We begin with Christopher Stark, Jr. From August 1 to August 4 of 1781, there was a Lt. Christopher Stark and Private Ashel Stark who served under Captain William Shepard in the "alarm at Saratoga." Captain Shepard's Company was assigned to Col. Cornelius Douty's Regiment of Foot, State of Vermont. [Revolutionary War Rolls, page 409] From the Pay Roll Voucher submitted by Captain Shepard, 16 men were paid for four days duty plus 4 pence/mile each for a march of 24 miles. Among these men were John Price, Jr. and Jonathan Price, who would later be reported as neighbors of Asahel Stark in the Pittstown, Albany County, New York 1790 census. Many of the other men were also from Albany County, again revealed in the 1790 census.

From the Beekman Patents, Dutchess County, New York, we know there was a Christopher Stark who bought a lease in 1759 which added the names "Azel" Stark and William Stark on the lease agreement. Therefore, combining the Beekman patent data with the Pay Roll voucher data would seem to reveal there was most likely a Asahel and Christopher Stark, probably related and more likely to be father and son, living east of Albany in 1781.

As related earlier, the State of New York paid those who served in the war from 1777 to 1782 by issuing Certificates of Indebtedness in 1784. On February 28, 1785, one William Stark was granted permission by Susanna Stark to pick up the military wages due to Christopher Starks for duty in Colonel John Van Rensselaer's Regiment of Militia. This note was attested to in St. Coyek. On August 20, 1785, William Stark was granted permission to pick up the military wages of Asahel Stark for duty in the same regiment. On January 11, 1786, from St. Coyek, William Stark was given permission to pick up the pay of Christopher Stark on behalf of Susanna Stark from Colonel John Van Rensselaer. {New York Military pay vouchers, Manuscripts #12071, #12070, and #12072.]

Therefore, there would now seem to be a connection to Christopher Stark, Asahel Stark, William Stark, and Susanna Stark. Susanna is probably the wife of Christopher, collecting the pay of her deceased husband. William Stark is probably her son and Asahel's brother, the William mentioned in the Beekman Patent. From the locations where these were prepared, we again find this Stark family living in an area east of present day Albany, New York close to the Vermont border.

From the Revolutionary Pension Applications, we know there was a William Stark who served in Colonel John Harper's Regiment of Levies which is further proved by a pay voucher dated June 21, 1784 where William Stark gave William Wilson permission to pick up his military wages due for the year 1780 in Captain Harrison's Company, Colonel Harper's Regiment of Levies. This William Stark married Mehitable Fuller, her family well documented as living in the area around Albany at the time of the Revolution. [New York Pay Vouchers, Manuscript #12276 [Vol. 2, page 29]] In his Pension Application, his wife stated he served nine months in this regiment beginning in the spring of 1780.

From the pension application of Nathan Stark/Start's wife , made in 1840, it would seem Nathan Stark also served in Colonel Harper's Regiment of Levies, and joined in the spring of 1780 from Cambridge, New York, also near Albany and in the same general area of New York where the above shows Christopher, Asahel, and William lived. He can also be identified as being part of Harper's Regiment from a pay voucher dated November 26, 1781 which request he be paid for his time as a prisoner for 13 months and three days while serving in Colonel Harper's Regiment of Levies. Looking at the dates of enlistment, one can clearly see Nathan and William joined at the same time and their enlistments overlapped until Nathan was captured in October of 1780. [ Manuscript # 7516 [Vol. 2, p. 117] State of New York to Nathan Stark]

From all of the above, we would seem to now have Christopher Stark, Asahel Stark, William Stark, and Nathan Stark as probable relatives. Although Nathan is not linked directly to Christopher, he is linked indirectly through William if William is a son of Christopher. Nathan would marry in Granville, New York and die their in 1812, Granville being in Washington County, New York, about 40 miles north of Pittstown, where Asahel is later documented to be living in 1790.

Finally, John Stark who married Catherine Neff in Fonda, New York, located west of Albany about 40 miles, is a possible son of Christopher due to a pay voucher dated April 25, 1781. This record consists of three pieces of paper of which one appears to be an envelope. One the envelope is John Starks Order #180-107 and the name Christopher Star [Last part torn] The second piece of paper says, "copy of' and the third gives "My honoured father" permission to pick up three months wages due to John Stark. A witness to John's signature is Timothy Price who served in Yates Regiment with Asahel Stark and Christopher Stark. [Manuscript #5794]

This is the best we can do in this case. If the Christopher Stark shown on the envelope is John's father, and the witness Timothy Price, lived east of Albany New York in 1781, then John is also probably a son of Christopher which then links him to Asahel, William, and Nathan.

While the above is not conclusive, it most certainly shows there was a Stark Family living east of Albany as early as 1779 and probably earlier, an that they appeared to have a close association with many people proven to have lived on Beekman's Patent in Dutchess County, New York. Further, evidence shows many of these families moved to this region from Beekman from 1768 to 1776. Now let's look at each of the members of Christopher Stark, Jr.'s family.