Eliaabeth Orr Waters

Eliaabeth Orr was born about 1775. She was the daughter of Hugh and Isabella Orr. Her father was an aspiring merchant who had settled in Albany during the late 1770s.

Her husband was David Waters. She gave birth to a number of children before her husband's death in 1810. Her family members all received burial services from the Albany Presbyterian church.

David Waters was a merchant whose store was a Market Street landmark for many years. Elizabeth's family lived in Albany's third ward next to the home of her widowed mother.

Elizabeth was in her mid-thirties when her husband died. In that year, the census identified six slaves living in her home. She became head of their household listed in the city directories at 65 then 245 North Market Street.

In 1819, legal recourse enabled her to secure payment of one of her late husband's debts.

Having outlived most of her children, Eliabeth Orr Waters died in January 1839 at the age of sixty-four. Her will passed probate a month later.

Sources: The life of Eliaabeth Orr Waters is CAP biography number 6819. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.