Samuel Covey, Sr.

“Samuel was the son of James Corey Covery & Mary Lamphere.” Evidence needed.

Samuel Covey was born 1755 and died 29 Jan 1822 (aged 66–67) at Alburgh, Grand Isle County, Vermont, USA. He married Susanna [Yearns] in [Rhode Island?] . To this union, 19 children were born.

Samuel Covey's Memorial on file at the Public Archives of Canada [A.O. 13, Series II (MG 14), Reel B-2446, Vol 81, pg 54.] He is buried at the Union Cemetery in Clarenceville, Missisquoi County, Quebec, Canada.

Family

http://www.woodwaugh.com/yarnes/sam_covey.html

First Generation

Samuel1 COVEY was born before 1755 probably in RI or CT. He married Susanna ? (more than likely his 2nd wife). Susanna died 2 August 1821 in Alburg, Grand Isle Co, VT (Caldwell's Manor & Christie's Manor Anglican Church). Her body was interred 3 August 1821. Samuel died 29 January 1822 in Alburg, Grand Isle Co, VT, at 67 years of age. His body was interred 31 January 1822 (Caldwell's Manor & Christie's Manor Anglican Church).

It is more than likely that Samuel Covey married at least twice. His eldest son was born about 1772, and his youngest in 1815. It is highly unlikely that one woman bore 19 children over a period of 43 years! This writer suspects that his first wife was a YARNES, and his second wife was the Susannah ? who died in 1821 at Alburg, VT. There are other descendants of this line who do not agree with my line of reasoning. Hopefully by sorting out all the YARNES lines, we all may find the true answer.

Samuel COVEY and ? YARNES and/or Susanna ? had the following children:

• + 2 i. Samuel2COVEY Jr. was born circa 1772.
• + 3 ii. Arlotta COVEY was born circa 1778.
• + 4 iii. James COVEY was born circa 1781.
• + 5 iv. Enos COVEY was born circa 1782.
• + 6 v. Archibald COVEY was born circa 1784.
• + 7 vi. Lydia Ann COVEY was born 23 October 1786.
• 8 vii. Charlotte COVEY was born in Alburg, Grand Isle Co, VT circa 1788. She married Batiste MINOR in Alburg, Grand Isle Co, VT, 20 May 1807.
• 9 viii. Mary COVEY was born before 1790.
• + 10 ix. Deborah COVEY was born circa 1790.
• + 11 x. Elizabeth COVEY was born circa 1794.
• 12 xi. Walter COVEY was born in Alburg, Grand Isle Co, VT circa 1796.
• + 13 xii. John M. COVEY was born circa 1799.
• 14 xiii. Susanna COVEY was born in Alburg, Grand Isle Co, VT circa 1800.
• + 15 xiv. Samantha COVEY was born circa 1802.
• 16 xv. Ann COVEY was born in Alburg, Grand Isle Co, VT circa 1806.
• 17 xvi. Araminta COVEY was born in Alburg, Grand Isle Co, VT circa 1809.
• + 18 xvii. George COVEY was born 30 September 1809.
• + 19 xviii. Emily Ervin COVEY was born circa 1810.
• + 20 xix. Alfred Melville COVEY was born 27 February 1815.

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Biography

Samuel Covey lost 100 acres of land under Governor Skene which had been under improvements, a cow and 2 calves, 2 horses, some tools, leather and skins, 10 acres of wheat, and two silver spoons. He was obviously not a wealthy man. His total loss came to 90 pounds York currency. Samuel Covey had gone to Canada as a Loyalist after losing his land in New York , following British troops into Canada in 1777.

Military records in the W.O. 28 series at PAC also held references to our Samuel Covey. Within a Return of Royalists not incorporated in any corps for 1777 shows Samuel Covey's family as 1 male, 1 female and 1 child for a total of three, lodged at St Therese, having arrived from Fort Ann 22 November 1777. A later listing of Royalists taken Christmas Day, 1777 shows the family of three still quartered at St Therese. There is also an entry under "Return of Protestant Inhabitants in the District of Montreal" that Elizabeth Covey died 15 Sept 1777, bur the 16th. Was this Samuel's first wife? Or could it be an infant daughter? No further information available at this point. listing dated 1794 (but known to have been compiled about 1786) [referenced in Allen Stratton's History of Alburgh, Vermont] lists Samuel Covey living "north of ye Line", referring to boundary. In 1774, Alburgh was actually part of Caldwell's Manor, so many of the first settlers there had been given British grants to land there. When Vermont became a state in 1781, many settlers found themselves on American soil.

There are few documents offering us insight on Samuel Covey and his family. There was an article of agreement dated 24 Oct 1817 in Alburg, Vermont records which shows that Samuel Covey gave his son Walter Covey all his moveable possessions except a horse, a gun and a bed so long as Walter agreed to support Samuel and his family and pay all his debts. On 19 October 1818 the document was destroyed by agreement of both parties. His Last Will and Testament is on file at the Grand Isle County Courthouse at North Hero, Vermont. [Bk 4, p. 107-111], and lists his children. It also references an agreement he made with John Marvin Kelly, husband of daughter Elizabeth, who was to care for his 106 acres land in Lot 2 in the First Range in Alburg, and was to raise his five minor children for the next eight years (or until each came of age). At the expiration of the eight years, the land was to go to Samuel's son George. In July of 1822, there is an agreement between Marvin John Kelly and Walter W. Covey whereas John Kelly gives up rights to the land unto Walter Covey after the expiration of only one year. He was to keep several items in the original agreement, including a cow and a plow, and was entitled to the upcoming season's grain harvest.

Samuel COVEY b. bef 1755 was living at Fort Anne, (now Wash Co), NY when he was forced to abandon his land as a Loyalist, following British troops into Canada in 1777. It is suspected he was related to the family of James COVEY and wf Sarah LAMPHERE of RI., possibly through any one of three untraced sons. He and family settled at Caldwell's Manor, Quebec. Samuel d. 1822 Alburgh, Grand Isle Co, VT, and wf Susannah d. there 1822. Either his 1st wife , or a 2nd wf was a YARNES/YEARNS, as the name was used repeatedly amongst descendants.

From the Halldimand Papers These were records of Loyalist refuges in the Quebec area (1783) after the revolution.

• Coney or Covey Samuel
• 1 male
• 1 women
• 1 male over 12, 1 male 6-12, 1 male under 6
• 1 female under 6
• A Samuel Covey also lived on Downie Island in the St Lawerence River in the early 1800's

(The Fist Summer People) by Susan Weston Smith:

Other Covey families lived in and around the area including my gr grandfather Samuel Covey

Family tradition says that Sam's father and uncle came to Canada during the revolution.

Notes for Samuel Covey:

We don't know who Samuel's parents were, but he may have descended from the Coveys of CT and RI. Sellar writes that he was of Irish descent. Several Covey families ended up in Dutchess County, New York, and from Samuel Covey's Memorial on file at the Public Archives of Canada [A.O. 13, Series II (MG 14), Reel B-2446, Vol 81, pg 54.], we know that Samuel Covey was living at Fort Ann of Albany County (now Washington) when he was forced to abandon his home. At the close of the Revolutionary War, he went north with other loyalists to Alburgh, VT. He was listed both in the Champlain, NY 1790 census (1 M>16, 2 M<16 yrs, and 3 F) and also in the Chittenden Co., VT 1791 census (3 M>16, 2 M<16, and 3 F), because both NY and VT claimed Alburgh at that time. He is listed in both the 1800 and 1810 census for Alburgh. In 1799, he received Lot 33 in the First Range, Huntingdon Co., PQ for his sacrifices for the British cause, but gave the land to his oldest son, Samuel, Jr., upon his marriage. He also received Lot 51 of the First Range, where he was reported living with his wife in the 1822 Hemmingford Statistical Return, although they both had supposedly died by then! According to the UFT Covey web page and the Lamb & Frier family tree, Samuel and his wife, Susanna, had 19 children over 43 years between 1772 and 1815! If so, she should be in the Guinness Book of World Records! More likely, some of the children must have been with another wife (or wives), but who knows which ones? From Pam Wood Waugh's website: "It is suspected he was related to the family of James COVEY and wf Sarah LAMPHERE of RI., possibly through any one of three untraced sons...Either his 1st wife, or a 2nd wf was a YARNES/YEARNS, as the name was used repeatedly amongst descendants." Sam's birthdate is from "Covey Cousins" - March 2000 issue (phonecon with Joyce Lavoie).

References

• http://www.woodwaugh.com/yarnes/sam_covey.html
• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 4 2022, 16:54:31 UTC Union Cemetery at Clarenceville is still in existence and a listing is available from the Historical Society located in Ormstown, Quebec. It is in good condition. It is located on the main highway running through Clarenceville. The Union Cemetery is owned and maintained by the Madawaska Catholic Diocese of the Missisquoi County, Quebec, Canada.”