This continues the story of Asa Dunbar, a pioneer settler of Irondequoit and Brighton, NY.

The 1800 census record of Asa and his family shows him and his wife having four boys, and three girls. By the 1810 census there are only 2 children living with Asa and Elizabeth. Some of the older children probably have married by that time or maybe one or two have died.

In 1801 a municipal court was established in the City of Tryon and Asa was appointed as city attorney. In the Town of Northfield records dated March 2, 1802 Asa is one of 16 of Overseers of Highways for the town.

Tax records for the Town of Northfield between 1800 and 1804 are on Ancestry.com. Asa is listed as being taxed for a house and farm but not as owning the real estate. The value of his farm is listed as $624 in 1800 and 1801 and as $425 in 1803. The tax lists also have listings of personal property. His personal property was valued at $48 in 1801 and jumped up to $511 in 1803. His taxes paid were $1.55 in 1800 and $2.60 in 1804.

Henry Ward was a clerk at the Tryon store after 1800. In his reminisces he described Asa as 6 feet and 7 inches in height, and of great muscular power. In laying the logs of a building, he often raised one end to the height of five feet, when it required three men of ordinary power to elevate the opposite end.

On April 1, 1807 Asa finally bought land in the area from John Tryon on a mortgage. For $800 he got the north half of lot 26 (105 acres) approximately 85 acres in lot 32 and ½ acre in lot 33 at Tryon. That would prove to be a sale at the wrong time. John Tryon would die in September 1807. His estate said Asa was in default on the mortgage and the lands were sold at a sheriff’s sale on Aug. 3, 1808 for $150.

The last record Asa in New York State is in an Ontario County Court record. On January 24, 1812 Asa was in Lima, NY, probably delivering goods to the store associated with Tryon and Adams, when he was attacked by Peter Moon and Rufus Webber. They grabbed and pulled his nose and pulled out a large quantity of hair. They then proceeded to beat him with sticks and their fists on his face, chest, back, shoulders, etc. Then they threw him to the ground and kicked him. From this beating they also tore his clothing described as a coat, waistcoat, pair of breeches, cravat, shirt, pair of stockings and a hat which he said were worth $50. Asa took them to Court in June 1812 and was awarded $150 in damages.

Asa then moves his family to Canada. Some researchers say that he died in 1815 in Burleigh Falls, Peterborough Co., Ontario. That is about 50 miles north of Lake Ontario. Other people say that Asa died after 1818 because he is taxed in the Town of Brighton, NY in 1818. I believe that he wasn’t in Brighton in 1818 but it was probably Asa Jr.

The family tree for Asa and Elizabeth on FamilySearch Family Tree says they have a son, Asa Jr., born between 1795 and 1800. He is probably the Asa Dunbar that was taxed in Brighton in 1818. Records show that he was married to Nancy Elliott. She was born in England about 1820 and I suspect that she might be his second wife because of the great difference in age. In the 1840 census they are living in Irondequoit. That census record is very interesting because of the way the family is listed. There is one white male aged 30 to 40, 1 white male aged 50 to 60 (this would be Asa Jr.), one black male under 10, 1 black male aged 10 to 24, 2 black males aged 30 to 40 and 1 black female aged 24 to 35 (Nancy). On June 8, 1846 Asa and Nancy sell 50 acres in Irondequoit. I looked for when they bought that property but couldn’t find the deed. That property was just north of the corner of Titus Ave and Culver Road. In the sale deed they are described as living in Smithtown, Colborne District, Ontario. The 1851 Canadian census has the family living in Harvey and Smith Towns, Peterborough County, Ontario where Asa Jr. is an inn keeper. Asa died in 1883 and Nancy in 1886 in Bridgenorth, Peterborough Co., Ontario. They are both buried in the Bridgenorth Cemetery.

Asa Jr. supposedly had a son, George, who seeing as he was born about 1820 (in Canada), would indicate that Asa Jr. had a wife before he married Nancy Elliott. George was living in Irondequoit in the 1850 census but seeing as his young children were born in Canada, he just had returned between 1848 and 1850. He, his wife Susanna (born in England), and their family of about 10 children appear in census records of Irondequoit up to the 1892 NY State. After that the family moved to the southern end of Portland Avenue in Rochester. George and Susanna are found buried in Range one of Mt. Hope Cemetery. The dates on his tombstone say Sept. 3, 1820 – Dec. 7, 1898 and Susanna’s dates are Dec. 9, 1828 – May 20, 1901.

There are many facts found on Asa Dunbar but missing are the important vital records connecting his and Elizabeth’s descendants. It does appear that there are descendants still living in Monroe County as well as in Canada.