Another major focus of my winter research was working my back a little farther on Shea-Macumber lines in New York. I comber through land records and wills and probate for St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison and Cortland Counties trying to track the Macumbers in particular in the hopes of more substantially identifying Teresa and Amy (Macumber) Shea’s mother. I believe she was Pulchara Jaquay but I can’t as yet tie her to any of the Jaquay families in the area. She is listed in one lone document that I’ve found so far—selling land in Lewis County with her husband in 1836.

Deed of sale from Rufus & Pulchara McOmber to Michael Lehr

In the process I have figured out that Rufus was a junior, the son of a Rufus Macumber of Otsego, Madison, and Cortland counties. He probably had a brother named Moses who married Sarah “Sally” Crumb who was, in turn, probably their stepsister by Rufus Sr.’s second wife, Polly Whaley Crumb McUmber. Polly and Rufus also had a t least 4 children, two of which—Nathan and Waity Ann—finished out their lives an hour and a half away from me in Van Buren County, Michigan.

I’m exhausting my online resources and really need to go back to planning a New York State research trip.

Happy hunting!

Jessica