BADGER and GARDNER by Don Badger 11 March 1990 ----------------------------------------------- I noticed a message regarding the reasons why some of the Nantucket families moved to Columbia County, New York in the late 1700's. The whaling industry (obtaining whale oil) was one of the main industries for some of the inhabitants of Nantucket Island in the mid 1700's. The British embargo of all colonial shipping that occurred during the Revolutionary War destroyed the whaling industry and caused the people to Nantucket to surrender to the British, the only part of the American colonies to do so. The city of Hudson in Columbia County was a sort of satellite port where some of the seamen from Nantucket settled. Most of the Nantucket people were Quakers and many went north and settled in the town in Easton in Washington County, New York where there was a large Quaker settlement. Others went to Dutchess County, New York. Quite a few tried to make the change in occupation from seamen to farmers. The movement of some of these early seamen present a genealogical challenge. I am still looking for the death record of my ancestor Samuel BADGER who was born in Norwich, New London County, Connecticut in 1748, served in the Revolutionary War, and married in Connecticut in 1776. He apparently married a second time in 1787 in Providence, Rhode Island to Eliza GARDNER, who was from Nantucket. They lived in Hudson, Columbia County, New York with Eliza's father Elisha GARDNER, who was probably also a seaman. They had two children and apparently Samuel BADGER apparently later married for a third time an older cousin of Eliza. Samuel and Eliza's son Samuel BADGER, born in 1792, reputedly ran away from home at the age of 13 to become a cabin boy on a whaling ship because he could not get along with his stepmother. He later settled in Easton, Washington County, New York where there were a lot of other seamen from Nantucket and became a shoemaker. Samuel BADGER married Matilda FREEMAN, daughter of another Revolutionary War soldier who had been born in Norwich, Connecticut and settled in Easton, New York. I would welcome any suggestions on where to locate the death record for the elder Samuel BADGER who died sometime after the early 1800's, possibly in Hudson, Columbia County, New York or somewhere else. His daughter Sarah BADGER married Solomon WESTCOTT and remained in the Hudson, New York area. ==Don Badger, P.O. Box 3773, Santa Rosa, CA 95402. 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴커 � This file appears on The Source of Magic BBS, Ridgefield CT � � 203-431-4687, specializing in genealogy, radio, and writing. � 읕컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴켸 292/704 16 Mar 90 08:07:00 From: Kathleen Johnson To: David Stever Subj: Re: AUSTIN/COFFIN MA Attr: ------------------------------------------------ The only reference I have found on Hudson, Columbia Co., NY, was a large book called "History of Columbia Co., NY" I found this at a library in Carlsbad, CA. To my dismay, I notice now that I did not take down the author or publisher. I quote "In 1784 four representatives of an Association from Providence and Newport, R.I. and Nantucket and Edgartown, MA came to Hudson to `establish a commercial settlement or town'." Wish I had more to add right now; the chapter History of City of Hudson, in this volume, was too large to copy at the time, and so this is one of the "must go back" places on my list. Hope you have good luck in locating material on Columbia Co. In this area (San Diego, CA), there doesn't seem to be much material for Columbia or Hudson. I'll keep your message on file, and if I come across anything on this area, will give you a call. --- QuickBBS v2.61 [EVALUATION] * Origin: "The War Room", CPU Breakfast Club Member (1:202/505.0) 129/34 266/22