Abraham Orlando "A.O." Clemons  Born: 23 April 1816, probably Dresden, NY Died: 23 Jun 1897, Dresden, NY (NYVI Cert# 25931) Buried: Clemons Cemetery, Clemons (Dresden), NY Parents: Abraham Clemons, Patty Nelson Married: Did not marry. Children: None.

A.O. Clemons was the first child of Abraham and Patty Clemons to be born in New York state. He lived to be 81 years old and never married.  He lived with relatives for most of his life and seems not to have owned land of his own until he was nearly 70 years old.  His name was actually "Abraham Orlando," but he was usually called "A.O."  This is important since he had a nephew whose name was also Abram O. Clemons, and who also lived in the same town for his entire life.  For a time they worked together as clerks at the Clemons store.

The census record reveals in A.O. a man of no firm occupation.  In 1850 he was a 34-year old farmer, living at home with his parents.  That same year he was elected to his one and only term as Town Supervisor--the only public office he ever held.  The 1855 census reports his occupation as "mechanic," and he was still living at home. By 1860 he had progressed to "carpenter," which he appears to have stuck with for a while.

Also, by 1860 he had moved out of the home of his aging parents--and into that of his brother John.  He seems to have stayed there until around the time of his brother's death in the early 1870s. The census record does not explain the Dresden assesment map of 1866, which clearly shows an A.O. Clemons residence in the Turner Patent, next door to his brother Archibald on the old homestead.
 

1866 Map of Dresden showing the Turner Patent and the home of "A.O. Clemons", next door to "A.Clemons"--his brother Archibald.

His next move is revealed by the 1875 census.  By then he had moved in with his nephew George L. Clemons.  At that time George was living with the family of his wife Lydia Chubb.  A.O. had apparently quit carpentry and retreated to the occupation of "mechanic."  On March 9, 1878, A.O. made his only known appearance in the land records of Washington County when he was party to an agreement to sell part of the estate of his brother John to his nephew Rollin.  By 1880, George was the head of his own household, and A.O. was still living there and working as a clerk in George's store.

The 1878 history of Washington County mentions that A.O. Clemons was the current superintendant of the Sunday school at the First Baptist Church of Dresden.

A.O. finally seems to have gotten his own place in around 1887, when he first appears on the Town tax rolls as a property owner.  The Washington County land records show a transaction on September 29, 1885, in which George and Lydia Clemons sold a lot to "Abraham O. Clemons."  Normally, this name would refer to George's brother Abram O., but this time it seems likely that it refers to George's uncle. A.O. appears on all the existing tax rolls for the Town until his death.

He made his will on April 19, 1890, citing his "present and last illness."  Then he went on to live another seven years.  He died on June 23, 1897 and was buried in the Clemons cemetery, where he has one of the larger markers in the Clemons section.  This should not lead one to believe that he had accumulated a small fortune in his years of bachelorhood and living with relatives. Since he had no heirs, he directed his nephew George to pay for his burial plot and marker out of the proceeds from his estate.  Apparently, he had enough for a big stone and not much more.

Occupations:
farmer (1850), mechanic (1855), carpenter (1860, 1865, 1870), mechanic (1875), clerk in store (1880, 1892)

Census Data:
1850:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.129, as "Abraham O. Clemons" with Abraham Clemons.
1855:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 2, with Abraham Clemons.
1860:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.155, as "A.O. Clements" with "John D. Clements"
1865:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.19, with John D. Clemons.
1870:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.74, with John D. Clemons.
1875:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.10, as "Abraham Clemens" with Clarissa Chubb.
1880:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.61, as "Orlando A. Clemons" with George L. Clemons.
1892:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.1, as "Orlando Clemons".

Sources:
Federal Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880
New York State Census, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892
Town of Dresden Tax Rolls, Washington County Archives
Washington County Clerk's Office, Deed room.
Crisfield Johnson, The History of Washington County, New York, Philadelphia: Everts 7 Ensign, 1878.
Charles B. Moore, Cemetery Records: The Townships of Dresden and Putnam, Washington County, New York. Glens Falls: Historical Data Services, 1994.
1866 Map of Dresden from Nat Huntington.
Last Will and Testament of A.O. Clemons, Washington County, NY, Vol 2A, p.126-127.
State of New York Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate and Register of Death, 1897, Cert: 25931 "Abraham Orlando Clemons."