Isaac (Birdsall) Birdsill (1772 - 1827)

Born 1772 in Long Island, Queens County, New York Colony

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 8 Aug 1827 at about age 55 in Woodhouse, Norfolk, Ontario, Canada

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Biography

Isaac Birdsall was born on Long Island, Queens County, New York Colony in 1772.

Isaac was only 11 years old when he and his family immigrated to New Brunswick as "refugees" from the American Revolutionary War in 1783. We know that Isaac and his family arrived in one of the Loyalist fleets that sailed from Sandy Hook at the mouth of New York Harbor and arrived at the mouth of the St. John River in Parrtown (now Saint John), Nova Scotia (now New Brunswick), because his name appears in the List of New Brunswick Loyalists in the book The Loyalists of New Brunswick by Ester Wright.^[1] (See image.)

This list shows the name of the head of families or single men 18 years and upwards, their former homes, their service during the Revolution, and their first grant. Note that although there is an Isaac Birdsall/Birdsill listed, Isaac was only 11 years old, too young to be head of a family. However, he could have been a blacksmith since it was common for Quakers to be involved in small-scale local trades and to train their children at a young age.^[2]

On 20 Jul 1788, Isaac Birdsell married Rachel Brundage. In the Marriage Register his last name was originally spelled Burchwell then crossed off to become Birdsell.^[3] (See image.)

Isaac and Rachel had eleven children.

When Isaac and his father, Benjamin, were in New Brunswick making land petitions, their last name changed several times.

In 1785, James Dickinson with Isaac, his father, Benjamin, his sister, Elizabeth, and sixty-on other people, including Josiah Brundage, who has the same last name as Isaac's future wife, made a Land Petition for Kings County in the name of Birdsall. ^[4]

In 1788 Isaac, and his father, made a Land Petition for Queens County in the name of Birdsell.^[5]

Also in 1788, Isaac, and his father, along with Andrew Brundage, Coles and Archelaus Carpenter, Iashaway Fowler, Stephen Golding, Daniel Gerow, James Green, Israel Merritt, Archelus Purdy and ten other people, made a Land Petition for Queens County. Isaac and his father used the name of Birdsall in this Land Petition. ^[6]

Coles was the future husband of Isaac's sister, Elizabeth. Archelaus Carpenter was Coles' father. Phebe Fowler married Archelaus’ brother, Silas Carpenter and their daughter, Charity, married Isaac’s brother, Benjamin. Stephen Golding's father, John Golding Sr., is the brother of Archelaus Carpenter's wife and Coles Carpenter's mother. Daniel Gerow married Hannah Golding and Stephen Golding married Nancy Gerow. James Green married Elizabeth Carpenter, who was Coles Carpenter's sister. Merritt became the surname of Isaac's sister Phoebe and Archelus Purdy married Isaac's sister, Hannah. It appears that they intention was to create a community of interrelated people.

On 14 APR 1790, Isaac Birdsell, along with his father and 20 other people were granted a variety of numbers of acres in Queens County, Grant 210.^[7]. (See image.)

Of the people on Land Grant 210, the following people were on previous land petitions with Isaac and his father, Benjamin, thus creating that community of interrelated people.

Birdsell, Benjamin 207 acres Birdsell, Isaac 200 acres Brundage, Andrew 218 acres Brundage, Josiah 200 acres Carpenter, Archelaus 235 acres Carpenter, Coles 230 acres Cole, David 230 acres Fowler, Joshua 217 acres Dusenburg, Henry 225 acres (notice name change from Dusenberry) Gerou, Daniel 242 acres (notice name change from Gerow) Golding, Stephen 200 acres Green, James* 1028 acres Merritt, Israel 200 acres Purdy, Achelaus 215 acres Starkey, Hezekiah 237 acres Starkey, Mordecai 235 acres Wood, James 200 acres Six other people were also on this land grant. Their relationship to Isaac and Benjamin is unclear.

In 1793, Isaac, along with his father, Andrew Brundage, James Green and David Cole, made a land petition for Queens County. Isaac and Benjamin used Birdsell as their surname.^[8].

In 1797, Isaac, using Birdsill as his surname, and twelve other people were on the Land Petition of Samuel Dickinson for Queens County.^[9]

Isaac died, without a will, in Woodhouse, Norfolk, Ontario on 8 Aug 1827 when he was 55.^[10]

Isaac on Find A Grave. ^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ Wright, Ester Clark. "The Loyalists of New Brunswick". Saint John, NB: United Empire Loyalists Association, New Brunswick Branch, 1955.
2. ↑ https://youthquakenow.com/innocent-trades/
3. ↑ Marriage of Isaac: NBGS Anglican Registers Project https://arp.nbgstwo.ca/records/displayRecord/MC223-G1-6F1-0009_marriage_0020 19 Oct 2021
4. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/RS108/Details.aspx?culture=en-CA&Key=4575 Index to Land Petitions: Original Series, 1783-1918 (RS108) showing: Name BIRDSALL, ISAAC Year 1785 County Kings Microfilm F1025 See petition of DICKINSON, JAMES 64 other Petitioner(s) were on this Petition
5. ↑ https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/RS108/Details.aspx?culture=en-CA&Key=4581 Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Index to Land Petitions: Original Series, 1783-1918 (RS108) showing: Name BIRDSELL, ISAAC Year 1788 County Queens Microfilm F1034 See petition of BIRDSELL, BENJAMIN 1 other Petitioner(s) were on this Petition BIRDSELL, BENJAMIN
6. ↑ https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/RS108/Details.aspx?culture=en-CA&Key=4576 Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Index to Land Petitions: Original Series, 1783-1918 (RS108) showing: Name BIRDSALL, ISAAC Year 1788 County Queens Microfilm F1034 See petition of GREEN, JAMES 18 other Petitioner(s) were on this Petition
7. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Index to New Brunswick Land Grants, 1784 - 1997 (RS686) showing : Name BIRDSELL, Isaac Volume III Page 0 Grant number 210 Place ----- County Queens Date 1790-04-15 Accompanying plan No Acres 200 Microfilm F16300 Comment -- Other names on this grant (21):
8. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Index to Land Petitions: Original Series, 1783-1918 (RS108) Name BIRDSELL, ISAAC Year 1793 County Queens Microfilm F1038 4 other Petitioner(s) were on this Petition
9. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Index to Land Petitions: Original Series, 1783-1918 (RS108) showing: Name BIRDSILL, ISAAC Year 1797 County Queens Microfilm F1040 See petition of DICKINSON, SAMUEL 13 other Petitioner(s) were on this Petition
10. ↑ William R. Yeager, Wills of the London District 1800-1839, Norfolk Historical Society, Simcoe, Ontario, 1979. Volume/Page: 18 Genealogical Research Library, Ontario, Canada. Canadian Genealogy Index, 1600s-1900s
11. ↑ Find A Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/239192150/isaac-birdsill 239192150.