Name/Title
Samuel Watkins Eager 1789-1860 History of Orange CountyEntry/Object ID
002750Tags
Samuel Watkins EagerScope and Content
1. Commendation of Samuel Watkins Eager
Preserving Local History: Eager is praised for recognizing that the early history of Orange County would be lost to obscurity if not recorded. He gathered and tabulated factual data about pioneer families and their lives in the undeveloped wilderness.
Character and Intent: The letter highlights Eager’s "characteristic honesty and sincerity," noting that he strove for absolute truth. When he lacked immediate knowledge of the reasons behind certain facts, he openly admitted it in his final message to the reader.
2. Family Genealogy Mentioned
The letter outlines a clear lineage for Samuel Watkins Eager to connect him to early pioneer families:
Samuel Watkins Eager, Esq.: Born April 8, 1789; died December 23, 1860.
Father: William Eager, III (born November 17, 1763; died February 19, 1835).
Grandparents: William Eager, Jr. (born November 19, 1728, during the voyage to America) and Ann Bull. Ann was the daughter of William Bull and Sarah Wells, who married on August 25, 1718—noted as the "first white marriage in Town of Goshen."
Great-Grandparents: William Eager and Elsa McGrada.
3. Errors and Corrections in Eager's Work
Speculative Origins: The author notes that Eager made occasional errors where he lacked personal knowledge. Specifically, Eager speculated erroneously on the origin of the name "Greycourt meadows" near Chester in Orange County.
The True Origin: The author clarifies that Gricourt in France—the ancestral home of St. Quentin, which was a hamlet of fewer than 300 inhabitants in 1696—is the highly probable origin. Eager likely had no way of obtaining this information when writing in the 1840s.
4. Critique of Modern Education
Loss of Historical Knowledge: The writer laments a steep decline over the past 50 years in how local public schools teach regional history.
A Call to Action: Recent generations are criticized for lacking precise knowledge of Orange County's past. Quoting Daniel Webster, the writer argues that those who fail to view themselves as a link connecting the past to the future are failing in their duty to the world.