The Drapers of England, from whom the American family descend, were originally natives to the county of Yorkshire, at or near Heptonstall, and all of the name are believed ito have descended from William, John and Henry Le Drapon. Heptonstall is a village and parochial chapelry in Halifax Parish, West Riding, Yorkshire. The ancestor of the American family is Thomas Draper, father of James "the Puritan." He was a clothier and fuller. His ancestors had followed the same business before him, and his American descendants frequently did likewise in New England. The very name Draper suggests the occupation, "one who deals in cloth." His wife's name is not preserved. The Heptonstall family records, back to 1593, do not record the marriage of Thomas Draper. The family name is an honored one in English history, and was entitled to a coat-of-arms. Sir Christopher Draper, in 1657, was lord mayor of London, and there are many of the name who have been prominent in the civil and military history of their native country. The Stansfields and Drapers were closely allied for centuries in England, and culminated in the marriage of a daughter of the house to James Draper, "the Puritan," and becoming the mother of the Draper family of America. In this country the name is an honored one in every branch of our civil, religious or commercial life. They are found in every profession, business or trade. Many eminent men have borne the name which we here trace through nine generations, from James "the Puritan," to Frederick Elliott Draper, of Troy, New York.
(II) James, fourth son and child of Thomas Draper, was born in the priory of Heptonstall, vicarage of Halifax, Yorkshire, England, in 1618, died in Roxbury, Massachusetts, 1694. Although James Draper is found in history as one of the original proprietors of the town of Lancaster, no evidence can be found that he ever lived there. His first residence was in Roxbury, Sarah, Susanna and James, his first American-born children, there first saw the light. He then moved to Dedham, for his sons, John, Moses and Daniel were born there. He then must have returned to Roxbury, for his youngest children, Patience and Jonathan, are recorded as born there, and James, the father, is there buried. He was made a freeman of Roxbury, 1690. His first child, born in America, was Susanna, born about 1650, which determines to a reasonable certainty the date of his emigration. He married, in Heptonstall, April 21, 1646, Miriam, daughter of Gideon Stansfield and his wife, Grace Eastwood, of Wadsworth, Yorkshire. James and Miriam (Stansfield) Draper are buried at West Roxbury, Massachusetts, where the same stone marks the resting-place of both. They had nine children: Miriam, born in England, and the others in America — Susanna, Sarah, James, see forward, John, Moses, Daniel, Patience and Jonathan. The sons all married and founded families. The daughters also married, excepting Miriam, the eldest, who died in infancy before leaving England.
(III) James (2), fourth child and eldest son of James (1) "the Puritan" and Miriam (Stansfield) Draper, was born at Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1654, died there April 30, 1698. He received from his father part of his farm at Roxbury. In 1683 leave was granted by the town of Dedham to Nathaniel Whiting and James Draper to "erect a fulling mill below the corn mills" on Mother Brook. He served as a soldier in King Philip's war during 1675. After his death his widow kept an ordinary on Baker street, Roxbury. James was a great wrestler, and the champion of his section. This proved his undoing. In disposing of the ambitious claim of a stranger to being the "best man," he broke a tendon in his leg and was never able to go out again. James and Abigail, his wife, are buried in the First Parish cemetery at Dedham, Massachusetts, where a stone marks their resting place, inscribed, "They were lovely and pleasant in their life; in their death were not divided." He married, February 18, 1681, Abigail Whiting, born in Roxbury, June 7, 1663, died October 25, 1721, daughter of Nathaniel Whiting and his wife Hannah Dwight. She was a granddaughter of John Dwight, from whom President Timothy Dwight of Yale College and other prominent men descended. They were the parents of seven children: Abigail, Nathaniel, William, Eunice, James, Gideon, Ebenezer, see forward.
(IV) Ebenezer, fifth son and youngest child of James (2) and Abigail (Whiting) Draper, was born at Roxbury, Massachusetts, April 27, 1698, died there June 3, 1784: He and his first wife were admitted to full communion at the First Church of Roxbury, January 26, 1724. He was dismissed to the church in Dedham, November 14, 1734. He was a farmer by occupation, and, after leaving his father's home in Roxbury, passed his life at his family seat, "Green Lodge," near Dedham. He married (first), March 2, 1723, Dorothy, daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth (Morris) Child, of Brookline, Massachusetts. She was a sister of Abigail, who married James Draper. She was born May 25, 1701, died August 2, 1748. He married (second) November 16, 1749, Sybil, born January 3, 1720, died February 16, 1816, daughter of William and Esther Avery, of Dedham, Massachusetts. Children of first wife: Dorothy, Anna, Keziah, Ebenezer, Anna (2), Prudence, Isaac, Miriam, Stephen, see forward. Children of second wife: Sybil, Rebecca, William, Rebecca (2), Jemima, Mary, Catherine and Anna. Dorothy (Child) Draper was a daughter of Joshua Child, horn in Roxbury, Massachusetts, 1658; married, May 9, 1685, Elizabeth Morris, granddaughter of Benjamin Child, who emigrated from Great Britain to America and settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts. His wife Mary was admitted to the church at that town in 1658. They were the parents of twelve children: Joshua being the third son and child.
(V) Stephen, ninth child and third son of Ebenezer and Dorothy (Child) Draper, was born at the family home "Green Lodge" near Dedham, Massachusetts, February 23, 1742. He served three enlistments in the revolutionary war, twice as sergeant in Colonel John Daggett's regiment, and once as corporal in Colonel Dean's regiment, all of this service performed in Rhode Island on alarms. He came to Attleboro from Dedham with his brothers, Isaac and Ebenezer, and purchased thirty acres of land deeded to him, April 17, 1772. He erected a tannery, which was one of the largest in the country, and was a very successful business man. He also had a mill for weaving cloth and one for making nails, and built other tanneries in Connecticut and Rhode Island. He was a man of uncommon energy, highest integrity, and a very strict Puritan. The house that he built was occupied by his descendants until 1885, when it was torn down and another erected in its place on the same site and again occupied by his posterity. To this day it is the family shrine, and each Thanksgiving Day the family meet in large numbers and celebrate the day. The old tannery buildings were demolished in 1858. He married, April 4, 1764, Elizabeth, born September 11, 1740, daughter of Jonathan and Mary Fisher, of Dedham, Massachusetts. Children, all born in South Attleboro, Massachusetts: Fisher, Paul, Anna, Betty, Stephen, see forward, Mary, Catherine, Joseph Ebenezer and Miriam.
(VI) Stephen (2), third son and fifth child of Stephen (1) and Elizabeth (Fisher) Draper, was born in South Attleboro, Massachusetts, April 29, 1775. He removed to Killingley, Connecticut. He married (first) Fanny Capron, died March 19, 1799; married (second), September 27, 1801, Catherine Fisher, of Fisherville, Massachusetts. Children by second marriage: Eliza; Seth, married Mary L. Greeman; Edwin; Albert; Stephen (see forward); Daniel F. and Fanny C.
(VII) Stephen (3), fourth son and fifth child of Stephen (2) and Catherine (Fisher) Draper, was born in Killingley, Connecticut, March 19, 1811, died in Troy, New York, March 19, 1890. He was apprenticed to a tanner when but twelve years of age, but left that when still a young man and removed to Greenville, Massachusetts, where he engaged in the manufacture of scythes, as senior member of Draper, Brown & Chadsey. He removed to Troy, New York, in 1847, and conducted the same business there very successfully until the invention and introduction of mowing machines. He then engaged in the manufacture of twine and fish lines until a few months before his death. He married (first), in 1840, Harriet, daughter of Captain T. Elliott, of Sutton, Massachusetts. She died September 5, 1850. Children:
- William Henry, see forward.
- Frederick Elliott, see forward.
- Harriet Augusta, born December 12, 1845.
- Charles Eugene, born August 14, 1850; married (first) December 15, 1876, Jenny Pile, of Troy, New York, died April 14, 1886; married (second), November 4, 1891, Lucy G. Cushing. Children by first wife:
- Charles Stephen, born and died in 1881.
- Jenny Louise, July 30, 1882.
- Stephen Draper married (second), November 15, 1851, Wealthy Cutting of Leicester, Massachuetts, who died March 19, 1889; children of second wife:
- Edward Cutting, died in infancy.
- Catherine Fisher, died in infancy.
(VIII) William Henry Draper, eldest son of Stephen (3) and Harriet (Elliott) Draper, was born in Rochdale, Worcester county, Massachusetts, June 24, 1841. He was educated in the public schools of Troy, whither his parents removed when he was five years of age. In 1856 he was appointed teller of the Farmers' Bank at Lansingburg (Troy), continuing until August 1, 1861. He was employed by a firm in Schenectady until 1869, when he removed to Troy to enter into business with his father under the firm name of S. Draper & Son, which firm was continued until 1883, W. H. Draper carrying on the business from that time until 1890, when his son, Andrew L. Draper, became associated with him under the firm name of W. H. Draper & Son, which continued until July 1, 1909, when E. E. Draper became a member of the firm of W. H. Draper & Sons. This firm manufactures braided sash cord, lines and twines. Mr. Draper early became connected with the Republican party, was trustee of the Lansingburg village corporation, jury commissioner for Rensselaer county from 1896 to 1901. In 1900 he was nominated and elected the following November a member of the national house of representatives from the nineteenth congressional district of New York. December 8, 1901, he took his seat as a member of the fifty-seventh congress. He was re-elected from the twenty-second district in 1902-04-06-08, and is now serving his fifth consecutive term. His career as congressman has been one of honor, and his years of service at Washington have given him an experience that renders him of particular benefit to his district. He has served on many of the responsible committees of the house, and received many signal proofs of the confidence reposed in him by those high in authority at the national capitol. He is a strong, influential member of his party, and recognized among the leaders in New York state.
Mr. Draper married, November 15, 1864, Magdalene Livingston, of Schenectady, New York. Children:
- Andrew Livingston, born December 23, 1865; married, October 15, 1891, Mary Ruth Thompson, of Lockport, New York, daughter of George B. and Mary (Avery) Thompson.
- Grace Mary, born November 7, 1870, died May 17, 1871.
- George Frederick, born September 22, 1872, died December 19, 1873.
- Edward Elliott, born June 19, 1876; graduate of Union College, class of 1897, receiving degree of A. B.; married October 6, 1902, Jessamine, daughter of Charles P. and Matilda (Everingham) Kimball, of Troy, New York; child, Richard Elliott, born June 19, 1909.
- Bessie Magdalene, educated at La Salle Seminary, Auburndale, Massachusetts.
(VIII) Frederick Elliott, son of Stephen (3) and Harriet (Elliott) Draper, was born in Rochdale, Massachusetts, October 12, 1843. He came to Troy when three years of age. He was educated in the public schools and began his business life in a book and newspaper store. In October, 1861, he enlisted in the Eleventh Independent Battery, New York Volunteers, which was attached to the Army of the Potomac. He saw hard service and with his battery was in the hard-fought and bloody battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and others. He was promoted corporal of the battery and mustered out with honor at the close of the war. In 1869 he began engaging in the tobacco business and for many years was the junior partner of Fitzpatrick & Draper, manufacturers of cigars and wholesalers of tobacco. He was one of the organizers of the National City Bank of Troy, in 1903, and a director since that date; director of the Troy Trust Company; of Polk & Calder, wholesale drugs; president of Boutwell Milling & Grain Company; vice-president and director of the Wilbur Stephens Company, manufacturers of shirts, collars and cuffs. He is now living in Troy, retired from active business. During his active life he was a resident of Lansingburg (now North Troy), and from 1879 to 1888 was president of the village corporation. He is a Republican in politics and served as delegate to Republican state convention that nominated Governor Cornell. He is a trustee of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and a member of the Masonic fraternity.
He married, in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871, Ann Jane, born in Troy, New York, daughter of Don Carlos Woodcock, who was born in Hoosick, New York, in 1805, died in Troy, in 1880. He was a graduate of Williams College, A. B., 1839; studied law and was a practicing attorney of Troy. He married Julia Blass, and had four children, of whom Ann Jane Woodcock was the third. Children:
- Frederick Elliott, see forward.
- Philip Henry, born April 2, 1875; educated in the common and high schools, Troy Academy, Park Avenue Institute, Bridgeport, Connecticut, and a student two years at Williams College; in 1897 he enlisted in the Citizens' Corps, now Company A, Second Regiment, New York National Guard, served in the Spanish-American war, and during the strike on the Hudson Valley railroad was on duty with his company in Albany; he was appointed battalion quartermaster and sergeant, continuing in the service until 1907; he was in the employ of Polk & Calder, wholesale druggists, and with Fitzpatrick & Draper, wholesale tobacco dealers, until July, 1907, when he engaged in the fire, casualty and bonding business as the senior partner of Draper & Higgins; he is active in the Republican party and a member of the Presbyterian church; he is a member of the college fraternity, Delta Psi; Trojan Hook and Ladder Company, and the senior company of the Citizens' Corps: while at Williams he was prominent in athletics, full-back of the football team, and after leaving college played the same position with the Chicago Athletic Association and was captain of the team; in 1902 and 1903 played with the Watertown Athletic Association. He married, November 16, 1904, at Watertown, New York, Sally Bryant, daughter of Henry Stimson, editor and publisher, born at Tampa, Florida; child: Philip Henry Draper (2), born September, 6, 1906.
- Louis Legrand, born August 10, 1879, in Troy, New York; he is now a student at the College of Osteopathy, Los Angeles, California.
(IX) Frederick Elliott (2), son of Frederick Elliott (1) and Ann Jane (Woodcock) Draper, was born in Troy, New York, April 3, 1873. His primary education was obtained in the public schools of Troy, after which he passed through the high school, graduating in 1891; entered Williams College, from which he was graduated A. B., class of 1895. Choosing the profession of law, he matriculated at Harvard Law School, graduating LL. B. in 1898. He was admitted to the New York state bar in the fall of the same year, located his law offices in Troy, and until 1902 carried on his practice alone. In the latter year he formed a partnership with C. W. Betts, a leading lawyer of Troy, and as Betts & Draper so continue (1910). They conduct a general law practice, and are well established in public favor. In December, 1907, he was appointed by the mayor of Troy, judge of the city court, to fill out an unexpired term. At the fall election of 1909 he was elected by the people to fill the same office for the full term of four years. Judge Draper is active in city public, affairs. Politically he is an Independent Republican. In 1905 he was the Independent candidate for county attorney, but failed of election by a narrow margin. During the Spanish-American war he enlisted in May, 1898, in Company A, Second Regiment, New York Volunteers, and served until his company was mustered out in November of the same year. He is a member of the Presbyterian church of Troy. His college fraternity is Delta Psi. His social clubs are the Island, Golf and Pafraets Dael. His fraternal relations are Masonic, being affiliated with both lodge and chapter of that order. He married, October 4, 1903, Katherine Peebles, of Waterford, daughter of Dr. Roland H. and Katherine Duer (Austin) Stubbs, of Waterford, New York. Children:
- Katherine Roland, born August 8, 1904.
- Frederick Elliott (3), born January 8, 1906.