Person:William Scriven (2)

Although the Scriven Record states that William Scriven immigrated from England around 1776, the town records of Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island indicate that he was born in Westerly on 6 Jun 1727. According to the Westerly records, he was the son of James Scriven and Alice Knowles, prominent members of the Rhode Island Society of Friends (Quakers). James Scriven was an immigrant from England, arriving in Rhode Island before 1715. Alice Knowles was the daughter of William Knowles and Alice Fish, both members of established Rhode Island families. . According to the Scriven Record, William married twice. He married his first wife, Mercy Lewis (1726-1768), around 1750, and they had ten children before Mercy died in 1768. William then married Mary Mosher (or Mosier -- 1755-1809) around 1769, and they had four, possibly five, children. Some researchers believe that William was also married briefly to a woman named Elipha after Mercy's death and before his marriage to Mary; with one son, Isaac, resulting from this marriage in 1770. However, the first child of William and Mary was a daughter named Elipha (also known as Phally or Sally.) This daughter Elipha was born in 1770, the same year Isaac was born, and only two years after the death of Mercy Lewis. The evidence seems to indicate that Elipha was Isaac's twin sister, not his mother, and that Isaac's mother must have been Mary Mosher. Isaac may have died in infancy. . According to Interments on Rensselaer County Farms, William served in the Revolutionary War, along with his son William Jr. The History of the Town of Grafton also lists his sons James, John, and Zebulon as Revolutionary War soldiers. According to the research of historian Paul Ward (by way of the Grafton Historical Society), Zebulon achieved the rank of colonel in the New York State militia and in the War of 1812. This reference shows that he was buried with that title. . William moved to New York with his family about 1779. They were among the first settlers of the town of Grafton in Rensselaer County. There is some speculation that the Scrivens left Rhode Island as a result of their exclusion from the pacifistic Society of Friends over William's service in the Revolutionary War. . It is interesting to note that only descendants of William and Mercy Lewis are mentioned in Zebulon Scriven's (not to be confused with the Zebulon born in 1830) will; none of the descendants of William and Mary Mosher are mentioned. Furthermore, the History of the Town of Grafton reports that "William Scriven and family, consisting of seven sons and two daughters, came from Rhode Island and settled in this town about 1779." No mention of a wife is made, even though William would have been married to Mary Mosher at the time; and seven sons and two daughters would only be enough to include the children of William and Mercy Lewis (minus Elsie, the eldest daughter, who would have been 26 and was probably already married to Caleb Bassett by that time). It is possible that the William Scriven who married Mercy Lewis and the William Scriven who married Mary Mosher were two different individuals; though the Scriven Record clearly states otherwise. . William died in Petersburgh in 1827, at the age of 99. Source: David F. Scriven Author of "Scriven Family Geneology"