THE GROTON AVERY CLAN, Vol. I, by Elroy McKendree Avery and CatherineHitchcock (Tilden) Avery, Cleveland, 1912. Found in the DAR Library,Washington DC. Page 214.
Abraham Avery was a blacksmith and armorer. July 1, 1775, heenlisted at Stonington, as a corporal in the company commanded by NathanHale, Washington's martyr spy, a part of the seventh Connecticutregiment, Col. Charles Webb. After a few weeks' service on the Sound,they marched to Boston, where they were assigned to General Sullivan'sbrigade on Winter Hill. He was discharged Dec. 18, at Cambridge. Jan. 1,1776, he enlisted at Stonington in the Continental line, Capt. JamesEldridge, Col. S. H. Parson's regiment. When he reached Boston, he wastransferred to a company of artificers under Capt. Bacon. After theBritish evacuated Boston, the artificers went to New London and tookshipping to New York. Here the armorers were reorganized under Capt. JohnHilliard. Soon after the lieutenants of this company were sent to theNorthern army and, thereafter, Abraham Avery, being orderly sergeant,acting as lieutenant. They were at King's Yards until the Americans leftLong Island, when they went to White Plains and afterwards to Peekskill,where Abraham Avery was discharged at the end of his term of service. Hereturned to Stonington and, Dec. 1778, went to Boston and enlisted asgunsmith on the brig "Eagle," a privateer under Capt. Elijah Luce,commissioned to Massachusetts. The brig sailed to Surinam, thence to theWest Indies, where, May 1, 1779, they captured a British sloop. The sameday they were, after a fight of an hour and a half, captured by thetender of a British 50-gun ship, commanded by Admiral Young. They weretaken to Antigna, where Abraham Avery and ten of his companions weretransferred to the "Renown," another British war-ship of fifty guns, andobliged to aid in working the vessel. They convoyed a sugar fleet to theBritish Channel and then sailed to New York, where Abraham Avery and hiscompanions petitioned to be placed on the prison ship, preferringconfinement to forced service against their country. After much sufferingin the fever-stricken hulk as it floated at its moorings in the NorthRiver (the Hudson), they were finally paroled. Abraham Avery reached homein a starving state and without hat or shoes or clothing sufficient tocover his nakedness. He soon moved to Guilford, Vermont.
During the Revolutionary war, the territory now known as Vermont wasclaimed by the state of New York. In 1777, many of the settlers in thatregion were in favor of organizing a new state. A convention adopted adeclaration of the rights and independence of what had been called theNew Hampshire Grants, and proclaimed the commonwealth of "NewConnecticut, alias Vermont." Congress was petitioned that New Connecticutmight be ranked "among the free and independent American States anddelegates therefrom admitted to seats in the grand Continental Congress."New York took measures to bring the disaffected back to their allegianceand to secure congressional interference in her behalf. Meantime, therewere many in the "Grants" who were favorable to the government of NewYork. "In Brattleborough they were more numerous than the Vermontadherents, and were not afraid to act as their conventions dictated."Thus sprang up two factions, the "Vermonters" and the "Yorkers". By 1783,there was, especially in Windham County, a condition of mutual terror anddistrust.
In Guilford, the Yorkers held the power and prevented the Vermontersfrom executing their laws and collecting taxes. The new government tookactive measures that tended only to unite the opposition in theirdetermination to withstand the execution of laws originating in anaughority that they did not acknowledge, and to follow such a course asseemed to them best fitted "to promote the interests of New York and ofthe United States."
April 29, 1783, Abraham Avery was elected on of the assessors ofGilford. In 1784, he sold his ourse and balcksmith shop in Guilford toNathaniel Avery and moved to Colerain, Massachusetts. May 11, 1798, acommittee reported on the building of a bridge in Colerain, over theNorth River "Just below Abraham Avery's". The man who built the bridgewas to have the worth of 15 pounds, lawful money; one barrel of new rumby June 15, "bought as cheap as they can at Greenfield," and the rest ingrain or suitable neat stock.
About 1800, Abraham Avery settled on the land given him by the stateof New York, two and a half miles from Preston, Chenango County, on theNorwich road. Here he lived for many years, an influential and well-to-dofarmer. He was ensign of the company of light infantry, Jeremiah Butts,capt, 1804.
Oct. 16, 1818, he was placed on the pension roll for militaryservice, but was dropped May 1, 1820, under the act thaat debarred thosehaving more then three hundred dollars worth of property. He wasreinstated under the act of June 1, 1832. The accompanying facsimile ofhis autograph is copied from his application for the pension, now on filein the "Old War and Navy Office: of the Pension Bureau at Washington. Hemoved to Earlville, Madison County, about 1840, and died there in Feb.1843, about six months after the death of his wife.
He was a tall man, with a large frame, grey eyes, and hair that hewore pompadour and that was thick even in his old age. He was wellinformed, a great student of the 'Bible, and a devoted Baptist. Hisdescendants honor and revere him.

1. 2. Elias Packer AVERY   b. 16 Aug 1781, Guilford,Windham Co.,Vermont; d. 16 Dec 1846, Avery,Jo Daviess Co.,Illinois.
2. 3. Hubbard Burrows AVERY   b. 29 Dec 1784, Guilford,Windham Co.,Vermont; d. 8 Mar 1848, Preston,Albany Co.,New York.
3. 4. Amos Walker AVERY   b. 24 May 1787, Colerain,Massachusetts; d. 1 Jun 1863, LaSalle,Monroe Co.,Michigan.
4. 5. Ichabod Denison AVERY   b. Abt 1789, Colrain, Franklin County, Ma.
5. 6. Abigail AVERY   b. Abt 1792, Colrain, Franklin County, Ma.
6. 7. Esther AVERY   b. Abt 1793, Colerain,Massachusetts.
7. 8. Esther AVERY   b. Abt 1795, Colrain, Franklin County, Ma.

THE GROTON AVERY CLAN, Vol. I, by Elroy McKendree Avery and CatherineHitchcock (Tilden) Avery, Cleveland, 1912. Found in the DAR Library,Washington DC, page 348.
He was a farmer.

1. 9. William AVERY   b. 15 Aug 1807, Chenango Co.,New York.
2. 10. David AVERY   b. 30 Jul 1809, Chenango Co.,New York.
3. 11. Horace AVERY   b. 7 Jun 1811, Chenango Co.,New York; d. 11 May 1821, Peoria,Illinois.
4. 12. Azel AVERY   b. 17 May 1813, Chenango Co.,New York.
5. 13. Sally Maria AVERY   b. 24 Mar 1815, Chenango Co.,New York; d. 20 Mar 1819, Peoria,Illinois.
6. 14. Julia Ann AVERY   b. 24 Aug 1818, St. Louis,Missouri.
7. 15. Marion AVERY   b. 14 Dec 1821, St. Louis,Missouri; d. 2 Oct 1822, St. Louis,Missouri.
8. 16. Elias Covill AVERY   b. 20 Sep 1823, Tazewell Co.,Illinois.
9. 17. Alfred AVERY   b. 22 Apr 1826, Tazewell Co.,Illinois; d. 15 Nov 1827, Tazewell Co.,Illinois.

THE GROTON AVERY CLAN, Vol. I, by Elroy McKendree Avery and CatherineHitchcock (Tilden) Avery, Cleveland, 1912. Found in the DAR Library,Washington DC, page 348.
He was a farmer at Preston, NY.

1. 18. Cordelia AVERY   b. 7 Oct 1817, Preston,Albany Co.,New York.
2. 19. Maria Lucilla AVERY   b. 15 Aug 1820, Preston,Albany Co.,New York.
3. 20. Lafayette AVERY   b. 9 May 1822, Preston,Albany Co.,New York.
4. 21. Maria Theresa AVERY   b. 29 Dec 1825, Preston,Albany Co.,New York; d. 1 Oct 1846, Preston,Albany Co.,New York.
5. 22. Helen Mar AVERY   b. 16 Jun 1820, Preston, Chenango, New York; d. Nov 1889, Steam Boat Rock, Iowa.

THE GROTON AVERY CLAN, Vol. I, by Elroy McKendree Avery and CatherineHitchcock (Tilden) Avery, Cleveland, 1912. Found in the DAR Library,Washington DC, page 349.
He was a farmer. He werved in the war of 1812 and, with hisfather-in-law, was at the burning of Buffalo. At the end of his secondterm of service, he purchased a farm at Avon, now Rush, NY. Before hislog cabin was finished, he was again call "out on the lines," and hiswife and little ones were left alone to pass a dangerous winter. TheIndians prowled around the cabin, but Mrs. Avery was skilled in the useof a gun and stood ready to defend her children. In 1833, he, with mostof his family, moved to Michigan. They went by canal from Rochester toBuffalo, thence by steamer, "Uncle Sam," to Detroit. Here they took thesteamer, "Brandy," for Monroe, and, on August 16, went to their farm on"Stony Ridge" in the twonships of Erie and LaSalle, Monroe Co., a farmthat he had noted when a soldier with General Hull.
It was then a dense wilderness. Here, he and his wife lived quiet,useful lives, respected by the entire community. His word was as good ashis bond and local newspaper account of his death said that he had"always been highly esteemed for his honesty of character and kindness ofheart -- for his upright and benevolent dealings with his fellow men."

1. 23. Casper Hugh AVERY   b. 25 Jul 1809, Preston,Albany Co.,New York.
2. 24. Elizabeth Jane AVERY   b. 5 May 1811, Preston,Albany Co.,New York.
3. 25. Hubbard Burrows AVERY   b. 21 Jan 1815, Rush,New York.
4. 26. Eveline Nancy AVERY   b. 14 Feb 1817, Rush,New York.
5. 27. Mercy Miranda AVERY   b. 13 Jun 1819, Rush,New York.
6. 28. Amos John AVERY   b. 22 Nov 1822, Rush,New York.
7. 29. Minorva Pratt AVERY   b. 8 Feb 1826, Rush,New York.

1. 30. Mary Helen NOYES   b. 7 Apr 1855, of Norwich, Chenango, New York.
2. 31. Hattie Adelie NOYES   b. Jan 1857, of Norwich, Chenango, New York.
3. 32. William Avery NOYES   b. Nov 1862, of Norwich, Chenango, New York.
4. 33. Everett William NOYES   b. 8 May 1866, Norwich, Chenango, New York.

1. 34. Elroy McKendree AVERY   b. 14 Jul 1844, Erie, Monroe, Michigan.

OCCUPATION: Author of various Physics and Chemistry books, also "The Groton Avery Clan", 1911.
Member of Cleveland City Council (1872)

MILITARY: Sgt. Major 11th Calvary of Michigan (Civil War)