Silas Gallup & Sarah Gallup in NY

The name Ebenezer brings up thoughts of “Bah Humbug!”, but it was actually a fairly common name in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  I’m sure the name lost much of it’s allure thanks to Dicken’s timeless tale!  My 4^th Great grandfather was named Ebenzer Gallup and was born on 25 Sep 1795 and was  my first Gallup ancestor born in New York state.

Ebenezer was the son of Silas Gallup and Sarah Gallup.  Silas and Sarah were 2^nd cousins who married 13 Jan 1774 in Stonington, New London Co., CT.  Ebenezer was the youngest of their 11 children.  Silas and his brothers Levi, Samuel & Ezra and their cousin John Gallup moved into Albany Co., NY and helped establish the towns of Knox and Berne, NY in the late 1700’s.  Based on the birthdates of Silas & Sarah’s youngest two sons, they emigrated from Connecticut to New York between 1791 and 1795.  When Ebenezer was a bit over a year old, his father died.  Silas Gallup was 47 years old and I would guess that he probably died due to some disease.   Sarah Gallup died a few years later in 1799 at the age of 48 years old.  So, at the age of 4 years old, Ebenezer was left as an orphan.  From what I know – only the oldest daughter was married and out of the household.  Silas and Sarah’s children are as following:

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• Sally b. 9/30 1774 d. 11/27/1852 m.  Robert Babcock
• Margaret  b. 7/21/1776 d. bef 1860 m. Joseph Crary
• Silence b. 6/7/1778 d. 8/14/1834 m. Silas Brewster
• Fanny b. 3/24/1780 d. 12/28/1862 m. Frederick Babcock
• Silas, Jr. b. 6/4/1782 d. 4/17/1783
• Lois b. 4/11/1784 d. 4/28/1784
• Hannah b. 6/8/1785 d. 9/13/1785
• Nathan b. 1/5/1787 d. 4/23/1844 m. Nancy Morgan
• Silas, Jr. b. 7/25/1789 d. 6/14/1790
• Eli b. 2/11/1791 d. 4/1882 m. Sarah Crary
• Ebenezer b. 9/25/1795 d. 10/8/1865 m. Susan Harden

I found out from one of my cousins that Ebenezer was mostly raised by his sister, Silence and her husband Silas Brewster.  I suspect that the other younger children must have been placed with different family members.  I am limited as to what I have been able to discover about their lives.  I still wonder why Silas and Sarah Gallup died so young…and what happened to all of their children after their deaths.  Judging by the time period – I suspect that they probably died of something like small pox.  It must have been difficult for the older children to take care of their younger siblings.  I suspect that Margaret didn’t marry until later in life (she was 33 years old) that she might have been the one to take of her younger siblings in their homestead.  In the early 1800’s, it must have been very difficult for a young woman to take of her younger siblings without some sort of assistance. 

Ebenezer's gravestone at Middleburg Cemetery.

My 4^th great grandfather Ebenezer married Susan Harden on 19 Nov 1826 in Middleburg, Schenectady Co., NY.  Not too long after his marriage, his sister, Silence died in 1830.  Seems quite sad that the sister who raised him died so soon his marriage.  Unlike his parents, Ebenezer lived to be a good age – 70 years old…and his wife Susan lived it to be 78 years old.  They had 10 children together and 8 of them lived to adulthood.  Just one generation after his father’s family moved to New York, my 3^rd great grandfather moved to Nebraska – probably trying to find a better life just like his grandfather.