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Troy's Genealogue

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Family Histories:

ANDREWS Family History

Our branch of the Andrews family begins in Oneida County in central New York in 1797 with the birth of Nathan Andrews. Although the Erie Canal, which cut through Oneida County, opened in 1825, Nathan moved to Oswego County along New York's Lake Ontario shoreline to start his family. There they stayed for about eight years before briefly moving to Trumbull County in northeastern Ohio and then backtracking slightly to Amity, Erie County, Pennsylvania by 1835. In 1852, Nathan resettled in Graham Township, Johnson County, Iowa, where his eldest son, Orrin, followed him and settled as well.

Around 1868, Nathan moved once more, this time to Morro, San Luis Obispo, California. His granddaughter, Candace Mandana (Andrews) Miller settled in San Luis Obispo County as well, two years later.

Andrews¹

X. The father of our ancestor Nathan Andrews may also have been named Nathan Andrews. A Nathan Andrews is found in the 1800 through 1820 censuses of Bridgewater, Oneida County, New York, the birthplace of our Nathan. In 1800 Nathan was noted as being 26 to 44 years of age, indicating he was born between 1756 and 1773^{[Cen 1800]}. At the time he had five children: two boys and two girls under the age of 10 and one boy between the ages of 10 and 15. 20 years later he had six children at home: one boy under the age of 10, two girls between 10 and 15, and a son and daughter between the ages of 16 and 26. His wife apparently had passsed on prior to 1820.^{[Cen 1800,1810,1820]} His family may have looked something like this:

Nathan ANDREWS¹ (1797-1883)

1. Nathan Andrews was born May 29, 1797, in Bridgewater, Oneida County, in central New York. He married Philena Ames, of Hounsfield, New York (then in Oneida County, now in Jefferson County), and began their family of nine children in Oswego County.

Soon after the new Andrews family began, they lived in Richland, Oswego County. There, Orrin was born. About a year later, they moved a little southwest to Mexico, Oswego County, where they settled for about eight years and the next four children were born (through about 1834). Then, the family moved briefly to Trumbull County, Ohio, outside of Cleveland, before backtracking slightly and resettling in northwest Amity Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, where their last three children were born.

The family first settled in Amity Township by 1837, presumably in the portion of Lot 1999 described below. Then he purchased an adjacent 8-acre parcel on the Waterford side of the township line in Lot 2012 from George Wattle on June 17, 1837, for $52.50.^{[Deed 1837]}

The Andrews stayed in Amity and Waterford Townships until Nathan and Philena sold the two lots to Robert Johnson and Charles C. P. Johnson on April 16, 1851.^{[Deed 1851]} The first of these two lots, in northeast Amity Township, was described as a 120.34-acre lot, the west half of Lot 1999 of the Tenth Donation District, which bordered Waterford Township on the west, and roughly follows the stream of Lake Pleasant Outlet, Ellis Williams on the north, and Lot 1998 to the south. The second lot contained 8.9 acres and lay to the west in Waterford Township in the southeast corner of Lot 2012, presumably adjacent to the first lot. This lot was bordered on the north by Waterford-Wattsburg Road (presumably modern-day Lowe Road) and to the west was Aseph Witherall.^{[Deed 1851]}

The Andrews family thereafter moved west to Johnson County, Iowa, where they set up home in Graham Township, just south of Morse, by 1852.

With the family grown, Nathan and Philena decided to strike out one last time, in 1868 -- this time to California. They settled in Morro, San Luis Obispo County, California, and were joined a little later by granddaughter, Candace, her husband, and children. Their younger children, Nathan, Harriet, Cordelia, and Frances, all made their way to California as well.

Philena (Ames) Andrews died on January 7, 1879 in Morro, San Luis Obispo County, at the age of 74. She was survived by her husband and all of her children, except Laura, John, and Nancy. Philena is buried at the Cayucos Cemetery in Morro, San Luis Obispo County, California.

The year after Philena's death, Nathan remarried to an English immigrant named Nancy from the Isle of Jersey, a possession of the British Crown off the northwest coast of France, in Morro. She was 16 years his junior. They were only married three years before Nathan died.

Nathan Andrews died on February 28, 1883, in Morro at the age of 85. He is buried at the Cayucos Cemetery in Morro along with his wife Philena.

Nancy Andrews died 12 years later in 1895 in Morro. She was about 83 years old.

Continue on to Part II