1. JOHN FRANSOY was born about 1660 in France and sailed from Amsterdam, the Netherlands to New Jersey aboard the ship "John and Elizabeth" with five sons. The mother of those sons was ELIZABETH GEITJE.
Their five sons were:
2.....i. HENRY* FRANCISCO, b 11 June 1686 in France;
..........d 10 Oct 1820, Whitehall, Washington
..........Co., NY
3....ii. ABRAHAM FRANCISCO b 1695-
4...iii. FRANS FRANCISCO
5....iv. JOHANNIS FRANCISCO
2. HENRY FRANCISCO, was born 11 June 1686 in France, and died 10 Oct 1820 in Whitehall, Washington Co., NY. He married (1) LEVENTJE VANDERCOOK, b 14 June 1705 in Newark, NJ. They were married betw 1723-1724 in NJ. He married (2) Ruth Fuller in 1766 in Whitehall, Washington Co., NY.
Notes for HENRY* FRANCISCO:
Information about Henry Francisco as progenitor of the line of which we are a part of came from Carolyn (Carrie) Francisco of Canandaigua, NY. Following as a direct quote from her history on Henry
Francisco:
..."Henry Francisco was born June 11, 1686 in France. (He) emigrated to New Jersey from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
..."Old Henry was a remarkable 91 years old when he enlisted in Seth Warner's Regiment of Continental Troops on January 15, 1777, and he served continuously until April 20, 1778 when he was ordered dischared on account of lameness. In 1820, while a resident of Whitehall, Washington Co., NY, Henry applied for and received a pension at the age of 134 years. Old Henry died in Whitehall on October 10, 1820 and is said to have been born in France in 1686. Further reference to Henry Francisco can be found in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol XCVI/Number 3, dated July, 1965, pages 156 to 172 with particular reference to page 157. His pension source number is S-44864 and he has verified service with Col. Warner's Regiment, with the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont in the Saratoga and Bennington Battles. He was the subject of a feature article some years back in 'Ripley's Believe It or Not' newspaper articles."
At the Library of Michigan in Lansing, Chuck Nickels found an old volume entitled "History and Directory of Yates County..." by Stafford C. Cleveland, editor of the Yates County Chronicle. He published this book in 1873. The volume includes the following paragraphs on page 792:
..."Sarah (French, daughter of Jabez French and Sarah Johnson) born in 1795, married Calvin Twitchell of Rushville, who died about thirty years ago. She married a second husband, Michael L. Francisco, and lives in Rushville. He was born in Pittstown, Rensselaer Co, in 1781, consequently is nearly 90 years old, and yet a hale and hearty man, able to perform daily labor. His descendants by a former wife, numbering over fifty, are scattered in various parts of the West. He claims to belong to a family of great longevity. One member, Henry Francisco of Whitehall, attained the wonderful age of one hundred and thirty six years. At the age of eighty six, he walked from Rushville to Canandaigua, a distance of ten measured miles, in just three hours. His father and five brothers served in the Revolutionary War, and he had eight grandsons in the War of the Rebellion, two of whom were killed. He was a volunteer minute man in the War of 1812. He has been a member of the Methodist Church over half a century."
..."The story of his ancient relative is vouched for by John Wisewell, who states that the old man lived near Whitehall and that he retained physical vigor and a retentive memory, and was able to do light work til far along in his second century; but he withered from one hundred forty pounds weight to seventy-five." (CLN 5/15/99)
Almost unbelievably, Henry Francisco, our direct ancestor, who achieved the age of 134 years, as attested to in a variety of contemporary documents, served in the continental army within the year of his 90th birthday. Years later, he applied for a pension based on a new law passed by Congress and signed by the President. Following is a transcription of the handwritten petition prepared by an attorney on Henry's behalf. Henry signed the document with his "X".
..."I Henry Francisco of the Town of Whitehall in the County of Washington and State of New York do, according to the act of Congress of the United States of America entitled an act to provide for active persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the Revolutionary War, make the following declaration under Oath. That is to say--I Do Solemnly Declare that I am a resident citizen of the United States and that I was such on the eighteenth day of March last, To wit in the Town County and State... and that by reason of my reduced circumstances in life I am in need of assistance from my Country for support. I do further Declare that I was a private soldier in the War of the Revolution and that I served as such in the said War against the Common Enemy for the term of one year and two months during the said War on the Continental establishment--That I belonged to the Company commanded by Captain Jeremiah Burroughs in the _______ Regiment commanded by Col. Seth Warner in the lines of...in the Territory now Vermont, called the Green Mountain Boys-
And I do further Declare that I entered into the Said service on or before the first day of March- in the Year one thousand seven hundred and seventy eight having left the Same by reason of lameness which rendered me unfit for duty--And I do further Declare that I was honorably discharged by Col. Seth Warner from the Said service for the cause of the aforesaid. And not considering discharge of any further consequences have..carelessly mislaid the same..it has become lost or destroyed.
..."And I do further Declare that I hereby relinquish all claim to any and every pension allowed me by the Laws of the United States or any individual State previous to the eighteenth day of March last--Witness my hand this fifteenth day of April -- in the Year of one thousand eight hundred and eighteen--"
.....Witness --.............................his
.....Thomas Lyon..................Henry Francisco
.....W. A. Parker.......................mark
No. 2.. Judges Certificate
State of New York
Washington County
"Be it Remembered that on the fifteenth day of April -- in the Year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred eighteen at the Town of Whitehall in the County of Washington and State of New York before Mr. Jonathan Wood -- Esquire, of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Washington in the Said State duly qualified and...(the same being one of the Courts of Record of this State) personally came and appeared the before named applicant Henry Francisco aged one hundred thirty years to the last..who resides in the Town County and State mentioned in the above Declaration and in my presence subscribed the foregoing Declaration and also before me...and there was duly sworn to the truth of the facts contained and Set forth in the Said Declaration--And it appearing to my satisfaction as well from the Law Declaration under oath as from such other evidence as was in the power of the Law Applicant to
..."On this thirtieth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty...appeared before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the Cnty of Washington in the State aforesaid in open court being a court of...proceeding according to the course of uncommon law with jurisdiction in all actions unlimited in point of amount keeping a record of its proceedings and having a seal Henry Francisco aged ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR years, resident in the Town of Whitehall in the County and State aforesaid who being first duly sworn according to Law doth on his oath declare that he served in the Revolutionary War..."
...........................................................his
Sworn to and declared on this 30th
..day of August 1820...............Henry ________Francisco
....D. Shipherd, Clerk............................mark
"A Schedule containing the whole estate of Henry Francisco-"
.....One Cow.....$13.00
.......One Weaving Loom.....$5.00
Children of HENRY FRANCISCO and LEVENTJE VANDERKOEK are:
6......i. BARAT FRANCISCO b in Belleville, Essex Co, NJ;
...........died in Pittstown,Albany Co, NY
7.....ii. LENA FRANCISCO
8....iii. JOHANNIS FRANCISCO b Sept 7, 124 in Essex Co,
..........NJ;died in Pittstown, Albany Co, NY
9....iv. GEEJE FRANCISCO b abt. 1725
10....v. MICHAEL FRANCISCO b May 2, 1729 in Belleville
...........Essex Co, NJ
11...vi. SARAH FRANCISCO b Jan 4, 1731/32 in Belleville
........
...Essex Co, NJ
12..vii. ABRAHAM FRANCISCO b 1733 in Belleville,
...........Essex Co, NJ
13.viii. FRANCIS FRANCISCO b 1737 in Belleville,
...........Essex Co, NJ
14...ix. DERICK FRANCISCO b 1739 in Albany, Albany
...........County, NY
15....x. DICK FRANCISCO b 1741 in Albany, Albany Co, NY
16...xi. JEREMIAH FRANCISCO b 1743 in Albany,
...........Albany County, NY
17..xii. DERICK FRANCISCO b 1745 in Albany, Albany
...........County, NY
Children of
HENRY FRANCISCO and RUTH FULLER are:
18.xiii. SOLOMON FRANCISCO b 2 Oct 1768, Whitehall,
...........Washington Co., NY; d 20 Jan 1844
19..xiv. JACOB FRANCISCO b 25 June 1770, Whitehall,
...........Washington Co, NY; d Sept 1847 Canandaigua,
...........Ontario County, NY
3. ABRAHAM FRANCISCO was born about 1695. He married ELIZABETH STEGH, daughter of THOMAS STEGH.
Children of ABRAHAM FRANCISCO and ELIZABETH STEGH are:
20....i. THOMAS FRANCISCO b 1727
21...ii. ABRAHAM FRANCISCO b Oct 11, 1729
22..iii. HENDRICK FRANCISCO b Feb 1, 1733/34
23...iv. GEESIE FRANCISCO b Mar 16, 1733/34
24....v. JEREMIAH FRANCISCO b 1745
4. FRANS FRANCISCO married HARMTJE XANDERS
Children of FRANS FRANCISCO and HARMTJE XANDERS are:
25....i. JAN FRANCISCO Mar 5, 1718/19
26...ii. ALEXANDER FRANCISCO b Nov 27, 1727
27..iii. BARENT FRANCISCO b Oct 16, 1730
5. JOHANNIS FRANCISCO was born in 1698 in Acquackanonk, NJ. He married GRIETJE BUIJS before 1723.
Their children:
28....i. UN-NAMED FRANCISCO b Jan 22, 1722/23
29...ii. HENDRICK FRANCISCO b May 30, 1730; d 30 Dec 1814
30..iii. JACOB FRANCISCO b Sept 26, 1733
Children of JOHANNIS FRANCISCO and 2nd wife CLAERTJE COERTE (b. in Acquackanonk, NJ m July 3, 1737 are:
31...iv. PIETER FRANCISCO b 1738 in Pompton Plains, NJ
32....v. MARYTJE FRANCISCO b 1745 in Pompton Plains, NJ