SARATOGA COUNTY

 

 

 

My Family Hays/Hayes settled in Saratoga County, NY after they came to America. Information on this page is primarily about that family. Numerous other families also lived in Saratoga County. They included the Visscher, Fort, and Fonda families.

 

 

Reasons for My Hays Family to leave Ireland about 1817.

 

I have found a number of reasons for My HAYS family leaving Ireland. The Napoleonic Wars had ended in 1815.  This resulted in sweeping economic changes in Europe. In Ireland where land holdings had always been relatively small, rents were being increased.  The growing factory system in England meant that England now flooded Ireland's cheap manufactured textiles. This sounded the death knell for the cottage industries of weaving and spinning by which my family had augmented their income (women spun all year and men operated the heavy weaving looms during winter months).  With the end of the War of 1812, cheap or free land in the United States was an incentive for farmers who now saw little economic future for their children in Ireland. Attractive fares were also being offered for travel to America. Another reason was that the flax seed they used was being imported from America. The price of flax seed had also increased. The family recognized that bad times were getting worse and a reasoned decision was made to move on. Since the family was Baptist, they were more likely to emigrate than the Catholics in the rest of Ireland due to the transplantation scheme of the 1600's.  What capital they had was used to re-establish the rural life they knew best. I have not been able to determine where the family actually lived in Ireland. Their farm was north of the Mohawk River in southern Saratoga County.  The 1820 Census records the farm in Half Moon. Later censuses have it located in Clifton Park. Clifton Park was split off from Half Moon.

 

William Hays was probably a relative of David Hays. William was married at least three times between 1800 and 1830. His first wife Sophia Terpening. They were married in 1800. They had 1 son. Martha died on 17 Apr 1825. Sophia’s family moved from Kingston, Ulster County to Saratoga County, in 1783. William’s second wife was Maria Alsdorf. . They had 4 sons and 2 daughters, Maria died on 11 Apr 1843. William married Rachel about 1845. She was born in Vermont. The Alsdorf family is another Ulster County family that moved to Saratoga County.

 

                    Elias Terpening Hayes stayed in Saratoga where he was married in 1850. He had 3 sons and 2 daughters.

 

           ·       William Hayes, Jr. was married in Henrietta, Jackson County, MI in 1853. They had 4 daughters.

 

          ·        Sylvester Alsdorf Hayes, who was born in 1830, moved to Ohio about the same time that William moved to

        Michigan . He has descendants living in Ohio today. I found Cousin, Fred Hayes, on the Internet a

              couple of years ago. I did not know about his family and he did not know about my family.

   

There are 2 other Hayes family members that I have come across that may be related to William and David. They are another David and a Hugh Hayes. I have seen their in various records, but I do not know their relationship.

 

Information about David Hayes and his family is found on my Fulton County Page.

 

            A complete listing of all of the family members is available from the MY Families link on the Home Page.

 

 

Clifton Park Baptist Church that William and Maria attended.

   

 

Maria Alsdorf’s grave is next to William’s in the Clifton Park Baptist Church Cemetery.

Photos from Fred Hayes

 

King George’s War

On 16 Nov 1745 3 sons of Jan Fort and Margariet Rinckhout, Abraham, Johannes and Jacob, were working outside of Fort Saratoga. A war party consisting of French and Indians captured them and took them to Quebec. Abraham and Johannes died in prison, Johannes in 1746 and Abraham in 1747. Jacob was able to return to his home. Luckily Abraham’s son, Jacob Abraham, had been born in 1727. If he had not been born, my Fort line would have ended. Abraham was a 6th great grandfather.

Additional information about King George’s War is available at: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/colonial/book/chap8_3.html

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WEBSITES THAT MIGHT BE OF SOME INTEREST

Saratoga County Political Graveyard http://www.potifos.com/tpg/geo/NY/SA.html

Saratoga County Gen Web http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nysarato/

Saratoga County Genealogical Links http://www.genealogylinks.net/usa/newyork/saratoga.htm

 

Saratoga County Historical Society http://www.brooksidemuseum.org/

Saratoga County Cemeteries http://www.interment.net/US/ny/saratoga.htm

Saratoga County Censuses   http://www.census-online.com/links/NY/Saratoga/

Vital Records in Saratoga County http://saratoganygenweb.com/vitals.htm

Beer’s Atlas http://babbage.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/saratoga/Atlas.html


The home of Elias T. Hayes is indicated on the map of Clifton Park . It is near Rexford Flats.

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 PLACES OTHER ANCESTO RS LIVED

           Albany and New Amsterdam

Columbia County

Dutchess County

Fulton County

Greene County

Montgomery County

Rensselaer County

Schoharie County

Schenectady County

Ulster County

 

               

 

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WEB MASTER:Richard Hayes

This page was last revised on 21 November 2008