John Leclear
Several American authors, descendants of this ancestor, have written articles on John Leclerc or Leclercq coming from France, with more or less some success. We summarize on behalf of the family concerned, while waiting for further clarification.
Some are stating that he came to this country with General Lafayette, with many children and a boatload of horses. In a brief study of the biography of Lafayette we learn that the date of his first voyage to America was in 1777.
The truth, however, is something else for we learn that he married Jane Taylor, daughter of John, probably in 1761 at Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, on the Hudson River, close to Albany, New York. Between 1762 and 1787, in the State of New York, this couple gave birth to a least eleven children.
On October 28, 1902 a letter addressed to Nathaniel LeClear from A.A. Thompson discusses the possibility of hiring a lawyer to recoup the money, and possibly the furniture, left behind in France by this ancestor. Thus, the origin and the details of the arrival of this colonist exist, and are still to be found.
John and his wife Jane, and their growing family, found a property at Troy, near Halfmoon Town, Albany, New York, which is now a part of Saratoga County. At this location, he was included in the 1790 Census, under the name of John LeClerc. The household consisted of three free white males, aged 16 years and up; four free white males, under 16 years of age; four free white females and no slaves.
Finally, about 1794, they moved to Western Oneida, New York. According to the history of this area, they were the first pioneers there. His sons settled on neighboring property as well as property on the opposite side of the river. They were the pioneers of the State of New York, with his numerous descendants attesting to this honor. On the 1800 Census of Western Oneida, New York, he is called John Clear. Four of his sons are farming near him. There was still two boys and two girls, as well as his wife, in the household. He passed away on April 5, 1817 at Oneida County, New York.
Katrina Odette, (#367), is a part of this line, and she has assumed the responsibility on the site. She can be contacted at Katrina Odette.
Writer Gilles P. Leclaire