John Vernor
by
Stefan Bielinski


John Vernor was born in October 1746. He was the son of innkeepers John and Martha Vernor. Losing his father during his childhood, he grew up helping Martha Vernor operate her popular Southside tavern.

In 1768, he married carpenter's daughter Eva Van Valkenburgh. The marriage produced three daughters. Eva was dead by 1778 and their daughter, Margaret, was adopted by John Tayler - the husband of Eva's sister.

Mentioned on the Albany assessment roll in 1766, John Vernor was a member of the first ward militia company in 1767. During the Revolution, he served the American cause as "deputy commissary of military stores." In October 1775, he was appointed "Quartermaster" for the Saratoga District. In March 1776, he was recommended to be commissioned Adjutant of the Saratoga regiment. He was serving under the Quartermaster General in August 1778. more to come

Although his mother and brother remained in Albany, John Vernor was living in Stillwater in 1790. By 1810, he had returned to Albany - living alone in a first ward home attended by a single slave. City directories called him "deputy commissary" and located him at the "south end of Court" street.

John Vernor died in December 1825 at age seventy-nine. At that time, he was living in North Albany!

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notes

the people of colonial Albany Sources: The life of John Vernor is CAP biography number 8413. This profile is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.

Obituary: "Dec.1 - John Vernor died, aged 80. He was a zealous partizan in the war of the Revolution, and for a time was deputy commissary of military stores, in which station, as well as in all others that he occupied, he showed himself competent and faithful. He was buried with masonic honors from his residence in North Market street, opposite the arsenal." Printed in Annals of Albany, volume 8, p. 136.




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first posted: 6/10/03; updated 3/5/11