DANIELS
Almost without excepting the emigrant ancestor of the family of Daniells, or Daniels, spelled their name without the final "s" on first coming to America, though many of the second generation added this final letter. Some still spell the name without the final "s" to the present day. The name was common in England, and among the earliests of the name to come to America were Robert, living in Watertown, in 1636; Joseph, in Dedham in 1649; and William, who was admitted a freeman in Dorchester, in 1648. The family here described may have descended from one of these, although the connection cannot now be traced. The family here described, who became prominent in the history of Connecticut, intermarried with some of the first families of that colony.
(I) The name of John Daniels is not found on the records of New London, Conn., until 1663. He died there about 1709; the date of his death has been only approximately determined, as he was living in the early part of 1709, and in July, 1710, mention is made of Mary, widow of John Daniels. He first signed his name as Daniel, although his name appears on the records later as Daniels. Before his death he divided his land among his four sons.
He married, Jan. 19, 1664-65, Mary, daughter of George Chappell; George Chappell came to America from London in the "Christian," in 1635, at the age of twenty years.
Children of John and Mary (Chappell) Daniels;
John.
Mary, born Oct. 12, 1667.
Thomas, Dec. 30, 1669.
Christian, March 7, 1671.
Hannah, April 20, 1674.
Rachel, Feb. 27, 1676.
Sarah, Feb. 10, 1679.
Jonathan, Oct. 13, 1692.
Clement.
(II) John (2) eldest son of John (1) and Mary (Chappell) Daniels, was born Jan. 19, 1666, at New London, and died Jan. 4, 1756, lacking but fifteen days of reaching the age of ninety years. He married, Dec. 3, 1685, Agnes, daughter of Samuel Beebe.
Children:
John, born Oct. 22, 1686.
Samuel, Nov. 29, 1688.
Thomas, Jan. 22, 1689. [transcriber's note: two months separate him from Samuel. This doesn't compute].
Jonathan, March 22, 1692.
Mary, Feb. 24, 1694.
Nathaniel, June 20, 1697.
William, Sept. 7, 1699.
Ebenezer, Feb. 15, 1703.
Susanna, April 9, 1705.
Hannah, Sept. 15, 1706.
James, Aug. 31, 1708.
(III) John (3) eldest son of John (2) and Agnes (Beebe) Daniels, was born Oct. 22, 1686, in New London, Conn., and by his wife Mary had children:
Ezekiel.
Peter, born Dec. 27, 1710.
Lucy, June 28, 1713.
Hester, Aug. 4, 1715.
(IV) Ezekiel, eldest son os John (2) and Mary Daniels, was born Dec. 27, 1708, and Aug. 15, 1731 his marriage intentions were published, with the name of Elizabeth Crocker; they were married Oct. 7, 1831.
children:
Elizabeth, born Dec. 23, 1732; died 1733.
Rhoda, July 5, 1735; died 1735.
Ezekiel, Sept. 5, 1736.
Samuel.
(V) Samuel, younger son of Ezekiel and Elizabeth (Crocker) Daniels, was born Dec. 31, 1737. He married, July 20, 1760, Mary Brown.
Children:
Samuel.
William, born Oct. 12, 1763.
Esther, Dec. 5, 1765.
Isaac, Feb. 5, 1768.
Joseph, March 15, 1770.
Benjamin, June 20, 1772.
Daniel, July 10, 1774.
(VI) Samuel (2) eldest son of Samuel (1) and Mary (Brown) Daniels, was born April 2, 1762, died Feb. 20, 1842, at Waddington, St. Lawrence county, New York. He was one of the patriots of the revolution and enlisted from Lyme, Conn., in 1778, and again in 1780, the first time serving in Colonel Parson's regiment, under Captain Avery, and the latter time under Colonels Starr and Swift.
In 1803 Mr. Daniels removed to Madrid, St. Lawrence county, N.Y., where he became a successful farmer and owned a large tract of land.
On Oct. 10, 1784, he married Lydia Shipman, born in Lyme, Conn., July 13, 1763, died July 20, 1861.
Children:
Mary, born Sept. 12, 1785.
Sally, April 4, 1787.
Samuel, May 13, 1789.
Lydia, Oct. 29, 1791.
Michael Shipman, May 12, 1794.
Franklin, May 24, 1796.
Phineas F., March 2, 1799.
Hannah, April 3, 1801.
Anna, Sept. 29, 1803.
Emily, Feb. 3, 1806.
(VII) Michael Shipman, second son of Samuel (2) and Lydia (Shipman) Daniels, was born May 12, 1794, in Litchfield, Conn., died in 1868 in Ogdensburg, New York. He came to St. Lawrence county in 1803 with his parents and received his education in the public schools of Madrid, but was largely self-educated. Although he had not yet attained his majority by several years, he enlisted in Captain Polly's company, and served on the frontier during the war of 1812. At the close of the war he located in Ogdensburg, N.Y., and embarked in mercantile business in company with a Mr. Wright; he also dealt largely in lumber, sending large rafts to Quebec. He was a prosperous business man and remained actively in business until 1850, when he retired and continued to live in Ogdensburg.
Mr. Daniels was a Whig and later a Republican; he served as a member of the board of trustees of the village of Ogdensburg, and was an influential citizen.
Nov. 6, 1827, Mr. Daniels married Fanny, born March 29, 1806, in Fairfield, Vermont, where she lived until her marriage, she died in Dec., 1888; she was daughter of Augustine Stephens.
Children:
Mary, born Sept. 8, 1828.
Sarah, Aug. 29, 1829.
Elizabeth, March 7, 1832.
Elizabeth, Oct. 3, 1835.
Marcia and Lucia, twins, Jan. 3, 1839.
William Henry.
All were born in Ogdensburg.
(VIII) Major William Henry, only son of Michael Shipman and Fanny (Stephens) Daniels, was born Nov. 3, 1840, in Ogdensburg, New York, and received his education in the public schools of his native town.
In April, 1861, he enlisted for service in the civil war; he was among the first to enlist in the first company recruited in Ogdensburg, and which was the first to leave northern New York; it was mustered into service as Company A, Sixteenth New York Volunteers. William H. Daniels became corporal, and in March, 1862, was promoted to the rank of quartermaster-sergeant of the regiment; in July of the same year he became captain and assistant quartermaster of United States Volunteers. In 1864 he was promoted to the rank of major and quartermaster of the United States Volunteers. Major Daniels served in the Army of the Potomac throughout his service, was at various times on the staffs of Generals Bartlett, Slocum, Upton, Seymour, Ricketts and Wright. Major Daniels was with the Sixth Army Corps under Sheridan in the Shenandoah campaign, and at one time had charge of the entire supply train of Genearl Sheridan. In May, 1865, he was offered the post of lieutenant-colonel and quartermaster with the opportunity of going to Texas with Sheridan, but declined. He was given waiting orders and returned home, but was afterwards ordered to Fort McPherson, Nebraska; as this was before the building of the railroad to this place, he was obliged to make the journey of six hundred miles on the overland stage route. He was there offered a commission in the regular army but declined.
In August, 1866, Major Daniels resigned his commission and returned home from Nebraska, having seen more than five years of service, during which time he had been associated with many leading generals and other officers of the Union army.
Major Daniels engaged in the grocery business in Ogdensburg, but soon after purchased the Ogdensburg Bakery and engaged in wholesale trade. He continued this busines until 1902. Since his retirement from this business Major Daniels has purchased the two hundred and seventy-five acre farm on the edge of Ogdensburg, known as Woodford Farm, and here carries on farming on an extensive scale.
In politics he is a Republican, and has served in many public offices. From 1880 until 1888 he served as collector of customs, an office which he now [1910] holds, having been reappointed in 1903. For a number of years he was presdent of the Oswegathchie Agricultural Society, and was for two years president of the Ogdensburg Club. He served as a member of the board of water commissioners, and for fiteen years was chairman of the Republican county committee. For twenty years he served on the board of commissioners of the town hall, and is at present [1910] president of this board. He was a member of the board of managers of the St. Lawrence State Hospital for the Insane, and for several years he served as chairman. Major Daniels is an attendant of the Presbyterian church, and since 1880 has served on the board of trustees, and for several years has held the office of treasurer.
He belongs to Ransom Post, No. 354, Grand Army of the Republic, has served as department commander of the Great Army of the Republic of the State of New York, and is held in high regard in the order. He is a member of the local grange. Major Daniels has always been a most enterprising and public-spirited citizen of Ogdensburg, and has the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens, who have delighted to honor him in the way of political office. He has keen business instincts, and those qualities of mind and manner that recommend him to the respect of all with whom he comes in contact.
Major Daniels married, Feb. 16, 1864, while serving in the Army of the Potomac, Annie E., daughter of Hiram and Mary Harlow (Olmstead) Chatterton, who through her mother, Mary Harlow Olmstead, traces her ancestry back to two signers of the Mayflower Compact, Richard Warren and Isaac Allerton.
Major Daniels and his wife became the parents of three children, two daughters, who died in childhood and one son, George Greeley.
George G. Daniels was born Sept. 16, 1872, in Ogdensburg, and married Dec. 6, 1899, Fannie, daughter of Sidney and Helen (Sherman) Brown, born July 7, 1874. They have two children: William Henry Harrison Daniels, born Oct. 24, 1900, in Ogdensburg, and Helen S., born Dec. 6, 1908.
[transcriber's note: since this material was published in 1910, it's always possible this couple may have had subsequent children].