Sara Marselis Mc Michael

According to traditional resources, this Sara Marselis was born during the 1720s (perhaps in February 1727 to Dirck and Elizabeth Van Epps Marselis) and was a daughter of the Schenectady branch of the Marselis family. We seek more definitive information on her origins.

In June 1748, she appears to have married one Daniel "Mc Master" at the Dutch church in Schenectady. The first of a number of children (known variously but most frequently as "Mc Michael") was christened in Schenectady between May 1749 and 1758. A son was baptized at the Albany Dutch church in June 1752. A number of her offspring became Schenectady residents.

By 1766, Sara was a widow and was identified as the principal of the "Halfway house" on the King's Highway. Those holdings were assessed moderately. In September of 1767, "Sarah McMichal" was identified as the widow of Daniel and in debt to the city of Albany for rents. In April 1770, she paid Daniel's "full debt" and was granted a deed to the house at the "Verberg" for twenty-one years at £4+ per year.

In February 1771, the account book of William Johnson's manager and bookkeeper noted that "Wid. Mc Michael" was paid for shipping a barrel of limes and a crate of cheese from Albany to Johnson Hall.

After that, we have not yet encountered additional references to Sara Marselis Mc Michael in our most recent sweeps of community and Internet-based resources. With many unanswered questions on her life, we move on for now

Sources: The life of Sara Marselis Mc Michael has not CAP biography number. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.