Warkentin and Draper Family History

William le Drapour, John le Drapour , and Henry le Drapour, (first known spelling of the name) were brothers living in the Netherlands, Normandy, or Brittany, A.D. 1400. They left their home and settled in Yorkshire, England, sometime during the early part of the fifteenth century. English records make mention of Drapours living in Yorkshire in 1415.

Late in the 17th century, Thomas Draper, an English clergyman, and his wife had a son who they named Samuel. As a youth Samuel ran away from his home in Heptonstall, Halifax, England and became a Pirate.

Excerpt: Drapers in America - Published 1892

"Capt. Samuel Draper lead so exceedingly roving a life, and sailed to so many ports of the world, that he left few or no records of himself. 

The following information about Samuel Draper is largely conjectural. He is supposed to have been the wild son of a Church of England clergyman, one Thomas Draper, of Halifax, Yorkshire, England. The young man ran away to sea, and never there-after returned home. 

In course of time Samuel Draper became a captain of a ship, which it is more than probable was on buccaneering intent. Whilst in some port of the kingdom of Spain he carried off a Spanish girl, and it is presumed made her his wife. She there-after always sailed with him. They had children, and it was the custom of the Captain to name his sons after the port in which they were born, or to which the ship was bound. We have, therefore, 3. Boston Draper, 4. Newburyport Draper, 5. New York Draper, and, an exception, 6. James Draper. Legend gives us the names of New York and Newburyport Draper, but we have only authenticated, through old documents which have been available to us, the names of Boston and James."

The only " known" descendants of Samuel, to date, are the descendants of his son, Boston.

New England

Early in the 17^th century a member of the family moved to the New England Colonies. James “the Puritan” Draper was the head of this household. Near the end of the century or early in the 18^th century Samuel Draper ran away from his home in Heptonstall, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England to become a Pirate. He eventually settled in Massachusetts before his son Boston was born in 1719.

Samuel and James are believed to be related but to date the link has not been proven. Reference is made to a great uncle of Samuel. It is believed that Samuel died in 1767 and is buried in the “Old Granary” cemetery in Boston. (Not proven)

Although Samuel had four sons, the only one known to date is Boston(1719-1784). Boston married Tryphena Brown, the daughter of Boaz Brown (1705-1772).

Tryphena was the descendant of Thomas and Bridget Brown who arrived in New England from “Bury St. Edmund” England in 1638. Their descendants lived in and around Concord and Stow Massachusetts.

Boston and Tryphena settled just a few miles from Stow in Boxborough, MA. Their tombstone still stands in the Old North cemetery in Boxborough. Her ownership of the family property in Boxborough is noted in a 1798 tax record

Their son Samuel married Sarah Crouch and their daughter Sarah married Reuben Worster. They moved to the vicinity of Chesterfield, New Hampshire. Their son Boaz Brown Draper was born in 1775. He was named  after Tryphena’s father “Boaz Brown”.

Herkimer New York

Boaz Brown Draper moved his family to Herkimer, New York settling in the German Flats area. He is known to have had three wives. They were Sarah White (married 1795), Sally Lowell (married 1807), and Alice Olive Meyers.

Sarah White was the mother of Sallie born in 1802  in Massachusetts. Sally Lowell was the mother of Olive who was born in 1810 also in Massachusetts. Olive married Daniel Bender and eventually settled in Chittenango, Madison Co. NY. To date  the mother of the remaining children is unknown. It could be either Sally or Alice, although the birthmother of Franklin (1822) is Alice as well as one or two children born just before Franklin. Ari was born in 1815 so could be the son of either Sally Lowell or Alice Olive Meyers. Until the birthdates of some of the children are established this mystery will remain unsolved.

Madison County, New York

Ari married Cynthia Bender in 1840. His older sister, Olive (born:1810) had previously married Daniel Bender in 1830. To date we have been unable to establish a connection between Daniel and Cynthia, they are not siblings. Ari’s brother, Franklin (born:1822) married Catherine Eliza Weber and moved to Iowa. Daniel and Olive settled in the Town of Sullivan, NY.

Ari and Cynthia settled in Chittenango, Town of Sullivan, Madison County, New York. Their children were: William (b:1842); David (b:1844); Hortence (b:1848); Charles (b:1849); Mary Elizabeth (b:1852); Lillian Josephine (b:1857); Ida Mae (b: 1861); and twins, Francis Elgin and Franklin (b:1864).

David married Harriet (Hattie) Francelia Carpenter, the daughter of Reuben and Hannah (Pennock) Carpenter about 1865. They had three children, Elwin, Flora, and Cynthia. Charles married Mary Trumble. Their children were, Lydia Mae, Albert Clinton, Charles, and Edwin Ward.

Harriet’s father, Reuben Carpenter, the son of Robert N. Carpenter, is the descendant of Capt William Carpenter who came to Massachusetts in 1638 on the ship “Bevis” and founded the town of Rehoboth. Reuben's grandmother Hannah (Thayer) Carpenter is the descendant of Ferdinando Thayer, one of the founders of Mendon MA.

Harriet's mother, Hannah (Pennock) Carpenter, was born in Hebron, Washington County, New York.  Hannah's father Ira was a veteran of the war of 1812. Hannah’s brother, Ebenezer, became one of the largest landholders in New York around 1865. He moved into a new mansion in Chittenango in 1865. The house still stands at 120 Madison, Chittenango NY.

Many of our family still reside in and around Madison County, New York. The family names include, Bender, Carpenter, Centner, Foote, Olmstead, Prosser, Shapley, Weaver

Heading West

David and Charles and their families moved to New Haven, Oswego County, New York, about 1870. New Haven is north of Syracuse on Lake Ontario, less than 50 miles from Chittenango.

At some point in November 1878, Charles and Harriet decided to leave their respective spouses and children. They headed north to Ontario where they stayed until 1881 then headed west, arriving in Toledo Ohio by 1882. They then moved to Phillips, Wisconsin and about 1892 moved to Oconto, Nebraska. In 1902 they traveled by wagon train to Battleford, Saskatchewan.

In the meanwhile their families in New York lost track of them. David and Harriet’s children were raised in New York as were Charles and Mary’s. Some of Charles siblings also went west.

Mary Elizabeth Draper married James Jackson and they lived in Oconto until moving to Battleford in 1902. Francis Draper married Jesse Estelle Ingram and joined the trek to Battleford. Franklin who also lived in Oconto stayed in Nebraska.

William Draper moved to Oconto, Nebraska and it is possible he was the first of the Draper family to head west. He was living in Iowa in 1869. At this time there is no record of his date of arrival in Oconto. His wife Nettie (Kellogg) Draper died there Mar 11, 1886. He had moved to Ohio by 1898. His second wife was Carrie Safford.

In the meanwhile back in New York in about 1911 David Draper married Charlotte Fellows after divorcing Harriet. They lived in Rome, New York.

James and Mary Jackson returned to the US in 1914 when James became ill. Their oldest son, Walter had not joined the trek north and took care of his father until his death in 1914. Their two daughters Mabel and Agnes stayed in Battleford and married the Hennessy brothers.

Francis Elgin Draper stayed in the Battleford area for a while. He separated from his wife and both returned to the US. Francis eventually went to live near his son Alphonse in Oregon. Part of his family remained in Canada. Others went to the US.

Charles and Harriet’s children were Bert (b:1879); Elmer (b:1882 died as infant); Edna (b:1887); Ernest (b:1891); Cloyde (b:1895). Bert married Laura Wood. They remained in the US and moved to California. Edna married Andy Delong who she met on the trek to Battleford. Ernest married Lillian Maude Liggins. Cloyde married Rose Choque.

Aug, 2002 

The coat_of_arms of the Heptonstall, Halifax, Yorkshire Draper  family is:

• ARMS -  Argent on a fesse engraved between three Annulets gules, as many covered Cups
• CREST -  A Stags head gules, attired gold, charged on the neck with a fesse between three Annulets
• MOTTO - Vicit pepercit  - He conquered, he spared.