Husband Alexander Proudfit 1
Born: 2 May 1763 - Hopewell Twp, York Co, PA 1
Christened:
Died: 11 Oct 1844 - Erie Co, PA 2
Buried: - Edinboro, Erie Co, PA
Father: Andrew Proudfoot (1728-1807) 3
Mother: Sarah Wallace (1733-1811/1814) 3
Marriage: 12 Dec 1793 4
• Residence: : York Co, PA.
Wife Martha McCleary 4
Born: 5 Dec 1774 4
Christened:
Died: 13 Jul 1844 - Erie Co, PA 2
Buried: - Edinboro, Erie Co, PA
Father: John (?) McCleary ( - ) 4
Mother: Elizabeth Jameson ( - ) 4
Children
1 M Andrew Proudfit 5 6
Born: 13 Aug 1795 4
Christened:
Died: 20 Jan 1875 - Franklin Twp, Erie Co, PA 7
Buried:
Spouse: Isabella Smith (1803-1865) 8
Marr: 26 Nov 1823 8
2 F Elizabeth Proudfit 4
Born: 28 Mar 1797 4
Christened:
Died: 18 May 1868 - Centerville, St. Joseph Co, MI 9
Buried: - Moscow, Hillsdale Co, MI
Spouse: Hugh Sinclair (1801-1874) 4
Marr: May 1843 9
3 M John Proudfit 4
Born: 28 Feb 1797 4
Christened:
Died: 27 Dec 1889 10
Buried:
Spouse: Eliza Freshour (1811-1880) 4
Marr: 3 Dec 1829 11
4 F Sarah Proudfit 4
Born: 15 Mar 1801 4
Christened:
Died: 6 Jan 1865 - ? Mosherville, Hillsdale Co, MI 12
Buried:
Spouse: John Gillespie (1806-1872) 4
Marr: 3 Sep 1831 - Peoria, Genesee Co, NY 12
5 M David Proudfit 4 13
Born: 8 May 1803 4
Christened:
Died: 2 Jan 1866 - Mercer, Mercer Co, PA 14
Buried:
Spouse: Margaret Gay ( -Abt 1836) 4
Marr: 22 Jan 1835 15
Spouse: Nancy Ann McWilliams (1814-1852) 16 17
Spouse: Jane McBurney (1816-1881) 4 13
Marr: 27 Apr 1854 15
6 M Alexander Proudfit 4
Born: 2 May 1805 4
Christened:
Died: 26 Dec 1859 - Oskaloosa, Mahaska Co, IA 18
Buried:
Spouse: Margaret Morrow (1809-1892) 4
Marr: 21 Feb 1833 18
7 F Jane Proudfit 4
Born: 15 May 1807 4
Christened:
Died: 21 Apr 1895 - Jonesville, Hillsdale Co, MI 19
Buried:
Spouse: Donald "Daniel" Sinclair (1797-1868) 20
Marr: 1 Dec 1831 - York, Livingston Co, NY 21
8 F Martha Proudfit 4
Born: 9 May 1809 4
Christened:
Died: 28 Jan 1890 - Edinboro, Erie Co, PA 22
Buried:
Spouse: Hugh Compton (1795-1878) 4
Marr: 8 Dec 1842 23
9 F Agnes Proudfit 4
Born: 1 Feb 1812 4
Christened:
Died: 21 Nov 1900 - Sturgis, St. Joseph Co, MI 24
Buried:
Spouse: William Campbell (1808-1879) 4
Marr: 10 Feb 1835 25
10 M Robert Proudfit 4
Born: 14 Dec 1814 4
Christened:
Died: 27 Oct 1896 - St. Joseph, Buchanan Co, MO
Buried: - Friend, Saline Co, NE
Spouse: Eliza Philena Cilley (1823-1870) 26
Marr: 11 Mar 1845 - Edinboro, Erie Co, PA 27
11 F Margaret Proudfit 4
Born: 24 Oct 1819 4
Christened:
Died: 3 Oct 1847 28
Buried: - Moscow, Hillsdale Co, MI
General Notes: Husband - Alexander Proudfit
After the death of his father he occupied the old homestead at Proudfit's Point, living in the log house shown in the picture. (The stone extension was added by a later owner, and covers the site of what was known to Alexander's children as "Grannie's House.") Proudfit's Point was sold to Andrew Proudfoot by Daniel Robinson in 1768. Clark's Glade was willed to Alexander by his father and he may have lived there prior to his father's death.
Alexander Proudfit was for many years a ruling elder in the Associate Reformed Church, of which both he and his wife were exemplary members from their youth. While living in Seneca they drove six miles to church every Sunday in all weathers, remaining for two services. The morning service consisted, besides the usual devotional exercises\emdash prayer and the singing of David's Psalms in Rouse's Version\emdash of the "Morning Lecture," described as the "Expounding of a passage of Scripture." In the afternoon service a formal sermon was preached. As the discourses of the Presbyterian preachers of that day were from one to two hours in length, Alexander Proudfit's Sunday will hardly be looked on by his great-grandchildren as a day of rest. A regular Sunday evening exercise was the review of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The father could propound the one hundred and eight questions in order from memory, and prompt any of the younger children who might hesitate in giving an answer.
Although nothing approaching levity was permitted on Sunday, the home must have been a merry one on week days. Most of the family were somewhat musical. The father had a store of old songs and ballads with which he amused the younger children. In the self-taught fashion of the day, several of the sons played the violin and one the flute. The house was a gathering place for the young people of the neighborhood, who joined with those of the family in singing and dancing. The last named amusement was deemed an innocent diversion when practiced in a private house.
Martha (McCleary) Proudfit was of gentle disposition and very conscientious. She was in full accord with her husband's religious views, and aided him in training their children to value character above possessions, and to apply the same moral standard to all ranks and both sexes. She would never allow one of her children to censure in her presence one of her children-in-law.
Her grandson, Wm. S. Proudfit, says: "She was very accessible to children, and not easily bothered by their questions as was her sterner half. When I was five or six years old Alexander and I lived at grandfather's one summer and went to school. Grandmother gave us much religious instruction; taught us prayers and religious sentiments. The following is a sample:
Have communion with one;
Be intimate with few;
Deal justly with all;
Speak evil of none.
"Praying will make us leave sinning, and sinning will make us leave praying."
And this from the psalms:
Do thou with hyssop sprinkle me,
I shall be cleansed so.
Yea, wash thou me and then I shall
Be whiter than the snow.
"My brother Alexander in his last hours repeated some of these sentiments."
To her grand-daughter and namesake she used to sing:
Martha McCleary is fat and fair,
Coal black eyes and curly brown hair,
Rosy cheeks and dimpled chin,
Martha McCleary 's heart's bound in.
She is said to have had dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and fair skin.
A century ago the farmers of Hopewell Township, ignorant of proper methods of conserving and restoring the fertility of the soil, believed their farms to be worn out, and many left York County for newer sections. Western New York, styled "The Genesees," was reputed a very rich farming country, particularly adapted to the raising of wheat, then a very profitable crop. Influenced by these reports Alexander Proudfit removed with his family in 1817 to Seneca Township, Ontario County, New York. Two large covered wagons conveyed him, his wife, and ten children with their household goods, to their destination. They journeyed up the Susquehanna, which they crossed in ferry boats, stopping for the night at taverns. The change proved unfortunate, and a few years later the family again moved, this time to Covington Township, Genesee County, New York. In 1833 three of the sons who had married bought farms in Erie County, Pennsylvania, and here Alexander, his wife and the younger members of the family lived for ten years on a farm two miles west of Edinboro, belonging to David Proudfit.
Alexander Proudfit died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. William Campbell. His wife died at the same place, and both are buried in the old cemetery at Edinboro.