| Notes |
- (Catherine's middle name of Barbara is unproven & subject to verification. -PJA)
. KUHN SURNAME:
KUHN is a German surname. Some biographers give Catherine's PARENTS being born in Scotland. In all certainty this is a misunderstanding of the surname Kuhn, perhaps thinking it was derived from the Scottish Colquhoun, which is pronounced Coon ! (Likewise, her mother's name & nationality is also unknown at this time.) - PJ Ahlberg, 2018.
Catherine B Kuhn's first husband was also named John Willson. He was born in 1745 Carrickfergus Ireland & died bef. 1791 Poughkeepsie, NJ. The widow Willson accompanied her son Hugh L Willson to Sharon, Ontario. Children of Catherine B Kuhn & her first husband John Willson of Nine Partners, Duchess Co., NY., were David, John J, Ann & Mary Willson. Her son is David Wilson of Children of Peace, Sharon, Ontario.
* 1791 Feb 112. ADMINISTRATRIX
The People of the State of NY, by the Grace of God, Free & Independent.
To Catherine Willson, widow of John Willson, late of Clinton Town in Duchess County, farmer, dereased,
Whereas the said John Willson, installer, having whilst living & at the time of his death, goods, chattels or credits within this State by mans whereof, the ordering & granting Administration of all & singular said goods & also the auditing allowing & final discharging the account there of doth appertain unto us, & we being desirous that the goods of the said diseased my be well & faithful administered, applied & disposed of do grant unto you the said Catharine Willson full power to the presents to administer & faithful dispose of all the singular said goods & receive debs at the time of his death…to cause to be exhibited into the Office of the Surrogate of Dutchess County before the expiration of 6 calendar months from the date here of, & also render a just & true account of administration & appoint you the said Catharine Willson, Administratrix of all goods, chattels & credits of the said John Willson.
In witness, signed, Gilbert Livingston, Esq., Surrogate of said County, Poughkeepsie, 12 February, 1791.
Ref: NY Wills & Probate, Dutchess, Letters Testamentary and of Administration, Vol A-B, P.72 (83).
. 1928 Kate Koon Bovey visited Bischmisheim, Germany (near Saarbrucken) & saw the Luthern Baptism records for Matthias Kuntz (born bet. 1660-67) s/o Matthias Kuntz married1, Anna Margaretha Margaret, d. 2.2.1704 & married2, on 10.1. 1704 to Anna Margaretha Spitz of Frankfurt.
She also visited where Mathias lived in Clove*, near the towns of Poughquag & Beekman in the Poughkeepsie Valley, NY. Later they lived in Germantown which is also on the Hudson River. Nicholas's wife was Philetta. Matthias Kuntz left for America in 1790, via Holland & England & landed 1710 Germantown, NY. 13 children by 2 marriages.
Ref: Koon & Coons families of eastern NY, Kate Koon Bovey, 1841-1912 of Minneapolis, Minn., published 1937.
. The children of Catherine B Kuhn & her first husband, John Willson, were:
David Willson; Ann Willson b 1786, Dutchess Co. NY; Mary Wilson b. 1792.
Catherine's son David Willson was the founder of the Children of Peace, in Sharon, Ontario. A favourite topic of Willson's was "Public Affairs, their Total Depravity," coupled with denunciations of the so-called Family Compact," of the ruling rich families. Catherine's 2nd husband, John Willson, UE., would no doubt have been sympathetic to this point of view. Gov. John Graves Simcoe in first appointments made John Willson a Magistrate in the new Upper Canada & Willson was soon sidelined by the Family Compact. - PJ Ahlberg 2012.
Hugh L. Willson who returned there from the York Mills area in 1819. John Sr. died 8 July 1829, aged 90, & his funeral was conducted by the Rev. Strachan in the meeting house of the Children of Peace. This is highly ironic as the Rev. Strachan preached in the same little chapel at York Mills as did David Willson much to the annoyance of the inhabitants. Soon after the death of John Willson Sr., the Rev. Strachan took control of this chapel without the consent of many of those who had contributed to its building, & banned David Willson from using it. Catherine Willson died 10 Feb. 1840, aged 86. Both John & Catherine are buried in the Children of Peace cemetery.
John Willson, Esq. 's first wife Rebecca Thickson died 6 June 1804 in Markham, Ontario.
. 1805 Sep 18, Catherine & John Willson Sr. were married by the Rev. John Strachan in St. James Cathedral, Town of York.
Perhaps John Willson & Mrs. Catherine Kuhn Willson first met at York Mills (Wilson Avenue) where for some time son John Willson, Jr. operated a mill. John Willson, Jr. was also the trustee for a small chapel at York Mills which the David Willson & his Children of Peace used to hold services, much to the annoyances of Rev. Strachan. 15 years after they married, John & Katherine were living on Yonge Street in Markham where, on 15 June, 1820, John Willson filed a claim for this War of 1812 service. - PJ Ahlberg, 2012
> In your letter of the 24th ult., 1829 you asked about one John Willson who died at Hope (Sharon, ON) about this old man was called Squire Willson. He was David Willson's stepfather, my father's stepmother's second husband (Katherine Kuhn). Her first husband, also called John Willson, died about 1788 in Duchess County, New York). She soon after married Squire Willson who was a man highly respected. He came, I believe from NS in Gov. Simcoe's time & was by the Governor much thought of. He had a large family by a former wife, but none by this one. There are a number of great grandchildren, living in the Twps. of York & Scarborough. There was a grandson of his, John Willson by name, in the service of the Canada Company at the time of the settling of Goderich & neighborhood.
When these old people became helpless, David Willson took them home & kept them until they died. They died poor but honest. They once had property which his children spent for them.
Ref: Extracted from a letter of 5 December, 1869, Holland Landing Richard Titus Willson.
. Red Hook, Dutchess Co.
Ncholas Bonesteel & Anna Margretha Kuhn, his wife, with some of their children, were among the early settlers. A portion of the village of Red Hook is now on the easterly part of their farm. Of their descendants, Philip N. Bonesteel was a merchant, magistrate & post-master in Red Hook for many years. His son, Virgil D., was Surrogate of Dutchess county in 1844.
John, James, Daniel & Robert Wilson, four brothers, settled in the vicinity of Upper Red Hook before 1770, & engaged in farming. The 2 eldest married the Kuhn sisters, daughters of Simon Kuhn.
Ref: Dutchess Co. Genealogy & History.
. Story of Sharon, by Ethel Willson Trewhella, The Story of Sharon
Wild turkeys & wild pigeons were one of the worst pests as well as a ready supply of food. When they settled on the ground one old timer has described the scene as a heaving sea of blue, They ate the crops, stripped the wild fruit trees. The pigeons roosted in trees in such numbers that branches broke from the weight & many birds fell to the ground. At these times which came to be anticipated, women & children the settlement went with baskets & scooped up these disabled bits. they were acted & put away for the coming winter. As late as June 12 18757 a Newmarket Era story speaks of wild pigeons have been very plentiful in this section during the past 10 days. The are very wild & difficult to kill. In 1865 5h same aper remarked they were much diminished in numbers. A few years later notice of the Pigeon Shoots in Sharon but few pigeons appeared because of uncontrolled ruthless slaughter.
Black Frost of 1816. in the summer of 1816 the black first again swept the clearings & reduced the inhabitants to starvation. Nothing was saved, herbage was blackened, the wheat was unfit fo sale & unfit for read. It began to snow in June & continued intermittently until the next spring.
Ref: Newmarket Era & Express, published 1951.6.28, p3.
Transcriptions by PJ Ahlberg. Thank you. - - -
- RESEARCH FOR CATHERINE B KHUN'S PARENTS & HISTORY:
History & Roster of Peter Khun Family in the USA.1932
Red Hook, Duchess, NJ
. Nicholas Bonesteel & Anna Margretha Kuhn, his wife, with some of their children, were among the early settlers. A portion of the village of Red Hook is now on the easterly part of their farm. Of their descendants, Philip N. Bonesteel was a merchant, magistrate & post-master in Red Hook for many years. His son, Virgil D., was Surrogate of Dutchess county in 1844.
. John, James, Daniel & Robert Wilson, 4 brothers, settled in the vicinity of Upper Red Hook before 1770, & engaged in farming. The 2 eldest married the Kuhn sisters, daughters of Simon Kuhn.
Refs: Historical & Genealogical Record Dutchess & Putnam Counties.
* 1782 Mar 3, Reyn Beeck Dutch Reformed Church (now Redhood, NY)
Baptism: Child, John, Parents John Wilson & Elisabeth Kuhn
Witnesses: John Felder, Catharina Kuhn.
Note: this raises interesting possibilities, Catharina Kuhn would be Catherine Willson, not Kuhn at this date., or is this senior Catharine Kuhn?
Ref: Dutch Reformed Church, Reyn Beeck Book 40,( Red Hook, Duchess Co., NY)
. Rhinebeck Cemetery, Duchess Co., NY: John Wilson, born/baptized Mar 3, 1782 - died Jul 11, 1815, aged 33y 4m 8d.
. Anna Margaretha Kuhn, c172- died before 1744 other spellings: Coens, Coons .
d/o Elisabetha Kilmer c 1697 & Johann Wiliem Kuhn 1695 Germany Landed 1710 (some of 6 children born Camp east bank, Columbia Co. NY) see #8.
. KUHN - 10/29/00 - looking for information on the Kuhn dairy farm in Pine Bush NY around the late 1800's to about 1910 any info. wiill help E-Mail nil add
. PITCHER - 1/07/05 - Heinrich Pitcher born 1762 around Rhinebeck, N.Y. -11.4.1800, Clermont, Columbia, NY. He was married 4.30.1786, NY to Catharine Kuhn born 1762 Germantown, NY-11.4.1800 Clermont, Columbia, NY,
& had a daughter, Polly Pitcher on Feb. 24, 1794. I'm looking for parents of Heinrich & Catharine. Polly married Peter Van Etten in 1813. They lived in Sodus Twnshp. Wayne Co., N.Y. & both died there. [email protected]
. My Ed Kuhn & brother John Kuhn lived in Pine Bush New York they had a farm there. John married Grace DeWitt & Fred lived in Middle town N.Y
7. Smith (1881) has the following: "John Wilson & Elizabeth Kuhn had children as follows: Catharine, baptized March 27, 1774, married Col. Philip Pitcher, of Upper Red Hook; " (p. 204).
. ANNA ELISABETHA KILMER (GEORG KILLMER, GEORG was born August 14, 1698 in Altengronau, Hessen, Germany, & died Unknown in Red Hook, Dutchess County, New York, USA. She married JOHANNAS WILHELM KUHN 1719 in Red Hook, Dutchess Co., New York, USA. He was born Bet. 1697 - 1699 in Germany, & died Unknown in Red Hook, Dutchess County, New York, USA.
. Working research: Looking for family:
Poughkeepsie is 22 miles from Red Hook., Dutchess Co., NY
Titusville is six miles from Nine Partners.
Nine Partners & Poughkeepsie are about 12 miles away.
. Catharina Kuhn, c 1745, d/o Anna Gertrud Falckerberg 1711, West Camp, Ulster, NY, married 1734 to Henry Kuhn, 17k08, Columbia & died Clermont, Columbia NY
Red Hook, NY: Nicholas Bonesteel married Anna Margretha Kuhn.
. John, James, Daniel & Robert Wilson, four brothers, settled in the vicinity of Upper Red Hook before 1770, & engaged in farming. The two eldest married the Kuhn sisters, daughters of Simon Kuhn. *
Ref: Historical & Genealogical Record, Dutchess & Putum Co., 1912, pg. 45.
*1751, Jul 11. Advertisement: Lottery in the Borough of Lancaster for purchasing a fire engine & other public uses. The following persons are appointed managers of the lottery:...Simon Kuhn.
. 1751 Aug 19, Lancaster Lottery Tickets to dispose of Adam Simon Kuhn.
. 1772 Mar 26 - Phila. General Assembly the following laws were passed: An Act for confirming the estate of Adam Simon Khun, in & to a certain lot of ground borough of Lancaster, one of the title deeds where of is lost.
. 1786 Jan 12 & 1791 Phila. Meeting of American Philosophical Society, Fri. Last, elected the following: Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Esq. President. Dr. Adam Kuhn, Counsellor.
Ref: Pennsylvania Gazette, Philadelphia, PA . - - -
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1754 - 1840 (86 years)