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GENERAL ST.CLAIR AND HIS DESCENDANTS

GENERAL ARTHUR ST.CLAIR (1), born in Thurso, Caithness, 23rd March 1736, was the son of William Sinclair, merchant there. He received a commission bearing date May 13th 1757, in the 60th Regiment of Foot; and went to America with Admiral Boscawen's fleet. He served under General Amherst at the capture of Louisburg, July 26th 1758; under Wolfe at Quebec, September 30th, 1758; and again in the victorious battle on the Plains of Abraham, September 13th, 1759. He was made a lieutenant 17th April 1759, which position he resigned 16th April 1762. After the siege of Quebec he obtained a furlough, and repaired to Boston, Massachusetts.

He had formed an attachment to Miss Phoebe, daughter of Balthazar Bayard and his wife Mary Bowdoin, a half-sister of Governor James Bowdoin, and grand-daughter of James Bowdoin, a wealthy citizen. The marriage was solemnized 14th May 1760, in the Trinity Church, Boston, by the Rev. William Hooper, rector. By this marriage St.Clair received $14,000 from his wife's grandfather, James Bowdoin.

He lived for a time in Boston and its vicinity, and on 20th May 1760, bought land and buildings in Hollis Street in that city. Soon after he was a resident of Braintree, Massachusetts, where on August 10th 1763, he sold 19 acres of land on Boston Neck, and all interest in the Old George tavern.

Resigning his British commission in 1764, he and his young wife removed to Bedford, Pennsylvania, and later to a fine landed estate in the picturesque Ligonier Valley of Western Pennsylvania, where several Scottish families of consequence had already settled. Here he had a great tract of land of 10881 acres, 8270 lying in Westmoreland County, On May 21st 1766, he and his wife were living in St.Mary's County, Maryland.

They returned to Pennsylvania, and he filled various offices. On April 5th, 1770, he was appointed surveyor for district of Cumberland, and a member of the Governor's Council the same year. After 1779 he lived at Plattstown, Pennsylvania, for several years. The account of his military career is relegated to the Historiettes section of this work. He died at Chestnut Ridge, Pennsylvania, August 31st, 1818. Issue: -

  1. JOHN MURRAY
  2. DANIEL
  3. ARTHUR
  4. ELIZABETH, born at Fort Ligonier, Pennsylvania, 1768; married, first, Captain John Lawrence, and secondly, Colonel Vance, a lawyer. Her descendants have all been persons of prominent positions.
  5. LOUISA, born in 1772; married 1795, Samuel Robb, in Ligonier Valley; she died May 27, 1840.
  6. JANE, born 1774; married, about 1800, Samuel Jervis; she died at Chestnut Ridge, Pennsylvania
  7. MARGARET, born 1776; died in girlhood or young womanhood
JOHN MURRAY ST.CLAIR (2), born 1762; married Jane Parker, of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, about 1783. He was a farmer, residing at Chestnut Ridge, where he died March 29th, 1844, and is buried in the Ligonier cemetery. Son:
  1. ARTHUR ST.CLAIR, single; died in 1862 in Atchinson, Kansas.
DANIEL ST.CLAIR (3) Captain St.Clair was born in 1764, and married in 1789 Rachel, daughter of Dr. Robert Shannon, of Penn Square, Pennsylvania, where Captain St.Clair resided. Dying there in January 1833, he was buried at Evansburg, Pennsylvania He was a Justice of the Peace, a lawyer, and a captain in the War of Independence. He was a generous man and liberally aided his less fortunate relatives. In June 1828, he resided in Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania He was a lieutenant and then a captain in the 2nd Regiment Pennsylvania Line: He served from 1777 to the end of the war. In the fall of 1807 he lost his commission as captain, with other valuable papers, which were in a chest or trunk, by sudden freshet of the Ohio river. He was pensioned by the Government, and on the 17th April 1818, he was allowed $20 a month, the pension certificate being signed by John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War. His form of signature was D.S.Clair. He and his sister Louisa were administrators of his father's estate. On the 30th August 1818, he received from the Treasurer of Pennsylvania $350 pension money due his father [at the time of his death] from the State of Pennsylvania, and $400 more on November 24th 1818, from Richard M. Crain, Treasurer. Some members of the family state that the surname of his wife was not Shannon but Knight. Issue: -
  1. ARTHUR, farmer, born 16th December 1791, at Penn Square, where he resided and died 1875; married Sarah Pugh [or Mary Fitzwater]
  2. SARAH, born May 28th 1793; died young.
  3. PROEBE, born August 15th 1794; married March 1823, David Boyd; resident Philadelphia, where she died 1887.
  4. SARAH, born November 25th, 1795; died young.
  5. ROBERT, born August 8th, 1798; lawyer; resident Penn Square, where he died in 1834.
  6. WILLIAM, born May 4th, 1800; died young.
  7. SARAH, born 15th June 1801; died at Ligonier in 1843.
  8. MARGARET BALFOUR, born 17th July 1803; married Richard Elley; died 1870, at Bunker Hill, Illinois
  9. JAMES, born April 25th 1805; married 1835 Julia Edey; resident Penn Square; died 1841.
  10. MARY ANN, born December 26th, 1807; died young.
  11. RACHEL born May 10th 1810; died young.
  12. LOUISA, born 23rd December 1811; married, first, Mr. Kneit, secondly, Mr. Ferguson; died, 1870, at McRug's Fort
  13. DANIEL born August 13th 1813; died young
  14. DANIEL born June 3rd, 1815; died young.
ARTHUR ST.CLAIR (4), lawyer, born 1766; married Frances Lytle or Stall. Issue: -
  1. ARTHUR, married Mary, sister of Senator Lane; died without issue
  2. JOHN
  3. MARGARET BALFOUR, married George W, Tabscott; is deceased
  4. FRANCES M. married Mr. Mayo
  5. LAURA; single
  6. ELIZA; single
JAMES ST.CLAIR (18) was born April 25th 1805; married 1835, Julia, daughter of Richard L.A. Edey, of Barbados, West Indies. Mr. St.Clair was a gentleman farmer, resident at Penn Square, where he died August 11th 1841. Issue: -
  1. RACHEL born 1837; married, first, July 26th 1860, William A. Jacoby, and secondly, 12th August 1893, James A. Miller; issue.
  2. JULIA EDEY, born 1840; married, 14th June 1864, Rev. John W. Geadenham; died 9th June 1865
JOHN ST.CLAIR (25), born March 2nd 1806; married, August 26th 1827, Ann Crooker, of Madilla, New York. Issue: -
  1. MARY, died aged 14 years.
  2. WILLIAM H
WILLIAM H. ST.CLAIR (33) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, May 23rd 1828. He married, August 11th 1857, Eliza Ann Jackson, who is deceased. He is a physician, resident at Effingham, Illinois. Issue: -
  1. ARTHUR; dead
  2. JOHN; dead
  3. WILLIAM, married to Winnie Marie Seely
  4. CHARLES.
  5. MAY; and
  6. LAURA - One of these is Mrs. Torrence, Wichita, Kansas;
  7. CARRIE, married to B.T. Napier, Glenwood Springs, Colorado
  8. BALFOUR ("Birdie"), married Elias E. Dorsey, Del Norte, Colorado.

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