SWEET, OLIN, SHERWOOD, GARDNER, (OCD)

Will try to keep focused on “The Families of the Old Cambridge District” (OCD).

This is an area in what is now the South East corner of Washington County, New York. Primarily this collection of about 30,000 Family Group Sheets (FGS) is what I have been accumulating for over twenty years, and covers the now towns of Cambridge, Jackson and White Creek, Washington Co., NY.

In the colonial period the OCD included part of what is now Bennington Co., VT., and parts of it were in what was the old county of Charlotte and the southern parts were in Albany county, New York Province. Early on this area was knee deep in controversy, and some bloodshed, during the so-called New Hampshire Grants conflict. Many of the earliest settlers remained loyal to the Crown during the Revolutionary War. Some were arrested, imprisoned, banished, fined, had lands confiscated, and many went to Canada and other distant areas. Some of the so-called Tories or Loyalists did in fact return or remain in the community, and some were allowed to keep their property, and did fit back in socially after the conflict was over. There are documented cases of some individuals that were involved on both sides, and some cases of one generation being a Loyalist and the next being Patriots.

Many others from the OCD have documented involvement as soldiers or patriots in the American service, and they are detailed as well as possible when information is discovered. Many wills and estate records have been gleaned, as well as land records, NYS census details, and an enormous amount of Cemetery Records, most of which I have surveyed myself and several that were from a former historian’s card file index to about 50 cemeteries in southern Washington Co.

The collection includes some minor amounts of data from virtually every immediate community that touches those three towns, so that means; Easton, Greenwich, Salem, (a little bit of Argyle,) Shaftsbury, Bennington, and Hoosick (partial only.) Do not expect to find families from the other more northern towns in Washington Co., (unless perhaps they were once in the OCD and then relocated in the northern parts of the county.)

My goal is to locate SOME information on EVERY family that ever lived in the Old Cambridge District from the colonial period, through the U.S. Civil War period. Some details that this collection has comes up to much more recent periods, but that is not the norm. I try to identify the families with as much specific detail I can obtain, and attempt to find out from where they came and where they migrated to, if known.

If you have ancestors that ever lived in the Old Cambridge District from the colonial period through about 1865, I probably have SOMETHING on them in this collection and am very willing to TRADE details.

Worked on FULTON family, OCD, from Steve Schifani - SSchifani@aol.com

Work on 1800 Cambridge, Washington Co., NY., census abstract, finished 4th page through page #

Received extensive SWEET family file of the OCD from Wendy Baker [ewbakerlake@earthlink.net] She lives in White Creek and I have a lot of material that will help fill her in. I also might be able to get some onsite help with my BAKER and GARDNER problem in the White creek area.