Genealogies

    

from Wikipedia Commons

     One thing I have not shared with you yet is that I was successful in becoming a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution a few years back. My hope was to prove my descent from Jeremiah Hart of Stillwater, Saratoga, New York, as we share the same last name, but could not. This was because I could not prove to the D.A.R.'s satisfaction that my two times great grandfather John Hart was the son of Stephen Hart, the son of Jeremiah. Instead, I was allowed to switch patriots, and then easily proved my descent from Charles Wright, one of my favourite ancestors. Nevertheless, I am determined to prove my descent from Jeremiah as a “supplemental” patriot ancestor, particularly as he is a proven Mayflower descendant, and I may some day want to join the Mayflower Society. Also, I like a challenge.

     I thought I might use my blog as a way to examine the evidence, and perhaps find more in the process. I am aware that some of my distant cousins out there are also trying to prove their descent from Jeremiah for similar reasons. The cousins I have heard from are often also “stuck” in proving the link in one generation. I hope that by sharing my process I may also help them. In this post, I will look at the books and articles in which John has appeared. These include four genealogies, and one article in an anthology. In future posts, I hope to look at John as he appeared in the U.S. Census, land records, probate records, a family Bible, records pertaining to his children, and his tombstone. I will also look at how the records involving other family members, including newspapers, may help. (Please refer to my previous blogposts on John Hart for additional information about him).

     DNA on Ancestry is already pointing the way as my siblings and I are matching with other putative descendants of Stephen Hart, (and of John and Jeremiah for that matter), but as yet this type of documentation is not accepted by the D.A.R. To utilize DNA, I would have to prepare a proof using the Y DNA of my brother, and that of a proven descendant of Stephen or Jeremiah. (Note: if you are out there and are willing to participate, please let me know. You would need to be a male descendant on a purely paternal line, and would likely also share the surname Hart).

     In Genealogical History of Samuel Hartt from London, England, to Lynn, Mass., 1640 and Descendants, to 1903 in the section on Stephen Hart, John is listed as a child of his, and all that is said about him is that he was “a farmer in New York”. I remember being quite excited about my discovery of this book, as it was the first and only document I have ever found linking Jeremiah to Stephen and also to John. I thought that this was my “smoking gun”. John is also mentioned in the Merriam Genealogy in England and America as being the spouse of Sally Wright Merriam, “b. Aug. 12, 1796”, and that they removed to “Minnesota”.

     In addition, I gratefully received an article from the Lewis County Historical Society, entitled Pinckney Corners—Its Settlement, Settlers, Where They Made Their Homes—Recollections by L.F. Wright. It was stated to be originally from the “May 1890, issue of the Copenhagen Visitor”. The article was published in the book, Copenhagen, New York: An American Bicentennial History. There is quite a bit about Stephen Hart in the article, including a list of his children. John is the first mentioned.

     John is also mentioned in The Kelloggs in the Old World and the New, as the father of Hester Ann Hart, who married Austin Jabez Kellogg. According to the author, John was on May 11, 1797, and his wife, "Sarah Merriam", was born August 12, 1796. Both John and Sarah are said to have resided in "Faribault".

     Finally, I was fortunate enough to find another more recent genealogy via Family Search, William and Isabella Masson Campbell of Hastings County, Ontario, their ancestors and descendants, which includes a section on my great grandfather, Melvin Hart, and which includes mention of his father John. It appears that their source was a likely a Hart family member most likely from the Kells family. (Note: if you or someone close to you was the source, I would love to hear from you). It states, “John Hart was born in Stillwater, N.Y., 11 May 1797. He married, 3 Nov. 1820, Sarah Marriam, b. 12 Aug. 1796”. It then goes on to list their children, a list which is identical to the one quoted in Melvin's Civil War Pension File, whose origin is stated to be a family Bible created by copying one in the possession of one of his sisters. I am thinking that the other information given in Masson Campbell book, particularly the marriage date, which I could find nowhere else, may also have come from a family Bible, possibly Melvin's own. If you own this Bible, or a similar one, and are willing to share the pertinent pages with me, you will make my year.