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Joseph Nerée Balestier (1814 - 1888)

Joseph Nerée (Joseph Nerée) "J. N." Balestier
Born in Martinique, West Indiesmap
Son of and [mother unknown]
Brother of
Husband of — married 7 Jul 1837 in Connecticutmap
Descendants descendants
Father of and
Died at age 74 in Brattleboro, Vermont, USAmap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: Carleton Procter private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 24 Nov 2013
This page has been accessed 805 times.

Contents

Biography

In 1821, Joseph Nerée's older brother Joseph filed a naturalization record on his behalf. At the time Joseph Nerée was a minor and his brother Joseph was acting as guardian.[1]

On Oct 23, 1868, Joseph Nerée Balestier filed a replacement passport application. In it he stated that he was born on the island of Guadaloupe, French West Indies in 1814. He went on to state that his mother died shortly afterwards and he and "all the brothers and sister" were sent to the United States by his father in 1816 and that their father died in 1822. Joseph stated that he was naturalized in New York in April or May of 1835 and was admitted to practice law in New York in 1835. He stated that he was a practicing lawyer in Chicago in 1840. He goes on in his statement that all of the documents were destroyed in a fire at his office in Chicago and that the the records for his naturalization were not available through the US Government.[2][3]

In 1948 Gordon Ireland completed his book The Balestiers of Beechwood. He has Joseph as being born 1 April, 1814 in Trididad, Martinique. He was probably the son of his father's third wife. Names of his parents are not known. Family traditon has Joseph attending Columbia Law School, but his name is not in any of the school records. In 1835 he went to Chicago to visit Mr. John Kinzie, who was in charge of the neighboring Indian Reservation. Joseph saw an opportunity and took advantage of it. He stayed in Chicago for the next 7 years and made a fortune in real estate. He may or may not have been educated as a lawyer, but he did know how to make money.

The Wolcott family moved to Chicago about 1836 and Caroline Starr Wolcott, daughter of Henry and Mary (Starr) Wolcott were married in Chicago on 19 June 1837.

Before 1842 the family moved to New York. Joseph is listed in New York City directories for at various addresses from 1842 to 1873. Mr. Ireland provides penty of detail. Joseph retired from active work in 1868. On March 30, 1868, they purchased the farm of Alfred Sargent on the Brattleboro-Dummerston line. Joseph expanded the existing farm house and called his new home "Beechwood". Mr. Ireland goes to some length to describe the home and home life of the famly.[4]

A third version of Joseph's early life was written by Mary Rogers Cabot in her Annals of Brattleboro, 1681-1895, Volume 2. She writes that he was born 1 April 1814 on the island of Martinique, West Indies. His boyhood was passed in New York City with the family of an older brother and graduated at Columbia Law School.[5]

Sifting through all of this it seems that the following are probably facts.

Joseph Nerée Balestier was born about 1 April 1814 in the West Indies.

He was sent to live in New York in 1816 or 1817 with an older brother. He was naturalized on 25 April 1835 at New York.[6] By 1835 he went to Chicago and had learned enough to be very successful in real estate.

Joseph married Caroline Starr Wolcott, daughter of Dr. Henry and Mary A. (Starr) Wolcott,[5] on 7 July 1837 in Connecticut[7], not Chicago as stated by Mr. Ireland.

Joseph was a lawyer when he and Caroline appeared in the census of 13 Nov. 1860 in New York, New York.[8] Joseph had switched to farming when he and Caroline appeared on the of 8 June 1870 census at Brattleboro, Windham County, Vermont.[9] He was a farmer when he and Caroline appeared on the census of 14 June 1880 at Brattleboro, Windham County, Vermont.[10]

Joseph died 15 Sep. 1888 at Battleboro, Vermont[11]and was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.[12][13]

Children of Joseph and Caroline

  1. Robert Star. b. 20 Oct, 1838., d. 1903, Unadilla, New York. m.(1) Mary Holmes m. (2) Miss Fannie M. Holmes, sister of Mary.[5]
  2. Henry Wolcott. b. 1840 m. Anna Smith daughter of Hon. Peshine Smith of Rochester, New York.[5][5]
  3. John Augustus b. 7 Sep. 1842 New York.[5] m. 25 July 1889. Lillian Langley Cleland[14] He married Emily Elliot of Exeter, New Hampshire.[4]
  4. Joseph Nerée b. 3 Sep. 1845, New York. m. Emma Brown.[4] m. Miss Anna Ireland of Philadelphia. This marriage is not listed by Gordon Ireland and may be an error by Cabot.[5]
  5. Caroline b. 29 Feb. 1852,New York. d. 25 March 1855, New York.[4]
  6. Samuel Wallis b. 1855. d. 14 Aug. 1855. New York.[4]

Census

13 Nov. 1860

New York Ward 21 District 1, New York, New York.

  • Joseph Balestier45.
  • Caroline 35.
  • Joseph 14.[8]
8 June 1870

Brattlebroro, Windham County, Vermont.

  • J N Ballester 56.
  • Caroline S Ballester 50.
  • Jos R Ballester 24.[9]
14 June 1880

Brattlebroro, Windham County, Vermont.

  • Joseph N. Ballastier 66. b. West Indies. m&f. b. Mass.
  • Caroline S. Ballastier 60.
  • Joseph N. Ballastier 33. son.[10]

Sources

  1. ↑ Massachusetts, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1798-1950 for Joseph Neree Balestier. See scanned image attached to his FindAGrave memorial. Find A Grave: Memorial #108539516
  2. ↑ Passport Applications, 1795-1905 Passport App. Joseph N Balestier
  3. ↑ "United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGKJ-VVDP : Tue Oct 31 18:33:33 UTC 2023), Entry for Joseph N Balestier, 1868.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Gordon Ireland. The Balestiers of Beechwood. 1948. Washington, DC. Available at Hathitrust.org. The Balestiers.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Mary Rogers Cabot. Annals of Brattleboro, 1681-1895, Volume 2. A Google E-Book. Brattleboro
  6. ↑ New York, Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in New York City, 1792-1989 Jseph nerce Blestier.
  7. ↑ "Connecticut, Marriages, 1630-1997," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F7LP-4HZ : accessed 07 Jul 2014), Joseph N. Balestier and Caroline Starr Wolcott, 07 Jul 1837; citing Connecticut, United States, reference ; FHL microfilm 3273.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Year: 1860; Census Place: New York Ward 21 District 1, New York, New York; Roll: M653_819; Page: 733; Image: 142; Family History Library Film: 803819. Joseph N. Balestier
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Year: 1870; Census Place: Brattleboro, Windham, Vermont; Roll: M593_1627; Page: 368A; Image: 48; Family History Library Film: 553126. 1870 US Census. Joseph N Ballestier.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Year: 1880; Census Place: Brattleboro, Windham, Vermont; Roll: 1349; Family History Film: 1255349; Page: 307A; Enumeration District: 222. 1880 US Census. Joseph N. Ballastier.
  11. ↑ Vermont, Vital Records, 1720-1908 Joseph N Balestier.
  12. ↑ Green-Wood
  13. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images ( Find A Grave: Memorial #108539516 : accessed 05 January 2024), memorial page for Joseph Neree Balestier (1 Apr 1814–15 Sep 1888), Find a Grave Memorial ID 108539516, citing Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, USA; Maintained by Patricia F (contributor 46634219).
  14. ↑ "New York, Marriages, 1686-1980," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F64N-NZZ : accessed 08 Jul 2014), John Augustus Balestier and Lillian Langley Cleland, 25 Jul 1889; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 1558600.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Carleton Procter for creating Balestier-8 on 23 Nov 13.






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