355 Years of Ogdens

The following is from a genealogical document on the Ogden family (in the line of David Ogden and Gertrude Gouverneur) written Elizabeth Meredith Ogden in 1896. Elizabeth Meredith Ogden (1845-1920) was Granny Rho's aunt and the great aunt of Rhoda Black.

Generation #1

Where John Ogden was born or when he came to this country is unknown (to her, at that time, see previous document) The first positive proof we have of him was at Hempstead Long Island in 1644. In 1647 he was in Southhampton and early in 1665 he went to New Jersey and founded the town of Elizabeth where he lived and died in 1682. He was probably buried under the First Presbyterian Church which he was instrumental in founding. This church was burned by the British in 1780 and all church records up to that date were destroyed. His will was dated December 21, 1681 from which the following extract is made:

"Know all men by these presents that I John Ogden Sr., inhabitant of Elizabethtown in your province of now East Jersey for divers good reasons and weighty considerations moving me hereunto, but more especially for that Jaan Ogden is my dear and beloved wife and so hath been for above forty years. Have given and granted and made over to my dear said wife Jaan Ogden all of my estate both movable and immovable etc."

Mr. Ogden was a man of great energy and character and at one time was virtually governor of New Jersey under the Dutch.

Generation #2

Where David Ogden the second son of John Ogden was born is not known. One tradition says at Stamford Connecticut but there seems to be nothing to substantiate this. He was more likely born at Hempstead, Long Island, the first actual residence known of his father in this country. At any Rate, Hatfield says in his history of Elizabethtown that he was a full grown man when he moved to Elizabeth with his father in 1665. In this same year he subscribed to the oath of allegiance to the Dutch government. In 1678 he married Elizabeth Savraine. He removed to Newark New Jersey in January of 1677 and lived there until his death in 1692. David and Elizabeth had five children.

Generation #3

We next trace the lineage through Colonel Josiah Ogden (born 1679, died 1763). He was the Ogden who broke the sanctity of the sabbath to save his wheat crop and a result, was officially censured by the church (no small matter in those days). So he founded his own church - the Episcopal Church in Newark. Josiah had three children.

Generation #4

We next trace the lineage through Colonel Josiah Ogden's first son, Judge David Ogden (born 1707 died 1798) who married Gertrude Gouverneur at Second River Canada in 1736. Judge David Ogden was Judge of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. He was a Loyalist and in 1776 left New Jersey and went to New York and was sent by the Loyalists to adjust their claims for indemnities. He received from England about $100,000 - an enormous sum - and returned to America in 1790. Judge David And Gertrude had 11 children - six of whom survived childhood.

Generation #5

We next trace the lineage through David Ogden's fifth child, Abraham Ogden who was born in 1743 and died in 1798, the same year as his father. Abraham married Sarah Ludlow. Sarah lasted until 1823. Abraham Ogden lived in Mooristown, New Jersey. General Washington often visited at the Ogden's house and in 1792 Washington appointed Abraham to be the United States Ditsrict Attorney. Abraham and Sarah were blessed with 13 children, some of whom survived childhood.

Generation #6

We are next concerned with Abraham Ogden's first born, David A. Ogden (born 1770, died 1829) known as Judge Ogden of Ogdensburg, NY. David was a well known lawyer in New York and a partner of Alexander Hamilton. He had obviously acquired a fair bit of loot because he bought Indian reservations amounting to 200,000 acres from the Holland Land Company, and on beautiful Ogden Island, on the St. Lawrence River opposite Waddington NY. David Ogden married Rebecca Edwards and they had 11 children.

Generation #7

Their seventh born, Catherine interests us because in 1834, she married Samuel Ogden in Trois Rivieres Quebec. Samuel was her first cousin - the son of David's brother Charles L.Ogden. Apparently no profound genetic irregularities have yet occured as a result of this relatively close union.

Generation #8

Our lineage is next traced through their 8th daughter Mary Newbold Ogden (born 1853, died 1932), who married Peter McBride Haskell (born 1850 at St. John's Newfoundland, son of John Moore Haskell). Peter only lasted until his 49th birthday, Mary however ticked along until she was 79 passing away in 1932 at Westmount Quebec.

Generation #9

Mary and Peter had five children: Ogden Haskell (who died pretty well as soon as he was born), Ludlow St. John Haskell (born 1885), Rhoda Wallace Haskell (born December 14, 1887), Meredith Ogden Haskell (born 1890) and Arthur Rintoul Haskell (born 1896).

Rhoda Wallace Jones married Walter Dickson Jones and they had four daughters:

Generation #10

Francis Muriel Ogden Henderson married Bill Henderson ,an exploration geologist with B.A. Oil. Bill served in British air force based in Singapore during WWII. They lived in Calgary at 1352 Montreal Ave. They had one daughter, Rosemary (born 1961) who graduated in medicine from Dalhousie, specialized in pathology and was last heard from in Halifax. Francis was an accomplished artist. She passed away in 1974.

Bill & Rosemary 1961
Francis, Rosemary and Bill Henderson in 1976.

Rhoda deTonnancour Jones (1913-1986) married Henry Kenneth Black in 1946. Rhoda was born in Alliance Ohio, schooled in America and Switzerland and graduated from McGill in 1937. During WWII she worked for a time at the National Research Council.

Muriel Jeanette Jones was married twice. The first time to Ewan Hare with two children resulting: Rhoda and Nigel Ewan Christian (aka Nick). Muriel and Ewan divorced and Muriel subsequently married Donald Thompson, a doctor who eventually became Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) in various parts of the world including the far east. They lived all over the world - Delhi, New York, Geneva, Singapore and Paris. Muriel passed away in 1977.

Catherine Ludlow Haskell Jones married Robert Anderson. They lived for a number of years in the Gatineau Hills just outside of Ottawa. Catherine is an author, poet, critic and book reviewer. Two children were born to them; Verity (Puss) and Christopher, both of whom live on Saltspring Island.

Generation #11

Ken and Rhoda Black had three children: Walter Henry (born 1948), Kenneth Ogden (born 1949) and Donald Ian (me) (born 1950).

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