town almost fifty-seven years. As to my family, my wife and I have had six children, of whom

three are dead, and three are living. As to publick offices, in the year 1821, I was elected for

Justice of Peace in the County of Ontario. Not long after that, the counties were divided,

Livingston being set off. I was out of office, and glad was I. I found it was more loss than profit

for me at that time. Being lone-handed at that time, some thought I had better take the office again,

but I declined. I thought I could do better without it. As for our town officers, before the County

was divided, it was then the town of Sparta. The chief town officers were Wm. McCartney, Esq.,

for supervisor, and David McNair, Esq., for town clerk, for many years.


Source Notes:

[1] “Matthew McNinch” letter . . . the handwritten pages are a copy of the original letter. The

  typewritten pages are copied from the family history that my father, Robert McNinch, compiled

  in 1993. The first paragraph of the typewritten pages is the introduction written by my father . . .

  He transcribed the handwritten copy; it's as close as possible, with the exception of a few typos.

[2] Copies of the ‘Matthew McNinch letter’ (transcribed, and xerox of original hand-written letter)

  were received from Meredith (McNinch) Chilson, 5680 County Road 2B, Belmont, New York

  14813, email <ny2b@infoblvd.net>. Meredith wrote “The ‘Matthew McNinch letter’ was in

  papers that my father [Robert McNinch] received from his father-[Harry Thomas McNinch],

  it has been passed through the generations in this way.” --

[3] Matthew McNinch (b. 3 Mar 1784, d. 18 Mar 1867), married 1815, Sarah Coller (b. 23 Jan.

  1792, d. 1 May 1863), lived near Conesus, Ontario / Livingston Co., New York, and had four

  children: Maria(h), b. 28 Nov 1817, d. 13 Aug 1902; James, b. 30 Nov 1819, d. 11 Mar 1891;

  Thomas C., b 17 Apr 1822,d. 5 Nov 1836; and John, b. 11 Nov 1827, d. 11 Mar 1911.

[4] John McNinch, the youngest son (b. 1827), mar. Clarissa Cruger (b 20 Oct 1830, d 14 Nov.

  1899); and they had nine children: Matthew Eugene, Ella, Lewis, Maline Louise, Sarah “Lizzie”,

  Alonzo Cruger (b 7 Feb 1860, d 8 Jan 1937), George Washington, James Harrison, and Susan.

[5] Alonzo Cruger McNinch (b. 1860), married Ida Thomas ( b 9 May 1859, d 23 Aug 1936), and

  had two children: Harry Thomas (b 18 Nov 1885, d 25 Sept. 1962), and Gates Eugene McNinch.

[6] Harry Thomas McNinch (b. 1885), married Florence Hall (b 15 July 1891, d 15 Sept. 1976);

  had seven children: Mary Ida, James Thomas, Robert Hall, John Gates, Louise Ann, Louis Arthur,

  and Harry Thomas II. This family continued to live in the same area, upstate, western New York.

[7] Robert Hall McAninch, Meredith’s father, still has the original ‘Matthew McNinch letter’.

[Notes 8, 9, 10 added April 2016 /Frank]

[8] Date ‘about 1861’: Matthew McNinch 'born 1784', 'came to Conesus at age 18', and ‘lived in

  Conesus 57 years' dates this letter ca.1860-1861 ((b.1784)+(~18)+(57yrs)) (definitely not ~1850)

[9] “Pattrick”, name written with two ‘t’s, in both places in Matthew’s original handwritten letter

[10] original contents preserved, three pages re-formatted slightly to allow printing on 3 sheets


McAninch Family History NL, VIII-4  October 2000  Copyright Frank McAninch   page 2000-32


McAninch Family History Newsletter



Volume VIII, Number 4, October 2000



This Newsletter Published by:


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Frank McAninch, 17531 Montbury Circle,


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Huntington Beach, California 92649-4823


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Telephone: 714-846-5134


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