Ephraim FARRINGTON ²

  General Notes:

TOWN OF MILFORD ANNUAL TOWN MEETING MINUTES 1818:
Oversears of Highways
Ephraim Farrington No. 13

1850 NY CENSUS, Otsego Co, Milford:
Ephraim "Ferrington", 89, farmer, b. NY, $1200 real estate;
Hannah Peet, 53, b. NY;
Ruth Peet, 17, b. NY

Early History of the Town of Milford and other parts of Otsego Co. From 1773 to 1903 by Ezra Stevens - Section II.
Chapter 14 - "Ephriam Farrington Settlement":
This settlement was made by Ephriam Farrington in 1800. He was a native of Chatham, Columbia County, New York. The father of Ephriam was one of three brothers that came to America prior to the Revolution from England and settled near Chatham, Columbia County, New York.
Mr. Farrington married Miss Mary Wickham of Chatham. Mr. and Mrs. Farrington were primitive settlers in the town of Milford, built a log house in new country style, raised a large family, and enjoyed the fruits of their labors. Both died on the farm they purchased, well respected by their neighbors. Mrs. Farrington died before her husband at the age of 84. Mr. Farrington died at the age of 93. The writer is unable to give the names of all his daughters.
His eldest daughter married Adam Cook, a farmer who raised a large family. Mr. Cook's second son Joshua became a celebrated Baptist clergyman. He was educated at Hamilton College and was a man of eloquence and a great revivalist and died at middle age. Mr. Cook's second daughter married Zachariah Bassinger who reared a large family. Mr. Bassinger was accidentally drowned in the river at Portlandville in 1835. Mr. Bassinger's oldest son was a lawyer and went west, and died.
Mr. Farrington's daughter married Coonrad Yager and one daughter married Basset Peet who reared a large family and became insane and died.
Mr. Farrington's eldest son Jacob married Elizabeth Wolf and reared a respectable family. His second son Ephriam Jr. Married Polly Yager, but had an issue of ---- and all are now dead. Jacob Farrington Jr. has a walking stick which was made by his grandfather when a lad, which he values very highly. It must be over a hundred years since it was made.
Mrs. Farrington's father, Old Mr. Wickham, as he was generally called, was a remarkable man for longevity. Mr. Wickham lived to the age of 102 years. He died very suddenly, was very smart and retained his faculties until he dropped dead. The day he was one hundred years old, he married his second wife, and his appearance was like a man at sixty. The woman he married was in her eighties.
The next year after Mr. Farrington arrived at his place three other families migrated from Columbia and settled in the same neighborhood. Warren Wickham, the Balis family, and the Merry family all raised large families. About the same season Garrett Van Valkenberg from Schoharie County settled a little east.
The reader will see it constituted quite a colony.
Royal Merry when a young man and in company with other young men in about 1815 went to the river to practice their horses to swim, and was accidentally drowned. His horse became entangled with the bridle and before they could save him he drowned.
Garrett Van Valkenburg commonly called Tollack had an issue of several children. James Van Valkenburgh, the oldest son was a Baptist clergyman and was considered a very fine orator.

The Early History of Nassau Village, 1609-1830 with Brief Biographical Sketches of Early Settlers by Paul R. Huey & Ralph D. Phillips, Second Edition, Nassau, NY, Nassau Free Library, 1976:
p. 39-40: "The following list of names is believed to be from an inventory of the estate of Archibald Shannon and represents a list of people from his accounts. The list is here presented exactly as copied from the original which, unfortunately, is presently unlocated. Births and deaths of individual have been supplied by Ralph D. Phillips and are included in brackets.
Book Accounts - Estate of Archibald Shannon 1806. Philipstown, Rens. Co., N.Y. - on page 40 are Ebenezer Merrey and Ephram Farranton. (Farrington?). (Note from Frances Merry: Apparently Mr. Phillips could find no tombstones or probate records for Ebenezer Merry or Ephram Farrington, since no dates are supplied.)

A History of Oneonta From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present TIme, by Dudley M. Campbell - Oneonta, NY - G. W. Fairchild & Co. 1906 - Transcribed & Contributed by Sandy Goodspeed - Chapter II. "Early Settlers in Oneonta":
Elihu Gifford, with four sons, came from Albany county in 1803, and first settled in West Oneonta, on the farm lately owned by Joseph Taber. In 1806, Mr. Gifford moved to the farm now owned by Henry Gifford on the Oneonta creek. About the same time Josiah Peet and Ephraim Farrington moved into the same neighborhood. Later Col. W. Richardson settled further up the creek and built a well-known place in a few years, and a thriving hamlet soon began to form around them.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW - Biographical Sketches of the Leading Citizens of Otsego County, New York, Boston, Biographical Review Publishing Co., 1893, p. 713-714:
Jacob Farrington, a retired merchant residing in Oneonta, where he has lived since 1858, was born in the town of Milford, Otsego County, April 4, 1831. - - - -
He is a son of Jacob Farrington, who was born in Chatham, Columbia Co, N.Y., and grandson of Ephraim Farrington, who was born in the same part of the State in 1794. The father of Ephraim Farrington was one of three brothers, who came from England to America prior to the Revolutionary War, and settled in the vicinity of Chatham, N.Y. The first members of this family who came to the vicinity of Chatham were farmers, but Ephraim had one brother who was a potter, having at one time carried on a large business in that line. Ephraim Farrington was brought up a farmer boy, and was married near Chatham to Miss Mary Wickham. Some years afterward, about 1805, he remove to Otsego County, and settled in the wilderness of the town of Milford, where he improved a farm, and on this farm both he and his wife died, he at the age of ninety-three, and she at the age of eighty-four. They were well known to their neighbors as excellent people, and kind to all. Jacob Farrington has a walking cane which was cut by his grandfather, Ephraim, and which he values very highly as a relic. - - - -
(Note: Ephraim Farrington's birthdate of 1794 must be incorrect. Could it be that this is actually the birthdate of his son Jacob?)

1989 LETTER FROM CHUCK & FRANCES MERRY TO EMMETT WELLS: - - - "The book accounts of Archibald Shannon of Philipstown (now a village called Nassau, in the township of Nassau) show that both Ebenezer Merrey and Ephram Farrington, who married Mary Wickham, had accounts in 1806." (Note: Nassau is in Rensselaer Co, NY.)

FIND A GRAVE - Milford Center Cem, Milford Center, Otsego Co, NY:
Ephram Farrington
DIED
Dec 26, 1851
AE 91 yr 10 mo 2 d

Ephraim married Mary Dezire WICKHAM, daughter of John WICKHAM and UNKNOWN, about 1783 in near Chatham, Albany Co, NY (became Columbia Co. in 1786).¹ (Mary Dezire WICKHAM was born calculated 25 Feb 1768 in NY,³ died on 9 Jul 1846 in Milford, Otsego Co, NY ^{3 4} and was buried in Milford Center Cem, Milford Center, Otsego Co, NY ³.)