Notes for: John Comfort, Jr.

There is some good information on the Comfort family at John Blythe Dobson's web site:

http://cybrary.uwinnipeg.ca/people/Dobson/genealogy/ff/Comfort-Robert.cfm

The following comes from there. The info at the web site had many sources, but they didn't come across here.

John Comfort, Jr., of Annapolis Co., Nova Scotia, later of Montgomery Tp., Orange Co., N.Y., and finally of Clinton Tp., Lincoln Co., Upper Canada (now Ontario), son of John Comfort and Anna Maul, was b. say 1758-59, and d. Jan. 1830 (?). He m. by New York licence dated 13 July 1782, Catharine Harris , b. 5 Oct. 1767, bapt. 4 Nov. 1767 in the Hopewell Dutch Church, East Fishkill Tp., Dutchess Co., N.Y., and d. 10 Aug. 1846 in Lincoln Co., U.C., daughter of Francis Harris, of Digby, N.S., by his first wife, Catharina Lent.

The identification of this man as a son of John Comfort (no. 3) is supported by his naming his eldest son John (apparently for his father), and naming daughters Susannah, Hannah, and Mary (apparently for his sisters). Radasch believed, probably correctly, that he was the John Comfort, Jr., who served in the Revolution in the Ulster Co. Militia, 4th Regiment. Despite this presumed military service in the Revolution he was undoubtedly a loyalist, for at the end of the war, in 1784, he took his family to Nova Scotia; and a traditional account of the voyage, deriving from his great-grandson, FitzHugh Patterson, exists in two different versions. But he remained there only briefly, returning within a few years to New York, where he is listed as John Comfort, Jr. in the 1790 census of Montgomery Tp. with a household (including himself) of one male over 16, one male under 16, and 5 females. John Comfort and his wife sold land in Montgomery Tp. in 1798. He is listed in the 1800 census. He was on overseer of highways in Montgomery in 1803.

In 1812, John Comfort returned to Canada with his wife and seven youngest children, and settled at Clinton Tp., Lincoln Co., U.C., where he spent the remainder of his life.

Known issue (aside from a son apparently born in 1790-1800 of whom no further record has been found):

- Catharine Comfort, b. probably before May 1784, living 1809. She remained in the U.S. when her parents came to Canada, and m. 20 Jan. 1807 in Goodwill Presbyterian Church, John Fulton, living 1809, by whom she had at least one child. They did not follow her parents to Canada, and according to the Bottings are said to have moved to Virginia.

- Susannah Comfort, b. say 1785, d. 16 July 1816 at Montgomery. She remained in the U.S. when her parents came to Canada, and m. (apparently as his first of four wives) 12 March 1812 in Goodwill Presbyterian Church, Elisha Bodine, of Montgomery, merchant, b. Nov. or Dec. 1790 at Montgomery, d. Aug. 1871 at Rushville, Indiana, son of Francis Bodine, of Montgomery, by his wife Hannah Miller or Millard. They had at least three children.

- Hannah Comfort, b. ca. April 1787, d. 14 Nov. 1853, aged 66 years and 7 months (according to her tombstone). She m. by 1817, presumably in Canada, Archibald Patterson, a wheelwright, b. ca. Feb. 1784, d. 27 Oct. 1864, aged 77 years and 7 months (according to his tombstone), said (somewhat dubiously, in our view) to have been a brother of John I. Patterson below. They went to Erin Tp., Wellington Co., Ontario, where according to some accounts they were the first European settlers. Both are buried in Ballinafad Cemetery. They had at least five children, and have left a considerable posterity.

- Elizabeth Catharine (or Catharine Elizabeth?) Comfort, b. ca. 1789, d. 1859 or 1859. She m. perhaps ca. 1812, John I. Patterson, of Clinton Tp., Lincoln Co., b. 1790 in (it is said) Bethlehem Tp. (afterward New Scotland Tp.), N.Y., d. (testate) 25 March 1862, son of James and Christina (——) Patterson, of Clinton Tp. This couple had eight children, and were the grandparents of the long-lived William Fitzhugh Patterson (1865-1947), an informant of the Bottings and an important source of information on the Comfort family.

- Jane Comfort, b. before 1790. She m. 25 Oct. 1814, as his second wife, Jacob Nelles or Nellis. Although his surname is that of a family prominent in the vicinity of Clinton, we have not succeeded in identifying him further, although one suspects he may have been the Jacob Nelles, inkeeper, who served as a surety for the marriage bond of Catharine Nelles and Hiram Dyer at Grimsby, U.C., on 1 Feb. 1828, and that he may have been related to the Henry Nelles, of Grimsby, merchant, who served as a bondsman for Jane’s younger brother Stephen in 1832. The Bottings were unable to trace issue of this couple, but a correspondent has informed us that they had a daughter, Almira Nellis, who m. 28 Feb. 1849, Richard Van Horne, and had issue.

- John Harris Comfort, b. 29 July 1793 in Montgomery Tp., d. 20 March 1850. He m. ca. 1816, Mary [Glover?], b. 1796, d. 1 Oct. 1879 in South Norwich Tp., Oxford Co., Ontario. He is described as John H. Comfort, of Clinton, yeoman, when he served as a bondsman for his younger brother Stephen in 1832. He and his wife had seven children.
Francis Comfort, b. 28 Aug. 1800; continued as no. 5 below.

- Stephen Comfort, of Clinton Tp., b. March 1804 in Orange Co., N.Y., d. 24 March 1891 in Jamestown, N.Y., and buried there in Lakeview Cemetery. He was described as a yeoman when he m. (1) shortly after 5 March 1832 (date of bond), probably at Grimsby, U.C., Rhoda Adair, of Clinton Tp., b. 1816, d. 1836. The sureties for their marriage bond were [his brother] John H. Comfort, of Clinton, yeoman, and Henry Nelles, of Grimsby, merchant. He m. (2) ca. 1838, Elizabeth Hager, b. ca. 1814, d. ca. 1853 at Waukegan, Illinois. He m. (3) ca. 1862, as her first husband, but separated from her ca. 1875, Rebecca Maud Jones, b. ca. 1842, d. 15 Dec. 1908, daughter of Appleton Perry Jones, and afterward wife of Frank Crawford, of Ogdensburg, N.Y. He had at least fourteen children.

- Mary W. Comfort, b. 14 Dec. 1804 [?] in Orange Co., N.Y., d. 5 April 1896. She m. by 1842, but separated from him by 1851, Jesse Wickersham, of Clinton Tp., and later of Keokuk, Iowa, b. ca. 1834 in Pennsylvania, d. before 1893. They had five children.