Mary Ann (Sage) Hollister (abt. 1769 - abt. 1854)

Born about 1769 in Saybrook, Middlesex, Connecticut

Ancestors

Wife of Josiah Tryon — married 5 Sep 1790 in Glastonbury, Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Wife of Roswell Hollister — married 12 Oct 1834 in Glastonbury, Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Descendants

Died about 25 Aug 1854 at about age 85 in Lewiston, Niagara, New York, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Michael Maranda [send private message] and Michael Tryon [send private message]

Biography

Mary has been thought to be the daughter of Nathan Sage and Huldah Ranney. This is primarily because her husband, Josiah, associated with Nathan about 1800 in the establishment of the town of Redfield and is referred to as the son-in-law to Nathan Sage in at least one family genealogy ^[1] and reportedly other historical works. Her birth year is difficult to pin down: 1830 census indicates 1760s, 1850 indicates 1819 though it is not at all clear and may be 1769, and 1870 indicates 1785. She married Josiah Tryon on 5 Sep 1790 in Glastonbury, Hartford, Connecticut.^[2] They had six children. After Josiah died in 1825, she married Roswell Hollister (whose first wife died in 1833) on 12 Oct 1834 in Glastonbury, where Roswell was from^[3]. Roswell died in 1842 and Mary is found in the household of her son Josiah in 1850 as Mary Ann Hollister.

Roswell Hollister was a shipbuilder in South Glastonbury, owner of the Hollister Shipyard. In 1835 he built a Schooner named the "Francis Tryon".

Research Notes

This profile has been through significant changes and may continue to do so. The latest is the result of the discovery of a letter that appears to be from this Mary to her son Francis. There are still enough uncertainties in all this that I would not be at all surprised if further changes will come. (MT)

She appears in the 1830 census of Lewiston, Niagara, NY, age 60-70, with 1m5-10, 2f15-20. Amos Tryon is on same page^[4]. It is not at all clear who these others are but there is an extended family from which to receive boarders/helpers.

The evidence establishing Mary Ann Hollister as the same woman as Mary Ann Sage, wife of Josiah Tryon, is a letter written 4 May 1845, to Francis Tryon in New York City, from Mary Ann Hollister who refers to him as her son ^[5]. The complete set of letters to Francis also include one from his brother Josiah to Francis and another from Aunt Mary to Francis' daughters Juliet and Laura, as well as the mailing envelope with address.

Marriage record with Roswell Hollister states she is "Mary Ann Tryon, of Louis Town, N.Y." which would be Lewiston, Niagara, NY, where the family lives at the time.

A family genealogy suggests that Nathan Sage adopted a daughter ^[6]. Mary Ann could be this adopted daughter since we find no record of her as a daughter of Nathan and, if she is born in the 1760s, she is a bit old for a daughter of his. She is also noted in the will of Nathan Sage ^[7] to receive any remaining estate in trust to Nathan's wife, Polly, after she dies. Nathan's only surviving child, Hulda Bunce, receives the bulk of the estate. That Mary is the only person to receive any of the estate other than Polly and Huldah, suggests a close relationship, though likely not child of Nathan.

The following are from the Hollister family section, p94, of "Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920, Volume 038 Glastonbury" and may be applicable to this Mary.

"Mary * T ** adm. com. Jan. 6, 1828 *("Henry Hale" after entry in pencil) **("Ann" first written) v4 p82"

"Mary Ann * adm. com. Jan. [], 1835 by letter from Lewiston, N.Y.: recom. back again, 1843 *Mary Ann Roswell" after entry) v4 p84"

"Mary Ann, dism. & recom. Nov. 4, 1836 to church in south part of town v4 p198-200"

Research Problem

One problem is that Mary Sage/Tryon/Hollister is about 100 years old in the 1870 census but claiming to be (or whoever interacted with the census taker claimed she was) only 85. I feel like if you reach 100 vanity goes the other way. 100 isn't out of the realm of the possible, just unusual in this time. In the 1850 census she is transcribed as being 31 and from Ireland, however a close look at the handwritten page indicates that the birth location column slipped down a row; it is incorrect for a group of people, including Josiah, who we know the birth location for. Correcting for this she as born in Connecticut. The age is not clear, but in comparing the first digit to others over a number of pages it is more consistent with being an 8 giving an age of 81 and a birth year of 1769, consistent with the Mary of this profile.

To further complicate things, in the cemetery records of the Village of Lewiston Cemetery there is a record for "Tryon, Mary A. Hollister, d. Aug 23, 1831", in the same section and row as both Josiahs and Mary, wife of the younger Josiah. A typewritten document containing Tryon family information without sources, found at the Lewiston Libray in the genealogical records also has this cemetery record, but states "Mary A., wife of Josiah Tryon, Daughter of Hostell Hollister, Died August 23, 1831 aged 83 years". There is no record of a Hostell Hollister. This age and death date make her significantly older than Josiah and too old to be mother of his children. Then another document from the Lewiston Public Library "Burials in Niagara County Cemeteries" has "Hollister, Mary A. 1766 - 8/25/1851, Widow of Josiah Tryon, and Wife of Roswell Hollister." Threes and fives look a lot alike so Aug 23, 1831 and Aug 25, 1851 look like errors. Finally, we got a volunteer to go find her grave in the cemetery, clean it up, and take a picture. It is in poor condition, broken into five pieces and quite eroded. The clearest part of it says wife of Roswell Hollister without doubt. The "3"s are almost certainly "5"s and the last digit appears to me to be a 4, too far to the right of the 5 to be a 1. So, Aug 25, 1854 and an age of 85. Lastly... A mortgage document for land purchase for the Lewiston Special School Fund with Mary Ann Hollister as the holder of the mortgage has been found. In it the Justice of the Peace states Mary Ann Hollister personally appeared before him 24 Feb 1852. Presumably it was not her ghost.

But, what's up with the 1870 census in the home of Josiah? If Polly Sage died 1874 and Mary Sage/Tryon/Hollister died 1854 then someone got very confused and mixed up their names for that census. But, if that's true, then it all works out; we stop seeing Mary Ann after the 1850 census and stop seeing Polly after the 1870 census.

Residence

3 MAY 1795, Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut, USA^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ Johnson, Crisfield (1877) History of Oswego County, New York: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers., L. H. Everts & Co, Philadelphia, page 424
2. ↑ Early Connecticut Marriages; Book 7, page 110. (Ancestry.com)
3. ↑ Connecticut, Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection) for Mary Ann Tryon, Glastonbury Vital Records 1690-1854
4. ↑ 1830 United States Federal Census for Mary Ann Tryon, New York, Niagara, Lewiston, p 3/18 (ancestry.com)
5. ↑ Personal correspondence between Mary Ann Hollister and her son Francis, original letter in the possession of Joseph Morneault as of May, 2019, and seen by profile manager Michael Tryon
6. ↑ Genealogical record of the descendants of David Sage a native of Wales; born 1639, and one of the first settlers of Middletown, Connecticut--1652., Author: Elisha L Sage; Charles H Sage
7. ↑ New York: Abstracts of Wills, Admins. and Guardianships, 1787-1835. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006.) Original manuscript in:Eardeley Genealogy Collection: New York State Abstracts of Wills, Brooklyn Historical Society.
8. ↑ Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920 (Ancestry.com)

• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCBK-TBX : 12 April 2016), Mary A Hollister in household of Josiah Tryon, Lewiston, Niagara, New York, United States; citing family 404, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8VS-17G : 12 April 2016), Mary A Hollister in household of Josiah Tryon, New York, United States; citing p. 8, family 52, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,553.