Maj. Gen. William Floyd, signer of the "Declaration of Independence"

A Patriot of the American Revolution for NEW YORK with the rank of COLONEL. DAR Ancestor # A040007

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Floyd

William Floyd (December 17, 1734 - August 4, 1821), was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New York.

He was born in Brookhaven, Long Island, New York, and took over the family farm when his father died. He was a member of the Suffolk County Militia in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, becoming Major General. He was chosen to represent New York in the First Continental Congress in 1774 - 1776. In 1789 he was elected to the U.S. Congress under the new Constitution as an Anti-Administration candidate and served from March 4, 1789 to March 3, 1791. He returned to the New York State Senate in 1808.

---

William Floyd, (1734-1821), was a member of the first Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was born in Mastic, Long Island; died in Oneida county, N. Y.

---

Signer of the Declaration of Independance.

---

William Floyd, farmer. land proprietor. patriot, received a very limited formal education, He became landed proprietor in 1753, following the death of his father. FLoyd was intelligent and possessed a strong character. The connections of his wealthy family soon enabled him to be effective in the civic and military affairs of Suffolk County, new York. He was made an officer in the Malita in 1760 Having allied himself with the patriots, Floyd was elected as one of the New York's 12 delegates to the First Continental Congress and took his seat on September 5, 1774. He served During sessions in 1774-1777 and 1778-1783, except for an absence in 1780. His activities in Congress were nether brilliant nor aggressive, he took no part in the debates and did not make speeches. He did, however serve on many comities, and his sound judgement commanded the respect of his fellow congressmen. He was elected to the Second Continental Congress and had, During 1775, became a Colonel in the Suffolk County Militia. On July 8, 1775, he signed the Olive Branch Petition. He was member on the important committees on clothing in 1776. On October 20, 1774, he signed the Articles of Association. He was elected to the Second Continental Congress. When the British first attacked Long Island, he led the Malita and drove them off. New York had no delegates present at the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, when the vote for In dependance occurred. However, William Floyd was on the four New York delegates who has the honor of signing the engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776.

On July 19, 1776, the British invaders confiscated his home. His family escaped across the sound to Connecticut. The homeple against the king. Was appointed the 1st Continental Congress which met September 5, 1774, and served on numerous committees. For seven years his family lived in Connecticut while the British occupied his home on Long Island.

He signed the Declaration Of Independence (4th name) July 4, 1776. He was Senator from New York in 1777 and a member of Congress 1778-1779. He ran for Govenor on New York in 1795

He bought land on the Mohawk River in 1784 (Probably near Utica, New York where I had relatives-HT) In 1803 he moved to his lands in New York State and remained a Presidential Elector form 1800 to 1820. He was a very determined and independent man"

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=kings-hig...

=====================================================================================================================================

Birth: Dec. 17, 1734 Long Island City Queens County New York, USA Death: Aug. 4, 1821 Westernville Oneida County New York, USA

Declaration of Independence Signer. Born in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, to a wealthy family, he received little formal training, but instead, was trained to run the family estate, which he began to do at the age of 18, when his father died. Several years later, he married Hannah Jones, with whom he had three children. He was considered a simple man whose greatest pleasures were hunting and hosting parties for his friends. In 1769, Floyd became an official of Brookhaven, the Long Island town where his estate stood, and for the most part, he occupied himself with local politics. In the early 1770s, as troubles with Great Britain became more heated, he spoke up strongly against the British taxes, and for this, he was elected to the Continental Congress in 1774. He served in the First and Second Continental Congresses, from 1774 to 1777, and from 1778 to 1781. He continued to serve in the Congress of the Confederation, from 1781 to 1783. Neither a self-serving lawyer nor a politician, he would sit in the Congress listening to the debates, but contributing little except to work hard on the various committees. In 1776, he led a New York militia unit, and in one skirmish, his men drove off British invaders attempting to land on Long Island. The British soon returned in strong numbers, and took the island. Local fishermen took Hannah Floyd and the children across Long Island Sound to Connecticut and safety, eventually to hide in Middletown, Connecticut until the end of the war. Hannah died in Middletown in 1781. When peace was made in 1783, Floyd returned to the family home in Long Island only to discover that during the seven-year occupation, British Cavalry had turned his home into a stable, and had ruined it. Floyd rebuilt the house and the next year, he married Joanna Strong. He was elected to the first US House of Representatives, serving from 1789 to 1791, and ten years later, in 1801, he helped rewrite the New York State Constitution. He was a strong supporter of the movement that made Thomas Jefferson the second President of the United States. In 1803, at the age of 69, he decided to move to the frontier region of New York’s Mohawk River. There he was elected in 1808 to represent that region in the NY State Senate. Floyd would die on his farm on the NY frontier at the age of 86 in 1821. (bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson)

Family links:

Parents:

 Nicoll Floyd (1705 - 1755)

 Tabitha Smith Floyd (1704 - 1755)

Spouses:

 Hannah Jones Floyd (1740 - 1781)

 Joanna Strong Floyd (1747 - 1826)

Children:

 Anna Floyd Clinton*

 Mary Floyd Tallmadge (1764 - 1805)*

 Ann Floyd Varick (1785 - 1857)*

Sibling:

 William Floyd (1734 - 1821)

 Charity Floyd L'Hommedieu (1739 - 1785)**

*Calculated relationship

• *Half-sibling

Burial: Westernville Cemetery Westernville Oneida County New York, USA

Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?]

Maintained by: Find A Grave Record added: Apr 28, 1998 Find A Grave Memorial# 2806 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2806

---

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2806

---

I am only managing this site for historical purposes.

Zak