Phoebe (Bayard) St. Clair (1743 - 1818)

Born 14 Sep 1743 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Wife of Arthur (Sinclair) St Clair — married 14 May 1760 in Boston, Suffolk, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 18 Sep 1818 at age 75 in Greensburg, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

Phoebe (Bayard) St. Clair performed Patriotic Service in Pennsylvania in the American Revolution.

Phoebe (Bayard) St. Clair is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A007648.

Phoebe (Bayard) St. Clair is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: P-295646
Rank: Patriotic

Phoebe Bayard "gave money" to the patriot cause during the American Revolution. ^[1][2]

Phoebe Bayard is the daughter of Balthazar Bayard and Mary (Bowdoin) Bayard. Phebe's mother, Mary Bowdoin was born into a wealthy family. Her father "commenced life as a mariner, and rose to the first rank among the merchants of Boston; for many years member of the Colonial Council; left the greatest estate that had ever been possessed by any one person in Massachusetts, estimated at from 50 to 100 thousand pounds sterling." ^[3] Phoebe's Uncle was James Bowdoin, the second Governor of Massachusetts. ^[4] Phebe would have been one of the highest ranking socialites in Boston.

On May 14, 1760, in the Trinity Church of Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts, Phebe [Phoebe] Bayard married Arthur St. Clair ^[5][6]

Arthur was born March 23, 1736/1737 in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland, the son of William Sinclair, a merchant. He came to the British Colonial American Colonies during the French and Indian War. After marrying into Phebe's family, he began to feel more American than British and rose to the rank of major general in the Continental Army. In retirement St. Clair lived with his daughter, Louisa St. Clair Robb, and her family on the ridge between Ligonier and Greensburg, where he died August 31, 1818 at the age of 81. His remains are buried under a Masonic monument in St. Clair Park in downtown Greensburg. Phoebe died shortly after and is buried beside him. ^[7]

There is a photograph of the monument, which was erected in 1832 ,as a replacement of the original sandstone monument. It may be seen on the Find A Grave Memorial for Phoebe and Arthur, in the "Old Saint Clair Cemetery," in Greensburg, Westmoreland County ^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 22 Nov 2022), "Record of Phoebe Bayard", Ancestor # A007648.
2. ↑ SAR https://sarpatriots.sar.org/patriot/display/295646
3. ↑ Some account of the Bowdoin family; with notes on the families of Pordage, Lynde, Newgate, Erving, by Prime, Temple, 1832-1903, Published by The De Vinne press, 1894 page 5
4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bowdoin
5. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FC79-K8H : 4 December 2014), Arthur St. Clair and Phebe Bayard, 14 May 1760; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 0896885 IT 2
6. ↑ Boston (Mass.). Registry Dept, A Volume of Records Relating to the Early History of Boston Containing Boston Marriages from 1700 (Boston, Municipal Printing Office, 1898), Vol. 2:397.

   "Arthur St. Clair & Phebe Bayard Int. reads [St. Clere Esq.] [Phiebe] Married on May 14, 1760"

7. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_St._Clair
8. ↑ https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=19479826

• Sons of the American Revolution. A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution (A. H. Kellogg, 1902)
• Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook) Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988