Noah Agard, Jr.

I started working on the Agard family history twenty-four years ago and have taken the family up through the ninth generation. I am revisiting this monograph to flesh our all those ancestors a bit more. I will double check the citations (from when I was a baby genealogist), and edit the write-ups for a more narrative flow. Yesterday, when working on the the sixth generation I realized I hadn't done any research on the last child of Noah and Rebecca Ann (Fletcher) Agard. The only thing I had was his name, Noah Agard, Jr, his birth and death dates - 14 March 1866 - 15 Jan 1887. Poor Noah died just before his twenty-first birthday. Since the Agards are a long line of farmers, I assumed that Noah, Jr. was probably working on his father's farm at the time of his death. But I couldn't be certain. I checked the 1880 census and no occupation was listed for him. I went to the Fulton History website for newspaper articles. There I found that Noah died at his father's house. Still, no occupation. Further down the newspaper listings was an article from 1885. Bingo! The article pasted below is what I love about genealogy. I still would like to get his death certificate, and will work on that. The Watkins Democrat of June 24, 1885, told me what I really wanted to know about Noah, Jr.: “Noah Agard, Jr., a resident of Mecklenburgh, N. Y., who makes a business of coloring, retouching and throwing up with oil colors, photographs of almost every variety, is in town taking orders for work in his line. His prices are so much lower than the general average, for this kind of work, that his orders cannot fail of being numerous. He will call at your residence and receive your orders or they may be forwarded to his address as above, where they will receive prompt attention. We have seen some very fine specimens from his hands, which evince no little ability.”

52 Ancestors - Noah Agard, Revolutionary War Soldier

In 2014 the Connecticut Society of Genealogists selected my entry as the winner of its “Tell Your Family Story” essay contest. The story I submitted was “Noah Agard of Litchfield, Connecticut; Revolutionary War Soldier. This blog is a summary of that essay.

Noah’s Revolutionary War Pension submission stated his condition:

“I am by occupation a farmer, but am not able to labor any of consequence. I am lame in both of my legs and have been ever since I left the army. I am likewise troubled with a weakness of the stomach and a raising of blood…”

Noah Agard was born on 3 May 1756 in Litchfield, Connecticut, the fifth and last child of John (b: 1712) and Mary (Hosford) (b: 1715) Agard.

When Noah Agard was twenty he enlisted in the Continental Army to fight for his homeland. Initially he served under the leadership of Captain Eliazer Curtis and Captain Martin in the regiment of Colonel Van Schaick of New York. Dutifully Private Noah Agard marched with his company through the wilderness of Maine to Quebec where the army attacked the British forces. The soldiers nearly starved before reaching Canada where they suffered a repulse of their advance by the British.  Noah’s regiment was the rear guard of the army all the way in the retreat. By the time the regiment reached Lake George, the men, having few supplies, were suffering from smallpox and other illnesses.

Upon discharge Noah was placed on the roll of Minutemen.  Minutemen were selected by their commanding officers, because of their youth, enthusiasm and reliability, to be at the ready when needed. If Noah was indeed picked for this elite force, his injuries at the time must not have been critical. At any rate, he now had time to farm his land and to meet his future wife, Lucina Jones (b:  abt 1748), the daughter of Lieutenant Eaton and Elizabeth (Catlin) Jones.[i]  Marriage was proposed, but paper money had depreciated in value to the point that one month’s soldier’s wages equaled one silver dollar. Noah had little to offer for Lucina’s hand in marriage, but he did have two month’s wages saved in which to pay the minister who married them on 30 September 1779.

The Revolutionary Claims Act was passed on 18 March 1818. Noah began the application process for his Revolutionary War pension on 12 May 1818 and at that time was granted a small pension. In 1820 his claim was finally complete and he received his full pension.

“… My family consists of five in number: to wit: myself, my wife, Lucina aged 62 years, who is of a weakly constitution and able to do but very little towards her own support. My daughter, Lucina, whose age is 32 years, whose health is pretty good, who would not reside with me were it not for the purpose of taking care of her sister, Maria, whose age is 26 years, who has been sick for more than two years past and is wholly unable to contribute to her own support and my daughter Lorain who is 17 years old in pretty good health and able to contribute considerably toward her own support.”  - Noah Agard’s Revolutionary War Pension Application, 1820.[ii] 

Noah Agard died on 26 July 1840. His wife Lucina (Jones) Agard died in 1841. They are buried in the Agard Cemetery (aka North Settlement Cemetery), Catherine, New York.

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[i] Frederick Browning Agard, Agards in America, New Orleans, Polyanthos, 1976, 19. Also, Agard Family Bible, Family Record pages, in possession of Mary Nunn Maki.

[ii] “Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com] entry for Noah Agard, Original data: Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (NARA M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Noah Agard of Litchfield, Connecticut

We are in Glastonbury, Connecticut several times a year, but today is not one of those times.  That is unfortunate, because at its annual meeting today in Glastonbury, the Connecticut Society of Genealogists will announce that my essay, Noah Agard of Litchfield, Connecticut Revolutionary War Soldier won the “Tell Your Family Story” Essay Contest. This essay contest is a component of the CSG 2014 Literary Award Contest.

I am honored and humbled by their selection of Noah’s story.  By utilizing several sources including Frederick Browning Agard’s 1976 publication Agards in America, a handwritten account by Noah’s grandson, and the Agard family bible pages, I shared parts of Noah’s life that are not found elsewhere.

Thank you, CSG for this honor.

Tuesday's Tip - Town Meetings - A Genealogy Treasure Trove

Jolene Roberts Mullen’s recently published two-volume set of extracted Connecticut town meeting records, titled, Connecticut Town Meeting Records During the American Revolution (April 1775-November 1783) was the subject of her talk to the Newtown Genealogy Club at its meeting on October 12.

Town meetings were generally held in December. It was at that time that town residents were assigned positions. Should you decline a position, i.e. you didn’t want to be the designated Fence Viewer in your neighborhood, then you would have to pay a penalty to the town in order to get out of the job.  Our forefathers found unique ways of raising money.  Another risky position was tax collector. If you were the tax collector, you paid the town the taxes due out of your own pocket, and then had to collect from all homeowners to get reimbursed.

A treasure trove of names are listed in these Town Meeting Minutes; named are all those who filled the lengthy list of offices (mostly unpaid positions), those who were in military service, took the oath of fidelity, Pound Keepers, Key Keepers, Sheep Master, Grave Digger, those who owned property along a new highway, and the list goes on and on. 

Jolene spent four years on this project. Volume I (577 pages, plus index and list of parent towns) contains minutes for the towns of Ashford to Milford; Volume II (631 pages) contains minutes for the towns of New Fairfield to Woodstock.

For my family, Volume One listed Joseph Agard chosen as Surveyor of Highways in Litchfield, CT (Dec. 16, 1776), and also in Litchfield, Noah Agard was chosen as one of the tything men (December 7, 1781). 

For anyone with ancestors in Connecticut during this time period, these volumes are a must for your genealogy library.

Thankful Thursday - Noah Agard

I am thankful I came upon this letter written in 1869 by my great-great-great grandfather Noah Agard to his wife, Rebecca Ann Fletcher Agard:

February 28, 1869

Dear Wife:

“I bless the day thou was born.” Forty-five years ago this day what a stir there was in one little family; how one suffering woman having safely passed the trial of maternity looked thankfully on the face of her only living daughter and hopefully looked forward to a comfort and companion in the future years. We know how well those hopes were fulfilled and how often she had cause to “bless the day thou was born.”

Now in your midday with the care of so large a family upon you; may heavenly wisdom and patience be given you to so instruct and guide the children; that they to their latest day looking back, shall “bless the day thou was born.”

And, may many future years of usefulness and happiness bear you gently on to the fullness of Christian grace that shall enable you in looking back over a life well spent.

And forward in confident trust of a blissful future also to “bless the day in which thou was born.”

Your ever-loving husband,

Noah Agard

John Wesley Agard

John Wesley Agard

John Wesley Agard, “…like his father, was a scholar and a farmer. Although he was only privileged to complete the eighth grade, he educated himself further with his constant reading. Because he highly valued education, on his own initiative, he studied Greek, Roman and American history and philosophy. He was a pillar of his Methodist Country Church,” remembers his granddaughter, Ella Agard Hague.  John was born to Noah and Rebecca Agard on March 4, 1857.  John’s love of learning was evident in the fact that he and his wife, Sarah, moved from the small rural town of Mecklenburg, NY to Cortland, NY so that their two daughters could attend Cortland Normal School.  John worked as a carpenter in Cortland to support their education.  Later, Sarah operated a boarding house in Ithaca so that the daughters could attend Cornell University.  In the meantime, their son, Arthur Agard, was not forgotten. John and Sarah purchased the Colegrove Farm in Willow Creek so that Arthur could earn a living farming the land.  (See previous blog - Nurturing the Land)