James Prendergast (March 9, 1764—November 15, 1846) was an American pioneer and politician, an early settler of

Chautauqua County, New York Chautauqua County is the westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 127,657. Its county seat is Mayville, New York, Mayville, an ...

, and the first founder and namesake of the city of

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamestown is the largest pop ...

Biography

Early life

Prendergast was born on March 9, 1764, in Pawling, New York, a son of William Prendergast, Sr. (1727—1811) and Mehetabel Wing (1738—1812). Among his siblings included Jediah and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, both New York State Senators. After the American Revolution, the Prendergast family, consisting of the children, grandchildren, and servants, traveled to Wheeling, Virginia and then to Louisville, Kentucky, before they arrived in Memphis, Tennessee. Unsatisfied, the family moved to Upper Canada in what is now Ontario.

Pioneer

James Prendergast settled in the area that became

. He discovered the area when searching for runaway horses. He returned to Pittstown where he married Agnes Thompson in 1807. She was born on September 18, 1771, in Galloway, Scotland. He brought his family, along with John and Mary Bowers, to Chautauqua County in 1810, and stayed with his brother Matthew during the winter of 1810–1811. Bowers built a log home near the future city and James built a log house nearby in the spring of 1811, along with a dam and sawmill. The house and mill were destroyed by fire in 1812, and he went on to build a new home.

Politics

In 1812, the Town of Elicott was formed from the Town of Pomfret and Prendergast was elected the first Supervisor of the Town of Ellicott and served from 1813 to 1815. He also served as Inspector of Schools in 1814, along with Solomon Jones and Theron Plumb. In 1814, he became an associate judge of the Court of Common Pleas. In 1815, Prendergast was nominated for

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

as a member of the Federalist Party, along with Daniel Chapin of Buffalo. They were defeated by the Republicans, Daniel McCleary and Elias Osborn. On December 13, 1816, the Jamestown Post-Office was established and Prendergast served as first postmaster. He served until October 24, 1824, when Laban Hazeltine (a brother of

Abner Hazeltine Abner Hazeltine (June 10, 1793 – December 20, 1879) was a politician from New York. Biography Born in Wardsboro, Vermont, Hazeltine attended the common schools. He graduated from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1815. ...

) became postmaster.

Later life

In 1836, he sold his land in Jamestown and moved to Ripley, in the northern part of the county. His wife Agnes died at Ripley on January 9, 1839, at the age of 68. James Prendergast died at his home in Kiantone on November 15, 1846, at the age of 82. He was buried in Prendergast Cemetery. Prendergast had one son, Alexander, and a grandson named James, who is the namesake of James Prendergast Library in

Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prendergast, James 1764 births 1846 deaths American pioneers New York (state) local politicians