Samuel Eggleston
Early Life of Samuel Eggleston in New York
Samuel Eggleston, son of Samuel & Elizabeth Hill Eggleston was born March 30, 1804 in Marcellus, Onondaga County, New York. He wrote a brief autobiography which states:
“I lived in the town of Marcellus until I was 13 years old, then my father, with his family, then moved into the town of Springwater, Livingston County, state of New York. My brothers and sisters numbered ten in family. I lived with my father until I was 19 years old, then I went to live with my brother-in-law to learn the tanner’s trade. I lived with them until I was 23 years old . . .”
Samuel’s father came to Marcellus in the early 1800’s with his parents and other family members. He bought a piece of land bordering Skaneateles Lake. He sold this land in 1817 which was the time that the family moved to Springwater.
Samuel’s mother, Elizabeth Hill Eggleston, also known as Betsy, died in 1823 in Springwater. Some of the children were still quite young at the time of her death. Samuel was about 19 years old. It was around this time that Samuel went back to the area where he had grown up. His older sister Lucy had married Thomas Marsh and they were living in Sempronius, across the lake from Marcellus. Samuel’s obituary indicates that it was Thomas Marsh with whom he lived for 4 years, from age 19 to 23. He learned the tanner’s trade from Thomas Marsh.
