David Christopher Springer

It is uncertain who the parents of David Springer were. J. Ross Springer believed that John Springer and Maria Hendrickson are the most likely parents.

GEDCOM Note

Birth: Jan. 15, 1732, USA Death: Aug. 11, 1777 Guilderland Albany County New York, USA Although no paper trail has been found for David's birth, the above date is generally accepted as the accurate one. It has been written that David, originally of Dutch and English ancestry, became a saddlebag preacher for the Methodist-Episcopalian Church in New York. It has been stated that David is not from the Springer line that claims Swedish ancestry and to a so-called Springer fortune started by a couple of notaries in order to bilk family descendants out of money they would provide in order to get a share of the "fortune". It was a scam from the beginning but many Springer descendants fell for it and lost their investment. As later proven, there was no fortune and no expensive Springer land in downtown Delaware that descendants had hoped (as legitimate heirs) would make them rich. Even today descendants continue to perpetuate belief for this folklore. On Oct.26,1754 David married Margaret (or Margarita) Oliver in First Dutch Reformed Church in Albany. She was a daughter of Richard Oliver and Martha Bennoit. (This marriage document is available to read on-line.) Sometime after their marriage, they moved to Schenectady, NY where David is on record as having purchased a cow in 1762. Sometime between 1764 and 1767 they moved from Schenectady to Guilderland in the Albany County part of the West Manor of Rennselaerswyck where according to the tax list of February 1767, David's property was listed as One Pound in value. It is believed that this would have been a very small dwelling with little or no animals, implements, etc. and that likely he was a tenant farmer on this vast estate that covered at least four counties of area on both sides of the Hudson River. David, Margaret and their children remained in the Guilderland area up until the time David was killed in 1777. The Springer home was close to the action in the Revolutionary War. Being a Loyalist, David, his son, Richard, and a group of young Loyalist, militiamen were ambushed by the rebels in superior numbers at Guilderland in August 1777 as Springer's group made their way to Stillwater to join in the army of British Gen. John Burgoyne. It has been stated that David was the only one of this group to be killed by the Americans. In one account it is stated by the author of a local history, Jeptha Simms, published in 1845, that "On the 11th of August, Lt.Col. Jacob Schermerhorn (commander of 2nd Reg. of the Albany County Militia) proceeded to Normanskill with a body of Schenectady Militia and 40 Rhode Island troops ... in all about 100 men ... to root up a Tory gathering at that place. The expedition was very successful. David Springer, a noted Loyalist, was killed, 13 of his comrades captured, the remainder dispersed and confidence again restored, where all was doubt and disaffection, without the loss of a single man on the part of the Americans." It is interesting to note here that the Normanskill battle was the only one that occurred in Albany County during the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Normanskill left Margaret a widow with a family of nine surviving children and with her eldest son, Richard, in jail in Albany for a time. She remained in NY throughout the War and as the wife and mother of Loyalists, tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible. After his release, Richard and his younger brother, Daniel, joined the British forces with Butler's Rangers. About 1786 and with the help of Richard and Daniel, Margaret escaped to Niagara, Ontario and eventually was joined by seven of her children. In 1793 Margaret petitioned the Crown for land and a year later was granted 400 acres for herself in Ancaster Township, at Copetown, near the present City of Hamilton. Most of the children who came into Ontario each received 200 acres, all given as a reward for the family's support of the British Crown. Children: (1) Mary (1755-died in infancy) (2) Richard (ca1757-1829) married Sarah Boyce in 1786 (3) Mary Lucy (1761-1852) married William Carroll and remained in the Albany area (4) Daniel (1763-1826) married Ruth Fairchild (5) Martha/Margaret (ca1766) married John Treanor and remained in the US (6) Rachel (ca1768) married Col. Caleb Reynolds (7) John (1771-1827) married Sarah (Ryckman) Lottridge, a widow with a daughter (8) Benjamin (1773-1834) married Mary Ryckman (9) Henrietta (1775-1855) married Col. Richard Beasley, office holder, fur trader, businessman, JP, politician, militia officer, farmer (10)Keziah (1776-1860) married Benjamin Lockwood Family links: Spouse: Margarita Oliver Springer (1735 - 1820) Children:

GEDCOM Source

@R-2141566155@ U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Ancestry.com Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.Original data - Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls 1,2204::0 Source Citation: SAR Membership Number: 73340 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=sarmemberapps&h=746541&ti=0&i... birth date: 15 Jan 1732 birth place: Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, United States Name: David Christopher Springer 1,2204::746541

GEDCOM Source

@R-2141566155@ New York, Genealogical Records, 1675-1920 Ancestry.com Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Original data - For individual sources please see the source information listed with each record. Many of the source documents are available in the Genealogical Research Library collect 1,7831::0 Source Citation: The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (quarterly-1936) - Extracts; Publication Place: New York; Publisher: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society; Page Number: 370 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=nygenrec_ga&h=645085&ti=0&ind... Name: David Christopher Springer residence date: 1757 residence place: New York City, New York, New York, United States vital date: 1757 vital place: New York City, New York, New York, United States 1,7831::645085

GEDCOM Source

@R-2141566155@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=25455532&pid...