Peter Sutherland

Other Events and Attributes:

• AFN: 21BQ-HTX

Notes:

From "History of Pittsford": "Noah Cooley, son of Col. Benjamin, married Jane, daughter of Peter Sutherland, 24 Jan 1804..."

Peter married Carol BushVermont. Carol was born before 1754 in Probably Rutland Co, Vermont; died in Sutherland Falls, Rutland Co, Vermont; was buried in Vermont. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Andrew Sutherland was born on 3 Sep 1776 in Sutherland Falls, Charlotte Co, New York; died on 27 Feb 1836 in Cambria, Niagara Co, New York; was buried in Glenwood Cem, Lockport, Niagara Co, New York..
2. Peter Sutherland was born est 1778 in Sutherland Falls, Rutland Co, Vermont; and died.
3. Jane Sutherland was born on 24 Aug 1787 in Nine Partners, Dutchess Co, New York; died before 1850.
4. Amy Sutherland was born est 1789 in Sutherland Falls, Rutland Co, Vermont; and died.
5. Fannie Sutherland was born est 1791 in Sutherland Falls, Rutland Co, Vermont; and died.
6. Rebecca Sutherland was born est 1793 in Sutherland Falls, Rutland Co, Vermont; and died.

Other Events and Attributes:

• AFN: 1TWB-8X3

Notes:

John William Sutherland had extensive land holdings in Dutchess County, New York in 1766. In 1767 he removed to Sutherland Falls (present Proctor), Rutland County, Vermont and took up a claim at the falls under the New York charter of Socialborough. (In 1767 Gideon Cooley was the first settler in the area just northeast of Sutherland Falls that later became Pittsford).
From a SAR application nr 77058 by Francis Sutherland Gombar Jr, accepted 5 Dec 1953: John Sutherland served as a private and lieutenant in Simon Wright's Company; Thomas Bull's Company and Israel Hurlburt's Company. He was a member of the state committee from Vermont. In 1779 he was given 199 acres of land and in 1786, 116 acres [place not specified].
DAR member Jessie Sutherland Weirich nr 149302 states: "John Sutherland (1735-1817) served as private and lieutenant under Capt Simeon Wright and Col Gideon Warren, Vermont militia; also a delegate to the General Convention, Vermont. He was born at Nine Partners, Dutchess County, New York, died at Otter Creek, Rutland County, Vermont.

From the History of Rutland
Although some reports state that John William Sutherland, a carpenter by trade, had settled in Rutland prior to 1771, no records have been found to substantiate these claims. He was in Rutland by the spring of 1775 when he purchased over three hundred acres surrounding the Great Falls on Otter Creek, which afterwards bore his name. He built a gristmill and sawmill on the west side of the creek. The gristmill, likely constructed prior to the sawmill, was located northwest of where a carding machine (a machine for the mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres of wool, cotton, or other fiber consisting of cylinders having intermeshing wire teeth and revolving at different speeds or in opposite directions) later stood. The sawmill was located a little farther upstream. After the lumber was sawn it was slid over the rocks to the pond below. At this point it was made into rafts and floated down the stream to the customers.

Accusations
John William Sutherland, was suspected of being a Tory. During the summer of 1777, when most inhabitants fled the town, he remained behind, unmolested by the British. When the people left, many hurriedly turned their pigs loose to fend for themselves; some men were angered to find their branded pigs in Sutherland's pen upon their return. Perhaps if John, who has been described as selfish and grasping, had willingly given up the pigs, he would have escaped criticism but he didn't. However, he did serve in 1778, 1780, and 1781 in the Revolution, as did three of his sons, so possibly the rumors had more to do with his personality traits than his actual political affiliation.

Rebuttal
From NEHGR vol. 61 page 203: Regarding the loyalty to Congress, during the Revolutionary war, of John Sutherland then living at Sutherland's Falls, Rutland Co., Vermont, the records of the Adjutant and Inspector General of the State of Vermont show that he served several terms as a private and leutenant in the Vermont troops during the Revolution; and his name appears on the Records of the Council of Safety (and of the Governor and Council) as a member in 1788. The accusation appears in a lengthy article contained in a history of Rutland county published in 1886, which is utterly false and contradicted by official records. The writer of this reply is a great-grandson of John Sutherland, and familiar with the history of the Sutherland family from the first Immigrant from Scotland to the present time. He was personally acquainted with four of the sons of John Sutherland, and frequently visited them and their familles in Green County, Wis.
Aaron Randall
Boston, Mass.

Yorkers
In the part of Rutland County that became Pittsford, the Cooley brothers, Benjamin and Gideon were the first. John Sutherland came by 1767 and took up a claim at the falls under the New York charter of Socialborough. He was acquainted with the British officers at Whitehall. When in 1771, William Cockburn came to survey the area for New York, he was told to leave by those with New Hampshire grants, and he did. When it became known that Sutherland was friendly with Cockburn, he was forced to rebuy his land from those with New Hampshire grants. Because of his grist and saw mills that the other settlers were dependent upon, he was not driven off by the Green Mountain Boys who had as their objective to drive off "Yorkers" who had muscled in that area then known as New Hampshire Grants. Interestingly, the Cooley half brothers bought their land in present Pittsford from the Province of New York, taking over land formerly granted others by New Hamphire Governor Benning Wentworth.
In 1778 John William sold 175 acres to his sons, Peter and John Jr for 380 pounds.By 1793 he had disposed of all of his property at the Falls and had moved Wallingford.The holdings consisted of a saw and gristmill, iron works, four houses, barn, orchard and twenty tons of hay.

John married Mary Germond about Jan 1755 in Probably Rutland Co, Vermont. Mary was born on 2 Oct 1733 in New Rochester, Ulster Co, New York; died on 3 Sep 1789 in Sutherland Falls, Rutland Co, Vermont; was buried in Rutland County, Vermont. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• AFN: 21BQ-ND4

Other Events and Attributes:

• AFN: GCPN-HQ

Notes:

From A Thousand and a Half Sutherlands: There is no primary evidence available to indicate William Sutherland was the first of his Sutherland Clan to emigrate to the Colonies. Secondary evidence, however, suggests William emigrated from Scotland before the end of the 17th century. The first mention of William Sutherland in genealogical records appeared in Spencer Mead's book Ye History of ye Town of Greenwich in 1911. Mead states that 'according to family tradition William was born in Scotland...William bought land in the Connecticut Colony town of Horse Neck [Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut Colony], on 16 Feb 1722. According to Douglas Merritt in the book Sutherland Records (where he has two William Sutherlands b. about 1690): Of the second William Sutherland (1) said to be son of William of Scotland, was called Junior in Bangall record (2) said to be son of David and Mary of Westchester Township, NY 1698. [DBC: I will completely ignore the parents of William Sutherland]. ...married 1720 Hannah daughter of Mr Avery; bought land in Greenwich Conn about 16 Feb 1723. William Sutherland carpenter of Dutchess County [New York] mortgaged 206 acres Lot No 5 in Lot No 17, Great Nine Partners, to Mary Barclay, 15 May 1772 (Poughkeepsie, Lib 3 p149).
The genealogy of a William Sutherland is so convoluted that all data should be taken with a grain of salt. If Douglas Merritt can't decide who William Sutherland was, then no one can. Furthermore, lists of William's children are wildly inconsistent. In May 2021 there were 2289 trees online in Ancestry.com and all of them appear to be copied from one, very bad tree. Some of them have four marriage entries for William and Hannah Avery yet all of them cite no sources. In light of this abominable online situation perpetuated by Ancestry.com, I have chosen to use as a source the relatively recent book A Thousand and a Half Sutherlands; A Genealogy of Roger Sutherland, His Ancestors and Descendants by Neil Sutherland.

William married Hannah Avery about 1715-1720 in Greenwich, Fairfield Co, Connecticut. Hannah was born before 1700 in Probably Connecticut; died in Unknown in Probably New York State. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• AFN: GCPN-JW

Notes:

A possible candidate for Hannah Avery comes from Ye Historie of Ye Town of Greenwich, Connecticut as follows from pp 491-2: The Genealogy of the Avery Family of Groton, Connecticut, by Homer DeLois Sweet, published in 1894, contains the genealogy of the Avery Family of Greenwich. It states that Christopher Avery[1], a weaver, was born in England about 1590, came to Massachusetts Bay Colony with his only son James[2], about 1630, and was selectman at Gloucester in 1646, 1652, and 1654. In 1658, he removed to Boston, and in 1663, he followed his son James to New London, Connecticut, where in 1665 he purchased a house and lot. He died March 12, 1679, leaving him surviving his only child, James, who was bom in England about 1620. James Avery[2] married, November 10, 1643, Joanna Greenslade of Boston. Of nine children, the second was James Jr b. Dec. 16, 1646 and d. 22 Aug.1748. He was m. 18 Feb 1669, at New London, Deborah, dau. of Edward Stallyon, d. 27 Mar 1729. Of those children born to James Jr and Deborah was Hannah b. 4 Aug 1685. Since Hannah in my database was born before 1700 this Hannah, b. 1685, is a candidate.