Abraham Clemons was one of the earliest settlers of what is now the Town of Dresden, Washington County, New York.  He is the patriarch of the local Clemons family.

Where Did He Come From?
Abraham Clemons is the "brick wall" of Clemons family history.  We do not know who his parents were nor do we know his precise date or place of birth.  There are, however, clues that suggest he may have come from the Town of Charlton in Worcester County, Massachusetts, where there was a sizeable colony of Clemonses.

In the Federal censuses of 1850 and 1860, and the New York state census of 1855, Abraham Clemons' birthplace is reported as Massachusetts.  According to his cemetery marker, he died on August 29, 1861 at the age of 82 years and 7 months.  This suggests a birth date of sometime in January or February 1779. His name does not appear in any of the published birth records of the Towns of Massachusetts.

In 1800, when he would have been 21 years old, the census reports him (or someone else with the same name and approximate age) living in the town of Whitehall.  On October 23 of that year he purchased 59 acres of land in the Town of Whitehall from Enoch and Tryphena Wright for $209[Book NN, p.366]. Nearby were two others also with the name "Clements" (as the name was consistently misspelled that year).   Jonathan Clemons, a middle-aged man, lived with a wife and 4 children (2 boys and 2 girls).  Next door to Jonathan was Joseph Clemons, a man of over 45 years, who lived with a wife and a young girl.  The girl was probably not a daughter since Joseph's cemetery marker shows that he would have been 72 years old in 1800.  Furthermore, his wife, Demaris, would have been 69.  We know that Jonathan was Joseph's son.  When Joseph died in 1808 his will spoke of Jonathan Clemons as his son.  "Abraham Clemons and Nancy Howard his sister" are mentioned and granted shares of the estate, but the relationship between Abraham and Joseph is not stated.  The language of the will suggests neither that Abraham was Joseph's son nor that he wasn't.  It should be kept in mind, however, that this is actually a copy of the will and not the original.  According to another Clemons researcher, the original will actually does state the relationship between Joseph and Abraham, but it is illegible: it could be son, could be grandson (for that matter it could be step son).

In any case, there seems to be some kind of family relationship between Joseph and Abraham. Joseph was born in 1728 in Charlton and married Demaris Dennis on June 22, 1750 in the neighboring town of Dudley, her home town. The 1790 census shows a "Joseph Clemins" residing in Charlton and a Jonathan Clemons in Whitehall, NY.  By 1800, both Joseph and Jonathan (and Abraham) are in Whitehall.  The implication is that Jonathan moved to Whitehall, possibly to claim bounty lands due to him as a Revolutionary War veteran, and that his father followed him there later.

Early Settler of Dresden
Whatever his origins, we know that Abraham Clemons moved from Whitehall to Benson in Rutland County,Vermont sometime before 1808. On May 20 of that year he sold his 59 acres to Stephen Barber of Whitehall for $260, but in the deed Abraham's address is listed as Benson. Then on March 16, 1809 he married Patty Nelson of nearby Brandon, VT. The marriage record lists his home as Benson, although he never seems to have puchased land there. By 1810 Abraham and Patty were living in the Town of West Haven, Vermont, just across the border from Whitehall. Then in 1811 or 1812, Abraham moved across Lake Champlain to a farm in the Town of Putnam, Washington County, NY. Later, the Town of Putnam would be divided and this part would become the Town of Dresden. After tthe coming of the railroad in the 1870s, the area in which Abraham settled would be known as Dresden Station. Abraham and Patty remained there for the rest of their lives.

His farm occupied 112 acres along Lake Champlain at a place directly across from Cold Springs, VT, in lot 4 of the Turner Patent. He seems to have purchased it from John Williams of the Town of Salem for the same $260 that he received from Stephen Barber. Although he moved onto the land in 1811 or 1812, the deed was not executed until 1829, and the transaction date was June 27, 1829 [Book CC, p.557]. The reason for the 18 year gap between the apparent land purchase and the official transaction is not clear. It was not uncommon for years to elapse between the date of a transaction and its recording (the Clemons-Wright deal was not recorded until 1835--35 years after the land was sold), but in this case the date of the transaction is only 2 days before the execution date--although it still took 2 more years for the deed to be recorded. It is possible that Abraham rented the land until he had earned enough to buy it or that the transaction was contingent on some other event--like Stephen Barber coming up with the money that he owed Abraham.  It is also possible that the copy of the deed in the courthouse is in error and that the land was sold in 1811.

The Turner Patent consisted of 10 lots along the western shore of Lake Champlain in the northern part of the present Town of Dresden.  This 1866 map shows lot 4 as inhabited by "A. Clemons", "A.O. Clemons", and "B. Benjamin", and also contains Schoolhouse No. 1.  Abraham Clemons was dead by then, so A. Clemons was his son Archibald.  A.O. was another son. For the entire map see 1866 Map of Dresden.

On March 15, 1822, the southern part of the Town of Putnam was split off as the Town of South Bay, which was soon renamed Dresden. In 1824, Abraham Clemons was elected Town Clerk, an office that he held for three years, through 1826.  In 1831 he was elected Justice of the Peace.  What this tells us is that Abraham was respected in the small community and that he was literate--not necessarily a common trait along the frontier.

Farmer and Ferryman
Like most of his neighbors, Abraham was a farmer.  The farm schedules of 1850, 1855, and 1860 show that he farmed 112 acres, with as many as 100 acres in production (in 1860) and as few as 53 (in 1855).  His major crops were corn, oats, and potatoes.  He also produced a fair amount of butter and cheese, and kept cattle and swine. There is also a record of his farm producing peas, rye, apples, honey, and beeswax.

In 1837, Abraham applied to the State of New York to operate a ferry across Lake Champlain from his land at present-day Dresden Station to Cold Springs, Vermont. He paid $100 and was granted the right to operate the ferry for three years.  He was required maintain a "safe and suffucient" boat and operate the ferry during the "several hours of the day."  His rates were set in detail. See the contract.

Abraham was not a major dealer in real estate like some of his descendants. In 1858, Abraham sold some land to Burr Benjamin, who became his neighbor to the south.  In 1860, Benjamin sold some land back.  That same day he sold land to his son Archibald, suggesting that he bought the land from Benjamin for just that reason

Detail of an 1856 Map of Dresden showing the approximate location of the Clemons homestead ("A. Clemments").  For the complete map see 1856 Map of Dresden.

Family
Abraham and Patty had five children of which we have a record.  The first two, Katie and John D., were born in Vermont.  Abraham Orlando, (always called "A.O.") Alonzo B., and Archibald N., were born after the move to New York.  Katie was mentally retarded and lived with her parents until they died.  John established a farm on Dresden Hill, a few miles from his parents, where he became the head of a major branch of the Clemons family.  A.O. never married and remained in the area all his life.  Archibald took over the homestead after his parents died and headed another branch of the family.  Alonzo moved west and eventually settled in Iowa where he raised a family of eight children.

Abraham died on August 29, 1861 and was buried in the small cemetery on the hill near his home.

Census Data:
1800:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Whitehall, p.551, as "Abraham Clements"
1810:    Federal Census, Vermont, Rutland Co., Town of West Haven, p.035, as "Abraham Clemonds"
1820:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Putnam, p.119, "Abraham Clements" (note: Dresden was part of Putnam until 1824)
1825:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, as "Abraham Clemmons"
1830:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.376, Washington Co., NY as "Abraham Clements"
1835:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden.
1840:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.255 as "Abram Clemens"
1850:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.129.
1855:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 2.
1860:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.158, as "A. Clements"

Sources:
Federal Census, New York, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860.
New York State Census, 1825, 1835, 1855
Crisfield Johnson, The History of Washington County, New York, Philadelphia: Everts & Ensign, 1878.
Charles B. Moore, Cemetery Records: The Townships of Dresden and Putnam, Washington County, New York. Glens Falls: Historical Data Services, 1994.
Charles B. Moore, Cemetery Records: Town of Whitehall, Washington County, New York. Glens Falls: Historical Data Services, 1998.
Brandon (Vermont) Town Clerk,  Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1775-1995. LDS Film #2026877.
Washington County Archives
Washington County Court House (deeds)
1856 Map of Dresden from National Archives Map Collection
1866 Map of Dresden from Nat Huntington