James Prendergast

James Prendergast (March 9, 1764—November 15, 1846) was an American pioneer and politician, an early settler of Chautauqua County, New York, and the first founder and namesake of the city of Jamestown, New York. 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, both New York State Senators. After the American Revolution, the Prendergast family, consisting of the children, grandchildren, and servants, traveled to Wheeling, West 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 Jamestown, New York. 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.