Individual Report for Mordecai Lester Jr, by familytrace4fsk, 21 Sep 2013
Father: Mordecai Lester
Mother: Delaney Tripp
Individual Facts:
Birth: 10 Jun 1821 in Duanesburg, Schenectady, New York, USA
Residence: 1900 in House of Industry, Troy, Rensselaer, New York, USA
Death: 18 Jun 1904 in Troy, Rensselaer, New York, USA
Burial: Troy, Rensselaer, New York, USA
Shared Facts: Margaret E Chase
Marriage: 08 Oct 1848 in Schenectady, New York, USA
Children: Henry R Lester
Margaret D (Maggie) Lester
Irving Lorenzo? Lester
Byron H Lester
George Elliot Lester
Delton Albert Lester
Edwin J Lester
The last know whereabouts of Mordecai Lester Jr is the House of Industry that was located in Troy, Rensselaer, New York. The Rensselaer County Hospital was connected with the Almshouse, where there were 60 beds." [ THE TROY TIMES, Troy, NY, 30 Jun 1930 ]. A death record for a Mordecai Lester born about 1822 was located in Troy City Clerk's office where it states that the place of death was the Rensselaer County Hospital.
The Lester family bible states when he was born, when he married Margaret Chase, but no date of death. The bible covers his family, from his parents, Mordecai and Delaney, with birth, marriage, death dates but not a date of death for him.
Mordecai Jr was born 10 Jun 1821 in Duanesburg, Schenectady, New York. In the early years of his life he appears to have lived, married, and started a family within the area of Duanesburg. Later he lived in Lansingsburgh (now part of Troy) and in or near Troy, Rensselaer, New York including Hancock, Berkshire, Massachusetts for a short period of time.
In the 1850 United States Census there is a Mordecai Lester Jr with a wife, Margaret, and one child, Henry R, living in Duanesburg and with or next to other Lester families. The birth year for Mordecai Jr appears correct so this might be Mordecai Jr.
An 1855 New York State Census shows a Mordica and Margaret Lester living in Stephentown, Rensselaer, New York with three children: Henry R, Margaret D, and Ervin L in the household of Diana Kitle(?) next to Lorenzo Chase's family. Mordica and the children were listed as born in Schenectady County and Margaret's county of birth as Rensselaer.
The 1860 U S Census has Margaret, Henry, and four other children - Margaret, Ervin, Dyron, and George - all living in Stephentown, Rensselaer, New York living next to Lorenzo Chase but no Mordecai. Looking to connect the name Lorenzo to Irving L Lester's middle initial but need proof as Lorenzo might be Margaret's father's first name.
A June 1863 census of men subject to military duty enumerated a Mordecai Lester, age 42, listed as a laborer, born in New York, and living in Stephentown.
What is next was a defining find. The 1865 Massachusetts State Census lists a Mortica and Margaret Lester living in Hancock, Berkshire, Massachusetts. Hancock is just across the state border from Stephentown, New York. The enumerator did more than expected when asking the place of birth. Listed for each family member is the town along with the state of birth! Mortica's place of birth is Duanesburg and Margaret's is Stephentown. Of a small mystery is Edwin, age 1 year, as no further information for an Edwin has been found for this generation. Another son of the name Dalton or Delton does appear later and was born about the same year of 1864. On Dalton/Delton's death record his parents are recorded as Mortica Lester and Margaret Chase but a birthplace of Troy, New York.
1865 Massachusetts State Census
Household Gender Age Place of Birth
Mortica Lester M 42y Duanesburg, NY
Margaret Lester F 33y Stephentown, NY
Henry O Lester M 15y Duanesburg, NY
Margaret D Lester F 13y Duanesburg, NY
Ervin L Lester M 11y Duanesburg, NY
Byron H Lester M 8y Stephentown, NY
George E Lester M 5y Stephentown, NY
Edwin J Lester M 1y Stephentown, NY
Research at one of the churches in Stephentown, New York provided a baptismal entry for a Margaret Chase in 1832. The family bible has Mordecai married to a Margaret Chase. Margaret Lester was about 33 in 1865 that would make her born about 1832.
By 1870 the family appears to have been broken up as Census records show the children living with various non-related families in the Stephentown area and Margaret possibly married to a Franklin D Harmon and Dalton Lester living in the same household. No record for Mordecai Lester has been found.
At the library in Troy, Rensselaer, New York, the Troy City Directories were transcribed when the Lester name matched, starting from 1874 through 1890. The year 1874 had Mordecai, Irving L, and Byron H living together. Another record shows Mordecai living with Dalton. George and Irving also shared common addresses through this period. We have located and visited some of the addresses. The names are consistent with the Mordecai Lester Jr and Margaret Chase family from censuses. The 1880 listing had Mordecai employed in "Varieties".
In the 1875 New York State Census, there is a Mordica Lester, age 53, married to a woman by the name of Catherine, with an Elizabeth Cole listed as a mother-in-law, and living in Troy close in the same election district to where Irving Lester was living with his wife and young family.
The 1880 United States Census has a Mordecai listed as a widow with an estimated birth year of 1822, close enough by assumption to 1821, and is living at 268 Third Street in Troy and is employed at a "Variety Store" in Troy. This is a match to the Troy City Directory for 1880.
From newspaper articles on fultonhistorty.com the belief is that Mordecai Jr was incarcerated for criminal assault in 1882 as newspaper articles show. In one newspaper article [ Troy Daily Press-19 Jan 1882 ], Mordecai Lester stated he was born in Duanesburg, had kept a store (Variety Store???) for six years, and had no family that he was living with at the time (in the 1880 Census he is alone and a widower), and was the right age, sixty years old. My Mordecai Jr would be the same age as of January 1882, as his date of birth has been traced to be in June 1821. He was sentenced to five years at hard labor for his crime and research for prison records are sketchy for the time era. The prison is still located in Village of Dannemora, Clinton, New York. The New York Archives or Library might have records.
A record has been located where a Mordecai Lester entered the Rensselaer County almshouse, "House of Industry", in Troy on 11 Apr 1890 and listed his parents as English. A Mordecai Lester from the 1900 United States Census was listed as an inmate in the "House of Industry". The facility is now gone and apartments exist where it once stood.
A search of the New York State Vital Index led to a record of death for a Mordecai Lester on 18 June 1904 in Troy, New York. A visit to Troy's City Clerk's office produced a record with little information except for an age of 82 and a J. S. Kittell handling the burial in a Pottersfield. There was a John S Kittell working at the House of Industry from 1899 to 1907. I have found no other Mordecai Lester of this age. This leads to speculation that this is my direct Mordecai Lester based on age, where he may have been living, and that he died at the Rensselaer County Hospital after treatment of 258 days of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Of note is that many have mistaken Mordecai's cousin - Mordecai Lester (born 1845) - as Mordecai Jr. His cousin did marry Ruth E Perkins and Mary Elizabeth Sheely-Scott. All three are buried next to each other in Union Cemetery, Bramans Corner in the township of Duanesburg. On Mordecai's cousin's grave marker you can see that his date of death is July 14 1909 and of an age of 64 years. Doing the math makes this Mordecai born about 1845. Mordecai Jr was born in 1821 as records have shown.