Two men. Same name. Same states. Same time period. What could possibly go wrong?

Separating two Uriah Hancocks across New York and Ohio

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Every family historian eventually encounters a research problem that seems almost designed to create confusion.

This is one of those stories.

While researching my Hancock family, I found myself dealing with two men named Uriah Hancock. Both lived during the same period. Both belonged to the same extended Hancock family. Both spent time in New York. Both later appeared in Ohio records.

At first glance, it would be easy to assume that records connected to one man belonged to the other. The deeper I dug, however, the more it became apparent that I was looking at two separate individuals whose lives followed different paths.

The challenge is not proving that two Uriah Hancocks existed. The challenge is determining which records belong to which man.

To keep things straight, here's a quick introduction to the two Uriahs.

Uriah Hancock (1772–1840), husband of Lucy Leach

• Son of Jabez Hancock and Rachel Wright
• Associated with Longmeadow and Wilbraham, Massachusetts
• Later connected to Paris and Waterville, Oneida County, New York
• Found in Madison County, Ohio in 1820
• Found in Hancock County, Ohio in 1830

Uriah Hancock, husband of Mary “Polly” Smith

• Son of Abner Hancock
• Associated with Essex and Washington Counties, New York
• Later connected to Lorain County, Ohio
• Later associated with McDonough and Adams Counties, Illinois

With those two men introduced, let's look at the evidence.

The Hancock Family in New York

A published Hancock genealogy in The New-England Historical and Genealogical Register identifies Jabez Hancock as the husband of Rachel Wright and reports that he later removed “with the greater part of his children” to Paris, Oneida County, New York.

The same account identifies one of their sons as Uriah Hancock, born 18 April 1772.

The New York connection becomes especially important because it provides a starting point for tracing the later movement of the family.

The same family account reports that Rachel (Wright) Hancock died in 1814 at Waterville, Oneida County, New York, further placing the family in the Oneida County area.

Following the Lucy Leach Line

One of the strongest records connected to the elder Uriah Hancock comes from a Beebe family compilation.

The record identifies Lucy Leach, born 12 July 1772, as marrying Uriah Hancock on 19 May 1791 at Wilbraham, Massachusetts.

More importantly, the entry identifies the groom as:

“He of Longmeadow, s/Jabez & Rachel (Wright) Hancock.”

That brief statement connects the marriage directly to the son of Jabez Hancock and Rachel Wright.

Additional evidence places this Uriah in central New York.

Land records from 1805 and 1806 show Uriah Hancock participating in transactions in the Herkimer–Oneida County region involving John C. Devereux. These records provide additional support for the presence of the Lucy Leach line in the same general area as the Jabez Hancock family.

The trail continues into Ohio. An 1820 census places Uriah Hancock in Deer Creek Township, Madison County, Ohio. Ten years later, a Uriah Hancock household appears in Delaware Township, Hancock County, Ohio. Taken together, the records create a fairly consistent migration path:

Massachusetts → Oneida County, New York → Madison County, Ohio → Hancock County, Ohio

Following the Mary “Polly” Smith Line

At the same time, another Uriah Hancock begins appearing in a different set of records.

This Uriah is associated with Mary “Polly” Smith and is traditionally identified as a son of Abner Hancock.

Unlike the Lucy Leach line, his early records point toward northeastern New York. In 1800, a Uriah Hancock appears in Jay, Essex County, New York. Ten years later, a Uriah Hancock appears in Granville, Washington County, New York.

Those locations are noteworthy because Essex County and Washington County border one another, suggesting continuity within the same northeastern New York region.

The trail then continues westward. A local history of Lorain County, Ohio reports: “Uriah Hancock came in 1820. He was a wheelwright and had a machine shop.” That statement is supported by an 1830 census entry for a Uriah Hancock household in Huntington Township, Lorain County, Ohio.

The records continue into Illinois, where this Uriah appears in:

• McDonough County in 1840
• Adams County in 1850

The resulting migration pattern appears to be:

Essex and Washington Counties, New York → Lorain County, Ohio → Illinois

Where the Research Stands

By the time both men appear in Ohio, separating them becomes considerably easier.

One Uriah Hancock is found in Madison and Hancock Counties, Ohio and can be traced back to the Lucy Leach marriage and the Jabez Hancock family of Oneida County, New York.

The other Uriah Hancock appears in Lorain County, Ohio and can be traced back through Essex and Washington Counties in northeastern New York before continuing west into Illinois.

The remaining challenge is determining which earlier records belong to each man and using those records to strengthen the case for their respective parentage.

The evidence gathered so far suggests that the two Uriahs followed different migration paths through New York before eventually settling in different parts of Ohio.

As often happens in genealogy, the answer is not found in a single record. It emerges from assembling many records, comparing timelines, and carefully following each individual from one place to the next.

And in this case, that process is helping separate two men who, at first glance, seem almost impossible to tell apart.

Sources

1. The New-England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 36 (1882).
2. A. B. Seger, Some Ancestors & Descendants of Alexander Beebe (1951–1958).
3. Marriage of Uriah Hancock and Lucy Leach, Wilbraham, Massachusetts, 19 May 1791.
4. Herkimer County, New York deed records, 1805–1806, involving Uriah Hancock and John C. Devereux.
5. 1800 U.S. Census, Jay, Essex County, New York.
6. 1810 U.S. Census, Granville, Washington County, New York.
7. 1820 U.S. Census, Deer Creek Township, Madison County, Ohio.
8. 1830 U.S. Census, Delaware Township, Hancock County, Ohio.
9. 1830 U.S. Census, Huntington Township, Lorain County, Ohio.
10. 1840 U.S. Census, McDonough County, Illinois.
11. 1850 U.S. Census, Keene Township, Adams County, Illinois.
12. Lorain County historical settlement account referencing Uriah Hancock as a wheelwright and early settler.