ANDREW COHOE AND DESCENDANTS

from Andrew Cohoe and Descendants

by Kenneth W. Totten. London 1971.

According to information which was collected by the Rev. Benjamin Livingstone Cohoe many years ago and from which he prepared the original “Family Tree”, Ambrose Cohoe was the son of Daniel Cohoe from Ireland and Mary Cutter from England who had arrived in America about 1740. Mary was said to be the daughter of Ambrose Cutter. They were reported to have been the parents of several children including Sarah, Ambrose, John and Jacob. No indication was given as to where the family had sett6led but further research had disclosed that on February 14, 1750, a warrant for 200 acres of land was issued to Daniel Cohoe of Philadelphia Co. to be surveyed in Allemingle adjoining John Frietz and Hennikel Limrich. This land was not taken up by Daniel and we have found no further record of him. About 1835, there are records of a David Cohoe living at Williamsburg, Pa. And a Daniel Cohoe living near Altoona, Pa., who are believed to have been sons of John Cohoe.

A careful search of early documents and records failed to locate any references to Ambrose Cohoe. He was born about 1743-4 but the first record located was when in 1773 he married Deborah Heacock, a daughter of Jonathan Jr. and Susanna (Morgan) Heacock of Rich Hill, Richland Twp., Bucks Co., Pa. The minutes of May 5, 1773 of the Richland Meeting of the Society of Friends, of which Deborah was a member, record that she was read out of Meeting when she confessed to have married out of the Society. From the tax rolls in the Pennsylvania Archives (3^rd Series, Vol. XIII, pp. 115, 290, 411, and 419) we find that Andrew Cohoe was taxed in Richland Township in 1731 and 1782, and in Milford Twp. in 1783 and 1784.

After the American Revolution there was a vast migration of people westward in search of new land. This movement was joined by at least six members of the family of Jonathan Heacock Jr. John and his family went to Redstone in western Pennsylvania and from there to Ohio. Four daughters and their husbands came to Canada; William and Susanna (Heacock) Lloyd settled in Whitchurch Township near Newmarket, Ezekial and Ann (Heacock) Dennis settled in Clinton Twp., James and Amy (Heacock) Crawford settled in Short Hills in Pelham Twp, and Andrew and Deborah (Heacock) Cohoe settled at Fonthill in Thorold Twp. Jonathan Heacock III left Richland in 1782 for Haverford and in 1790 was living at Catawissa. Later he also came to Canada, settling in King Twp., York Co. There is evidence that William Lloyd and Ezekial Dennis were at Niagara in 1783 to explore the situation but the Cohoes came with the main body of these settlers in 1787.

The unexpected influx of settlers to the Niagara district in that year caused a disastrous shortage of food and supplies. On account of the hardship and suffering which followed, the year 1783 was known long afterwards as the “scarce year” or the “starving season”. Andrew Cohoe was informed by the Land Board that he would be entitled to 600 acres of land for himself and family but he died a few years later having selected only 400 acres near what is now the town of Fonthill. In a petition which she signed in 1799, Deborah states that her husband, Andrew Cohoe, died in 1790. In 1840 their son John, in a letter says that his late father, Andrew Cohoe, died in 1789 during the “starving season”.

In this connection, it is interesting to note the dating on the land certificates issued to Andrew Cohoe on his personal appearance before the Land Board. On Feb. 9, 1791 the Land Board for the District of Nassau in the Province of Quebec, granted to Andrew Cohoe a certificate for 200 acres of land in Township No. 9 (Thorold) as a loyalist. This certificate addressed to Augustus Jones, acting surveyor for the district states that the petitioner has already settled on and improve the land. Augustus Jones limited his assignment to 100 acres, being Lot no. 172, noting that the other lot No. 173 had been assigned by petition to E. Topham. On May 3, 1791, another petition was presented to Land Board by Andrew Cohoe and he was assigned another 200 acres, being Lots No. 166 and 167 in Township No. 9 Home District. A question which might arise here would be whether or not these petitions were actually presented by Andrew Cohoe, or perhaps by someone else on behalf of his family. Perhaps Edward Topham may have received Lot. No. 173 as a reward for this service.

These two Land Board certificates were confirmed on August 3, 1794 by D. W. Smith, the acting Surveyor General at Newark, but no deed were issued. Over four years later, a petition was sent to the Honourable Peter Russell, President of the Executive Council, which was signed at York, April 20, 1799, by Robert Hamilton on behalf of the widow of Andrew Cohoe, then married to Edward Topham. In this petition she requested deeds to the 300 acres granted by the certificates which she surrendered and asked that she be enabled to locate the additional 300 acres promised to her late husband. The petition was faourably received by the Executive Council and on April 23, 1799 recommended that the 300 acres given to Andrew Cohoe be granted to his widow and her children as tenants in common. No action was taken on the request for additional land.

About four years later when no deeds had been issued Edward Topham went on May 22, 1803, to the office of Robert Hamilton, then a Justice of the Peace at Queenston,l seeking assistance in obtaining the land deeds. He received a memorandum to John Small, Esquire, Clerk of the Executive Council at York, requesting him to “find the petition (of 1799) an let Topham know the result - if anything on his part remains to be done, have the kindness to instruct him in the necessary steps.” Apparently at Mr. Small’s request, Robert Hamilton forwarded to him on June 16, 1803, an affirmation by Edward Topham setting out the names of Andrew Cohoe’s widow and six of his children, not including the eldest son Asa who had returned to Pennsylvania several years before. As a result , a warrant was issued to the Attorney General on Oct. 21, 1803 and the family received their land deeds. About this time, Asa made a separate application for a grant of 200 acres of the land promised to his father. The Executive Council recommended that this 200 acres be granted to the children of the deceased as joint tenants but it seems that no further action was taken on this recommendation.

After the father’s death, the baby Nathan was taken and raised by a family named Smith. By 1793/4, Christiana had married John Ostrander, and her mother married Edward Topham. In 1795, Asa left to work on a survey gang and in 1801 Amy married Ebenezer Cavers. In 1804 William drowned near Sugar Loaf in Lake Erie, and Andrew went to York County. Only John remained on Lot 172, the family homestead.

In 1822, Phoebe Roberts in her diary of a trip from Pennsylvania to visit several Quaker settlements in Upper Canada, mentions Deborah the widow of Andrew Cohoe, then living with her son Andrew at Norwich. She died in 1848 at the age of 99. Two children, Sarah and Jonathan died young before the family came to Canada. The others were Christiana b.1775; Asa b. 1778; Amy b. 1780; John b. 1782; William b. 1783-1804; Andrew b. 1785; Nathan b. 1787.

It might be of interest to note here the bill which was paid in connection with the burial of William Cohoe, who drowned in Lake Erie:

William Cohoe (deceased)

to Peter Bladoe, D

Time spent on going to Sugar Loaf and assisting in burial and making of coffin 3pounds, 12 shillings

One day looking after his affairs l pound, 4 shillings

Cash paid for watching his body and burying it from Sugar Loaf, and paid for winding sheet,

1 pound, 1 shilling.

To washing, etc. 4 pounds, 12 shillings

For making of coffin, board and digging grave: 2 pounds, 12 shillings

TOTAL

13 pounds, 1 shilling