The progenitor of this branch of the Stewart family was William Stewart, who was born in Scotland and emigrated to the American Colonies prior to the revolution, settling in Stonington, Connecticut. Little is known of his early history further than that he married and had a son William (2), who founded the family in Fulton county, New York, going there when a young man.
(II) William (2), son of William (1) Stewart; was born in Stonington, Connecticut, May 10, 1775, died March 10, 1857. He came to the Mohawk Valley when young, settled first at Bennetts Corners, later at Kingsboro, then in Oppenheim, Fulton county, where he was engaged in agriculture. He was an active member of the Baptist church. He married, February 12, 1801, Abigail Sheldon, born December 25, 1781, died December 29, 1873. Children:
- Diana, born December 21, 1802, died April 18, 1807;
- Anna, March 3, 1804, died October 28, 1806;
- Anna (2), January, 1807, married, May 27, 1827, Peter Van Allen;
- Harriet, February 16, 1808, married, October 31, 1827, Alexander Connor;
- William Sheldon, of whom further;
- Saphrona, August 19, 1811, married, November 21, 1838, John S. Miller;
- Abigail, August 21, 1813, died October 14, 1814;
- Mary Ann, June 25, 1815, married, March 12, 1833, Harvey H. Ingham;
- Alanson M., October 13, 1817, married, February 6, 1838, Diana Duersler;
- Cordelia, November 8, 1819, married Daniel Hess;
- Julia Ann, April 23, 1821, married Orin A. Graves;
- Fanny, February 28, 1823, married George W. Collins;
- Margaret Maria, February 10, 1827, married (first) August, 1846, Henry Ives, of Watertown, New York, by whom she had three children:
- Julia L., born January 17, 1848, died March 5, 1902;
- Chloe A., born January 17, 1850;
- Viola De E., May 22, 1852;
- Mary A., born August 21, 1868;
- Willard W., born January 9, 1871.
(III) William Sheldon, eldest son of William (2) and Abigail (Sheldon) Stewart, was born March 4, 1810, died December 19, 1884. He was educated in the public school and after completing his studies learned the mason's trade. He carried on a general contracting business for several years, then purchased a farm of two hundred acres in the town of Oppenheim, which he operated until his death. He was a man of prominence in the town, was a member of the Masonic Order and an active Methodist, his home always being a favorite place of entertainment for the ministers. He was a Republican in politics and a frequent delegate to local and state conventions. He married, March 3, 1840, Jane Almina Churchill, born August 27, 1827, died September 25, 1908, daughter of Benjamin and Catherine Churchill. Children:
- Stephen Sheldon, born January 26, 1841; married, December 16, 1868, Fannie S. Lasell, at Lasellsville, New York; children:
- Cassius A., born March 8, 1870; married (first) Ida Foust, March 1, 1899; (second) Irene Sheets, December 16, 1902;
- Allie Lasell, born April 6, 1873;
- Sheldon M., born August 31, 1879.
- Margaret M., born October 2, 1843; married, May 12, 1868, Charles A. Kibbe; children:
- Willard J., married, June 5, 1895, Alice Drum;
- Grace Jane, born June 25, 1875;
- Floyd Darwin, born June 6, 1878; married, June, 1903, Jane Hollister.
- Willard Nelson, of whom further.
- John C., born April 3, 1847; married, September 15, 1868, Josephine Louisa Lasell; children:
- Emma May, born July 23, 1876, married Reuben Hays;
- Ethel Lasell, born September 28, 1885;
- John Edwards, born December 9, 1891.
- Abigail E., born May 7, 1849; married, January 1, 1879, Philo E. Johnson; children:
- Leon C., born December 10, 1880, married Anna O'Brien;
- Lulu M., born August 7, 1886, married Olof Johnson;
- Lendall B., born June 18, 1884.
- Julia Almina, born June 8, 1851, died June 25, 1853.
- Adelia C., born October 21, 1853; married, August 25, 1880, Oscar W. Krause; children:
- Edward C., born July 3, 1881, married Jennie M. Rose;
- Claude C., born August 21, 1883, married Agnes Seabel.
- William Benjamin, born June 17, 1856; married, December 6, 1882, Delcia Celestia Healey; children:
- Blanche C., born July 20, 1886;
- Blaine H., born April 7, 1892;
- Clyde S., born October 20, 1897.
- Alethia Almina, born April 16, 1858, died June 6, 1860.
- Clarence Mason, born October 14, 1859, died June 5, 1860.
(IV) Willard Nelson, the second son of William Sheldon and Jane A. (Churchill) Stewart, was born in the town of Oppenheim, March 4, 1846. He was educated in the public school and Fairfield Academy, Herkimer county, New York. For two years after completing his studies he was clerk in a dry goods store at St. Johnsville. November 11, 1869, he came to Gloversville, and entered the employ of Alanson Judson and others, where he learned the trade of glove cutting. From 1875 to 1887 he was a glove salesman, handling the product of different makers and covering the states of New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In 1888 he established a fire and life insurance business in Gloversville, which he conducted successfully until 1897, when he disposed of the entire business to Carmichael and Pool. He has been much in the public service of his city; was supervisor for wards three and five, 1892-96, and served as chairman of the board. In 1891 he was appointed one of the appraisers of property in the county by the city of Gloversville, in the appeal taken from the decision of the board of supervisors of 1890, again in 1909 when the towns of Johnstown and Perth took an appeal from the equalization board of 1908. He was selected by the board supervisors to act as one of the appraisers of property in the county. In 1894 he was appointed by Judge Judson S. Landon of the superior court with Jason A. Miller and Borden Dodge Smith to divide and apportion to the respective heirs the Wooster estate in Gloversville. July 8, 1897, he was appointed postmaster of Gloversville by President William McKinley and reappointed December 17, 1901, by President Roosevelt. He continued the capable incumbent of his office until February, 1906, completing a service of eight years and six months. The new federal building was erected in Gloversville and first used for post office purposes during his term of office as postmaster. Mr. Stewart is a member of Gloversville Lodge, No. 429, Free and Accepted Masons; Silver Cross Lodge, No. 123, Knights of Pythias; he is a Republican in politics. For many years he has been an active official and charter member of Fremont Methodist Episcopal church and Sunday school. He was superintendent of the latter for three years, and served the church as steward, class leader, financial secretary and trustee, having held the latter office continuously since 1879.
He married, September 9, 1868, Mary M., born March 28, 1847, daughter of Robert Klock, born July 25, 1812, died May 26, 1899; married, 1840, Catherine Snell, who died in 1884. Children of Robert and Catherine Klock:
- Marcus, born 1842; enlisted in the Fourth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry; re-enlisted at New Orleans, Louisiana, in the Second Connecticut Cavalry, was wounded in battle and died from the effects of his injuries.
- Mary M., married Willard Nelson Stewart.
- Amanda Elizabeth, born September 13, 1851, married, 1871, John P. Swarthout.
Robert Klock was a son of John Henry Klock, who married Margarett Helmer, daughter of Superintendent George F. and Margarett (Myres) Helmer. Margarett Myres was a sister of General Michael Myres; a grandson of Hendrick J. Klock, who was a member of Second Regiment Tryon county militia, under Colonel Jacob Klock, and Margarett (Wagner) Klock, who in 1783 removed with his family to the town of Little Falls, Herkimer county, New York. Hendrick J. Klock was the son of George Klock, one of the fifteen grantees of the Klock Patent dated December 21, 1754, that included sixteen thousand acres of land in the towns of Oppenheim and Ephratah; the southern portion of each town. Children of Willard Nelson and Mary M. Stewart:
- Minne Maud, born June 19, 1869; married, June 6, 1895, A. D. Young, D.D.S., born February, 1870, a practicing dentist of Amsterdam, New York. Children:
- Stewart Andrew, born June 1, 1900, and
- Robert Sheldon, June 3, 1905.
- Robert Sheldon, May 29, 1871.
- Bertram Cecil, March 8, 1874.