George Edgar Drake (10)

George’s death: Monday, 3 May 1948 from complications of a bladder infection at the home of his youngest child, Charles Briant Drake, in the village of Evans Mills, LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York, where he had resided since moving from the family farm between LeRaysville and Evans Mills in 1941; interment New Evans Mills Cemetery.

3. George’s wife: Mary Arvilla Briant (photos) (more info)

a. Mary’s birth: 14 July 1850 at home on the family farm near Evans Mills, LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York.

b. Mary’s marriage: 17 March 1886 at the Henry Briant residence between LeRaysville and Evans Mills, LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. For more than 11 years before their marriage (at least since 1875), it appears George had resided in the same household with Mary.

c. Mary’s death: 14 December 1914 at home near LeRaysville, LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York; interred next to George in the New Evans Mills Cemetery.

d. Census Records relating to Mary:

1850 US Census: For reasons that are not clear, Mary (born about 2 wks before this census was taken in LeRay Twp, Jefferson Co., NY), was not enumerated with her presumed birth parents, Henry and Louisa (Kirchner) Briant, who resided in the household headed by Lewis "Bryan," age 55 (b. Switzerland) and employed as a farmer, in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. See Briant Annex for more details.

1855 US Census: For reasons that are not clear, Mary (who would be about age 5), was not enumerated with her presumed birth parents, Henry and Louisa (Kirchner) Briant, who resided in the household headed by Lewis "Bryant," age 60 (b. Switzerland) and employed as a farmer, in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. See Briant Annex for more details.

1860 US Census: Mary Briant, age 9 (b. NYS), resided with her parents on a farm in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York.

1865 NYS Census: Mary Briant, age 15 (b. Jefferson Co., NY), resided with her parents on a farm in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York.

1870 US Census: Mary Bryant, age 19 (b. NYS), resided with her parents in LeRay Township (Philadelphia Post Office), Jefferson County, New York.

1875 NYS Census: Mary Briant, age 24 (b. Jefferson Co., NY) and single, resided with her parents in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York.

1880 US Census: Mary Briant, age 29 (b. NYS) and single, resided with her parents in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York State. See George's record, below, for this and subsequent censuses.

Note: Because Mary Arvilla Briant was not captured in the 1850 US Census, and more importantly, was also not captured in the 1855 NYS Census, when Mary would have been about age 5; and because Henry and Louisa (Kirchner) Briant had no additional children for (at least) the next 25 years, the possibility exists that Mary was the adopted daughter of Henry and Louisa. In support of this possibility, each of the five, married sons of Lewis Briant could have had fertility problems: Henry (perhaps 2 children - but both with questions); David (1 son); Charles (childless); Melvin (childless); and John (childless).

4. Biographical notes on George:

Drake, George Edgar, Sr. 1 (85) #.jpg

Drake, George Edgar 1941, Aug at time of relocation 4 #.jpg

George was on his own when he was 17 years old (about 1873), working as a laborer on the farm of Henry and Louisa (Kirchner) Briant outside the Village of LeRaysville, LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. Shortly thereafter he went west to seek his fortune, along with many others of the period, in the California gold fields. The prevailing wisdom then: “If you could find your way to California, you could be rich.” Apparently fortune eluded him, because he returned to northern New York State a year later, age 18, and again went to work for and reside with Henry Briant, his wife, and daughter, Mary Arvilla Briant, who George later married.

George and Mary inherited from her parents an approximately 170-acre piece of the Briant dairy farm and operated a Guernsey dairy (breed of tan and white cattle with relatively high butter fat content). The farm, known in that area as "Home Acres," was split by County Road #56 (now Route 26) between Evans Mills and Great Bend, Jefferson County, New York. It was located about 3.6 miles from Great Bend and 1.7 miles from the intersection of Routes 11 and 26 outside the village of Evans Mills. George lived on this farm for 68 years, until about September 1941, when it was annexed to expand Pine Camp. The Drakes weren’t alone in being evicted; about 525 families in LeRay and Wilna Townships (some 75,000 acres total) were annexed for the expansion. At that point George, who was a widower, moved with his son, Briant, and Briant's (2^nd) wife, Edna (Wolcott) Drake, into the Village of Evans Mills, New York, where George cared for 100 chickens, tended a garden, and did house chores until very late in life. Into his 90s he also spent almost every week with his son, Almond, on Almond's new farm (he was also relocated by the expansion of Pine Camp) located a couple of miles south west of the Village of Adams, Adams Township, Jefferson County, New York on Ikeys Crossing Road (which connects to Grove Street on the outskirts of the Village; note: Ikeys Crossing refers to the railroad crossing on that road near Grove Street). George's son, Briant, or some other available family member would drive him to the farm on Sunday, and he would help where he could with farm chores until Friday, when someone would drive him back to Evans Mills for the weekend.

George was a member of the LeRaysville Methodist Church for many years and was an honorary member of the Great Bend Grange, Great Bend, Champion Township, Jefferson County, New York.

5. Census records relating to George:

1860 US Census: George Drake, referred to as "Edwin," age 4 (b. NYS) resided with his parents in Rutland Township, Jefferson County, New York. The household also included George's brother, Martin Drake, age 7 (b. NYS); and sisters Malissa Drake, age 19 (b. NYS); and Susan M. Drake, age 16 (b. NYS).

1870 US Census: George Drake, referred to as "Edgar," age 14 (b. NYS) resided with his father in Rutland Township, Jefferson County, New York. The household also included George's brother, Martin Drake, age 18 (b. NYS); sister, Malissa Drake, age 29 (b. NYS), and [niece] Hattie Drake, age 8 (b. NYS). Of interest, the household headed by George's uncle, William Roberts, was enumerated directly after him on the same census page.

Note: Census records indicate Hattie Drake was George's sister. In fact, Hattie was an out-of-wedlock daughter of George's sister, Malissa. See paragraph 4.e.(2) of the Almond Drake (9) page.

1875 NYS Census: George Drake, age 19 (b. Jefferson Co., NY), single, and employed as a farm laborer, resided in the household headed by [his future father-in-law] Henry Briant in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. The household also included Henry's wife, Louise Briant, age 45 (b. Germany); Henry's daughter [and George Drake's future wife], Mary Briant, age 24 (b. Jefferson Co., NY); Henry's son, Louis Briant, age 3 months (b. Jefferson Co., NY); and Hattie Drake, age 13 (b. Jefferson Co., NY) and employed as a domestic servant. (Hattie was George's niece, the out-of-wedlock daughter of George's sister, Malissa Drake, though at the time, Hattie was publically described as George's sister, the daughter of Almon and Mehitable (Gamble) Drake).

1880 US Census: Geo E. Drake, age 24 (b. NYS), single, and employed as a laborer, resided in the household of his eventual father-in-law, Henry Briant, age 51 (b. NYS; father b. Switzerland; mother b. NYS) and employed as a farmer, in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. Other members of the household included Henry's wife, "Louesia" Briant, age 52 (b. Germany; parents b. Germany); Henry's daughter and George's eventual wife, Mary Briant, age 29 (b. NYS), single, and "at home"; Henry's son, Lewis P. Briant, age 5 (b. NYS; father b. NYS; mother b. Germany); and boarder, Henry's aunt, Charlott Frulether, age 70 (b. NYS; parents b. NYS) and single.

1900 US Census: George E. Drake, age 44 (b. May 1856 in NYS; parents b. NYS) and employed in agriculture, was heading a household in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. The household also included his wife of 14 years, Mary A. Drake, age 49 (b. Jul 1850 in NYS; parents b. NYS), age 49, who had had 3 children, all still alive; daughter, Louisa A. Drake, age 11 (b. Nov 1889 in NYS) and in school; son, Almond H. Drake, age 8 (b. Aug 1891 in NYS) and in school); son, Briant C. Drake, age 5 (b. Sep 1894 in NYS); age 5); and "son," Lewis E. Drake, age 25 (b. Mar 1875 in NYS; parents b. NYS) and employed as a day laborer. George and Mary owned their home. [Note: It's possible Mary's "brother," Lewis P. Briant, was actually the biologic son of George and Mary (Briant) Drake, and since this is the first census in which George, Mary, and Lewis did not reside with Mary's parents, perhaps this non-public record of their relationship is correct, reflecting uncommon candor on the part of at least George and Mary. Or perhaps this relationship between George, Mary, and Lewis was an enumeration error.]

1905 NYS Census: George Drake, age 49, was heading a household on LeRaysville Road, LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York (page 1). The household also included his wife, Mary Drake, age 54; daughter, Louise M. Drake, age 16; son, Almond H. Drake, age 14; and son, Bryant C. Drake, age 10.

1910 US Census: George E. Drake, age 53 (b. NYS; parents b. NYS) and employed as a farmer, was heading a household in LeRaysville, Jefferson County, New York. He had been married once. The household also included his wife of 24 years, Mary A. Drake, age 59 (b. NYS; father b. NYS; mother b. Germany), who had been married once and had had 3 children, all still alive; son, Almond H. Drake, age 19 (b. NYS), single, and employed as a farm laborer on the home farm; son, Briant C. Drake, age 16 (b. NYS), single, and employed as a farm laborer on the home farm; and brother-in-law, Lewis P. Briant, age 35 (b. NYS), single, and employed as a photographer.

1915 NYS Census: George E. Drake, age 59, was heading a household in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. The household also included his son, Almond H. Drake, age 25; son, Briant C. Drake, age 21; and daughter-in-law, Elnora E. Drake, age 22.

1920 US Census: George E. Drake, age 63 (b. NYS; parents b. NYS), widowed, and not employed, resided in the household headed by his son, Briant Drake, age 26 (b. NYS) and employed as a farmer, in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York.

1925 NYS Census: George E. Drake, age 70, resided in the household headed by his son, Briant Drake, age 31, in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York.

1930 US Census: George Drake, age 73 (b. NYS; parents b. NYS), widowed, and employed as a farm laborer, resided in the household headed by his son, Briant C. Drake, age 36 (b. NYS) and employed as a farmer, in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. George married 1st at age 30.

1940 US Census: George Drake, age 83 (b. NYS) and widowed, with no record of employment, resided in the household headed by his son, Bryant Drake, age 46 (b. NYS) and employed as a farmer, on the LeRaysville to Evans Mills Road in LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. George had completed 3rd grade. The household also included Bryant's wife, Edna Drake, age 51 (b. NYS), who had completed 4 years of high school; their daughter, Mary Drake, age 16 (b. NYS), and the following boarder [foster children]: Mary Ann Byer, age 15 (b. NYS, 1 yr high school); Cecelia Lambert, age 13 (b. NYS, completed 2nd grade), Frederick Lambert, age 8 (b. NYS, completed 2nd grade), George Lambert, age 5 (b. NYS), George Lambert, age 4 (b. NYS), and Roberta Clyde [Clyde lined thru], age 4. On 1 April 1935 the Drakes resided in the same house.

6. Death of George Edgar Drake:

Died 3 May 1948, one day short of his 92^nd birthday, at home in the Village of Evans Mills (where he resided with his son, Charles Briant Drake "Briant," and daughter-in-law, Edna Matilda (Wolcott) Drake), Jefferson County, New York from complications of a bladder infection.

In March 1948 George had undergone surgery at Mercy Hospital, Watertown, New York to relieve symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland. Following surgery George was seriously ill and confined to his bed for most of the following two months. An infection developed, but his doctors decided, because of his advanced age, physical condition, and the difficulty of such surgery on the patient, not to operate, opting instead for catheterizing through the wall of the abdomen (referred to as a "super pubic" catheter). In his increasingly weakened mental state and in pain, George pulled his catheter out and contracted a bladder infection which, shortly thereafter, resulted in his death.

Funeral services were held the following Wednesday at his home in Evans Mills. Reverend Walter J. Suit, pastor of the Evans Mills Methodist Church, officiated. Interment was in the New Evans Mills Cemetery, about one half mile outside the center of Evans Mills on the Gould Corners Road, left side as one leaves the village.

7. Children of George Edgar and Mary (Briant) Drake:

Drake, George Edgar family scan

a. Louisa Mehitable Drake: Born 22 November 1888. See generation 11.

“Louise” “Lulu”/“Lula”

Gay #1251 *

b. Almond Henry Drake: Born 31 August 1890. See generation 11.

Gay #1252 *

c. Charles Briant Drake: Born 24 September 1893. See generation 11.

“Briant”

Gay #1253 *

* Note: Reference is to numbers assigned to people by Alice M. Gay in The Descendants of John Drake of Windsor Connecticut, published in 1933.

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