Archibald N. Clemons was the youngest child of Abraham and Patty Clemons.  He was the head of one of the major branches of the Clemons family in Dresden.

Family

He was born in 1821 and lived with his parents until about 1855, when he married Mary Jane Flanery.  Their first child was Abraham A. Clemons, who seems to have been called Abby--probably because of the vast numbers of Abraham Clemonses alive at the time.  (Archibald already had a father, brother, and nephew named Abraham, but he went ahead and made another one anyway.)  Their second child was a daughter named Nancy Jane.  Nancy Jane was born in May 1860 and died on April 4, 1871 at the age of 10.  She is buried in the Dresden Station Cemetery, not far from her parents.

Archibald's wife Mary Jane died on August 11, 1864 of diphtheria.  He wasted little time in replacing her with another Mary Jane, this time it was Mary J. Lafleur. They were married sometime around 1866 and had their first and only child in February 1867.  This was Robert Nelson Clemons, who would later become a doctor.  Archibald's household generally included some other relatives, including Edward McQueen, who may have been a child of Mary Lefleur from a previous marriage.  Mary's sister Julia Lefleur lived with the Clemonses for nearly 30 years.

Farming

In September 1856, Archibald's brother John purchased 100 acres of land near his farm on Dresden Hill. He paid $225 to Jonathan Goodrich for the lot. The following month John turned around and sold the lot to Archibald for $275, netting a tidy $50 profit. [Washington County Deeds, Book 36, p.359].  But Archibald did not stay there for long, because on January 2, 1859 he purchased the original 112-acre Clemons homestead from his 80-year old father for $1400 [Book 42, p.513]. In April he sold off the 100 acres that he bought from his brother to John McDonnell. He received $1025 for this lot, suggesting that the lot had been vacant when he bought it and that he had made significant improvements.

Archibald farmed the same 112 acres as his father until his death in 1898. He increased the productive acreage of the farm and by 1875 had 80 "improved" acres and the farm had a cash value of $10,000. The farm was fairly general: his primary crops were corn, potatoes, oats, rye, and apples (15 trees). He also produced butter, milk, wool, maple molassas, and honey. The farm also supported sheep, cattle, swine, and poultry.

Property

Archibald barely dabbled in real estate. On May 17, 1879 he purchased a pair of lots in the Village of Whitehall for $550 "on the new street, near the burying ground." [Book 86, p.255]. He held them for a few years and then sold them to Mary A. Vanniet for the same $550 [Book 98, p.319].

The original Clemons homestead stayed in the family for just over 100 years. After Archibald's death in 1898, the farm passed to his son Robert (Archibald outlived both of his Mary Jane wives). Robert kept the place for a few years, but he was a doctor and he moved to Ticonderoga where there was more business. He finally sold the farm in 1914, first buying out the rights of his half-brother Abraham for $1, then splitting the lot and selling part to Melancton O. Barber, and part to David E. Sleight. Robert made $3800 on the deal.

Archibald N. Clemons died on July 27, 1898 at the age of 77. He was buried in the small cemetery near the homestead, now overgrown and neglected, and known as the Dresden Station Cemetery.

Census Data
1850:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 129, 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. 158 "A.Clements"
1865:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 17 "Archibald Clemons"
1870:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden,  p. 72 "Archibald Clemons"
1875:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 4 "Archibald Clements"
1880:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p.59B "A.N. Clemons"
1892:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 4 "Arch Clemons"

Sources
Federal Census, New York, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880.
New York State Census, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892.
Charles B. Moore, Cemetery Records: The Townships of Dresden and Putnam, Washington County, New York. Glens Falls: Historical Data Services, 1994.
Washington County Deeds, Washington County Court House.
State of New York Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate and Register of Death, 1898, Cert: 27220 "Archibald N. Clemons."