Abraham Peterson UEL (1741 - bef. 1824)

Born 27 Jul 1741 in Bergen County, New Jersey

Ancestors

Husband of Magdalen (Van Orden) Peterson — married 3 Dec 1764 in Schraalenburgh, Bergen County, New Jersey

Husband of Mary (Wright) Peterson — married before 1789 in Upper Canada

Descendants

Died before 1824 before age 82 in Ontario, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jeff Pringle [send private message]

Abraham Peterson was a United Empire Loyalist.
UEL Status:Proven
Date: Undated

Biography

Abraham Peterson was born 27 July 1741 near Tappan, New York, and baptized 23 August 1741 in Tappan, son of Nicholas Peterson II and Tryntje Meyer. The family farm was in what became Bergen County, New Jersey--in 1788 recorded as Abraham's birthplace.

Abraham's mother died around 1746. His father remarried in 1748. At about that time the family moved near Schraalenburgh, Bergen County (a move of just a few miles).

In 1764 Abraham "Petterson" married "Lena Mandego" in Schraalenburgh; this is the record of Abraham's marriage to Magdalena Van Orden, who was recorded as the mother of his children.

In 1775 he had a leased farm with six horses, six cows and five calves, and nine hogs; these and three boats "used for carrying Loyalists on expeditions" were lost to the Rebels.

In 1776 he joined the British in New York City, later as an Associated Loyalist raiding Bergen County for firewood and food. He was among the Loyalist "heroes" of the Battle of the Blockhouse." (See notes on this campaign in father Nicholas's profile.)

In August 1783 he sailed with Captain Grass for Canada. The muster at Sorel, Lower Canada, in December 1783 shows him with wife and five children. Their first Canadian home was in Adolphustown, but by 1788 Abraham was among the first five settlers of Hallowell (or Picton) Bay, Prince Edward County, across a narrow strait from Adolphustown, at Hallowell Bridge.

He added Concession 2 Lot 4 to his original Concession 1 Lot 5, and more land later. The farm prospered. His 1798 assessment for the two lots was £10, among the highest five of 70 assessments in Hallowell. Prince Edward County “from the time Abraham Peterson had sold a bushel of wheat in Kingston in 1799, agriculture—wheat, barley, buckwheat—had been slowly gaining economic importance” (Lunns, cited below).

In 1798 the Crown paid him £72 on his claim of £122 for possessions lost in New Jersey.

Magdalena Van Orden died, year unknown. By 1805 Abraham married Mary Wright, widow of Samuel Wright (in August 2021 she is doubly profiled; both linked above).

He died in 1823 in Fredericksburgh, perhaps in the home of his daughter Margaret Pringle. His will of that year bequeathed hundreds of pounds and 1600 acres but only £3 to Mary ("beloved wife" of a previous will, but not this one), who in 1829 contested the will but lost.

Note

TWO PROFILES OF ABRAHAM'S SECOND WIFE WILL BE COMBINED.

Sources

Reformed Dutch Churches at Tappan and Clarkstown, New York, 1694-1831. (Tappan #1154 Abraham born 27 Jul, baptized 23 Aug 1741.)

Kelly, Arthur C. M. Reprint 1998. Baptism record of the Tappan Reformed Church, Tappan, Rockland County, NY. 1694-1899. Rhinebeck, NY : Kinship. iv, 290 pp.; p. 55.

Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Hackensack and Schraalenburgh, New Jersey, Published as Vol I, Part I, of Collections of the Holland Society of New York (1891), https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE937730 OR https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89069297521;view=1up;seq= (pp. 52, 240)

United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada Loyalist Directory, http://www.uelac.org/Loyalist-Info/detail.php?letter=p&line=203

Geni, https://www.geni.com/people/Abraham-Peterson/6000000019351120538# (has Abraham's death in March 1823, age 81, in South Fredericksburgh, and the will has him a yeoman of the Township of Fredericksburgh)

Muster at Sorel, Quebec, 2 February 1784, from Haldimand Papers, http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_h1655/103?r=0&s=3 (Abraham: 1 man, 1 woman, 1 boy above 10, 3 girls above 10)

Ontario Bureau of Archives, 1904. United Empire Loyalists. Enquiry into the Losses and Services in Consequence of their Loyalty. 1436 pp., pp. 449-450, https://archive.org/stream/unitedempireloya00unse_0/unitedempireloya00unse_0_djvu.txt

Assessment for the Township of Hallowell this Eighteenth of July 1798, Appendix to the Report of the Ontario Bureau of Industries, 1897, Warwick Bro's & Rutter, Toronto, 1899. http://sites.rootsweb.com/~onprince/HALLOWELLTOWNSHIPASSESSMENT1798.htm

Lunn, William Richard and Janet Lunn. 1967. The County: the First Hundred Years of Loyalist Prince Edward., Picton Gazette Publishing. http://www.ourroots.ca/ (This URL andothers don't work 31 August 2021, but the book has been available on line and is available from Amazon for $4 to $8.)

Will of Abraham Peterson, Surrogate Court, Frontenac Co., Wills 1801-1858, Archives of Ontario, Microfilm # GS 1, Reel 1223 (filed 1 Apr 1823)

Data

Children Of Abraham and Lena

1. Peter bap. 30 Jun 1765 at Schraalenburgh South Church
2. Nicholas Peterson b ~1768-1845; NJ, NY, Hallowell; m 1809 Margaret (Peggy) Van Tassell
3. Ann (Annatje) Peterson 1773-1845; m ~1799 (as second wife) (John) Henry Loyst; NJ, NY, Hallowell, S. Fredericksburgh; JHL m
4. Margaret Peterson b 1776 d aft 1843; m ~1794 (Dexter) Doctor Pringle; Fredericksburgh, Adolphustown
5. Caroline Peterson 1778-bef. 1784; NY City
6. Peter Peterson 1782/1783-; NY City, probably died between December 1783 and October 1784 provisioning musters.
7. Sophia Peterson 1789-1863; m 1. 1811 William Black; three children; 2. Henry Williams; none of her children listed in Abraham’s will.

_______________________________________________________________________

19 Mar 1823, at Fredericksburgh, Abraham Peterson bequeaths: -To eldest son Nicholas Peterson and heirs, Lot 4, 2nd Concession Hallowell Township -To grandsons Abraham, Daniel, Samuel, Henry (and their heirs), sons of my said son Nicholas Peterson, 400 acres of land, viz 100 acres to each, being part of 1,400 acres which Abraham is entitled to receive title from James Douglas, being part of a piece of land sold to him last December - To daughter Sophia Peterson, 100 acres of said land - To grandson Daniel Pringle and his heirs, 250 acres of said land - To grandson Peter Loist and his heirs, 250 acres of said land - To grandsons Martin, John, Henry and Abraham Loist and their heirs, 400 acres, viz 10 acres each - To daughter Catherine Peterson, one cow - To daughter Margaret Peterson, one cow and one sheep - To daughter Anne Peterson, three sheep - To wife, three pounds of lawful money - After debts paid, the remainder to be divided between my son Nicholas Peterson, Anne Peterson and Margaret Peterson, my daughters. Abraham Peterson nominates his grandsons, Daniel Pringle and Peter Loist executors Witnesses: Samuel Brethwaith, William Gibson, Francis Vanderwater. Signed, Abraham [his mark] Peterson. __________________________________________________________________________

Court of Probate RG 22, Estate Files 1793-1859 Archives of Ontario, Microfilm # MS 638

5 Oct 1829. Petition of Mary Peterson, widow of the late Abraham Peterson of the Township of Hallowell, Midland District and Nicholas Peterson, the eldest son of Abraham Peterson. They state that by his last will and testament, Abraham gave certain goods, chattels, rights, credits, money, lands and tenements, valued at several hundred pounds. That after publication of said will, Abraham was improperly induced to sign an instrument which he supposed to be deeds of lands but which in fact was another will. When he executed the will, he was unable to discover the contents and was induced to make his mark thereto. That it does not appear by the last mentioned will that it was read over to Abraham. The executors presented it in the Surrogate Court, two witnesses testified, and the court pronounced the will’s validity 28 September last, notwithstanding the objections of the petitioners. One witness was not present, and it was that witness who drew up the will at the request of the executors, and Abraham did not understand its contents. That witness (William Gibson) frequently declared that the will was fraudulently and improperly obtained.

10 Jan 1829, Daniel Pringle and Peter Loist are ordered to produce the will.

6 Jun 1829, James Dougall desires to invalidate the will. The court again orders Daniel Pringle and Peter Loist to produce the will and witnesses.

28 Sep 1829, Daniel Pringle of the Township of Richmond, Midland District, innkeeper, swears that he has made diligent enquiry for William Gibson, one of the witnesses to the will, but could not find him.

Sep 1829, the Court orders Daniel Pringle and Peter Loist to proceed with proving the will. Daniel Braithwaite, being duly sworn, says that he saw the late Abraham Peterson execute the will produced in court, bearing the date 19 Mar 1823 and considered him to be of sound mind and memory and fully understood everything contained in said will. Francis Vanderwater, another witness, being duly sworn, states that Abraham Peterson put his hand on the pen and executed the will voluntarily, and that he appeared to be of sound mind and memory at the time, did not apprehend or discover any fraud or forgery in the transaction.

The court then states that the will is duly proved in form of law as it related to personal property.