Chester’s Last Will and Testament was dated 16 AUG 1890.  The probate papers were valuable because they included the names and locations of his surviving siblings, nephews, and nieces.

Chester Adams

Born: 1816 in Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, USA

Father: Abner Adams (1773 to 1857)
Mother: Desire Ashcraft (1770 to 1844)

Spouse: none

Married: no

Children: none

Died: 10 OCT 1890 in Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, USA

Burial: Hartwick Center Union Cemetery

Timeline:

1844 Death of mother, Desire
1850 Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, USA
1855 Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, USA
1857 Death of father, Abner
1860 Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, USA
1862 Death of sister, Betsey
1865 Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, USA
1867 Death of brother, Albigence
1868 Death of sister, Sylvia
1868 Death of sister, Catherine
1870 Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, USA
1880 Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, USA
1880 Death of sister, Lucretia
1890 Death of brother, Henry
1890 Death and Burial

Occupation: farmer

Records:

1850 to 1880 United States Federal Census Records
1855 and 1865 New York State Census Records
New York, Death Index, 1852-1956
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999

Variations of Surname: none

Can You Help Answer This Question?

Why did four of Abner and Desire’s adult children never marry?

They lived their entire lives in Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, USA. They are all buried in the Hartwick Center Union Cemetery.

Could Religion be the Answer?

My first thought was that they remained unmarried because of their religious beliefs. When I looked up the term, celibacy, it explained:

“Celibacy has existed in one form or another throughout history, in virtually all the major religions of the world, and views on it have varied.”

The Vatican website’s Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 2349, includes this:

“Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone . . .”

Shakerism was another religion that practiced celibacy. In 1774, the first Shakers immigrated from England. They settled in Watervliet, New York, which is now called Colonie, New York. This town lies 80 miles east of Hartwick.

There is a section in this article that mentions smaller communities of Shakers. Could it be that these four individuals converted to Shakerism?

If you know the answer to why these four individuals never married, please contact me. My email address is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of this post.

Notes:

John Adams (1595 to 1633) was the first person with that English surname to immigrate to North America from England. In 1621, John boarded the Fortune. This was the second ship, after the Mayflower, to bring puritans to North America. In late November of that year, the Fortune arrived at Plymouth Colony. John was the progenitor of all the Adams descendants listed in these posts.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on.  There are also family trees that go “forward into time.”  Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time.  The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!