An American Family History

Richard Everett married Elizabeth Clare in Hempstead, Queens (now Nassau) County, New York.

Abraham Everett was born in 1693.

Richard Everett was born in 1695.

Mary Everett Oxley was born on June 16, 1697.

When the 1698 census in Hempstead was taken, Richard Everit, Elizabeth Everit, Prissilla Everit, Abraham Everit, Richard Everit and Mary Everit were listed.

Richard's “ear-mark" for cattle was registered at Hempstead in 1714, and inherited by his son, George, on January 8, 1722/23.

George Everett was born in 1700.

Hannah Everett van Gelder was born in 1702.

Nicholas Everett was born in 1704.

Richard died in February, 1721 in Hempstead.

Cattle were vital to a household and an important legacy. Unweaned cattle are calves. Female cattle are heifers and cows (had a calf). Male cattle are steers (castrated) and bulls. Oxen are trained draft animals and are often castrated adult male cattle.

Queens County, New York is on Long Island. Jamaica was called Rustdorp by the Dutch. It was originally settled by English settlers from neighboring Hempstead. Hempstead was founded in 1644 by emigrants led by Reverend Richard Denton. Jamaica and Hempstead are now in Nassau County.

Old Style Calendar Before 1752 the year began on Lady Day, March 25th,. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year. Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) are used to indicate whether the year has been adjusted. Often both dates are used.

25 Dec. 1680; Bill of sale of Land in Jamaica, Queens, New York by William Creed to Richard Everett.

Twenty Acres of Upland, laying on the West side of Thomas Wiggins Sr. his lot and
on the East side of Thomas Wellins lot in the town of Jamaica. Also five acres of meadow lying on the West neck, which is the same five acres which John Oldfield laid out for Mr. C. Cornelius of Bushwick,
except the five acres of meadow that I saved for myself and my heirs.
Signed by William Creed, and delivered in the presence of William Taylor, Peter Smith, and Nathaniel Denton, Town Clerk.

The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York, Volume 2

Richard Everit of Jamaica, who was a patentee in 1656, one of the very first town magistrates in 1659, and active in many public matters, seems to have lived until early in 1668, as on September 4th of that year an administrator was appointed.

His wife was Elizabeth Clare, sister of John Clare, of Jamaica, and he had at least four children, Richard being the eldest. . .

In 1658 Richard Everit is taxed for six acres of land at Hempstead. He had no house nor cattle on it and was taxed merely for meadow land and “fower gattes." This land seems to have been granted in the general allotment of that year, but Richard, Senior, may have been just adding to land owned before going to Jamaica, or Richard, Junior, may have been starting out as a landowner.

The Hempstead census of 1698 shows a Richard Everit, with wife, Elizabeth, but children with dissimilar names (although always a Richard!) than those of Richard of Jamaica, and this may well have been the son of Richard, Senior. His “ear-mark" for cattle was registered at Hempstead in 1714, and inherited by his son, George, on January 8, 1722/23.

A Richard Everit (also Everitt) died intestate in 1764, when his son, Clear, was appointed administrator. John Clare, of Jamaica, in his will, dated and proved in 1720, left land not only to Richard, eldest son of his sister, Elizabeth Everit, but after the death. Of his wife practically all his real property was to go “to my cousin Richard Everit during his life and after his decease to his son Clare." Just who this Richard was is not certain, but he was surely one of the Jamaica family. The son’s name is more usually spelled Clear, rather than Clare, but does not seem to have been St. Clair, as sometimes thought.