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WORTMAN FAMILY

1. William ¹ Wortman , born 30-Mar-1779 in Near New Brunswick, New Jersey, died 16-Nov-1850 in Barrington, Yates County, New York, buried in Wayne Baptist Cemetery, Tyrone, Schuyler Co., New York.
     William Wortman was born near New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1779. He and his sister were orphaned at an early age. She stayed with a family in New Jersey and he moved in with a family by the name of MacIntyre. They moved to a place called Peach Orchard in Hector, Schuyler Co., New York before 1800.
     He married Anna here in Peach Orchard, on the shores of Lake Seneca. There is a poem clled "William Wortman Pioneer" that was published in THE DUNDEE, a Yates County newspaper, by Stella Crosby, his grand daughter, that chronicles his life. Parts of the rest of this narrative are taken from that poem. In Peach Orchard, part of their spring activities was to make maple syrup so that they would have a sweetener for their food. They made enough to last the whole year.
     About 1813 the family moved to Crystal Springs in what was to become Barrington, Yates County, New York. This area was originally settled by people from Putnam county the year before. He cleared land bounded by the Bath road and the county line. It is uncertain why he moved to the new land farther west, perhaps the growing family needed more land to survive. The land may have just been better here. William went to the area first and then after an area was cleared and a cabin put up, the rest of the family came. By 1821 the area was populated enough to have a Baptist meeting house built.
     Some time about 1825 a peddler came to the area and told William of a family back in New Jersey their children resembled William's children. He remembered his sister who he had not seen in 40 years. He decided he had to go back to try to find out if it was her. He and his son-in-law, Alonzo Sunderlin went back east to find them. Their transportation was powered by an ox team. They did find his sister after all of those years. Unfortunately for us the names and places of this event are lost to us.
     His will is dated April 8, 1844, he died in 1850, but the Petition for Proof of Will was not filed until May of 1852. In the Petition and the Will itself all of the children listed below are mentioned. The only things of interest in his will is that his wife Ann has control of his estate until she dies. Then the estate is to go to his children. His sons get two shares each of his estate to his daughters one share each.
     The Family is in the following U.S. Census lists: 1810 in Hector, Seneca (now Schuyler) County, New York, 1820 in Wayne, Steuben County (now Barrington, Yates Co.), NY, 1830 in Barrington, Yates Co., NY, 1840 & 1850. There is a short family history in Cleveland's History And Directory Of Yates County

He married Anna Swarthout, married 30-Mar-1800 in Hector, Schuyler County, New York, born 04-Jan-1781 in Hector, Schuyler County, New York, (daughter of Anthony Swarthout, Jr. and Elizabeth Lockwood) died 01-Feb-1860 in Barrington, Yates County, New York, buried in Wayne Baptist Cemetery, Tyrone, Schuyler Co., New York. , Anna: From New York, her parents moved to Wyoming County, Pennsylvania. They stayed there for a few years. Problems from unfriendly Indians caused them to move to New York again. They located to Ovid Township, now in Seneca County. This is probably where she met William. Her father fought in the Revolutionary War.