Virtual Hike to Cornwall, NY

The next destination on my Virtual Hike was Cornwall, New York.

Cornwall New York, Virtual Hike, Isaac Van Duesen, historyThe previous destination on my virtual hike was Wallkill, New York.

The virtual hike from Wallkill was through the Hudson River Valley.

Cornwall New York, Virtual Hike, Isaac Van Duesen, historyAfter leaving Wallkill the route was fairly flat as it went down the Hudson River Valley. There were many open fields along the way, but also forested areas.

Cornwall New York, Virtual Hike, Isaac Van Duesen, historyThe route also followed a bike path for part of the way. The Street View did not have pictures for this area, or some of the smaller roads the route followed.

Cornwall New York, Virtual Hike, Isaac Van Duesen, historyThe route also went by an airport, and here you can see one of the shipping companies that utilizes the airport.

Cornwall New York, Virtual Hike, Isaac Van Duesen, historyThe virtual hike finally made it to Cornwall.  The town has a population of a bit more than 10,000.

My 5th Great Grandfather Isaac Van Duzer lived there back in the 1700’s. He was married there in 1755 and lived there till his death in 1798.

I don’t know exactly where he lived in Cornwall, but he was know to have owned 1,000 acres there. If I were to actually visit Cornwall I would probably first visit the library which is shown in the picture above. Perhaps they would have some early history of the area.

The next three destinations on my Virtual Hike all have a family connection to the Van Duzer family.

I have been setting shorter distances between destinations for better motivation for my daily walking and so far it has been working. I have been walking more each day and have made good progress on my Virtual Hike. I am still a few stops behind on my posts.

I am still heading south down through, or near, the Hudson River Valley. I have some interesting stops planned along the way including several with family connections. I will even venture into the big city to exactly where one of my ancestors lived.

Steven

Images in this post are from Google Maps and Street View.

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Worshiping with Washington

Next week is the birthday of George Washington, so I am thinking about my ancestors who worshiped with him.

Truro Parish Virginia, Pohick church, George WashingtonMy 7th Great Grandfather, Captain Lewis Ellzey, lived in Truro Parish in Virginia and along with the Washington’s attended the Pohick Church.

Truro Parish, Pohick church, Washington, EllzeyThe pin in the map above shows the location of the Pohick church near Washington, D.C.

Mount Vernon, Pohick Church, George WashingtonI used Google maps to see how far the Pohick Church was from Mount Vernon. It is only seven miles away.

Captain Ellzey, Vestrymen, Truro ParishHere you see Captain Lewis Ellzey listed as one of the vestrymen of Truro Parish.

The vestrymen were not part of the clergy, but rather took care of the administration of the parish.

Captain Ellzey was a vestryman from 1744-1748 and again for a short time in 1765.

Some well known vestrymen in Truro parish through the years included Augustine Washington, George Mason, George Washington and William Fairfax.

George Washington, Vestryman, Truro ParishGeorge Washington served as a vestryman from 1762 – 1785. There was a very short time in 1765 when Mount Vernon was part of a new Fairfax parish, and it was during that time that Ellzey was again a vestryman in Truro parish.

Truro Parish, Ellzey, Lewis Ellzey, Vestry bookI also found this entry while searching out information for this post. The birth of my 6th Great Grandmother Sarah Ellzey is listed in the vestry book of Truro Parish. She was born on the 24th day of April in 1736.

For family members who are reading this, here is the surname path back to Captain Ellzey so you can see if you are in this branch of the family:

Braman -> Leeper -> Bunt -> Turner -> Ellzey

It is really cool to have this connection to George Washington. To have an ancestor who went to church with Washington is much more interesting than one who would have served with him in the revolution.

Steven

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