Daniel Avery, Congressman

THE GROTON AVERY CLAN, Vol. I, by Elroy McKendree Avery and Catherine Hitchcock (Tilden) Avery, Cleveland, 1912. Found in the DAR Library, Washington DC. Page 301-2, 362

Note: Daniel Avery in 1793 settled at the mouth of Paine's Creek, but later moved to Aurora, Cayuga, New York. He was in the NY State Congress from 1811-15.

Daniel Avery (September 18, 1766 - January 30, 1842) was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Groton, Connecticut, he attended the common schools and was appointed ensign in the Sixth Company, Eighth Regiment of the Connecticut Militia, and served as lieutenant and captain until May 1794. He moved to Aurora, Cayuga County, New York in 1795 and subsequently became the owner of a large tract of land which was farmed by tenants. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1811 to March 3, 1815. He was elected to the Fourteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Enos T. Throop and served from September 30, 1816 to March 3, 1817.

AVERY, Daniel, a Representative from New York; born in Groton, Conn., September 18, 1766; attended the common schools; appointed ensign in the Sixth Company, Eighth Regiment of the Connecticut Militia, and served as lieutenant and captain until May 1794; moved to Aurora, N.Y., in 1795 and subsequently became the owner of a large tract of land which was farmed by tenants; elected as a Republican to the Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses (March 4, 1811-March 3, 1815); elected to the Fourteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Enos T. Throop and served from September 30, 1816, to March 3, 1817; resumed the management of his estate; connected with the land office at Albany, N.Y., for twenty years; died in Aurora, Cayuga County, N.Y., January 30, 1842; interment in Oak Glen Cemetery.

Avery resumed the management of his estate and was connected with the land office at Albany for twenty years. He died in Aurora in 1842; interment was in Oak Glen Cemetery. _____

THE AVERY FAMILY IN AURORA

In 1793, Daniel Avery first came to Aurora from Groton, Connecticut, probably with his relative Benjamin Ledyard. He went back to Groton and returned in 1795 with his mother Deborah, his first wife Lydia, his brothers Elias, Dudley, and Isaac. A large Avery party must have come at least as far as Auburn together --- his cousins David, Hezekiah, Ebenezer, and Benjamin were among the group. Daniel and Elias remained, but Dudley and Isaac moved away after living here several years. Dudley eventually lived in Louisiana, on Avery Island (during the Civil War a prime source of salt for the Confederate troops, now a famous bird sanctuary and the home of the McIlhenny family which developed Tabasco Sauce).

Daniel Avery owned the Patrick Tavern while Aurora was the county seat of Cayuga County and for several years thereafter. Later he lived on his 1243 - acre farm at Paine's Creek. The Aurora Averys are descended from him and his third wife, Freelove Mitchell Avery.

Daniel was the first member of Congress from Aurora. On January 26, 1810, at Ithaca, he was nominated by Republican delegates of the Fourteenth Congressional District composed of Cayuga, Seneca, Steuben, and Tioga counties. His opponent was John Harris of Cayuga, also a Republican, who had been elected to the Tenth Congress four years before. John Harris, the first settler at Cayuga, was an ancestor of Harris McIntosh, Wells College trustee. Daniel Avery was elected to the Twelfth and reelected to the Thirteenth Congress. Of the 18 New York representatives, he alone voted to declare war on Great Britain. He also served in the Fourteenth Congress, to complete the term of Enos T. Throop who had resigned. He was a commissioner of the New York State Land Office for twenty years.

One of Daniel and Freelove Avery's daughters (Maria) was the second wife of the Reverend William Washington Howard, the first president of Wells College. Their son James (1825-1864) was the grandfather of James (1881-1970) who was twice Supervisor for the Town of Ledyard (1913-1917; 1938-1959) and postmaster of Aurora from 1922-1933; and of William Byron (1886-1973), Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds at Wells College from 1925-1959, and long time chairman of the Republican Committee for the Town of Ledyard. Of Daniel and Freelove's many descendants, the following still live in Aurora: Cornelia Abby (Avery) Ward; Emily Avery King; James Avery, Jr., Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds at Wells College since 1959 and one of his sons, Phillips Avery; Jane Baldwin (Avery) Ayers, Executive Secretary of the Wells Alumnae Association since 1963, and one of her sons, Avery Tarleton Ayers; Baldwin Cuthell Avery, former Mayor of Aurora, and one of his daughters, Cynthia Baldwin Avery-Rogers.

source: History & Profile of The Village of Aurora Cayuga County, NY

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Of natives of the town (of Groton) who have served in Congress from other States we may mention Daniel Avery who was born September 18 1766. He emigrated to Aurora New York in 1795 and represented the Eighth District in the Twelfth Congress and the Twentieth District in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Congresses. He was the only man in the New York delegation to vote for war with Great Britain.

source: Groton, Conn. 1705-1905

By Charles Rathbone Stark  p. 387

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"Daniel and Hezekiah Avery, with their families, and several other of their family connections, came in at the same time as Benjamin from the same place.* Daniel first came in 1793,! and settled at the mouth of Paine's Creek, on the farm now owned by Mr. Delafield. He subsequently removed to Aurora. He represented the Fourteenth District in Congress in 1811-13, and the Twentieth District in 1813-15, and 1816-17, being elected in the latter case to fill a vacancy. He was born at Groton, Connecticut, September i8th, 1766, and died at Aurora, January 30th, 1842. Lydia, his wife, was born April 4th, 1773, and died September 14th, 1797. His father, Daniel, also a native of Groton, fell in defense of his country at Fort Grisvvold, September 6th, 1 78 1. His mother, Deborah, died at Aurora, April nth, 1825, aged 82. Two daughters are living in Aurora, Lydia, widow of Ebenezer White Arms, a native of Greenfield, Massachusetts, who died at Aurora, January isth, 1877, and Maria, widow of Rev. William H. Howard, D. D., a native of London, England, who died at Aurora, July 1st, 1871."

source: History of Cayuga County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, by Elliot G. Storke, p 397