Excerpts from "Early Westchester Families," Presented to the Library of Congress By the Author, Howard L. Jones, Aug. 18, 1953, 2214 Musslewhite Street, Orlando, Florida. This is a bound volume of carbon copies of a thick typewritten manuscript.

Consulted by H. DeVoe at the Library of Congress Local History and Genealogy reading room, March 18 and April 10, 1987, and August 7, 2010. Call Number CS69.J6. The author's numbering in parentheses of individuals in the Oakley family is preserved.

Note by the compiler: I have digital photographs of the pages listed below, which I can send as e-mail attachments on request.


EXPLANATION

This work is the culmination of a determination to know who my Oakley ancestors were. It began over forty years ago, when I was able to get many leads from older living members of the family, including my mother, who have since passed away. As the work progressed I learned that the Oakleys had married into many other early Westchester families. These thus became ancestors to later generations of Oakleys. I was curious to know what part these families had played in the early developments of the community. At first I took up only a reconstruction of the Hunt family. These records indicated so many connections with other Westchester families that it seemed advisable to make the picture as complete as possible. . . .

The genealogies herein have been reconstructed primarily from old records--wills, deeds, court pages, church books, town minutes, marriage rosters, Revolutionary history, pension papers, census reports and family bibles. These have in some cases been supplemented from genealogies prepared by other writers, when such data did not conflict with definite records. The dates of birth and marriage, when not definitely appearing, have been approximated as nearly as possible from other data. Due to the fact that many of these old settlers failed to make wills, there may have been other members of the families of whom we have no record.

All the pertinent information in the records used has been outlined in detail, with exact dates. These genealogies are intended primarily as a starting point for those interested in further development. In most cases no attempt has been made to follow later members of the families in their migrations. The idea has been to correlate and preserve old records that are not readily accessable to living members of these families in other parts of the United States. . . .

Mile Square

Page 8:
This was a square mile of land northwest of Eastchester and in the eastern part of the old Town of Yonkers. It lay principally in a beautiful vale, sheltered by picturesque hills on the west and bordered by the Bronx river on the east. Its northern boundary was just north of the present Mile Square Road. A history of Yonkers states that "Two old-time frame houses remained on Jerome Avenue, Yonkers, up to 1900, antique relics of the early settlers. One of these, at the corner of Yonkers Avenue, was owned by the Oakleys during the war of the Revolution." This location was in Mile Square. There were thirteen houses there at the time of the Revolution. It would appear from the will of Moses Hunt, made in 1760, that he owned land in Mile Square, but this is believed to have been on the east side of the Bronx river, in the Long Reach Patent, for his father willed his land there in 1732. It is believed that both sides of the river became known as Mile Square, more as a community than as a specific tract of land. Three daughters of Moses Hunt married three sons of Miles Oakley, so it may be assumed that they were close neighbors. [A map in the book shows Mile Square as a square, except for the ragged boundary of the Bronx River on its east side, with southeast corner close to the New York City line. See the other exhibit for this source.]

Farrington Family

Page 74:
Edmund Farrington. He is said to have been born in England in 1588. Some say that his English home was in Olney, Bucks County. Came to this country in 1635 with wife Elizabeth. May have settled at Lynn, Mass. Appeared on Long Island in 1640; see Thompson's History of Long Island. Wife when he made his will in 1673 was Dorothy. Five children.

Page 75:
Matthew Farrington, son (fourth child) of Edmund. Born, presumably in Massachusetts, about 1638. Married Hannah ___, about 1682. Nine children.

Page 77:
Thomas Farrington, son (eighth child) of Matthew. Born about 1708. Second wife: Margaret, daughter of Cornelius Mastin, about 1735. Nine children.

Page 78:
Benjamin Farrington, son (third child) of Thomas. Born about 1740. Married Susanna Tompkins, about 1760. Eight children.

Page 79:
Hannah Farrington, daughter (first child) of Benjamin. Born about 1761. Married Joseph Oakley, about 1776. She died in 1812.

Gardner Family

Page 111:
Henry Gardner. Born about 1640. Married Elizabeth Cromwell, about 1665. In old Town of Westchester by 1666. Eight children.

Page 111:
Mercy Gardner, daughter (sixth child) of Henry. Born November 15, 1676. Twin of Margaret. Married Miles Oakley.

Hunt Family

Page 125-126:
Thomas Hunt, of Grove Farm. In America as early as 1642. In Westchester by 1647 (Riker's history of Harlem). Born before 1618. Grove Farm was a notable estate on Spicers and Brocketts Necks. Wife uncertain.

Page 130:
Josiah Hunt, son of Thomas. Born about 1647. Married (1) Rebecca Harryson; (2) Martha, about 1678, said by some to have been a daughter of Israel Honeywell. Nine children.

Page 136-137:
Moses Hunt, son (third child) of Josiah. Born March 21, 1684. Married Ann Close, about 1705. (Remarried about 1729.) Died May, 1764. ...He seems to have acquired considerable land opposite Mile Square, in the Long Reach tract. The Oakleys owned considerable land in Mile Square. Three of Moses Hunt's daughters married three sons of Miles Oakley.

Page 143:
Sarah Hunt, daughter (sixth child) of Moses. Born about 1720. Married David Oakley, about 1741.

Page 143:
Eunice Hunt, daughter (eighth child) of Moses. Born about 1724. Married William Oakley, about 1744.

Page 143:
Phebe Hunt, daughter (ninth child) of Moses. Born about 1728. Married Joseph Oakley, about 1749.

Oakley Family

Page 161:
There is some discrepancy in the records given for this family by other genealogists. About fifty years ago there were prepared two genealogies in which were given an inscription from the tombstone of a Miles Oakley, in the graveyard of St. Peter's Church, now on Westchester Avenue, at Westchester Square, Borough of the Bronx, New York City. The inscription is given as follows: "Beneath this stone lies the body of Miles Oakley, who was born in Oakley Grove, in the Parish of Oakley, England, on the 15th July, 1615, and died in the Borough of Westchester, May 10, 1698. He was the first mayor thereof."

The writer visited St. Peter's churchyard in 1910, but could find no such tombstone. It appeared, however, that many of the very old markers, of red sandstone, had disintegrated so badly that their inscriptions were not entirely legible. It was learned that a choir room had been added to the church in 1890, at which time some of the uncipherable markers, of the graves that had to be moved, were disposed of. The old church records have been lost or destroyed.

If we assume that the above inscription was taken from the tombstone before it began to decompose, there is conflict with existing records. We know that the Miles Oakley who first appeared in Westchester records died in 1682, for his widow was given letters of administration in that year. We can not assume that the Miles Oakley who died in 1682 was the son of a Miles Oakley who died in 1698, for there was only one Miles Oakley in that locality until his son Miles came into the records, when they were distinguished as senior and junior. We must assume, therefore, that the tombstone had partially decomposed before the inscription was copied and that the year taken as 1698 was actually 1682.

Page 163:
(1) Miles Oakley. It would appear clearly, from the evidence shown above [not copied here], that he was a member of the Salop Oakley family in England... He may have been and quite probably was a son of Col. John Oakey [different spelling of last name], as indicated above [John Okey, of Cromwell's Army and Parliament, a member of the Oakley family of Salop, England]. Probably born July 15, 1615, Oakley Grove, Parish of Oakley, England. Married Mary, daughter of Edward and Bridget Waters, early in 1669. First mayor of Town of Westchester in 1675. [Note: the map in the book shows Old Westchester lay along Long Island Sound, west of "Throck Neck," in what is now the Bronx.] Probably died 1682. Six children; the second was (3) Miles.

Page 165-167:
(3) Miles Oakley, son of Miles (1) and Mary. Born in the Town of Westchester, New York, December 24, 1671. Married Mercy, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Cromwell) Gardner, of Westchester. She died between 1711 and 1723. (Married two more times.) Four children; the first was (8) Miles. Mayor of Town of Westchester, 1727 and 1733. In 1733 he was elected mayor for the last time. In this year came the celebrated conflict between William Forster, clerk of the council, representing the conservatives, and Lewis Morris, of the liberals. At the election, fraud was charged. William Ziegler [he means John Peter Zenger], New York City publisher, was charged by the officials with seditious comments. He was discharged and this was hailed as the first precedent for freedom of the press. Miles probably moved to Harlem, where he was a miller in 1735.

Page 170-171:
(8) Miles Oakley, son of Miles (3) and Mercy. Born in the Town of Westchester, about 1695. He is believed to have married Sarah, daughter of John Pugsley, of Pelham, about 1715. He appears to have died about 1769. Nine children; the third was (27) David, the fourth (28) William, and the sixth (30) Joseph. Miles Oakley came into public life rather early, due perhaps to the influence of his father Miles Oakley, the mayor. In 1720 he was elected as an assessor and in 1723 he was made trustee... Up to 1733 the Oakley family was very much in public life. They were conservative public servants and not aggressive politicians. In 1733 came the celebrated conflict between William Forster and Lewis Morris. They were rival candidates for delegate to the Congress. Fraud was charged in the Eastchester elections and there was a political upheaval in the whole county. Although the Oakleys were in no way involved in the matter, there arose sentiment in favor of the liberals and William Leggett was elected mayor...

Page 176:
(27) David Oakley, son of Miles (8) and Sarah. Born in the Town of Westchester, in 1720. Married Sarah, daughter of Moses and Ann (Close) Hunt, about 1741. He died at Mile Square in 1796. Sarah (Hunt) Oakley died in 1804. Both are buried in St. Pauls Cemetery, Eastchester. Eight children; third was (69) David. He was appointed assessor in Mile Square in 1756... In 1775 David Oakley, Esq., and son David, Jr., with other leading property owners, signed a petition to the king ...He appears to have been a leading legal authority in his day...

Page 176:
(28) William Oakley, son of Miles (8) and Sarah. Born in the Town on Westchester, about 1722. Married Eunice, daughter of Moses and Ann (Close) Hunt, of Mile Square, about 1744. He died before 1809. Ten children; 7th was (81) Eunice. ...In 1792 William and John Oakley were among the original trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Peekskill, New York.

Page 177:
(30) Joseph Oakley, son of Miles (8) and Sarah. Born in the Town of Westchester, about 1726. Married (1) Phebe, daughter of Moses and Ann (Close) Hunt, of Mile Square, about 1749. Married (2) Charit ---. He died in 1797. They are buried in St. Pauls Churchyard, Eastchester. Nine children; second was (91) Joseph.

Page 188:
(69) David Oakley, son of David (27) and Sarah. Born in Mile Square November 19, 1750. Married Eunice, daughter of William (28) and Eunice (Hunt) Oakley of Yorktown, about 1778. He died in New York City in 1820. She died at the home of her son William, in Yonkers, January 10, 1848. Ten children; 6th was (180) William. He was a member of the militia in 1775 and on April 13, 1775, he, his father and three hundred and twenty-one other inhabitants and freeholders of Westchester County, signed a petition against rebellion. On September 15, 1775, he signed a petition to Congress...

Page 189:
(81) Eunice Oakley, daughter of William (28) and Eunice. Born at Cortland Manor, N. Y., Dec. 19, 1760. Married David, son of David and Sarah (Hunt) Oakley (27), in 1778.

Page 190:
(91) Joseph Oakley, son of Joseph (30) and Phebe. Born in Mile Square in 1754. Married Hannah, daughter of Benjamin and Susanna (Tompkins) Farrington, about 1776. She was born in 1747 [can't be correct - her father was born 1740; Farrington family chapter gives her birth as 1761] and died in 1812. He died in 1833. Both are buried in St. Pauls Churchyard, Eastchester. Six children; last was (229) Mercy.

Page 200:
(180) William Oakley, son of David (69) and Eunice. Born in Mile Square in 1790. Married Mercy, daughter of Joseph (91) and Hannah (Farrington) Oakley, about 1818. She was born in 1795. Issue: Phebe, David B., Susan J., (361) Cordelia. The census of Yonkers in 1850 lists William Oakley, sixty, farmer, with land worth $2000; Mercy, fifty-five [on the census image, I make it out to be 58 - H. DeVoe]; Phebe, twenty; David B., sixteen; Susan J., twelve, and Cordelia, twelve, twins.

Page 203:
(229) Mercy Oakley, daughter of Joseph (91) and Hannah. Born in Mile Square in 1795. Married William, son of David Oakley (69) in 1818. Died in 1869.

Page 216:
(361) Cordelia Oakley, daughter of William (180) and Mercy. Born in Mile Square in 1838. No other record. Twin of Susan.

Pugsley Family

Page 263:
James Pugsley, born about 1645 in England, married there. John is only known child. Came from England about 1680 "as stewards of a large estate" (Bolton).

Page 263:
John Pugsley, son of James. Born about 1675. Married Mary Titus, about 1696. She was a daughter of Henry Titus. Westchester. Eleven children.

Page 264:
Sarah Pugsley, daughter (third child) of John. Born about 1700. Married Miles Oakley about 1716.

Waters Family

Page 300:
Edward Waters. Born, presumably in England, about 1620. Married Bridget, widow of Capt. John Wilmot about 1637. One of first settlers in old Town of Westchester; there as early as 1656.

Page 300:
Mary Waters, daughter (first child) of Edward. Born about 1639. Married Miles Oakley, about 1669.