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ANDREWS Family History

Our branch of the Andrews family begins in Oneida County in central New York in 1797 with the birth of Nathan Andrews². Although the Erie Canal, which cut through Oneida County, opened in 1825, Nathan moved to Oswego County along New York's Lake Ontario shoreline to start his family. There they stayed for about eight years before briefly moving to Trumbull County in northeastern Ohio and then backtracking slightly to Amity, Erie County, Pennsylvania by 1835. In 1852, Nathan resettled in Graham Township, Johnson County, Iowa, where his eldest son, Orrin³, followed him and settled as well.

Around 1868, Nathan moved once more, this time to Morro, San Luis Obispo, California. His granddaughter, Candace Mandana (Andrews) Miller⁴ settled in San Luis Obispo County as well, two years later.

Andrews¹

X. The father of our ancestor Nathan Andrews may also have been named Nathan Andrews. According to the obituary of Eber Andrews, a likely elder son, the Andrews family started in Connecticut and moved to Bridgewater, Oneida County, New York, "in a timber wagon drawn by oxen," when Eber was three years old (about 1793). A Nathan Andrews is found in the 1800 through 1820 censuses of Bridgewater, Oneida County, New York, the birthplace of our Nathan. In 1800 Nathan was noted as being 26 to 44 years of age, indicating he was born between 1756 and 1773^{[Cen 1800]}. At the time he had five children: two boys and two girls under the age of 10 and one boy between the ages of 10 and 15. 20 years later he had six children at home: one boy under the age of 10, two girls between 10 and 15, and a son and daughter between the ages of 16 and 26. His wife apparently had passsed on prior to 1820.^{[Cen 1800,1810,1820]} His family may have looked something like this:

Eber ANDREWS (1790-1882)

X. Eber Andrews was born about September 1790 in Connecticut, and was likely an elder brother of Nathan Andrews². Eber and his family moved from Connecticut to Bridgewater, Oneida County, New York, when Eber was three years old (about 1793). Eber married Ruth and had 12 children:

XA.	Andrews Daughter	(1810-1820)	--	--
XB.	Maranda R. Andrews	1823	May 1898	(74)
XC.	Andrews Daughter	(1820-1825)	--	--
XD.	Andrews Daughter	(1820-1825)	--	--
XE.	Emily Andrews	(1826-1827)	--	--
XF.	Laurinda L. Andrews	7 Jun 1829	(11) Mar 1901	(71)
XG.	Nancy Andrews	(1832-1833)	--	--
XH.	Eber Andrews (Jr.)	(1835-1836)	--	--
XI.	William Andrews	(1839-1840)	--	--
XJ.	Erastus D. Andrews	Feb 1842	1901	(59)

The Andrews family had one daughter by 1820, when they still lived in Bridgewater.^{[Cen 1820]} About 1828, when Eber was 38 years old, the family moved down the Sauquoit Valley to Sauquoit, Oneida County. They stayed in Sauquoit for six years before moving back up the Sauquoit Valley to Cassville about 1834. There, by 1840, their family had grown to nine children: one girl, age 20-30; four girls, age 15-20 (Maranda and perhaps including Emily); one girl, age 10-15 (Laurinda); one girl, age 5-10 (Nancy); and two boys (Eber and William).^{[Cen 1840]}

Eber and Ruth moved west to Lisbon Townshp, Kendall County, Illinois, in 1858.

One son, perhaps Eber or William, died serving in the Union Army. Son Erastus enlisted in the 91st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which served in Kentucky, the Vicksburg Campaign, and afterward the defense of New Orleans and an expedition into Texas.

Ruth Andrews died on March 9, 1873, at the age of 74. She was buried at Sauquoit Valley Cemetery in Clayville, Oneida County, New York.^[Grave]

After Ruth's death, Eber remained in Sauquoit for the rest of his days. He died nine years later at his daughter's home in Sauquoit on March 15, 1882. He was 91 years old and was buried with Ruth in Sauquoit Valley Cemetery.^[Grave]

Daughter Laurinda (Andrews) Teachout remained in Sauquoit, while eldest daughter Maranda (Andrews Dunham) Hammond moved west to Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa, in the late 1870s, after her first husband died and she remarried. Son Erastus also found his way to Waterloo after 1880.

Nathan ANDREWS¹ (1797-1883)

1. Nathan Andrews was born May 29, 1797, in Bridgewater, Oneida County, in central New York. He married Philena Ames, of Hounsfield, New York (then in Oneida County, now in Jefferson County), and began their family of nine children in Oswego County.

Soon after the new Andrews family began, they lived in Richland, Oswego County. There, Orrin was born. About a year later, they moved a little southwest to Mexico, Oswego County, where they settled for about eight years and the next four children were born (through about 1834). Then, the family moved briefly to Trumbull County, Ohio, outside of Cleveland, before backtracking slightly and resettling in northwest Amity Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, where their last three children were born.

The family first settled in Amity Township by 1837, presumably in the portion of Lot 1999 described below. Then he purchased an adjacent 8-acre parcel on the Waterford side of the township line in Lot 2012 from George Wattle on June 17, 1837, for $52.50.^{[Deed 1837]}

The Andrews stayed in Amity and Waterford Townships until Nathan and Philena sold the two lots to Robert Johnson and Charles C. P. Johnson on April 16, 1851.^{[Deed 1851]} The first of these two lots, in northeast Amity Township, was described as a 120.34-acre lot, the west half of Lot 1999 of the Tenth Donation District, which bordered Waterford Township on the west, and roughly follows the stream of Lake Pleasant Outlet, Ellis Williams on the north, and Lot 1998 to the south. The second lot contained 8.9 acres and lay to the west in Waterford Township in the southeast corner of Lot 2012, presumably adjacent to the first lot. This lot was bordered on the north by Waterford-Wattsburg Road (presumably modern-day Lowe Road) and to the west was Aseph Witherall.^{[Deed 1851]}

The Andrews family thereafter moved west to Johnson County, Iowa, where they set up home in Graham Township, just south of Morse, by 1852.

In 1856, Iowa recorded residents of Newport Township with the, Andrews, Ames, Kester and Morse families all in close proximity.^{[Cen 1856]}

With the family grown, Nathan and Philena decided to strike out one last time, in 1868--this time to California. They settled in Morro, San Luis Obispo County, California, and were joined a little later by granddaughter, Candace, her husband, and children. Their younger children, Nathan, Harriet, Cordelia, and Frances, all made their way to California as well.

Philena (Ames) Andrews died on January 7, 1879 in Morro, San Luis Obispo County, at the age of 74. She was survived by her husband and all of her children, except Laura, John, and Nancy. Philena is buried at the Cayucos Cemetery in Morro, San Luis Obispo County, California.

The year after Philena's death, Nathan remarried to an English immigrant named Nancy from the Isle of Jersey, a possession of the British Crown off the northwest coast of France, in Morro. She was 16 years his junior. They were only married three years before Nathan died.

Nathan Andrews died on February 28, 1883, in Morro at the age of 85. He is buried at the Cayucos Cemetery in Morro along with his wife Philena.

Nancy Andrews died 12 years later in 1895 in Morro. She was about 83 years old.

Continue on to Part II